Hey Guys! Another new chapter is up! In this update, a battle will ensue between Sakura and Sinbad. Here, she will achieve a great power and unexpectantly, use her magic she couldn't use before...There will also be mentions of my other stories in this chapter as well. Also, there's going to be violence and drinking involved so ready at your own discretion. I'll put a warning down.
WARNING: Mentions od drinking and violence are in this chapter. Read at your own risk.
Disclaimer: I do not own CCS or Magi.
Enjoy!
"It hurts...Someone help me..." A voice whispered out in the white void. "Please...free me..." The woman begged, tears falling down her pale face. As she tried to walk, the rusty chains that gripped around her ankles held the woman back, the clinking sound echoing in the vast void. Hearing and seeing no one, she fell down and buried her face into her hands, the woman's soft honey brown hair draped over her face. Suddenly, she heard echoing footsteps, each step getting louder than before. She turned her head upwards and saw two blue orbs that sparkled with life.
"Do you want to be free? Then, take my hand."
"...Sakura? You need to stop wallowing in your sadness! It hurts me when I see you like this, ya know?" Kero sighed out as he popped a grape into his mouth. Sakura, however, ignored him and buried her face into the plump pillows on her bed. It had been a week since Sakura ran away from Sinbad, and locked herself in the room. Despite everyone attempts to coax her out, the brunette refused to budge. Some of the Sindrian generals even resorted to violence and began banging on the door and threatening to knock it over. But, to Sakura's surprise, at least four of them prevented that from happening. Though she wasn't sure who they were, the girl could tell that at least one of them was a female, most likely Yamraiha, as the woman was heard arguing loudly. Finally, they left her alone, simply leaving a tray full of food at her door. But she refused to eat. Instead, Sakura gave her food to Kero, who ate it with content. But now, the guardian was worried. If Sakura didn't get at least something in her body, she would fall seriously ill. Taking a fresh strawberry from the fruit bowl that came with today's breakfast, Kero flew over to his master and tried to feed her. "Sakura, please! you'll get sick!" Kero begged. Sakura shook her head, refusing to pop her head out from underneath the sheets.
"I'm not hungry Kero. You can just finish." She said after a while. Kero groaned in annoyance.
"You said that the last time! I'm serious Sakura! You're going to die at this rate!" Kero exasperated. But, the girl still refused to bring her head out. Finally, Kero gave up.
"...Fine. You win. But, think about the others. Do you think they'll want you to be this way?" He asked her. Not expecting an answer, he flew away to a nearby desk and fell asleep. After hearing his soft snores, Sakura pulled the sheet off of her and sighed. Then, she looked at the window. Below her, Sakura could see as street vendors advertised their products and people haggling prices down to a reasonable amount. Sakura didn't know what came over her. Ever since that incident, she felt depressed, and wanted nothing more than to leave. But, she knew that there were eyes all over the palaces, and so the girl couldn't escape.
"...Why do I feel this way? I just met this man, and yet, I felt so betrayed...Ugh! This is so confusing!" Sighing once more in frustration, Sakura picked up the breakfast tray and headed to the door. Quietly but quickly, she cracked open the door slightly and deposited the tray just out the door before she closed it. As she did so, Sakura heard groans of frustrations. Shaking her head, she took the time to talk from behind the door.
"I know you're hiding. I won't come out, no matter what you say." Then, as she turned around, a familiar voice spoke.
"We're only worried about you. Look, be mad at me. But, don't hurt yourself in the process." Sakura crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at the door.
"...I don't have to. You already did that, Sinbad." She said with a whisper. "Now, leave me alone!" Sakura yelled as she kicked the door in a fit rage. Tears began to fall down, and all her emotions began to spill out. "I don't want to see you ever again! You...You hurt me. We just met, and you already damaged me. Tell me, Was Hope the same as well?! Is that why she was so hurt all the time?! Because of what you said?!" Suddenly, Sakura clamped her mouth, realizing what she said. "Oh my...I'm sorry, I didn't...Sinbad, I didn't..." But, the damage was already done. Sakura jumped back as a large bang sounded, scaring her. Then, she heard someone running.
"Sin!" Jafar yelled out. Soon, more footsteps were heard, but they soon disappeared, leaving her alone once again. Sakura stared at the door as she backed away slowly. Then, she quickly turned around and started to grab everything.
"Kero! Wake up!" Sakura shouted as she stuffed clothes into her bag. However, as she looked over, she saw the guardian awake.
"...Let me guess. We're leaving, aren't we?" Kero asked. Sakura nodded as she grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. After quickly writing on it, Sakura turned to her guardian.
"I just...I think that if we stay here, I'll just hurt him and he'll just hurt me. I don't want that." With that, she opened a small jewelry box and pulled her headpiece, anklet, and necklace that had her wand and scythe on it. Kero shook his head.
"Sakura, I don't mean to sound rude, but, have you ever wondered why you were so hurt by his actions? Is it because you looked like another woman he once loved?" Sakura glared at him with such intensity that he flinched slightly.
"Still loves, Kero. I could, and would, never be able to replace her. And I don't want to." Then, she opened the door and poked her head at. "...Come on. There's no one here. Let's go."
