Disclaimer: I don't own CCS, Clamp does. But I do own this story.
Pairings: Syaoran x Sakura, Eriol x Tomoyo, Mei Lin x OC, Rika x OC, Naoko x OC, Chiharu x Yamazaki
Chapter Twenty-Two
"Moving On?"
"What do you suggest we do about this Syaoran?" Tomoyo asked in a small voice.
Syaoran was still silent. She was waiting for Mei Lin to come back, it had been a good 30 minutes since she left the room and she still isn't here. He should have thought about this earlier, because the moment he wondered where she was, he saw her step out from the trees and back into the house.
'Where the hell was she?' he asked himself.
"Syaoran?" asked Chiharu.
He turned his seat away from the window and to the group, just as he heard faint running footsteps from down the hall outside the room. No minute later she reentered the house, panting.
"Where were you?" asked Syaoran, eyeing her suspiciously.
"No where" she said simply in a plain tone.
She stared at him before resuming her seat.
"So…what's the plan?"
"D-Did you actually kill S-S-S-" Touya couldn't will himself to say 'Sakura' and 'kill' in the same sentence. Surely this was all a joke? His ONLY sister couldn't possibly be dead…could she?
"Sakura?" Tsuyoshi filled in with a maniac grin.
Touya, Fujitaka, Yelan and Fuutie glared at him.
"Well, yes I did…unless she somehow found a way to escape the shack we put her in, in a matter of seconds in her bloody condition at the time"
Touya glared even harder at him. If his hands and legs weren't bound together, this guy's head would probably be under his foot at this very moment.
"What the hell do you want from us?" asked Fuutie in her still composed, high-pitched voice.
"I don't need anything from you, any of you. You're just a reason why Syaoran can't put any further harm unto me and my gang. Other than that, you are of no benefit to me" Tsuyoshi looked at his wristwatch before exhaling. "I must go attend to a few more important matters. I'll see you"
Without a second glance, he turned around and walked out of the room accompanied by the four guards he had entered with.
Touya growled just as the door shut.
Yelan and Fuutie let out a deep sigh before resting onto the wall behind them.
"I can't believe this is happening" muttered Fuutie, shifting on her place on the floor. "Just yesterday, I was out shopping in Spain with the rest of my sisters. Now, captivity"
The four of them were held within a white room. Everything was white, which composed of the walls, the ceiling, the floor tiles and the light above them. There wasn't anything else in the room, except for themselves, which explained why there isn't any other stuff which weren't white.
"Neither can I" said Yelan, Fujitaka and Touya all together.
"What are you on about?" asked Mei Lin.
The meeting was over and the rest of the gang went out of the room, minus Syaoran and Emi Lin who were both having a little argument.
"I saw you step out of the woods just as you came back to this room" Syaoran said with a smug look on his face, hoping she would crack.
"Oh so your spying on me now?" she screamed.
"I wasn't spying!" he screamed right back. "It really is hard to not notice something like this especially since the exit from the trees you took was straight outside this window" he pointed behind him.
Mei Lin glared at him but shut her mouth, battling in her mind whether or not she should tell him.
"Ok fine, I was talking to someone in there"
"Who?"
"A close friend"
"Name?"
"I don't have to tell you everything you know" she said irately, crossing her arms in front of her.
"Fine, just tell me about him…or her"
Mei Lin raised an eyebrow at him.
"Do you actually think this 'close friend' is a girl? I hardly have any close girl friends, aside from Tomoyo, Rika, Naoko and Chiharu who were all in here as well as Emi and Aya who aren't in the house. Anyway, he's a guy and he…errr…"
Syaoran saw her looking troubled as what to say next…which was unusual for someone like Mei Lin. He sighed and decided to help her out.
"An old boyfriend? Right, just don't go talking to other people behind my back, they might serve as a spy or worse" he said, getting up from his seat and glancing once outside, again seeing the girl he saw before. 'Jessie' he thought, now heading out the door.
"Umm…yeah" Mei Lin said, settling for his conclusion. As Syaoran left the room, she walked to the window and glanced outside. Indeed, he would have a clear view of anyone or anything going in and out of the small forest of trees. Just as she was about to turn and head out the room, she saw Jessie swimming in the pool all alone.
Mei Lin shrugged her shoulders and turned around, leaving the room silently, not noticing that another figure had stepped out to the pool towards Jessie.
'This is relaxing' Jessie thought as she leaned her back and raised her elbow on the side of the pool.
