Author's notes: Well, here it is. The next chapter in the exciting saga, Tsubasa Chronicles. For those of you who know the anime, I just wanted to say that I changed things up just a little bit later on in the chapter. For those of you who have watched the anime but can't remember this episode or for those of you who have never seen it, I hope you enjoy. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, especially near the end. Please remember to hit that review button at the bottom of your screen. Enjoy.
Review from last chapter:
Chu'nyan stared at the bell. Her hands closed tightly around it and held it to her chest as the tears began to flow freely down her cheeks. Kyoya saw her knees buckle and quickly grabbed her before she fell to the ground. Chu'nyan clung to Kyoya as if her very life depended on it, but Kyoya didn't care. In fact he hugged to back just as much as she cried away her sorrows into his robe. Her flow of tears was only broken by the soft cry of "Mother", but soon that cry was loud and heart breaking. Kyoya looked back over at Syaoran and Sakura through watery eyes and noticed tears in Sakura's eyes as well and saw the deep pain behind Syaoran's. As Syaoran watched his little brother comfort Chu'nyan he was suddenly struck with the words that Kurogane had said to him right before they left the Hanshin Republic. "'Don't look back. There's too much to do to get slowed down. Only look ahead.'" As he watched Chu'nyan cling to Kyoya he realized that Kurogane had been right.
~ Episode 8: God's Beloved Daughter ~
[There are times of hardship,
when people forget the courage they need to keep fighting
and survive.
But I think as long as we have something to believe in,
to keep close in our hearts,
courage will never truly leave us.
We only have to reach deep enough to find it.]
All was quiet that night in Chu'nyan's house and everyone was sleeping soundly, everyone… except Sakura. She lay there in her bed and would close her eyes only to open them again a few minutes later. Finally she had enough and sat up and looked at everyone in turn, her eyes finally resting on Chu'nyan. She felt sorry for the girl as she the evening's events went through her head.
~ Flashback ~
"Are you sure you're alright Syaoran?" asked Sakura as she held him up by his arm.
"Don't worry princess. I'm fine, really." replied Syaoran glancing over at her face which was filled with concern. Once she had smile and nodded her head, Syaoran turned his attention back to Chu'nyan and his injured brother.
Kyoya held onto Chu'nyan as tight as he could for two reasons. One, his heart was breaking as well as he felt her pain and two, he was starting to feel light headed. His head wound, although shallow, was bleeding quite a bit and he felt as if he was floating and his legs were getting weaker. He wasn't sure how long he could hold up both himself and Chu'nyan. Suddenly he heard people yelling. "Syaoran! Kyoya!"
"Sakura!" yelled a high and energetic voice.
"Yo kids, where are you?" shouted a deep voice.
It was Fye, Mokona, and Kurogane; they had finally made it. The three of them skidded to a halt when they saw the four kids. Fye did a quick sweep of the situation and immediately took charge. He hurried over to Sakura, who was still holding Syaoran up, and began to fuss over him. "Syaoran, are you all right? Where does it hurt? Sakura are you alright?" he asked.
Sakura nodded her head in response and Syaoran spoke up right away. "My arm and leg hurt but that's all, I'm fine. Help Kyoya."
Fye looked over at the hugging pair and noticed for the first time the blood that was running down the side of Kyoya's face. He quickly stood up from where he was kneeling in front of Syaoran and turned to Kurogane, who had been watching Kyoya and Chu'nyan this whole time. Fye looked into his eyes and noticed that they were soft and held a bit of compassion. "Kuro-pu." Fye said softly. "Why don't you take Chu'nyan?"
Kurogane shifted his head away from Kyoya and Chu'nyan and simply stated. "You take her. I don't do crying girls."
Fye smiled at that and moved forward without another word. "Here Kyoya, let me take her now." softly said Fye as he placed his hands gently on Chu'nyan's shoulders. Fye was not surprised when Kyoya didn't reply and only loosened his hold on the girl. Fye kneeled down and moved Chu'nyan around so that she was now crying into his chest.
Kyoya felt Chu'nyan move from his grip. "Fye." he thought. "Fye will know what to do. He always knows what to do. Man, I feel so tired. Maybe I should rest a bit." As that last thought went through his head, Kyoya's vision became darker and he vaguely felt himself falling. Before he blacked out completely he heard voices yell out his name, then, silence filled his brain.
Everyone watched as Kyoya started to fall to the ground. Syaoran removed his arm from Sakura's shoulder and tried to move forward but the pain in his leg stopped him. "Syaoran." worriedly said Sakura as she helped him stand back up from his kneeling position. Fye was about to let go of Chu'nyan to get to Kyoya, but he stopped when he saw Kurogane rush up and catch the boy before he even touched the ground. Kurogane looked down at Kyoya's limp form lying in his arms. He wouldn't admit to the others but Kyoya, in just over a week, had really grown on him. He was actually starting to like the little runt. Kyoya remind him of himself at that age, head strong and impulsive; always ready for action. Fye watched as Kurogane looked down at Kyoya's lifeless form and gave a small smile; he could tell that he was starting to really care for Kyoya. "Let's get everyone back to the house and get them cleaned up." said Fye over Chu'nyan's head, which was now turned toward Kyoya and looking at him through water eyes. Kurogane nodded his head and wordlessly picked Kyoya up and began to walk back to the house. Fye smiled and stood up. "Are you alright Chu'nyan?" he asked.
