Chapter 3

Hell's Winter

"Sakura! Princess Sakura!" Syaoran all but screamed over the howling wind. He listened carefully as he continued to descend, following quickly-filling tracks in the snow like an expert hunter. He called again, hearing his voice break from the strain, and continued following the tracks, until-

"Syaoran-kun!"

He all but jumped out of his skin at the sound of Sakura's voice so close to him, and whirled to find her bracing against a tree, an unconscious Mokona clutched tightly in her arms. He trudged through the rising snow, plowing through on strength alone until he reached her.

"We need to find shelter, quickly," he said, and pointed uphill a short ways- there were more rocks there, and therefore likely a place to at least get out of the screaming wind.

Sakura nodded, and he turned about, slowly plowing his way through the ever-thickening blanket of snow. It was no easy task, especially when halfway Sakura's right leg gave out completely and she was forced to hold his shoulders to keep herself upright. They finally trudged their way there, and to their great fortune, the rocks signified the mouth of a small cave- one barely large enough for both of them to fit in.

The princess collapsed upon entering the cave, sighing as she leaned against the wall, and immediately rubbing her bad leg to get circulation going again. Syaoran kicked the snow near the entrance into a pile, half-obscuring their route in and helping to block the wind.

Silence descended in the darkness of the tiny space, the violent winds outside providing a chilling ambience, though it wasn't long until another sound pervaded their area- someone's teeth were chattering, violently.

Syaoran looked over to find Sakura curled in on herself as about as tightly as she could go; Mokona was nowhere to be found, and for a moment he felt worry surge through him.

"Sakura, where's Mokona?" he asked, voice shaking and only partially from the cold.

"I-in m-my jacket," she replied through her hammering teeth.

The amber eyed teen's look softened, and he scooted closer to her, pressing himself up against her. Sakura gasped.

"It's better this way," he mumbled, though he could feel his face heating. It was a welcome sensation. "Keeping c-closer means we'll stay warm-warmer longer."

He felt Sakura nod next to him, as he kept his gaze fixed on the outside, watching as the snow in front of their little cave continued to pile up. When it was almost twice what it had been before, he turned back to check his companion's condition.

"Hey, Sakura, are you doing alright?" he asked quietly, his voice hoarse and unwilling to cooperate. She said nothing, and he assumed she simply didn't hear him so he attempted again, louder.

Again she didn't respond, and Syaoran felt his heartbeat begin to pick up.

"Sakura! Princess!" he called, and turned toward her, shaking her shoulder lightly. She murmured something softly, and sighed.

Syaoran's heart thumped even faster. "Sakura! Sakura, you have to wake up! You can't fall asleep!"

She slowly rolled her head back, green eyes opening partially as she regarded him. Her lips slowly rose into a gentle smile, and Syaoran felt himself beginning to panic.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so tired," she said, and her eyes began to drift shut again.

"No! Princess, you can't fall asleep. When it's this cold, that means your body is starting to shut down- You'll die if you let yourself sleep!" he said, and shook her again. Her eyes fluttered but she didn't respond.

Desperate, he leaned over her, clenching the sides of her head with trembling hands. She closed one eye as she looked at him, her open one clouded with something. And then it drifted closed once, twice...

And then Syaoran decided he needed to do something and quickly. Mind racing, he cupped his hands about her jaw and dove forward, slamming their lips together with enough force it sent a sharp pain through his jaw and down his neck. She stiffened, and he took advantage of it, running his tongue out and along her bottom lip. A gasp escaped her, parting her lips, giving him the opportunity he needed- he seized the soft flesh between his teeth, biting down until a coppery, salty tang filled his mouth. She whimpered, struggled against him, but he didn't relent until something cool and wet touched his hand and he realized it was a tear. He pulled back, meeting her emerald eyes, flinching at the shock and fear she regarded him with.

His heart throbbed: now devoid of panic it was hurting because he'd made her cry. And at the same time, he felt horrible. He practically jumped backward off her, landing in the snow at the mouth of the cave. The knot in his throat erupted into a shaking apology as he watched her touch her lip, pulling her hand back and coming away with a crimson smear on her fingertips.

"I'm s-sorry Princess," he managed, looking miserable. "But, but you can't fall asleep. It's too dangerous, so please... don't let the feeling take you again, alright?"

She blinked, looked from him to her hand, and then nodded abruptly. "Right. Sorry, Syaoran-kun. I scared you, didn't I?"

