'The Covens Underneath'
By Majah
Disclaimer:
I don't own CCS, but I do own the story in this fic and things that are non-CCS related. All the name of places, historical events and other things mentioned, which you don't seem to know IRL, are products of my imagination. Any similarities with the actual thing are purely coincidental.
From Previous Chapter:
"Does this mean...," a fair girl suddenly stepped out of the shadows. Her long raven hair framed her face. Her expression was gentle and she smiled as she asked the older man. "I'm going to see her again, Oto-sama?"
The man behind the desk turned to her and smiled apologetically, "I'm afraid so."
Time seemed to pass as both grew silent. The only thing that could be heard was the ticking of an antique grandfather clock at the side of the room.
"Well," the man stood up. "I think we should be going home, too."
"Hai," the raven-haired girl replied timidly.
Father and daughter walked towards the huge oak door and stepped out to the hall. As the door closed behind them, the nameplate which glinted a prominent metallic inscription, read profusely,
'Fujitaka Kinomoto-Daidouji
School Headmaster'
---: ACT ONE :---
"THE BEGINNING OF AN END"
:Chapter Two:
"Tetsuroh Day School"
The wind blew softly against Sakura as she sat on top of the barn's wooden fence. Her narrow pale dress with hems which reached her ankles got ruffled by the sudden breeze. She braced herself so she wouldn't fall. Before her, younger orphans were playing around and chasing one another.
It was the last season of the year and the weather was getting colder. The trees had lost their leaves and were reduced to rickety branches. People in the village were patching up their roofs and placing thick wools to serve as curtains on their windows. The orphanage was no exception to these chores. They were all preparing for the chilly month. Everyone has their own task to do, and as usual, Sakura, being the oldest orphan, was instructed to look after the children while the adults did the bigger assignments.
She sighed.
"Ne…ne…Sakura-ne-chan, do you think it will snow today?" a hyper little boy suddenly appeared below. His soiled hands clutched the fence as he tried to pull himself up beside her.
Sakura laughed at the boy's feeble attempts to get up. "You know you're too small to be up here, Touji-kun," she said as she leaned down and ruffled the boy's copper hair. This seemed to have upset the lad. He quickly let go of his grip and hopped away from Sakura's grasp.
"Aaaaah…I'm not small anymore! I am ten," he said proudly.
The emerald-eyed girl giggled. "Oh-so B-I-G Touji," she pursed her lips as she taunted the boy.
"Har-har," Touji pouted. Then, he pointed one finger at her; shaking. "Someday I'm going to be bigger than you are!"
This made Sakura chuckle even more.
"You can laugh all you want, but men grow taller than women," he stated stubbornly.
"Well you are not a man, Touji. You're just a little boy," a snobby voice spoke from behind.
"Ohayo, Nikki-chan," Sakura smiled as she greeted the newcomer.
Nikki tapped her foot impatiently. Strands of hay stuck out the sides of her worn out barn boots. She appeared to be a nine-year old little girl with hazel eyes and dark-brown hair pulled in long pigtails which framed her face.
The boy scowled at the girl. "I will be someday," he insisted. "And when I do…," he faced Sakura. "I will come back here and show you what kind of a man I am!" Touji exclaimed with a slight blush on his face.
"Wai!" Nikki immediately smacked the boy on the head.
"Ow! What did you do that for?" the copper-haired child asked while rubbing the back of his head.
"You're making it sound like Sakura-ne-chan will be here forever!" Nikki said angrily then clasped her hand on her mouth and looked at the girl seated on the fence.
Sakura blinked at the words she just heard. A light pain stung inside her. It had always been a talk in the village about one girl who still didn't get adopted. She shouldn't be surprised that even the kids seemed to have accepted the idea that she would remain in the orphanage her entire life.
Especially now that I was moved up to the attic…
Even so, she smiled warmly at them. "Don't worry," Sakura nodded. They were just children after all. "It's okay. It's not a biggie. Maybe it was best for me to stay here. In that way…," she remembered her talk with LinLin yesterday. She jumped off the fence, "…I can look after every single brat in the orphanage and make sure nobody else will obtain my 'kaiju' title." She giggled and started tickling the two kids.
"S-t—op…haha… it…..haha…ne-chan…haha!" both children pleaded in between laughs.
Sakura's eyes sparkled. So what if she didn't get adopted? The village of Saradik was not a bad place. She didn't mind looking after the kids either.
