Chapter 6. The Cold Truth
Sakura and Shaoran ran through the mansion following the dragging prints. They passed the big wooden gate and entered the ballroom. From there they turned left and towards the King's office in the west wing. The big wooden crate which was standing in the corner last time they were there, was pushed aside revealing the steps down.
'A secret passage' gasped Sakura, looking down the steps.
'So that's why the crate was here…' nodded Shaoran remembering the prior setting of the room.
'Anyway, no time to waste. Let's go!' ordered Sakura and without waiting for Shaoran she ran down the stairs. They went down a long time, to finally reach an underground corridor.
'We must be in some kind of cave' Shaoran said noticing the stone walls and quiet dripping sound of the water. 'Uncle Toya used to have a gold mine in one of the caves' he remembered. 'But his business went bankrupt after his death…'
They quickly followed the underground path, in hope of catching up to Toya and Tomoyo. After one of the turns, Shaoran suddenly stopped. Sakura noticed it a moment later and turned around.
'Shaoran?' she asked surprised by the boy's behaviour. Shaoran's eyes were wide open. He felt a pain in his head and a new memory appeared.
Shaoran was standing before the door when he heard the gunshots.
'NO!' he screamed backing away. 'Father… no…'
Just then the door opened and his uncle Toya went out of the room. He looked surprised to see Shaoran.
'Shaoran?' he asked worriedly and tried to approach him. 'Shaoran, what's wrong?'
The boy backed away few more steps.
'W-Why…? Why did you…?' he simply couldn't ask this question.
His head was spinning, his heart was pounding. Then, before the man managed to take the next step, he turned around and ran off. He heard his uncle call his name, but he didn't dare to stop. He ran and ran, not paying attention where to. He wanted to be as far away from this man as he could. He slowed down in the west wing, when he heard his uncle's voice once again.
'Shaoran! Don't run away from me!' he cried.
Shaoran jumped up and started off again. He didn't know why, but he hid in his father' office. He backed away from the door, looking around frantically.
'What do I do? What do I do?' he kept on saying, his eyes darting around the room. Just then he noticed the open secret passage. 'Perfect, I can escape through here' he said running down the stairs.
'Shaoran!' he heard Sakura's voice. He opened his eyes and looked at the girl.
'Sakura…' he said, his heart still pounding from the memory he just saw. 'I remember now'
'What is it?' asked Sakura.
'After witnessing Father's death, I was running away… from uncle Toya' he exclaimed. 'Because he hurt my father, I thought he was going to hurt me'
'Shaoran… you were that scared?' asked Sakura worryingly.
'I was terrified, Sakura' the boy replied. 'When I was running, my heart was going faster than my own feet'
Sakura nodded in understanding and looked down the corridor. She looked back at Shaoran and he smiled.
'I'm okay, Sakura' he said. 'We have to save Tomoyo'
They ran again, passing more turns, as they finally reached the thin bridge. And in front of that bridge was…
'Tomoyo-chan!' Sakura called as she saw her friend. She was being held by Toya, but she was fine.
'Sakura-chan, help me' the girl cried trying to break free.
'Calm down, Tomoyo-chan, it's alright' Sakura said observing the man. She frowned at him. 'Toya, let my friend go!' she shouted so loud she could hear her own echo coming back to her at least ten times. 'Don't harm her! She has nothing to do with this!'
'I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can't do that' replied the man with the same annoyed expression, although this time it was real. 'I can only let one of you go'
'O-only one of us?' squeaked Sakura. 'Why?'
Toya snorted at the girl's ignorance.
'Surely you would have realised by now, my only reason for asking you a set of questions was to see if you were in fact trying to find out what really happened' replied Toya. 'And then…' there was a deadly spark in his eyes. 'I would kill you and bury you next to the family. And say, you were so shocked from the truth about the family's murder, you killed yourself from depression and disbelief'
'What?' Sakura took a step back, terrified.
'Sounds very fitting, doesn't it, Sakura?' Toya asked with a smirk. Sakura looked the man in the eyes.
'First let Tomoyo-chan go' she ordered.
'Sakura-chan, what are you doing?' Tomoyo cried looking at her friend.
'Tomoyo-chan… just trust me' asked Sakura with a stern face.
'Alright' said Toya. 'I will release her' he let go of the girl's hand and looked at her. The moment she was free, Tomoyo ran towards Sakura and hid behind her.
'Are you alright, Tomoyo-chan?' the brown-haired girl asked worryingly.
'I think so…' Tomoyo replied. Sakura smiled, and turned to Toya, her smile turning into frown. She took a few steps forward approaching the man.
'Okay, before you plan on killing me' she said. 'I need you to help me clear up some things'
'Oh?' the entertained look showed itself on Toya's face. 'Alright, I'll keep you alive for as long as you need to' he agreed.
'Good' Sakura didn't even frowned. 'The first thing I want to ask you is why did you attack Tomoyo-chan'
'She was an easy target' simply replied the man, shrugging. 'You might have told me that this Tomoyo girl was your friend, but still she was an intruder on Li property'
'So that was your only reason to attack her?' asked Sakura. The man laughed.
