Lilover131: Hi there! Dangit! I missed Syaoran's birthday and the 3rd year anniversary! But I bring you a new chapter that is almost twice as long as normal, so be joyful! Lol. Just kidding. I hope you enjoy it!
Cry of a Wolf-Chapter Forty-one: Awakening of an Angel
The world seemed frozen in place around Sakura Kinomoto. Her beloved, Li Syaoran, had just been bitten by Naraku and was currently not moving. Sakura quickly rushed to him and held him protectively. He was unconscious and bleeding, but it appeared that he was still breathing. Thank goodness he was still breathing! However, he seemed not able to sense anything around him. He could not hear Sakura's voice begging for him to answer her.
Once the girl realized that he would not respond, she glared defiantly at the cause of this occurrence.
"What did you do to him?" she said with a harsh tone. The mouth of Naraku's snake form did not move, but words resounded within her mind.
"The little beast will not die…yet," he said. Sakura's eyes widened in confusion.
"…what?"
"I have put a spell on him. He will dream until that spirit is released," Naraku stated. Sakura looked to Syaoran with worried eyes. She recalled hearing XiaoLian talk about the other spirit that resided within him. The other spirit reined the dark power inside of Syaoran, and if he were to be released…there would be dire consequences. Frantically, Sakura tried to wake him up once more.
"Syaoran! Syaoran! Wake up!" she said as she hysterically cried and buried her face in his chest.
"Give up. He won't wake up," said Naraku. The emerald-eyed girl gazed to him with a look of hatred.
"Maybe he will wake up if I defeat you," she said as she began to pull out her star key. Naraku laughed at her attempt to seem threatening.
"You? Defeating me? Don't make me laugh, witch," he hissed. He began to approach her slowly. His aura was so dark that it affected her. She felt slightly sick. Sakura quickly chanted her incantation.
"RELEASE!!"
Her star key glowed and transformed into a staff. Her cards were prepared for battle. Without wasting a second of time, she pulled out her first attacker.
"FIERY!!" she said. The beautiful fiery spirit whirled in the air and then in Naraku's direction. Sakura had proved her power with fiery before when she was angered. She was able to defrost all of Tomoeda with one swoop when the 'SNOW' card had angered her. Her skill was impressive back then, but would it be enough now to defeat Naraku? The fire seemed to meander around the giant snake as if a barrier was protecting it. Naraku slithered around and tried to surround the girl, but she prepared for the next attack beforehand.
"WINDY!!"
The 'WINDY' card blew him into the surrounding trees with a harsh gust. His large scaly body could barely be lifted by the winds. Angered after his brief recovery, he swept around quickly behind her. He began to head towards the unconscious Syaoran threateningly.
"SHIELD!!" Sakura said as her next card. 'SHIELD' protected the boy and herself from the giant cold-blooded reptile. Even though the shield was up, he attempted to get through to the couple. His attempt was in vain when he only ran into a solid bubble-like force field. Naraku was very angered now that he could not touch any of them and he hissed dangerously. He understood that staying in his snake form would now be wasting magic. Reluctantly, he changed back into his human form. His red eyes were glowing with hatred towards the girl and boy, and his black aura was raging rather violently. Sakura stood in place with her star wand tightly clenched in her hands and emerald eyes shining. However, his aura made her feel even more ill than before. It seemed as if she had changed her mind suddenly about attacking. Was he not worth it? When Naraku realized she wasn't going to attack, he began to speak.
"Why aren't you attacking me? I can't touch either of you," he said. The girl's stance became more relaxed.
"Why are you doing this?" she said. Naraku growled in irritation. An interrogation?
"I don't need to explain anything to you! That spirit must die!" he yelled. Sakura's eyes widened in confusion. Was he angry at the spirit in Syaoran? If so, then why? Suddenly, Naraku's black sword began to form in his hand and he ferociously tried to hack his way through the 'SHIELD' card. All of his attempts were just as much of a failure as his first one, but he continued to try. Sakura could feel the 'SHIELD' card weakening slightly. Of course its power would wear out eventually…especially if he kept a constant attack on it. She had to stop him before then.
