...guess who wrote another chapter?
no, seriously. guess.
well, this took a little longer than i thought it would. i'm sorry for the wait, but i haven't been in the right 'mood' to write this chapter. it's slightly dark , but nothing that should make you feel all icky and unhappy. i did give this chapter a happy ending to lighten the mood.
oh! before you read this, i'd advise re-reading chapter 3, if you haven't already done so. i've changed a tiny little bit of the plot, but chapter 3 is the only one you need to re-read to get up-to-date with the changes made.
well, here we go. chapter 5 is up and atom!!
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Cheers of joy erupted from one side of the field while groans of disappointment echoed from the other. The junior school soccer championships had started and the first game was being held out the back of Seijou Junior High. Almost all of the school had come out to watch the game whilst a rather large crowd had came from the opposing team, Kasai Junior High.
Out on the field, Syaoran wiped the sweat of his brow and looked at the scoreboard. 3-3; they needed to score a goal in the remaining ten minutes to win the game…assuming that their opponents didn't score first. He ran back to his side of the field to await the kick off from the other team.
Up in the stands, Tomoyo sat beside Rohan, video-taping the game.
"It's very exciting, isn't it, Hernandez-kun?" she asked, zooming in on Syaoran's face. "Li-kun is very focused on the game."
"Soccer is a little to simple for my liking," Rohan said, observing the boys on the field running after the ball.
"Did you play many sports at your school in America?" Tomoyo asked, now zooming in on the cheerleading squad.
"I did a bit of ice hockey," he admitted, "but that was it. I'm not interested in sports."
"I understand," she said. "Some sport is too rough for my liking. Oh! Sakura-chan does look like she's enjoying herself!"
Rohan glanced over at the cheerleaders in their green and white outfits, jumping up and down. They were shaking their pompoms and cheering their team on. He rolled his eyes.
"Do they never consider that their cheering might actually be a distraction?" he muttered, returning his focus to the game playing out in front of him. Their side of the crowd booed as one of the members from the Kasai team purposely tripped up one of the boys from Seijou. After a short shouting match with the referee, Seijou were giving a penalty shot which was blocked by the goal-keeper. Rohan yawned from boredom and decided to watch Tomoyo recording everything. He found it slightly more amusing.
Hidden behind some trees on the far side of the pitch, Kusatsu Taisho watched the game progress. Several times did he need to restrain himself from making the game more interesting by reminding himself that Sakura and Syaoran would definitely feel the magic and head towards his direction. Taisho's eyes then settled on Rohan, and he watched him in silence.
"You're not concerned?" said a voice from beside him. Taisho turned his head to the right to find the Magician standing near.
Taisho smiled. "He is not a threat," he said, returning his gaze to Rohan. "He does not suspect a thing."
They stood in silence for a moment. "Brother, why do you toy with these children?" the Magician asked, looking from Sakura to Syaoran. The crowd cheered as Syaoran scored another goal and the game ended. "What is to be gained?"
"Their power will help us ascend," Taisho told him as he watched the cheerleading squad run out to the soccer team. He smirked when he saw Sakura throw her arms around Syaoran's neck as he turned a bright red. "With the addition of their power, we will overcome this puny world."
"Then why do you allow her to capture us?" the Magician asked hotly.
" 'Sakura Cards' have more power than the 'Myst' set," Taisho replied, calmly. "Allowing her to seal you gives you more power." He paused as he watched the opposing teams shake hands. "When I defeat her," he continued, "I shall take her power from her, along with all the cards she has sealed."
"She is powerful enough to fight us: are you sure you will win over her?"
Taisho smiled wistfully. "Hernandez-sama only created two truly powerful cards," he looked the Magician in the eyes meaningfully. "The others are as powerful as Clow Reed made his cards, perhaps some even less."
"Our sisters are the weakest, but they are cunning and intelligent," the Magician said. They silently watched the people leave the field.