Chu'nyan nodded and stared after Kurogane. "Is Kyoya okay? He's not dead is he?" she worriedly asked.
"Oh no. He's just fainted is all; he'll be back to his normal, cheerful self by tomorrow morning." said Fye with a smile. He looked over at Syaoran's worried form and gave him a nod. Syaoran's face lost some of the worry as he and Sakura, along with Chu'nyan and Fye, followed after Kurogane.
Once they had settled back into the house, Fye started healing the boys' wounds. Syaoran made sure that Kyoya was the first to receive help. Fye studied the cut on Kyoya's head and was pleased to see that it was shallow. He gently cleaned the wound and his face from the dried blood and bandaged it. As Fye began to tend to Syaoran's wounds Sakura asked, "Why hasn't Kyoya woken up? Is there something wrong?"
"Oh don't worry Princess. He's quite alright, just a little tired from losing blood. He should wake up soon, but in the mean time we'll just let him rest." replied Fye loud enough so that Kurogane, who was leaning up against the doorway stealing quick glancing down at Kyoya, could hear him. Fye looked around the room and settled on Mokona who was cuddling with a quiet and mournful Chu'nyan. He sent a sad smile in their direction, he wasn't sure of what had happened in that field, but he could tell that is was anything but happy. A quick dinner was made and they all sat down to eat. It was a very quiet dinner, even Mokona kept his mouth shut. The only time that there was any noise was when Kyoya had come to long enough to eat some food and slowly sip a drink. By the time dinner had finished it was well after sunset and everyone felt pretty tired, so they all decided that it was time for bed. It was just after one a.m. when Sakura suddenly found herself sitting up in bed and looking around.
~ End of Flashback ~
Sakura suddenly remembered why she had woken up in the first place. There had been whispers; people had been whispering, but it wasn't in the room for everyone was asleep. These some ones were calling from far away and they were calling to her. "I heard voices… calling me." she quietly said aloud. She listened for a few minutes longer, trying to hear them again, but they had disappeared. With another look around the room she laid back down and fell fast asleep.
The next morning dawned bright and sunny and everyone woke up feeling well rested. A delicious breakfast was made and they all crowded around the table. Kyoya was stuffing his face when he heard Syaoran let out a gasp of pain. His eyes shot across the table and watched as Syaoran brought his left hand up to cradle his right. He opened his mouth to give some sort of smart remark but quickly shut it. He knew that if he said anything he'd get into an 'argument' with Syaoran and he really didn't feel up to that particular challenge. He still had a headache from the offending rock yesterday.
"That fall really hurt you?" asked Sakura, worried that Syaoran was still in pain.
"Oh, It's no big deal." he replied.
"Knocking you down is no easy task Syaoran. This lord Tambal's power must be significant indeed." comment Fye.
"Yeah." said Chu'nyan. "and it's the only reason he's still in power. We'd never let him rule us if we had a choice."
"But it's just the man and his son, right? I mean you, you've got a town full of people you could easily overthrow him." said Kurogane.
"We've already tried." Kyoya looked in to Chu'nyan's eyes and saw a mix of intense determination and fury. "Six months ago we had a mob gathered at the fortress steps armed with every weapon we could find. But…Tambal's hijutsu is to strong his magic kept us from even getting through the doors." continued Chu'nyan.
"Magic barriers, huh, that must be what Mokona's been talking about. This mysterious energy around the town." thoughtfully said Fye.
"Mokona can't find anything here. It's really confusing." he complained. Kyoya looked down next to him at Mokona. He kind of felt sorry for the little guy. If Mokona sensed waves and there were a lot here then he's probably extremely overwhelmed.
"Well, if we can't get inside the fortress, we'll just have to wait till he comes out then attack him." said Kurogane.
"But Tambal never steps foot outside those walls." dejectedly said Chu'nyan.
"His son does." said Fye with his signature big, goofy smile. "We could take him hostage, then torture him till daddy relents." The room went dead silent when they hear him say that. It was really weird to hear those words come out of Fye's mouth. I mean he was such a happy-go-lucky person and to hear him talk about torture like that was a really shock.
"Hold on…torture?" asked Syaoran, surprised and nervous about where this planning was headed.
"No Syaoran, it's more like this, 'Yeah, torture. Let's teach Mr. Weird-Hat-Bully a lesson he won't soon forget'." said Kyoya his voice full of excitement. He'd been itching for a chance to have a go at Bugal and Fye was now presenting him with that chance.
"Well, well, Fye, you say that like you have some experience." commented Kurogane with a small smile as his respect for Fye went up a few notches. Kyoya leaned in closer hoping Fye would tell some torture stories, but he was disappointed when all Fye did was slyly smile over at Kurogane.
"That wouldn't work either." said a somber Chu'nyan. "He watches us. He's not going to let his son walk into a trap."
"Oh I see, you mean with those winds he summons. You're right, he could disrupt any kidnapping attempt." said Fye.
"Then we only have one choice, attack; we take the fight directly to him. Every fortress has a weakness in it somewhere you just need a strong leader to guide you." said Kurogane.
"The town doesn't have warriors and the Miteshu haven't shown. We have no leader." sadly stated Chu'nyan.
"Sure you do, right here." said Kurogane. Everyone stared at him in shock; Kurogane was actually offering to help without complaining.
"Then you'll fight for our cause?" happily asked Chu'nyan.