"Are you talking about XiaoLian's older brother?" she asked. Red eyes glared once again in her direction.
"What do you know of the spirit?" he asked demandingly. The girl nearly shuddered from the fierceness in his tone.
"I don't know anything more than that," she replied truthfully.
"Then you do not know enough to justify protecting the beast! Withdraw the shield or I shall make you!"
"I won't let you hurt Syaoran! But I do not wish to fight you!" Sakura said. Naraku seized his glares for a moment of surprise.
"You don't want to kill me?"
"No."
"Do I not receive hatred from you?" he asked. Sakura bit her lip before speaking.
"I know. It's even strange to me. But…I pity you. I pity you for your way of thinking. Is revenge the only answer? Why must you hurt people?" she asked. Naraku scowled.
"You do not understand," he said. The emerald-eyed girl gazed at him with pity.
"I remember the last time we fought here…Syaoran wanted revenge on you for killing his father. He was so very angry and upset…but I could sense that he was also very lonely. He was lonely when I first met him too," she said. She was nearly in tears.
"So? Why should I care?" Naraku said. Sakura's eyes filled with more sadness.
"Because I sense the same loneliness from you."
A few moments later, the two couldn't help but notice Syaoran suddenly breaking out in ragged, uneven breaths. His head swung from side to side in discomfort, and thin sheets of sweat began to form on his skin. Naraku grinned evilly.
"The nightmare is beginning."
Syaoran felt the heat of fire all around him. It was everywhere. He took several minutes to open his eyes enough to confirm it. Fire was burning the clearing, and through the smoke he could see the half moon. His ears heard the cracking of the flames, the falling of trees, and the howling of a wolf. Syaoran's eyes traced to the source of the howling. He knew he would see those wolves again. He understood the danger of everything around him…and yet he didn't seem to care. Syaoran raised himself off of the ground and walked towards the howling. He felt as if he didn't have control of his legs. When he came to a halt, he saw the black wolf with blood red eyes. The animal growled ferociously at him and seemed to be clawing at the invisible wall between them. Its teeth were bared dangerously and every impact in took on the wall caused electrical sparks. Syaoran was afraid to be near the wolf, but he couldn't seem to move. The wall was cracking…
Kohaku's head rose in alarm during the fight against the bodyguards. Eriol couldn't help but notice.
"What's wrong?" he asked after he blocked an attack from Lin. Kohaku had come out of hiding and was now staying behind Eriol for protection. It seemed running away was not enough. When XiaoLian spoke, Eriol noticed that her voice sounded somewhat weaker. Whatever she was alarmed about must have been something of great concern.
"…Something is happening to Syaoran…" she whispered. Yelan was utterly surprised to hear Kohaku speak. And to say that her only son was in danger…
'That was the voice I heard after the incident in the clearing…' she thought. The voice back then had told her not to blame herself for the things that had happened and that she was closer to her than she thought. The voice was Kohaku's? While everyone's eyes seemed to show shock, the bodyguards all grinned in satisfaction.
"The master has finally made his move," they said in unison. Eriol clenched his fists in realization.
"…You were keeping us busy this whole time…so he could make an attack?"
The phrase didn't even sound like a question. It was more like a statement; a question that need not be answered. For a moment, he seized his attacks on the bodyguards. Yelan and Kohaku looked at him questioningly. It was obvious that they were as upset as he was…especially Yelan.
"…We need to get to Syaoran…now," Yelan said. She didn't even care to find answers about what was going on when her son was in danger. Everyone agreed wholeheartedly. Ai, Lin, and Shui laughed.
"How do you expect to do that? We're here to stop you," they said. Yelan glared with her dark brown eyes angrily. Her fan began to glow deep red again. However, something about this spell was different…it was…stronger.
"OUT OF OUR WAY!!" she yelled. Flower petals erupted in all directions. The two opposing groups could not see each other through the mass of the florescent cloud. The purity of the petals was like poison gas to the dark trio. Yelan had decided to use a distraction so the three of them could escape from the library without having to destroy it to get out.