"I must leave," Taisho said and he turned around and walked away. He stopped after a few meters and called back, "You appeared here to cause trouble, I assume?"
"You know me well, brother."
Taisho turned around and studied the Magician's eyes. "Ahh…I see what you are planning," he said, folding his arms and becoming stern. "Go easy on them at first. And do not allow yourself to be captured."
"I won't," said the Magician as he disappeared in to the air.
"Be safe, brother," Taisho said and he turned around and continued walking back towards the school.
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"Syaoran-kun was amazing!" Sakura said when Syaoran exited the locker rooms.
Turning red, Syaoran mumbled, "I wasn't that good…"
"You scored 3 out of the 4 goals!" Sakura told him. "And you worked the hardest!"
Syaoran became a deeper shade of red. Tomoyo giggled and pointed the camera at him. Syaoran glared in to the lense of it.
"Did you enjoy the match, Rohan-kun?" Sakura asked him.
Rohan, who was walking behind them, did not hear what she had said.
"Rohan-kun?" Sakura repeated, waving a hand in front of his face.
"Huh?" he said, coming out of his daze. "Ah, I apologize; I was a little out of it."
Sakura was about to ask what was wrong when it suddenly hit her. A strong wave of power swept over her that she knew did not belong to Rohan or Syaoran. She whipped around to face the direction in which it had come from, but as soon as she had turned, it was gone. The looks on the faces of Rohan and Syaoran told her that they had felt it too.
"Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked, debating whether she should retrieve her camera back out of her bag or not. "Is it another card?"
"It was…" Sakura replied, frowning. "But it's gone now."
Rohan looked around himself once more before grinning. "Well, I should probably be heading off now." He held out his arm in front of Tomoyo. "Daidouji-san," he said, winking at her, "may I escort you home?"
Tomoyo smiled as she looped her arm around his. "You may," she told him. "Goodbye, Sakura-chan, Li-kun."
"Goodbye," Sakura and Syaoran said as they watched Rohan and Tomoyo disappear together.
"Tomoyo-chan and Rohan-kun are really getting on well!" Sakura said happily as she and Syaoran started to make their own way home.
"Yeah," Syaoran said. "You don't think…Daidouji likes Hernandez, do you?"
Sakura thought for a moment before replying cheerfully, "I don't believe that she has any special feelings for him, and the person who she does like isn't here at the moment."
"Who?"
"That's for me to know and you to find out," Sakura told him, teasingly. "Besides," she added, "if Tomoyo-chan likes Rohan-kun, then I hope the very best for her!"
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"Sakura-san," Kinomoto Fujitaka called. "Would you come down her for a few minutes?"
"Hai!" Sakura said as she went downstairs and into the kitchen. There she found her brother and her father sitting at on end of the table. She took a seat opposite them.
"You know that in a few weeks your brother and I have to leave for England," Fujitaka began, and Sakura nodded. "We just wanted to make sure that you would be okay on your own for a while."
Touya grunted to show that he agreed.
Sakura smiled at them. "I'll be fine," she said. "I've always got Tomoyo-chan if I need any help. Besides, you won't be away for that long, will you?"
Fujitaka shook his head. "No; a couple of days or a week at the most…but after what happened to you…"
Sakura felt a few emotions at that point; love for her father worrying about her, annoyance that he had to bring that up again and fear as she was reminded about the event. "It's been two years; I'm 15 years old now, I can take care of myself."
Yes, Fujitaka knew that. He's known that she could take care of herself ever since she was 11 years old. But after she got hurt, he started to wonder if she really could. He had never told Sakura that he knew about her magical powers, just as Touya hadn't. It seemed to be easier to not mention it when they were together. Fujitaka thought that since she had powers, she would be able to look after herself, but…
"I'll be fine," Sakura said strongly as she saw the doubt in her father's eyes. "I'll call you if something happens."
Fujitaka slightly smiled in relief. "Hai," he said, and then he got up. "I have to go to a lecture now, and I won't be back until later. Touya-kun has to go to work, too."