Surprisingly, escaping the palace was quite easy. It seems that all the guards were gone, most likely trying to find their runaway king. After making sure no one was following her, Sakura quickly slipped her hood on and quietly blended in with the bustling crowd. Kero was hiding in her bag, but he popped his head out every once in a while to make sure that there were no suspicious figures. Despite this, Sakura couldn't help but feel as though someone was watching her. Suddenly, a large "CAW!" penetrated her ears, and Sakura looked up to see a brightly colored parrot flying above her. Sakura immediately frowned. Though these birds were common here, what was odd was that it seemed focused on her alone, and to prove that, Sakura dodged behind a building to see that the bird had followed the girl. Worried, Sakura continued to walk among the crowd, but kept her eyes on the strange bird. Finally, they reached the port where Sakura and Kero could leave the kingdom. As Sakura began to wonder what ship she should try to escape on, she heard someone yell.
"Over there! She's there!" Turning around, Sakura saw a mass of soldiers coming towards her. Spartos and a large green humanoid dragon were leading them, there eyes on her. Cursing, she grabbed onto to her necklace, and Kero pounced out from her bag. With a flash, Kero turned into a winged lion and Sakura's scythe was in her hands. Everyone began to scream and ran away. Soon, the area was void of any civilians. Sakura pointed her weapon at the Sindrian Generals.
"Look, I don't want to fight you! I just want to leave!" The green dragon shook his head.
"I'm afraid we cannot. Our king has order us to ensure that you do not leave." Growling in frustration, Sakura nodded to Kero.
"Go." Nodding, Kero pounced on the dragon, and the battle began. Not eager to hurt anyone, Sakura willed the earth to create a wall between her and the soldiers. The symbol on her scythe glowed, and a large wall or earth began to surround her. As the soldiers backed away in fear, Spartos bravely jumped between the small space as the wall began to close up. Sakura stared in awe at the general. "...Wow. I would never had done that you know?" A small blush appeared on his cheeks, but they quickly disappeared as he brought at his lance and pointed it at her.
"...Just as you have said before, I do not wish to fight you. I would willingly disobey Sinbad's order...if he had not sounded so broken. Sakura, he regrets what he did. But, I think that you should apologize as well." Spartos explained. Sakura flinched slightly.
"...I didn't mean to hurt him. But, I think it's just isn't going to go well, if I continue to stay here. I have to go." Spartos narrowed his eyes at her.
"...Hope said that too, when things went horribly wrong between her and Sinbad. She died that day. All of us were heartbroken. Sinbad fell into a depressed state for months, unable to cope with her death. He doesn't intend to make the same mistake twice." At the name "Hope", Sakura gripped her scythe tightly. Growling slightly, she glared at him.
"Hope. It's always Hope. For the last damn time, I'M NOT HER!" She screamed out. Then, she swung her scythe at him, and three earth dragons appeared from the ground and launched themselves at him. Spartos jumped and threw his lance at one of them, shattering it. Then, he jumped over the second one and kicked straight down, cracking it into two. But, he failed to notice when the third rammed into him, sending the general flying into the wall. Grunting in pain, Spartos spit out blood from his mouth as he kicked off the wall and landed near his lance. Suddenly, a blade was around his throat, and Spartos turned to see Sakura. "Checkmate." She whispered out as the earth dragon floated near her. Suddenly, the wall in front of them cracked open, and Kero came tumbling in, badly burnt and injured. Sakura stared at her still friend, horrified. "KERO!" Just then, the green dragon jumped in, and Spartos glared at him.
"Drakon! You're weren't suppose hurt them!" He said in accusatory tone. Drakon shook his head.
"I know. But that lion was strong. I accidentally released my full powers on him." Suddenly, the ground beneath Drakon shook and large, wooden roots appeared, wrapping around him tightly. As he struggled against them, Sakura walked up to him. Tears streaming down her face and gritting teeth, angry emerald orbs glared at Drakon.
"HE WAS MY FRIEND! AND YOU HURT HIM!" Then, she brought her scythe upwards. "I won't forgive you." As Sakura brought her weapon downwards, a sword intercepted it. Blinking her eyes in surprise, Sakura saw that it had been Sinbad. Jumping back, she landed near Kero and reached down. Gently stroking his fur, she saw him move slightly, and let out a breath of relief. Then, Sakura turned her attention back to Sinbad to see that all eight Sindrian Generals had gathered behind him. Looking at her opponents, the brunette let out a small laugh. "Haha...You guys are really persistent. Why don't you just let us go? We don't even belong here...I'm not Hope." She exasperated out. Then, she looked at Sinbad pleadingly. "...Haven't we hurt each other enough? Sinbad, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. But, I can't stay here any longer." The king said nothing. Instead, he took out a piece of paper that she realized was her note. Suddenly, he crumbled the paper up and dropped it. Crushing it with his foot, Sinbad pointed his sword at her.
"...If you wish to leave, you'll have to defeat me." Sakura stared at him in disbelief when she saw that in his eyes were sadness, anger, and betrayal within them. Sakura shook her head but readied herself.
"So be it." Sakura said as she launched herself at Sinbad who dodged with ease. Then, he suddenly began to chant.