"This way!" Yelan whispered to Eriol and Kohaku. Quickly, the group rushed through the library towards the exit. After they had cleared the building, they searched for Syaoran or Sakura's aura. Since they were together, that meant that Sakura was in danger too. Yelan cringed when she felt her son's aura. It was so…conflicted. She needed to get to him soon. Without a second of hesitation, they ran off towards the clearing. The bodyguards burst out of the library shortly after and began to chase after them with great speed. They were very irritated from the distraction, but a grin still somehow graced their features. They would just have to beat them there…
Sakura clenched the star wand in her hand even tighter as she watched Syaoran suffer through the pain of his nightmare. Her beloved's breathing was still labored and his pain seemed to only get worse. He clutched at his heart, and Sakura found herself doing the same from her concern for him. The shield protecting him was of her own power, and she needed to use the time to try to comfort him in some way. Now that she had the 'SHIELD' up, she could use magic more safely. Even though she was in a good defensive position now, she was saddened that her magic couldn't somehow help Syaoran out of his nightmare. Did she have any cards to help him? She knew he was running out of time. All she could seem to do was hold him. Slowly, her gaze drifted back to Naraku, who had begun to slash at the bubble-like shield again.
"Please stop this," she pleaded through the barrier. The black haired man laughed.
"Why should I?" he said again. His mind was still set on revenge.
"…I know you're lonely…but revenge isn't the answer!" she said. He laughed again.
"…I am not lonely!" he said. It was as if it were a joke to him. Sakura's eyes filled with pity once more.
"…But you are. I can feel it…your aura…it's so angry…but sad…"
For a moment, Naraku seemed affected by her words. His expression calmed slightly.
"…What happened between you and XiaoLian's brother?" she asked quietly. Naraku was unexpectedly angered greatly by this. She had begun to calm him down, but now he was infuriated again. Sakura then realized that she had hit a sensitive spot too hard. His eyes seemed to seek revenge on a painful memory. She also had realized just how much Naraku wore down the 'SHIELD' card. The magic created by his anger was truly strong and not to be taken lightly. The protection was almost gone now, and it was only seconds away from completely shattering. Sakura had truly underestimated him.
"Stop!" she cried out.
Finally, the protection was gone and turned into a flurry of star-like glitters. His speed was unimaginable. Naraku leapt forward immediately towards Syaoran, but was stopped short by Sakura's body. She had completely covered him as a human shield. His movement had been so fast that she didn't have enough time to react with magic. The man held his black colored sword inches above her head.
"Move. Now," he demanded. Sakura shook her head slowly in refusal.
"I will not," she said. Her voice rang with maturity and strength.
"…Then you will perish," Naraku stated. Her posture did not change, and her eyes turned slightly in his direction. Her emerald orbs shone with the same maturity and strength as her voice, but something about this was different. He could see her absolute willingness to die if necessary for her beloved, her kindness, her pity, her courage, her purity…she was like an angel; a guardian angel. Suddenly, Naraku's fingers shook and weakly let go of the swords in his hand. His expression showed fear, or perhaps shock would have been more appropriate. It was as if he had just seen a ghost.
"Stop! Don't give me that look!" he cried out. Sakura blinked in confusion. In an attempt to break her gaze from him, he slashed at her threateningly near her back with his blade. It was almost like he meant to destroy the invisible wings that were on her back. The sharp tip tore a small line across her shirt but did not touch her skin. The girl gasped sharply from being startled and did not allow herself to show her fear. She was truly petrified by his dark magic and felt too ill and weak to move. However, she knew she had to stay strong. After all, she was protecting Syaoran. She knew this…but she still couldn't move. All she could do was shield him. Naraku saw that she still had the same gaze. Angrily, he went in for the final blow. This one would not be a warning.
"Syaoran…" Sakura whispered in tears.