"Okay," Sakura said as her father and brother left the room.
"Oi, kaijou," Touya said turning around. "Don't destroy the house while we're gone."
"I am not a kaijou!" Sakura shouted at him. Touya just laughed and walked away. She sighed as she heard the front door close. She looked at the stairs and decided that she had better get her homework done.
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Syaoran sat in his apartment doing his own homework at the living room table. The TV was on in front of him, playing the evening news. Syaoran exhaled as he finished off the last homework that was to be done. He placed the books in a neat pile on the table and stood up to stretch.
"And now for the latest report," the news announcer said on the TV. "Electricity supplies have been cut in several areas of Tomoeda in the past 24 hours…"
Syaoran mindlessly got up to turn the TV off.
"…the sudden power cuts are unusual and this has not been experienced for several years in this part of Ja-"
The TV screen turned off as Syaoran pushed the button. He was contemplating doing a bit of cleaning around the house when he felt a force in Tomoeda. Syaoran rushed to the phone and dialed in Sakura's number. He waited for a while and there was only silence on the other line. He was about to try again when he heard a voice in the receiver.
"It has not been possible to connect your call," said an automated voice. "The person's phone has been switched off."
Cursing Syaoran put the phone down and did the next best thing that he could.
He ran over to Sakura's house.
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Sakura was slouched over the desk in her room as she tried to tackle some math problems. Kero was, as always, glued to the television screen, playing another racing game.
Sakura yawned as she started yet another question.
"Sakura-chan, if you're tired you should go to bed," Kero said, not looking away from the TV.
Sakura shook her head. "I can't; I have to get my homework done before tomorrow." She tried to contain another yawn but failed. "Maybe if I get some water it'll keep me awake…"
"AAHH!!!! NO YOU DON'T!! YOU CAN'T BEAT ME!" Kero shouted at the TV.
Sakura shook her head and got up from her chair. She began walking towards the door when she suddenly felt a force.
That's strange, she thought. It's the third time I've felt a force appearing, but it always disappears a second later… She looked over at Kero on the floor. Kero-chan doesn't seemed to have noticed it…maybe I am too tired. Sakura shrugged and walked out of her bedroom. As she walked down the stairs, Sakura couldn't help but get the feeling that something was wrong. When she reached the living she picked up the phone and dialed Tomoyo's house number. All Sakura could hear was the monotone blearing out of the earpiece.
"The line's dead…" Sakura was starting to get a bit unnerved now. As she walked in to the kitchen, she found herself more wary about her surroundings. It was silly, she shouldn't be afraid in her own house. Getting a glass from the cupboard, she filled it with water and sipped it.
Sakura turned around and leaned against the kitchen counter. She tried taking deep breaths to relax herself. Closing her eyes, she let her powers search for any unusual auras nearby…nothing, except…
A tapping at the kitchen window broke Sakura out of her trance. She put the glass down on the counter and cautiously approached the window. She opened it and nervously stuck her head outside. There was no-one there.
"S-Sakura…"
Sakura looked down, and to her horror, she saw Syaoran standing there…
…covered in blood.
"Syaoran!" Sakura shouted. She ran to the back door and opened it, running out to Syaoran. "Syaoran!" she called again.
Syaoran was barely supporting himself with his sword. There were multiple tears in his shirt and beneath it Sakura could see many cuts that were seeping out blood. His shirt was soaked in blood and water. Syaoran's face was scrunched up in pain.
"Quick, get inside," Sakura said. She helped to support Syaoran in through the back door. She carefully helped him to sit on the cool kitchen floor against the wall. "Wait here," she told him.
"I'm hardly…going to move…" Syaoran said. Sakura ran out of the kitchen.
Syaoran's sword lay beside him on the floor. It hadn't been much use to him; Syaoran couldn't see his attacker, but he knew that there were two forces involved…
Sakura quickly ran back in to the kitchen with a first aid kit. She kneeled down beside Syaoran on the floor.
