Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of CCS. Also, the lyrics used in this chapter are of Nightwish's property.

Thanks to Krizue, for being the best Beta and her support through reviews.

Also I'll like to thank James Birdsong, Sandra Matute, Caro90 and an anonymous reviewer. Your comments are a huge motivation for me, I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. Please let me know if you do.


Chapter 2

Planet hell


He got more anxious as the seconds ticked, she hadn't regained consciousness and he had noticed the blood in the back of her head. His heart raced in terror. He decided to check her quickly, treating her as if she was made of glass. He gently opened one of her eyelids and saw with relief the contraction of her pupil, her breathing seemed steady and by the look of it she didn't have any broken ribs. Still it was hard to tell the extent of her injuries without the proper medical equipment. He stood before her wondering how to proceed; she was dressed with sweat pants that left the lower part of her legs exposed. He noticed some cuts on her skin, also some purple marks. Her ankle was swollen, even if he didn't know if it was fractured it was clear that she wouldn't be able to walk. He could imagine her, running away from her attacker, falling and spraining her ankle. Then, fighting back after realizing she could run no more. He bit his lip, forcing himself to get a hold on his emotions and figure out the adequate and most efficient course of action.

He kneeled in front of her, unsure to move her, he couldn´t bear to hurt her further, but he knew that the person in the cloak could come after them, he didn't show signs of regaining consciousness but they couldn't be there when he did. Making up his mind he lifted her in his arms and took off.

Denying the lying

A million children fighting

For lives in strife

For hope beyond the horizon

Until now she had refused to hold a gun. She hated the fact that he had been forced to hold and use one; she recognized that they were past the point of no return. She couldn't unload this weight on his shoulders. She couldn't be a burden to him.

Her hands were shaking as she watched him stare out the window, the rifle resting on the frame and pressing slightly the soft skin of his cheek, his fingers ready to pull the trigger if given a slight reason to. His intense brown eyes focused like the ones of a hunter, she could see how the amber shine they usually had was opaque and metal cold.

"Syaoran" she said timidly, he took his vigilant gaze from the window and looked at her. His expression changing immediately, his amber light shining slightly again and the warmth coming through "you don't… I..."

"Please don't say it, Sakura" his voice was harsh, but his stare was tender and pained "we'll get through this… I will protect you" his sweaty skin glistened in the sunset, scratches and bruises all over the places not hidden by his clothes. He looked exhausted.

"At what cost? you've already done things you despise. I know you, and I see the struggle in your eyes and the pained expression on your face every time you pull the trigger" he couldn't tell her she was wrong; this conflict had taken a toll on him. He was sure part of his humanity was damaged beyond repair. But if given the chance he'll pull the trigger again, do it all over, all of that just to... "All of that just to keep me safe" He was a little astounded at the synchronicity of their thoughts, he could feel her anxious and troubled aura. A lump formed uncomfortably in his throat. She felt guilty and there was a tinge of despair and hopelessness in her eyes that alarmed him. He quickly looked back through the window and seeing no immediate threats, he let go of the rifle placing it slowly on the floor. He could see how she cringed every time the metallic artifact moved; he could also see how the pistol in her hands trembled uncontrollably. He kicked himself mentally, how could he overlook the fact that she had taken his handgun "I can end it all here. They're looking for me… for this thing I have" she said signaling her throat.

"Give me the gun, Sakura" Syaoran said trying to fake composure and hoping his voice wasn´t shaking as bad as his soul, his hand reached out slowly, his mind running wild "hey, remember what you always tell me?" he could see her eyes bloodshot and wet with tears, her head moving in denial. His tongue felt like sandpaper, his heart pounding and his stomach swirling. He moved slowly, closing the space between them, while cataloging every one of her movements. She must not get her hands dirty with blood. Not from anyone. Above all, not from her.

"Sakura, I'm sure everything is going to be…" At that moment, a projectile broke the window and hit him on the side. He gasped in pain and she shouted in terror, the gun falling from her hands and hitting the floor where his thick blood had started to pool. How he could be so stupid, not checking their surroundings before abandoning his sentinel post. She tried to get closer to him, panic getting hold of her "Don't!" he said, his voice strained "don't come near the window. Listen to me Sakura, you need to leave".

A dead world

A dark path

Not even crossroads to choose from

All the blood red carpets before me

Behold this fair creation of God

"No… don't ask me that, I still can..." she supplicated. She sounded frail, so much unlike her. He felt impotent, no longer able to protect her. The sticky crimson liquid soaking her clothes, his vision blurring.