"The Djinn of Wrath and Heroes, I command thee and thy Household to feed on my Magoi and empower my will with your great ability! Come forth, Baal!" Suddenly, an eight star symbol began to glow on his sword, and lightning struck Sinbad, causing Sakura had to cover her eyes. When the light disappeared, and she could see again, Sakura gasped in shock. Sinbad, who now looked like a dragon, had two horns and a jewel on his forehead and an elaborate necklace, along with a blue scale like armor all over his body and a long tail. His sword looked different as well, the hilt having a blue, scaly guard over it like a claw. Then, he pointed his sword at her. "Do you surrender?" Shaking slightly, Sakura gripped her scythe when she heard Andromalius's voice in her mind.
"My Lady, you can do the same as well...Summon me and I shall act as your armor..." Then, Sakura could hear the someone chanting using Andromalius's name. Taking a deep breath, Sakura swung her scythe down into the ground and faced Sinbad. Then she began to chant as well.
"I summon thy Djinn of Truth and Loyalty and thy Household, the one that controls the wills of thunder and lightning. Lend me thy strength and feed on my Magoi. Empower thee with thy will and grant me thy strength. Come forth, Andromalius!" Then, Sakura gripped her wand that was around her neck and pulled it loose. As she did so, the wand glowed and changed into its true form-a pink staff with a star. Sakura's anklet glowed, and lightning struck her. Everyone turned away at the bright light, but Sinbad kept looking, his eyes widening in surprise.
"...So, you do have Andromalius. There's no doubt..." Sinbad whispered. When the light faded, the generals turned and saw Sakura, but she looked different. Her hair, now a snowy white, it draped down her back in curls. Two white wolf ears appeared on her head, along with a white plush tail that was wrapped around her waist. Her nails were polished and had decorative sequins on them, glittering brightly. A golden earring was visible on her ear, along with a golden bracelet on her wrist. Wearing a white bikini, a silk skirt covered from her wait down to her legs. Their was a slit in the skirt, revealing her leg with the glowing anklet on it. Surprisingly, her cardholder was still wrapped around her thigh. What was most intriguing, however, was her wand. No longer its original form, the staff was now blue. There was still a star on top, but strings of diamond were attached to each corner of the star, making it sparkle. Sakura turned her emerald green eyes to Sinbad and pointed to him with her staff. A small smirk appeared on her face.
"To answer your question, Sinbad, I will not surrender to you." She said before charging at him.
...
The battle was fierce. Two humans, willing the strengths of of two lightning djinns, seemed equally matched. Immediately as they clashed, the two of them flew up into the air. As Sinbad swung his sword at her, Sakura blocked it with her staff. Then, she pointed her staff upwards.
"Heavenly Light!" She cried out. Suddenly, clouds began to gather around the two, and a flash of lightning struck Sinbad. Smirking, Sinbad blocked the attack with his sword, absorbing it. Then, he returned the energy to Sakura.
"Bararaq!" He shouted as the lightning from his blade sped towards Sakura. Knowing she would not be able to dodge it, she tried to block it with her staff. When it hit her staff, Sakura felt the electricity going through her body.
"Ugh!" She groaned as she took full brunt of the assault. Hissing in pain, Sakura wondered how she could subdue the king when something began to glow from her cardholder. Suddenly, a card flew out from underneath her skirt, glowing in front of her. When Sakura grabbed it, the glow faded, revealing it to be the Sword. Eyes widening, she turned to Sinbad and held the card out. Then, she closed her eyes and brought the wand to the card. A glowing circle appeared underneath her-a star, moon, and sun. Sakura began to chant once more.
"Sword Card, appear and defeat the enemy who stands in my way. Sword Card, Release and Dispel!" Sakura cried out as she brought her wand to the card. The Sword card glowed and turned into smoke. The smoke then surrounded the wand, and transformed. Now, Sakura held a shining rapier with silver wings as the handles. A feather-like guard over it, Sakura pointed the blade at Sinbad. Then, without hesitation, she sliced the air. By reflex alone, Sinbad flew out of the way. As he did so, the very spot where once floated was sliced in half, the mark etching into the ground. As he stared in awe, Sinbad felt something wet on his cheek. Wiping it, he saw that it was blood.
"That blade cut me...even though I quickly flew out of the way...What sorcery is this?" He thought to himself. He had no more time to ponder when Sakura advance upon, the king barely able to block the attack with his sword. Suddenly, a familiar voice appeared in his mind.
"My king, I suggest you be cautious. You may have defeated her before, but she now has a new magic to bolster her current state." Sinbad smirked at that comment.
"Thanks Baal. But, I know her. And I can beat her." With that, the battle continued.
...
Sakura began to feel the fatigue setting into her bones as she evaded Sinbad's latest attack. "I...don't have enough strength left...If Kero was here, wait. KERO!" The girl's thought quickly went to her dear friend. Sneaking a look down to him, Sakura saw that the generals were tending to him, though he had reverted back to his false form. Sighing in relief, she didn't notice that Sinbad took the chance to attack until it was too late.
"Take this!" Sinbad yelled as he swung down. Sakura gasped in surprise and tried to block the attack, but it managed to hit her shoulder. Crying it in pain, Sakura flew away from Sinbad, clutching her now bleeding shoulder. Hissing in pain, Sakura suddenly felt light headed.