He nodded in return, crawling back to his position sitting next to her, though this time huddled on himself like he was trying to limit their contact as much as possible. Sakura frowned, and scooted back up against him, ignoring the fact he went rigid as she did so. In fact, almost as a sort of revenge, Sakura slid her arm across his chest and curled up against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

Before he got the chance to question her, she laughed. "You said it would be better if we stayed closer, we'd retain more heat that way. So that's what I'm doing."

He relaxed, but only slightly, and once again silence but for the wind descended. Sakura yawned and shivered, pressing a bit closer to him than before. Syaoran's head moved, and she felt his cheek rest on top of her head, a feeling that brought a content sigh from her lips.

"It's hard to stay awake, isn't it...?" She asked finally, watching her hand rise and fall slowly with Syaoran's breathing. He grunted to the affirmative.

"It's easier if you think of someplace warm and happy, but you have to make sure you don't lose yourself in that thought. I also think it makes the time go by faster, too," he said, barely audible above the background noise.

Sakura thought about it for a second, then nodded. "What are you thinking about then?"

It took him a long moment to respond, long enough the princess figured she wasn't going to get an answer out of him. And then-

"Home. I think about home."

The emerald-eyed girl smiled to herself, even as another set of shivers racked her body. "One of these days, Syaoran-kun, you'll have to tell me about your home."

He laughed then, and she was surprised by how bitter it sounded. "Maybe I won't need to tell you. With my luck..." and he sighed. "We'll end up going there."

"You don't want to return, then?" She asked, and turned slightly to look up at him.

Syaoran stared very pointedly at nothing. "No, not really. Not after what happened before I left."

"That sounds like what Fai-san used to say," Sakura noted, taking a deep breath and catching the slightest trace of his scent. She released the breath slowly, and surreptitiously moved her nose closer to his neck.

Syaoran shook his head, and if he noticed her moving, he didn't show it. "No. My circumstance is different. It's not that I don't want to go back because of someone who is there. It's because of someone..." he broke off, and Sakura felt his chest stop as his breathing caught for a moment. He shook his head. "Nevermind. There's nothing anyone can do to help anyway."

Sakura looked at him, tilting her head back and to the side, and she caught a glimpse of his profile; eyelids narrowed in determination, mouth set. His eyes told a different story, he looked at war with himself, at war and somewhat... lost. Her initial reaction was to try to say something, but something told her that wouldn't be the best solution; instead, she curled even closer to him, pushing her nose and mouth close enough to the side of his neck she could feel the heat radiating off of it.

Syaoran stiffened, amber eyes widening slightly as he felt a cool rush against his skin when she inhaled, the sensation raising the hairs on the back of his neck and making a shudder shake his body; one that had nothing to do with the cold.

"Smells like autumn," Sakura whispered, lips close enough to his ear that he could hear them clearly.

"... Autumn...?" he asked quietly, voice strained.

"Mm," was Sakura's only reply, accompanied by a nod. She inhaled again, and again he shivered. He smelled, she thought, like an autumn forest- a combination of soil, cool air with a bite of frigid, a hint of what might have been a campfire or fireplace burning, and something... else. Something musky... something male. And that scent above the others caused her to shudder and withdraw slightly.

She sat for a long, contemplative moment, pondering over the heady feeling she was getting, and suddenly she laughed. She'd figured it out, at least partially, what it was that separated this Syaoran from her Syaoran, the one she'd been traveling with up to a little while ago. The one she knew, he had a different scent; there was still soil there, but it was a sandy type of soil, sunbaked, and yet wet, almost clay-like all at once. Probably from the long hours he'd spent underground, excavating the ruins.

The more she thought about it, the more comforting it was to her- this wasn't the young man she knew, had fallen in love with on their many travels. Still, there was something that kept her as she was, snuggled up against this other person, probably squashing the sleeping Mokona but too content to care.

Syaoran shifted uncomfortably, garnering a look from Sakura. He managed a somewhat sheepish smile and a "My muscles are getting tired sitting like this."

Sakura blinked, and backed up a little bit, though she immediately missed the feeling of him there. The brunette sighed, shifted until he was in a more comfortable seating arrangement, then paused to consider something. He met her gaze, amber irises resting on emerald, and asked her a question, his voice odd but steady. "Sakura, do you trust me?"

A strange question, one the princess had never heard before. She could only look on at him, confused, and hesitating. He felt his throat tighten at her reluctance to give an answer, and was forcibly reminded of his standing with her. Finally, she nodded, keeping eye contact with him to let him know she was sincere.