"You must. They will notice we are not shooting back and realize they got one of us. Soon they'll be on their way up here. They can´t get to you!" she cried inconsolably, he moved closer to her, feeling the blood pooling in his lungs, making it harder to breath.

"Please. I... I can't." They heard voices from the first floor. Syaoran stood up with great difficulty, each of his hands clasping a weapon. She wrapped her arms around him. It hurt, but that brief touch fired up his resolve. She would live, that's all that mattered.

"Listen to me, everything is going to be fine. I'll come for you. But you must leave. NOW!" she nodded. They both stared into each other's eyes, it could have been a few seconds or a few hours.

He knew he wouldn't be able to go after her. She knew she wouldn't be able to leave him to die alone.

Welcome down to my Planet Hell

He felt an ice-cold sensation freezing his blood when he heard her scream. He scanned her with his eyes frantically, perhaps he had hurt her. He'd been walking for fifteen minutes now and his arms were starting to get tired, maybe he made a bad move that harmed her. He lowered her body gently in the grass, she kept on screaming while he desperately tried to locate the source of her pain, perhaps he had missed some major injury the first time he checked her up. She was now crying and mumbling. What if her head concussion was worse than he thought?

"Please, wake up" he said in a shaky voice, the thought of her not opening her eyes terrifying him beyond logic "WAKE UP!" he begged, and she opened her eyes harshly. The quick motion unchaining a blinding pain in her face, she felt her head spinning, her cheeks wet and her body wrecked. She looked around, she was no longer in the same place where that cloaked person attacked her, but she was still somewhere in the park laying in the grass "you were crying… and screaming" he said still worried. She looked at him, for the first time detailing the person that had saved her life.

She could tell that he was a head taller than her. His skin had a slight tan hue to it, his chocolate bangs looked sticky with sweat, his body looked muscular and his gaze was penetrating. At first, he seemed to have a severe face, but his eyes had a warm light and gentleness that hugged her heart. 'A shame to see such tender eyes filled with concern' she thought while she wondered how they had gotten here.

"I'm sorry" she said, her voice barely above a whisper "I'm fine, it was just a nightmare" his worried expression growing, he didn't totally buy it, she was surely in pain and he saw her pass out. It was not as if she had just fallen asleep. She felt guilty for troubling him "I promise, nothing more" he sighed. He would still be concerned until she had her head checked.

"Are you in pain?" He asked shyly and she smiled at him. There was something about him that made her feel everything was going to turn up fine. He frowned when he didn't get an answer from her "can you walk?" His voice pulled her out of her mind and she apologized for spacing out " I'm not as bad as it may appear" she tried to get on her feet while he stood up to help her up, as he noticed her intentions.

As soon as she set her foot on the ground, she felt a sharp pain that made her lose her balance, his hands quickly catching her.

"You can't walk" he stated while helping her down in the grass again. Then he kneeled, his back facing her and his hands ready to carry her weight. Her eyes widened realizing what the pose meant, and from her mouth came a nervous laughter that he confused with music, she braced herself as she couldn't stop in spite of her body being sore "a piggyback ride?".

He blushed and stared blankly at her "I don't have my phone with me… do you have yours?" She shook her head "You need a medical checkup, ASAP" he sounded so stern and determined that she breathed in deeply to control her chuckles, it wasn't her intention to upset him or to make things harder on him.

"I'm sorry. It's just that, back there I thought I was going to die and now I'm getting a piggyback ride" she paused momentarily, trying to organize the events that had transpire moments before. "I loved getting these when I was a child" she added breezily, he sighed and smiled at her candor.

"I can understand how it can be amusing" he said, softening his tone, and then coming closer so she could put her arms around his neck. He maneuvered her perfectly, she thought, guiding her movements so that he was carrying her weight through the process and minimizing the pain these movements could inflict on her beaten up body. It was easy, as if it had happened before. She was shocked at how composed she was in the presence of this stranger, what happened just moments before should have made her weary of others. But this guy was something else, the feeling of him was familiar.

Once she was safely on his back he started to walk through the park, she tried to remember how she had gotten so far off the main road, but she recalled very little. She remembered waking up at 3:30 AM, as had happened every day for the past week. She remembered the sadness and loneliness filling up her heart. She had a vague recollection of deciding to go out for a walk, since she knew there was no way that she could go back to sleep.