"Why not." he simply stated.
"That's my line you're suppose to say 'not my business'." said Fye.
"Why the change Kur-o-ga-ne? Getting tired of patching roofs." teased Kyoya.
"Got that right. Hammer nails all you want I'm swinging a sword. If I'm going to be stuck in this world I might as well have some fun. First things first… I'll need a few soldiers."
Kyoya jumped up, which made his head throb and his vision swam making him stumble ever so slightly. "Willing and reporting for duty oh fearless leader."
Kurogane glared up at him and grabbed his arm roughly pulling him back down. "Stay down runt. I need men not boys."
Chu'nyan smiled over at Kyoya as he started to mumble fiercely and glare at Kurogane. She was really starting to like him; even though he was hot headed he was also very compassionate. She turned her attention back to Kurogane. "Leave that to me. I know exactly where to recruit." she said.
- Inside the Fortress -
Bugal and Tambal looked down into the pool and watched as Chu'nyan led Syaoran, Mokona, Kyoya, and Sakura through the town square. "I told you father." said Bugal. "That girl never quits. She's clearly planning something against us."
"Do not worry my son. This fortress cannot be breeched. Ignore her mischief."
"But she mocks us. Why can't we kill her as a warning to the others." argued Bugal.
"Because my son, I have plans for that girl. She will be your wife."
"My wife! But why?"
"Chu'nyan has great potential as a wielder of hijustu, she could become far more powerful than even her mother. I sensed it long ago and thought that the fastest way to bring her talents into our clan was for you to wed her." Tambal paused for a moment and laid his hand on the orb holding Sakura's feather. "Then again… while we have this source of power such measures will not be necessary. We shall see."
"Good. I hope they won't. I hate that girl."
"Trust me son, I have no love for her either. Such a move would purely be strategic. If my plan succeeds she will share her mothers fate."
- In the Town -
Chu'nyan stopped in front of a nice looking shop. "What's in here?" asked Syaoran.
"You'll see soon enough." replied Chu'nyan.
"I hope it's food." said Kyoya excitedly.
"But you just had food a little while ago." said Chu'nyan looking aver at him in disbelief.
"What? Is it suddenly a crime to eat especially since I still am a growing boy."
"Yeah and if you keep this up you'll not only be growing up but also out." laughed Chu'nyan.
"Oh, haha, very funny." sarcastically said Kyoya. Syaoran shook his head with a smile on his face and Sakura started to quietly giggle at their conversation.
"Kyo-kyo will be fat. Chubby Kyo-kyo." teased Mokona not wanting to be left out of the fun. Kyoya glared at Mokona suddenly realizing why Kurogane didn't like the nicknames Mokona gave him; they were stupid. "I swear, if people start calling me Kyo-kyo I'll personally see to Mokona's death." he thought.
Syaoran began to move into the shop, but before he even set foot in the doorway two spears crossed in front of his face. Syaoran and Kyoya immediately went into high alert mode until Chu'nyan shouted out that they were friends and here to help. "Mokona's nervous." he said cautiously from Sakura's arms.
"Don't be." said Chu'nyan with a comforting smile. "This shop's a secret meeting place. Everybody here is working together toward one goal; finding a way to over throw Tambal and his son." A voice off to their left suddenly caught their attention due to the fact that it sounded strangely familiar.
"Chu'nyan, I've been wondering where you were." Everyone looked over at the voice and Syaoran, Sakura, Kyoya, and Mokona let out a gasp. They did know who the speaker was. It was Sorata and standing behind him was none other than Arashi.
"It's you guys!" said Syaoran in a shocked and yet happy voice.
"Sorata and Arashi! Mokona knows them." he happily chirped.
"How ya been?" asked Kyoya with a smile on his face. He had liked the couple from the moment he had met them, especially Sorata. Kyoya thought he was funny.
"Good to see you again." happily said Sakura.
Chu'nyan looked back and forth from the 4 of them to Sorata and Arashi in confusion. She was shocked that they would know anyone in town, but then she guessed that they could have met in some other place. For Sorata and Arashi liked to travel quite a bit. "You guys know each other?" she asked in confusion.
"No, they don't look familiar to me." said Sorata just as confused as Chu'nyan was.
"It must just be a mistake." added Arashi.
"Okie-dokie." said Mokona as he jumped form Sakura's arms and onto Chu'nyan's head.
"Woah! What is that thing?" said Sorata as he took a couple steps away from Chu'nyan; shocked and kind of scared at the sight of Mokona.
"Not a thing, a friend." explained Mokona. "Mo-ko-na."
"Oh… well… hello." said Arashi uncertainly.
"I know it's unusual but Mokona's been staying with me too."
"Are you guys… in love?" Mokona asked Sorata and Arashi.
"What? How'd you…" stammered Sorata, a blush creeping onto his face.
"You want to kiss her don't you." said Mokona, who was enjoying making fun of Sorata way too much.
Sorata blushed turned even redder, but in order to face some sort of face in front of Arashi he stood up straighter. "Hey, that's personal." he said his voice wavering ever so slightly.
"I'm sure we'll get married once we've stopped Tambal." said Arashi, in a calm and collective voice.
Sorata looked over at her surprised, like he was sure that his ears were playing a trick on him. "What? Seriously?" he stammered with a smile.
"I'd like that." confirmed Arashi.
