Cessation
Izzy Girl

XI and the walls came tumbling down

"Well isn't this lovely." Syaoran muttered, sinking deeper into his uncomfortable waiting chair and glaring at the opposite wall of the police station petuantly.

"It's your fault." Touya shot back, equally as disdainful, "If you hadn't gone and upsetted all those innocent bystanders..."

"There never were innocent bystanders- or innocent victims for that matter when Sakura was around." the chinese boy retorted.

"Yeah, well Sakura isn't around anymore."

The trio was engulfed by silence. This was most certainly a situation they were not accustomed to. Syaoran and Touya scowled bitterly at each other and a rather subdued Tomoyo stared at her hands folded in her lap.

"You two should be quiet." she said plainly, "You'll just get us in more trouble."

The two boys took pause and looked away from each other, Syaoran reddening slightly and Touya sticking his nose up in the air haughtily. The station was both very quiet and very loud. There were few people around in the waiting area but the soft whisperings were almost deafening. The sun was beginning to dip down behind the horizen outside the small, constricted window and the three were beginning to worry. It was taking an unusually long time for the powers that be to analyze their case.

"What happens if we go to jail?" Syaoran wondered just barely audiable. Touya snapped his gaze back to the chinese boy and sneered slightly.

"I thought you would have had that one all figured out by now. You are, afterall, one of the Li clan." he said it in such a way Syaoran couldn't decide wheather the older boy really meant it or if he was just messing with him again.

"Well, yeah..." Syaoran narrowed his eyes and closed his fingers around the cuffs of his shikifuku, wishing he had chosen to wear something a bit more conservative, "Even if they lock us up I could get us out easily... but I'd prefer we did this the legal way. They have all our personal information locked up in the room with them now afterall."

"Do you think Eriol would help us?" Tomoyo aksed absently.

Syaoran went ridgid. He looked at Tomoyo and developed a slight twitch in his left eye. He quickly drew his face away to hide a furious blush and growled sharply, "If he knows what's good for him he won't.! I don't want to talk to him. Ever."

Touya shrugged, "It would be helpful, you know." he snickered, "That's some pride you've got. Let it down once in a while, Li, you're going to have blood pressure issues before you hit twenty at this rate."

"This has nothing to do with pride!" Syaoran shouted, bringing his head up and glaring at Touya viciously.

The murmers of the waiting room stopped abruptly and several heads, including Tomoyo's, turned to regard the chinese boy in shock, as if by breaking the silence he had overstepped a sacred rule of the police station.

He paled and dropped his gaze abashedly, biting his lip and raising his shoulders. "Well..." he whispered, "Maybe it does have something to do with pride. But it's not what you think..."

Tomoyo sighed and returned her attention to her pale hands and crisscrossing fingers, "Let's just wait. The hard part's over and done with at least, all we can do now is pray..."

TOMOEDA POLICE STATION INTERROGATION TAPES SATURDAY JUNE 27TH

SUBJECT: TOUYA KINOMOTO OFFICER: DECTECTIVE KAZAMA TIME: 4:20PM

D. KAZAMA: I'd like to ask you a few questions. Is that okay with you?

KINOMOTO: Uh, yeah sure.

D. KAZAMA: First of all, what's your full name?

KINOMOTO: Kinomoyo Touya.

D. KAZAMA: And your age?

KINOMOTO: I'm turning twenty-one, sir.

D. KAZAMA: This is a bit of a personal question that has no bearing on the case, but were you in any way affiliated with the missing person's case two years ago in regards to a certain Ms. Sakura Kinomoto.

KINOMOTO: Yeah. She, um, she was my sister.

D. KAZAMA: Okay. I'm sorry I brought it up. These things are necessary, you know.

KINOMOTO: I understand.

D. KAZAMA: Moving on... what were you doing at the waterfront this afternoon approximately two hours ago?

KINOMOTO: Er... what did it look like I was doing?

D. KAZAMA: Ha ha. Perhaps I should rephrase the question... what exactly was GOING ON at the waterfront this afternoon Mr. Kinomoto?

KINOMOTO: Well... er...

TOMOEDA POLICE STATION INTERROGATION TAPES SATURDAY JUNE 27TH

SUBJECT: LI XIAO LANG OFFICER: DECTECTIVE TAKUYA TIME: 4:38PM

D. TAKUYA: I'm going to ask you a few things about what happened this afternoon. Is that okay with you?

LI: Does it matter?

D. TAKUYA: ... what do you mean by that?

LI: You're going to ask me the questions whether it's okay with me or not so let's just get on with this.

D. TAKUYA: Um... okay, first of all, what's your full name?

LI: Li Xiao Lang.

*pause*

LI: The japanese pronounciation would be 'Syaoran'.

D. TAKUYA: Are you chinese?

LI: No. I'm Russian.