'Persistent, aren't you?' he said. 'No, there was another. I wanted to use her as a pawn so I could get closer to you'
'What?' Sakura was surprised. 'Why would you do that?'
'Well, I was originally planning to capture and torture you before I kill you' revealed Toya. 'But, your friend was weaker and easier to target. So, instead of kidnapping you, I captured your friend instead, so you could fall into my trap, and then I would have killed both of you.' Sakura and Tomoyo were shocked, but the man went on. 'I took her to the storage room and put a blindfold over her eyes. During that time your friend was passed out. I have to admit…' he said looking at Tomoyo. 'She was so easy to attack… she's such a weak little thing…'
'You're wrong!' Sakura shouted suddenly. 'Tomoyo-chan is not weak!' Toya simply gazed at the girl getting angry. 'I know she's not weak. After my parents left us, and Tomoyo-chan lost her father… we had to be strong for each other. We might have been scared, since we lost our dearests, but that doesn't mean she's weak! She is as strong as I am!'
'Sakura-chan…' whispered Tomoyo.
'Sakura… you're so strong…' said Shaoran.
'Well… this is unexpected' said Toya frowning. 'Standing up for your friend like that... but it does make me wonder… why did your parents leave you in a first place, Sakura?'
Sakura just went silent, looking down.
'So… do you have any more questions?' he asked impatiently.
'Yes' replied the girl, looking up. 'Who was the ringleader?'
Toya sighed.
'Do you even listen what people are saying?' he asked. 'I already told you, one of my father's friends was the ringleader'
'But it's not true, isn't it?' stated Sakura. 'The only person who would have spread rumours about the Queen's death was someone who was the most faithful to the Li family'
'Sakura?' asked Tomoyo surprised. Just how much did her friend know about the case.
'Isn't it obvious, Toya?' Sakura said. 'The person who, I think, was the ringleader of the mobs was your father' the shock on Toya's face was real. 'Just think about it' Sakura continued. 'Your father knew that the King couldn't keep all of his children after the Queen died. And he was willing to adopt one of them as his own. But there was one problem'
'Problem?' echoed Toya.
'Shaoran' replied Sakura.
'Me?' asked the boy surprised.
'He found out about the situation and refused it' explained the girl. 'After that the King gave up and decided to try and keep them, against all odds, which led your father to turn his back on the family. And I think you know what happened next' she looked the man straight in the eyes, but he remained silent. 'You lied to me, Toya' Sakura exclaimed.
'What are you talking about?' the man snorted.
'You told me your father wasn't involved with the attacks' the girl reminded. 'But I have a reason to believe none of that is true. 50 years ago, during the mob attacks, Feimei and Meiling got separated from Shaoran and the King, and before Shaoran could do anything, his sisters were already slaughtered by the mobs. Terrified, Shaoran must have rushed off to his father. Meanwhile, the King and your father were in the office, having an argument. The king didn't understand why his family was killed, but your father wanted to end it all' she took a step forward and look the man straight in the eyes. 'So your father took out his gun and shot the King to death'
Tomoyo covered her mouth shocked, while Shaoran just stood there silently, with sad expression on his face.
'Well…' said Toya after a moment of silence. 'It seems like you do know the truth after all. So, in that case…' the man took out the gun and pointed it at Sakura. 'I have no other choice but to kill you now'
'Sakura-chan' cried Tomoyo, too afraid to move from where she was standing.
That gun…!, thought Shaoran, noticing the weapon Toya was holding. It's the missing gun from my uncle's case!
'You know…' said Toya still pointing at Sakura. 'I was wondering if you wanted to know, why my father did all that… Why he turned his back on his family and ordered the mobs to kill them all' he looked at Sakura and frowned. 'Because he was betrayed!'
'What?' Sakura was so confused right now she didn't know what was going on.
'Before the King had children, he made a deal with my father' explained the man. 'He signed a contract, and agreed that if the Queen passes away, he would give up one of his children, so that he can still rule. Otherwise, my father would take over as a King'
'That document in the office!' remembered Shaoran.
'So the King had children. Two daughters and a son' Toya went on. 'But after the Queen died, he didn't keep the deal. Instead, he tried to keep all three of them under the same roof. He turned his back on his own brother!' he cried. 'So… my father took his revenge, and ordered the mobs to kill the family, while he killed his brother and took over as the new king'
That's the same gun that killed Shaoran's father!, thought Sakura, only now noticing the weapon in the attacker's hand.
'Now you now…' said Toya unlocking the gun. 'May you rest in peace, Sakura Kinomoto'
'Sakura-chan, no!' cried Tomoyo.
The man was just about to pull the trigger, when he noticed one more person standing next to Tomoyo. It was a young man with brown hair and amber eyes, wearing green Chinese clothes.
'Wh-Who are you?!' he cried terrified.
'Stop' said Shaoran, coming closer. Toya, terrified, took a few steps back. 'You're going to make father cry'
'What….?' asked Sakura, and then Toya took another step back… and fell. He screamed as he was falling, and then they heard a flush as he disappeared under the underground water. 'What… just happened here?' asked Sakura looking at the place the man was standing just moments ago. She slowly approached the pit and looked down. 'He's gone…' she said quietly. 'I don't understand… why did he fall so suddenly…?'