"I need you to take your shirt off," she said. Syaoran raised his eyebrows at her. "So I can see your cuts," Sakura told him.
Syaoran pushed himself away from the wall and, in a joint effort, they managed to get the ruined shirt off him.
"Syaoran…" Sakura asked softly. "…what happened?"
"I felt…a force," Syaoran said, and he winced slightly as Sakura began to clean his wounds. "It tried to call you but-ow!" Sakura had pressed a little too hard.
"Sorry," Sakura muttered. She gently applied pressure to the cuts with a wet towel, but it was hard when her hands were trembling.
Syaoran didn't notice this. "I had tried to call you but I couldn't get through…so I decided to come over to your house."
Sakura stayed silent and continued to clean the blood of Syaoran's chest. She was in too much shock to even blush.
"It started when I was going through the park," Syaoran continued. "First it was just the Magician trying to soak me again, but then he said something…" He frowned. "I couldn't make it out; I think he was speaking English. Next thing I knew, I had a cut in my arm."
Sakura was trying to ignore the blood that was slowly making its way from Syaoran's chest to her hands. She was trying to focus on what he was saying. It could be important…
"I began to run after that," Syaoran said. "I couldn't see what was attacking me so I tried to outrun it." He laughed harshly, which made him wince at the pain in his chest. "It seemed to like a chase."
Sakura nodded and murmured a weak, "Sit up" as she began to apply a bandage around his waist. Syaoran obliged and tried to make the process easier for her by helping, ignoring the pain in his arms.
"The force disappeared not long before I arrived here…" Syaoran tried to look in to Sakura's eyes. "…I wanted to make sure that it hadn't hurt you too."
Sakura, however, did not meet his eyes and stayed very silent. Syaoran noticed this and, when the bandage was on securely, Sakura continued to look down at her lap.
Syaoran began to grow concerned at her lack of sound. "Sakura?"
Sakura began to shake slightly but still didn't look up. Syaoran wondered what was unnerving her and he followed her eye-line on to her lap- or so he thought. Sakura was staring at her arm with terrified eyes. It didn't Syaoran long to discover that the arm she was staring at was the one which had the scar on it.
And the scar was covered in Syaoran's blood.
Syaoran sat up, ignoring the pain that shot through his waist. "Sakura?" he said again, trying to break her out of her state. "Sakura, look at me."
She refused to look up and was shocked when he saw that tears were starting to for in her eyes.
"What's wrong?" he asked her.
Syaoran was about to put his arms on her shoulders when he heard the front door open and close.
"Kaijou, I'm home. I got off early from work."
Syaoran froze in a mixture of fear and shock. What was Touya going to think when he saw Syaoran in his kitchen shirtless and bandaged, and his little sister sitting on the floor crying?
"Kaijou, where are you?" Touya called out as he walked across the living room in to the kitchen. "If you're going to tell me that you've went to be early, I'm going to think that you're ill…"
Touya walked in to the kitchen and froze as he saw the scene before him. Syaoran was on the floor with a bandage on his waist, his shirt lying beside him. Touya's eyes flickered to Sakura who was now beginning to shake violently. When he saw the blood on Sakura's arm, his eyes went to the first aid kit on the floor, to Syaoran's bloodied shirt, to Syaoran's bandaged midriff and back to Sakura's arm. In less than a second, Touya had strode over to Sakura's side, and with strong arms picked her up. He turned to glare at Syaoran.
"Stay here," he said fiercely to the boy on the floor. Syaoran was too shocked to do anything else.
Touya gently carried his little sister out of the kitchen and up the stairs to her room. The door was already slightly ajar, and he heard the sound of a TV quickly being put on mute. Touya pushed the door open with his foot and wasn't at all surprised to see the little stuffed-animal sitting in front of the games console. Touya carried Sakura over to her bed, and laid her down on it. Sakura's eyes were now closed and she curled herself up in to a ball. He wanted to stay to make sure Sakura was alright, but he had to deal with the brat downstairs. Touya began to walk out of the room, but he paused at the doorframe.
