Chapter 06: New Rivals
Sakura awoke to a frenzied jostling. She opened her eyes to see Syaoran struggling under her to escape his bonds. "What are you doing?" Sakura asked tiredly.
"Bathroom," he responded anxiously. Sakura had no choice but to release him. She knew it was dangerous to let him loose in his current state, but there were no other options unless she wanted him to lay in a pile of his own waste until he recovered.
As soon as Syaoran could move, he rushed into the bathroom and slammed the door. After a minute, Sakura heard the toilet flush and then the water began to run. A few minutes later, she realized that it was taking Syaoran much too long to finish washing his hands.
"Syaoran?"
He didn't answer.
She banged on the door - there was no response from him. She knew then that she had made a mistake letting him loose. Sakura removed the key that hung around her neck and hoped that at least this one bit of Clow magic would still work for her.
The key, though obviously the wrong size and shape, slid easily into the keyhole. When the key was turned, the door unlocked. Sakura pushed the door open to find Syaoran sitting against the wall in a catatonic state. A cluster of pills were clasped in his hand. She took the drugs from him and then dragged him back to his bed and retied his limbs. Then she dumped the confiscated pills into the toilet. They were flushed like the bottle of methadone from the previous night.
Sakura couldn't stop the tears from flowing out as she blamed herself for what had just happened. She had fallen for a stupid trick.
Sakura sat in the corner, hugging her knees to her chest, on the cold hard tiles. There were probably more backups in place. She should have known that he would have backup pills. She knew how messed up Syaoran was. After Meiling had flushed them, he would have surely created backup stashes.
Sakura began searching. It wasn't long before they began turning up. A small bottle had been taped under the lid of the toilet reservoir. One pill had been stuck into the cap of the toothpaste. Another bottle was hidden in the light fixture. Several packages were wrapped in the spare linens. Sakura could not believe the collection she was amassing, just from the bathroom. There was no way that she could do this on her own.
Sakura dumped the pills and went to find Wei to see if the servants could help in the search. Before she reached him, she realized that it was a futile attempt. What if he had hidden some with magic? Even if they found all the hidden pills in the enormous mansion, he could always force someone to give him more, steal them, or resort to acquiring unsafe illegal drugs to satiate his addiction.
She felt completely helpless. It wasn't like she could be with him every second of every day... Or maybe she could...
Sakura found Wei and asked his opinion on her plan. He agreed that it was the best solution and said that he would arrange everything for her.
"Your father remained at the lab last night." Wei informed her, knowing that she needed to get away and relieve some of her stress, "I am sure he would appreciate it if you cleaned yourself up and went to visit him. I'll have everything ready when you return."
It took almost no time at all for her to get to the facility thanks to the traveling magic. She just went down the stairs and used the book to find the correct door. A minute later, she was halfway across the city, coming out of the janitorial supply cupboard.
"What are you doing here?" An older boy had been coming from the other end of the hall and had seen her exit the closet. He was a tall and muscular Caucasian boy. He had reddish-blond hair and blue eyes.
Sakura couldn't help but notice the powerful magical aura that resonated from the golden manacle attached to his wrist, even though it felt as if he had no magic of his own at all. It took her a moment to process what he had said, since he was speaking in English. While she had learned the language as was required in school, her skills were not of the highest caliber.
"What you doing here?" Sakura asked innocently. She already knew the answer, but the response made it appear as if she belonged in the building and he didn't. The fact that he has such a powerful artifact made her nervous, especially since she didn't know him.
The boy seemed rather taken aback by her response and Sakura was wishing that it hadn't been such a lame one. They stood looking at each other for a moment. When he moved, she sidestepped into a more advantageous position. She now got a good look at the manacle around his wrist and recognized the Egyptian symbols on it. She wondered if the Rusaki family had sent him here for some reason. She secretly palmed a lightning ofuda just in case the guy tried to cause any trouble.
"You shouldn't be here." The boy said and reached out to grab Sakura's arm. She slammed the ofuda onto the manacle and channeled her energy into it. Both were sent flying by the resulting discharge.
Sakura struggled to her feet. Her hand throbbed painfully from the shock that the boy had somehow diverted back to her, or at least partly anyway. She didn't know who the boy was, but his magic was very powerful. Her ofuda now lay in ashes while his manacle still appeared to be in perfect shape.
"I stop what you planning," Sakura said as she faced off against the mystery guy who had also returned to his feet. She withdrew another ofuda. This time she did not bother trying to hide it.
"What the bloody-"
"Imperial king of lightning, strike!" Sakura chanted in her native tongue and shot a bolt of lightning towards him. He raised his manacle and somehow dispersed the electric attack.