Syaoran watched as the wall began to crack even further than before. The midnight black wolf clawed urgently. He could not avert his gaze from it or even move. He simply awaited the breaking of the wall and his mysterious fate. However, before the wolf could make any more damage, the snow white wolf with bright green eyes crashed into it. The two wolves began to fight viciously behind the wall with no mercy. When the black wolf had been temporarily distracted by the pain of a scratch in its side, the white wolf gazed to Syaoran with wistful eyes.
"Go. There is someone waiting for you," it said. Syaoran's amber eyes widened. That was the voice he heard this morning! He was surprised, though his thoughts soon went back to the words it had spoken. He needed to return to Sakura. Once he had control of his legs again, he ran towards the unknown location of the exit. 'How do I get out?' he thought with frustration. Suddenly, a light shone brightly in the sky.
"Syaoran…"
An angel was calling his name. White wings then sprouted from his back and he flew to the light. That must be where his beloved Sakura was.
Yelan, Kohaku, and Eriol ran as fast as they could in the direction that the auras were leading them. Sakura's soft pink aura seemed to shudder slightly, and Syaoran's was getting more chaotic every second.
"What's wrong with Syaoran?" Yelan asked the others while running. Kohaku gazed in her direction before speaking.
"The spirits are fighting for control of Syaoran's body…but it feels like XianLang has stopped my other brother…for now..." XiaoLian said. Eriol widened his eyes in worry.
"Does that mean…" he started. Kohaku nodded.
"…I can't hold the balance for much longer…it's almost broken…" she said weakly. She was beginning to feel so tired. She wasn't even sure how much longer she could keep running. The three noticed as they moved that a storm cloud was rolling in ever so slowly. It reminded Yelan of the night that Kyo had died.
"…I won't let Syaoran die!" she suddenly shouted. She didn't want to lose anyone like that ever again. Yelan remembered how devastated Syaoran had been when he lost his father. He wouldn't eat for days, he trained non-stop, and he never smiled. Little by little, he became happier with the help of Sakura and the family. She would be damned to let that happiness be ruined by Naraku. Her mind casually drifted to a sad memory many years ago shortly after Kyo had died…
The memory made her shiver. While they ran, they did not notice the shadows that leaped across the trees above them.
Before the final blow hit Sakura, something unexpected happened. She hadn't expected Syaoran to suddenly wake up and block the attack with his beautiful white wings…but many unexpected things had happened in the last week. The boy had completely pulled her away and then allowed one of his wings to take the full effect of the attack. Blood stained the pure white feathers and Syaoran's now green eyes were shut tightly in pain.
"Wings are very sensitive things. Once you release them, they become a part of you. So you will feel pain as well. This is a disadvantage in some situations. So you must protect them from being hit."
He remembered Yue telling him this during his training. However, he did not believe him as much as he did now. The pain was beyond excruciating, and it took everything he had to keep from screaming and falling on top of Sakura. Sakura noticed him shivering in agony, and in some form of comfort, she embraced him from underneath. With difficulty, he managed to mutter a few words.
"…S-sorry…I broke my promise…" he said. He had used his magic by releasing his wings when he promised that he would not. She only tightened her hold on him with love and care.
"It's all right," she whispered. More tears rolled down her face. Sakura was very touched how committed he was to the promise in the first place. For now, she was just so glad he was awake! When the sword was pulled harshly from the wing, he gasped loudly and his wings reacted by folding in towards him and Sakura.
"Are you all right?" Sakura asked him. Syaoran was breathing heavily, but he caressed her face gently. He opened his eyes just enough to look at her.
"I'll be…all right…" he said. It was obvious he was exhausted. After all, the nightmare and bite on his shoulder had done its damage as well. Syaoran could feel the lingering venom in his blood calling him back to slumber, but he did not allow it. The dizziness from the blood loss and the burning of his scars did not help either.
"What? How did you break the spell?" Naraku shouted angrily. Bright green eyes turned to him and glared.
"The white wolf…it helped me escape…" he muttered. The words had barely escaped his lips. He was just so exhausted.
"XianLang…" Naraku said in anger. Sakura recognized that as the name of XiaoLian's brother. This brother was the light side of Syaoran and had been responsible for the magic he had used in the past few days. However, she was also curious as to what the 'white wolf' helped him to escape from.
