A Trapped Sakura
Chapter Eight:
My Time: (Decided other titles were boring) So. How's everyone? Bet almost none of you have the horrendous stomach bug like me. I still think God's out to get me. Man, the three people you DO not mess with are: 1.) The Wongs (a famous movie, they keep saying: "Don't fuck with the Wongs") 2.) All types of mafias, especially the gay mafia 3.) And finally the Catholic Church, including God. Those guys's teach you a lesson, man. Some scary stuff.
Yeah. So cursed with the stomach bug, got to miss school tho. Oh, yeah, just to put this out there, if I EVER, EVER offend anybody, tell me POLITELY, and I will apologize, but if yer just an assmunch about it, then I'll be an assmunch back. I'm as far from a racist as anything, but everybody messes up. So yeah, just tell me, I'd like to know. And any complaints (haven't had any yet!!!!!) also be nice. Mean people suck. Yeah so, REALLY happy with how many of you reviewed!!! You have no idea how grateful I am!!!!
This chappie goes to: kurocat, cuz you were so cute, and nice (and I like yer name) and YingFa-lilWolf-Lover, for just being cool and one last one to EvilSugaCherryGirl, because she appreciates that it takes time. Thank you soo much. Not like I get mad with all yer pestering, but it's great to see someone who understands. You rock. Cool. So yeah, REVIEW EVERYONE!!!!! Love you all!!! Not miner: (My other new name of the day) As said, it's not mine, but why do you truly need to ask?! Not like I'm randomly going to say it's mine! Not like I'm ever going to own it, so just bugger off!
Hope you likie!
-Kurai-Tenshi of Doom
Sakura moaned as she woke to a bright, sunny morning. For only a moment, she questioned where she was. Then last night came back to her. She was still furious at being dubbed a whore, but she supposed the prince at least wasn't the pig she thought. 'The prince! Where is he?!' Sakura's eyes widened as she tried to find him, but the first thing her vision found was….. a very… warm… large….. chest…. and arms. There were arms wrapped around her very snuggly. Almost TOO snuggly. She was pressed flush against Li's lean body, and the feeling this was giving her was a strange mixture of warmth and belonging and…. She didn't want to think about it!
Her stomach flipped over, and she made a high-pitched: "EEK!!" and rocketed herself backwards off the bed, slamming her head on the ground. Li woke with a shout. He poked his head over the bed, as Sakura moved to stand. It was such a fast movement, that the result caused both of them to slam heads. Both cried out in pain, Li cursed rapidly in Chinese, and Sakura in Japanese. Both met stares and Sakura giggled. "Sorry. I'm kind of a klutz." Her face was still tomato red from being held by Li, but she was recovering. He sat with his long legs hanging off the bed and gazed back at her. "How are you this morning priestess?"
Something about the warm glint in his eyes and the soft, sweet tone of his voice, unsettled her. She took a step back and fell off the pedestal the bed was on. Another "EEK!" and a loud moan. Li tried to get a good view of her, but all he could see were her legs, tangled together still on the pedestal. Trying to ignore those creamy legs, he tried not to laugh as she struggled to get herself up and not let him see her half-exposed thighs. She cursed again in Japanese. (Sorry, don't kno any Japanese swear words! Yet.)
She stood finally, with an air of superiority about her, and a regal tip to her head. He recalled she'd done the same thing last night. Standing up himself, he shook slightly. He noticed his front shirt was still stuck with fingerprints on the front. They were small, and looking to a still indignant Sakura, he couldn't help but see the match. He felt his heart tighten in hope. It looked like… during the night she must've grabbed onto him. He felt something in him he hadn't felt for years.
A blush. He hadn't blushed since he was five! He stood fast off the bed; face a stone block, praying his bangs would hide his faintly red cheeks. He'd made a horrible mistake. He'd allowed this girl to wake him up. Bring his soul alive and this was not allowed. He must remain impervious to all; the only true way to success. He needed to stay this way, or all was ruined. Without telling her what he was doing, he walked in an almost mechanical way to the far bathroom, and slammed the door.
