AN: Many, many months without update!!!! Maa, I'm sorry for that! School sucks! So if you needed someone to blame for this, blame it on school. I mean, who would think of initiating declamation presentations, oral examinations and tons and thousands of tests (not to mention a play critique) just days after the break? Bad school!!!
Come on. Do teachers live in this world to bring bad news, bad news and more bad news to their students? I had to do a stupid quilting project. And.... sewing isn't exactly my cup of tea. (The million-and-one pricks on my hands attest to that. I swear, I'm like the only person in the world who could wear thimbles on all my ten fingers and still find a way to get pricked.)
Sorry for the rant. But... ranting is good for the soul! So rant away people!!
But, anyway, we're on a major break now, so I'll be able to update. ^ _ ^
[fanfare] Review Replies!!!
xanimegalx: Hai! Len tsukimori is from La Corda. He the one who plays the violin, if I remeber correctly. he...he.. Just tell me if I got it wrong. I'll try my best, ok?
Kawii-Neko-Neko-Chan: Weeeeeeeee!!!! I love you already!!! Arigato.... Oh, and yeah, you're right. I can't seem to remember what got to my head when I changed his name..... I'll keep that in mind if I write another fic (I'm hoping I could... he..he..). I still can't get over my love for your penname!! I heart it!!!!
Ao Kudo: Don't 'cha worry! I'll do everything in my power!!
Fantasies-Within: Arigato! I wait for reviews all the time!!! I like the way you review, though.... hmmm..... In fact, I like the way all my reviewers review!!! XD I love His Footprints, as well. I'm sorry about the last chapter. I was in a paranoid writers' block phase. he...he... I always wanted to be a Gemini (mostly because translated to English, it means The Twins. I have an odd fetish for twins. I don't know why.) I can't count how many times I glared at the calendar wanting the date of my birthday to magically be moved to a date that would make me a Gemini. Sadly, I'm still a Pisces. Don't get me wrong. I love Pisces. Just love Gemini more. tee...hee....
Noelle Smith the Snow Queen: -gasp- I didn't know that! Why didn't you tell me? As for your first comment ... well, would he...he... suffice as an answer? –grins sheepishly-
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Warnings: AU, and major, major OOC's
Reminders: This is not a crossover. No matter how many characters that come from a wide variety of animes I place in this story. I simply do not like OC's. (since I'm no good in making one)
Fiction Rating: T
Summary: She will become Japan's greatest weapon, as long as she falls in love.
He is China's greatest hope, and chance of survival, until he falls victim into a power not even he, as a general of China's greatest battalion, could defeat. He is China's strongest man, until he finds himself falling in love. To his greatest enemy...
Disclaimer: I'd probably own CCS (and all those other anime characters) when pigs would grow wings and fly or when beds would start wearing skirts..... (imagine that!)...... –grins-
That means never, if you don't get my point.
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V. WHIMPERS
Oshitari smirked as Fuji turned his head to him and smiled. "Vena, vedi, vecchi."
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Syaoran knew that Eriol knew that he was not to be trusted. What with all the indications the scientist have given him, it was plain obvious. To his well-trained senses, anyway.
But it didn't take a genius to know that. Even the most clueless person who know that the doctor disliked him. Disliked him with a passion.
But still, that didn't stop Syaoran from poking his head to Japanese business. Private Japanese business. That's probably why the guy hated him so much. Because he can keep his guileful head out of something that wasn't supposed to be his concern.
Syaoran couldn't care less about what he thinks. As long as he was careful, it was fine. As long as no one, other than Dr. Hiiragizawa himself suspected him, it was fine.
That very same thought drove him to go marching down the corridors towards the burnt down garden at such an inconvenient hour.
Half of the full moon was covered by the clouds, allowing shadows to dance right before his eyes. Not that he was scared, of course. Just guarded. Simply guarded.
Yes, that must be it.
He just wanted to find out more about the explosion. He hadn't been told anything about it, and Dr. Hiiragizawa had dismissed the topic soon as it was started by a simple flick of a hand and a murmured excuse about an accident. Another indicator that the man didn't trust him. He was just here to search for some indicators about what might have caused the explosion. Investigation, that was what he was here for.
But, why, oh why, was his mind far away from the scene in front of him? Why was he seeing a hallucination of that day?