"How did you-" He didn't have time to finish his question before he found himself blocking a flurry of strikes from Sakura's fists. Before he knew it, he was on the floor with Sakura holding an ofuda to his throat.
"Why you here?" Sakura demanded.
"I was invited here to participate in an archaeological expedition," he replied as he somehow made Sakura fly off him and hover in the air. He peeled off the paper ofuda that was stuck to his throat, "My name is Alex O'Connell."
After a few moment's pause he said, "I believe it's customary to give your name when someone introduces himself."
"Kinomoto Sakura," Alex's face blanched at the name. Sakura smirked. He knew who he she was now. "In three hundred sixty four days, I am Li Sakura." She added flippantly. This did not make Alex any less nervous. She suddenly felt very guilty for saying it. She hadn't wanted to rub her power in his face. Wei had sent her here to calm down and relax, instead she was getting into meaningless fights and acting like a bitch.
"Are you perhaps related to Professor Kinomoto?" Alex prayed that she wasn't.
"My father," She replied much more civilly as she was set gently on the ground. She smiled nervously, hoping to ease the tension a bit.
"I guess we got off to a bad start," He laughed nervously as he held out his hand to help her up.
"You not with Rusaki or Shiza Corporation?" she asked. She ignored the offered hand and refused to let her guard down until she was sure of his intentions. The bewildered look on his face told her that he had not even heard of the aforementioned entities.
"Who are-" He began to ask.
"Forget this. It not matter." Sakura smiled genuinely as she deflected his question. No damage had been done to the building, so if this Alex kept his mouth shut her father would not hear about this incident, and more importantly, neither would Yelan or the elders. Alex could not agree more with this sentiment. He smiled and silently agreed not to say anything about their first encounter.
They stood there awkwardly for a moment. Sakura straightened the folds in her skirt and Alex traced his finger along the engravings of his manacle until the silence was interrupted by another girl.
"Alex, what's taking so long?" The girl called down the hall. This girl made Sakura feel even more nervous than Alex did. She had a powerful magical aura as well as several items with magical auras hidden on her person. She had shoulder length black hair with slightly longer bangs that framed her face. She wore an orange hoodie and blue jeans. She walked towards them and said in a surprisingly friendly manner, "You're Professor Kinomoto's daughter aren't you? My name's Jade."
"You know her?" Alex was surprised. She had arrived at the same time as he had so there was no way that she had met Sakura earlier.
"No, but he mentioned that his daughter had come and she's obviously not one of us," Jade pointed out, "she's obviously Japanese too, duh." Jade gestured at Sakura's face.
Alex didn't see it. She looked the same as everyone else in the country to him.
"You're here to see him aren't you?" Jade asked. Sakura nodded. "He's in the main room at the end of the hall. He's just introducing everyone. Which is where this slacker should be."
"Thanks, Jade" Sakura said, hiding her unease.
"Now, you have heard about me. Now we will hear about each of you," Fujitaka told the assembled students. His English, while better than Sakura's thanks to his lectures he had given in the language, was still slightly lacking, but it was the only language that all the students could understand to any extent.
"Furiya Kokoru," Kokoru stated. "Towa University. Number one in Kinomoto-hakase's class." Kokoru stated proudly as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He smirked proudly at his mastery of the English language and the opportunity to rub his connection with Professor Kinomoto in the faces of all the other students.
"Je suis Evalese Merdeaux. I come from France, and I like things that are sweet," the girl who was sitting next to Kokoru said. She had long blonde hair and bright blue eyes and skin so smooth that it looked as if she had never been touched. Her clothes were very revealing and she used her Parisian accent seductively.
"Benjamin Velsen," the next boy said as he tried to avoid looking at the woman next to him who was subtly trying to make him do the opposite. Benjamin was slightly scrawny with short brown hair and brown eyes. He dressed much more conservatively than Evalese and was refusing to look anyone in the eye.
At this point Sakura, Jade and Alex entered the room. Jade and Alex walked to the front and sat in the seats that had been unoccupied. Sakura hung out at the back of the room while the introductions continued. With a quick glance, Sakura realized that every person in the room had some sort of magical aura attached to them. For some of them it was just a latent magical ability that was strong enough to be used but was never practiced; others carried items that were magically imbued, and a rare few had powerful auras of practiced magic users. The boy who had just introduced himself seemed to be the only one with no talent for magic whatsoever, nor any magical implements.
Once again, Sakura realized that she had missed something obvious. It should have been obvious to her that one of the leading factors for choosing the students would be their magical ability. Even untapped magical ability like Touya's could lead someone to notice what others would not. Someone who trained their abilities... they could be useful in other areas if the clan could persuade them.