"No, not now..." She whispered before her Djinn Equip disappeared, and Sakura started to plummet to the ground. She would have died instantly had Sinbad not swooped in a saved her. Gently floating to the ground, Sinbad carried her bridal styled back to the others, his Djinn Equip disappearing as well. Jafar sighed in relief.
"Thank goodness that's over with. You and Hope always had such long fights. It made me worried that you both might lose too much Magoi to sustain your Djinn Equip and fall in mid battle. But, I guess that's in the past. Let's get you two healed up." He said as he reached to grab Sakura. Sinbad stopped him though.
"Wait..." He said. Nodding his head to Sakura's arm, the two saw that the rapier was still in her hand, glowing. Raising an eyebrow in surprise, Jafar bent over to take it out of her hand when electricity started to come out of it. Jafar had to pounce back as Sinbad dropped her gently onto the ground before retreating as well. As they did so, the electricity disappeared. Suddenly, her headpiece began to glow, and Windy materialized in front of them. She stared at the people before her eyes fell on Sakura. Then, she looked and saw Kero, bandaged, but heavily injured. Then, Windy, gently floated down to her mistress. Gently taking the rapier out of her hand, the spirit pointed the blade to Sinbad, anger suddenly in her eyes.
"I will never forgive you. You may have brought your presence into this world, but I will not let you harm my Mistress again. The one who attempt to go against her will, I swear, I will cut you down. Even if it means that I will be damned forever." Then, Windy disappeared, returning back to Sakura's headpiece. The rapier reverted back into a pink wand, and the Sword Card returned back to the cardholder. With a glow, the wand shrank into a key, and dropped down with a clink.
...
"Sakura..." Someone whined to her. Groaning, Sakura attempted to sit up when she felt a shearing pain in her shoulder. Clutching it, the brunette opened her eyes and saw Kero looking at her worriedly. He was bandaged from head to toe, and his fur was visibly singed. She looked around, and saw herself back in her room. Then, everything came back to her.
"Kero, I remember now. You were badly hurt after we engaged against the generals, and I started to fight Sinbad...Then, he transformed into this dragon...and, I...I did too. With Andromalius. Kero, I think Sinbad somehow had the same power as Andromalius does...His sword glowed when he transformed so I think that's the source of the power...Does he have a Djinn as well?" Kero sighed as he floated down onto her bed.
"You're asking the wrong person Sakura. I only know about the magic Clow made, not these Djinns." He replied. Sakura nodded when a particular scene replayed in her head.
"Kero...When I transformed...The key, it did so as well. I, Kero, I could use the Clow cards..." Kero widened his eyes at the response.
"What? You could use the key and Clow cards without a hitch when you transformed...? This doesn't make sense, unless..." Suddenly, Kero snapped his fingers. "I think I understand know! Sakura, maybe you couldn't use the cards before because something was blocking your ability to do so. But, I think that the transformation you underwent acted as a shield so you could use your magic. If that is the case, then these "Djinns" may potentially have the same magic as Clow did...but the question is, why?" Just then, the sound of the doorknob twisting stopped their conversation, and the two turned to see a large blue haired woman coming in with a basket of bandages. When she saw them, the woman broke into a smile.
"Ah! You're awake now. But, you shouldn't push yourself. After all, you just fought with Sinbad." The woman said as she walked over to them. Then, reaching into the basket, she brought a roll of bandages. "Here, let me change the bandages. By the way, my name is Pipirika." As she changed the wrappings, Sakura couldn't help but wonder that Pipirika looked awfully familiar to someone. Then, an idea put in her mind.
"Piripika...You wouldn't happen to be related to Hinahoho, are you?" Sakura asked cautiously. The giant woman stared at her before breaking out into a laugh.
"Haha! I think it's pretty obvious that I am. After all, you don't see giant people with blue hair do you?" Sighing and wiping a tear from her eye, Piripika nodded. "Yes. Hinahoho is my brother. In fact, he asked me to take care of you. Apparently, Sinbad called all the Sindrian Generals for an emergency meeting." Then, she stood up and began to leave. "I'll let you rest now." But, as she opened the door, giant like children rushed in, all with blue hair. They began to crowd around a very surprised Sakura. Pirpika started to scold the children.
"What exactly do you think you're all doing?! She needs rest, and does not need to be aggravated by rowdy children. Kikiriku, I expected better from you! You are the eldest!" She scolded towards the tallest one. Kikiriku responded back by sticking his tongue. Then, he turned his attention to Sakura.
"Aunty! Come play with us again! You promised, didn't you, that you'd play with us when you got back from the Kou Empire? Right?" Sakura stared blankly at them.
"...I'm sorry. But, I think you mistaken me for a different person. I'm sure you're talking about Hope, right?" She asked politely. Kikiriku and the other children stared at her, confused. Then, one of the younger children, a girl, pointed at her.
"But, aren't you Aunty Hope?" she asked innocently. Sakura smiled sadly at her.
"No, I'm not. I'm just someone who looks very much like her. I'm sorry..." Suddenly, the youngest child began to cry.
"Wah! No! You lie! You promised! You promised you come and play with us!" Then, all the others began to cry as well. As Piripika tried to calm them all down. Sakura noticed that the eldest was not crying. While he looked upset, Kikiriku displayed another emotion...one that confused her greatly. Anger. Suddenly, he opened the window that was next to them. Quickly, he grabbed Sakura and carried out the window.
