RECAP: Last chapter Sakura and Syaoran got caught by the nurse because she noticed the cuts and stuff that were battle wounds from the ghost. They snuck out of the nurse’s office, then set a Silent curse on the nurse so she couldn’t speak to them or say anything about them. Sakura went to Mark’s house and had a boring time, while Syaoran spied on them. Sakura started talking and making friends with Chindra more. At the end of the chapter Sakura heard a scream and was freaked out, but nothing happened. The next morning Chindra had suspicious looking scrapes on her arm. Syaoran got a job working at the mall’s pizza place. No one knows about it yet, and he is trying to keep it a secret. He’s working so he can have enough money to buy Moondust (a horse) before her owners move away and sell her.

Chapter 12

Syaoran yawned and crawled out of the warm soft bed he hadn’t been in for all that very long. The long hours of working were definitely catching up with him, though he refused to admit it. The good thing was he nearly had reached his goal in money, and soon would be able to buy Moondust for his own. Today was Tuesday, the majority of the week in front of him. He checked his clock to make sure he really had to go, then rushed out of his room. Meilin had already left for school, he dimly remembered her coming in and tapping him on the shoulder what seemed an hour ago, but he had said he’d get up in a little while.

A little while turned out to be a long while, and now he had five minutes to get to school. He wasn’t too concerned, he could change into his uniform and eat breakfeast at the same time, and all he had to do with his hair was run his fingers through it.

His whole concern on his outward appearance (what little concern he had left) was now demolished in these long days. The loss of sleep had affected his hands healing properly, they often ached if he tried to write too long, or if he stretched them out too much. Syaoran didn’t have time to think about his sleeping schedule, he was running out of the door and finishing buttoning his shirt at the same time. He ran down the apartment stairs and jogged out of the lobby onto the street sidewalk. He barely ran into the parking lot just as the first bell rang, and he still had to hurry to get into class on time.

On top of everything, Syaoran had been considering Christmas presents this year. Meilin was always bugging him about how he needed to buy more presents and get into the spirit, so he was making his own attempt. The present idea wasn’t exactly directed at Meilin, but he figured he’d get her something anyway. If he gave her one of his old shoes, she would have been thrilled. Still, he found himself reading about prolonging life curses, and bug life span books at odd hours of the night, when his rare sleep was being further limited. Syaoran put his bag into his locker then kicked it shut. The hallways were clear, aside from a few other late running students.

Syaoran slid into his seat just as class started, and the teacher went up front and started lecturing about something. Syaoran glanced around the room, evaluating absences, taking notice of any oddities that might have arrived. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Meilin was staring dreamily at him, Mark was sitting ‘arrogantly’ in his chair and rolling his eyes at the teacher, Tomoyo was crouched over a little peice of electronics that most likely went to a camera, and Sakura sat straight in her chair, her eyes on the teacher, but her mind obviously clouded away with something else. Syaoran told himself to ask her what was wrong later, but a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

The teacher stopped talking (with obvious irritation, I might add) and walked over and opened the door. The nurse stepped in, papers in her hand, looking worried and almost annoyed. She spotted Syaoran and stared at him, then addressed the teacher.

"I need to have, uh, uh..." She shook her head in frustration. She pointed in the general direction Syaoran and Sakura sat, and the rest of the class turned to look at them, but Syaoran stared forward like he had no idea what she was doing. Sakura was about to die with all the attention, and found the whole thing hilarious. She had forgotten about the Silent’s work with the nurse. She felt a bit bad for the nurse, but had to protect herself, so she didn’t say a word.

The nurse shook her head again. "You know, uh,..." Her face was starting to snare with anger. "Nevermind." She spun off her heel and out the door, shutting it abruptly behind her. Some of the kids in the class snickered, while others were bewildered by the scene. The teacher followed that suit, and looked at the door confused for a moment, then composed himself. "Class...As I was saying..." The teacher continued his boring speech.

Syaoran met Sakura’s eye for a breif second and grinned, then looked back down to some notes to a history quiz they were having later. He had had no time to study the night before, so he was trying to cram the information into his head quickly.

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"I think our song is coming along, Tomoyo." Sakura said as they walked to music.

Tomoyo nodded. "I am glad you came over and worked on it the other day, that really helped catch me up."

They entered the room, where some kids were already fixing their instruments. The room had been freshly decorated with wreaths and lights for Christmas. Sakura looked around for a moment.

"Did you know we are having a concert over all our duets in a week?" Tomoyo asked.

Sakura widened her eyes. "Really? I hope we’re ready by then!"

Tomoyo smiled. "I am sure we will be, besides, we are so good, no one will notice if we make a few mistakes." She said sarcastically.

Sakura shook her head. It’s nice to have Tomoyo back since her long sick absense, I finally have someone to talk to.

They walked over to the piano and started working on their parts together. Tomoyo’s was polished to perfect, but Sakura made a few mistakes here and there. Tomoyo, luckily, was very patient, and after three times, they got it perfect.

Sakura admired the distant, fantasy type sound that came when both parts were played together. Something in her stirred everytime she played it, Sakura thought it was her want for a safe life, before she had ever encountered the cards. She couldn’t explain it, for if she did she would probably sound corny and a bit melodramatic, but that was what music did-put people in their own worlds.

Sakura and Tomoyo headed to lunch after class, but Sakura’s mind was still under the music’s spell. She thought about what her life would be like away from the hurt and trial that the cards forced her through. She also considered life as a normal person, longing madly to be different. She couldn’t decide what was worse, so she tried to eliminate the thoughts from her mind.

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Syaoran yawned as yet another customer left him with his patience on end. People are so stupid, the whole purpose of going to a fast food pizza place is to get your food fast and go, not start the longest most boring conversation with an exhausted worker and expect them to talk to you with enthusiasm. His shift was almost over. He was going to go see Moondust for a quick visit after he was off, because the horse was alone now, and might need some water or food.

An older woman came over to the counter. She looked skeptically at Syaoran before speaking. "How old are you, son?"

Syaoran frowned, but didn’t back down. These customers weren’t going to get the best of him. He contemplated lying about his age, then decided that he had the right to not answer the question at all. "Old enough to take your order." He said, looking down at his computer screen and waiting for her to order.

The woman tightened her lips with disapproval, then took extra long deciding on what she wanted off their small menu. "I’d like an order of breadsticks."

Syaoran typed it in with fingers of lightening, then looked up, coming just short of meeting her eyes. "That it?"

She slowly nodded. Syaoran dropped his hands off the keyboard and glared off into space. Another worker came over to the counter with her order. Syaoran took her money and took his time handing back the change (the woman watched him carefully, as if afraid he wouldn’t give the change back). He looked up at the clock and almost smiled with joy. His shift was over. He scribbled down his hours on the sign-out sheet and exited out the back. The cold outside was bitter, and dry snow was falling lightly. He shivered and jammed his cold hands in his pockets, and made way for the bus stop.

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Sakura flung her wrist out again, and the nunchucku flung forward with good speed, smashing into the drawn target. Sakura turned and smiled triumphantly at Chindra, who was watching. Chindra smiled also, and took the nunchucku from Sakura’s hands. She spun it around with the same practiced grace, and with a little less effort than it had taken Sakura, she nailed the center of the target.

"Wow! You’re good!" Sakura said, pushing down the hints of jealousy.

