chapter 2
Sweeping down the spiral stairs in a flurry of midnight blue, Toya searched his mind for a sign that might aid him in his quest. His footsteps clacked on the wooden surface as leather boots descended below ground. Toya was heading into the lower levels of the Royal Library. It was situated 22 floors beneath his lounging area.
Finally, there came a thud. He had landed on carpeted floor. Under his feet, red velvet spread from corner to corner. The chamber was vast, stretching across a hundred metres. It was here that all ancient books dating from before 900 B.C. were kept safely guarded by wards and spells performed by Yukito. Of course, Toya could access it anytime, being King and all.
Right in front of his eyes was a majestic bookshelf, looming in a distance. Taller than the rest, it held the most important facts of the Kingdom of Clow. Toya marched ahead at full speed, targeting for the ladder leaning against one of the shelves. He grabbed it with full aggression, dragging it towards the tall shelf. He would need it to reach the highest row.
If his calculations were accurate, the book he was looking for should be up there sitting in the dust. Without further hesitations, he began climbing up. Rows and rows of old untouched books shot past him as he continued his journey. For some reasons, he even doubted that most of the books here had ever been read.
Amused at that thought, Toya made a mental note to himself; he would force his dear brother-in-law to read all of them. Ha-ha, as a duty to the royal family; now that he had become a part of it, albeit a tiny one. Nevertheless, if Toya succeeded, then Syaoran would no longer have to do so. Toya stopped ascending.
'Now, where is it?' he thought to himself as he searched among columns of thick volumes. 'The entries state that it's…'
He ran his fingers horizontally across strange titles…Beheading A Quisling…How To Civilise Barbarians…Palace Constructing for DUMMIES…Family Ties…Imperial Marriages………
"AHA!" he exclaimed, extracting it from between its lifelong companions. A slow snicker began to spread on his visage.
Meanwhile, Princess Sakura is sulking in her bedroom. Toya had refused to acknowledge her title of 'Queenship' as he reasoned that she had participated in a marriage involving a commoner. It was an insult to both Syaoran and her. Thus, she had given him the cold shoulder treatment ever since. Syaoran on the other hand, was trying to console her.
"Please, Sakura. Don't be like that."
"Hmmph!"
"I bet he was just playing around. Sooner or later he'll have to call you Queen."
"Oh, you don't know him like I do, Li! He always gets his ways. If he doesn't, he'll find means of doing so." Sakura strutted to the window that faced the bay. It looked so wonderful in orange light cast by a setting sun. She placed her elbows on the sill and rested her head in her hands. The sight made her want to forget all of her worries. She watched the colourful sky while her ears caught the faint cries of seagulls. There was a light breeze blowing in her face, swaying the leaves of coconut trees. Sakura could taste salt carried by the wind from the sea.
Syaoran walked up to her and placed his cloak around her from behind. Sakura turned around, a little startled. He caught her confused look.
"It's windy, you might catch a cold," he muttered as he pushed her fluttering hair back behind her ears. Truth be told, he still had not gotten used to the fact that Sakura was now his wife. Technically speaking, he never went through the usual customs of enquiring and such that most people did before marrying. Ah, but that was tradition. Nevertheless, he still felt odd. It happened so quick…so sudden.
Sakura's chuckle broke through his thoughts.
"Li, you're so silly!" she quipped. "It's not a gust or anything."
"But still…," he began in a low voice.
Even so, Sakura cut him off. "Syaoran, do you remember when we travelled across worlds to reclaim my memories?" Reminiscing, she added, "You saved my life."
Syaoran nodded, staring at the swirling sea. He recalled the deal he had sealed with Yuko the space-time witch. Rightfully, Sakura would not have remembered him…ever. All their memories together will be lost forever. That was his ultimate sacrifice.
"I'm still afraid sometimes. What if I could never remember anything about us?"
Syaoran hung his head low. Something was clearly troubling him. Of course Sakura regained that memory. He had another bargain later, at the end of their past journeys. He had offered Yuko a more valuable possession, something she couldn't refuse. It was a tough negotiation nonetheless.
But obviously, it was without anybody's knowledge; only between the two of them. And if Sakura had found out, it would be beyond her comprehension. Well, at least they could spend what was left of his time together…
He stroked her hair gently as she watched the sun sink slowly into the fathomless ocean.
Watanuki prepared tea hastily in the kitchen. His hands worked dexterously as beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
He carried it across the hall, narrowly escaping stumbles. He had a strange notion that Maru and Moro where conspiring to trip him in the most embarrassing of ways. He half ran, half walked into the lounge where Yuko was lying languorously on large pillows. She was smoking her pipe in a lazy manner. Watanuki never understood how the effect of nicotine avoided her so well.
"Ah, how nice of you to volunteer serving tea!" she exclaimed happily.
Watanuki cast a sideways glance at her. Frankly, he thought of Yuko as a sadistic being with a warped sense of thinking. What he didn't know was that she thought the same about him too!
"I did NOT volunteer, for your information," he mumbled. The words almost slipped past her ears.
"Really? I thought I heard you say that you like doing it at home?"
Yuko picked the teacup from the hands of an annoyed youth. He scowled at her menacingly. She took a sip and grimaced.
"Funny," she began.
"What?" Watanuki asked, almost frustrated. This was the fifth time he had tried preparing the perfect tea for Yuko. She didn't approve of the tastes the tea held the first four times. He was hoping this one would finally satisfy her senses.
"I never expected anyone to trade his life for memories."
Watanuki released a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Who?"
"Li Syaoran," she replied. "Correct me if I'm wrong."
'Like you've ever been,' thought Watanuki.
Yuko shot him a vile stare.