"Kikiriku!" Piripika yelled at him. "Come back here or I'll tell your Father!" But, he kept running, and Sakura, knowing she would not be able to struggle against him, laid there quietly.
...
After some time, Kikiriku brought her to a lake. Sakura widened her eyes in surprise as she realized where she was brought to. "I feel like I've been here before...but why? Ugh! My head!" As she clutched her head, Sakura suddenly remembered that Masrur had brought her here before. "I remember now...but, why did I ever forget in the first place?" As they reached the lake's edge, the child set her down gently. Then, he sat down as well. They sat there, silent for a few moments, before he spoke up.
"...Why did you lie, Aunty?" Sakura turned to look at him. Kikiriku's face was solemn, his eyes boring into her. "Why, Aunty? You knew how much we missed you, and yet...you lied. Tell me why, Aunty Hope." Sakura closed her eyes and sighed.
"Kikiriku...I told you this before. I'm not Hope." The giant child shook his head, refusing to believe her.
"N,No! You...you promised you'd be back...Remember? You used to babysit me with Big Brother Jafar, and you'd make me little trinkets to play with. Look! I have with me!" He exclaimed as the child brought out a worn but clean seal toy. His eyes darkened as the boy noticed the confused look on Sakura face, and gripped the doll tightly. "It can't be...after all this time...you forgot us?" Then, he broke down and started to cry. Burying his face into his hands, Sakura stared at him. Suddenly, she lifted up her hand and began caressing his head, messing up the child's spiky blue hair. Surprised, Kikiriku looked up to see Sakura quietly comforting him.
"Shh...It's alright...Kikiriku, I may not be Hope, but I can tell you that she loved you dearly. Don't let her see the tears that come from your eyes. Smile, for her. For me." Sniffling, the child wiped away his tears roughly and looked out to the lake.
"...This was your...her, favorite place to be. I remembered because whenever she babysit me, Aunty brought me here and told me a bunch of stories. Like, about a woman who could control the dead, the dragon who had a passion in tactics, and a thief who loved to steal and create art...And with the calming atmosphere, it felt so peaceful. It soon became my favorite place as well." Then he looked down at the doll in his hands. "...This was the last thing she gave to me, before she died. But, she told me and my siblings that she'd be back, and we'd all play together again...I guess that won't ever happen." He said bitterly. Sakura looked at him sympathetically.
"I know how it feels, when you lose someone you loved dearly. My mother died when I was four. I still feel sad, but I know she's looking after me, as an angel." Sakura smiled. "And I know Hope is too." Kikiriku chuckled.
"...I suppose you're right. I'm sorry, for abducting you and everything." Then, he held out his hand. "OK?" Sakura looked at his large hand before taking it and shaking firmly.
"OK." Then, a loud bellowing voice sounded from behind them.
"Kikiriku! There you are!" Turning around, the two saw Hinahoho, along with Spartos, Masrur, and Yamraiha walking towards them. Kikiriku immediately stood up and bowed,
"I'm sorry Dad! I just...I..." Hinahoho stared at his son before patting him on the head.
"It's alright kiddo. I understand why ya did it. Now, go back to your aunt, OK?" Nodding, the child began to run off before he suddenly stopped and ran back to Sakura. Then, he hugged her tightly.
"Thank you for comforting me." Then, Kikiriku ran off and disappeared in the dense jungle. Sakura sighed but smiled when she saw the four generals staring at her.
"Uh, is something the matter?" She asked them. "Wait...How did you know we'd be here?" The four of them remained silent when Yamraiha suddenly pointed to Masrur.
"Oh! You see, Masrur led us here! Yeah, that's right! He's a Fanalis so he has an acute sense of smell!" The magician replied nervously. Spartos face palmed himself.
"...How awkward must you make that answer, Yamraiha?" Spartos murmured out. Yamraiha blushed a brilliant red.
"Sh...Shut up! At least I'm trying to come up with something! Mr. Boring Knight!" Spartos stared at her.
"Really? That's the comeback you come up with? No wonder Sharkkan always gets into fights with you." Growling in anger, the female raised her staff when she was suddenly held back by Masrur.
"...I don't think we should be fighting in front of her." The Fanalis answered as he nodded towards Sakura. Sighing, Yamraiha put her staff down.
"Fine." She announced with a huff. Hinahoho let a loud laugh.
"Haha! Man, you always manage to crack me up, even when you aren't getting into fight with Sharkkan!" As the four generals began to chat among themselves, Sakura smiled at them and giggled a little. Having heard her, the group turned to face the girl. Realizing that they heard her, Sakura smiled at them.
"...You guys seem really close, to act like that with each other. I vaguely recalled Masrur telling me that there were others with him when they comforted Hope. Could the rest be the three of you?" Suddenly, Sakura realized how silent they were. "Huh? Was it something I said?" The generals didn't answer, only giving her cryptic looks. Then, Spartos spoke up.
"We'd appreciate, Sakura, if you didn't tell anyone about this meeting or this place. This lake is perhaps the last area where Sinbad hasn't seen or touch, and we would like to keep it that way...Please?" Sakura stared at him and the others before nodding slowly.
