May 6, 2009

When Dreams Failed

Chapter 5

By Sakura aka Michelle

Syaoran gasped as he recognized the person in front of him – the person whom should have been supposedly dead when he was just three years old. His mind was in a mental turmoil right now, flooding with so many questions that threatened to overwhelm him. "It… It can't be," Syaoran stammered, unwilling to believe the man in front of him. "I was three when my father passed away. You couldn't be my father at all. He's dead. He's supposed to be dead already! Just who are you?!"

The stranger used his free hand to wag a finger disapproving at Syaoran. "What have the Li Clan been feeding into your innocent mind? Of course I am your undead father, Li Long (Dragon in Chinese). But I prefer to be called Ryu, since it sounds nicer and has the same meaning."

"Release Sakura immediately!" Syaoran demanded as he gripped his sword tightly in his hands, his gaze unwavering as they locked onto Ryu and tried to maintain his composure. "She will die if you don't let her go."

Ryu, looking as if surprised that he was in fact choking Sakura, released his hold on Sakura and took a few hasty step backwards. He was staring at his hands shakily with a horrified expression on his face. "What… What was I doing?" he asked no one in particular as he continued to stare at his heads disbelievingly. "I have hurt people again, haven't I?" Ryu took in the surroundings in dismay.

Sakura slumped down onto the floor with a loud thud and lapsed into fits of coughing as her lungs tried to fill itself with much needed air, bringing tears to her eyes as she choked. Syaoran ignored Ryu and rushed to Sakura's side, looking over her body worriedly and checking for any other injuries beside the one she has sustained on her right arm, probably when she was fighting against Ryu. When Syaoran was satisfied that Sakura was in no imminent danger of passing out, he walked over to Ryu, pulling out his sword against the huddled form.

"Just who are you? And what do you want?" Syaoran asked icily.

"Sy-Syaoran," Sakura managed to croak out as she struggled to stand and winced when it jarred her injured arm. She was breathless by the time she was able to stand up on her two feet and swayed dangerously as she tried to walk towards the duo. "Sheathe your sword; it's over for today."

"What?" Syaoran fairly shouted out his question, his forehead marred by a deep frown. "This guy just tried to kill the three of you!"

"Believe me, we know," Sakura retorted wryly as she bent down carefully to pick up her sword. "This is really complicated. I appreciate your coming here to help but this will only make things even more complicated than it already is. Go back to where you come from."

Syaoran watched as Sakura's sword disintegrated into nothing in her hands, his eyes trailing her as she walked over to the slumped forms of Eriol and Kaho. She squatted down before them and stretched out a hand over their crumpled forms, her eyes closing and then frowned in concentration.

A slow glow illuminated her hands in the darkened room and slowly enveloped Eriol and Kaho. Syaoran's eyes widened as he realized it was a healing spell. He stormed over to Sakura's side and peered over the two bodies, amazed that she could actually used this high level healing spell on two people simultaneously.

"What is this?" Syaoran demanded when Sakura has finished her task. "Or should I ask who are you?"

Sakura gave him a pointed look before ignoring him completely to go to Ryu. "Are you feeling better now?" Sakura asked him as she patted Ryu's shaking hands. "Do you need a sleeping spell to help you to get some rest?"

It took a while for Ryu to respond. When he did, he looked at Syaoran and then shook his head as an answer to Sakura's query. "I have some things to settle before I can rest peacefully, now that Syaoran is here."

"What has it got to do with me?" Syaoran asked, putting his sword away the same way he took it out. "I have nothing to say to you. And you have hurt Sakura."

"It wasn't intentional," Ryu sighed as he regarded Syaoran with serious eyes. "And Sakura's right; this whole matter is getting a lot more complicated than it already is. I guess it was the Elders' decision to make you come over to settle the problem too."

"You know I can just erase his memories and send him back home to Hong Kong," Sakura interrupted suddenly and gulped when Syaoran's eyes narrowed on her. "Well… That's what I mean… Erasing your memories so that you will leave us alone…"

"Erasing memories?" Syaoran repeated. "Erase my memories? You have got to be joking! I'm already involved the moment I stepped into your house a few minutes ago! You will be violating my freedom if you erase what is mine!"

"It's true that your freedom may be violated but she has your best interests at heart," Ryu explained. "This matter is really much more complicated that you have imagined it to be. It is better to forget some things than to remember them. She offered to help me erased mine, but… I would rather remember them, even if it means to torture me for my whole life."

"What are you talking about?" Syaoran asked, looking between Ryu and Sakura, sensing something wrong in the way the two of them were talking.