That day when the sun was shining down on the still, intact garden. When snow covered most of the land, when crystal water drops sparkled in the morning light, when everything was a wonderful epitome of beauty. And the most wonderful picture of them all, sitting at the very middle with such a warm smile and flushed cheeks, whose charm he, one rumored to possess a stone heart, cannot resist. And those wonderful, twinkling emeralds that fell seamlessly into place in that perfect puzzle that was a girl.
That day, she looked at him with such innocence, he couldn't help but smile.
Yes, he smiled. He remembered that smile. For that smile was different.
Different from the smiles he gave to his family and friends. He gave them warm, yet guarded smiles. Syusuke, of course, was an exception. The smiles directed to Syusuke were carefree with great hints of teasing and laughter. The Chinese rarely see him smile, but if they did, it would be an arrogant one, with and enormous traces of pride.
But the smile he gave to the girl was loving. No barriers, no walls. He had shown her entirely what he was feeling right there. That's what made it different.
What made her special.
And though he tried to deny it so much, he realized that the unknown girl he had seen that day had become an inescapable part of his life.
His thoughts were cut off once his well-trained senses noted the slight movement of branches caused momentarily by the stiff night air.
But when a soft but piercing cry echoed through the silent night, he realized. There had been no breeze at all.
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Tomoyo would be very, very angry. At least she will be, after the concern. Not that she would bother on playing with Tomoyo's feelings on things she needn't know. After all, what Tomoyo didn't know wouldn't hurt her, right?
Wrong! Sakura's mind shouted as she tried to mentally concentrate on keeping her balance on the fragile-looking branch. (Tomoyo had shown her how to climb trees. She tried once, but insisted that she had more than enough tries to last her a lifetime. Funny, she'd have to eat her words now, of all times.) This was very, very wrong!
Sakura shook her head, her thoughts contradicting her better logic. There was an animal that needed her help here. A helpless animal that must be cold. That must be lonely. That must be helped. That must be taken care of. Was it worth the risk? Of course it was. The animals were part of the world she wanted to save, too. What if Tomoyo asked what she did last night? Then, she'd say she slept. Won't that be lying? Technically, it wouldn't. She did sleep. Only for about half the night, maybe, but that would still be sleeping. So, she'd have told Tomoyo what she did during the night. Just not everything. Besides, if Tomoyo would have wanted to know everything she would have phrased her question so that it would at least be more specific, wouldn't she? Yes, Sakura was justified at all aspects.
But as she looked down once more, at the five-feet distance she had from the ground, everything still screamed wrong. Especially when the branch supporting her looked thin, dying and very, very breakable.
So breakable, that in fact, the slightest change in pressure would probably cause it to break. Changes like the night air. Snow. (Thankfully, snow let up for a few days. Or so Tomoyo said.) And of course, Sakura's weight.
True enough, the branch cracked. And before Sakura could reach out to the trunk (that looked almost as fragile as the branch, just a teensy bit studier) for support, she fell down along with the branch.
A shrill scream echoed in the air. It took a moment for Sakura to register that the scream was hers.
Kami-sama, she thought as she felt the wind whipping her hair and clothes into disarray.
She closed her eyes waiting for the 'light beyond the tunnel' or the 'life flashing before her eyes' or whatever happens when people fall down from a tree, hit their head on the ground and die.
The impact must be painful though. And.... gross. She tried not to think of splattered blood or breakage of the skull and concentrated more on falling.
Something, she realized after a few short beats, that wasn't happening anymore.
Was she dead? Certainly not. She couldn't feel any of the 'blood coming out of her head scenario' and there wasn't even a dark tunnel.
Her eyes cracked open.
To see the man from her dream, his soft, warm arms securely wrapping her to his lean, muscular chest.
So, she really must be dead. Oh, good Kami-sama, if this is what heaven feels like, she'd die a thousand times over.
"Are you alright?"
Her heart thudded in her chest, its beating already too erratic, faster than normal. Heat rushed to her face and she felt it slowly tinting her cheeks a darker shade of red. It took her a few minutes to remember how to breathe.
And a few more for her to decide that she was alive, after all.
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Hatori sighed as he downed his fifth cup of coffee, not counting the ones he had for the past three hours. His conversation with his colleague still in his mind.