Chindra smiled shyly, dropping her eyes. "I have been practicing longer than you. It took me longer to, to...to comprehend it."

Sakura smiled at Chindra’s wording. "You mean learn?"

Chindra shook her head. "Yes, same type."

Sakura laughed inwardly again, but kept her mouth shut, not wanting to frustrate Chindra with too many corrections. Sakura picked it up and started swinging it around, attempting a figure eight, which came with some extra effort and put in speed. She swung it out, hit the target (though just barely-she almost missed it entirely) and tried to bring it back while keeping the smooth figure eight pattern. The block of wood at the end swung dangerously around, narrowly missing Sakura’s arm. She, getting frustrated, finally got it back into an eight.

Chindra smiled. "That is hardest part."

Sakura nodded absently, concentrating too hard to notice Chindra’s grammatical mistakes, or to notice her attempted compliments. A distant crashing noise startled Sakura, in which she lost the figure eight again. She sighed exasperated, and didn’t notice Chindra’s look of panic stricken alarm.

Chindra quickly rushed to the door of the dojo. "I must go." She said, then abruptly left Sakura alone in the room with her nunchucku.

Sakura didn’t notice her absense until she set the nunchucku down and asked Chindra if it had really taken her this long to learn. When her question was answered with silence, she realized she was alone. Sakura shrugged to herself and peaked into the closet, where Keroberus hid, frozen in sleeping form. Sakura’s eyes watered, she felt horribly for her most loyal friends when they were hurt willingly for her sake. She quietly shut the door and left the dojo, flicking off the yellow lights and heading down the large hall.

The air seemed especially stuffy tonight. The cold of the mansion was closing all around her, and the walls seemed extra thick and isolating. She watched the pictures warily as she walked past them. The old paintings towered on their high spots in the canvas on the walls. Some glared, some smiled emptily, but all stared down at her with the same heavy eyes. She ignored them and walked a bit more quickly towards her room.

She looked down from the balcony at the top of the stairs for any trace of her father or brother, but saw or heard no one. She shivered, a wave of fear and the setting lonliness giving her a chill unrelated to the cold around her. There was something strong in the air, magic or not, she wasn’t sure. She turned back and headed into her room, which seemed even worse. She could hear noises, distant movement, far beyond the stairs and the basement, but close enough to be heard through all the thick doors and walls that seperated them.

Sakura wasn’t sure if she could sleep. If they had any televisions in the house, she would have liked to watch one to escape the fear starting to ensnare her, but there were none here. She knew something was going to happen soon, and would have liked to call Syaoran, but she was sure he already knew this, and it would be silly to call him before anything happened.

Sakura decided to go get the nunchucku, so she jogged down the hall and grabbed it out of the dojo. She walked back to her room, then sat on her bed, bored and nervous with aprehension. A closeby clattering sound caught Sakura’s attention immediatly.

Her muscles tensed, she shook, and nervously stepped around her bed to the source of the noise. She relaxed as she saw a pencil had been knocked from the window seat, and she scolded herself for being so on-end. If I am like this all night, I’ll never get any sleep. I’ve got to relax and realize whatever happens, I will be ready for it.

Sakura, satisfied with her motivational speech, sat down on her bed again. It wasn’t that late, but she was bored, so she decided to go to bed early again. Sakura leaned over and flicked off the light.

The heavy silence in the room seemed to ring in her ears, just waiting to be disturbed. Sakura had a hard time closing her eyes, though the dark room hardly allowed her to see any more than she could when she had her eyes closed. She forced her eyes shut and tried to block out the silence with her thoughts, but random sounds startled her.

She heard the trees rustling in the courtyard, and she thought she could make out the stream rushing far down from her window. Another noise caught her attention, something much closer than the other sounds. A clattering echoed up the stairs into her room, something was moving in the basement, she was sure. The clattering continued, things were being pushed aside, something was nearing her room. Sakura was sitting tense in her bed, ready to jump out, but her muscles wouldn’t move, no matter how much she tried.

The occasional bump into boxes or dragging of feet sent cold shivers up Sakura’s spine. A loud creak ripped through the darkness, the door, the thick door at the end of the stairs, was being opened.

Sakura didn’t know what was happening. This wasn’t like any visits from the ghost, for she could hear her attacker meeting her, making its way to her from beyond the basement. The first step onto the stone stairs gave Sakura the encouragement she needed to jump out of her bed. She grabbed the nunchucku and ran to her door, but she kept herself from leaving. Part of her wanted to face this unknown, part of her longed to run to the arms of her father or brother. She knew she needed to face it herself, so partly by the willingness of her bravery, and by the involuntary immobility that her fear caused her, she stood shaking with fear, ready to dart out of her door and into the hallway. She could hardly see the scarlet curtains that hung in front of the door, but could make their outline out in the pale and selfish moonlight. Steps continued up the stairs, now accompinied by a faint and strange whispering.

The whispering wasn’t really whispering, Sakura wasn’t quite sure how to describe it. It was hoarse, and would have been screaming, had it not been so quiet. The bone chilling noise made Sakura even more terrified, but she stood her ground. She pulled out a card, the fiery, and prepared it to use. She was unsure if it could help her or not, but the loyal card provided an ounce of courage that helped Sakura stay on her feet.

The whispering became loud, though it was silent, and flooded Sakura’s ears. The steps stopped at the top of the stairs, the loudest and clearest step yet, and Sakura watched the door open, watched the scarlet curtains slowly fall aside, as the door opened into a dark stairway. The noise ceased at once, only to make way for another terrifying feat. Sakura could see a silhouette in the doorway, and shook all over with fear, for she could still not see the figure that she faced.

The sillouette seemed to stare at her for hours, standing completly still in the doorway, acting as a statue would. Sakura watched the statue figure, tried to penetrate the darkness with her eyes to see what this was she was facing. Her eyes couldn’t see through. Sakura was about to pull the Light Card out of her pocket slowly, when suddenly the creature lurched out, a hoarse scream leading it’s charge. Sakura screeched, though she was unsure if any noise made it out, because she was already turning and swinging the door open into the hallway.

The hallway was dark and dusty, completly different than when Sakura had just been in it. It looked as if life had not seen it for centuries, there was dust piled everywhere. The lights on the ceiling were all webbed together with spider’s webs. The only thing that was clear from dust were the pictures that hung, their colors were dull, but their expressions remained vivid and angry. Sakura flung herself into the hallway and began running, unsure of her course. She heard thundering footsteps behind her, and the hoarse scream, the scream of an insane person, following her closely. This was a horrible game of tag, but Sakura was unsure what happened when she was caught, so she had to run.

Sakura sprinted down the wide carpeted stairs, taking them two at a time. She kept herself from touching the banisters, for those too were plagued with spider webs and years of dust. She was planning to flee out of the main door and run, run all the way to Syaoran’s house if she was forced. She reached the bottom of the stairs and was about to touch her hand to the handle of the large main door, when a face appeared in the window, a face with bulging eyes, peeling aged skin, pale hair, and a dying mouth.

Sakura didn’t react as she use to, she did not faint or scream, only changed her course and ran down another hallway. The footsteps behind her came closer now, and she could now hear her chaser’s rapid and coarse breathing, for it was practically being breathed down her neck.