"I was expelled from the Clan because I refused to do their bidding," Ryu started and Syaoran froze. "All I wanted was to be with my family and spend time with them but I was always on a mission, just because I was the leader of the Clan. Is it a sin to be wanting to be with my family?"

"The Clan… expelled you?" Syaoran asked shakily, his eyes widened as the truth sets in his mind. "The Clan expelled you on basis of your wish to be with your family? How can it be? This is absurd!"

"Don't you get it?" Sakura asked in exasperation. "The Clan Ryu-san was referring to… is your Li Clan. Ryu-san was the previous leader of that prestigious Li Clan!"

"No, it can be!" Syaoran protested immediately. "The Clan wouldn't do that! My mother wouldn't lie to me… She told me my father was dead! The whole Clan told me my father was dead!"

Ryu gave Sakura a pointed look, as if blaming her for forcing all the truth onto Syaoran all at once, which seemed a bit cruel for the boy who had believed in his parents and his Clan with all his life. Sakura just shrugged and looked away.

Eriol groaned and sat up on the floor, looking around in daze, trying to block out the dizziness. His eyes widened when he recalled what happened and frantically looked around for Sakura. He was relieved when he found her in the middle of the room. Kaho was still unconscious by his sides and he knew that Sakura had healed them since there was not a single visible bruise of Kaho's body.

"What's with the sudden killing rampage?" Eriol asked, directing the question at Ryu. "You tried to break out of the room using your spiritual powers again? You knew your powers will run out of control when you try to use it since leaving the Clan."

Ryu laughed sheepishly and tried to cover up his embarrassment. "I knew my son was just next door… So I tried to break out to see him… If the Elders hadn't imposed that stupid spell on me, the rampage wouldn't have occurred."

"And whenever the rampage happens," Sakura added on. "The demons would come. That's the reason I wanted to enclose you within this barrier. Perhaps I should leave all of you alone at night."

Sakura turned to take a look at Syaoran, who stood frozen in shock at the truth and muttering to himself. "The truth hurts, doesn't it?" Sakura asked gently and Syaoran raised his head to look at her. She smiled in response. "Just one more thing to add to the truths you have already heard for today."

"Sakura!" Eriol warned dangerously. "Don't complicate things. I know what you want to tell him. Just… Just think of the consequences. Think of the consequences before you try anything."

"I have to agree with Hiiragizawa on that, Sakura," Ryu acknowledged the wisdom in Eriol's statement. "My boy has enough for today. I don't think it will be wise to push any more things to him than he can take it."

"All of you are keeping more things from me?" Syaoran asked. "Come clean with it, no more lies! I want the truth!"

"There's no need to get so agitated, Syaoran," Sakura warned. "It's really bad for your health."

"Stop beating around the bush!" Syaoran exclaimed and grabbed Sakura's shoulders forcefully, shaking her roughly and trying to get her to tell him everything. "Just tell me what I am supposed to know!"

"Wait! Wait!" Sakura almost shouted as pain shot through her right arm while he continued shaking her. The pain almost blinded her vision and reminded her that there was still an open wound on her. She gritted her teeth as she tried to control her pain but found it impossible to do so when Syaoran was shaking her.

Eriol leapt to his feet the moment Syaoran grabbed Sakura. Ryu, too, had gotten to his feet and put a restraining hand on Syaoran's arms, which his son had ignored. "Relax!" Ryu shouted as he tried to get Syaoran to let go of Sakura. "You are hurting her!"

"What other things are you keeping from me?" Syaoran demanded angrily and he shrugged off his father's hands. "Tell me!"

Eriol took in the scene before him with a resigned sigh and he looked at Ryu for approval. Ryu looked at the pain glazed eyes of Sakura and nodded his head reluctantly. At his approval, Eriol immediately slapped a palm on Syaoran's back. Syaoran eyes widened in shock as he paused and stood still, feeling a tingling sensation that was starting to spread from his back.

Ryu caught Syaoran while Eriol managed to catch Sakura as they both fell unconscious and slumped onto the floor. Eriol heaved a sigh of relief as he stared at Sakura. "That's a foolish thing to do; goading the immature brat who let his emotions control his actions."

Putting Syaoran carefully on the floor, Ryu turned to Eriol and bowed down on his knees before him. Eriol, who was still holding onto Sakura, almost panicked at Ryu's action, wondering what Ryu was going to do. "What's that for? Get up!"