"Yeah, me too." Sorata felt so happy that he could have gone around the whole room a few times dancing like a maniac. But all he said, "Cool." Kyoya looked at him as if he was crazy. "The girl you've been in love with has just told you that she wants to marry you and all you can say is 'cool'. Wow Sorata, how lame can you get." he thought.
"Speaking of Tambal." interrupted Chu'nyan. "We've come here for your help." With that Chu'nyan followed Sorata and Arashi to a corner table where they could talk privately. Kyoya, Syaoran, Mokona, and Sakura sat down a few tables over. Sakura stared over at the other table in confusion.
"Why didn't Sorata and Arashi remember us?" she asked quietly, more to herself then anyone else.
"I think I can explain." said Syaoran as Sakura shifted her gaze to him. "I'll try to explain it the way Yuko and Fye told me. Basically, they're parallels with the same appearance and they seem to have the same essence, but their lives and memories are different here. It's pretty crazy stuff, right?"
"Crazy doesn't even begin to describe it. I mean here we are on another planet or world or whatever it's called. Traveling with two guys and a weird white thing, each from different worlds, sitting in a shop with people we know but they have no memory of who we are, even after we stayed at their house for a week. Uggg, my head hurts just trying to think about it." said Kyoya putting his hands to his head.
"I think it's neat." said Sakura, causing Kyoya and Syaoran to smile. She always had a knack of seeing the good things in confusing or sad situations. She even could see the good inside of each and every person no matter their background.
"Hey, Mokona is not a white thing. Mokona is Mokoda." he chirped sounding slightly hurt.
"See… confusing. I mean what the hell is a Mokoda." said Kyoya, the smile wiped from his face.
"Kyoya…" said Syaoran, the warning about his use of language ringing clearly in his voice.
"Ohhhh shut up Syaoran. I know you've been wondering the same thing." Kyoya huffed.
"Well, a Mokoda is…" began Mokona, but was cut off by Kyoya.
"You know what, on second thought never mind. Whatever the explanation is I'm sure it will add to my headache and I always try to keep my headaches at the lowest pain level possible."
"You're not fighting any more?" suddenly shouted Chu'nyan. The other four looked over in her direction concerned that conversation didn't go like they had planned. "But why not?"
"We can't Chu'nyan." simply stated Sorata.
"Says who!" Chu'nyan shouted back.
"It was a group decision. Everyone here's agreed." calmly stated Arashi.
"But…" started Chu'nyan only to be cut of as Sorata explained the reason behind their decision.
"It was the raid we tried six months ago. That's when we learned what we were up against. As you might know we were all standing outside the gate ready to charge when the gate suddenly opened by itself. All we could see beyond the gate was this pinkish-purple light. No one knew what was happening. The light beyond the gate quickly vanished and in its place was a picture of a desert. Only it was upside down; the sky was at the bottom of the gateway and the earth was at the top. I heard yells from behind me and when I turned I saw a few of the men glowing and being dragged toward the gate. I reached out my hand to try to grab one of them but was unsuccessful; they all disappeared into the gateway. Tambal's hijustu is too strong. The bottom line is we don't stand a chance against him."
"Then what the point of even having this group." said Chu'nyan, her voice ringing with sadness.
"We have to be patient and find some other way. We won't risk no lives in a fight we can't win." continued Sorata.
"So you'd rather be slaves." argued Chu'nyan, the sadness quickly giving away to anger.
"Uhoh." said Syaoran as he saw Chu'nyan stand up angrily and watched as Kyoya did the same. He stood up as well only so that he could control Kyoya if he got out of hand. He could tell that Kyoya really liked Chu'nyan and because of that fact Kyoya didn't like it when others hurt her. This could lead to trouble however considering that Kyoya wouldn't hesitate in causing Sorata some serious damage. Sakura was about to stand up herself but she suddenly left something pulling on her heart and mind. She turned her head out the window they were sitting by and saw the fortress. She suddenly knew without a shadow of a doubt that she had to get into that fortress. Something was there; something was calling out to her.
"Do what you want." said Chu'nyan, her body suddenly very relaxed and her voice filled with sadness once again. With that she left the table and exited the shop with Kyoya, Syaoran, Mokona, and Sakura following close behind. "They just don't understand." said Chu'nyan her voice breaking with pent up emotion.
"Understand what?" gently asked Kyoya. Chu'nyan took a deep breath before she could talk again.
"On the night that my mother died I ran to her side, knowing that something wasn't right. When I got to the fortress gate I saw my mother lying on the ground, dead. I couldn't move, it was like my body was frozen; all I could do was yell out to my mother. That's when Tambal appeared on top of the gate telling me that more matter how many tears I cried it wouldn't bring her back. He then went on to taunt me that my mother's soul would never experience peace; that my mother would not rise to heaven or rest in the earth. He said that my mother would be with him drifting forever in limbo and never find rest. I remember the gate opening and my mother being dragged into the gate, that's when I began running after her. Hoping that I could save her, but before I got halfway across the bridge my mother disappeared and the gate closed. I fell against the gate and cried for my mother as Tambal continued to taunt me. He said that my mother was the only one how could ever dream of stopping him and not that she was gone he was able to reign supreme. I stayed by the gate till the next morning when Arashi found me. I vowed that morning to show Tambal that he was wrong, he will be defeated."