After much laughter, the copper-haired boy reminded the older girl of his question earlier.
"Ne-chan, do you think it will snow today?" he asked once again.
Sakura looked thoughtful for a minute and placed the tip of her finger on her chin.
"The weatherman said it won't be snowing for days," Nikki butted. "And besides, it's rare to snow on the first day of this season."
The child was correct. It was indeed rare to snow at this early stage. Although the atmosphere had been chilly, any residence of Mercallis knew that snow would not fall that soon. This was why people only prepare during the first day the wind turned cold.
But, somehow…
"Why is that you always want to interrupt?" little Touji said irritably. "Well, Sakura-ne-chan is far better than the weatherman when it comes to predicting snow," he remarked proudly; crossing his arms across his small chest.
The boy has a point. She seemed to have a knack for predicting things during this cold weather. She didn't know why, but she had always felt revitalized every last season of the year.
And that day was not an exception.
Sakura inhaled deeply. She looked up at the clear sky. It was almost noon and the sun was up and high. Its bright rays bathed the surroundings. If a person was to base ones observations on how blue the sky smiled at them, one would say that it was not going to snow that day.
But…
For a moment, Sakura was silent. Her emerald eyes seemed lost as it stared at the vast sky above.
Both children noticed this. "Ne-chan?" they spoke in unison.
"It's going to snow," she finally answered.
"Eh?" Nikki's little eyes widened.
Touji, on the other hand, rubbed his hands excitedly, "Yosh! That means snowball fight tomorrow!"
"B-but," the little girl started to say.
Sakura glanced down at the two kids. Her beautiful green orbs sparkled. "Tonight," she confirmed. "It's going to snow tonight."
It didn't sound like a guess. From the way she said it, it came out as a solid statement.
"Are you sure?" little Nikki doesn't sound convinced.
It was Touji's turn to smack the girl.
"Ouch!" the pigtailed girl exclaimed.
"How could you doubt, Ne-chan like that?" the little boy contended. "She had never been wrong about winter."
Sakura snapped back to reality and realized that the two children were already arguing and was close in punching each other to the ground.
"Hoe!" She attempted to stop them but her voice got drowned in the quarrel.
The little havoc only died down when an elegant coach appeared from the bridge which connected the orphanage to the village. It wasn't a fancy carriage the spotless ebony doors, conservative windows, and four black stallions which pulled it powerfully, it was quite obvious that the one riding inside was no ordinary person.
The other children that were playing at the barn started whispering at one another. Even Touji and Nikki seemed to have noticed the horse-driven carriage. Sakura glanced behind her shoulders to see the rare thing with her own eyes.
The young ones started running towards the fence and watched in awe as it took the narrow dirt road near the barn's fence as its route.
"Wo---ah," Touji said open-mouthed.
Little Nikki clasped Sakura's hand while she stared at the large hooves of the stallions.
"They're so big," the little girl whispered.
Sakura could only nod.
The black coach stopped in front of the orphanage's steel gates. The children and Sakura eased their necks against the fence to get a clearer view of the passenger. They were soon rewarded when a footman opened the carriage's door. A stout man clad in black heavy coat stepped out. He was too far that Sakura could not make out his face aside from the long gray beard he seemed to have. The top hat which shielded his head illuminated his status as someone who belonged to a rich family.
Not long after, the orphanage's staff started piling out of the house. Some were talking to one another at the back with confusion. Sakura understood why they have this kind of reaction. It was rare that the orphanage to have a wealthy visitor. An unannounced one, for that matter.
Is he a benefactor of the orphanage? she thought to herself.
But if so, then it would be the first time that someone like him would actually come down there. All of them were aware that if it was that time of the month to receive funds, Mistress Sai, herself, would travel to the city and meet them.
Speaking of Mistress Sai, Sakura saw the elderly head of the orphanage came out of the main hall, and judging from her body movements, she wasn't expecting the man either.
"Could he be looking for a child to adopt?" Nikki asked as if voicing out the next question creeping inside Sakura's mind.
"But rich families don't adopt, do they?" a little girl named Makoto replied before she could answer.
"I heard it was rare," Touji remarked, and then his face brightened. "Maybe this is one of those rare occasions!"
Nikki went from clutching Sakura's hand to gripping the older girl's dress and hiding behind her. "I'm not sure I wanted to be adopted by someone like that," she said in a small voice.
