Chapter 20: Hearing is believing (You asked for more, I typed it up ^_^)
Kyo couldn't see much through the darkness, and he didn't to be seen by his wand-light. As he headed for Fai's office, he took the shape of his animagus animal: the cat. In his hurry, traveling on instict, he was already at the office door. Kyo was good enough at magic that he could cast an opening charm without the use of his wand. However, The spell on this door was not simple at all. This was intriguing, perhaps he had not come to the right place after all. Fai would have no reason to seal his office shut.
Placing his alert ear to the door, he heard a voice. Was it Yuki's? No-- his evil twin, Kyo figured. Drat, he hadn't heard what he had said. Stay calm Kyo! He thought harshly. You have to listen.
"Maybe, but Master, we have three more days. Then the potion for Sakura will be complete." Snape's voice...
Yuki sounded as though he were smiling. "Good, and then this little one will give me anything I want."
Kyo was horrorstriken. Was she in there with them right now?! If she was unconscious.... but what could he do? He remembered that Sakura's feathers contained her soul, containing all of her memories and magic. If that was what Snape-- Yuki-- was after, than what would be left of the Sakura when her soul was gone? He couldn't think about it.
What he WAS certain of now, however, was that they had been wrong . Yuki and Kabuto were the same person! Voldemort. He had limited power, and didn't want to be discovered, so he must have been shape shifting to take on different aliases. The real Yuki and Kabuto were probably being held captive somewhere... the same place Sakura would most likely be taken to.
Yuki's voice returned. "You will meet me here again. Do not be late."
Some rustling. Kyo realized the ravenclaw look-alike was leaving. Kyo lightly ran to the shadows and waited for the hall to turn silent.
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Fai was awoken to the sound of hurried scraping. Rubbing his eyes he went to the door and saw the most adorable cat waiting there for him. As soon as he brought him inside, however, that cat was replaced by a frantic Kyo.
"Kyo?"
"Yeah."
"Huh. You do know it's three in the morning don't you?"
Kyo hushed him. "We have to destroy Voldemort now, before he's been completely revived!"
He told Fai all he had heard.
Fai sighed, feeling the end approaching. From what he understood, Sakura was in grave danger, and would unwillingly give up her soul to bring that monster back to full power. "I fear that now, our time is limited. If we can't destroy him in three days, we will be helpless against him."
Kyo looked him helplessly in the eyes. "So what do we have to do?"
Fai made a mischievous smile. "I don't have a plan. Shall we conspire?"
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Kyo thought the plan over in his mind. It was almost perfect. But, anything could happen at this point. As he crawled back into bed, he told himself that there was nothing he could do yet. If he played his cards right, he could save Sakura without putting her in danger. If he tried to attack Voldemort now, he would only fail and bring her more pain. He HATED the thought of Sakura being in the hands of those fiends. It literally took all his self -control to not disregard Fai's orders, and march into Snapes office, throw a few punches and bring her back. But he had made a promise to Fai, and he couldn't let him down.
It was strange to think that the next day would be May.
His dreams played fearful images to illustrate the conversation he had over heard. He was standing behind a few boxes, on wooden, rather than the usual tile floors, and he could smell something akin to rotting flesh. A light went on, revealing the face of Yuki and he lowered his eyes in pain. Then he saw the unconscious, steadily breathing Sakura, who was resting against the corner behind them. At least she was asleep. In his dream, he left the covering of the boxes and began to through punches at Yuki. But then he stopped. What if this really is Yuki? And not someone else transformed? What if Yuki is being possessed? If I fight him, then Yuki will be hurt, not the one controlling him! Yuki's fists hammered the nonresponsive Kyo like nails on wood.
Then, Kyo woke up.
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(hi again! I called this chapter what I did because it is soooo much like the whole Harry potter book one scene. Some familiar ground here all you Harry potter fans!)
Chapter 19- What happened next: De ja vu
Madam Hootch was trying, in the chaos, to end the match. Kyo ran into the upper stands where the staff was seated, not making any note of te shos behind him. Then, he launched himself at Snape, desperately trying to break his concentration. A couple of teachers restrained him, and Kyo watched helplessly as Sakura fell from the sky. Her body slammed into the ground and, almost immediately Syaoran was by her side. How did he do that?