The other four listened in silence as Chu'nyan spoke. They could feel the sadness radiating off of her. Tears glistened in Sakura's eyes mirroring the ones rolling down Chu'nyan's face. Kyoya put his hand on her shoulder, trying to give her some support, but was mildly surprised when Chu'nyan wrapped her arms around him and cried into his chest. He was stunned for a few seconds but quickly wrapped her in a protective hug. They stayed in the ally next to the shop for a few minutes, giving Chu'nyan time to cry all of her tears. Finally they began the walk back to the house, Kyoya walking side by side with Chu'nyan. On the way back they pasted by the bridge leading to the fortress gate. Chu'nyan stopped and stared at it in hatred and determination. "I want a power of my own. I want to be strong so I can avenge my mother's death myself without anyone's help." she said forcefully.
"Chu'nyan, there you are." said a voice form behind them. The group turned to see Arashi coming towards them. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. We've all let you down. We know we should try to fight him but the truth is we're afraid. We're craftsmen and traders, we're not ready for war." Arashi bent down so that she could look into Chu'nyan's eyes as she continued to speak. "We're not brave like you." Arashi gave a small smile and Chu'nyan tried to give her one in return but found it very hard.
"I hear them. They're calling me." suddenly stated Sakura causing everyone to jump and look at her in confusion. Before anyone could say anything Sakura began to glow and the gate opened revealing the pinkish-purple light just as Sorata had described it. Everyone watched in horror as Sakura began to float toward the gate. Mokona, who was in Sakura's arms quickly hopped out and onto Chu'nyan's shoulder.
"Princess! What are you doing? This place is dangerous!
"Sakura stop!" frantically shouted Chu'nyan.
"Come Back!" shouted Syaoran and started to run after her, but was stopped as Chu'nyan's arms circled around his waist holding him back. "Stop, let me go!"
"You can't go, at least not alone. No one who's gone in there has ever come out!" she tried to reason with him.
Syaoran watched in horror as the gate began to close. "Sakura!" he desperately yelled trying to escape from Chu'nyan's grip.
"Trust me you'll die. Let's just see what happens. Sakura was glowing maybe she'll be protected or maybe we can get your friends and go in together. Sorry Syaoran but Arashi is right, my town is already frightened enough if you die we'll be lost." shouted Chu'nyan as she struggled to hold Syaoran in place.
Kyoya looked at his brother struggling and realized that he wasn't going to be able to free himself in time to go after Sakura. He gave a quick look at Chu'nyan and ran full speed toward the closing door. "Kyoya!" came Syaoran's desperate yell from behind him.
"No! Kyoya come back. Don't do it." yelled Chu'nyan.
"Don't worry I promise I'll bring Sakura out alive. See ya in a few." yelled Kyoya over his shoulder before he jumped into the gateway seconds before the gate slammed tightly shut. Chu'nyan finally let go of Syaoran who ran toward the gate and pounded his fists against it muttering Sakura and Kyoya's name. "Why? Why did you have to do that Kyoya. I can't lose both you and Sakura. I just can't." he screamed to himself feeling once again that all this was his fault.
"Mokona, go tell Kurogane and Fye what just happened. It's be nice to have them here is we need help." ordered Chu'nyan as she watched with tears in her eyes as Syaoran pounded the gate. This was reminding her too much of what happened to her mother.
"Okie-dokie." said Mokona and quickly floated off to complete his task. Chu'nyan continued to watch Syaoran, wishing that there was something she could do. She was startled by a voice behind and turned surprised to see Arashi. She had completely forgot that she was there. "We should move away from the gate. We are in a vulnerable position right now if Tambal decided to strike and it might be best for your friend if we got away from here until his friends arrive."
Chu'nyan nodded smiling at her, happy to have Arashi's calm, levelheaded mind with them. She looked back at Syaoran and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Come on Syaoran. There's nothing we can do now except wait. Let's go."
Syaoran looked over at her and she could see the unshed tears in his eyes. "You're right." he replied. "Let's go." With one final look at the gate the three of them walked back across the bridge and into the town.
- At the House -
"This fortress has eight gates all reinforced." said Kurogane. He was sitting at a table in the living room studying a map and the fortress and the town surrounding it. Above him came the lazy sounds of Fye hammering planks of wood over the hole that Tambal's wind had caused. "We'll have to break our way through one with whatever ram we can build." he continued but was getting more and more agitated by the lazy pounding above his head. "Hey, Stop! I'm trying to think down here. You're not even trying anyway." he finally snapped.
"If you're going to complain, maybe you should do this yourself." simply stated Fye as he gave another half-hearted hit with the hammer.
"Please, we've been through this. I'm busy planning a war, not easy fighting magic you should know that.
Fye sighed and looked out into the distance. There in front of him he could clearly see the fortress and his mind began to wander on what type of magic Tambal was using. "Hijustu. A secret art. Sounds fun." he said to himself sly, thinking of how great it would be to have that power and or try to fight it. His thoughts were pulled away when Mokona soared into the room shouting for help.
"Help! Kyoya and Sakura are gone!"
"Wait, don't tell me, did they elope?" joked Fye sticking his head through the hole in the roof.
"No, they were pulled into the fortress's gate and Chu'nyan says that they're gonna die." frantically said Mokona.
"Oh no, that does sound serious now doesn't it." said Fye the joking gone from his voice.
"Take us there, fur ball." demanded Kurogane.