She twisted down the corridors, the horribly dead ended halls they were, and saw something more horrible then she could have ever imagined coming up; A dead end. This narrow corridor came to an end. Sakura recognized the hall now; it was the one Chindra’s apartment was in, and the one with the boarded door. Sakura took our her fiery as she ran.

"Fiery! Break down the boards so I can run through!" She commanded. The fiery raced out in front of her and burnt down the boards just as Sakura reached them. Sakura ran through and found herself in a place she had never been. The footsteps behind her ceased, and she found herself alone in the dusty hallway, in which light did not exist.

Distant skittering noises and whispers kept Sakura on end, but she was walking now, breathing hard, shaking with exhaustion and fear. The hallway was very cold, Sakura could feel a breeze wafting in from somewhere. Suddenly lights flickered, and Sakura jumped into the wall, startled by the yellow chandeleirs that were flickering above her.

The light revealed a figure, walking through the hall in a gorgeous ballroom gown that spread across the floor elegantly, completly covering the woman’s feet. Sakura gasped as she slowly recognized the wearer of the gown. The pale blonde hair was now a bit brighter, the eyes more set and deep. The skin was smooth and fair, but Sakura could see the sickening resemblences. This was the ghost, it must have been, however long ago.

Along with the light came the desist of spider webs and dust. The woman was hurrying down the well deocrated and furnished hall, and was not aware of someone following her from a distance. Another woman, pretty, but not dressed so, was peaking around the corner. She had spiraling black hair, but was dressed in clothes hardly a step up from rags. She glared as she watched the other woman walk off, but her glare slowly turned into an evil smile. She took the door that seperated this narrow hall from the hall beyond, and shut it.

The lights flickered off again, and Sakura found herself in the dark dusty hallway again. She jumped to the side as she heard footsteps darting somewhere far away. She slowly progressed down the blind hallway and found herself looking out into the sky. The ceiling of this part of the hall was gone, had fallen away from age, and Sakura looked on to see that the wall beyond caved away with the ceiling, leaving one side open into the outside. Unfortunately, the wall gave in facing the courtyard, so Sakura could not escape the estate yet. She figured she would have a better chance out in the open, whatever she was fighting. Sakura climbed over some rock rubble and found herself in a part of the courtyard she had not yet been in. She heard leaves cracking in the distance from the weight of a person, but did not see anyone yet.

Sakura turned one last time to look into the hallway she had just departed, and saw that it was now normal again, no longer plagued with the dust or spiderwebs. She wondered if this meant the rest of the house was normal, and if she could finally run to her father or brother in retreat.

Sakura decided she would rather see her chances out here than go back into the madhouse. She would avoid that at all costs, she decided, so she hesitantly stepped further into the courtyard. She looked warily at the stream that ran through the center, and wandered if the Watery Card was done with her yet. Sakura was unsure of which she would rather fight; her own cards, or a ghost and an unknown chaser.

Sakura heard twigs crack, this time closeby. She whipped around and saw more clearly in the snow a figure running towards her. The figure had its arms stretched out at her, and was screaming its horrible scream. Sakura was unsure of what to do, she wasn’t sure if she should hurt this person or thing with her cards or not. She ran towards the stream, terrified of the hideous face that followed her.

"ARUKA ARUKA ARUKA" The thing kept screaming. Sakura remembered the ghost had said something like that once, but still didn’t understand the meaning. Sakura stood shaking at the edge of the stream, having no where to run, and watched horrified as the mad thing came closer and closer.

Sakura didn’t have time to act, for something cold had wrapped itself around her ankles, and with a sudden jerk, had yanked her over backwards. Sakura felt herself falling, and she tried desperately to regain her balance. She threw the nunchucku she held in her hands outwards, in a desperate attempt to catch something to hold her back up. The nunchucku caught nothing, and Sakura felt the cold submerge her. She had fallen into the stream.

Sakura realized very quickly that this couldn’t be the water of the normal stream, for that would be freezing. Instead, this water, cold as it was, must have been from the Watery card. Sakura watched the mad thing throw sticks into the stream after her, but all of her attempts missed. Sakura was being rushed away, towards a wall. She had never been past this wall, but hoped that it was the door to outside, away from all of this.

The figure faded away, but another in the distance caught Sakura’s attention. She was sure the person had black curls, and the face looked very fimiliar, but everything quickly faded as she moved swiftly away. She ducked down with the water, putting her trust blindly into the water that it would lead somewhere where she could surface.

The water rushed under the wall in a very tight space, and for one breif hysterical moment Sakura thought she would be stuck here forever, but she managed to wiggle through, and finally found herself surfaced in some much deeper water. The water’s current was gone, and it moved very slowly. She looked up at her surroundings and saw trees that loomed all around her. Behind her was the crumpling outside wall to the estate. She had made it, she had made it away.

She started swimming her way towards shore, when her muscles started having a twinging sensation. They stung and ached, and Sakura slowly realized what was happening. The water was turning freezing, and she was freezing with it. She panicked and tried to finish the short distance to shore, but her muscles were very reluctant and slow to obey her commands, if they obeyed at all.

The water slowly started to harden, and Sakura could feel herself falling under the ice. She knew she couldn’t be stuck here, she had to get above the ice, or she was sure to suffocate. Sakura tried to move her feeble hand to bring the fiery card up, but found she could no longer move her arm. She tried to yell out a command, but nothing would come out of her throat. Sakura found that the only thing working for her was her brain.

I need someone to come and help me! I am going to die under here, alone, and no one will ever know I died. The ice is hiding me from people, there’s no way anyone will find me here. I am going to die alone, a failure, never finishing the mystery that led me to my death. If only Syaoran were here, he would save me, but he’s not because I was too foolish to think I could face this on my own. Well now I see. I see what strength I have by myself. I have nothing. All I have is what other people do for me. I am going to die.

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Syaoran pushed at Moon’s mane, trying to get more speed from the poor running horse. He could sense the magic, very strong now, and he knew it was vital for him to get there soon. Moon had seemed like the best type of transportation available, so now he was galloping the horse as hard as he could get her to go.

He clucked at her and pushed on her neck some more, but he knew it was useless, because the faithful horse was already stretching itself out across the hard uneven ground. Syaoran knew he was close, he just hoped he wasn’t too late. In the distance he could see the back wall to Sakura’s house, and was now running along the small river that was out of it. Ahead he saw something, and his eyes immediatly glued onto it as their target.

Sakura was in the water (again), and he had to get there before the ice enclosed her in a cold grave. He watched as he neared the ice close over, and she sunk deeper under the water as the ice pushed her down. He slowed the horse down now and stopped abruptly at the spot he had last seen her, and tried to see any trace of her through the thick ice. He knew he would have to break through this ice, but he could not use his fire card to help him, and his sword would be no match for this thick of ice. He would have to think of something, fast.

He spurred at Moondust’s flanks, and she reared up, striking down with her forelegs and sharp hooves. Her hooves smashed down on the ice, breaking through it with the hardest of efforts. Syaoran lept down as Moondust hopped back and tried to regain her balance from the broken ground. He ran to the side of the river and reached into the water, catching Sakura’s wrist. With one heavy pull he yanked her head up out of the water. She coughed and gasped for air, but Syaoran could see the ice trying to close in on her again. He knew his magic had all been used, so he tried with all his strength to pull her up quickly.