"I understand...But, can you tell me why this place has to remain a secret?" Spartos shook his head.
"I'm sorry...we cannot say." Sakura smiled.
"...I get it. Now, why don't we head back? By the looks of it, the sun's getting ready to set...Uh, Masrur? Can you lead me back? I don't where the palace is..."
...
"Huh? Where am I?" Sakura asked herself. "I was with four of the generals...then they took me back to the palace, and I went to bed. Yes, that's what happened. But...what is this place?" No doubt that she was in a dream, the brunette found herself in front of a massive door, blocked by glowing chains. However, the door was partially opened, and she could hear voices from beyond the doors. Part of her told her to leave, to go back. But, when she saw glowing white birds surrounding it, Sakura vaguely remembered the time she was blocked by someone who controlled them. Then, the girl noticed a familiar woman standing next to the doors. "It's you!" Sakura cried out. The woman stared at her, before smiling sadly, her eyes depicting an undescribable emotion. By now, the blue was almost gone from her. Her hair, now only brown and purple, ad her eyes only gold and emerald green with flecks of blue. Then she pointed to the doors.
"...Do you wish to see? These were your memories after all. He cannot hide the truth forever, and there is no better time then now. Is that your desire?" The woman asked her. Sakura stared at her before nodding slightly.
"Yes...I do wish to see." The girl said despite the foreboding feeling that whatever she was about to see would shock her. Then, with a flick of her wrist, the woman broke the chains that bonded the door. The birds fluttered erratically around the door one last time before fleeing, and soon, pink butterflies replaced them. The door opened before Sakura, and when she turned to thank the woman, the girl saw that she had disappeared. Then, Sakura took a deep breath and walked into the blinding light, with her eyes shut. Soon, she opened her eyes to reveal a lively tavern of sorts. As men drank from their mugs and ate heartily from their plates, Sakura couldn't help but feel a small connection to this place, despite that this was the first time she came here. Suddenly, she heard loud guffaws from her right and turned to see a table full of men laughing indignantly. Sakura widened her eyes in surprise as she realized that she had seen them before, in another dream. A muscular man who had both eyes covered with a black bandanna, was slapping a man with blue hair and glasses on the back, jokingly as he congratulated him.
"Haha! I can't believe it Ugo! To think, you finally got a girl! And a kid coming soon! When were you going to tell us this?" He asked with a laugh, The light blue haired man chuckled nervously.
"...I was going to tell you guys soon, but there just wasn't a right time." Then, to Ugo's left, a man with purple hair, who was also wearing glasses, smiled.
"Wahid is right. This is such important news, especially since your girlfriend is someone important!" Suddenly, a drunken green haired man slammed his head onto the table.
"Wah! Why do you get a girl Ugo?! You're way older than me, and yet, you got the hottest woman in this country! How is that fair?!" He shouted erratically. The purple haired man tried to calm him down.
"Brother Ithan, I know you used to like her, but, instead of whining about it, you should be happy. She hasn't found love for a while now, so I'm sure she's quite ecstatic to have found Ugo." Ithnan sniffled as he continued to cry.
"Ugh...It's not fair Setta...I've been after her for so long, and Ugo comes in and takes her?!" As he continued to pout and whine, a woman with long orange hair and a large bosom tsked at him while carrying her toddler son.
"Geez Ithnan. Like, you are such a baby, Aru. You need to, like, chill." Then, she turned her attention back to another woman with long brown hair in two ponytails. "Like, Arba, where is Makhi, Aru?" Arba nodded towards the building on their left.
"Makhi went with Sheba to visit her...I'm afraid Sheba may do something rash if Makhi isn't there to calm the situation down." The, she turned to look at a man sulking in a dark corner. "But, Falan,...I don't think she'll be the only one..." Sakura turned and saw yet another familiar man from her previous dream. Still having his blue hair in a long braid and an Arabic styled outfit, Sakura jumped back a little when she noticed the anger in his eyes. His hand, carrying a half empty jug of alcohol, twitched every now and then, and the target of the unruly glare seemed to be Ugo. As Sakura wondered why he was so upset, Ithan suddenly jumped from his seat and began to shout.
"WHAT?! YOU'RE GOING TO PROPOSE TO HER?!" Ugo shrank back in embarrassment while Falan face-palmed herself. Setta and Wahid struggled to get Ithnan to calm down. Suddenly, everyone in the room began to cheer.
"Way to go Ugo!"
"Yeah Ugo! Congrats pal!"
"You''ll invite me to your wedding right?!"
In the confusion, Sakura noticed that Arba had sneaked passed her and seemed to be utterly failing in trying to appease the blue haired man.
"Master Solomon, please! You had too much to drink and aren't thinking straight." She whispered out. "Why don't we go back and-?" Suddenly she was pushed out of the way by him. "Master Solomon!" She cried out as the blue haired man went up to the table. Everyone stared at him, some even looking slightly nervous. Ugo began to cower slightly under his shadow, visibly shaking.
"...Solomon?" Suddenly, the man punched Ugo in the face. Chaos ensued as the men gathered to try and restrain Solomon who was struggling ferociously. Setta brought out his staff and held it near Ugo who was holding his bruising jaw. As Setta worked to heal it, Wahid began to question the assaulter.
