A Trapped Sakura
Chapter Ten:
Authoresses' Notes: what's up one and all? I'm cool. Me and my friends went to laser tag for my friends b-day and we were waiting for the jerk of a guy to let us in the other room to get the stuff, but he was making us guess numbers 1-100, and me and my friends were saying all these letters, then I said 69 and everyone started laughing. Ask your parents if you don't get it. Ok, I love you all more than anything. And this chap goes to many people. So many brilliant people out there! cries k, Erika-chan, lilsakura, ayame, kenshinlover2002, and Lahmikhara. I apologize deeply for the delay all of you. Ayame, totally loved the whole mentioning of witch-craft thing, it's great that people don't obsess about that whole thing being evil. There are some pretty close-minded people out there. Ass munches. All the rest of you, I love you all soooooo much and you need to get Illusion Dragon to review for you, she does an amazing job. This is for her too! And... Um... the nadia! I love her too! K, onwards! Once again, I have left you all confused although not as confused as last time thank all. So, here goes and I hope this answers some questions you may have. I hope. Love you and review! No flames!
And, Happy Imbolc everyone! May your new year bring you happiness!
Kurai-Tenshi of Doom
Eriol grimaced as the hail of dust coated his head. He knew he'd buried it somewhere in here….. The day of his birth he'd been gifted with it, and it'd always puzzled him until the prince had told him of this place and its many secrets… here it is! The book of Clow. The book that even empty radiated power beyond of what existed in this world. Made a mockery of his expert skills with magic anyways. His hands shook ever so slightly as he pulled it gently from the wooden chest coated in cobwebs and debris he wondered how Sakura had reported seeing it in Li's room. (For she'd mentioned that to Tomoyo too.) Had this book they all knew so little about found its way to manipulating them? Or was the girl something else? Did she possess some extraordinary power like the rumors claimed? She was known throughout the land as being a mysterious power locked deep in the territory protected by many spells and enchantments. He shook his flying mind in order to focus on the large volume in his hands.
He thought to the girl's friend. She seemed to possess no power of extraordinary coincidence. Turning away from the chest he made his way from one of the dusty levels where the old library was kept. This library held all the old and ancient volumes written in China's history. Scholars would give their legs to be here. Eriol enjoyed his own cocky smile. He made his way upstairs.
As he entered back into the torch lit hallways and corridors he ran into the infamous duo themselves. They were sweeping up the hall, and he held back a slight chortle as he watched Sakura fall time and time again over the most invisible things. The routine way in which Tomoyo picked her up told him she'd been doing it practically her whole life. He let himself linger unnoticed to watch the way Tomoyo bent over in such an obliviously sinuous way until he made his presence known by stepping into their sight. There was a screech and he held back another laugh as it was finally Tomoyo's turn to topple over. Which she did rather ungracefully, which was very unlike her. He enjoyed seeing the rare beauty knocked off her feet.
He stepped up next to her and held out his hand, eyes glittering in either mocking or kindness. He let her choose. Giving him a very ruffled look she accepted his hand and he pulled her up easily. She gave him a grumble of thanks through clenched teeth. He didn't let go of her hand and instead looked deeply into her eyes, letting her see his amusement and kindness. "You're welcome." His voice was a deep caress, he'd used it many times on many women, but this time he truly hoped it worked. And it did. Her legs shook, but she yanked her hand away from him, turning her back to him, very frustrated and flustered. Sakura chose this time to pipe up behind him: "Have you come for a reason Eriol?" she asked.
He turned to face her, and bowed politely and formally as was accustomed. She blushed slightly and told him to stand. He did so and pulled form behind his back the book of Clow. "Priestess, actually I was looking for Li. Have you seen the prick around?" he asked. He noted with glee that Tomoyo coughed in an attempt to hide a laugh. Sakura blushed slightly more and shook her head. "I didn't think gentlemen used improper language in front of ladies." Tomoyo said smugly fro behind him. He turned slightly so he could see her face. "My love, who ever convinced you I was a gentleman?" his smile was sickly sweet, and his eyes glimmered with a mischievous twinkle. "No one could even if they tried. I was merely thinking your ego allowed you think you were. I would sooner believe the dust I am sweeping is more polite then you." Her eyes shone with an open defiance.