She thought of the day's events and sighed. She hardly did anything important since the blowing up of the restaurant. All she did was shop and hang out with the rest of the girls, but during this time, all she does is pass the time by the pool all by herself to relax since the girls have other plans on their own. A song came up from one of the windows from the house and she started to hum along with the tune.
"Hi" a voice said from behind her which caused her to jump and splash water as she slammed her arms into the water.
She turned around abruptly and saw something which made her smile nervously.
"Not the greeting I had expected" Syaoran said as he stood stock still on the spot with water dripping down his arms to his finger tips…most of his upper body was all wet.
"Err…I-I…umm…oh my gosh…I…uhh" she stammered looking around for some help from anyone. Seeing no one but the towel she had brought with her, she hauled herself up and out the pool.
Syaoran's gaze followed her as she walked over to the pool chair-bed and grabbed her pink towel. She walked over towards him and looked at him awkwardly. He stood their, looking at her and did nothing as she started to dry his arms.
"I'm so sorry, y-you frightened me and I-I kinda…well…I-"
Syaoran cut her off by holding up a hand and taking the towel from her hands, trying to dry himself.
"Don't worry about it, I sort of did take you by surprise there…"
Jessie gave an awkward smile…which, being as sharp as he is, went unnoticed by Syaoran.
"What's the matter?"
She shifted her weight on her other leg uncomfortably.
"N-Nothing…s-so, what are you doing out here?" she said, trying to start a conversation.
"Why? Aren't I allowed to my own pool?" he asked in a sarcastic tone, raising an eyebrow as he did.
"Well…I'm n-not saying that…of course you're allowed to…I mean-"
"Whoa, calm down, I was joking" he said in a joking voice…which in the last month sounded very much unlike him.
Jessie didn't figure someone as serious and high ranked as Syaoran was capable of joking but she relaxed visibly and sat down. Syaoran's eyes never left her.
"So, how old are you again?"
"18" she answered as she walked back to the edge of the pool, sitting down and dipping her feet in the water. "So…umm…what are you doing out here? Not that I mind…it's just that, well…I never noticed you coming out here before"
"Just out for some air…and hopefully get to know the rest of the Wolves better…since you're the only one here, I guess you're the only one I'll get to know for now"
She smiled unsurely but wasn't seen since Syaoran was pacing slowly behind her as she slowly moved her legs around in the water.
"Wanna talk about anything in particular?"
Syaoran looked at her back thoughtfully and took a sit beside her, sitting Indian-style, before speaking up again. "Why did you stop going to school?"
"Just felt like it"
"Where's your family?" he turned to her.
"In a small town out of Tokyo" she replied, avoiding his eyes.
"Why'd you leave them?"
"I have no siblings, my mom died when I was younger, and my dad remarried"
"Can you at least show a little enthusiasm when talking to me?"
"Sorry, I-I just don't like talking about my family…or my past in general"
"Understood, so what do you want to talk about?"
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
That was uncalled for. Syaoran turned his face to face her but she did as well to the other side, trying her best to hide her blushing face.
'Where the hell did that come from?' Jessie asked herself, feeling her cheeks now very warm.
Silence occupied the air for a few agonizing minutes until Syaoran held her by the arm and made her face him.
"I've been meaning to talk to you about something…"
"Where you able to track them?" Eriol asked as he watched Tomoyo work the laptop from behind.
"No, this is hard…we don't have any sort of device attached to any of the four of them and this new system the guys upgraded into the software takes a long process to finish. It's easier and more accurate but its way slower compared to the last one" Tomoyo explained as she continued typing in codes that no one else in the room could understand fully.
"So, what are we gonna do?" Rika asked.
"We have to find a way save them before Tsuyoshi plans on doing something drastic" Chiharu pointed out.
"The girls are right, we need to plan something to save them" said Jay.
The telephone rang.
"Hello?" Mei Lin answered in a sing-song voice, her smile faltered into a serious look as the person on the other end started to speak.
Everyone looked at her as she stood up and exited the room along with the cordless phone.
"Who do you think that was?" Naoko asked Mika who merely shrugged.
"It might be Tsuyoshi" supplied Takashi.
"I doubt it: said Aki thoughtfully. "Why would he call Mei Lin in the first place? If it's about the whole hostage ordeal, he would've contacted Syaoran directly"
Just then, Mei Lin reentered the room but with a far happier look on her face.
"What's gotten you smiling?"
"Just found out where Tsuyoshi's keeping auntie Yelan and the others" she announced with a huge smile on her face.