D. TAKUYA: Your sarcasm is ill appreciated Mr. Li.

LI: Sorry.

*pause*

LI: I'm from Hong Kong.

D. TAKUYA: What are you doing living in Tomoeda?

LI: Since when is this about immigration?

D. TAKUYA: I'm just curious.

LI: Nosy is more like it.

D. TAKUYA: You were right before, Mr. Li. You're going to answer these questions whether you want to or not. Now tell me, what are you doing in Tomoeda.

LI: I'm visiting.

D. TAKUYA: For four years? And it says here that you were living here for two years prior to that.

LI: I have friends here. What does it matter?

D. TAKUYA: It matters quite a bit. On one hand, a serious charge like this could result in your deportation. On the other hand, being only sixteen years old you are under the legal age to be living in a foreign country without an adult gaurdian.

LI: Okay.

D. TAKUYA: This is a serious matter, Mr. Li.

LI: I said 'okay'. I wasn't dismissing it.

D. TAKUYA: I don't like your attitude. Mr. Li.

LI: Well, that's not my problem is it?

*pause*

D. TAKUYA: What were you doing down by the waterfront this afternoon, Mr. Li.

LI: I don't think that's any of your business. Anyways, you saw the entire thing, didn't you?

D. TAKUYA: That may be true, but I'd like to know exactly what it was I was seeing.

TOMOEDA POLICE STATION INTERROGATION TAPES SATURDAY JUNE 27TH

SUBJECT: TOMOYO DAIDOUJI OFFICER: DECTECTIVE SAIYUKI TIME: 4:15PM

D. SAIYUKI: Okay, miss. I hope you don't mind if I ask you a few questions.

DAIDOUJI: Of course not. I understand how confusing this afternoon's events must have been for your people.

D. SAIYUKI: Yes. Ahem... now, if I could get your full name?

DAIDOUJI: Daidouji Tomoyo.

D. SAIYUKI: Whoa! Are you the daughter of...!?

DAIDOUJI: Yes.

D. SAIYUKI: Wow. I'm really sorry about this, Miss. Protocols, you know.

DAIDUOJI: Of course.

D. SAIYUKI: Um... your age?

DAIDOUJI: I am sixteen years old.

D. SAIYUKI: Yeah... I really am sorry about this.

DAIDOUJI: It's really okay! I don't expected to be treated any differently simply because my family is wealthy. Anyways, your questions?

D. SAIYUKI: Um, yes. Okay. I wanted to ask you about what was going on near the harbour this afternoon.

DAIDOUJI: I guessed as much. Do you want to hear the truth?

D. SAIYUKI: Of course!

DAIDOUJI: Are you sure?

TOMOEDA POLICE STATION INTERROGATION TAPES SATURDAY JUNE 27TH

SUBJECT: TOUYA KINOMOTO OFFICER: DECTECTIVE KAZAMA TIME: 4:23PM

D. KAZAMA: A... movie?

KINOMOTO: Pretty impressive, huh? We worked on it for a while... it took weeks of practising in the back yard to get it right.

D. KAZAMA: Hmmm...

KINOMOTO: Eh... what's the problem officer?

D. KAZAMA: I'm not exactly sure if I believe you.

KINOMOTO: What's not to believe? I'm really sorry about the whole thing, sir. We'll be sure to notify the city next time we do something like this but it WAS just special effects. It wasn't real.

D. KAZAMA: The wounds on your arms look plenty real, son.

KINOMOTO: What? These? Heh, you know how it is... I did my own stunts, right? And we couldn't expect to get it perfect the first time around.

D. KAZAMA: You mean... you could duplicate what happened down there?

KINOMOTO: Well... not easily...

D. KAZAMA: Because you know, it looked pretty real considering it was just a stupid home video.

KINOMOTO: Yeah, our director- Ms. Daidouji Tomoyo, she's a stickler for that kind of detail.

D. KAZAMA: How exactly did you do it then?

KINOMOTO: Huh... well, we...

D. KAZAMA: Because that's what I don't understand. How did you do it? Explain the process to me, Mr. Kinomoto.

KINOMOTO: Erm... it's very hard to explain.

D. KAZAMA: Then how do you expect me to believe you?

KINOMOTO: What? You don't really think that all could have been real!?

D. KAZAMA: I don't know. All I know is what I saw down there.

KINOMOTO: Oh, you mean Li? He's a real drama queen. Has a hard time getting out of character...

D. KAZAMA: I mean the dead bodies. They were no more than two hundred feet away from where you were filming.

KINOMOTO: Err...

D. KAZAMA: Even if it was just special effects, Mr. Kinomoto, I'm sure you understand the consequences if you were somehow responsible for those people's deaths.

KINOMOTO: It wouldn't be the first time Li's sick sense of humour got us in trouble. Really, sir, I don't know anything about those people.