As everyone stared, a bludger sped low above the ground. Not seeing it coming straight for him, Syaoran turned his head and it got him full in the left eye. Sakura lay sprawled on the ground, breathing harshly. Syaoran couldn't see-- through either of his eyes so
Kyo would have to help her now.
"I'm sorry Professor Snape! I was in such a hurry to see everything from the balcony seats that I tripped and pitched forward into you!"
Snape gave a frustrated growl and the two men holding Kyo released him.
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"It's me Syaoran!" Kyo said. "It's Kyo..."
Syaoran nodded. "Where's Sakura?"
"Right here." Kyo said, "We think she's broken both of her legs..."
Madam Taffy, the replacement nurse, came through the smog of people that darted out of her way.
"Coming through, coming through-- Oh dear!" She let Sakura lie on a comfortable stretcher and took Syaoran's hand. " You can't see me, dear?"
Syaoran shook his head. "Well, come on," She said with a hint of sadness. " We must get you to the hospital wing-- the both of you."
She led them off, Kyo trailing close behind.How many times will we have to visit this place? Kyo thought bitterly.
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The lights inside of the Hospital Wing went out. Kyo had been sitting at Sakura's bed side as she slept, and also thinking about all that had happened that morning.. After about two hours, he finally felt his eyes flutter closed in sleep.
----But the he woke up-- hours later, it seemed. The room was filled with sunlight. In it's warmth, he got up and peered over Sakura's bed. But she wasn't there!
The windows were shut tightly, he could see. Where could she be?!
"Don't panic," He thought, and began searching for the nurse. "Taffy? Madam Taffy?"
No answer. He found her in her bed, fast asleep, but no matter how he shook her, she would not awaken. She's been drugged, he suddenly realized. He tore off a peice of paper and scribbled a letter to Syaoran in a hurry. He was about to put it on his nightstand when he remembered Syaoran wouldn't be able to see it.
"Syaoran... SYAORAN WAKE UP!"
It was no use. He too was completely out. Kyo cursed under his breath. Deciding to race after the unknown culprit, Kyo ran to the door, which was slightly ajar. Widening the opening, Kyo rushed from the room.
The winter days leading up to christmas passed swiftly, with still no sign of Snape. Kyo, Sakura, and Syaoran had persuaded Kurogane to chaperone as they went to the wizard market place Hogsmede.
"Daddy signed the papers!" Mokona whispered to Fai with a wink. Kurogane recognized the signs of conspiracy and growled loudly. "You better not be saying anything... weird!"
Each day, Kurogane took someone different with him to Hogsmede, untill everyone had bought a present for everyone else. Even Fai and Kurogane himself went christmas shopping when the three kids had finished.
Long before, the skulls, bats and other evil things had vanished from the castle with the wave of a wand. Now the only decoration that remained from Halloween were the Christmas lights that hung in Fai's office. Trees from the Forbidden Forest with snowy icing could be found at every turn. Each tree had its own ornaments and lights, but the only kind of pine tree was worth anything to the students: the tree that could be found in each dormintory. Santa only came to those trees.
Syaoran was sitting by the fire in the main hall one especially cold day, when a boy older than him named Colin asked him a question. "How does Santa know what all the house's passwords are?"
Syaoran looked at him in puzzlement. He was about to say something when Fai jumped out from behind a christmas tree. "He has spies everywhere!"
Colin gulped, recalling the song, "Santa Clause is coming to town." That song gave him the creeps!
Then, the longest night of the year came: Christmas eve. Sakura slept soundly that night while Kyo stayed wide awke in his room. He had bought Sakura's gift weeks before, but was beginning to have qualms.Thinking about the next morning, he envisioned the expression that would spread over Sakura's face when she opened the brown package containing her gift. Comforted by the image, he slowly fell asleep.