"No kidding?" asked Tomoyo in a hopeful voice.
She nodded.
"So? Where is the place?" Rika asked, getting excited.
"It is a bit surprising…and kinda stupid"
"Just tell us" Chiharu urged, getting impatient.
"Vacant Point. Warehouse 7. Downtown Tokyo"
Everyone was silent.
"S-Seriously?" Eriol asked doubtfully with raised eyebrows.
It was pretty much unbelievable why Tsuyoshi chose that same place.
Mei Lin shrugged but nodded all the same.
"Wait, who told you this?" Mika asked.
"Yeah, maybe your sources weren't accurate, whoever told you might be setting a trap or something" Takashi considered.
"I doubt it. I highly doubt that my sources are inaccurate. I'm very sure that my sources were telling the truth"
"Well, don't need to tell me twice" said Aki in a final tone. "Mei Lin's word and trust to whoever told her this information is enough for me. All I gotta say in this is how stupid Tsuyoshi is for choosing the same place we were able to crash in before"
Mei Lin grinned at him.
"So, when do we start the rescue?" she asked.
"Are you sure?" Syaoran asked Eriol unbelievingly.
He was in his private office and Eriol had just come to him to tell him about the new piece of information.
"Yup" he replied with a nod. "Mei Lin's sources told her and Mei Lin sounded so sure that her sources were right. Besides, it's the only thing we've got close to finding your mother and sister, as well as the Kinomotos"
Syaoran ran his hand through his hair.
"Okay, okay…I'll set the day we'll do the rescue. I'll call out a meeting when I do"
Eriol gave a little nod before turning to face the door. He cast a half-suspicious, half-worried glance at the person sitting on the leather couch before walking towards and out the door.
Tsuyoshi rested back on his chair and sighed. The past week has been hectic. Every single minute of an hour, every single hour of the day and every single day of the week has been tiresome. He rubbed his left arm with his right hand but stopped as he felt snake down to his shoulders from behind, now giving him a massage. He sighed contently.
"Don't push yourself too much" Saori whispered into his ear softly.
"I have no choice. Those fucking Wolves have caused so much trouble"
"Then make your turn to attack them"
"I can't…I would've but I can't"
Saori stopped her massage and walked around to face him.
"Why not?"
"The Wolves have killed too much of my men. Sure, there are still a lot of them left, but compared to the number of Wolves left, my number pales"
"Then send some of your men from China here"
"Already did, they'll be arriving in the next week…but it's still not enough"
Saori paused and looked down at the floor thoughtfully.
Tsuyoshi looked at her and waiting for her to say something that might be considered beneficial to his gang.
She looked up and smiled…an evil smile.
"What is it?"
"I think I know what you could do to win this little battle against those Wolves"
Loading…
Centering Mode Activated
Locating…
General Area Scan…
… Vacant Point. Warehouse 7. Downtown Tokyo, Japan.
Activation Successful
…
Loading…
Camera X4FD6 Activated
Tracking Area…
…
Found
…
Loading…
Zoom-In Sequence Activated
Camera X4FD6 Merging Tech 6124
…Complete
Three days has passed since Mei Lin announced that she knew where the Lis and the Kinomotos were. Syaoran has been quiet these pass few days, not opting they rush into saving their family.
Tomoyo sighed and scanned the outside area of Warehouse 7. There was no one guarding the outside, nor was there anyone guarding the inside of the first floor.
'What the hell is this about?' she thought. If Tsuyoshi plans on keeping people hostage, he could at least show some sense by doing it the right way. Not that she was complaining. This was working within the Wolves advantage…but it seemed almost impossible. It would be way too easy.
"Did you find them?" Eriol asked from behind.
She turned and smiled at him before resuming working on the laptop.
"Almost"
Tomoyo continued scanning the warehouse but didn't find them at all…or anyone for that matter.
"Eriol, they're not there…no one's there"
"What?" he asked, making his way over beside her and clicking buttons, showing parts of the warehouse and indeed there really wasn't anyone there.
"Hold…hold on" Tomoyo said, getting an idea.
Loading…
Zoom-In Sequence De-activated
Camera X4FD6 Merging Tech 6124
…Complete
…
Loading…
Zoom-Out Sequence Activated
Camera X4FD6 Merging Tech 1946
…Complete
Scanning…
General Scan: Warehouse 7
…
…Complete
Initiating Body Heat Scan…
…
Tracking…
…
…Complete
The screen now showed a shaded general see through version of the whole warehouse with a few red figures which represented people's body heat.
