CHAPTER 4: THE REVELATION
DISCLAIMER: All characters of CCS rightfully belongs to CLAMP.
A/N: Finally got my lazy ass up to finish this one. To my readers, I am sorry for the long long absence u.u. Anyway, let's get this going on now! Dedicated the chapter to Khimae for being the reason of me finishing this story. Thanks~
Note: This whole chapter is narrated on Syaoran's POV.
We are now standing on a lake near the famed Tsukimine Shrine. It was deserted and no one was there except for the pair of us. We stopped at a lake situated near the shrine. Sakura then closed her eyes and concentrated in finding any trace of aura emitted from the magic crystal. Suddenly her eyes flew open, as she sensed something.
"Syaoran-kun…"
"Hmm?"
"We're here. I've finally found it. The crystal's aura. Come on, let's go!" said Sakura quite excitedly.
I stood there, looking quite dumbfounded. "What? Go? In there?"
She looked at me as if the idea of going straight into the lake is not an impossible task. "Yes,Syaoran. We are going into the lake. What's the matter? Are you scared?" she asked me with a teasing smile.
"I'm not scared…I'm just wondering how exactly we're going to go into the lake. Surely you did not expect me to swim and find the crystal, did you?" I replied with an equally teasing tone as her smile.
"Oh that…Gomenasai…I forgot to tell you about that… I can take care of that matter, so just stand back and watch, okay?" she said as she turned towards the lake.
Without wasting another moment, she took her silver necklace with a star pendant and grasped it in her hand.
"Oh key which holds the powers of the stars,
Reveal your true nature to me,
I,Sakura, command you under our contract,
Release!"
A blinding light enveloped Sakura as soon as she muttered the incantation. Moments later, the light vanished and Sakura stood at the spot with a star staff. She pointed the staff in the direction of the lake, and the water parted, revealing a hidden staircase under the lake.
After that, she muttered the word 'Freeze' and as soon as the words left her mouth, the lake water freezes.
"Wow…" was all that I managed to mutter. She smiled at me and took my hand into hers. "Saa… problem's solved. Let's go now, okay?" she asked cheerfully.
I smiled back at her and squeezed her hand gently. "Yeah… let's go…"
We were walking along the underground tunnel accompanied by little specks of greenish light, summoned by Sakura. We then came upon a fork, and I looked at Sakura, giving her the decision to make the choice. She was after all the one who can sense the crystal's presence, so I'm sure she knew which one to choose.
"Let's go this way," she said as she pointed to the right.
I smiled as we continued our way. "As you wish, hime-sama." I chuckled as I saw her blush under the specks of lights around us.
"Aww… hime-sama blushed…how cute!" I commented to kill the silence. To my amusement, her blush turns a shade deeper.
"N…no I'm not…you…you're just making that up!" she answered me with a hint of embarrassment in her voice.
"Now,now… don't deny the fact, hime-sa… What's the matter?" I asked as she suddenly halted.
"Shh… I heard something." she said as she slowly trying to find the source of the voice. After a few minutes, we stopped near a chamber. It was dark, but the glow of Sakura's light helped our vision. There, we saw a woman with a wicked face laughing heartily. She was examining a bespectacled guy tied up, looking battered and tired.
"What are you going to do now, Prince? That princess of yours isn't here to save you, is she? Heck, no one knows you're here. But don't worry… you'll be free as soon as you give me the crystal. Give it back to me!" shouted the woman.
"Never. I'll rather die than surrendering the crystal to you, Kiishimu." Replied the prince fiercely.
"You brat! You stole that thing from me! Now, give it back if you don't want to suffer my wrath!" said the woman called Kiishimu angrily.
"Stole? You stole that crystal from Sakura. You have no rights on it whatsoever. So, kill me if you want, but you'll never get your hands on the crystal."
"You fool!" shouted Kiishimu as a whip appeared in her hands. "Fine then, I'll kill you, but you won't die yet…not until I get the thing I need." She said as she raised the whip to beat the prince.
"Stop it, Kiishimu! Let him go!" shouted Sakura as she stepped into the chamber, her eyes glowing with anger.
Kiishimu halted as she saw Sakura at the chamber's entrance. She smirked as she lowered down the whip and laughed. " Well, well, look what we have here. Your princess in shining armor, prince."
"Stop this all, Kiishimu. Let him go, and I won't hurt you." Sakura's voice was as cold as ice.
"Hurt me, you say? What can a little girl like you do? You want him? Over my dead body. Fight me, little princess. I'll kill you, and later, after I get my hands on the Crystal, all of your family." she challenged her. A flame of purple enveloped Kiishimu and a sword materialized in her hand. "What are you waiting for, princess?" she asked tauntingly. "Scared, are you?"