"Sakura's in shock," he said, with his back to the room. "I don't know what happened, but someone needs to watch over her while I talk to the brat." He walked out and closed the door behind him. He knew that the guardian beast would make sure that she's okay.
When Touya walked back in to the kitchen, Syaoran had stood up off the floor and had the bloodied shirt on in an attempt to cover him. Syaoran had recovered from his shock and now was expecting all hell to break loose. He glared at Touya as Touya returned the favor.
"I don't know what happened tonight," Touya began, not breaking eye-contact, "but whatever it was, do not question Sakura about it. She will let you know when she wants to."
"Am I allowed to question you?" Syaoran asked him.
Touya continued to look at Syaoran, but his glare didn't seem as hard. "It's up to Sakura whether you know what happened."
Syaoran was confused for a moment but then he realized what Touya meant: when Sakura is ready, she will tell him what happened that caused her to change.
Syaoran nodded and he turned around to leave.
"Oi," Touya said to his retreating back. "Something else has started up again, hasn't it?"
Syaoran wasn't too shocked that Touya was questioning about the magical forces that seem to be appearing. Still… "It's not my place to tell. You're the one who's family to Sakura. She should be the one to tell you." And with that, Syaoran left the Kinomoto house and began to cautiously make his way home.
Touya once again glared at the spot where Syaoran had stood. Turning around, he began to head back upstairs to check on Sakura.
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"Touya-kun, Sakura-san, I'm home," Fujitaka called as he walked into the house.
"Okaa-san," Touya said, coming downstairs. He had been up in Sakura's room. "You're home early."
"Hai," he said, hanging his coat up and taking off his shoes. "The lecture wasn't as long as I had anticipated. I tried phoning several times from the train to say I would be home soon." He looked around the living room, noticing the stillness of the house. "Where is Sakura-san?"
"She's sleeping in her room," Touya lied. Fujitaka raised a questioning eyebrow. "She wasn't feeling well when I got home."
Fujitaka nodded, satisfied. "It's good of her to get some rest. I thought it was unusual for her to be in bed so early."
"Yeah," Touya responded. He had decided that it was best not to tell his father what had happened that night. Sakura had also mumbled not to tell him anything. "Did you say you had tried to phone the house?"
"Hai." Fujitaka had walked in to the kitchen and began preparing some tea. "Several times, but it said that the phone had been unplugged."
Touya burrowed his brow in thought. Sakura said a few minutes before she fell asleep that she couldn't get through to Tomoyo, and also that Syaoran couldn't get through to their house.
"There have been some power shortages throughout Tomoeda lately," Fujitaka said, getting down two cups. "Perhaps it's affected our power lines."
Touya nodded and looked out the kitchen window. He noticed something dangling in front of the glass. "Or maybe it's only affected the telephone lines around here." Touya went outside and in to the back garden. He stood beneath the window and looked up. There was a cut cable hanging from the roof. Carefully, Touya took hold of the line, and looked at where it had been sliced. It was a very fine, even cut and the wires inside hadn't been frayed.
"Touya, what is it?" Fujitaka said, also walking outside.
"Someone's cut the phone cable," Touya said. Or something, he thought.
"Oh dear," his father said. "I'll go to the town in the morning and see if I can find someone to fix it."
Touya nodded. He let go of the cable and followed his father back inside the house.
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Syaoran was surprised to find Sakura at school the next day. He had expected her to maybe stay off for a little while, after the behavior that he had seen the previous evening. As Syaoran approached his desk, he could see Sakura talking in a hushed voice to Tomoyo. Sakura's face was worried and her eyes were slightly teary. She looked up at Syaoran, and immediately her appearance became brighter.
"Ohayo, Syaoran-kun," she said, smiling.
Syaoran could tell that her change in mood had been completely forced, and her smile didn't reach her eyes. "Ohayo," he responded politely. "Sakura, about last night…" Syaoran trailed off as he saw Tomoyo shaking her head behind Sakura's back.