"Solomon! What the hell?! Did all that alcohol go to your head or something?!" Wahid yelled. Solomon growled as he tried to free himself.
"That man! That man took the one thing I loved from me!" He hissed out. "The one person I loved...Stolen from me!" Tears began to fall from his eyes as he glared at Ugo. "Ugo! I trusted you and you betrayed me!" Ugo looked slightly guilty, but before Sakura could infer more about it, a sudden shout was heard.
"What is going on here?!" Everyone stopped talking and turned to see a woman with flowing honey brown hair and sharp emerald green eyes come in, along with a woman whose pink hair resembled cat ears and a brown haired boy with gold flecks in his eyes. No longer wearing a shawl to cover her face, Sakura had to hold back a gasp as she realized that the woman...looked exactly like her. Her dress swooshed behind her as she walked in, angry emerald green orbs scanned the area. As her eyes landed o the perpetrator, the woman frowned deeply.
"Solomon...I had hoped it wasn't you who caused this mess...I suppose that's shattered." Walking up to the man, the woman signaled the men to let him go. As he touched the ground again, he barely had time to react when she slapped him across the face, hard. Tears began to drip from her eyes as the woman glared angrily at him. "How could you...? I thought we agreed never to fight with our comrades with anger!" The man said nothing as he turned his back to her, his cheek gaining a red tinge to it. Solomon looked at her with his eyes filled with anger and betrayal.
"...And I thought we agreed we'd never hide secrets from each other, Aini." Sakura gasped at the name.
"It can't be...! Aini?!" The woman, now known as Aini, did not answer him right away. She put her had on her stomach and sighed.
"Some secrets...should be better left unsaid." With that she started walking out the room. She stopped at the doorway, still tear-stained, and looked back at him. "Because of your destructive behavior today, I'm taking you off the squad. I will lead the team and have Makhi take the empty space. Think about what you've done as you stay here, in Alma Torran..." And she left. Soon, with the festive spirit gone, the people began to scatter one by one. Setta led his drunken brother out by the arm, and Wahid and Falan quickly followed them. Arba gave one last look to Solomon before helping Ugo up and beckoned the male child to come.
"Come along Makhi...it's time for us to leave..." The boy looked at the pink haired woman worriedly before following his mother out. As he was led out, Ugo had tears silently falling from his face like melting beads of wax. Whether it was from the pain or something else entirely, Sakura wasn't sure. Soon, all that was left was the woman and Solomon. As she stared at him, the woman suddenly spoke up.
"...You know, when I first saw, I thought you were such a great man, even with my deep beliefs in God. But...now? You're still the same man, but you've been broken, by a woman...Solomon, I knew you loved her. I always knew. That's why...I can't stand to see you like this. Go ahead. Cry and mourn all you want. But, Aini will never go back to you, not like this...and if I were her, I, Sheba, wouldn't as well." Then, she left, leaving the man finally alone. Seeing no one there, Solomon slid to the ground as he touched his reddening cheek with his hand. Then, he looked up to the seeing and sobbed. Unable to see, the scene any longer, Sakura turned away when she was suddenly pulled out the door. With a loud grunt, Sakura rubbed her bottom and looked up to see the door leading to the scene suddenly shut. The white birds appeared once more and shooed the pink butterflies away, and began to form chains that snaked around the doors. Then, Sakura suddenly heard yelling behind her. Turning around, she saw as the woman who had opened the door narrowly missing a barrage of white birds as they charged at her. Sakura, out of the chaos, noticed the birds beginning to turn grey. As the woman tried to evade the birds, she kept constantly yelling at the birds.
"Father! Please! She must know if she is to protect this world! Do you really want her to be kept in the darkness forever?!" She cried out. As the birds kept attacking, a booming voice answered with anger.
"YOU HAD NO RIGHT!" Suddenly, the woman slipped and landed on the ground with a yelp. As the birds descended on her, Sakura jumped between them.
"Stop it!" Then, pink butterflies suddenly appeared and surrounded her, creating a round shield in front of her. The birds crashed into the butterflies, and they disintegrated. Panting heavily, Sakura turned to the woman who stared at her in surprise. "Are...you OK?" Sakura panted out. The woman nodded.
"Yes...You...protected me again..." She whispered out. Sakura stared at her.
"Huh? Again?" Suddenly, white birds began to gather again, and Sakura saw as they began to form a familiar silhouette. "Hnn?! It's you!" Sakura cried out as she realized who it was. That man was no other than the person she saw from the door, Solomon. Exactly as he looked before, rage filled his eyes as a frown marred his handsome face. A glowing eight pointed star, the very same one she had on her anklet, was placed in the middle of his forehead, where the red mark should be. As he stepped forward, Sakura held her ground as she threw her arms up to protect the woman. "Why are you hurting her?! Isn't she your daughter?!" Sakura questioned. Solomon growled in response.
"Step aside. She has disobeyed me more than enough times!" Then, raising an arm, a flock of grey birds began to gather. Suddenly, a wave of emotions washed over Sakura. Sadness. Regret. Anguish. Unhappiness. Tears beginning to fall from her eyes, Sakura let all of them out.