The force of his pull sent him onto his back, but he had managed to get Sakura out onto the bank enough for him to be able to carry her. He quickly got back up and grabbed both of her arms and pulled her the rest of the way out. Just as he got her out, the ice enclosed around the end of her foot. Syaoran took his sword and carefully cut the tiny bit of ice away, finally completly freeing her of the bitter ice.

He quickly set his sword back in its sheath and then helped Sakura stand up. Half of her was covered in snow, and she was completly soaked with the freezing water. Syaoran quickly ripped off his jacket, which was well lined with wool, and wrapped her in it. She was shivering violently, and the sound her teeth chattered was loud enough to make an echo.

Syaoran was unsure what to do with her next. He could bring her back to her room, but Touya and her father were home, and he didn’t want to deal with that. He could bring her to his apartment, but then he’d have to leave her alone to bring Moondust back. Syaoran decided he was going to have to sacrifice his own happiness to make Sakura better. He figured he could bring her in through a back door of the courtyard, then sneak her into her room. Either way required some walking, so Syaoran made use of Moondust while he still could.

He picked her up and set her as gently as he could up on Moondust’s back, which was difficult because the tall horse’s back was above his head, and though Sakura was light, she was heavy enough to lift carefully like that. Sakura collapsed onto Moondust’s neck, and Syaoran rushed over to steady her so she wouldn’t fall off before he got on. Once he was sure she was balanced, he held the reins in one hand and vaulted up onto Moon’s back, now able to steady Sakura with both arms as he rode.

Moondust took all of this like a champ, or maybe it was the fact she was dead tired from her long run, but she tolerated all of the bumping and thudding on her back without so much as a swish of the tail. Syaoran clicked at her to get going, and the horse started walking smoothly.

Sakura was very dizzy and disoriented at this, she had been spacing in and out of consciousness, and her blurry vision did not provide much help at telling her where she was. She could see the ground moving underneath her, but she couldn’t figure out what moved her along it. Something warm was restraining her on each side, keeping her from falling side to side. The warmth wasn’t enough, however, because her dripping hair and cold wet skin refused to warm.

Syaoran watched her shiver in dismay. He had hoped the horse’s warmth along with his coat would heat her up, but she was obviously colder then he had thought. I am not really sure how long she was under the ice. Syaoran pulled off his sweatshirt and carefully wrapped it around her. He shivered, now, because his bare arms were now exposed to the cold bitter wind of winter; a tshirt doesn’t provide much warmth. He moved a bit closer to Sakura, hoping to get some of the warmth she had now.

Sakura could feel warm things being wrapped about her, and recognized the warm smell that came off them. She still wasn’t sure what was going on, but she nestled into the welcoming heat contentedly. She stopped shivering slowly, shivering every now and then, and her chattering teeth stopped entirely. Sakura almost fell asleep in this cozy nest, then realized she was in a very uncomfortable position. She tried to move, but there was those blocks again, holding her straight. Sakura was slowly warming, and her brain slowly focused with it. "Where am I?" She asked, pretty sure that someone else was near her, for the movement she felt around her.

Syaoran tried to stop shivering long enough to answer. "On a reformed ambulance."

These words took a while to register in Sakura’s head. After she thought about this a little while, and could make no sense of it, she realized who the words had been coming from. "Syaoran!" She choked out, then realized how horrible it felt to have cold lungs and vocal chords.

Syaoran half grinned to himself, glad to see she was recovering so quickly. He was not sure what to say to respond, but stayed silent, picking his way through the trees to get Sakura back in the warm castle. As he neared the wall, he stopped Moondust. Something wasn’t right about the mansion. Something, the thing that had chased Sakura, was still lingering inside. He did not dare bring her in and risk meeting the ghost or one of it’s accomplices, for neither of them were anywhere near shape to fight off an enemy. Syaoran turned and looked out around them. He could not go to his apartment, his only other choice was to bring Sakura with him while he brought Moondust back. He hoped she was warm enough, for they would be riding for a while.

Sakura was starting to stir again, realizing they were now still. Sakura wondered what lay so warm underneath her, so soft and hot. Slowly she began to put the peices together, and she sat up off of Moon’s neck. "What? Horse?" She hoped Syaoran could make sense of her words, because her throat was still a few steps away from full sentences.

Syaoran steadied her again, her balance was awful, either due to coldness, or an unnatural disability in horse riding. "You are on a horse." Syaoran confirmed, not quite sure what she was trying to ask. "Was something chasing you?"

Sakura shivered and half collapsed back down onto Moondust’s neck, not strong enough to hold her own weight for very long. "Y-y-yes." She said chattering and quietly.

"I am going to bring this horse back to the barn. Do you want to stay here?" Syaoran figured it wasn’t right for him to make his decision, so he reluctantly asked her.

Sakura wasn’t anywhere near ready to be left alone, and she knew this herself. "You will not be able to get me off this horse, let alone inside." She said, though the long string of words took some effort to speak.

Syaoran smiled inwardly. "You will have to be in the cold for a long while."

Sakura could only feel the cold of her wet hair. "I am very warm." Sakura pondered this thought. She could not feel the merciless wind that was blowing around her, all she felt was soft fuzzy things around her, well insulated and equipped to fight off the cold.

I am glad you are. Syaoran clucked at the horse to walk, and they started their way back to the barn. Syaoran shivered the whole way, and was glad he didn’t have to rein the horse much, for his hands were shaky and he’d often take turned putting one in his pocket. He hoped Sakura couldn’t feel him through the brigade of coats, for he was leaning on them heavily, partly from weariness and partly because there was a great amount of warmth being waisted. Every now and then his foot would accidentally bump Moondust’s oustretched back leg, and the wet fur from Moondust’s breaking through the ice would dampen his pants, making him all the more cold. He blocked it out as best he could, and tried to concentrate on Sakura’s needs. He tried to guess at what might have driven her out of the house like that, but knew there were a vast number of ways the ghost could have used the cards to scare her away.

Sakura yawned. It seemed she had been sitting on this horse for hours, and her body ached to move. She wasn’t enjoying herself at all, because she was tense with anxiety that the horse would throw them or take off with her. At least she was being held on to, for she could feel Syaoran’s arms holding her heavily around her waist. She could feel him shiver from time to time, and wondered why he was so cold. He’d better not of taken all of his coats off for me, he will be so cold and sick by the time we get to where ever we are going...I wonder what time it is? It feels horribly late, but it was not that late when I went to sleep. I wonder just who is this horse we are on? I did not know that Syaoran owned a horse. I do not want to be on this horse, but I don’t really have a choice.

Syaoran’s eyes became heavy, and his mind started to cloud. So it’s finally having its effects on me. But no - this is different. Magic is being used still at this moment... Syaoran tried to wake up his mind and concentrate, but it was very hard. It was hard enough trying to balance for Sakura and himself, so trying to think about two different things was very hard. He looked around the woods they were in, and only saw the road in the distance, and a few far off lights from houses. Syaoran frowned, realizing where they were. We should be farther than this. We should almost be to the barn by now. Syaoran shrugged it off and figured it was just his freezing misery that was making the trip seem longer than it was.

A stream was now at their side, a very fimiliar one. Syaoran looked at it and then immediatly knew what was happening. The Loop card. I wonder if that one was already released, or if it has just recently abandoned Sakura? Sakura was sitting more upright, looking around. "Why are we here?" She asked inquisitively, her complete innocence keeping Syaoran from getting angry with the annoying question.