"What about it?" Sakura asked happily, but her eyes were silently begging him not to say anything.
Syaoran obeyed, and sighed. "Nothing, never mind."
The teacher walked in to the room and greeted the class. Sakura, relieved, turned to face the front of the room. She could feel Syaoran's eyes on the back of her head all day long.
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Syaoran was called for a soccer meeting after school, so it was about an hour after everyone else went home that he managed to leave to school grounds. He was surprised to see a tall figure standing by the gates, but when he got closer towards it, he was more surprised to find Kinomoto Touya standing there.
When Syaoran approached him, he walked past Touya and said, "Sakura's already left."
"I came to speak to you," Touya said, making Syaoran stop in his tracks. "Sakura's father and I will be going over to England during the summer holidays, and Sakura is going to be left alone." He sighed in frustration. "She says that she'll be fine but I know how she feels about it. That's why," he faltered, barely able to speak the words. "I came to you."
Syaoran turned around to face Touya, who was looking at him very seriously. "Sakura didn't want me to say anything at first, but she eventually gave in and has allowed me to speak to you."
Syaoran looked confused. Touya sighed again. "I think that it's important that you know what happened to Sakura."
Syaoran's eyes widened with amazement. "Don't think that I don't like you, because honestly, you're my least favorite person in the world-"
"The feeling's mutual," Syaoran mumbled.
"- maybe apart from Akizuki-san," Touya finished, and he blanched at the thought of the hyperactive creation. "You've looked out for Sakura in the past when I couldn't. It annoys the hell out of me that she would go to you for help instead of her brother, but you protected her. Sakura refuses to stay with Tomoyo-san over the holidays, so…I need someone to look out for her."
Touya kept looking seriously at Syaoran. Syaoran stared right back.
"It was two years ago," Touya began again. "Sakura, Yukito and I were downtown at night time. It was that late but it was very dark. I had gone in to a shop, and Sakura and Yukito were standing outside. Sakura had decided to go in to a coffee shop just across the street, and she said she was fine to go on her own." Touya sighed. "Yukito kept watch of her as she went in to the shop. She was just walking out again when he was distracted by someone bumping in to him. He apologized for being in the way and, when he looked up again, he couldn't see Sakura anywhere."
Syaoran was now looking at cherry blossom tree that was planted in the school grounds. He was trying to keep his expression calm, which was hard when someone was talking about Sakura.
"Yukito began to panic when Yue told him that something was wrong with Sakura," Touya continued, also looking at the pink tree. "He came in to the shop to get me, and we both ran in the direction where Sakura was, with Yue telling Yukito where to go…We knew it was bad when we were led down an alleyway…and we were right." Touya paused a moment before continuing. He hated bringing up what he saw again, but he knew that Sakura felt a hundred times worse when she ever mentioned it. "There was a man, pinning Sakura against the wall. He had a knife in his hand, and it had blood on it…The knife was raised above Sakura's body, and the man was about to bring it down on her when I shouted at him. He took off down the alley and I chased after him. Yukito stayed with Sakura for a while, before he transformed in to Yue. I followed that man for only half a minute when I completely lost him. At a dead end. There where no passages off to the side; he had completely disappeared. When I ran back to Sakura, she was unconscious in Yue's arms. I told him to take her straight to the hospital while I phoned my father. Yue got her there in no time, and took her in to the Emergency Room as Yukito."
Touya looked over at Syaoran who's expression was blank. If it wasn't for the fact that Syaoran's face was paler and his fists shaking slightly, one would have thought that he didn't care about what had just been said. Touya could tell that he was trying to keep it together.
"When I got to the hospital, Yukito told me that Sakura had lost a lot of blood through a deep cut that was made in her arm. The doctor's had said that there would be some scarring that might never disappear. Sakura was terrified when she woke up. She wouldn't let anyone but her family and Yukito in to the room. We had to persuade her that the doctors only wanted to help her."