He chose to ignore this and turned back to Sakura. Her eyes were riveted to the book. She looked amazed, and he liked that interest. "I was just getting some reading material for my room. He indicated to the book and bowed to her one more time before excusing himself. He turned towards Tomoyo and she couldn't help but notice the way he stalked. As if he was a predator circling her. She kept her head high and the same challenging look in her eyes. He would not intimidate her. His voice whispered slightly in her ear as he passed: "Can't wait for tonight. I'm a much better gentleman in bed than in talk." He saw her pale horribly and nearly laughed out loud. He left them then, Sakura vibrating with curiosity and a desperate need to read that book, and Tomoyo finally shook to the bone, and at a loss for words. For once.
"Sakura, we really shouldn't be here." Tomoyo whispered in her friend's ear fervently. Sakura ignored Tomoyo's protests and continued in. Eriol was after all, slightly more trusting than he should be. He left money lying all over the floor, and rare items and jewels were easily found. "Where does he put books he's reading?" she asked instead. "On that desk there." She pointed to the desk opposite the room. Sakura moved towards it like a shadow. They weren't supposed to be in the rooms when they weren't cleaning it. And they weren't cleaning. As she moved aside a few papers she found it. She inhaled a quick breath through her teeth. It was the book she'd seen earlier! The one that had made her almost faint!
Brow crunched she brushed her hand across the cover brushing away the dust and cobwebs. (AN: She's braver then I am! Eck!) The large creature on the front made her more curious. It was very eloquently decorated and she loved the feel of it in her fingers. Hands shaking, she opened the cover gently, as if she thought it were made of glass. Its age betrayed its durability though, and it opened with ease. She blew off the dust on the inside. It was then that she felt the enormous power radiating from it. It almost made her have to take a step back. The power was there, in the book, but it was… gone as well… hard for her to point if it was sealed or if it had contained something of great power and that thing had been removed. There was a large piece of the pages cut out as if it were supposed to hold… cards it looked like. This confused her even more. A noise made her and Tomoyo (who had crept to her side) jump. She snapped the book closed, forgetting how she had to be careful with it.
She grabbed Tomoyo's hand and yanked the girl from the room engaging her in a sprint from the room, to the hallway, down the stairs and to the cleaning supplies closet where she yanked the door open and hid them both. Both of them were panting and could barely catch their breath. Adrenaline ran through her. She let herself calm down before she turned back to the book. She felt again that spiraling power. It seemed like it was reaching out to her... for her to claim it, and give this power a housing… she needed those cards, she needed to know why this book called out her soul and made her want to sing in wonder of finding something that so complete her from her heart and her mind.
It was as an ancient puzzle had been put into place and she'd found that missing part of her everyone so fretted over finding through life. Something about this book. It was a part of her. But she'd never seen it before. More confused then ever, she closed it and looked to Tomoyo who was watching her oddly. "Can we leave this closet Sakura-chan? I'm getting dusty." She sneezed as if proving her point and Sakura felt slightly guilty. She nodded, but still felt as if she couldn't quite find the usage of her voice yet. She needed to talk to Li. There was no avoiding it. If Eriol didn't find him first. Her eyes widened in shock and almost fear. What if Eriol reported them for stealing? Tomoyo couldn't get into that kind of trouble after her beating of the guards. It mocked the king himself to so openly defeat his best guards. (AN: Not saying much eh?) Tomoyo opened the door slowly, but Sakura pushed past her.
"Hey! Sakura-chan? What's wrong?" she saw the frantic look in her eyes. "I'll return the book, you can't get into any more trouble. Just… go find Ying-Fah. Keep her off my trail. I'll see you in a little okay Tomoyo?" she didn't let a slightly shocked Tomoyo answer, but instead propelled herself down the hallway and back to Eriol's room.