Then Sakura turned around and approached her friend.
'Tomoyo-chan?' she asked. Tomoyo was silent, and she quickly rushed to Sakura, embracing her in the hug.
'That was really scary, Sakura-chan' she whispered.
'It's okay, Tomoyo-chan' Sakura consoled her friend. 'It's over now' she was patting her head while the other girl was snobbing. 'It's okay, I've got you…'
Tomoyo was shaking in Sakura's arms. She must have been scared by all this, thought Sakura. But it's all over now. And I'm still alive. Tomoyo-chan and I are safe now.
'Tomoyo-chan…' said Sakura after releasing Tomoyo from the embrace. 'I think you should say hello to a good friend of mine'
Shaoran looked at Sakura surprised, but she just smiled.
'Close your eyes, Tomoyo-chan' asked Sakura.
'Okay…' the girl agreed reluctantly.
'Sakura… are you sure?' asked Shaoran worryingly. The girl nodded and stepped back, letting Shaoran stand before Tomoyo. Shaoran slowly held up his hands and grabbed Tomoyo's. Just then Tomoyo opened her eyes, and startled took a few steps back. 'Hello, Tomoyo…' said Shaoran, smiling delicately.
'H…Hello…' the girl replied, gazing at the transparent boy standing right before her.
'This is Shaoran, Shaoran Li. The only son of the Li family' introduced him Sakura. 'He has helped me look for you and uncover the truth behind the tragedy'
'You did?' Tomoyo looked at Shaoran amazed. 'You helped Sakura-chan find me?'
'Yes, I did' confirmed Shaoran. 'And she helped me recover my past'
'Recover your past?' echoed confused black-haired girl. Shaoran nodded.
'Shaoran couldn't remember anything about his life or how he died 50 years ago' explained Sakura, stepping up. 'He had been trapped down here since then'
'Oh my, it must have been hard' said Tomoyo looking at the boy. He just remained silent. 'What will happen when you remember everything, Shaoran?' she asked.
'I… hope to reunite with my family on the other side' answered Shaoran smiling.
'I see' replied Tomoyo. 'I'm so sorry about what happened to you and your family'
'It's okay' said Shaoran. 'If it wasn't for Sakura, I probably wouldn't have been able to remember anything. You are very lucky for having Sakura as a loving friend'
'And a sister' added Tomoyo with a smile.
'And a sister' Shaoran agreed, too, smiling. They both laughed, when Tomoyo looked past Shaoran.
'I wonder...' she said. 'What's past the bridge?'
They all looked at that direction. The bridge was made of wood and ropes, and was about 100 metres long.
'That's a good question' wondered Sakura.
'Shall we go and explore it then?' Tomoyo suggested. Sakura shook her head.
'I can go alone, Tomoyo-chan' she said. 'You go back and look for the way to leave this place'
'As you wish, Sakura-chan' agreed Tomoyo with a smile. 'I will wait for you in the mansion then'
'We will meet with you afterwards then' concluded Sakura.
'Be careful, Tomoyo' addressed the girl Shaoran. 'It may still be dangerous back there'
'Don't worry, Shaoran' Tomoyo smiled. 'I will' she turned around to leave. 'Take care of Sakura-chan for me, please' she said before disappearing behind the turn.
Sakura and Shaoran started walking down the bridge, when suddenly, Sakura stopped in the middle.
'Sakura… are you okay?' asked Shaoran with concern. The girl move towards the edge and looked down.
'No… not really' she replied. 'Shaoran, why did Toya fall?' she asked. 'He might have been a bad man, but… he didn't deserve to die like that' she turned around to face the boy. 'Was it because he saw you?'
'I think so…' responded Shaoran after a while. 'I didn't want Toya to shoot you'
'You saved us, Shaoran' Sakura smiled. She looked down the pit again. 'But Toya… he fell…'
'Sakura' interrupted Shaoran. 'I remember now, it's coming back to me'
'What, Shaoran?' asked the girl.
'Toya's fall reminded be how I died…' replied the boy. 'I was running as fast as I could through the caves. I reached this bridge and the pit. I stopped to rest. My heart was pounding and I was breathless. My chest begun to feel tight. And then…' he looked at Sakura. 'I heard Uncle Toya's voice.'
'Shaoran! Don't run! It's too dangerous! If you run, your heart-'
'But it was too late…' continued Shaoran. 'I felt my chest tighten even further, it was so painful. That was when I lost control of my own body. And then… I fell down that pit…'
Sakura was looking at Shaoran in shock. So he died… by falling…
'And you know what was the last thing I saw before I died?' he asked with a sad smile. 'It was an outstretched hand… trying to save me… it was my Uncle Toya's… but, he was too late… he couldn't save me…'
'…no…' Sakura covered her mouth shocked.
They stood there in silence for few more minutes, until Shaoran finally decided it was time to see, what was behind that bridge. Together, they crossed the pit and get out of the cave.