"Bah!" the copper-haired boy snorted. "Who cares? Bottom line is that if you get adopted by him, you'll be living a rich life. You could even have your very own surname!"
The other girl scowled at him, "You're so materialistic."
Only wealthy and prominent families have full names. It was a privilege that no ordinary citizen could have. Last names signified a family's bloodline. Unfortunately, only the high-classed families have this so-called heritage; a surname handed down from one generation to another.
"No, actually, I'm just being practical," the boy shrugged.
The stout man bowed politely to the elderly woman and said something to her. Mistress Sai nodded hurriedly and motioned for him to enter the house which the man complied. The staff followed close behind and the entrance was deserted in no time.
"Maybe we should spy on them," little Touji said deviously.
"Touji!" Sakura exclaimed. All children stared at her in surprise. Normally, she would be more than happy to participate in whatever little scheme they could think of, but something had been telling her inside that she should make an exception this time.
"All of you just carry on in whatever you were doing," she said in her attempt to be authoritative. "We were instructed to keep out of the house as they do the preparations for winter, so we are doing just that."
"And since when did you obey house rules?" the boy remarked, squinting his eyes.
Sakura hunched down at his level, "Since I became fifteen."
"But that was only yesterday!" he pouted.
"No buts. Now everyone," she straightened her position and placed her hands on her hips. "Go…before I become," then, she made a scary face. "…a kaiju!"
The children squealed and broke into runs towards the barn. Sakura giggled and with one last glance at the carriage, she jogged after them.
An hour later, Sakura and the children dropped on the ground inside the barn exhausted from rolling over mounds of hay. A few were still giggling.
"That was fun!" Jamie, a six year old boy, swung his little arms on the air.
A cow mooed as if to agree with what he said. Another wave of laughter filled the old barn.
But their laughter was interrupted when a middle-aged woman wearing a work gown and white apron appeared at the barn's entrance. Strands of graying hair escaped the little cap which held her hair together as she spoke in a mild tone.
"Sakura," she said.
"Hai!" Sakura answered, scurrying to her feet.
"Mistress Sai wants you to come to her office," the woman remarked.
"Hai!" the emerald-eyed girl kept bowing until the elderly was out of sight.
"Ne-chan," little Nikki started to say. "Do you think this has anything to do with the visitor? Could he possibly want to adopt an older orphan?"
Touji stood up with a happy expression. "This is your chance, Ne-chan! There's finally someone interested and he's rich, too!" the boy cheered.
"Shut-up, Touji!" the little girl threw a handful of hay towards him. "That man doesn't look appealing at all." Then to Sakura, she turned, "Ne-chan…you should be careful." Her little eyes were wobbly.
Sakura didn't want the children to worry so she grinned goofily at them. "Mah…mah…I don't think he would be interested in a plain old me," she said with a forced laugh. "I mean, if he wants to adopt a child, he should choose someone who is more fancy-looking. I would probably get scolded about something." She placed one thoughtful finger below her chin, "Hoe! Which reminds me, I shouldn't keep Mistress Sai waiting."
And with that she brushed the strands of hay out of her clothes and ran towards the orphanage's main house.
Sakura was standing in front of Mistress Sai's office. She fidgeted as she debated on whether or not to fix herself a little. She didn't know if the wealthy visitor was still inside or not. Should she rather be safe than sorry?
Come on, Sakura, she scolded herself. So what if the scary stout man was still inside? It was not like he'd be interested on adopting her. And if he did want to adopt someone, it would be like what Touji said. At least I'll belong to a rich family.
But then, Nikki's worried eyes swam back into her mind. Sakura gulped. The child also has a point about her not wanting to get adopted by such a man.
She shook her head. No, I mustn't think like this. I shouldn't jump to conclusions.
So with a determined face she tightened the bonnet she wore on her head, straightened her cream apron, and wiped her barn boots on the mat before the door.
Here goes nothing.
Sakura raised her hand and knocked softly on the musty old door.
"Come in," Mistress Sai's stern voice resounded from the room.
With a deep breath, Sakura turned the knob and poked her auburn head in. "You called for me, Mistress Sai?" she asked.
"It's about time you arrive," the elderly woman said impatiently. "Well don't just stand there…come inside and close the door."
Sakura did as she was told. Her hunches were confirmed as her eyes fell on the plump man sitting on one of the chairs in front of Mistress Sai's desk. He had taken off his expensive-looking top hat, exposing a bald head. Graying eyebrows matched the color of his beard and unusually pale face.