Syaoran motioned for her to get closer, and she followed, still unsure of his intent, until he seized her about the shoulders and rolled her over his leg, tearing a high-pitched squeak of surprise from her throat as he did so, then adjusting his position until everything seemed comfortable.

A bright green eye cracked open, taking a moment to observe her surroundings before turning back to her companion to see exactly what sort of position they'd ended up in. Syaoran wasn't looking at her, in fact, he was making it a point to look at something on the cave's wall, his face a bit redder than it had been before. Those same green eyes traveled downward; there were Syaoran's arms, wrapped firmly about her shoulders, and his legs, splayed on either side... of... her.

Sakura's face heated up, and she looked down, trying to hide it. Here she was, head on his shoulder, curled up slightly as she was before, but sitting in his lap. Of course, she didn't want to move- she was warming up again, and very, very comfortable as she was, so she fought off the blush and relaxed in his hold.

A pause, and Sakura felt herself wanting to yawn, felt sleep tugging at her again. She figured, or at least she hopedthis wasn't her body trying to shut down again, but she wasn't going to take any chances. Instead, she grabbed the first topic of conversation she could think of, and let it pour from her lips.

"In your world, Syaoran-kun... did you have anyone that was..." she paused, frowning. "Special to you?"

She felt him freeze, tense for just a passing heartbeat before he took a deep breath and relaxed. A rush of white steam from his mouth, and he answered, much to her surprise.

"I did. I did indeed. She was..." he laughed. "Someone I thought I hated at first. Childish jealousy, coupled with that tendency kids have to pick on the people they like." He sighed, and rested his chin on top of her head, though his arms tightened, pulling her closer to him almost reflexively. "But none of that matters now."

Sakura gasped, and tilted her head back quickly enough he barely had time to get out of the way or risk them bumping skulls. The princess spoke, ignoring the fact their faces were incredibly close together. "Of course it matters! Just because you're not in the same world as her doesn't mean you should give up hope!"

Syaoran laughed, his voice harsh and bitter. "I guess beating around the bush isn't going to make it any easier- She disappeared. No one is sure entirely what happened to her, but around my second year middle school, she just suddenly disappeared, right off the face of our world. What happened after that... is a long story, one that is probably best saved for when Kurogane and Fai are around to hear as well. I once tried asking Yuuko, where she had gone but even the Witch of Dimensions couldn't tell me exactly what happened. Either because she didn't know, or she wasn't allowed to tell me. Something tells me... she did know what happened..."

The honey-brown haired one sighed, twisting about slightly until she could get both of her arms around him. "It must've been awfully lonely." It was a simple hug, a simple gesture, but one Syaoran appreciated nonetheless. He nodded, voice barely able to eke out a response to the positive.

It was then, in the silence that had descended while the two teenagers wallowed in the memories of the ones they loved and were no longer in their lives, Syaoran's ears picked up on something. Or rather, a distinctive lack of something.

He blinked, and began to lean forward. Sakura moved out of his way, but watched him questioningly.

"I don't hear the wind anymore. I think the storm might've passed."

Sakura's emerald eyes lit up, and she began smiling. "You think so?"

"Well, listen. Do you hear anything anymore?"

She closed her eyes, letting her sense of hearing take over, and when she opened them again she was nigh grinning. "Nope!"

Syaoran gave her a smile, and began digging into the snow that had filled the mouth of the cave, eagerly scooping armfuls of it out of his way until he broke into the evening daylight above. From somewhere in the distance, he could hear voices calling, and he eagerly yelled back in response. It didn't take Fai and Kurogane long to locate the two teenagers and the still-sleeping Mokona.

After they'd said their greetings, Fai proposed they head back to town to warm up, regroup, and resupply- if they were going to attempt to do this again, they'd need better equipment, and everyone agreed.

"Sakura-chan," Fai asked as they reached the final stretch of wilderness before the city. "What happened to your lip?"

Sakura blinked, confused, then touched it and hissed at the pain. She felt her cheeks begin to warm with the beginnings of a blush, and she looked away from the fair-haired man to hide it. "Oh, I bit it when I fell."

"Well, at least the cold numbed the pain and reduced the swelling, but that's a nasty cut, I think you're going to really start feeling it when it starts to warm up," Fai replied slowly, his one eye observing her carefully.

Sakura's face just turned more red. "Well, I guess I'll just have to keep ice on it. There's plenty around here."

Fai, taken completely by surprise at her remark, burst out laughing.