"So?! So what if she disobeyed you?! Is this what you want?! Is this want Aini wanted?! IS THIS WHAT I WANT?!" Solomon suddenly halted, and the birds began to disappear. Then, he looked at her, examining her in a new light.
"A...Aini?" Soon, the birds that made him up were glowing, and returned to their shiny white. "I...I...What have I done...?" Solomon whispered out as he fell to the floor, clutching his head in shame. Then he looked to the woman behind Sakura. "My dearest Evelyn...I'm so sorry. I had no idea what came over me..." Evelyn smiled sadly at her father.
"It is alright...All I wanted was for you to return back to normal...It seems some ghost are harder to disappear..." Then, she got up and walked to her father before wrapping him into a hug. As Sakura watched them, she replayed what she said all over in her mind.
"Is this what I wanted...Why did I say that? And...did just Solomon call me Aini...?" Sakura thought in her mind. Then, she saw the two get up and face her. Solomon looked at her and bowed.
"My apologies for you to have seen that..." Then, he straightened himself. "If you were wondering...I was the person who called you here into this world. As I have said before, an old enemy seeks to destroy this world...Aini. Will you protect this world that we have created?" Sakura stared at him in shock and gaped at him. All of her instincts told her to say, that she didn't even know this man. And yet...Sakura felt as though she had a connection to him, one filled with love and passion. Then, she said one word that shocked her.
"Yes." Evelyn smiled at her while Solomon looked surprised. Then, wrapping an arm around her father, Evelyn waved to Sakura.
"We must leave now...But, I promise, we will meet again soon. Though, not in a way you'd expect..." Then, then the two of them disappeared, and Sakura found that she was losing herself in the darkness.
Mistakes and regrets are forgiven and healed...and a new identity is revealed as well as a new magic. What is the meaning behind Sakura's transformation and the use of the Clow Cards? Why are they only able to work with this new form? What is the secret that the four generals, Spartos, Masrur, Hinahoho, and Yamraiha, so desperate to keep from Sinbad? Sakura has discovered the dark secret Solomon so desperately tried to hide from her, and revealed a shocking truth. Aini is Sakura. But, what does it mean? And the woman who has helped Sakura is revealed to be Evelyn, the daughter of Solomon. What does she mean when she says that they will meet again in an unexpected way? And who is this old enemy Solomon speaks of? Until Next Time...
So, I guess it's time to go over some important details.
Sakura's Djinn Equip: So, you'll probably be wondering, "How did Sakura manage to get it on the first try?" Well, let's just say that this isn't the first time she's done it, if you catch my drift.
Clow Cards: So before, Sakura couldn't manage to summon her key out. Now, with her Djinn Equip, she can. Why or how I won't say, but it's been heavily implied in my chapter how it's possible. Also, I know that magic between magicians and Djinns counter each other, hence why Magicians can't become Household Vessels or Metal Vessel Users. But, as said in this chapter, what if their magic is one and the same...? That's all I'll say fro now.
Ugo: As stated before in a previous chapter, Ugo is pretending to be dating Aini and the father of the child she's bearing. He's doing this because of the terrible secret she told him, but I'm not saying what it is!~ But, there is actually another reason. If you look at my other story, A New Life, you'll see it.
Solomon: Well, as you can tell, Solomon is not happy with Ugo. But, he's forgiven him, at least to a certain extent. He didn't know that child Aini carried was actually his, and was furious that his most trusted friend secretly "dated" her and "knocked her up" (Sorry for the vulgar use of words). If you're wondering who that kid was, it's not Aladdin. And yes, it was Solomon who brought Sakura and her friends here. He will be seen later, but there's is something I will tell you in the next point after "Evelyn".
Evelyn: Yes, the mysterious woman who had helped Sakura is called Evelyn. She is Solomon's and Aini's daughter. Which makes her half siblings with Aladdin. (Yes, Aladdin's mom is still Sheba, which is slightly awkward considering what he did in a certain chapter...). Anyways, just like Solomon, this isn't the last time you'll see her.
Children and Reincarnation: I already told tomoyo0000001 in a PM, but the children that Sakura, Tomoyo, and Syaoran are making will all be reincarnations of certain people from Alma Torran, including my OC which is Evelyn. Who they are and which parent they'll get I won't say. But, you can probably tell who Evelyn's parents are. (Hint: It has something to do with her appearance.)
Grey Rukh?: Yes, it is possible (in my story at least). Basically, it's where the rukh are pure but are slowly being tainted by certain events. Solomon is still the "God" of that world, but the past still weighs him heavily, to the point where it might potentially corrupt him. This will be a major element in the story later on.
tomoyo0000001: I'm glad you enjoyed the story! Don't worry, Kougyoku's isn't going to lose that innocent outlook on things, at least, not for a while at least. With Hakuryuu, believe it or not, I was highly considering doing the scene where Sheba tried to get Solomon to go out with her as well. But, that doesn't mean I won't use it *Hint, Hint*. Yes, after some debate, I made Syaoran the son of Scheherazade, and there will aactually be mentio of his past in the next chapter actually. Your theory is actually pretty close, but it's slightly off. You'll see. Yeah, the part where they were prepared to beat up Judal is my favorite. They may have found Tomoyo and Syaoran, but that doesn't mean they spared him...you'll see soon.
Until Next Time! R&R!