Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ Through A Looking Glass ƽ°²¾©¤Î™ÑÎïÕZ ❯ Filtered lights and shadows ( Chapter 13 )

Through a looking glass

By: Aisaki Sumi

o

o

o

Chapter 12 Filtered lights and shadows

o

o

o

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token.

o

o

o

 

Heian Jidai (Heian Period), 1179, mid-winter, Near Heian-Kyo

 

It was an undeniable fact that the woman before his eyes was beautiful. In fact, this was the first time since his eyes beheld a beauty like this - a beauty rarest of all - that reminded him of the Ethiope's Jewel, so fine and elegant, and breathtaking.

 

She could bewitch any man with that beauty of hers, and they would do anything to draw a smile up on her cold, expressionless face - even if it was waging wars against others. Possessing something as powerful as that, Syaoran wondered if he should be fearful of it, or succumb to it like any man would.

 

Then, he briefly recollected what happened to Troy when Helen entered it, and what happened in the Shang Dynasty when Da Ji was brought to the imperial court by her father.

 

He didn't remember how long he had stared at her, watching her every movement as if trying to memorize them forever, as if trying to imprint them in his mind, as if she would disappear into thin air at any time.

 

Like a butterfly alighting on a leaf, her stay was ephemeral, a voice in the back of his mind had told him so, and he didn't know why. At that very instance, she didn't look earthly to him, but rather, a goddess escaped from heaven that came to the earthly bound to play. And when she loses her interest, she would vanish, leaving no traces behind as if she was never there in the first place.

 

Suddenly, an abruptly sharp pain shot up from his wound, and brought his mind back to reality. He refrained himself from wincing in pain, and let his eyes wander back to his wounded arm. There, he saw a neatly bandaged arm with a white ribbon wrapped around it for further security.

 

The atmosphere that hung between them was almost soothing, filled with an understanding from two people of alike-minds. Syaoran could catch the wisps of her scent lingering in the cold air his lungs sought for, and he greedily inhaled it - almost unconscious of his own actions.

 

His tongue tangled in his mouth as he tried to find the right words to say, “you shouldn't have came here.” The words slipped from his lips almost instantly, when he parted his lips.

 

Sakura paused for the briefest moment, before giving a heave silence and turned back to her previous task. The strands of auburn locks that were tossed messily into the air, brushed against Syaoran's frozen skin.

 

It was hard to determine whether or not the actions were intentional or accidental. But the short contact left tingling feelings behind, and Syaoran almost flinched at it due to intuitive reflexes.

 

Clearing his throat, he said in a firm, authoritarian tone, which left little room for discussion. “Once the search team finds us, I'll send ten men with you to send you back to Heian-kyo.” He paused for a moment there, to scrutinize the strong-headed woman before him - a woman who seemed to be fearless of the world.

 

“My lord, allow me to pose a question.” Sakura let go of his arm, and tilted her chin upward, proudly gazing into his eyes - those endless amber pools with their depth so excellently hidden.

 

There was a hint of mockery glinting in her eyes, and Syaoran barely caught it, as she continued on. “Do you think women are unfit for battlefields?”

 

“I do not think women are inferior to men, when it comes to wisdom, but there are certain things in this world that were meant for men to triumph singularly. If a woman were to take a man's job, the world would enter a state of anarchy.” Answered Syaoran smoothly, as he cleverly avoided the normal standards for women, which proved to be much offensive.

 

He didn't do it to please Sakura, but rather, he was never a firm believer of those definitions of women in the first place. Tomoyo was the first one to shake believes drilled into his head by society on women, and now, his supposed wife was the one to shake his believes completely.

 

“Then provide her with a chance to prove herself of her worth.” There was underlying traces of confidence and defiance, something Syaoran had grown accustomed to since their first face-to-face meeting in that odd Chinese tavern.

 

With a silent sigh of exasperation, Syaoran decided to put a hiatus on this discussion. He was tired of it all, the chase, the fall, the slaughtering of his most loyal companion for the sole purpose of survival. Worries of what would happen later on should be the last things occupying his mind at this particular moment.