The door opened for her, and peeking inside, everything looked as it was before. Sighing in relief, she made her way slowly to the desk, still alert, her warrior senses tingling. She made it to the desk and replaced the book. She felt her muscles untense as she nestled it back among its others'. "Well, well. Look what crawled into my web." The voice made her scream, and she whipped around. Standing directly behind her was Eriol. He was smiling. She couldn't quite read that smile yet. She tried to suppress her shivering. "I-I-" He held up a hand to silence her. "If you wanted the book priestess, you should've asked." The smile was kind.
Warm relief took her now and she sighed. Eriol side-stepped her and pulled the book out from the pile. "Does this draw you as it does me and the prince?" he asked. The question seemed baited. "It…. It's a part of me." She felt as if Eriol should know this. He seemed grave. He nodded, weighing her answer. "Do you know what is missing from this book?" he asked her next. She shook her head no. he nodded thoughtfully at this. "Sit priestess." He motioned to the near bed. Offering her trust, she obeyed. He stood against the frame of the bed and tilted his head down so it watched the floor and not her. This gave him a mysterious dark look. He seemed like the shadows just bordering her vision. "Sakura-chan?" a meek voice called from the still open doorway. (AN: We're calling it a door, cuz I'm lazy) (But I respect Chinese culture.) "Tomoyo?" Sakura called back. Tomoyo entered looking slightly scared, but when she saw Eriol, her face hardened again.
"Seat yourself child. I mean you no harm." Eriol motioned to the bed. Tomoyo puffed up at being called a child, but did as she was told and sat down next to Sakura taking her hand lying in her lap. Eriol resumed his (AN: sexy) dark stance. His voice came a soft rumble, that of soft thunder and began the ancient story: "Long ago, it was rumored that the great creator of this land was a great magician. And he was all-powerful. He created all as we know it, balancing each force as one and creating a harmony. But there was one creation he could not completely control. And that was the human race. Many of whom were direct descendents form him having many variations of his powers, although none nearly as powerful as him. There was never a mention of a wife or lover he took, but in one archive and that archive has been lost for thousands of years. It was said, in these archives that he became a lonely man, for that he was deep down, and he took his own life in a peaceful manner by dividing his Self into pieces, magical cards that could be controlled by heirs. An heir actually. A prophesized Daughter to bring the cards to peace and release a world trapped in its own illusion. Supposedly breaking this illusion, or spell would be the final test to test the worthiness of the holder. It's all a mystery. The again, some of it has been unraveled.
"But not enough so that you both need to know. Not now." His eyes were focused somewhere else. Some other world that they couldn't even fathom. Sakura felt Tomoyo quivering. She chanced a quick peek at her face and saw her slightly entranced by Eriol. Sakura had to admit he was rather handsome. (AN: Damn straight! With Li and Eriol there, it's like the hottest castle in the world!) She threw a sly smirk at Tomoyo who looked away as if ashamed before she asked a question. "So why are you telling us all this?" Eriol seemed to snap back to them and that daft smile replaced any sense of intelligence or depth they would ever get out of him. "Because everyone at this castle just adores you all so much." "Sarcasm is not what we wanted Hiragizawa." (AN: Terribly sorry if that's not spelled right!) "Well Daidojii, I wasn't going to tell you all of it would I? You'd never sleep at night." He grinned an almost evil grin. "Especially not tonight." Tomoyo paled horribly again, and he relished the reaction. She hissed at him. Hissed. "Tomoyo, did you just hiss?" Sakura asked stunned. "Yes. And I refuse to play these mind games any longer." She crossed her arms, closed her eyes, and set her face harshly.