Inside the Griffindor dormintory however, Syaoran was awake even still, studying hexes and spells. Earlier that year, Fai had purchased Syaoran's wand for him. The wand now lit up as he spoke, "lumos." With this new power at his side, he hoped to retrieve Sakura's feather easier. The group knew that her feathers usually came with a fight, and though he was unsure if Snape posed a threat, he would be sure to protect Sakura at any cost. Syaoran continued to study until he fell asleep, fully clothed, with the book "Advanced Hexes and magic," open to page 156 on his head.
Sakura woke up after what was a good night's rest. She stood, and tied back the window drapes. Pushing the window open, a cool breeze fluttered around her face and playfully tossed her hair. the cold, white landscape outside was many inches high! She couldn't wait to run in the snow. Quickly, she grabbed the clothes she was planning on wearing and rushed down the hall. She was already down stairs when Kyo woke up. Sakura was surprised to see how few presents were under the tree, regarding how many Hufflepuff students there were, but then she remembered that she and Kyo were about the only Hufflepuffs who had stayed for the Holidays. Everyone else was enjoying their christmas at home.
Sakura checked the presents. Two were from Syaoran, one was from Kyo, two were from Kurogane, and two were from Fai. The last gift was from herself. Kyo descended the stairs sleepily. He wore a sweater the color of a peppermint stick and his pants were a cheery green. "You look nice this morning," Kyo told her, after he was certain they were alone in the common room.
Sakura grinned. He wasn't the only one in the christmas spirit. Sakura was wearing a red dress, and her short hair curled about her face in twisting locks. "Thanks," Sakura replied. "You look nice too."
Kyo turned red in the cheeks and Sakura led him to the tree. First, she opened the gift from Fai. Inside she found a new feather quill. Finding the card, she read: "It reminded me of you because it's like one of your memory feathers! This quill helps you remember what you study and forget. You can use this on tests!"
Sakura smiled gratefully. She usually forgot many things, even when she did study. Putting it aside, Sakura asked Kyo what he got from Fai. Kyo held up a pair of orange mittens.
"Aw! Like your kitten paws! Put them on!" Sakura encouraged. Hesitantly, Kyo fitted them on. He was surprised by their warmth!
"Kyo!" Sakura warned, pointing at the mittens. There were on fire!
Kyo turned around and blasted the flames into the fireplace. He was astounded. "These mittens allow me to manipulate fire?"
Sakura nodded. " I guess those will come in handy!"
Kyo laughed loudly. " I always was a fire kind of guy!"
Sakura began to unwrap a present from Kurogane. Underneath the layers of tissue paper, Sakura dug out a sword. "Phweee!!!"
"What?" Kyo asked at the terrified sound.
Sakura directed her index finger to the katana. Kyo pulled out an identical sword from his own box. "Wow."
Sakura grasped the sword at its hilt, viewed the blade, and quickly returned it to its sheath. Then, she moved on to Syaoran's gift. Inside the box, she found a winter gown to color of snow and ice. It was richly decorated with pearls and lined with lace. "Oh Syaoran-kun!"
Kyo's veins buldged with jealousy. He violently shredded the paper covering his gift from Syaoran and found a jar of invisible ink. Kyo grabbed a piece of spare parchment from the table behind him, and took out his quill. Sakura dashed up the stairs, eager to try on the new dress.
Kyo wrote, "Thank you," on the paper, but nothing appeared on the page. Curiously, he read the card that cam with it.
"In order to read the invisible ink, say what you wrote."
Feeling a bit silly, Kyo said, "Thank you." The words on the letter he had been writing slowly turned black. Kyo read the next line on the card.
"What you just said is now the password. Say it when you have completed writing and the rest will show up. If you write a word on the back and say it, that will make the words revanish."
Kyo took his peice of paper and wrote "Your welcome" on the back. Saying it aloud, the black ink seemed to evaporate from the parchment. It really works, Kyo thought.
"P.S, "Kyo read from the card. "You don't have to write the password on the front and back everytime you write. Only do so if you need to remember, or if you must change the passwords. For safety purposes, you may want to feed the the first letter you write to the fire."