Ryu remained in the position, kneeling down with his forehead touching the floor. "I sincerely apologize for all the troubles that I have brought with me all these years. If it weren't for me, if I didn't flee to Japan, both Sakura and Syaoran wouldn't be in so much suffering right now. I am so ashamed of myself and my selfishness."

Eriol smiled in understanding, touched by Ryu's sincerity. "It's all right, Ryu-san. Afterall, it was Sakura who has offered to help you when she saw you with the demons all those years ago. I was surprised she actually recognized you, even though she has not met you before. Anyway, all of us have become so close throughout the years that we can call ourselves family."

"Family…" Ryu murmured as he straightened up but was still on his knees, his eyes downcast. "The Elders have separated me from my own family by just a simple command and nobody dares to disobey. My family didn't even say a single word of protest at all."

"I think it is best that we put off our discussion about family until these two regains consciousness. Perhaps we should erase your son's memory of your true identity and give you some time to find out what family means to the both of you," Eriol said as he carried Sakura out of the room just as Kaho was waking up.

"It's over?" Kaho hurriedly sat up and winced as a wave of dizziness struck her. She clutched her head in her hands and took a careful look around here and was vastly relieved when she saw the Ryu had returned to normal. "Thank goodness you are all right now. You surely have frightened us, charging out of the barrier like you did earlier. Sakura-chan kept you in there for a reason which I really hope that you will understand."

Ryu nodded as he smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as he did so. "Eager to see my son after all these years," he explained briefly and Kaho smiled in response. "I just can't help it."

She gasped when she saw Syaoran lying on the floor. "Why is he here? Did he find out about you and Sakura-chan? This is bad!"

"He managed to stop me while I was having a rampage earlier on. I believe he broke through Sakura's barrier and got into the house. Unfortunately, I spilled out the truth about myself but he didn't believe me at all," he paused when Kaho heaved a sigh of relief and felt guilty about what he was going to say next. "And Sakura took time to explain everything to him, making sure that he understands who I am."

Ryu cringed at Kaho's outburst and hurriedly tried to placate her. It would not do anyone any good to have Kaho infuriated. "If Sakura-chan wasn't unconscious right now, I would very much love to strangle her myself."

Ryu paled drastically at Kaho's words, remembering that he had done that very action to Sakura earlier on. He shuddered when he thought of what could happen if Syaoran did not manage to stop him.

"I guess we really have to ponder about what is our next step," Kaho continued, dismissing Ryu's weird behaviour totally as she frowned and tried to think of ways to salvage the situation. "First thing we have to think about is keeping the situation unknown from the Clan so we must make Syaoran keep mum about whatever is happening here and that Sakura-chan is actually the person that they are searching for. And then there is the matter of the demons. Isn't it kind of weird that they only appear when you are using your spiritual powers?"

Nodding absently, Ryu recalled the numerous situations whereby the demons surrounded him when he was using his spiritual powers then his mind would go blank, as if controlled by them, surrounding him in dark shadows. When he regained his consciousness, everything was destroyed before him.

It was sheer luck that Sakura had recognized who he was several years ago when he was loitering on the streets aimlessly and brought him to this apartment that she had shared with Eriol and Kaho. While he was with them, Sakura was constantly observing him and she was the one who came up with the relationship between Ryu and the demons. Ryu had to admit that she was a brilliant lady. He was pretty surprised when Sakura suddenly performed a barrier on the apartment unit and forbid him to use his spiritual powers. He was also not allowed to leave the apartment on his own. He had refrained from using his spiritual powers since then but two months ago, when he had learned that Syaoran was in Japan, he had been trying to break the barrier on a daily basis just to get a glimpse of his son, creating havoc for his companions.

"I guess we have to be extra careful from now onwards," Ryu commented and gulped when he saw the look of disbelief and accusation Kaho was shooting at him. He promptly corrected his words. "I guess I will have to control myself from now onwards," he added with an audible sigh.

"That's better," Kaho showered him with her brightest smile. "I believe I'll go find my Eriol~"

Ryu stared as she skipped out of the room as if nothing has happened. And I will have to be careful around her too, he thought with a laugh. But I still wonder how Sakura knew I am Syaoran's father. Perhaps I will ask her personally when she is awake.

To be continued...

Hi again! My second fic update for the year. ^^" Will update as much as I can for this 2 months before I have to do my final year project for University... Hope you like this chapter. Chapter 5 is written with an intention to explain the stuffs that's going on in the earlier chapters but there's still one thing that remains unknown as could be seen in the last paragraph. XD Well... if you like this chapter, I sincerely hope you can leave a review. Thanks a lot!