 

“When we get back, I will inform you of my answer. Get yourself some rest, a long day lies ahead tomorrow, and you shall need all the energy you can gather of to survive.”

 

She nodded in reply and found a slightly more comfortable position. She laid down, with her back facing Syaoran, her air, like the locks of golden threads, spread across the ground Sakura slept on, and formed a sheet of auburn coloured silk.

 

From the angle of Syaoran's view, she looked almost fragile in a sense - her frame small and delicate. He couldn't understand her reasons of defiance. Tomoyo was a strong-headed woman, and Syaoran had always admired that trait of hers. But even she had her limits.

 

And the woman before his eyes, was limitless. Even if the world decides to tumble down and shatter into pieces, she would remain still, as she always had. This mere fact astonished him.

 

The secrets she held, hidden underneath that frail and harmless cover, intrigued him immensely. The life and death situation they had just experienced a few hours ago was no matter of coincidence.

 

The man he killed definitely knew his wife, and by her other identity as Sakuma Ryuichi, which was why he seemed so shocked when Syaoran revealed Sakura's true identity to him.

 

Why would his enemy, Minamoto no Eriol want to capture her? Or rather, how did they meet? Questions bombarded his mind as he pondered on. None of this made any sense. Syaoran knew the kind of person Eriol was, and it was simply impossible for him to expose himself like this, and let alone attack the Taira army so carelessly just so he could capture “Sakumo Ryuichi”?

 

Shaking his head slightly to brush aside the thoughts, Syaoran turned away to stare absent-mindedly at the sky, his warm breaths made small puffs of mist. Flakes of snow drifted pass the two of them, in their descent towards the ground, sparkling so beautifully in the late night darkness.

 

He fell backwards into the gentle yet icy embrace of Mother Nature, and let the magic of Faerie Queen take a hold of him. And in his dreams, he saw the Taira Clan fall. Everything around him was burned into ashes. The world he knew was no more. He was the only one standing there, amidst of all the chaos and fire.

 

He felt a strong burning sensation, yet his skin felt cold and sweaty. Suffocating, yes, he was suffocating.

 

His ears picked up a distant, almost indiscernible sound that made out to be a soft sigh, and following that sigh, he felt a cold hand touching his forehead, brushing aside his sweaty hair.

 

Those tapered fingers felt like cold satin sliding across his forehead, taking away all of his nightmares. He contemplated upon the right words to describe those touches - touches of an angel, he suddenly drew up a conclusion, yes, it just had to be that.

 

With those gentle caresses accompanying him, the burning sensations started to fade away. The disturbing sceneries of the flames and chaos slowly vanished, became so distant away from him. And the cries, the screams of despair became faint and indistinctive, and he was finally able to sleep again.

 

He tugged his face against a soft warm spot he had just found, and inhaled deeply (the scent was familiar, but he couldn't recall what or who it belonged to), and drifted into a deep, dreamless slumber that felt so refreshing and peaceful. It was the best sleep he had in almost sixteen years, and he greedily enjoyed the sleep while it lasted.

 

Sakura watched him sleep on her lap silently. His eyes were tightly shut, wearing a slight smile on his lips while he slept. It gave him an almost childish look, which was nice for a change from his usual stern expressions.

 

She noticed the way the moonlight would stream down to his face, and light it in soft pale silver hues, giving his skin the look of the finest porcelain.

 

His face was no longer as red as before, there was only a faint tinge of scarlet smudge painted on his skin. She knew exactly where this fever came from, and the thought of it made her purse her lips together into a thin line.

 

He received the wound for protecting her, and if something had happened to him, she would never forgive herself. It wasn't out of kindness or sympathy she just didn't want to owe him anything. She didn't want to depend on him, directly or indirectly.

 

The snow outside continued to drift lazily in the cold air. The flakes fell in such a peaceful and serene motion, showing its total obliviousness to a certain auburn-haired woman's inner struggles.

 

The sky cried for no one, but for itself.

 

……

 

 

The rescue team arrived the next morning, under Yukito's lead. Sakura silently gave the other a brief look, slightly surprised at his efficiency and talents to track them down so fast.