This was an obvious invitation to stay away, so Sakura placed herself awkwardly in a chair, unsure of what his problem was. "What is his problem?! First it's like he's about to laugh, then he looks like he's going to kill me! This is one weird prince!" She was thinking out loud she knew, but right now she was very frustrated. She desperately wanted to see Tomoyo and make sure she was okay. Sakura heard the splashing of water. Her eyebrow rose as he re-entered the room. It looked like he had splashed water on his face.
Now she was more confused then before. She was still thrown off by her awakening this morning, and how much she wished she could never have moved from his arms, but this was a prince! Not only a prince, the Li prince, her family's worst enemy. She'd wanted this man dead only awhile ago. But somehow… looking into those shining, mysterious orbs made her enlightened instead of happy. Something about him, and how when she dared to look deep into those beautiful eyes, she saw the most lonely man in the world, made her very unsettled. Like at this very moment, their eyes were locked, the connection heated.
It felt, to Sakura, as if he were reading to the depths of her soul, and seeing all she felt. She, in turn, read him like an open book, and what she saw, made her happy and a little scared. They were locked, just staring at each other from far ends of the room, and as Sakura made a revelation as to what she saw there in his eyes- "GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF OF ME!!!!! ALL OF YOU WILL PAY!!!!" The prince and priestess were ripped from their trances. Li looked down to the floor, once again embarrassed that someone had seen that much of him, and Sakura sighed in exasperation looking to the door.
It had come from the hallway, and she knew exactly who was shouting. That was her beloved Tomoyo at full rage, a very scary concept. There were sounds of armor from the guards outside and loud groaning and thumping noises. And in-between it all, there was the sound of Tomoyo screaming threats and curses in every language they knew. Sakura shot Li an apologetic look over her shoulder as she ran into the hallway. There was a thick circle of guards all around Tomoyo and at least five or six by her feet, out cold, or clutching minor injuries.
Tomoyo was fighting unbelievably, resisting all restraint. Eriol stood, cowering by his door. Sakura stomped thorough all of them, punching guards left and right. She reached Tomoyo in moments. The girl looked frenzied. Sakura faltered, only a moment, before she grabbed Tomoyo by the arms. "Tomoyo-san, please, just calm down!" she whispered frantically in the girl's ear. She lowered her fists, but her features were still taut with fury. Sakura had to use the last resort. Whispering again into Tomoyo's ear, she said the one word that always brought the girl down.
"Koi!" Tomoyo relaxed, panting. Sakura let go of her. She looked to Sakura, eyes pleading. "But he said I was his-" "I know." Sakura interrupted. "And he said-" Tomoyo tried again. "I know." Sakura interpreted again. "You too?" Tomoyo asked timidly. Sakura growled at the guards and Eriol shooed them away. They left grumbling and hitching the injured to the infirmary. She looked back to her friend with kindness. "Yeah." She turned on Eriol. "What did you say to her?!" she demanded. "It takes a lot for her to get worked up like that." Eriol grinned sheepishly and mischievously. "Um... ya know, just how well…. How wonderful a person she is?"
Sakura gave him a doubtful look. He began to sneak back into his room. "Oh no you don't!" Tomoyo cried, grabbing his sleeve. Sakura looked consciously to Li's room. The two guards had apparently gotten caught in the melee of Tomoyo's insanity and were gone for the moment. Li had not yet made an appearance. Sakura was brought back to the bickering Tomoyo and Eriol with a resounding slapping noise. She sighed and turned to face the doorway. "Did you just slap me?!" Tomoyo cried. Eriol nodded.
"Only girls' can slap!" Tomoyo shot back, still bewildered. She bore her teeth viciously, and Eriol gave Sakura a helpless look. She gave him no remorse. "You brought this on yourself. Good luck." She grinned and turned to go back to Li's room. She heard the shouting even as she closed the door.