"Of course, I obligingly fulfilled his request," she continued with a mysterious smile. Watanuki was tempted to tiptoe silently away as she basked herself in pride and glory. She looked creepy anyway, as if she could read all of his thoughts. "Pity, he only has about less than a month now."
Watanuki prepared to leave before Yuko could remember about the tea he had brewed. He was too late.
"Oh, and by the way, you've got salt in my tea." Yuko raised an eyebrow.
He was wishing it would go unnoticed. Watanuki quickly snatched it away from her. He dare not tell her that it was actually sweat from his forehead that had caused a change of flavour. Though deep inside him, he nervously suspected that she already knew.
Yukito could have sworn that Toya bounded through the doorway as he approached his desk. Yukito carefully put his feather quill down and gave the King and intent look.
Almost out of breath, King Toya spoke in gasps.
"There's a way! There's a way… Gulps air. It's not permanent… Pants wildly."
Yukito cocked his head sideways. "What?" he asked confused. He was on the verge of completing his paperwork and so his thoughts were muddled.
Toya took a few seconds to regain his regular breaths before he continued about his recent discovery.
"I found this…"
Yukito watched as an ultra thick volume of bound pages fell onto the desk right in front of his eyes. He removed his glasses to wipe them, and then replaced them cautiously.
Toya studied Yukito's reactions.
With graceful movements, he pulled the book closer to himself so that he could read the title.
"Imperial Marriages?" he questioned Toya suspiciously before turning over to the first printed page. "Year 1658?"
Toya placed his hands together repeatedly, excitement taking him over. "Page 1053."
Yukito glanced at him curiously. He sighed deeply. 'Might as well play along,' he thought. Flipping the pages slowly, he eventually reached the said page.
"Rule 88," he read. "Disallowed union of Royals to commoners." Yukito frowned. "So?"
"Shouldn't we put a stop to that?"
A moment of silence prevailed in the room before Yukito shut the book with a loud thump.
"Toya, let it go. I'm sure a 300-year old rule wouldn't make much difference now," he clipped as he stood up from his seat. "I think I've told you countless of times before."
Toya slumped into the seat next to him. He massaged his temples. "You're right. I've overacted." Yukito walked to Toya and stood beside the chair. He waited for the King to elaborate.
"It's just that it really gets on my nerves."
"Yes, I know that," consoled the high priest. Yukito stared out of the window behind Toya. Troubled by Yukito's strange behaviour, Toya looked into his best pal's eyes. They were cloudy with thoughts.
"What's the matter? Bad predictions?" he hinted. Yukito was always that way when an unfortunate forecast came along.
Toya watched as Yukito nodded his head in a grave manner. Yukito turned around to face the King. "It's about Syaoran," he paused before adding, "His time is coming."
Sakura gave Syaoran a kiss before she bode him a farewell. He needed to see to the return and restoration of Prince Eriol. R&R he referred it. It had been almost two days since His Royal Highness of Granoir fell unconscious. And Syaoran was worried that his absence in his country would cause panic and stir among the citizens.
Sakura shut the palace doors silently as the loud procession outside headed towards the East. At the beginning she was sad that he had to leave, but knowing that it was all her fault, she guiltily packed Syaoran some provisions and spare clothes.
She turned away from the gigantic oak doors and walked along the hallway that led to her lounging area. Once there, she plopped herself onto one of the pillows. She folded her arms behind her head and stared at the chandelier hanging from the ceiling above. As there was a mirror at its base, she could see her reflection in it.
Sakura sighed very deeply. It felt so wrong. EVERYTHING…It all felt so fast. Like a rapid river manoeuvring over a lethal fall.
It wasn't supposed to be this way. She could feel it. Something was definitely terribly wrong. Her intuition had never been wrong.
She sat up suddenly. Maybe she should consult Yukito! He always understood her and listened with concerned as she poured in her problems into his ears. Perhaps he could shed some light on the matter. Then probably she would be less anxious.
Sakura walked towards the arched doorway that led her out of her room and into the hallway. For the rest of the way, she treaded on red carpet and relied on the portraits as guides.
The first one she would pass was Yuzu the Seventh. It was shortly followed by Tanaka Sr. and then Mizuno IV. Before long, she had already viewed 10 portraits on her journey. There was only one more to go before she reached Yukito's study.
But as the famous painting of Emperor Yamahito came into sight, Sakura stopped short in her tracks. There were voices lingering beyond. She wondered curiously where the enigmatic voices had originated from. It was only too soon that she realised it came from the other side of a door. And that particular door was just slightly further down on the right of the portrait she just saw.
"Yukito…," she muttered under her breath. And the other person in there would be Toya; there was no doubt about that. She pressed her left ear against the wooden door so that she could catch the conversation in progress.
"You don't mean…?" said a deep voice full of authority. Sakura immediately recognised it Toya's.
"Yes, Death is just lurking in the corner, ready to pounce on him whenever he isn't aware…" That was Yukito.
"Is there…, I mean, whatever is the reason behind this?" Toya asked. Sakura couldn't tell whet her he was worried or bemused.
"I don't think it's possible to stop him from dying." That sentence got Toya on the nerves. He did not remember asking. "Anyway," continued Yukito, "It's the space-time witch…"
From that point onwards, Sakura stopped listening. In the depths of her mind, a phrase conjured like a lightning flash; it was quick and momentarily.
"There is a price for everything."
There was no use of further doubting. Syaoran had made the ultimate sacrifice.
…to be continued…
Disclaimer: Tsubasa ©Clamp, XXX-holic ©Clamp, Cardcaptor Sakura ©Clamp.
A/n: Please ignore mistakes and/or dissimilar items, events and descriptions from the original works by Clamp.