 

There, she saw a solemn man in his mid twenties, his hair was as white as the snow covering the earth, and his skin - was the color of ice crystals, so transparent and pale.

 

His eyes were so enigmatic that they reminded her of the moon, so faint and serene, beautiful in his dark and haunting ways. It was then their visions aligned, so unexpectedly and it caused Sakura's breath to hitch.

 

Those eyes held no emotions. They were cold and ruthless, like the eyes of the riders of the shadow realm - like the eyes of a dangerous predator lurking in the darkness, waiting for the perfect moment to strike on its prey.

 

She had never seen anyone like that before, although she deeply admired his ability to conceal away all his sentiments and thoughts, rendering him unreadable to many, if not, everyone.

 

But the overwhelming oppressive aura of his, sent shivers down her spine, as if his eyes had pierced through her covers - as if he knew something about her, while she knew nothing of him.

 

It was then he turned away, and Sakura suddenly felt easier to breath again. She always thought Syaoran had an oppressive aura when he was serious, but his aura was differently different from this white-haired man's aura.

 

The feeling he gave, could freeze the ocean to its deepest depths if he really wanted to, and Sakura wondered if his soul was as empty and hollow as his eyes. After all, one's eyes are the windows to their soul - or so most people thought.

 

“That's Yukito-san.” A somewhat coarse boyish voice, caught in the phase of a boy transforming into a man. It was also an awkward age, where the boy's voice is broken and coarse. Sakura turned to her right side to see who it was, and the bright hazel orbs of Atsumori came into view.

 

“He's Onii-san's best friend since childhood.” After receiving a somewhat perplexed look from Sakura, Atsumori smiled and continued on. “Yukito-san is very talented, and people say when it comes to leading an army, he's the Emperor's left hand while Onii-san is the right hand.”

 

“Souka na.” Replied Sakura softly as her eyes fell back upon the distant figure of Yukito again.

 

……

 

For the next several days, the Taira army were finally able to reach the destined training camp. Sakura was given the position as the military doctor after she displayed her shocking amount of knowledge of medicine.

 

Her work load at first was rather heavy, since the surprise attack from a few days ago wounded one fourth of the soldiers, some just had a few scratches, while others had more serious injuries.

 

It was the first time she saw the cruel side of war - the disturbing images of severely wounded men, and the despair in her eyes were forever imprinted in her mind.

 

Unlike the other women of her era, who would much rather turn away and avoid seeing those images, hoping in vain that denial could take reality away from them, Sakura kept her eyes wide open, remembering every single detail her eyes could capture.

 

She told herself, on a battlefield, right and wrongs were decided by armouries and fists and blades. There was no room for hesitation or act of kindness, it was either the enemy die, or you die. Simple as that.

 

Fast-approaching footsteps were picked up by Sakura's sharp ears, and before she had the time to look over her shoulder, a frantic exclaim nearly deafened her.

 

“Sakuma-sama! The men in my division are in deep pain, they were all alright yesterday. I don't know what happened, when I went into their tent to call them up for training, I saw them lying on the ground struggling…

 

There—there were white foams coming out of their mouths - please help them!” The horrified man explained breathlessly and as fast as he could, the words were spewing out of his mouth and Sakura fought hard to understand what he was saying.

 

“Take me to their tent.” Sakura ordered as she grabbed her medicine kit, and the soldier nodded firmly, hastily dashed out of Sakura's tent and led her to the men waiting for her arrival.

 

From the description of their conditions provided by this soldier, Sakura knew the situation was serious and they were running out of time. And with the passing of each second, their lives slip away a little more.

 

When they arrived at the large tent built especially for soldiers of each small division, Sakura pushed aside the heavy drapes and rushed in, only to find Syaoran and Yukito standing there, frowning deeply with lips pursed into a thin line.

 

She felt their eyes trained on her, but she minded none of it, for saving those lives was of more importance. She bent down and placed her tapered fingers on the main artery in one of the dying soldiers' wrist, and carefully felt his pulses.