From behind her back, I can see that she is shivering a little. Maybe it is from the cold surrounding, or her anger, or… her fear…that I don't know. But there's one thing that I'm certain about, she'll need me to support her. I'll be here to support her. I calmly walked out of the shadows and halted close behind her. I was quite surprised that her opponent didn't notice me. Perhaps Sakura's magic is at work. I stooped a little until my lips are level with her ear. Quietly, I whispered to her. "It will be alright, hime-sama. I'm always here for you, okay?"
She tensed a little for a while and nodded a little afterwards. I saw her blush and heard her voice in my head as she used telephaty. " Arigatou, Syaoran. Dakedo ne, I need you to help Eriol there. I've put a special spell on you, so that you are invisible right now, but only to Kiishimu. Onegai, help him, Syaoran."
"You can count me on that, hime-sama…" I whispered back.
"Sakura smiled as she confidently raised her star staff. "If fighting you is the only way, I'm ready to do so, Sword!" said Sakura as her staff became a sword as she readied herself to fight Kiishimu.
Kiishimu narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Give me your all,kid. I'll finish you in less than five minutes," she sneered as she charged towards Sakura as the battle began.
Meanwhile, I went to the midnight haired guy, the one who Kiishimu was previously threatening, now flung to the far edge of the room, barely conscious. His eyes narrowed for a while as he scrutinized me, wondering whether I'm a friend or a foe. I gave him a smile as I untie the rope that's holding his hands together. "Don't worry. I'm here with Sakura."
He silently groaned as he shifted for a bit, as the ropes tying his legs together came loose. "Kiishimu… can't see you…" he mumbled. He rests his back at the wall, trying to regain his consciousness. I winced as Sakura's and Kiishimu's swords clashed against each other, forcing myself to look at the battle. It doesn't really look good for Sakura. If it goes on like that, Sakura will… no, she can't lose…
A tug on my shirt yanked me back to the person beside me. "Syaoran-san… help me out of here." he said as he tried to heave himself up, but failed. I was about to ask him where he knew my name when I remembered about Sakura.
"B-But how about Sakura? I… We can't leave her!"
"Sshh. Don't shout… She's okay. She looks frail but she's powerful than she think she is. I need to call support, just in case. But before that, I have to get out of here. The magic covering this underground is barring my magic." He explained. "Now, would you help me?"
I gave him a curt nod before heaving him up, supporting a bit of his weight so that he can walk as silently as possible. Luckily, we did make it out of the lake, where the bespectacled guy sat under a tree, holding out a black pendant with a red string, and held it to me. "Use this and help Sakura out. It's yours, anyway. It's time I return it back.' He said.
I raised an eyebrow at him. What he says doesn't make any sense to me now. First off, I don't remember owning that thing. Second, how can I save her with that thing? It doesn't even look like a weapon.
"Just take it, and you'll get it afterwards." He said as he stood up, handing it to me.
I took the pendant from him and suddenly it glowed, forcing me to close my eyes. When I opened them a second later, I was holding a sword in my hand. A Jian, specifically. Curiously, it doesn't seem heavy for me, as any other new weapon might, and somehow I felt that it belonged in my firm grasp. I swung it for a bit, testing it out. Not bad. I spared a look at the blue haired guy before making my way to where Sakura is. The clangs of the sword helped me find them, and I didn't like what I saw one bit.
Sakura was bleeding from her left arm, and a few other cuts are visible all over her, her grasp now unsteady on her sword. Her eyes still retained that desire to fight, but both Sakura and Kiishimu new she wasn't going to last long.
Kiishimu let out a sneering laugh, chilling my spine. "Aww, the princess is in rags now. Pity." She said as she slashed at her again, missing Sakura only centimeters away.
Sakura didn't bother to retaliate, as she slashes at Kiishimu as well. She missed, and stumbled over, her loss of blood beginning to take a toll on her.
Kiishimu smirked. "You did well, princess. But playtime's over. Say bye-bye." She said as she raised her sword on top of the almost unconscious Sakura.
"Stop, Kiishimu! Or whoever the hell you are." I shouted just before she strikes, effectively halting her, rushing towards Sakura.
"Big… mistake…" mumbled Sakura as she blasted Kiishimu away with a gust of wind, sending her to the far end of the room. Sakura fell back to the ground as she released the spell. She's drained out of energy.