Loading…
Zoom-Out Sequence De-activated
Camera X4FD6 Merging Tech 1946
…Complete
…
Loading…
Zoom-In Sequence Re-activated
Camera X4FD6 Merging Tech 6124
…Complete
Tomoyo clicked through the parts of the warehouse and found that there were a certain number of people in the warehouse…except, they were way down in the underground. There were two new floors added below that went deeper in the underground where a lot of the Kins were hanging around.
She clicked through every room and counted about 35 men. The added floors were bigger than the original ones and the place also had several entrances…none of which from the warehouse but from sewers and several underground paths. Tomoyo studied the location and found everything out. They added new floors under the warehouse to keep things hidden but none of the new floors actually connected to the warehouse.
"Smart" she whispered, sort of impressed.
She scanned the area and found the very people they were looking for.
From how their mouths were moving, Fujitaka and Yelan were talking with each other slowly, Touya was leaning against one of the walls about to doze off and Fuutie was resting on her mother's lap, sleeping.
"Oh gosh they all look so pale. We have to save them as quickly as possible" Tomoyo said, not liking what she was seeing at all.
Once again, Wolves were gathered inside the large room but this time only half or even one-fourth of the original number where there.
"Everyone," Syaoran said, looking at the number of people that he personally selected to take part in the rescue. "You all know what to do…my family as well as the Kinomotos have been taken hostage and we must save them. I want this to be a fast mission. You all know your duties and I want you all to do them right"
A chorus of "Yes sir" rang through out the room.
"Good…the mission will begin tomorrow evening. Prepare yourselves" he said, now looking at Jessie who gave him a small smile.
"What's going on with Syaoran?" Tomoyo finally spoke up irately.
The meeting was adjourned and their close group…except for Syaoran, were again gathered together in a room. Not only Tomoyo but everyone else has noticed Syaoran's behavior around Jessie and they didn't like it one bit. None of them ever talked about it because they thought it wasn't serious. But in the past few days, it was getting irritating. Every time they see Syaoran, Jessie was always there with him.
"What do you mean?" Aki asked.
"Don't play dumb" Rika said, slapping his arms lightly.
"Ok fine…yeah I did notice" he said. "The whole Jessie situation?"
The rest of the group nodded.
"So I'm not the only one who noticed" Chiharu muttered. "The two of them get even closer every time I see them"
"It's annoying" Rika said.
"It's offending" Naoko said softly.
"Offending?" asked Takashi which made her nod.
"Can't you see? Jessie has this certain similarity with Sakura. Both physical and the personality…maybe their appearance isn't exactly alike but you can sort of see Sakura in Jessie, and her personality almost matches Sakura's as well"
"Yeah, I did notice. I almost called Jessie Sakura once before" Jay admitted.
"I'm not saying that Syaoran is using Jessie, but I think Syaoran just feels lonely and wants to think about other things other than Sakura all the time, and he finds comfort in Jessie" Naoko explained.
"Yeah, I feel his pain as well but it's totally unfair for Sakura even if…" Tomoyo still couldn't say 'dead'. "Even if…we lost her"
"I know you do Tomoyo because you are Sakura's best friend of course but it's different for him. He has no one to confide to. You have Eriol, he has no one that he truly loves that can comfort him"
"Well…you do have a point there" she said with a sigh.
"Let's just give him awhile. I'm sure they're not that serious anyways. Syaoran just needs someone to talk to and he finds that in Jessie" said Aki.
"Just hope they won't go all too serious" Rika pointed out. "Because ever since Mei Lin brought Jessie here, Syaoran h-"
"Speaking of Mei Lin, she's also not here" Takashi interrupted.
"She's also acting weird" Eriol supplied.
"I agree" said Jay. "But not that serious as Syaoran"
"Yeah, she's been going out a lot and she's being very secretive about it" pointed out Aki.
"So, what are we gonna do about it?" asked Mika.
"Find out what both of them are up to" Eriol said.
"Both?"
"Find out what's going on with Mei Lin and find out Syaoran's intentions with Jessie"
"Sounds like a plan"
"And," Eriol continued. "We have to do this discreetly. We can't have both of them suspecting that we're on to them. So we have to find the two out while doing our everyday things"
"You mean, while doing the oncoming mission, destroying the Kins and keeping ourselves from getting killed?" Rika asked as if it were that simple.
Shockingly enough, Eriol's answer also sounded just as simple.
"Exactly"