D. KAZAMA: And I'm just going to have to take your word for it, aren't I?

KINOMOTO: Come on, detective, you can't honestly believe that some rouge fire PIXIE was rampaging around the streets of Tomoeda in the middle of the afternoon maiming random townsfolk!

D. KAZAMA: ...

KINOMOTO: And further believe that it was taken down by a tiny, sixteen year old chinese boy with a sword? Honestly, it's like something out of a bad anime!

D. KAZAMA: Or a bad home video, am I right Mr. Kinomoto?

KINOMOTO: Um, well...

TOMOEDA POLICE STATION INTERROGATION TAPES SATURDAY JUNE 27TH

SUBJECT: LI XIAO LANG OFFICER: DECTECTIVE TAKUYA TIME: 4:45PM

D. TAKUYA: ... and would you please explain this?

*pause*

LI: That's my sword.

D. TAKUYA: Your... sword?

LI: Yes. My sword.

D. TAKUYA: So let me get this right... you were just minding your own business when you got caught up in this whole mess? And you were carrying around a sword.

LI: What have I said that's led you to think that? I wasn't minding my own business at all.

D. TAKUYA: You haven't given me any explaination as to what you were doing there, Mr. Li.

LI: Why should I? You wouldn't believe me anyways.

D. TAKUYA: Why do you own a sword, Mr. Li?

LI: I've always owned a sword.

D. TAKUYA: Okay. But why?

LI: That's just how it is in my family. We've always been taught the art of swordsmanship.

D. TAKUYA: That's strange. Swords are very old fashion, you know.

LI: Oh well.

D. TAKUYA: Oh well?

LI: Mother said that guns lack honor. One requires neither courage nor skill to pick one up and use it.

D. TAKUYA: So you always carry a sword around with you?

LI: Not always. Only when I need it.

D. TAKUYA: And you needed it today?

LI: I was training up in the woods.

D. TAKUYA: Why were you training?

LI: Do I need a reason?

D. TAKUYA: Yes.

LI: Okay. Fine. I was trying to clear my head.

D. TAKUYA: Why?

LI: You do realize that you've begun to pry into my personal life, Detective?

D. TAKUYA: You are under suspicion for mandslaughter. Your personal life is not longer at your liberty to keep to yourself. Just answer the question, Mr. Li.

LI: Whatever. You want to know why I was clearing my head?

D. TAKUYA: That is what I asked.

LI: You sure you really want to know?

D. TAKUYA: I wouldn't have asked if I didn't expect you to answer.

LI: Well...

*pause*

LI: You see, two years ago my girlfriend died. She was a very powerful magician and when she died things began to go haywire. On top of this, her predeccesor suddenly showed up five days ago and I'm afraid that I may have accidently involved myself in an illicit affair with this induvidual. Oh, and did I mention that he happens to be a guy? And is the reincarnation of my great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather? And I really hate him. He's a selfish, infuriating, manipulative bastard with multiple personality disorder and this bad habit of changing his voice mid sentence from sounding like a sixteen year old boy to sounding like a forty year old man. And he's British. Are you satisfied?

*long pause*

D. TAKUYA: ... you're just making stuff up now, aren't you?

*pause*

LI: ... yes.

TOMOEDA POLICE STATION INTERROGATION TAPES SATURDAY JUNE 27TH

SUBJECT: TOMOYO DAIDOUJI OFFICER: DECTECTIVE SAIYUKI TIME: 4:50PM

D. SAIYUKI: So let me get this straight... it was magic?

DIADOUJI: Magic cards to be more percise.

D. SAIYUKI: And these 'magic cards' were made by an ancient sorcerer named 'Clow Reed'?

DAIDOUJI: Well, NOW his name is Eriol Hiiragizawa. And Sakura Kinomoto was the new master of the cards.

D. SAIYUKI: Okay.

*pause*

D: SAIYUKI: And if I'm to believe your story- that... that THING was one of these 'magic cards'.

DAIDOUJI: You're catching on now.

D. SAIYUKI: Miss. Daidouji, have you injested any mind altering drugs within the past twenty four hours?

DAIDOUJI: What's that supposed to mean?

D. SAIYUKI: Or do you think this is just some kind of sick joke?

DAIDOUJI: I knew this would happen... but you were the one who said you wanted to hear the truth.

D. SAIYUKI: Yes, Miss. Daidouji. I wanted to hear the truth, not some silly fantasy story about magical cards and fire sprites.

DAIDOUJI: Believe whatever you want, Detective because I'm only telling you exactly what happened.

D. SAIYUKI: I'm really sorry, Miss, but it sounds to me like a manslaughter charge. You three have no way of proving you didn't kill those people except that you claim some magical card did it.

DAIDOUJI: Yes.

D. SAIYUKI: Why do you expect me to believe that?

DAIDOUJI: Isn't it too extrodinary not to believe?

