Just Coincidental
Disclaimer: I own...oh you know the drill.
Start Date: 12.12.2006
Finish
Date: 3/13/2007
Reviewers:
monkey kix ass: Great? Yay! An update for the good...person over here.
dani: She's had quite the busy day but what's a day without drama? We have a nice supply down below, enjoy. And Harry is a perfectly little angel, as a child that is. Too many years of abuse does funny things to your psyche. Well, it's all to be explained down there 8D. Although not completely. I need to elaborate a little more but the basics are down there, guess work can do a lot for you after this chapter.
womp lover: Yes! It's Syaoran! I'm so terribly sorry that I updated so late. Since it is so not 'soon'. But at least I updated, right:smiles nervously: Hey, little Harry is too cute to not like even for Snape.
4cherryblossoms: Ah, the love :feels the love kinda: Too bad about your one sided love for Syaoran, you know he's taken 8D. I bet you updated. And if you haven't, you will. Best of writers luck to you.
Trinix216: Quickly for me is...an eternity. I'm glad you found it awesome so here's more!
A/N: I live! So totally! Thank Incognito Indigo for that. Her revival brought mines 8D. So be grateful. Five reviews is not bad but you can do better:cheers unenthusiastically: Here's another chapter and I'd like you to meet my other Beta 83, Sadey. She's taking over for this chapter for Yam since she's...not on and it's 10 pm. Not that she's on a lot these days, but yeah! Welcome! W00t!
Enjoy!
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The pregnant silence stretched for what seemed like an eternity for the inhabitants of the staircase. Even their less-than-sane attacker froze still. Finally, there was a glint of light reflecting off of the tarnished old blade as it was shifted a little from the unsteady grip.
The professors snapped into action, snatching up their wands and brandishing them. A flurry of bright lights shot from the tips and struck the deranged man in the chest, making him stagger, bounce off the railing, and crumple haphazardly over the steps. A few of the teachers ran forward to stabilize and immobilize him.
The Chinese teenager gently dropped her onto the ground, as her feet could not support her at moment. This was true for him as well, halfway down in a mid crouch he collapsed to the ground.
"Sy- Li-kun!" Sakura cried concerned. He breathed heavily, face layered with a sheen of sweat. He did not look at her but looked up when Eriol and Tomoyo approached.
"Sakura-chan! Are you okay? I was worried………" she whispered softly, barely audible from the noise and fuss coming from the noisy group a few steps down the stairs. She looked troubled at the boy. "It's being a long time, Li-kun…"
Syaoran nodded curtly. He caught Eriol's stare and averted his gaze.
"Now now, it's being a while since you've seen us all, you shouldn't be so impolite," Eriol said calmly as nothing surprising had happened in the last 10 minutes.
"Hn," Syaoran grunted. He placed his sword onto the ground beside him and moved to wipe his forehead with his forearm. Doing so, it pulled back a few inches of his sleeve and revealed the starch white bandages wrapped neatly and tightly around it.
Sakura's heart clenched as she saw this and began to remember. She shook her head free of the thoughts. This was no time to mull over morose recollections. Syaoran must've known what she was thinking because at that moment, he pulled his arm back and wrapped the dark green traveling cloak around him.
She felt sad that he was hiding his pain from her. The pain from that day. The pain caused by her.
She wanted to say something. Anything. But nothing came from her mouth when she tried to speak. The words stuck in her throat and choked her of her courage. Her fingers reached out and touched the coarse fabric of his cloak hesitantly. She tugged on it and looked at his face. There was a glimmer of his eye for a short moment. His brown hair that had gotten a little longer and shaggy flopped messily over his other eye blocking it from view. Although not easily seen, there was a strip of gauze wrapped around his temple as well, hidden expertly by his long locks of chestnut brown hair.
A small hand touched her softly on the arm.
"Miss Sakura……" Harry said, looking down at his feet shyly. "Are…are you okay?"
The card mistress smiled tiredly, touching the hand on her arm with her own.
"Don't worry, Harry. I'm fine." The small boy beamed momentarily before turning his head to look at the stranger supporting his 'guardian'. He cowered slightly under the intense gaze. Nervous and scared he clenched his eyes shut and breathed deeply to calm himself. A hand patted his head fondly.
He looked up. The strange man smiled apprehensively attempting to bring him some comfort.
"Um…T-thank you for helping Miss Sakura……" he blurted out in a hurry. A large shadow loomed over them, making them look up. Madam Pomfrey towered menacingly over them with an inquisitive look on her face.
"We're locking the intruder in the dungeons until we can contact the Ministry. In the mean time," she stared sharply at the two teenagers, 'you two will be need to be checked up for any injuries or ailments…come on! Up! You can still walk, can't you?" She ushered them to their feet impatiently and walked up the stairs, leading the way to the hospital wing.