 

The entire tent was occupied by a deafening silence, heavy of anxiety. Even Syaoran was more solemn than usual, as he patiently waited for Sakura's verdict. From the way she treated those wounded soldiers from a few days ago, he already saw her intensive knowledge and skill as an excellent doctor, and he knew she would not disappointment.

 

It was then Sakura diverted her attention away from listening to the pulses, she parted her dried lips slightly and murmured softly. “Don't worry, you'll be fine soon.” Her words of comfort reached the soldier's ears and he gave her a small nod in reply. “Now, open your mouth and let me see your tongue.” And he did as she said, opening her mouth to show her his purple, almost bluish hued tongue.

 

After closely scrutinizing her patient, Sakura patted him on the shoulder to let him know the examination was over before getting up and walking toward Syaoran. “The reaction came from the ingestion of a rare poison, and if I am not wrong, the poison is a special one that's passed down the Minamoto family.” She shared the results of her examination with him, and stole a glance at Syaoran's expression from the corner of her eyes.

 

“The Minamoto family has a long history of experimentation with poisons.” Syaoran finally asserted, his eyes narrowing and flashing with hints of dangers and of promises worse than death.

 

“And there's nothing I can do to save them. There is no cure for such poison. I hope you can understand.” Commented Sakura in an almost nonchalant way, and clasped her hands together. “The only thing we can do right now is prevent the poison from spreading and save as many as we can.”

 

“What do you suggest is the source of this poison?” Syaoran questioned, as his eyes surveyed the people in this tent. It was the only tent reported to show such symptoms, and he asked his confidants to check the food provided to the soldiers before the dishes were carried out.

 

So where did the poison come from, or rather, how did it manage to slip in and harm his men right under his nose?

 

“My lord, I just remembered something. A brother of mine told me yesterday that they found a clean stream of water which is just nearby. The water is much better tasting than the ones we drink every single day.”

 

The leader of the small division reported, gazing hopefully upon the three powerful men before him. His comrades were dying, and the least he could do now was let them know what happened to them.

 

“Saa…it might be the water then. The Minamotos probably ordered their men to drop the poison into the small stream, so it could eventually be carried to the river that we obtain most of our water supplies from.” Sakura offered, and everything became manifest.

 

What a cleaver plan. If they discovered this any later, the entire army would be doomed. And the Minamotos would win the war before even fighting it. Clever and dirty, she must say…but clever indeed. It's just they've miscalculated one part, and that was her.

 

While normal military doctors only knew how to help wounded soldiers, she knew much more. After all, spending nearly thirteen years studying medicine and politics wasn't for nothing.

 

She knew the knowledge she gained in those sleepless nights would reveal their usefulness in the future, but she didn't know it would be this soon.

 

“If this is the way they want to play this game, then be it.” Syaoran drawled lazily as a smirk made its way across his lips.

.

.

.

.

.

.

a/n: I have a term test on Tuesday and a whole load of work to do, but I thought I should keep my promise and try to finish this story as soon as I can. I apologize for the long delay. Inspirations were abandoning me due to the excessive math loaded into my head when school decided to take over my life again. Cough. Thus the two weeks delay. So here's the new chapter, enjoy. It's totally unedited at the moment, and I'll probably edit all the chapters once I get this stupid story done and out of the way. Anyway, I'm hoping to do another update sometimes this week, whenever time and inspiration are playing in harmony again. It's half past midnight here in Toronto…and I deserve a nice little review for my hard works, ne?

 

I feel strange, for making references to the Greeks and the Chinese and Japanese at the same time. Cough. I feared that most of my English readers would not get a sense of what's happening if I'm making references to Zhou Gong (Chinese dream god), who is equivalent to the Faerie Queen in Elizabethan English. And you guys know Helen of Troy, but not some Chinese beauty that caused downfall of some Chinese dynasty. So the descriptions might seem a bit strange…at times.

 

 

PS: I actually posted first half of this chapter on my facebook account on Saturday morning, so if you guy want to read the chapter ahead, please add me on facebook!! Just search up Sumi Aisaki from university of Toronto 10' network and that'll be me.