D. SAIYUKI: ... what do you mean?

DAIDOUJI: Well, you saw what happened didn't you? In person, not just on my video camera, am I right?

D. SAIYUKI: ... yes...

DAIDOUJI: Well, if that wasn't real, Detective, tell me what it was.

D. SAIYUKI: ...

CASE SUBJECT: TOUYA KINOMOTO OFFICER: DETECTIVE KAZAMA CONCLUSION: NO REASONABLE EVIDENCE ON WHICH TO HOLD WITNESS. FREE TO GO

CASE SUBJECT: LI XIAO LANG OFFICER: DETECTIVE TAKUYA CONCLUSION: NO REASONABLE EVIDENCE ON WHICH TO HOLD WITNESS. FREE TO GO SECONDARY CHARGE OF $200 FOR POSSESION OF ILLEGAL BLADE IN PUBLIC.

CASE SUBJECT: TOMOYO DAIDOUJI OFFICER: DETECTIVE SAIYUKI CONCLUSION: NO REASONABLE EVIDENCE ON WHICH TO HOLD WITNESS. FREE TO GO

Syaoran dragged himself up the three flights of stairs until he reached his bedroom and threw himself half onto the bed, closing his eyes and easing his muscels back into the matress without even the thought of changing before sleeping crossing his mind. He knitted his hands together and exhaled deeply, feeling as if with the comforting curtain of sleep all his problems and worries were let out with his heavy breathing and distributed throughout the room to be taken back into his conciousness when he woke.

He felt momentarily free, as his mind blanked carelessly. He allowed himself to be lulled by the soft breeze rattling the window-latches outside his bedroom. The wind was slowly picking up, but his half-concious mind hardly took notice of this. The darkness of the room closed in about him and he was just so tired. From thinking about Sakura's death, from his training, from the battles, fro the police's questioning, from everything. He felt himself slip into thankful sleep...

... when he was disturbed by a rapping noise outside his window. It was soft but Syaoran's sharp senses picked up on it instantly. He leapt to his feet grabbed his sword, feeling his way along the wall carefully until he reached the window. He pressed his body against the wall and listened to the soft tappng just to make sure it wasn't the wind afterall.

"One," he breathed, "Two, three..." he flung himself at the shutters and ripped them open, allowing the dark figure outside to fall through. His sword was tense in his hands, but he relaxed his grip when he watched the figure hit the floor with a dull thud. It tumbled over like something dead or dying, with hardly the energy to support itself. Syaoran lowered his blade catiously and bent down beside the figure as it slowly perched on it's elbows.

Then something caught the relfection of the moonlight. Outside, thunder cracked and lightning tore open the sky and when the room dimmed again, Syaoran found himself staring into the wide, silver eyes of Eriol Hiiragizawa.

He stood and twisted his expression into a disdainful one, "What the hell..." lightning tore open the sky again and Syaoran noticed that Eriol's hand was clutched against his side and his usually calm face was frantic and pained. The next flash of light revealed a gash of color- rich crimson running rivers down the mage's fingers and into the carpet.

Syaoran's breath caught in his throat, "What the... what the hell are you doing!?" he took a step backwards, his voice shaky and weak, "You... you're going to ruin my carpet bleeding all over it like that." he whispered, not able to think of anything better to say.

Eriol rose waveringly to his feet, swaying from side to side and chuckling. His mouth moved but the sounds it produced were silent to Syaoran's ears. The dark haired boy stumbled forwards and Syaoran caught him instinctively. They stayed like that, stuck in a moment- Syaoran's arms loose but stiff around Eriol's wounded, shuddering body. After a moment, the mage raised a single, bloodstained hand and stroked Syaoran's cheek. He felt the tremble that shook the other boy down to his bones and felt the blood smeared across his face along with Eriol's tender gesture.

"D-d-didn't I tell you, Xiao Lang..." he struggled to speak in even the softest of tones, "I-I-I've won. I've won, Little Wolf... He's-he's gone..."

Syaoran was staring wide eyed at the open window where the soft pitter patter of rain had begun to dot the pavements and roofttops beyond. He felt that there was something very, very wrong about all of this. He slowly met Eriol's desperate gaze and noticed that there was something subtly different in the mage's eyes. He couldn't quite name it, but it was almost like something was missing. He shuddered once and tightened his arms around Eriol's shoulders, wondering silently what he was going to do- and what he was going to tell the others. The troubles that had so graciously expelled themselves from his mind only a few minutes earlier maliciously forced themselves back into his unwilling body, twice as heavy.

He bit his lip and rested his chin in Eriol's hair, frightened to let go of the mage for fear he would bleed to death right there and then in the middle of his bedroom before he even crossed the three feet between them to close the tall window. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes, listening to Eriol's delirious mumblings.

"I've won, Xiao Lang. He's gone... I've won..."