Later that day found young Sakura in the kitchens with Tomoyo. The two were indeed assigned to Li and Eriol's rooms, but they still had chores around the castle to do. Ying-Fah had met them in the kitchens that morning with a list of cleaning assignments. The list of cleaning was very short, they had only a few hours of work, considering there was almost no work for them to do in the men's rooms. Although Eriol seemed to need some organization, his piles and piles, and shelves upon shelves of books and other things preferably to be unnamed were left alone on his command. Only a quick sweeping was needed. Although Tomoyo swore she would get "the conniving bastard", as she'd named him, to throw something out. (Sounds like my room>. )
Sakura and Tomoyo decided to take a quick tour and exploration of the castle before they were called to dinner by Ying-Fah. It was now to be brought to them in the same fashion to their new rooms. Sakura departed from Tomoyo to head towards the lower levels for some washing of garments. She was to collect laundry. Ying-Fah claimed she needed to watch Tomoyo more than anyone and made Sakura do this alone. She was slightly nervous as she was sent down with what felt like a million-pound basket to the ominous steps.
She had to walk painfully slow and stumbled often. She cursed more than she should have. Her father would've been furious. Sakura once again held her head high. She instead thought of Li, and where he and Eriol went during the day. They said they had lessons. She wondered what of. She remembered when her father and brother used to teach her of her gift and how to use it. She hadn't done her meditating in a very long time, and she thought it might release her of some stress. She vowed to do it tonight, while waiting for Li.
She began to sweat. She was after all stuck in his room all night, and Sakura was pretty sure he didn't want to play cards all night. Her sweaty palms were her undoing as she dropped the basket. It literally rolled down past the door she was supposed to enter into the servant's floors, and continued downwards. She was too terrified at first to do anything. She stood, completely blanched listening to the clattering. After a second of nothingness in her thoughts, she bolted after the basket, trying not to trip and pursue the same rolling trip the basket had. She'd lost sight of it, but she continued her precarious flight down, praying to Kami she wouldn't get caught in what must be forbidden levels. Finally after what felt like eons, she met a level ground.
There was only one torch down this far, and she was instantly terrified. A dark corridor faced her. It reminded her of the gaping mouth of some humongous monster. Its inky blackness almost hurt her eyes to look at. She was momentarily frozen, exhausted, chest thrown awkwardly up and down, attempting to grab air, but scared into stillness. This reaction resulted in many coughs from little Sakura shaking her whole form. She tied to muffle them, but they echoed into the hallway, making it sound like a million of her had coughed.
She was sure some demon would come out and grab her. As childish as this was, she feared it all the same. Widened eyes searching desperately for the basket, graciously found it on the borderline of light and dark from the torch. She sighed in relief and snatched it in shaking hands. Not liking having to turn her back to the darkness, she quickly turned back to the stairs. "Is… someone... there?" Sakura froze. She whipped around, now completely shaking. "Please! Don't leave! I need help! Get Syaoran! He'll know what to do! Tell him, Sakura's trapped down here, tell him, they're going to get the Clow, tell him…. I love him…" All the breath left Sakura's body.
She knew she heard a voice crying out from an almost unreachable place down the tunnel, but… the voice just said it was her. That's not right. But… it sounded like her... They were speaking Japanese, and the accent it sounded strange. Almost like a modern accent. But it was her voice, it just sounded very spindly and weak. "Who… did you say you were?" she plucked up the nerve to ask, trying to sound unafraid, but failing.
There was silence for a long time, and Sakura thought she was hallucinating. Maybe she really hadn't heard anything. "My name is… Sakura Kinomoto, I'm eighteen, and I'm trapped down here. Whoever you are, tell Li, prince Li, tell him I'm down here, he'll save me!" Now Sakura was REALLY freaked out. "You can't be Sakura Kinomoto." She said, very quietly. The voice answered quickly this time. "Why?" it asked, as if this was the most ridiculous question in the world, but it wasn't; not to Sakura. "Because I'm Sakura Kinomoto."