The Li clan had managed to make this into more than an archaeological research expedition. It was now also a recruitment exercise. That explained why there was a Li hidden among the students to evaluate them. She wondered what other motivations the clan had, and why she hadn't seen it earlier.
Twice in one day, she had made major blunders that could have cost the clan a great deal. She began to wonder if she was even fit to become a member of the clan and whether the clan's spy would be evaluating her and her father as well. She felt determined to figure out who the spy was.
"Li Fei. Hong Kong University," The next girl said. She had long black hair and dressed in more formal attire than the other students. Sakura became instantly suspicious of the girl. She wondered if this girl was he spy sent to watch over the students. The name certainly fit, but it was too obvious.
"Jade Chan. Everything else is classified." The girl she had met in the hall said. She was also a possibility. She had known who Sakura was after all, and her magical abilities were not to be taken lightly. Jade gave the group a big smile and a thumbs up before sitting back down in her chair.
"Yosef Meir from Israel. I hope to one day uncover one of the lost cities that are mentioned in the Torah and learn more of my people's past." He was very Jewish. He wore clothes of white linen and had ringlets in the corners of his bushy brown beard.
"Johannes Hauberk of Germany. My father vas a banker. I did not vant to be one, zo 'ere I am." Other than his wire-rimmed spectacles, this boy was dressed and acted casually. He had short cropped blond hair and blue eyes. His expensive looking suit contrasted his slouched posture.
"Sara Wood from America," the next girl said, "People used to live in harmony with the environment, and I want to show the world that we can do it again." She had frizzy brown hair, green eyes, and wore earth-toned clothes made of hemp. A silver pentacle hung on a chain around her neck. Her magical aura was weak, but radiated the control of a practiced magic user.
"Alex O'Connell. I'm from England, but spent most of my life traveling the world with my parents." He didn't even bother standing up to introduce himself.
"You are Rick and Evelyn's boy?" Fujitaka asked pleasantly. Furiya glanced jealously at Alex.
"You know my parents?" Alex asked. He had heard of Fujitaka Kinomoto before. His work had been used in several of his Egyptology courses. He had never known that his parents had met the man.
"I have not seen them since the dig in Egypt six years ago, but I did meet them. You were smaller then." Fujitaka smiled. He looked at the next person, "Sorry for interrupting, please introduce yourself."
"Alexi Novosi. Russia," the next boy said. He had pale blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and was built like a mountain. He was sweating heavily in the warm temperature, as he was obviously not used to it.
Several more people introduced themselves: Garson Eloise from Canada; Kai Fan, Long Teng, and Si Quan from China; and Bruce Rieve, the kilt-wearing red head from Scotland.
"Ye better not be askin' if I be wearin' a dress," Bruce challenged the group after his introduction, "Tis a kilt; get used to it." A few people snickered, but no one said anything.
"Sakura, come introduce yourself." Fujitaka called to Sakura. She flushed in embarrassment as everyone turned to look at her. She walked to the front of the room and stood next to her father.
"I am Kinomoto Sakura," she said nervously, "Fujitaka Kinomoto is my father. Li Syaoran is to be my husband." Sakura did not feel comfortable saying more in the unfamiliar language.
Si, Long, Kai and Li all bowed their heads in respective acknowledgment; Merdeaux, however, glared resentfully at her.
Fujitaka began to outline the details to the students. "Our expedition is to the Forbidden City in Beijing. No foreigner has been allowed to enter this walled complex in many years. We will be given full access to every artifact stored in the Forbidden City and will be allowed to examine the details of every room.
"There are strict rules that must be followed, and everyone must sign the agreement that is in the front of the binder in your room. If you do not agree to follow the rules, you will not be allowed to enter the Forbidden City.
"Every second weekend, we will fly to Beijing and explore. Over the course of the year, we will examine every artifact and every piece of artwork from the tiles on the floors to the imperial seal itself. All the artifacts will be photographed and catalogued. Artifacts of significant interest will be brought here for further study.
"For now, just sign the form and make sure that you have read the contents of the binders. Until our first visit to the Forbidden City, which will last a week so that we can plan the course of the rest of the year, you are free to get to know each other and explore Hong Kong."
The students began to disperse.
"Is everything well? I thought that you would be spending time with Syaoran," Fujitaka questioned Sakura. He had reverted to speaking Japanese.
"You didn't come home last night, so I thought I'd come visit you." Sakura replied, attempting to avoid the topic of Syaoran.
"Home..." This struck Fujitaka. She already considered the Li mansion to be home, more so than the house in Tomoeda which she had not called home once while she had been there. "I guess your heart has found where it belongs," Fujitaka said.
"I guess," Sakura replied, less than enthusiastically. She was unsure about what he had meant with his question.
"There is something wrong." Fujitaka asked. Sakura seemed awfully quiet and evasive. It was quite unlike her usually energetic attitude.