"I think the Loop Card is getting in the way of our trip." He said, stopping Moondust and looking up at Sakura’s house’s back wall.

Sakura was finally coming about, and her strength was returning nicely. The warmth around her was speeding along her recovery. "Loop Card? Oh please don’t make me go back in there!" Sakura pleaded, looking at the scary wall that seemed to scorn at her fear.

Syaoran dropped his arms from the reins because Moondust was stopped, and he had an opportunity to warm up his hands again, which were beyond frozen. "But we cannot stay outside in this cold all night."

Sakura felt a suddent warmth drop down with Syaoran’s arms, and her abounding heat started to deteriorate. She looked inquisitively at the coat around her, now that her sight had cleared up she could see the colors more clearly. Li Syaoran! He’d better have another coat or he will be dead with hypothermia before the night is done. Sakura knew that he more than likely had given all his extra coats to her, and that he would not be convinced to put them back on until Sakura had some of her own, which she could only get from inside. She tried to keep the shaking in her voice down to a minimum as she squandered up some bravery and spoke. "We can go inside, I guess, but Touya and my father might still be awake."

Syaoran contemplated the two choice’s pros and cons, and though going inside seemed to have more downs then ups, the cold convinced his choice otherwise. "I will leave this horse in the courtyard then?" He picked around a few words before sticking with ‘this horse’. He hoped Sakura would ask no questions about Moondust yet.

Moondust was getting sick and tired of standing still so long, and knowing that no one held on to her reins, she started walking in the direction she liked. Syaoran scrambled his hands out of his pockets and found the reins around Sakura, which presented itself an awkward situation now that Sakura was awake and more aware of what happened around her. Need less to say, Sakura and Syaoran were both quiet for one uncomfortable moment, while Syaoran got the fidgety horse to stand still once more. "Well you should probably get inside." Syaoran finally said.

Sakura nodded, though she was still uneasy about going back inside. At least Syaoran’s here. He’ll keep me safe, I hope anyway. Sakura was now noticing that it was Syaoran’s arms that were keeping her balanced, and she was a bit surprised to find him so close, but she shook off her first thoughts (what is he doing, this is very awkward) and tried to think about tactics to rid themselves of the ghost once and for all. She also thought about what she had seen in the hallway. Who was that girl that was in my vision, the one that closed the door on the ghost? That person with black hair looked much like Chindra, but it wasn’t her. What was she trying to do, anyway? Lock the ghost in that hallway?

They reached an old door that was on the wall of the courtyard. Syaoran thought about how he was going to get through the door, for it obviously wouldn’t just open. If I make Moondust rear up and stomp it down, Sakura might fall off, or the door might be too thick. I can cut it down with my sword I guess. Syaoran swung off the horse, and found himself freezing cold now that he was moving with the wind pushing at his skin. He crossed his arms and looked up at Sakura, who was nervously looking back at him. "You hold Moondust still for a second, I’m gonna open the door."

Sakura nodded and reluctantly took the reins up, and was dismayed to see Syaoran was wearing nothing but a Tshirt. Syaoran walked over to the door and took his sword out of the sheath. He took it up above his head and crashed it down, putting as much power as possible into the blow. He wasn’t quite sure how thick the door was, and he tried to prepare himself for anything. The sword cut into the top of the door and went down, slowly losing momemtum. He didn’t get the sword to reach the ground, but his slice was good enough, and he was able to push it down with one more kick. The door fell over, and they were greeted with old underbrush and dead trees. Syaoran walked back over to Moondust and took the reins, then led Moondust and Sakura into the courtyard. He walked them a ways in, then walked over to Sakura’s left side. "Can you walk now?" He asked.

Sakura shook her right leg (the one out of Syaoran’s veiw) to make sure it was mobile, then nodded. "Yeah." She swung her leg over and carefully slid down to her feet, but her feet didn’t quite reach the ground, for she discovered Moondust was a very tall horse. Syaoran carefully pulled her down the rest of the way, then Sakura steadied herself. She wasn’t sure whether she should thank him for his kindness or glare at him for his babyish treatment, so she decided to stay quiet. Syaoran waited for a moment to be sure she was balanced, then walked over to the broken down door. He took one of the two peices of wood and placed it horizontally across the open doorway, trying to keep Moondust from escaping. He knew if she really was determined to leave, she could jump the peice of wood, so he hoped she would be content to stay put for a little while. He walked back over to Sakura and found her holding out his sweatshirt.

"You can have it back, thank you." She said politely and a bit fakely, but her smile was sincere. Syaoran hesitantly took it back from her, though inwardly his frozen parts were praising Sakura for giving him back the small warmth.

"Do you know how to get back to your room from here?" Syaoran looked warily at the stream that was moving a ways away.

Sakura nodded. "I think so-" She looked over at the pile of rocks and caved in wall that were looming in the distance. She didn’t exactly feel like going back through there, since she had just had a terrifying chase through the very halls.

Syaoran could see her reluctance. "Don’t worry, I am sure whatever was here is gone." His words betrayed him, because he knew very well that something was still lingering here.

Sakura smiled weakly. "You are probably right." She shivered, the small breeze in the courtyard was able to bite at her damp clothes now that she wasn’t being gaurded from the cold as well.

She turned and walked towards the wall, and though she was walking quickly on the outside, her innards were shaking with fear. She had been chased by something real this time, not just the ghost. She wasn’t sure which was scarier, but all she knew now was that something- someone- knew how to get into her room. That thought alone was enough to keep Sakura from walking, but her legs continued to drag their way towards the hall involuntarily.

She climbed up the pile of rocks and stone and was now in the hallway, in which the wind echoed up and down it’s dark spaces. Sakura looked nervously to her left. She had come from the other direction, she knew where that led, but what was to her left? Syaoran stopped and looked left also. "Did you see something?" He asked quietly, but his voice managed to echo down the stone walls.

Sakura shook her head. "No, nothing." She laughed weakly, but the echo of her laugh scared her, so she started walking right, heading towards the normal part of the house. She could see some charred peices of wood around the doorway ahead, the doorway that led into the narrow hall in which Chindra’s apartment was in. She made a point to try and be quieter, for they were now approaching places where people may hear them.

A skittering noise behind Sakura made her jump all the way into the stone wall beside her. She quickly turned around, only to see blackness, and a stream of moonlight that came from the cracked ceiling. Syaoran must have heard it too, because he was looking the same direction. Sakura tried to shake it off and turned and walked a bit more quickly towards the hallway.

They walked into the narrow hallway and had to walk single file, because the hallway was so small. Sakura was glad she was in front, for she knew she had eyes on both sides of her. She noticed the dust and cobwebs were gone, the hall looked as it had before she had went to bed. No lights were on, so Sakura was happy to see her family was probably asleep. They came out of the passages into the main entry room, and Sakura headed up the large broad carpeted stairs. Heat was finally making its way to this part of the house, though it was still very chilly.

Sakura quietly opened her door, and a chill ran through her spine. The door behind the scarlet curtains was still open from when her stalker had first appeared. She wanted to turn and run away, but Syaoran was right behind her, frowning at the open door. "Was it like this when you left?" He asked softly, then walked around her over to the door.