What's up with this man? she wondered inwardly.
"Sakura, please take a seat," Mistress Sai motioned towards the empty chair beside the man. The orphan obeyed and glanced uneasily at him.
"I would like you to meet, Mr. Sarabusa Hayo," she gestured at the man. "Hayo-sama, this is our Sakura."
Normally, a lady should have been the one introduced first, but the old woman chose to mention the stout man's name before Sakura's. It only showed that the man was indeed someone of high stature.
"Pleased to meet you, Sir," Sakura bowed her head in respect.
"I see, so this is the lucky girl," Sarabusa remarked. His voice was full and bold which echoed around the room.
"Hoe?" the girl blinked; not sure of what the man meant by that. She looked back at Mistress Sai with questioning eyes.
"Hayo-sama is from the Ministry of Education," the elderly woman started to explain. "He had come here to impart such wonderful news to us," she smiled excitedly at Sakura.
The stout man cleared his throat. "You see, little girl," he turned his gaze directly to Sakura. "The government had been giving funds to all orphanages in this country. Recently, the prime minister of Mercallis had decided to be generous and offered free highereducation to the needy. It was only natural that orphanages were on the top of the list."
Mistress Sai nodded.
The man continued, "We have different day schools in Mercallis. Each has its own grade of education."
He stressed the word 'grade' and Sakura knew exactly why. This particularly 'grade' was different from the level of education. 'Grade' pertained to the exclusivity of a particular school. All day schools accepted students from middle-classed families, but not all of them allowed great number of them to enroll. Meaning, in some day schools there could only be forty percent middle-classed students and sixty percent high-classed students or vice versa. Some low-graded schools might only accept middle-classed ones. The higher the percentage of the students from high-classed families, the higher the 'grade' rating was. This also went in parallel with the tuition cost.
"The program entitles five lucky orphans to receive this free education. Names of children fifteen years old and above were drawn," he paused to scratch the almost non-existent chin beneath his beard. "To be honest with you, we already have five qualifying orphans to be sent to different day schools in the country. Unfortunately, one of them ceased to live yesterday."
"Ceased to live?" Sakura gave the man a horrified look.
The man nodded, "The fifth teen was found sprawled lifeless on her orphanage's front porch. She was very pale. Apparently, she had been really sick. The doctors who took a look on her body said she had anemia in an incurable stage. People around her mistook it for merely having a low blood count, but it seemed to have turned to be much extreme than that," the man laughed whole-heartedly.
Sakura's eyes widened. She couldn't believe that this man in front of her was laughing the whole thing out. A person was dead after all.
Sarabusa finally noticed that he was receiving weird looks from the females of the room. He coughed to break his laughter, but his eyes shone with amusement from his little tale. As to what was amusing about it, Sakura could not see.
"Surely, the orphanage's staff must have at least seen this child's deterioration," Mistress Sai remarked. "Anemia is not that sort of illness that shall take your life in an instant."
"No, no. No one noticed it. Like what I said earlier, they thought it was just a simple low blood count. It does come hand in hand with malnutrition. This is something common in orphanages," he motioned in one hand. "Well anyway, as I was saying," he turned his attention back to the emerald-eyed girl. "This happened yesterday morning. So it had proved to be a hindrance since the program was about to be implemented. We needed to hurry things up and choose a name again in our raffle box. Since you turned fifteen yesterday, your name was included. And lucky for you, we were able to draw out your name!"
"Hoe!" Sakura clasped a hand near her chest. She wasn't sure if she was to be happy or not. It seemed to be an uncomfortable situation to be in. Someone died and her name got picked in replacement? And to think that this haughty man kept laughing about it like it was a natural thing, did not make things sound appealing.
She shivered at her thoughts.
"Wait…wait…I'm not finished yet. You have not yet heard the range of your luck."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Because yesterday, one of the prestigious day schools in Mercallis contacted the Ministry saying that they would want to participate in the program and will very much be pleased to gain a student ASAP. Since this particular school is one of the largest educational institutions in the country; its request had been prioritized. Arrangements for the other orphans had been made a week ago. There is no sense reconstructing that now. You do know what this means, don't you?"
Sakura's heart thumped as she looked from the stout man to Mistress Sai.
"You're going to that school, Sakura," the elderly woman nodded encouragingly.