"It doesn't matter. I know everything will be alright," Sakura replied with a forced smile.
Fujitaka placed his hand on his daughter's arm. "If there's anything I can do to help..."
"It's just that Syaoran is having trouble with his medication, but I will help him. I will make sure that he gets back to normal." She glanced around the lab, avoiding her father's gaze.
Fujitaka did not like the sound of what she'd said. "What kind of problem?" He asked worriedly. Sakura had told him about the medication he had been taking when they had still been in Japan. Methadone was an opiate. He didn't want Sakura to be endangered by being involved with a drug addict.
"It's nothing." Sakura lied, "How are things going here?" she asked. She didn't want to stay on the topic of Syaoran's condition. She knew that her father was beginning to have doubts about her involvement with the Li's and did not want to further increase them.
"All the students are excellent. The records that were given to me show that they are all top students. I am hoping that they will work well together." Fujitaka replied, noting his daughter's discomfort and change of subject. He promised himself that he would return that evening for dinner to meet the boy himself.
A sudden crash turned everyone's attention to the end of the room where Alex O'Connell now stood looking shocked. A shattered glass and the juice it had contained now lay splattered across the tiled floor.
"It wasn't me," He exclaimed, despite the fact that there was no one else near him. Fujitaka went over to make sure everything was alright. Sakura felt a powerful magic presence appear next to her. She turned to see Jade standing there innocently. Her hands were resting in the pocket of her hoodie.
"What are you looking at?" Jade asked defensively.
"Nothing." Sakura turned her attention to where Alex was now cleaning up the mess with some paper towel. "It wrong he should clean mess another made," Sakura said to herself, making sure that it was loud enough for Jade to overhear.
"Are you accusing me of something?" Jade asked aggressively.
"You no could do it," Sakura replied slyly in her broken English, "unless walking invisible across room."
Sakura walked over to where Alex was. "You want help?" She asked.
"It's okay. I probably deserved it," Alex replied as he wrapped the last of the glass in some paper towel and dropped it into the garbage can.
"I will go then. I hope next time is not so exciting. Maybe even no invisible person listening." She smiled as she walked towards the hall, purposefully stepping on an invisible foot and eliciting a muffled yelp.
She walked down the hallway and exited through the side door, pausing before reentering and going straight to the closet that would return her to the Li mansion.
She wondered about the Jade girl. She had extremely powerful magic. Sakura could not even sense her while she was invisible. If Jade hadn't stepped into the liquid from the glass, Sakura would have never known that she had been listening.
Alex concerned her less. He didn't have much, if any, magic of his own, even if his manacle was really powerful. If you overlooked the origin of his magic, there was nothing at all sinister about him. The others seemed relatively safe to various degrees. Only the French one had shown signs of aggression, but her magical abilities were so repressed that she would probably never discover them.
Now, back at the mansion, Sakura's thoughts once again turned towards her fiancé. She had been gone for just over an hour, but she was already worried about his wellbeing. Each step she took towards his room made her even more nervous. It felt like a knot was twisting in her stomach. She could remember when she would have given anything to be in his presence again, now she dreaded seeing him in his degraded state. It was not that she didn't love him anymore, if anything she was even more devoted to him. She wanted to make him return to his former self, and was willing to do whatever it took to fix him.
Servants were everywhere. They usually didn't scurry about so openly. They were making a show of cleaning every nook and cranny of the house, but they were obviously checking for things that had been hidden. The closer she got to Syaoran's room, the more servants were searching. They could not be expected to search the entire complex in a single day, and some areas would have to be searched by servants hired from within the family.
"Found one!" A woman pulled a small plastic bag out of the soil of a potted plant. The bag was stuffed with pills. A man carrying a garbage bag came up to the woman and she tossed the pill bag into it.
Sakura entered Syaoran's room. He was still tied helplessly to the bed. Sitting on the dresser was a box from a local sexual entertainment store which just happened to sell the type of item Sakura needed. Syaoran, while awake, looked a little hazy and distant as he watched her open the box. She could have almost sworn that he was on the verge of a nosebleed because of the perverted thoughts that were obvious from the tenting of his sheets and redness of his face. Sakura suspected that he was wearing nothing but his boxers.
"Since we can't trust you to kick your habit on your own, Syaoran-kun, I had Wei pick something up that will help break it." The manner in which she said this did nothing to hinder his currently perverse thoughts. He wore a smug grin and was drooling slightly.
"We're going to get to know each other really well," Sakura teased, "especially since I don't have the key." She whipped out a handcuff from the box and attached it to Syaoran's wrist. She fastened the second cuff to her own wrist. A three foot chain was all the leeway he was allowed.