Sakura nodded, but held her eyes from meeting the door’s painful memory. Syaoran shut it, despite his want to go into the basement and see what exactly had happened. He really wanted to know what had went on, but was afraid he would bother Sakura if he asked. Sakura knew that he would want to know, but wanted to avoid the subject for a while. She was very cold in her damp clothes, and longed to change into some warm dry clothes. She knew Syaoran was cold too, because he was shivering even though he had his arms crossed.

She walked over to her closet and looked through her clothes. She was exstremly surprised to find one of Syaoran’s coats. "Ha! You probably forgot about this, but you lent me this like forever ago, when we first saw the ghost at the playground." She tossed the jacket over to him. Syaoran looked the jacket over and pretended like he had forgotten, but really he hadn’t. He had been wondering what had become of his favorite light jacket, but he never worked up enough courage to ask. He put the jacket on, but found it wasn’t very good for keeping him warm, only good for keeping water and wind off.

Sakura pulled a fuzzy pullover off a hanger and put it over her arm. She was longingly hoping to take a shower, though she knew it would present itself an uncomfortable situation with Syaoran in her room. She shivered and sat on the end of her bed, looking about the room for any traces of her chaser unconsciously.

Syaoran leaned against the wall. Bob the bug was still hanging in his large jar, with a heat lamp hanging off to the side. Bugs in cacoons don’t need heat, do they? Syaoran shrugged the thought off easily, because his coldness was very distracting. He wanted to grab one of the warm blankets off Sakura’s bed and wrap himself in it, but he wasn’t about to ask. Sakura was looking towards the small bathroom that was within her own room.

"Would you mind if I took a shower? I’m sorry, but I really don’t think I will warm up unless I do." Sakura had a hard time choking out the words, but reasoned with herself that she was being silly, and she deserved a shower after being chased around by a maniac and almost getting frozen under some ice.

Syaoran was a bit surprised by her question. "I don’t care." He said, then kicked himself for sounding so indifferent- though he wasn’t quite sure how he should have responded. Sakura smiled and hurried into the bathroom. Luckily, it was hidden in the left back corner of her room. Sakura turned on the fan that sucked the steam out of the room, and was glad for the noise, it kept her from being so self conscious. She ripped her wet clothes off and jumped into the hot water, and as much as she would have liked to lull around in it’s wonderful heat, she tried to hurry through, not wanting Syaoran to leave because of boredom and leave Sakura to face the ghost alone.

Syaoran shook off the light blush that had come across his cheeks, then sat down on the side of Sakura’s bed. His eyes remained glued on Bob’s jar, where the cocoon stayed still and warm from the drafting winds of the mansion. He shivered and pulled up a blanket around him, now that Sakura wasn’t in the room.

Now’s my chance. I am alone with this bug, I might as well get it over with. Syaoran walked over to the jar, dragging the blankets behind him, and fixed his eyes on the cocoon. He muttered some chants at the jar, accompinied with some ‘stupid’ hand motions required to make the chants work. Syaoran, finished, stepped back and looked at the jar. So many nights of reading about bugs and life extension spells, just for a girl’s Christmas present. Who says she’ll even notice? Well of course she’ll notice something strange about the bug when it talks to her, but she won’t know how much work I put into it. This bug better be worth it, I hate wasting time. Syaoran glared at the jar, not sure if he was more mad at the bug or himself.

His thoughts were disrupted when Sakura opened the door of the bathroom. Steam came out first (Syaoran was dying to be in it’s heat, as the small blanket wasn’t much comfort), then Sakura came out, dripping wet, in some new clothes. She had her arms crossed and was trying not to shiver as she shut off the light. She walked over and sat next to Syaoran on the bed. She grabbed another blanket and wrapped herself in it. They sat quiet for a few moments, then Syaoran, fed up with curiosity, spoke. "So are you gonna tell me what chased you?"

Sakura smiled. "You’re right, I haven’t told you yet, have I?" Sakura crossed her legs underneath her in an effort to get warmer. "Let’s see, where do I start...Um well I was about to go to sleep, like always, everything always happens at night, when I heard some noises." She paused. Syaoran rustled in his blankets.

He was a bit annoyed with her generalizing. "Like what kind of noises? Children laughing, swords...?"

Sakura laughed lightly. "Sorry, like moving, footsteps or something. It sounded like it was in the basement. I jumped up and had my nunchucku ready-" She leaned over to her pillow and picked it up for emphasis (she had been holding on to it all this time, then had set it down there). "- and then the steps started going up these stairs. They finally reached the door, and it opened. I couldn’t really see who it was, just a sillhouette."

Syaoran nodded, looking to the door. Sakura’s enthusiastic story telling was kind of amusing, but he knew the story behind it was not quite as funny. He wondered why she hadn’t run out of her room or called him or something when she heard the footsteps coming.

"I had jumped over to the door somewhere in there, then I ended up staring at the thing. We stood there staring at each other for a while, when it jumped out and shreiked or something. So I turned and ran out of my room. When I got into the hall, it was all- umm- old, like really dusty, and like nothing had been there forever, and the light was kind of...stale. So I ran down the stairs, hoping to get outside to run somewhere (Syaoran brightened a bit when she said this, because it most likely meant she was planning to run to him) but the ghost like appeared in the door. I turned and ran, and ended up running down the hall Chindra’s apartment is. I used the fiery to burn down the boarded up door, and jumped in the hallway, but then the footsteps behind me stopped." She continued on the story, trying to describe the vision type thing she had seen, and the strange people from the past. "Then I am not sure what happened. I ran into the courtyard, got pulled into the stream, then ended up under the ice. The next thing I know, I’m staring down at moving ground."

Syaoran nodded. "Well your vision must mean something. Maybe Chindra has something to do with this? If there is a real person running around here, she would know, wouldn’t she?"

Sakura nodded, then remembered some things. "A while ago I heard screaming, and the next morning Chindra had finger nail scratches on her arm."

Syaoran nodded. Great. Now we have the living and the dead after Sakura, while I am stuck powerless and having to watch my own magic being used against me. "Well if there is someone real here, we’d better board up the basement again. I don’t think it would be wise to do it tonight, we should wait. Tommorrow I might have time after school to get it boarded." Syaoran would have been embaressed about coming over again, but he could feel a sneeze coming on. He couldn’t hold it in, instead he sneezed several times in a row.

Sakura smiled. "You are going to be sick." She felt bad saying this, she knew it was all her fault he was cold in the first place.

Syaoran only nodded absently. He was never sick. He yawned now, and realized how tired he was. He really wasn’t that tired, but he figured it was because not that much of his magic had been used. Syaoran rub his eyes open and found Sakura watching him.

"You need to sleep. I would let you stay here, but..." Sakura felt horrible to make him go back outside, but she couldn’t see around it.

Syaoran nodded. He didn’t want to go back home, for then he would have to ride Moondust all the way back to the barn. Still, he couldn’t see any way around it, so he stood up and shed the blankets that had been keeping him warm. "See you tommorrow then." Syaoran got up and headed out the door. Sakura watched him leave sadly, and after he shut the door, Sakura felt the lonliness seep back into the room.

Sakura found that she was very sleepy too, so she wrapped the blankets Syaoran had been in around her and fell asleep, ignoring the dim light that was still on in her room. The warm mound of blankets and pillows let her sleep deeply, and her sleep was dreamless and uninterrupted until the next morning, when she woke up late for school.