Kyo did this and took out a new peice of paper and wrote a new note for Syaoran. "Thank you," Kyo said awkwardly. The words he had written appeared. " You're welcome..." The words disappeared. Kyo stared at the scroll and then at the jar of ink.
"Are you talking to someone, Kyo?"
He looked up, and in that moment, saw an angel.
Sakura was wearing a beautiful dress. The one that Syaoran had given to her.
"Is someone here?" Sakura asked.
Kyo shook his head. "No. Just talking to myself."
"How do I look?" Sakura asked as she approached him.
Kyo blushed. Radient, beautiful, cute, gorgeous, wonderful, angelic. What was he supposed to say? "Good! You look really good in that dress, Sakura-chan."
"Thanks! I hope Syaoran-kun thinks so. What's that, Kyo-kun?"
"Invisible ink, from Syaoran."
Sakura's eyes widened. "Really?"
"It works too!" Kyo said.
Sakura passed him the present from herself. Kyo peered into the bag and pulled from it a peice of fabric. His face brightened up. "An orange sash! I was
needing one!"
Sakura's own face fell. "It's a scarf..."
Kyo flushed. "Of course it's a scarf! How did you know that I cant stand the cold on my neck?"
Sakura grinned, proud of her own observation. "You always wear turtleneck shirts."
He inspected it. "You made this yourself?"
"Yup!"
Kyo's chest swelled with pride. Ha! Take that, Syaoran, Kyo thought.
"I'm glad you like it, because I made Syaoran the same thing!"
Curse you Syaoran!
Sakura interuppted his angry thoughts. "What time is it?"
"8 am, "Kyo answered. "Here," he offered her the gift he had hand wrapped. Carefully, Sakura scratched at the corners of the tape that sealed the wrapping paper together. Making sure she did not rip the paper itself, Sakura removed the covered box. The box contained a necklace with a charm hung by a silver chain. The charm was a diamond elegantly cut in a way that reflected the light in brilliant spectrums. Sakura clasped it round her neck and admired the colors that danced from it like and aurora borealis. Her face mirrored what Kyo had pictured it would the night before. It went quite well with her new dress.
"Thank you!" Sakura said enthusiastically.
Kyo replied by blushing an even darker shade of pink. "You look marvelous in it." Kyo was glad that she liked it.
"We should get to breakfast," Sakura told him. "I'd like to see Syaoran and see what he got! What did you buy for him?"
Kyo gathered his sword and things, putting them into a plastic bag. "I bought him defensive charmed armor."
Sakura blushed. Now he's my knight in shining armor! She thought.
Kyo shifted uncomfortably. What's she thinking about? Scratch that, Kyo thought miserably. I already know. "Note to self," he said softly under his breath, "There's no way I can win Sakura's heart if I keep making Syaoran look better than me!" He started towards the picture of Sir Cadegon. Sakura didn't follow. "Come on Sakura-chan."
Sakura was rummaging under the tree. "Wait!" she said. "It looks like theres one more present to unwrap. Look!"
Kyo walked back over to the tree. There was one last present beneath it. "Who's it for?" Kyo asked. "Who's it from?"
" It doesn't say."
Kyo regarded the box with apprehension. "Careful," he cautioned, " it may be a trap."
Sakura nodded and lifted the top from the small box. "Oh!" She exclaimed. "Chocolate!"
"Don't eat it!" Kyo warned.
But it was too late. Sakura had already popped a dark chocolate into her mouth.
Kyo squinted as she did so, expecting something horrible to happen. Change of skin color, series of coughs, something!
But the only thing that followed was Sakura opening her mouth and swallowing a toffee. Kyo watched helplessly. "It could be poisoned!"
"Why would Syaoran-kun poison it?" Sakura asked with her mouth full.
"You mean it was from Syaoran-kun?" Kyo asked. "Why did you say it was anonymous?"
Sakura recalled. "Well, I could just tell it was from Syaoran. It was just a feeling, you know?"
Kyo shook his head. Maybe now was the time to accept that he just didn't stand a chance against Syaoran.