"Me…?" it came out almost a whisper.
The bearded man glanced at her; the amusement never left his eyes. "You are going to study in Tetsuroh Day School for free," he confirmed.
--Somewhere in the city of Tetsuroh—
A seventeen-year old boy made his way through the entwining vines which had crept on the finely-cut bushes around him. Their thick stems gripped the massive arcs situated on the garden. This brought a cool shade for those who wished to take the short-cut from the training grounds to the main house. He kept walking until he reached the end of the tunnel-like structure. A man was standing there waiting for him. He was wearing a deep blue long coat trimmed with golden strands. Around his upper arm, a white badge was embroidered on the expensive textile. The badge carried a yin-yang symbol across it, signifying affiliation to the Li Clan.
"Master Syaoran, you are not wearing your amulet again," the man said when the boy was within earshot.
"Yeah, so?" the chestnut-haired teen replied with boredom.
The man narrowed his eyes, "But young master…the sun is up high, it would be dangerous for you not to have the enchanted ornament at this time."
"You're not wearing any amulet, Yamagata, yet you appear to be quite well despite being bathed with sunlight like that," the other countered.
Yamagata was taken a back for a moment. He looked uneasy as he licked his fangs. He tried to compose a nicer retort to the boy without offending him.
Syaoran slightly smirked. "Save it, Yamagata," he said placing both hands inside his pockets and went past the other man with a frown etched on his forehead. "You don't need to explain my incapability to me," he bent his head as he stepped out in the open. The sharp rays of the sun stung on his back. He gritted his fangs while he tried to bear the pain.
"Young Master!" Yamagata said, alarmingly. On reflex he started to move towards the teen's side in order to cloak him with the immunity aura vampires had learned to summon over the past centuries.
"Don't come near me!" Syaoran commanded sharply. "Just…," his chestnut hair dropped down on his eyes as he bent his head lower. "…leave me alone."
Yamagata's mouth was set on a grim line but he opted not to say a word. He could only watch as the boy continued to walk away from him. A draft of smoke started to rise from the young Li as a burn started to spread across his back.
A few minutes later, Syaoran arrived in front of his family's house. It looked like an old Victorian house with massive grotesque architecture influence. It greatly fitted the other mansions at the neighborhood.
But in truth, it was only an illusion.
He pushed the antique door open. The moment his foot touched the carpet inside, the whole Victorian façade disappeared behind him. His eyes met the familiar red oriental pillars and furniture made of ebony. Symbols of their clan's native tongue adorned the walls and ceiling. Translucent silk hung against the round windows which looked like spirits haunting every corner.
Daylight filled the gardens outside, yet the house was dark and gloomy. It was part of the elders' spell which had been casted to the house ever since they migrated to Mercallis.
Syaoran kept his head drooped down as he continued to walk towards the stairs. He went past the library's opened doors without even looking at the person inside. Then, he started to count.
One…two….three…
"Xiao-Lang!" a woman's sharp voice filled his ears.
Syaoran stopped walking and stepped back until his body became visible once more to the occupant of the room.
"Hello, Mother," he said, lifelessly without looking at the leader of the Li Clan.
"Have you been exposing yourself to sunlight again?!" Yelan exclaimed angrily.
"Yeah," he answered with the same tone of boredom he had earlier with Yamagata.
"Urgh!" Yelan threw up her hand defiantly. "For how long are you going to torture yourself, Xiao-Lang!"
He shrugged, "I don't know."
The older woman glared at her son. He had become more hopeless each passing day.
"Look, Mother…," he spoke again. "…it's not like it could give me any permanent damage. I don't stay long enough to burn myself to death. It would eventually heal. Actually, it is healing right now as we speak."
Indeed, the smoke that swirled around him earlier was starting to dissipate.
"Was that comment supposed to calm your mother's feelings?" Yelan retorted as she placed one elegant hand beneath her chin. "I am more worried of the fact that you have the tendency to stay longer and vulnerably beyond the limits of your body under the sun. What's the use of the amulet we gave you if you are not going to use it!"
"I am using it, Mother. I wear it in school," he answered calmly.
"Well, wear it everywhere, for crying out loud!" his mother hissed at him.
Syaoran only gave a light smirk. He was about to leave when his eyes fell on the cream envelope resting on top of the table. His smirk turned into a small laugh.
Yelan gasped when she realized what her son was looking at. She quickly took the envelope and hid it behind her.