____________________________________________________________________

Syaoran wasn’t in school when Sakura got there. He came in during second class, and Sakura pitied the lecture he had to endure. He looked tired, but not over exhausted. Sakura gave him a sympathetic smile while he took his seat. Syaoran just half smiled and sat down in his seat, looking at the math problems on the board. The sensei went back to teaching, and Sakura had to put all her attention to the algebra problems.

After class, Tomoyo was chattering nonstop about some new things she thought up for their song. Sakura left the cold mathroom and headed down the widehall. Tomoyo stopped at her locker for a second. "What are you wearing to the concert, Sakura?"

Sakura shrugged. "We are supposed to wear a white top with black pants or a skirt, right?" The concert had inched its way up, and now it was only a few days away.

Tomoyo nodded as she shut her locker. "Yeah, but I am sure we can make some adjustments for the better." She grinned.

Sakura shook her head. "Please, no wings or ruffles Tomoyo." Sakura laughed, but quickly stopped, because she saw Meilin glaring at them as she walked the opposite direction down the hall. Sakura frowned in confusion. "What is it, Meilin?"

Meilin only rolled her eyes. "Kinomoto, I know you are up to something. Syaoran got hardly any sleep last night, and my bet is he was with you." Meilin kept her voice low, so she was kind enough to keep the kids around them from hearing.

Sakura frowned. She didn’t know quite how to answer, but she didn’t have to, because Meilin had already stalked off. Tomoyo watched her leave curiosly. "Syaoran better tell Meilin what’s going on, or she’s gonna make assumptions."

"Bad assumptions." Sakura added, as they continued to the music room. Tomoyo smiled. Sakura’s stomach rumbled, she was ready for lunch already.

________________________________________________________________

Sakura was happy to have Tomoyo’s company. Tomoyo was unaware of Sakura and Mark’s escapade, but she was a body gaurd for Sakura against Mark, whether she knew it or not. Sakura hadn’t said anything to Syaoran yet today, because they had nothing really to talk about. Sakura sat down at the lunch table next to Tomoyo. A table down, Syaoran sat, and across from him, most of the boys in their grade. Syaoran never seemed talkative in lunch. Instead, he seemed preoccupied with his food.

Mark had all his minions in line. After he was sure they were all listening, Mark began his slow process of tearing people down. "I bet you don’t know one of Syaoran’s night time hobbies."

Syaoran froze, his spoon halfway to his mouth, and turned pale. Whatever Mark was going to say next would be awful. Mark had a number of choices to use to fuel his embaressing story. Syaoran quickly took look of horror off his face and glared at Mark with his best glare.

Mark only smiled, delighting in the horror and pain he was causing. "I saw our friend here (Syaoran was digging his nails into his seat, wishing with all his might Mark didn’t mention anything about going to Sakura’s house) out and about on a pony."

Some people gasped, some snickered. Syaoran (and Sakura) felt the color rising back into his face. It wasn’t the most horrible thing that he could have said. Syaoran contemplated denying it, but decided that was too insecure. He decided to control his temper. "At least I don’t sit in a restaraunt trying to hit on a waitress even after she’s turned me down." Syaoran said in a low tone.

Mark looked a bit surprised, much to Syaoran’s satisfaction. "I think it’s a little more dignified thatn riding a pony around like some eight year old girl." Mark’s minions snickered, hoping they had made Syaoran at loss for words.

Syaoran rolled his eyes. "There’s no dignity in being shot down."

Mark just glared back, but seemed come-back less for the moment. He talked with his followers in quiet tones, and they snickered among themselves, but didn’t give Syaoran any trouble. Meilin, however, had overheard.

"Li Syaoran! What horse have you been riding?" Meilin knew all about Syaoran’s horse riding days as a child, but had no idea there were any horses for them to ride here.

Syaoran was tempted to say ‘nothing’, or ‘nevermind’ because he knew the second he told her about Moondust she would shreik and beg him to let her ride. Still he saw this as an ally, an excuse to use. If she thinks I have been out riding horses every night, she will quit bugging me about being with Sakura. "Moondust."

Meilin’s eyes widened. "You mean she was sold here? How in the world did you find her? Did we buy her?"

Syaoran sighed. "I found her new owner that lives a couple miles away. She is not ours." yet. Just two more weeks of hell at work and then I can leave.

Meilin’s smile faded. "Oh. Well can we still ride her? Well I mean, if you were riding her, I can too?"

Mark snickered. "Syaoran can start charging pony rides." He said sarcastically.

Meilin was now glaring at him. "Maybe you should ride Moondust yourself, if you think she’s for babies."

Mark glared. "All horses are good for is dogfood and glue."

Meilin and Syaoran’s ears were burning red with fury. Sakura was now listening in on the conversation, and was immediatly siding with Syaoran and Meilin. Meilin slid down the table and leaned across. "At least they’re good for something. Dogs like you don’t deserve any food. "

"At least I eat, Meilin. When’s the last time your scrawny body saw real food?" Mark said, though it was aware to everyone listening that his come-backs were going downhill.

Meilin’s right hand was in a fist, but Syaoran grabbed her arm before she could strike. Meilin looked at him with frustration, but settled down when the sensei who supervised the aisles walked by with a suspicious eye.

She moved back down the table, and Syaoran moved over a little bit with her, not wanting to stay across from Mark like he was. Sakura watched them with a curious gaze. They know each other so well. No wonder Meilin likes Syaoran so much, he is like her nice brother or something. Touya and I really don’t know each other very well. We spent much of our lives hiding things from one another, I hid from him so much when I was capturing the cards, and now I hide the ghost from him. Sakura shook the selfish thoughts away. At least I have him, and I know he cares for me.

Tomoyo was watching them with a funny smile. "They sure know each other well." She whispered. Sakura nodded. The rest of lunch went by quickly, and Sakura found herself at the end of the day within what felt like a few minutes.

Sakura walked with a spring in her step to her locker. Tomoyo was going to come over later and tape Sakura and Chindra’s nunchucku training. Right now, Sakura was going to go with Syaoran back home. She was glad she didn’t have to be alone. Touya was going to Yukito’s after school, and her father wouldn’t be home from work. Chindra was usually busy somewhere out of sight until after dinner, and Uncle Guan wasn’t the best company, so Sakura was glad she had someone else coming with her.

She put everything into her bag and shut her locker. She didn’t see Syaoran around, so she figured he might already be outside. Sakura walked towards the door, but stopped with the sound of running footsteps behind her. She turned around just in time to see Syaoran grab her arm and pull her into an inlet in the hall. Sakura frowned and was about to say something when Syaoran put his finger to his lips. He cautiously looked around the wall then abruptly flattened his back to the wall.

Sakura heard more running footsteps, then saw Meilin’s jet black hair streak by in waves. She pushed open the door and continued running outside, looking from side to side.

Syaoran heaved a great sigh of releif. Sakura’s face was scrunched up in perplexion, but she was beginning to have an idea of what had happened. Her mind was thinking more about getting out of this uncomfortable tight space. Syaoran let go of her arm (which he had forgotten he had had hold of) and walked quietly into the hallway. He half smiled in apology. "Sorry, Meilin wants to go riding and I don’t want to."