Eriol laughed. A real laugh. It didn't sound cheap, or forced, or put-on like all the others, this sounded real and deep from his stomach. Tomoyo looked to him, slightly surprised. She stopped herself from watching his nice lips too closely and focused on the fact that this man was hinting at raping her. Or something like that. He ushered them out of the room, still slightly laughing. Before he shut them out, he looked directly at Tomoyo and said: "You make me laugh Daidojii-san, I'll have to watch my back."
Tomoyo wasn't the only one shaking that night. Sakura hadn't seen Li all day, so when he arrived in the room later that night when she was already asleep in a chair by the fire waiting for him, she was shocked by his ransacked appearance. He looked like he'd been beaten. "Li! What happened!" she cried, instantly awake and running to his side. She noticed he was limping, and as she tried to take his arm to help him, he gnashed out at her and pushed her away sharply. She fell back onto her rump (AN: isn't that a great word?) and a pain shot through her legs. She knew that arm would bruise. She pushed herself to her feet. "Li, let me help you." He shook his head fiercely. "Li, you're bleeding all over the place, you can barely stand, just let me help, I don't care about blood, I'm a healer, and it's what I do! Please! You've lost a lot of blood! You don't even have to tell me what happened!" she was pleading now.
He was wavering on his feet. His eyes met hers, and through the grime and dirt covering his face she saw his fierce eyes burning with a fire as bright as the sun and as deep as the flames of hell. He seemed invincible for a minute and she forgot who, or more like what, he was. "Come Li, please." She begged silently, treating him like a caged animal as she crept closer, inch by painstaking inch. His eyes were un-focused and he seemed almost half into the afterlife. Finally Sakura was able to precariously place her small hand on his muscled arm. She ignored his strong smell and blood along with dirt and other things she didn't think she want to name as she pulled him towards the bed carefully, holding most of his weight, which was truly hard no matter how strong she was. "Li, stay with me! Now I need you to lay down!" he somehow understood, and managed this barely and clumsily. She prepared to run to Eriol's room to get help, when his arm grabbed her retreating arm and held her to her bedside place.
His grip was iron. "Don't leave me. Ever." His voice was a rasp. She ignored the hope in her heart, rising like a balloon and came closer to him. She whispered to him: "I need to go get help Li. I don't want to loose you." She needed to make him understand so she could leave. He needed the help. Fast. Hopefully Eriol knew more of the magical ways of healing not the old fashioned herbal way Sakura knew. Li needed magic. His arm was around her waist the next second and pulling her down onto his large, warm chest. She lay half sprawled over him as he looked deep into her eyes. She realized with a jolt, this was the real Li. A Li she may never see again. These were his emotions that he so hid, locked away in that mind, and here he was sacrificing them to her. On a slab, here they were. She saw… anger… fear.. And sadness…and…a longing almost. As if he wanted something he thought he could never have. What was it?
This emotion scared her most. This told her he thought he would die. And that was the one way to death for a patient. She could ponder it no longer, for in the next moment her lips were pressed to his, and he was kissing her with the most passionate kiss she'd ever experienced. In fact the only kiss she'd ever experienced. She went completely limp and all thoughts faded away. Her hands came to rest on his neck, and she knew she could never, or would never, kiss another. This was phenomenal. Stars exploded before her eyes. He let her go. She frowned and pulled away, wondering if she'd done something wrong. He'd passed out. This awoke a horrible feeling in her stomach. He was still breathing. But it was horribly faint. She leapt up, gave him one last look of sorrow, worry, and perhaps love for a moment before she was down the hall at top speed. 'Please Syaoran. Live. Live for me.' She thought as she slammed open Eriol's door.
AN2: Whew! Over! Going to write another…. Right now actually. Yes, you heard me! There could be two posted tonight! Life is sweet! I love you all, and do please review me! Love you sooooooooooo much! And without further ado:
"I hate spelling the word banana, I never now when to stop it. I mean just how many 'na's' are on this thing? Bana. No. Bananana. Damn!"
Maybe funnier when you hear it. Dunno. Love you all! (Said it again!)
Kurai-Tenshi of Doom