Sakura trailed slowly behind Madam Pomfrey after casting her last glance at the perpetrator that lied unconsciously on the steps, bound by threads of magic. She could hear the scuffing of Syaoran's shoes against the rough stone surface of the platform that was affixed to the next set of stairs adjacent to the last set. She twiddled her fingers nervously thinking of anything she could and should do. She inhaled deeply and turned around.
"Um….Li-"
She realized Syaoran was no longer behind her but walking briskly past her, brushing past her shoulder. With a downcast expression she started walking again, matching his strangely quick paces. Just as she was about to speak up once more, he collapsed to the floor from exhaustion.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
The heavy reinforced door swung closed slowly, enveloping their trespasser locked up behind enchanted bars in the dark. Before it closed completely, Snape glared threateningly at the limp figure that lie inside and spat angrily on the floor.
"Scum…"
"Now, Severus, watch that temper of yours. He'll get his fair judgment even though he's a deranged moron that's as blind as a bat," McGonagall said, walking briskly in front of him. As she started up the stairs, she said,
"Where's your young charge?"
"What?"
"The boy child, Harry."
"He's not my young charge, he's not under my wing and therefore not my responsibility but of that foreign Japanese girl," Snape objected, climbing up the stairs a few steps behind her.
"Speaking of which, what do you think of her?"
"Why do you ask?" he replied, inquisitively. She said nothing and continued her ascent to the first dungeon door.
"She's young and immature. Too carefree if you ask me and undereducated," the dark man remarked. "However, her determination and will is notable, there's hope for her yet."
"She's having a hard time settling, I can tell," the elderly woman said out of the blue. "There's something holding her back, you can see it whenever she attempts to do anything. I don't know what it is, and it's not my business to find out but I feel…I feel she needs support right now, don't you?"
Snape furrowed his eyebrows, perplexed. Why was she telling him these sorts of things? Was she expecting him to do something for the girl? What could he possibly do for her, granted that he actually wanted to help her?
The questions lay on the tip of his tongue before he banished them from his mind. If McGonagall told him something, there was always a reason and if he couldn't figure it out now, he would later.
Suddenly he realized that he was alone in the hallway of the first level dungeons. He recalled that he had finished restocking his own supply of potions but needed to finish brewing a batch of Dreamless Sleep Draught for Madam Pomfrey.
As he entered his office, he cursed as he recalled that he had no idea where he had last put all the ingredients for the potion. Sighing deeply, he went off to search for his 'young charge' to help him with his ingredients hunting.
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Later that evening, Sakura found herself standing outside the double doors of the Hospital Wing. After excusing herself from dinner, which she hadn't touched, she wandered through the school without a destination in mind until her feet brought her here.
Her heart ached, knowing who was on the other side of the thick wooden doors. She pressed her hand against the smooth cold surface, wondering how he was doing, probably lying in the same hospital bed, tucked in a white sheet and sleeping noiselessly as his energy recuperated.
She leaned her forehead on the door as well, savoring its momentary coldness before it absorbed her heat and the temperature evened out. She staggered forward slightly in surprise when the door opened a little.
It was unlocked.
Timidly and carefully, she pushed the door open and inch and peered inside. From her viewpoint she could only see the bedside table of one of the unoccupied hospital beds at the front. Warily, she pushed it open fully.
A stroke of lightning flashed through the tall windows, casting the long shadow of a figure perched on its windowsill onto the opposite wall. She jerked her head towards the perpetrator and let out the breath she was holding when she saw the Chinese teen sitting on the ledge of the window, staring out at the dark night sky as a roar of thunder rumbled hungrily from the heavens.
Slowly, she pushed the door with her hand to close it gently. It locked with an audible click that drew the boy's attention.
Another flash of lightning illuminated the room briefly; she could see where the white gauze was replaced earlier. She shivered now that he wasn't trying to hide them from sight. She looked down at the faded pink sandals she wore, the thunder reverberating in a low but loud roar.
Time drew on as she stood there, remembering in vain. She dearly wished she could apologize but knew that no apology could repent for what she had done.
Syaoran was the first to speak.
"Loud, isn't it...?" he murmured in her native language, barely audible over the recent rumble that followed the flash. The shower of thunderous rain hit the ground outside, loud enough to be heard many stories up.
They said nothing for a while, cherishing the moment together in grief and sorrow.
Sakura looked up after a few long minutes, staring at the back of the boy, looking forlorn.
"I...I'm sorry..." she said, voice choked with oncoming tears. "It's...it's all my fault...that night..."
The rain poured from the sky above, drenching them to the bone with tears of the gods foreseeing the misfortune to come. Young and still too naive of the world, Sakura Kinomoto searched the muddy grounds for signs of tracks.
The woods around her give the impression of stone, unmoved by the beating of the rain. She wiped a film of water off her forehead, tucking wet strands of her honey brown hair behind her ear.