"…escape from what?" she asked quietly. Syaoran took several more breaths before speaking.
"…The...black wolf…"
Naraku was infuriated at the mention of the other wolf. Instinctively, he slashed the boy in the back again and sliced across both wings. Syaoran cried out in pain and slumped to the ground. He didn't have the energy to lift himself up anymore. Sakura clutched to him in worry.
"SYAORAN! No! Hang in there!" she said as she gently held his limp body. Naraku's black blade dripped with blood from theyoung teenage boy.
"I…promised…that I wouldn't let him…hurt you…ever again…" he said. Tears rolled down Sakura's face in waterfalls. She saw his now green eyes suddenly glow brighter, and a small tornado that formed around them swayed his hair in different directions. Within seconds, the wind had formed a full force wind storm that blew everything around them away. Naraku was blown into a tree that had already seemed close to snapping. With the added force of his body, the tree completely broke and flew into another one. Within the center of the wind storm, Syaoran and Sakura were safe from the deadly gusts. Sakura took the chance to tend to her beloved.
"Syaoran!" she cried in worry. Gently, she reached for his hand and their fingers entwined. The boy took his free hand and wiped away the tears from her face. Sakura helped him to sit up and supported him with her remaining arm. Her tears only continued to flow after gazing at his wounds. 'I was unable to protect him after all…' she thought sadly. Syaoran's expression changed to concern.
"Sakura…" he whispered.
"…I…I was trying…to protect you…but I was so afraid…I was so afraid that I had already lost you…and now you're awake…but you're hurt even more because of me!" she said in shame.
"…Sakura…but…I'm fine…" he started but winced when he tried to move. Sakura shook her head in denial.
"You are not fine!"
She placed her head against Syaoran's and her bangs pressed against his forehead.
"Why can't I do anything to help him?" she seemed to speak to herself in agony. 'Please let me be able to do something!' She thought. After a moment, she didn't realize that one her tears began to glow. As if in slow motion, the lone tear drop fell and landed on Syaoran's bite wound. He gasped in surprise when he felt a tingling sensation overwhelm him. Sakura was deeply confused when he wrapped his arms around her and brought her into a tight embrace. Then, another tear fell and landed on his wounded wings. When the drops had made contact, a steam-like mist formed as if cold water was poured on hot iron. Syaoran sighed in relief as the wounds began to heal. The relief felt as if he were dying of thirst in a desert and was just given rain. The emerald-eyed girl noticed what was going one once she looked down his back and saw the healing wings.
"Syaoran! You're healing!"
When the wounds were completely gone, he brought his lips close to her ear.
"…My wounds were healed…with your power," he whispered.
Naraku watched from the sidelines while safely avoiding the wind.
"What? She's an angelic sorceress?" he said aloud. Sakura had somehow heard him through the roaring gusts. 'What? What's an angelic sorceress?' she thought. Syaoran still had her in his embrace, and he gazed to Naraku through the winds with a half lidded look. Slowly, he released his beloved and stood up. His wings spread out beautifully, and his hand beckoned Sakura to grab it. She was more than willing, and firmly took hold of his hand. With one easy tug, he was able to lift her to her feet. Once she was balanced, he placed his still pale hands on her shoulders. With a serious gaze, he spoke to her.
"Stay here. I'm going to finish this," he said. Sakura's emerald eyes widened. She was shocked because she knew exactly what this meant. He may very well not come back alive. Instinctively, she clung onto him tightly.
"No! I'm not letting you do this alone!" she yelled with her face buried in his chest.
"Sakura…"
He began to remember what she had said before; how he needed to believe in everyone's ability to protect themselves. Now was the time. Lightly, he placed his hands on her face and directed her eyes towards his.
"Then…what should we do?" he asked. Sakura was surprised that he decided to cooperate, but she was also not surprised. With a determined expression she spoke.
"We will work together," she said. Her gaze drifted to Naraku, who was staring angrily at them.