She answered voice very loud this time as if her volume could make it even truer than it was. "You…. Wait! Yes! That means! Yes! Listen! The sorcerer! Don't kiss him! Just… run! Sakura, listen, don't fall for it! Not for a minute! You need to see the truth! Tell Eriol to look for the cardinal, the cardinal is the sign! Please! Do this, or all is lost! All of it! And tell Li that I, you, love him! Do it!" the voice seemed to fade into nothingness. It was as if it had merely been tossed into reality, then pulled from it as easily.
Sakura didn't wait for anymore, she knew it was gone. Still terrified, she sprinted up the stairs, basket clenched in abnormally dry hands.
The trip up seemed a vague memory for Sakura. All she recalled was light. How it was almost dark, and cold, but it got lighter and warmer as she neared the top. She remembered more running, then a hallway, brightly lit and a room, and a bed. A very soft bed. She threw herself on this bed and she cried with all her might. It seemed once she started, she could not stop. She cried with all the agony of her soul at her loss of her people and land, of her strange feelings towards the prince, and the utter confusion of all that surrounded her.
She wanted to be back in Japan with all those she loved, doing her meditation, something. She cried herself into a state of numbness. Soon, it hurt her chest too much to sob. Her thoughts were blank, all except her regret and her pain. "It seems priestess, I always find you crying." The voice was a sharp and earnest awakening her from her world of numbness. She didn't raise her head from the pillows, for she knew who it was. Her sobbing decreased in volume.
"Your friend is very worried about you. And although I do not care for them, I would appreciate it if my pillowcases would not become tissue." Sakura pulled herself into a sitting position. Li grimaced. His angel wasn't looking very angelic right now. She seemed an utter wreak. He placed an arm around her, hoping to comfort her. She only cried out, and began to sob again. He sighed and grabbed her legs, placing them gently on his lap. In-between sobs, she managed to get her arms around his neck. She nestled her face into his chest. His whole body was tingling from her touch and closeness, but he pushed this aside.
Sakura finally calmed herself down. The prince had said almost nothing to her, but he had stayed while she cried into his reassuring warmth, and somehow the aftermath of all this hysterical behavior would have been a million times worse without him being there. This time as thought came back to her, she actually remembered what had happened right away.
She nuzzled further into him, practically pushing him down onto the bed. She was still hyperventilating, and she was embarrassed, sure she looked a mess, but she didn't care. She was safe, and warm, and that was all that mattered. He whispered gently into her hair: "Feeling better priestess?" she sighed as she caught a breath to answer in a very soft breath. "Yes. I'm much better now." She pulled her head back to look carefully into his eyes. He quickly masked anything with his cold look, but she saw right thorough it. He looked back at her.
"Do you want some dinner now? I'm sure you're hungry." He moved to place her off him, but she moaned and grabbed his shirt roughly. "Not yet. Please. Just a little longer." He felt a blush coming on, but he settled back. "Not yet" were the two words he wanted to hear the most. "Of course." He whispered again, worshipping her natural smell, even coated in a fine layer of dirt. It was a smell of sakuras. Like her name…..
After a few minutes Sakura sighed, sensing her hunger overpowering everything else. For the moment she was at ease. She supposed almost three hours of crying would do that to you. She leaned back and gave the obviously content Li a small peck on the cheek, the voice from the dungeon ringing in her ears: "Tell Syaoran I love him." If that was her……..
TBC!!!!!!!!!
My Time 2: Yeah, sorry, but I'm oh, so tired. You people better give me an ass load of reviews for this. Longer, like you demanded. And I guess, the twist will come up, it's just EVERYTHING with me is spontaneous cause nothing is planned. So yeah, it's good tho, so maybe you'll get it. Very late, and I need to sleep, but I love you all from the bottom of my heart, and remember:
"You know you have a drinking problem if you go to a bar and the bartender knows your name…..
And you've never been to that bar before."
Hah! Yeah. Good stuff. So I love you all, and please review me! I love you all!
-Kurai-Tenshi of Doom