The small forest seemed dead of movement but alive with growth. A snap of a twig brought her attention behind her to the one she loved most. Hiding under the shelter of his water repelling magic, he smirked coyly at her futile search.
She smiled back brightly despite the horrible weather, wishing she was inside like she was earlier.
She wished she didn't go to China at all. If she didn't...this wouldn't have happened. And everything would be alright again. They were so unsuspecting of what was to come. So utterly gullible.
Syaoran smiled and dragged her over to the railing to view the small lake at the estate's edge. Beyond it was the beginning of a dense growth of forest. Even from this distance she tingled with the magic laced through the ancient trees, dangerous yet welcoming at the same time.
Syaoran grasped her hand reassuringly, smiling encouragingly.
"You can do this. I know you can, I know what you can do."
The Japanese girl squeezed his hand, looking out at the endless forest.
"I'm the card mistress, I should be able to do this...because...everything will surely be alright...with you here," she replied softly. "And Kero-chan and Yue-san too...even if they aren't allowed to help...I'll have their-your support so everything will be fine."
How wrong she was. The lightning flashed, frighteningly close.
"I should've being more prepared...I should've...should've trained..." Sakura forced herself to continue. She could feel the tears from that day returning, the fear, the anguish, the despair.
Hot breath blew over her, reeking of decay and blood. Its bulging milky white eyes glossed over, blind and useless. Sensitive nostrils flared as it inhaled deeply, searching for her scent.
Luckily, she was coated in a layer of fresh mud; the rain dulled all the scents in the area. The hand that didn't hold tight to her star wand was clasped to her mouth and nose, keeping her from screaming or making audible breathing sounds.
The hideous monster lurched forward, ducking its head towards her general direction. The matted maroon brown fur bristled in the rain, swaying where its length was long and not clumped together too heavily. She pressed herself closer to the tree, hard enough, she thought, that the bark would be imprinted onto her back.
Slowly but steadily, the gruesome creature turned, its tail sounded like a whip, cracking inches before her face. She watched its hairy back rise and fall with each heaving breath.
Shaking, she got to her feet, dropping the hand clutching her mouth to grip her star wand, keeping it from shaking too much.
This was her chance.
She gulped, watching the creature intently for any signs that it noticed her.
I know I can do this; I've done this before...
She raised her wand, opening her mouth to summon one of her cards. The creature jerked its head to the side. She flinched, desperately trying to keep her body statue-like.
After a minute or so, it turned away from her and stumbled with resounding thuds out of the clearing and into the forest, out of sight.
Why didn't she take the chance and stop it? Why didn't she subdue it before...?
Barreling into the bustling streets of the outskirts of Hong Kong, Sakura rolled to a stop after she breached the tangle of wild plants that had grown into a natural fence.
Leaping out of the forest, slashing the vines in half as he went, Syaoran landed neatly in the open, sword raised and ready for any and all attacks.
"Don't let your guard down."
She nodded, pushing herself trembling to her feet. She gave herself a once over to assess the damage. Nicks, scratches and cuts peppered her arms and legs. Her paper thin windbreaker clung to her like a second skin, ripped in several places, some showing bleeding cuts.
Though she could not see it, she could feel the aching bruise on her side where the monster had walloped her, sending her crashing into a tree earlier. Grimacing, she wiped the mud from her knees, looking at the scraps and blood underneath. She would need to make sure she disinfected them later. Lucky for her, being in the rain for hours on end had numbed her senses, nerves, and pain but it forced her magical sense to sharpen through the cold and fear from the confrontation before.
A car rolled by, undisturbed by their appearance. It had run over one of the sopping muddy tracks, the creature left. She followed the obvious trail with her eyes.
Her gut clenched.
It was headed towards the marketplace and the city.
"I shouldn't have hesitated...shown weakness...I should've taken it...I should've taken it more seriously," Sakura cried into her hands. She shook as she sobbed like a lone tree in the plains.
She drew out a card from her pocket shouting its name. It reformed itself into a tree like spirit and wound itself around the creature, rooting it to the ground.
It howled, struggling for its freedom but Woody, the tree spirit, held strong. With gentle leafy arms of branches, she bound it securely. The creature roared in defiance, scratching frantically at the wood.
Sakura grinned at her success and gave a happy shout then laughed more in relief than in joy. A hoarse cry came from behind her. She barely recognized each syllable that formed her name but she could make out who the caller was and turned around to tell him of her success.
She briefly caught a glance of Syaoran's expression. It was not with awe or congratulations but of horror and fear.
In a matter of a split second, a great force smashed into her, sending her flying off the road and into the wall of the quaint corner store. She only just narrowly missed the lamppost at the corner and bounced off the wall, miraculously landing, unsteadily on her feet.