10 minutes later the three of them, along with Syaoran and Chu'nyan were standing outside the gate. Trying to figure out what they should do. "So the gate opened and they walked right in huh." said Kurogane after Syaoran had completely filled him in on what happened. "Should've known, while I'm drawin' plans the kid goes and shows me up."
"I doubt there's much to be jealous about. If this lord's magic is as strong as they say and they entered through an open gate, well, I'm sure you've heard of a baited trap." said Fye.
"A Trap?" shouted Syaoran, worry emanating from every pore in his body.
"Hold on, then those two…" said Kurogane, unable to finish his sentence as worry claimed him.
"Yes." said Fye seriously. "All we can do now is hope and pray that Kyoya and Sakura have the strength to fight off whatever they encounter in there." Everyone silently agreed with him and continued to stare at the fortress.
- Inside the Fortress -
Kyoya was floating; he didn't know where he was he only knew that he was floating. When the gate closed behind him darkness enveloped him. He couldn't see a thing, not even his own hand in front of his face. Suddenly a light off to his left caught his eye. It seemed to be calling to him, so he moved (walking or floating he didn't care all he knew was that he was getting close to where he wanted to go) toward it. Without warning the light surrounded him giving away to a gray color, which reminded Kyoya of a stormy sky. He started to yell out Sakura's name. "Sakura! Where are you? If you can hear me say something!" With each second of silence his heart dropped, until he heard it.
"Hello, is someone there?" came Sakura's voice sounding as if she was right next to him but at the same time very far away.
"SAKURA!" he shouted in return, turning his body this way and that to see if he could see her, but all he was meet with was the grayness. He blinked and suddenly found himself standing on sand. All around him were sand dunes; he suddenly remembered what Sorata said he saw when he looked through the gate. 'The light beyond the gate quickly vanished and in its place was a picture of a desert.' His eyes searched frantically for any sign of Sakura. "Sakura! Can you hear me?" he shouted then continued to speak quietly to himself. "This place must be what Sorata saw through the gate but what is it and where is it. Are we still in the fortress." His eyes widened as they settled on a familiar form in the distance. He breathed a sign of relief and began to run toward her. "Stay right there!" he yelled, causing Sakura to stop walking and turn toward him.
"Kyoya, you're here too." she said a smile on her face. She knew that if either Syaoran or Kyoya were with her she'd be alright.
"Duh, of course I am. I couldn't let you have this adventure without me. Don't worry we'll get out of here no problem." he replied but came to a screeching halt when he saw what was up in the sky. It was a giant eyeball sticking through the stormy sky and it was trained right on Sakura. "What the hell is that? It really creepy." he thought.
- In the Fortress -
Tambal stood over a basin, looking down onto the desert and Sakura. He gave an evil chuckle. "Now the punishments begin. First off, it's torture by fire." he said as a flame off fire ignited in his hand and he tossed it into the basin. "Followed by torture with stone." A pile of sand appeared in his hand before also dumping it into the basin. He watched gleefully as Sakura began to cower in fear at the fire and stones that were falling around her.
- In the Desert -
Kyoya watched as the fire fell from the sky igniting ground, making standing and breathing virtually impossible. The heat alone was extremely over powering. All Kyoya wanted to do was curl into a little ball and hope that his was all just a dream, but he knew that if he was scared then Sakura must be terrified. He trained his eyes back onto Sakura and let out a gasp when the fire cut off his view of her. He went to run to her but was stopped as huge chunks of rock started falling around him. He suddenly noticed a dark circle forming around him and, realizing what it was, jumped out of the way milliseconds before the rock crashed to the ground. He shook off the near death experience and made his way toward Sakura dodging rocks as he did so. "This place reminds me of something I read while on a trip with dad. What was it? Oh come on brain, work damnit!" he thought as he jumped out of the way of another rock, but tripped as he did so. He landed on the ground hard and watched as the rock slammed down inches from his face. His eyes widened as he suddenly remembered what he had read. "Oh that's right. It was a place called Purgatory. I read about it in a book by some guy named Dante. It's a place between heaven and hell where people are put through trials. This place is like that although it's more on the side of hell." He pulled himself from the ground before the fire could reach him and ran the last few feet to Sakura. Sakura saw him and cried out, "I'm scared. What should I do?"
"Just hold on Sakura!" yelled Kyoya but was stopped short by a wall of fire that sprung up between him and Sakura. A quickly glanced around and saw a large boulder land to his right. "Just what I needed to get over this firewall." Without a moments delay he ran at the boulder, jumped as high as he could before he planted his foot on the rock and pushed off with all his might.
"Kyoya, be careful." said Sakura, worried that the fire would get him
Kyoya just smiled as his momentum carried him safely over the fire and he landed safely in front of Sakura. "Don't worry. I will always look out for you, just like Syaoran. So don't you worry." he said, giving her a smile and wrapping her in a hug. Sakura closed her eyes and for a moment she forgot where they were; she just relaxed into her protector and friend.