"So, these nightmares…" she heard him say "they sound really scary..." he realized this was meaningless compared with the physical and psychological stress of the situation she'd been through, but he wanted her to talk, maybe if so, he could acknowledge any brain damage and give more information to the physicians. Also, he felt genuinely curious. She closed her eyes feeling the rhythmical way his back muscles moved under her, a smile curling her lips.

"I guess… the thing is I can't really remember them. Despite that, they always leave this void inside my chest. Something like this has never happened to me before"

"I see" it was a simple, short answer, but she could tell he was busy thinking of something. She didn't really know how, but she was sure they were somehow connected.

While thinking of her answer, and how he'd been experiencing a similar situation, he became aware of how his feet moved skillfully in the uneven soil. He felt his whole body and senses unprecedentedly keen. He had never experienced such control over his body, and he could perfectly perceive her without relying on eyesight.

She smelled of sweat, blood and flowers. He could hear and feel every inhalation and exhalation she made, her light body pressing against his back, her hair being moved by the wind and every time he closed his eyes, he could see her green eyes as if he had seen them a thousand times. He felt enchanted by her. There was just no chance that he'd seen her before and not remember. But he couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity.

"Pardon me, but" He got goosebumps when her voice reached his ears and her hot breath caressed skin "do I … have we met before?"

"No" he stated, trying to sound casual. Still, remembering her words before losing consciousness 'I can swear she was going to call me by my name'

"My name is Kinomoto Sakura" she stated after a pause. The name felt like spring breeze to him "I'm really glad to meet you, mister…"

He laughed at the noun chosen by the honey brown haired woman, he wondered how she could have such normal conversation after the events that she had been through. He hoped it wasn't a consequence of the blow in her head.

"Li Syaoran" he noticed how his voice came out gentle without intending to.

"Li Syaoran" she repeated slowly, in a thoughtful way. Syaoran couldn't look at her directly but he could hear the smile in her voice. His name on her lips sent electric waves down his spine, his heartbeat spiking and his face reddening 'Kinomoto Sakura' he repeated in his mind. The name striking a soft spot he hadn't acknowledged before.

"Hmm, Li. Can I ask something of you?" Her voice was suddenly shy and Li Syaoran thought that he would never be able to deny her something

"What would that be?" He intended to sound serious but it came out with a playful tone that sounded alien to him in his voice. She picked up the mood and giggled. That sound swelled his chest. How could he say no to anything she asked?

"Can we avoid going to the hospital?" He stopped in his tracks

"What! Why?" This time his tone wasn't polite nor warm. It came out sharp and cold. She bit her lip and unconsciously tightened her grasp on his body, suddenly fearing that he would walk away from her. For a reason beyond her understanding, she couldn't fathom the idea of him leaving her; she even felt unusually sad at his change of tone.

"You're being irrational. You were beaten up, you received multiple blows in the face and a hard hit on the head. You're bleeding and you can't even walk on your own. You are going to the hospital" He sentenced. She pouted but couldn't come up with a logical reason not to go, she couldn't even walk on her own. She felt a cold and heavy emotion sinking her heart and somehow, he felt the way her light, happy and sweet mood changed. He felt guilty, but he couldn't risk her safety "why don't you want to go?" he finally asked, trying to make sense out of her request.

She took a while, feeling embarrassed and vulnerable "I'm scared…" she wanted to tell him that she just wanted to stay with him, but how to phrase that to someone you just met? She struggled to understand the trust he inspired her. 'Is it because he saved me?' that seemed like the obvious explanation, but somehow, she sensed there was more to it. She just couldn't tell clearly, but she felt that staying close to him was the way to go.

"I'll stay with you" he stated determined, the words escaping his mouth before his brain could interfere. He could feel the heat rising to his face and for the first time she could tell that he felt nervous "if you want me to, of course. Or we can call someone you know"

"Please, stay" she said burying her face on his back, feeling her face hot and her heart loud. How long did it take them to get to the hospital? They didn't notice. From time to time he tried to turn and look at her with little success, so he rejoiced in the warmth that her body emanated and chuckled at the sudden little melodies she started humming. They barely said anything else. She felt how her body ached less and he didn't feel any muscle tiredness in spite of the long road. When they arrived at the hospital the sun had started to paint the sky in pinkish tones.

Li Syaoran and Kinomoto Sakura thought that they had never seen such a beautiful dawn.


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See you in next chapter