"There is no use hiding that from me," he finally met his mother gaze. Yelan could not help but notice how tired her son's eyes looked. "It is really amusing to see that the coven was leaving its last hopes for gaining back lost territory to a beastshifter vampire who couldn't even control a simple enchantment spell for resisting sunlight."
"Xiao-Lang…"
"I know all about it, Mother. Even though I don't watch the tournaments, it was all over school on how Yukito was completely defeated in the singles division for beastshifters."
His mother looked down sadly.
"I heard it would take a month for him to heal," Syaoran continued to say. "And to think that the Tsukishiro Clan has the highest healing ability amongst all the families."
"It is a dreadful thing. That young man was the coven's last line of defense," Yelan remarked. "Even Daidouji couldn't measure up to her opponent in the encanters' division."
"There are four covens in this country, Mother. Each fighting for territorial rights for live humans. And the South Coven's encanter, Hiiragizawa, is currently Mercallis' representative on the international tournament. I'm not surprised that even Tomoyo was unsuccessful against him."
"The council was not expecting Reed to suddenly get aggressive," Yelan said.
"You know that it was bound to happen sooner or later. It is a matter of time before the head of the South Coven gets greedy. And I think he has all the right to be…considering that his coven has the most powerful young encanters and beastshifters."
"Xiao-Lang! Don't say that!"
"But it's the truth. You and the older vampires probably hated us young people for not being able to measure up on how all of you used to be during your school days. The council must have been silently wishing that the rule of battle among the young ones to determine the future of the coven was not implemented centuries ago."
"How could you talk about this so directly? Are you not bothered at all about the things you are saying?" Yelan felt so down inside. Has her son grown to be too spiteful as to remove his own feelings?
"The truth will set you free, Mother," Syaoran deduced. "Like me for example. I have accepted the truth that no matter what I do, I won't be able to control this 'supposedly' powerful heritage I received. It is useless and I will always end up as a beast on a killing rampage."
Her son said it all so calmly that it scared her. But no matter what, Yelan didn't show her worry. She must stay as the composed head of the Li Clan as she should be.
"There was someone…you didn't kill before," she started to say.
The hazel-eyed teen huffed, "That little thing again? Are you really certain that I got that scarf from someone? For all we know, it just got tangled on my arm."
"It was tied with a knot," his mother reminded him.
"Whatever," he riveted to his bored state. Then, he extended a hand towards his mother. "I'll be taking that envelope now."
"No," Yelan hissed. "I won't give it to you."
"I can't believe you are being difficult, Mother. That is an official Summons from Fujitaka himself; the head of our coven. Ignoring it would be fatal."
Yelan looked at her son with warm eyes, "You don't have to do this again, Xiao-Lang. You can choose not to accept."
"If I don't accept mother, we are going to lose more territory. I need to win back what was taken from Tomoyo and Yukito's battles." His arm remained extended as he coaxed his mother to give him the envelope, "Even if it means I have to be in my usual bloody rampage."
Yelan could only sigh. She had no other choice but to give the sealed document.
"Thank you," Syaoran said monotonously. He turned on his heels to proceed towards his room, but he glanced back before he stepped up the stairs, "Just make sure that whoever partner they would assign to me for the battle will have enough shield power to protect himself from me."
He needed to become his beastshifter self once more. There was no doubt about it. The coven needed to get those territories back ASAP.
It looks like I'm going out again…tonight, he thought then chuckled inwardly.
It had been quite a while now since his mother had use the adjinaya stone to clean the mess he would create in the mortal world.
(Up NEXT Chapter Three: "Arrival in Tetsuroh")
Author's Note:
I'm not quite sure how many acts this story will have. I am still conceptualizing many details such as sub-plots of the minor characters that I couldn't particularly say. And whether I can pull it off or not...it remains to be seen.
My apologies again if the last chapter seems to be a little down by my usual level of writing. (Wow…I didn't even know that I have such a thing. OO But it was mentioned, so I guess I do have it.) But mind you, there are important information about Sakura in the previous chappie. Just take note of them.
Thank you, thank you for all the reviews. Believe it or not, this fic gained more reviews than the first time I've uploaded "Incorporated". If my memory serves me right, "Incorporated" earned less than ten reviews back then. Reviews only kept coming in the later chapters. So I guess I should be happy that "covens" got reviews at all.
Once again, tell me what you think. R & R onegai shimasu!