A screech and the sound of metal meeting flesh; her legs could not bring enough strength to stand again. She almost collapsed to the ground, using a hand to keep herself up. With strength she hadn't known she possessed, she limped with fortitude towards the crash site, finally dropping to her aching knees in front of the vehicle.
Hot tears track down her face as she held him close to her. She wanted to tell him that it was going to be alright. She wanted to tell him that it was all her fault and that he shouldn't have tried to protect her. She wanted to tell him that he wasn't bleeding into the streets, slowly dying in her hands.
But she couldn't. Words failed her. All she could do was cry.
I'm sorry…sorry…
She cried out at the sky and cruel fates as the gods above cried with her, drowning the world and her screams in a brisk rain thunder.
"Your…injuries…they…they're all…all my fault…" she wept, rubbing her eyes and face fiercely with her forearm. "I'm…sorry…"
She stood, drearily. Her eyes dry of tears from weeping too much. Grimfaced, she faced the Elders in the dark round room. With a shaking breath, she walked out to the center where a bright spotlight glared down at her. Raising her arm, she tried to block out the light that greatly obscured her limited vision in the dark.
She fidgeted nervously only able to see the white irises of the elders in the room. They sat in a semi circular ring before her hidden expertly in the dark.
She could hear their accusing murmurs now that she listened.
Unworthy. Yes, completely, her? The Card Mistress? Absurd. I agree. Such an impertinent child, thinking she could waltz in here so easily like she knows everything. Never in my years. The fate of the clan-
She squinted, trying to catch even a glimpse of their outlines but the vivid beam of light kept her night vision from kicking in. She felt like an animal or a freak on show.
Two loud cracks on wood brought them to a sudden silence. She realized, dimly, that she could see one of them, standing at a platform directly in front of her with a polished wooden block held in one hand.
"Order," the voice of the Elder said, calm with authority and wisdom.
And the trial began.
"Please...for..." she choked on these words but forced herself to say them. "Please forgive...me." Another burst of tears streamed down her cheeks in rivulets. The memories of that day rushing through her head in a muddled storm quite like the weather outside, swirling and repeating over and over.
Tender hands took hold of her shoulders, bringing her back to the hospital wing. She blinked back the tears that welled in her eyes as she looked up in to his green ones. She could see remnants of the pain, the fear, the despair from that day.
But she could see something else. Something that shouldn't be there. Not for her. It was forgiveness.
She buried her face into his shoulder and clung to him as the storm raged on and cried all the pain and grief she harbored in her heart for too many years.
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Slipping down the flagstone steps, the little boy looked around, frantically in hopes of catching sight of any living being.
He was certain he should be going up instead of down but he couldn't find a staircase that wound up towards the surface or at the most, the higher levels. He did find three other sets of stairs in the corridor, both leading earthwards but unlit.
The deeper he went the more his soft little footsteps echoed in the empty chambers. Every time a flame flickered, he flinched and paused but there was never anything there.
Soon he reached the bottom. It looked exactly like the hallway he was just in only dimmer. The flames burned more orange than yellow. Only two were lit. One next to where he was at the stair's end and one next to a door.
Curiously, he stepped forward and walked up to the door. It was not made of the usual wood but of some sort of metal. He touched it with one hand and squeaked when it shocked him. Some sort of barrier on the door flickered blue then faded. The door moved forward and opened with a creak.
Harry pressed his face to the crack that opened up. His weight was hardly sufficient to push the door any further without effort.
"Hello?" he whispered into the pitch darkness of the room. When he heard nothing, he leaned back to grab hold of the iron ring to close it.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of white. Unwittingly, his surprise caused the door to strangely, thought probably due to accidental magic, open fully despite its weight.
In the bad lighting, he saw the unshaven, dirty face of the intruder earlier that afternoon.
He said with a crooked, black toothed grin.
"Hello, poppet."
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A/N: Wow, I finished it. Taking a very long time too XD. That's some talent. Programming, I mean course selections, has been killer but I managed to make myself finish this for you people who actually read this. So the past event thinger has been revealed! Slightly. Nonetheless, she's...forgiven. Or something. Oh my D: Little Harry's in a bit of a tiff, isn't he?
Just so you know, Poppet though heard often enough in Pirates of Caribbean is the old spelling for popet or puppet and means small child or doll but is chiefly used as an endearment therefore can be used to address Harry here. I finally found out how I can end this so you can bet your socks I'm going to finish this fic now. But I'ma uploaded this today, which is tomorrow of yesterday during Digital Media class 8P.
8D So I'll be catching ya next time! When I push myself to writing, spring break is coming up soon D: If you want, which means you should, wish Sadey a Happy Birthday! Since it's coming up in a few days 8D Yay!
Thanks for Reading and I hope you review to tell me in your wonderful insight. Reviews make me happy. Really.