Touya sighed again, looking up to the sky. "Sakura has never spoken about what happened to her. To anyone. Tomoyo-san doesn't even know the details from Sakura's end. But, from that day, Sakura changed. First of all, she was too nervous to even set foot out of the house, even in daylight. Eventually she became stronger and was able to go out on her own again. But she put on a false face; she pretended to be brave when she was scared, pretended to be happy when she was sad. She's become more genuine in the past few months, but there are still times when I wonder if she will ever be the same. The person who attacked her took the innocence away from her eyes. She's seen the evil of the world, and she's more aware of things that she didn't see when she was younger. She can't get that back…and it kills me that I wasn't there to protect her."
Syaoran had stayed completely silent. He didn't know what to say. The tale of Sakura's past had silenced him, and even if he tried to open his mouth, he knew that no words would come out. Total shock had taken over him.
"If you've noticed a change in Sakura, then now you know why," Touya said, still watching Syaoran's expression. He knew that Syaoran was just putting up a front to seem unaffected, but Touya knew better. "What happened to her has made her slightly bolder. She's more sarcastic now, and she's willing to learn new things." Touya thought back to an incident not that long ago. "She thinks I don't notice when she's in her room learning things from that stuffed doll."
This made Syaoran look at Touya. He had never heard him openly let on that he knew about Sakura's magic. Touya gave him a look that said I'm-not-that-stupid.
"I thought you should know what happened to Sakura," Touya said, turning serious again, "because when we go away, and when I leave…I know that you will protect her for me."
Syaoran stared at Touya, hardly believing that he was asking him to look after Sakura. "Hai," Syaoran said.
Touya nodded slightly and began to walk towards Syaoran. He stopped just as he had walked past Syaoran. "And another thing you should now…" Touya said, keeping his back to Syaoran. "The man who attacked Sakura…I don't think he was human." Touya continued to walk on, leaving his last sentence buzzing around Syaoran's mind.
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Syaoran's mind was full of so many thoughts as he walked home that night. He couldn't believe what had happened to Sakura. It had only been a few months after he left her that it had happened. He wondered why she didn't tell him. They had become closer in the last few weeks that he stayed in Tomoeda; he thought she would have let him know.
Touya's words kept replaying themselves in Syaoran's head: He had a knife in his hand with blood on it…he disappeared at the dead of the alley…he took the innocence away from her eyes…it kills me that I wasn't there to protect her. It all made sense now: what Sakura didn't like it when Syaoran noticed her scar; why she was nervous in downtown Tomoeda at night before they first encountered the Magician; why she had begun to panic when she saw blood covering the scar on her arm.
And what about protecting her? Touya had openly said that he expected Syaoran to protect Sakura when he wasn't around. Was Syaoran not already doing that? Protecting Sakura from the new forces that were appearing? And Touya had said that he didn't think that attacker was human…did this mean that he might appear again.
Syaoran was interrupted from his thoughts by a water balloon barely missing his head. He sighed in frustration. "Don't you have any new tricks you could be doing?" he asked, looking up in the sky. "Or is this the extent of your magical ability?"
The Magician was hovering in the air above Syaoran's head. He shrugged innocently. "It's more fun this way," he said, conjuring up another balloon and aiming it at Syaoran, who easily dodged it.
"If you're going to float in the sky and act like a child, I'm going to go home," Syaoran said, and he started to walk across the park. "Come and find me when you have more interesting tricks to show." As he walked through the park, the Magician landed on the ground and began to walk beside him. Syaoran looked sideways at the creation. "What?" he asked, sharply.
"Oh, nothing," the Magician said, smiling slightly. "I just thought you'd be more willing to fight."
Syaoran was beginning to get peeved at the increasingly annoying creation. "Why would you think I am 'willing to fight?'" he asked, as the neared the trees.
The Magician smiled evilly. "Well, after my distraction last night, anything could have happened to your precious cherry blossom."