I kneeled beside her, as she looked at me with half-lidded eyes. "Sakura, hold on…" I said desperately. Her eyes strayed to the sword in my hand. "That… jian… where…" she didn't get to finish her sentence when she collapsed. I heard a rustle as Kiishimu got up from where she fell. I carried Sakura to a safe corner before stepping towards the woman.
"You brat." She spatted. "I'm going to kill you."
"See if you can." I said as I prepared myself for her attack.
"A human dares to challenge me?" she said before a look of realization passed on her face. "You-"
She didn't get to finish her sentence when I charged towards her. She dodged, but I managed to slightly scratch her arm with the tip of my blade. She winced slightly s she returned the blow, which I deflected, then I attacked endlessly, impressing even myself. Who knew I could fight like this?
A smile passed by my features as I managed to corner her useless, as I managed to make her drop her swords just now, and now I'm pointing the tip of the jian at her throat. "You lose, old lady."
I was too distracted with my win that I failed to notice the magic circle forming under my feet, and within seconds, I was tied tight with vines that appeared from the circle, rendering me immobile. "Damn it…"
Kiishimu summoned up another sword, and walked towards me. "Game over, kid." She said as she took a few more steps towards me.
Suddenly she stopped, her eyes widening as she slumped to the ground, coughing up blood. My eyes caught side of the silver blade sticking behind her, before I registered who my savior is. That guy again, now almost fully healed, with a girl with long raven hair and dressed in white in tow. He smirked. "Indeed Kiishimu. Game over."
I was released from the vines as the magic wore off. Avoiding the corpse, I ran towards Sakura, now surrounded by the guy and that other girl with him. "Sakura…"
"Rest assured. She'll be fine. Tomoyo's the best healer we got," referring to the girl with her. We walked out to the entrance, me holding the still unconscious Sakura, and I gently laid her on the little bench magically summoned by the guy. I left her side as the girl called Tomoyo took my place standing beside her, emitting a green light, enveloping Sakkura fully.
"H-hey umm, you…" I started uncertainly.
"Eriol. The name's Eriol." Said the bespectacled guy with a slight smile, as we stood side by side at the edge of the lake.
"I'm sorry if I'm being nosy, but… are you Sakura's fiancée? The one she's looking for?"
He simply shook his head. "No, I'm not. I'm Sakura's cousin, and Tomoyo's fiancée, actually."
"Oh…" I replied silently. "So… she still have to stay, right? Seeing that she still haven't found-"
"No." Eriol cut me swiftly. "She can go home now. She had found both. The Crystal is hidden by me inside your Jian, and her fiance-"
"Wha- but you said- "
"You still don't get it, do you?" he asked as he looked at me.
"Syaoran… kun…" a small voice called out to me. Sakura's voice.
I made my way to her, followed by Eriol. I put my palm on her cheeks. "Are you okay now?"
She smiled. "Better. But, before that… that... Jian… did it transform from the pendant to the sword when you held it?" she asked me, and I nodded in looked at Eriol. "I'm not mistaken, right?" she asked him.
"You're completely right." He said with a smile, as Sakura's face lighted up.
I was taken aback when she suddenly hugged me tight. "S-sakura?"
"I found you… I found you at last…" she said as tears streamed out of her eyes.
"Found… me?" the information took me a bit to process. "You mean…"
"You're Prince Syaoran Li, direct heir of the Li monarchy, and Sakura's long lost fiancée." said Eriol. "As to why you never remembered, I guessed that Yelan-san, your mother, placed a spell so that you won't remember anything, to free you of harm's way. Your memories will come back later though, don't worry. Usually the trigger is for you to remember who you are..." explained Eriol.
I was dumbfounded. Me? A prince? An heir? And… Sakura's fiancée? "B-but how?"
"It's the Jian." Said Sakura as she let me go from her embrace, beaming at me. "It won't reveal its true form for anyone not of the Li royal bloodline." She said.
An array of emotions bombarded me, but one stayed prominent. I pulled Sakura into an embrance, then kissed her lips gently, earning a chuckle from Eriol and Tomoyo, who left to let us be, and a full blown blush from Sakura.
"S-syaoran-kun…"
I grinned wolfishly. "I'm entitled to do that, right?" I said as I took her hand in mine and softly kissed it. "I love you, Sakura."
She blushed a bit more before claiming my lips with hers. "I love you too, Syaoran…"
A/N: And that concludes the story :D I apologize if the story isn't that good, particularly the fight scene, and if the ending is somehow rushed. I'm writing because I can't sleep, so if the ending sucks, blame it on my sleepy eyes. LOL. Anyway, review? :3