"I'm glad you came." she said with a smile of her own. Kyoya gave her a squeeze and held her tight, until he noticed a cave in a few feet away and it looked like the fire wasn't going into it. "Was that there a second ago." he thought. "Ohhhh who cares, the fire's not going in there and that's all I need to know." "Come on, I think I found a place where we can be safe." he said aloud to Sakura. He grabbed her arm and took off running for the cave, which took a lot longer to reach than he had thought. As soon as they stepped foot into the cave the torturing heat from the fire disappeared. Both Kyoya and Sakura let out a sigh; neither knew how much longer they could have endured the heat or dodged the rocks. Now the pressing question was how they were going to get out of this desert or Purgatory, whatever it was. "Well, at least we're safe." said Sakura, voicing her relief. Kyoya was about to reply when a loud roar from deeper in the cave caught their attention. Both of their eyes grew to twice their size and Kyoya could feel his knees begin to shake slightly. He took a deep breath and forced his knees to steady. "Um, I don't think that we're safe just yet." he said and was rewarded with seeing pairs of red eyes suddenly appear and glare at him. He took a step back, his brain was a complete blank, except for the thought of "They're gonna eat. I'm gonna die by being eaten by strange creatures in another world in a place called Purgatory or whatever." He brought his arm out to pull Sakura behind him but was stunned to find that she was not there. He quickly began to panic as he looked around for her. He knew that he should remain as quiet as possible so to not startle the beast but he didn't care. Sakura was missing and most likely in great danger. "Sakura! Where'd you go?" he yelled fantically.
"Over here." came her reply from further within the cave. Kyoya's eyes widened and took off running almost certain that the creatures would start chasing him, but he was mildly surprised when they didn't. He ran deeper and deeper into the cave becoming more worried by the second. "Sakura! Sakura!" he yelled over and over but didn't get any response. Tears started to form in his eyes until his heart gave a great leap when he finally saw Sakura. "Sakura!" he said relieved but it instant turned to fear when he saw huge troll like creatures surrounding Sakura. "Sakura, Get Out Of There!" When she didn't move he upped his speed till he was standing beside Sakura. "Stay back!" he warned the beasts, who were beginning to move in closer. Kyoya stole a quick glance behind him to tell Sakura to run but was surprised when he saw her standing there with a look of complete and utter calmness. The terror that had plagued her face earlier and disappeared. He turned back when he heard the beasts start to grunt and growl again.
Sakura opened her eyes and stared calmly and blankly at Kyoya's back. "It's okay." she said softly and moved from behind Kyoya. Without any hesitation or fear she walk right up to one of the beasts and stared into its face with compassion. Sakura reached a hand up and rested it on the beast's face and Kyoya was shocked to see the beasts eyes change from angry to extreme sorrow. Sakura closed her eyes, as the sadness from all the beasts seemed to overwhelm her. Tears threatened to fall down her face, as she suddenly understood. "You poor things." she cried softly.
Kyoya was taken aback when he heard the beast Sakura was touching talk. "Did you hear us, calling for help. Thank god you understood." said the deep, gravelly voice.
"I did." replied Sakura. "You're the men from the town." Kyoya let out a gasp when he heard that. "Their the… what, no way!" whispered Kyoya. These monsters were the men that were taken during the raid 6 months ago. Impossible, what could have happened to them to make them look like beasts. "Tambal has done this to you." she continued. "He's altered this fortress with his hijustu. Living in his twisted world has transformed you into these beasts. Still you can have hope. If Tambal is defeated, his magic will vanish and you'll all be normal again."
Kyoya looked at the beasts around him. "I never would have guessed that these things were once men. I would have hurt or killed them without a seconds thought, but Sakura… she knew. She could feel it. Maybe what Chu'nyan was saying by the stream the other day, about Sakura being God's beloved daughter, wasn't to far off." he thought before his attention was caught by a bright blue light descending on top of Sakura. A voice suddenly rang throughout the cave. Kyoya would have been shocked but after what had happened to him in this place little could truly surprise him now. "There is no doubt that you really are God's beloved daughter." said the voice of a woman. "Only she could reach deep into the darkness, without fear or hesitation and touch the true hearts of men so hideously transformed. Now go forth, blessed child, instrument of the divine and return safely to the place where you belong. Go back to the one you love with the one who loves you." The light disappeared and at the same time Sakura began to glow once more, just like she had before they entered this Purgatory. Only this time the light coming from Sakura seemed to be of a purer light. "Sakura." said Kyoya nervously. He didn't know what was going on, but in his experience, each time Sakura glowed something was about to happen and he didn't know if this was going to be good or bad. Sakura smiled at him as she gently took hold of his arm. Kyoya looked into her face at her smile as a bright white light engulfed them both.
- Outside the Gate -
A huge crowd stood with their eyes glued on the gate that Sakura and Kyoya had disappeared through. The tension among the crowd was so thick that one could cut through it with a knife. Everyone was anxious to see what would happen; to see if Sakura really was God's beloved daughter as Chu'nyan had said. Fye looked down at Syaoran, who was standing between him and Kurogane. He could tell by the tense muscles in his body that this waiting was killing him. He gently placed a hand on Syaoran's shoulder, causing him to jump slightly. "Don't worry Syaoran." he said encouragingly. "Everything will be alright. They'll come out any time now, I can feel it." No sooner had he said those words they heard Chu'nyan give a gasp of surprise and someone yell out, "Hey look at that." Right in front of the gate there was a blue light appearing. It rippled like it was water as it got brighter and larger. Once it got to the point were they could hardly look at it, it began to fade, leaving in its place Kyoya and Sakura. Everyone was so shocked that no one could move, it was only when the two of them began to walk forward did Syaoran and Chu'nyan rush forward as the crowd began to cheer.
"Their back." happily chirped Mokona from Fye's shoulder.