That did it. Syaoran released his sword and in one quick movement he had the Magician pinned up against tree with his arm, and the sword at his neck.
"That was unexpected," the Magician admitted, surprised at how fast the boy could move.
"When you 'attacked' me last night," Syaoran said, trying to stay calm and not beat the life out of the creation in front of him, "that was you trying to prevent me from getting to Sakura."
The Magician nodded slightly. "In a way…but I wasn't the one who was trying to hurt her."
"But you're the one who sent the force after her," Syaoran stated, keeping the sword dangerously close to the Magician's neck. "If I hadn't gotten away from you, then the force would have attacked her."
"You're a smart boy," the Magician said, quite concerned about the sword blade that was increasingly pressing harder against his neck. He may be an all-powerful force, but still- no-one enjoyed getting their throat cut. "But unfortunately, you beat the force to her house, and it had to withdraw itself." He paused. "How long are you going to stand here? You can't kill me, and you can't seal me."
"And you can't move away while I'm concentrating," Syaoran said, but as he spoke he heard footsteps coming closer and a pink aura moving along with it. That was enough to break his concentration.
"Until next time," the Magician said and he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Syaoran coughed as the smoke engulfed him, silently cursed himself at not focusing, and he turned around to face the person coming towards him.
"Syaoran-kun!" Sakura called as she came in to the park, staff in hand. "I felt the force and came over as soon as I could." She held her staff in front of her, ready to battle. "Where is the Magician? Where did he go?" Sakura looked over at Syaoran who was watching her with sad eyes. "Syaoran?" she asked.
Syaoran withdrew his sword and walked over to where Sakura was standing. When he reached her, he surprised both Sakura and himself by putting his arms around her. Sakura stood in shock a little, as Syaoran hugged her. "Um…Syaoran?" she whispered.
"I'm sorry," she heard Syaoran mumble. Sakura's eyes widened as she understood: Touya had obviously talked to Syaoran. She had no idea that he would do it so soon.
Sakura cautiously let her head rest on Syaoran's chest. "It's not your fault," she mumbled back, the heat slowly rising in her cheeks. Syaoran began to say something else, but Sakura silenced him. "No," she said gently, pulling away from him to look him in the eyes. She knew that he was going to say something about her arm. "I know what you're going to ask, and don't." She added more quietly, "I'll talk about it when I'm ready to."
Syaoran nodded his head and let his arms fall back to his sides. Sakura smiled at him thankfully, and Syaoran returned it with a small smile of his own.
Sakura looked around herself. "So, where's the Magician?" she asked.
"He disappeared again," Syaoran told her.
Sakura blinked. "Hoe!" she cried. "Again? I'm never going to be able to seal him if he keeps escaping before I get the chance! Why can't he just…"
Syaoran smiled as the old Sakura began to creep through again. Touya could be right in that Sakura might never be the same, but maybe, just maybe, there was a chance that she could return to being carefree and happy.
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my first reaction after finishing this chapter was, "phew", out of the chapters that i have planned, this was my least favourite one. i know i didn't mention tomoyo or rohan that much in it, but they'll have their chance . the next chapter has some Eriol mentioned in it...and i'm looking forward to writing it. i just love Eriol-kun!!
again, my apologies for it taking a while to get this chapter up. i want to finish the chapter plans for chappies 7 & 8 before i start to write chapter 6, but that shouldn't take too long!
ah! and thank-you so much for the reviews! i get a big smile everytime i get an email that says "Review for The Okugi Series".
and, you know, if you have any spare time waves subtly in the direction of the review button
elmo-doodle
17th December 2007
xx
ps. ever tried to do boxercise in a small computer room? sweatdrops i played DJ Tiesto's Pirates of the Carribean remix (i don't know why i even have it) and me and 3 of my friend started dancing madly. then we put a carol book on the floor and danced around it. and then tried to do the hakka. my dad says he's surprised that I haven't been suspended from school yet, hehe!