"I sense some sort of loneliness in him, Syaoran. I can't tell what, but…there's such pain in his eyes…" she said. Syaoran believed her, but he felt indifferent towards the man who killed his father. He couldn't care enough to help someone who had hurt everyone around him. Sakura noticed in his expression that he felt this way.
"I think it may have something to do with the spirits inside of you," she said. This was the first time she mentioned the spirits to Syaoran. After all, he had been unconscious during every conversation about it. Syaoran wasn't exactly sure what she was talking about. Spirits? Suddenly, it hit him like a truck. The powers…the wolves…the voices…the imbalance of magic…it was all their doing.
"Does he want something from the black wolf?" he whispered. She nodded.
"It seems he wants to kill him," she said. Sakura remembered how Naraku had said something about a 'spirit needing to die'. Syaoran wasn't quite sure how she seemed to know so much, but at the moment he really didn't care. This whole ordeal just needed to stop. Naraku needed to be stopped in some way. However, before he could even decide what action to take next, a hand managed to reach through the winds of his twister and grab his neck. The pain of Naraku's touch burned Syaoran's scars. Sakura cried out in worry, but she was too late to stop him from being hoisted out of the safety of the twister. Syaoran's body was thrown harshly at one of the nearby trees. As grimaced in pain for a moment, Naraku lunged at him with his sword in hand. Before the blade could touch him, he quickly released his sword and blocked. Syaoran managed to knock the sword away from him long enough to roll away. Once he got safely away, he stood up and ran in for an attack. Naraku blocked every slice that the boy could throw at him. After a few minutes, Syaoran got a clean slice along the red-eyed man's arm. He seemed to not show any sign of pain and continued to fight back. The fight went on for what seemed like forever. Sakura watched painfully from behind the winds. She had to get out of this twister so she could help him! After several minutes, an idea finally came to mind.
"FLY!!" she called out. Beautiful, white feathered wings grew from her back. Her slender legs bent and pushed herself off of the ground into flight. However, as she neared the exit at the top, the winds became too strong and sent her tumbling all the way back down. She mentally cursed and clenched her fist full of grass.
"I have to get out! I have to help Syaoran!" she said. With a determined gaze, she tried again. Every time, she seemed to be pushed back down again. She now stood on the ground again with a great look of frustration.
"Why? Why can't I get through?" she whispered to herself. Suddenly, she heard something in the corners of her mind. It sounded like voices. It took her a few moments to realize where it was coming from…it was coming from the winds…
She could sense rage and panic in the them. They were muttering something about guarding those inside the eye, and it seemed to be fearful when Syaoran was suddenly tugged outside of its protection. The winds had become stronger so she wouldn't be touched. It seemed that the twister had formed in order to protect the both of them. Syaoran's feelings were also in his magic. The winds were intent on keeping her safe, just as he had intended. When she heard the frightened voices, Sakura found herself comforting the winds. It amazed her when she saw the gusts begin to weaken, and her hand gently touched the edge of the twister and she spoke in slow gentle words.
"It's all right. There's nothing to be afraid of. Could you calm down enough to let me out?" she said. After a few moments, her sweet words seemed to calm it enough to eventually dissipate.
Syaoran and Naraku momentarily stopped the fight to stare in awe. They were surprised to hear her thank the wind.
"…She can talk to the wind?" Naraku muttered. Syaoran wasn't quite sure what to say. He was even more shocked when he heard a voice speak in his head. He recognized the voice almost immediately. The white wolf? Moreover, Naraku and the voice seemed to say the same thing at the same time. The words left Syaoran confused and curious.
"She's like her."
Syaoran's thoughts pondered on whom this 'her' could be, but before he could think any more, he felt the sharp pain in his chest.
Lilover131: How was that? I tried to make it a longer chapter since I always keep you all waiting so long, and because it is getting nearer to the climax. Sorry if the ending of the chapter was abrupt. Anyways, I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. The new marching band season started, so I will be pretty busy. But I won't let it get in the way of the story! I promise you guys that it WILL be finished, no matter what! See you later!