He looked to the bedroom he shared with his wife and heard the soft rustling of the sheets, a telltale sign that Kana was waking up.
His wife grinned at him sheepishly as she reached the kitchen counter, her hair a little rumpled, her face still sleepy.
A grin that faded once she took in the number of mugs that stood, dripping from their previous trip to the dishwasher, beside the sink. (Hatori was not one to use a mug more than once at one time.)
Her soft hands tugged at Hatori's effectively stealing his latest cup of coffee away from him.
"Hatori, you're a doctor," she said, shaking her head slowly. "You must know the consequences of too much caffeine in your system."
"What if I'm a caffeine aficionado?" Hatori asked, steling the cup away from Kana's weak, sleepy grip.
"You know better."
Hatori smiled lovingly as he took another sip of coffee. "I was just trying to think."
"You can think well without drinking coffee," Kana pointed out.
"Coffee helps me think."
"No, it doesn't," she argued, taking the cup out of his hand again. "It helps you become unhealthy. Talk to me, instead. At least, I'm healthier than coffee." She grinned.
Hatori couldn't help but agree as he traced the contours on Kana's familiar face. "True. You're more beautiful than coffee, as well."
She beamed.
"It's starting," Hatori whispered, his head tilted to the ceiling, his tone changing from light to serious.
Kana nodded, understanding. "The assault." Then, "How?"
"The tests. Ever since the explosion, they knew that Sakura....that the software was activated. The tests were just a cover-up. Well, they did take tests. But before that, they already inputed the coordinates of the Chinese capital."
"I hate to think that we're using her," Kana said, her voice already breaking into sobs. "The poor girl..."
"I know," Hatori murmured, kissing the top of Kana's head. "I know."
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"Sakura," the girl said pointing to herself.
Once Syaoran had carried her to a flat suface and she had recovered – from shock or.... well, she blushed – he had gotten to asking the girl for a name.
"And you?" she asked him, her head cocking to her side.
"Syaoran," he said, a small part of his mind registering the fact that he told her his real name, and not the one he used here.
Syusuke, he hoped, would forgive him for being careless. His mother certainly would not.
"Syaoran," she smiled. "Thanks a lot."
He felt like he was the one blushing now, so, he looked down and mumbled an almost incoherent, "Welcome."
"I guess I would have to keep this away from Tomoyo," she said, more to herself than to him. "She'd be very worried if she found out. She would never allow me out. Ever. And, I..... I want to see you again."
"You're not telling anyone anything?" Syaoran asked, looking at her – his face had lost a little of the red hue. Another part of him mentally rejoiced at the fact that Sakura wanted to see him again.
Sakura shrugged. "No. I wouldn't want anyone knowing that I fell off a tree. No one would suspect. I mean, those branches falling off aren't downright rare. Besides, I wouldn't want a sign telling them that I'm a loser."
"I'm sure you wouldn't need a sign," Syaoran teased lightly.
Sakura pouted and Syaoran chuckled.
"Anyway, thanks very much. For catching me," she giggled. "It's almost like you're the prince that came to rescue me, the princess from the high tower where I was locked away by an evil wizard. When I jump off, you catch me."
Syaoran smiled. "I'll catch you anytime..... Just don't gain weight."
Sakura glared at him. Her gaze tensed even more as light, pink streaks started lining the sky.
"I gotta go."
Syaoran sighed inwardly. Well, that was inevitable. "Then, a wish? May I see you again?"
Sakura smiled. "Tonight. Here."
Syaoran nodded as he closed his distance from Sakura. "Tonight's fine with me," he said, before giving her cheeks a light peck.
He smiled as he saw Sakura's face turn beet red. "That's a gift, from me, the prince to my princess."
"I'm not a princess," he heard Sakura mumble before she turned and ran away.
He smirked as he noted that though Sakura objected to the fact that she was a princess, she didn't object to the fact that she was his.
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TBC...
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I'm so sorry for not being able to update sooner!!! (Just blame it on school people.) And yes, I admit that there were days when we didn't have any classes, but those were filled with project-making schedules and study periods, so...... SORRY!!!
I hope this chapter makes up for it.
And as I have said before, we on a break so updates will come faster!!!!
Just remember to review..... XD
Always remember, a review a day keeps muscle pains and writer's block away...
Signed and sealed,
Blue-feathered Wings