"And Sakura's safe just as promised." said Fye with a smile of his own. He cut a quick glance to Kurogane and saw that he was smiling too, which caused Fye's grin to widen. He could use that as teasing material on Kurogane in the future. All around them came shouts of "They came out alive!" and "Chu'nyan was right about that girl. She really is God's beloved daughter!"
Syaoran and Chu'nyan paid no mind to the shouting behind them as they made a beeline Sakura and Kyoya. Chu'nyan was the first to reach them (due to the fact that she had a head start on Syaoran and Syaoran's legs were weak and wobbly from worry) and latched on to Sakura with tears in her eyes and, once Syaoran got there he latched onto Kyoya. "I knew that you'd come back. You had to." cried Chu'nyan as she tightened her grip on Sakura.
"I'm glad you're safe Kyo." whispered Syaoran, reverting to Kyoya's nickname in his relief. "But please never, never scare me like that again. I was so worried. The thought of loosing you both…" he trailed off, unable to finish the sentence and squeezed Kyoya tighter. Kyoya squeezed him back, suddenly realizing just how scared he had been in the Purgatory.
"You got it Syao." he replied as he looked over at Sakura expecting her to be looking at Syaoran, but instead she was looking down at Chu'nyan with caring eyes. Kyoya gazed into her eyes himself and was strangely reminded of how a mother looks lovingly at her daughter. He looked over Syaoran's shoulder and seemed to notice the crowd on the other side of the bridge for the first time. "Um… what's with the big welcoming party." Syaoran let go of him and look him in the eyes.
"When we weren't able to figure out what we could we went around and spread around hoping that it would inspire them to fight." he replied as he and Chu'nyan switched places.
"I knew that when you came out they would all believe that we are able to defeat Tambal." said Chu'nyan as she gave Kyoya a quick hug. "I knew deep done that you'd bring Sakura back out, but I'm also really glad that you are not hurt." Chu'nyan gave a smile as she felt Kyoya give her a quick squeeze and whisper in her ear, "Thank you Chu'nyan for believing in me." Both he and Chu'nyan knew that he just said was cheesy but neither of them really cared at the moment.
"Well, well the warriors return to us safe and sound." said Fye as he came up to them, followed by Kurogane.
"Wow, Sakura, Kyoya, you guys were brave. You showed that meanie man that he can't mess with us." said Mokona as he threw a few fake punches.
"Yeah, uh, good job, but next time a little patience couldn't hurt ya." said Kurogane looking right into Kyoya's eyes. "Next time wait for back up you idiot. You'll be dead before your sixteenth birthday if you keep running head long into dangerous situations." he thought feeling very hypocritical cause he normally does the exact same thing. He shook his head, it was different for him, he was trained for any type of situation and could easy handle himself, but Kyoya… he was still just a kid and needed lots more training.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Patience, I got it now can we go home." said Kyoya impatiently as he was beginning to feel extremely tired and his left arm was starting to really smart.
"That's not a bad idea. To the house it is." said Fye and ushered Kyoya, Chu'nyan, Sakura, and Syaoran forward, but hit a little bit of trouble trying to get through the crowd assembled. Everyone wanted to congratulate Kyoya and Sakura and ask them what happened. It took them a grand total of 45 minutes just to get through the crowd, which had grow twice as big when everyone heard that they were alive. It then took them another 20 minutes to make it back to the house. Once they were all safely secured inside and relaxing comfortably Fye checked them both over for any injuries and was happy to find none except for a small burn on Kyoya's left arm that would be sore for a day or so. By the time the sun was going down, Kyoya and Sakura were feeling much stronger after having a short nap and some food and Fye and Kurogane finally put the finishing touches on the roof. While they were up on the roof, Fye and Kurogane saw Sorata and Arashi approach the four teens who were enjoying the sunset, no doubt wanting to speak with Kyoya and Sakura. "Well," said Fye with a sigh as he put down his hammer. "Today was a very productive day."
"Yeah, well, I didn't get to storm anything so I still say we're wasting time." Kurogane replied.
"Perhaps, but at least the wind has changed it's course. Now these people have a reason to hope." said Fye as his attention was drawn to the conversation on the ground.
"So, those men that were taken during the raid are still alive and if we get rid of Tambal and his power they'll go back to normal, you're sure?" said Sorata in shock, he was so happy to hear that those men hadn't died the minute they entered the fortress.
"You got it." said Kyoya with a smile.
"Then we have to act." said Sorata. "I'm not gonna just stand by while my friends are held hostage."
"Are you sure?" said Chu'nyan her face and eye lighting up with hope.
"I'll need time to persuade the others, but I know they can be convinced and then we'll march." said Sorata.
- Inside the Fortress -
Tambal placed his hand over the orb containing Sakura's feather and summond it's power. "I call on you're power, wake Kishimu, Princess of Shadows." he said as the orb began to glow. A woman suddenly appeared in the room. She was long and slender and extremely pale, in fact she was white. Her eyes were narrowed into slits and her thin mouth was coated in red lipstick. On her head she wore a magnificent headpiece with a purple gem in the middle of it that glowed along with the Sakura's feather. All this Tambal took in but what really fascinated him were Kishimu's fingernails. They were also long and slender but sharpened to a point at the very end. This was one of the many dangers about this woman; the most obvious one, but the really dangers lay hidden inside of her. She looked straight into Tambal's eyes and spoke in a smooth, seductive voice. "Need some help, my Lord."