Sakura nodded. "Oh. I understand." She smiled.

Syaoran headed away from the door. Sakura followed him hesitantly, not sure where he was going. "Let’s go through the highschool, these doors are too risky." Sakura shrugged and followed him along.

They passed a few middle schoolers, then went through the large doors that connected it to the highschool. They were walking along unnoticed through the high schoolers, when a side door swung open. Syaoran tried to run, but Meilin had the element of surprise. She slammed into him with a hug, and Syaoran couldn’t break free quickly enough. Now they had several older kid’s attention. Meilin ruffled Syaoran’s hair, now having him trapped in a corner. "Syaoran oh Syaoran. I know you wanna take me riding, why are you running away?"

Syaoran ducked under her grasp and dodged out into the openess of the middle hallway. "Meilin, I am busy. Go home."

Meilin thought he was joking, so his harshness didn’t bother her. "Syaoran come on! Or are you taking Sakura-chan horseriding instead?" Syaoran abruptly shook his head. Meilin grinned. "She can come along, we’ll-" Her talk was interrupted for Syaoran started sprinting down the hall. He took the left hall and went out of sight. Meilin sighed and started sprinting after him.

Sakura shook her head. Playing tag in the hallway. I might as well go home alone. Sakura headed down the hall they had just run down, because the closest door was now in that direction. She heard some footsteps running off in the distance. Sakura exited the school and walked into the cold outdoors. Sakura shivered and kept herself moving towards the bus. She was hit from the side by Syaoran, who was skidding himself to a halt. Sakura frowned at first, then realized he had gotten away from Meilin. His eyes sparked with life, he had been enjoying the thrill of the chase.

He pointed at the bus moving towards the stop as he caught his breath. "We’ve gotta (pant) hurry." He pulled on Sakura’s arm and she ran after him towards the bus.

They sprinted as hard as they could to the stop and got there just as the door was closing. Syaoran hoped with his might that the door would stop, and he stuck his arm out just in time. The door retracted, and the bus driver glowered at them. Sakura smiled sheepishly at him and climbed the steps after Syaoran. Syaoran collapsed on his stomach on the seat. Sakura looked at him oddly, then noticed Meilin sprinting hard down the sidewalk. The bus driver sighed and left the door open. Meilin poked her head in the door and looked at Sakura. "Have you seen Syaoran?" She asked.

Sakura tried to stay as nonchalant as she could be as she kicked Syaoran’s foot out of sight. "No, I think he caught another bus."

Meilin sighed. She stood there thinking, when the bus driver took action. "Well are you coming or not?" He asked.

Meilin realized she was still standing in the way of the door. "Oh, sorry." She backed up and let the bus go, not aware Syaoran was going with it. Meilin kicked a rock across the street and started to head home.

Sakura and Syaoran both sighed with releif on the bus. Syaoran got back up and sat normally. He glanced down at his foot, which was smarting from Sakura’s hard kick. "Sorry about that." He mumbled.

Sakura grabbed the bar above them as the bus made a sharp right turn. She sat down shortly after next to Syaoran. "Thank you for coming. I am not sure what we’ll do if we need more wood but..." She paused for no particular reason. "So are you okay? I mean you had to take your horse back in all that cold last night."

Syaoran cringed - now everyone knew or thought they knew that Syaoran had a horse. "It wasn’t that bad, it wasn’t that far." What he failed to mention was that he had ridden back to Sakura’s house numerous times thanks to the Loop card. He was not quite sure when Mark had seen him ride by, but he had been riding a long time, and had ended up going down the side of a larger type road.

"Well either way, you helped me out alot. I don’t know what I’d of done without you." Sakura wasn’t sure where the words came from, but she meant them.

Why is that in past tense? Is she going to tell me she doesn’t want my help? God, please no, she can’t say that! He squirmed under the praise and thanks, unsure of what to say. She had to go and make everything all awkward. "You probably wouldn’t have gotten into any of this trouble." He said lightly, though he doubted his own words.

Sakura smiled. "Probably." The bus slowed down at their stop, and Sakura was glad for the interruption. Sure, she was thankful, infinitely thankful for his help, but she didn’t mean to say it like that. They walked out onto the road and walked the remaining distance to her driveway. Sakura stopped at the end to get the mail (hoping to find a response from the kids in the States), then continued down the long drive.

She unlocked the door and stepped in. The entry room was well heated, and Syaoran could hear a fire crackling in another room. He followed her up the stairs and they went into her room. Syaoran cast a glance at Bob on the way by. Her room looked the same as the previous night, except her bed was more messy. Sakura stepped over to the door and waited for Syaoran to open it.

Syaoran opened it and walked down the stone steps blithely. Sakura followed him a little more cautiously, and watched with aprhension as he opened the thick wood door at the bottom. It creaked open, and a draft wafted in from the basement. Sakura skittered to the side of the wall and reluctantly followed Syaoran in further.

Sure enough, some of the boxes were in disaray. The room as a whole was not that dissaranged, but there was a clear path from this door to the other side of the basement. All the way across to the other hall, a light was pouring in through some broken boards that had served as a door.

Syaoran walked over and looked out the broken door. Outside was a dark hall that opened into the courtyard on one side with a large arching doorway, and the darkest part ended in another wall and most likely a door. Syaoran looked down at the floor where the boards lay, and picked them up. Sakura had finally made her way over, and was looking out the hole. "That’s pretty." She remarked.

Syaoran stood up from where he had been kneeling and inspecting some more boards. "That is where your chaser got in."

Sakura shivered with fear in rememberance. "Oh." She picked up some more boards that were tossed to the side of the door, oblivious to the dirt and gross things that lay on it. "Can you use this?"

Syaoran took the board from her and brushed it off. "Yeah, but I am gonna need a hammer and some nails."

Sakura nodded. "I’ll go get some." She jogged away, trying to hurry for Syaoran’s sake, because the basement was a cold and dark place to be alone in. She ran up the stairs into her room, then headed to the main entry room. She hadn’t been to the house’s garage more then once. It wasn’t even a garage, it was just a room Touya was using for one, and it had all the basic necessary garage needs.

She rummaged through some droors and quickly located the nails and hammer. She ran with her items back through the house, closing all the doors behind her. She jogged down the stone steps in her room, then slowed, because she had to let her eyes adjust to the dark basement again. "Got ‘em." She called.

Syaoran was inspecting some more things on the ground. He stood up. Sakura reached him and handed him the nails and hammer. Syaoran knelt down with the first board. He put a nail in his teeth so he could free both hands to straighten the board. He then took the nail and hammered it straight and quickly into the wood. He moved down and continued the process.

Sakura watched him while she leaned on the wal beside it. He put such concentration into even the littlest of affairs. She knew he wouldn’t notice her watching him, nor mind, because he was so involved in the work. His scowl made his eyes look intensly red brown, and his stranded hair would fall occasionally into the corners of his eyes, though he didn’t notice. Sakura found herself gawking at him, though she did her best not to. He is almost better looking than Keanu Reeves. She glared furiously down at her feet, embaressed for such a thought to cross her mind. She did her best to notice people’s insides, not their appearance. In this case, however, she found it hard not to.

Syaoran covered the entire space with boards horizontally, then picked up the remaining boards and set them vertically, trying to reinforce the doorway. It was strong, but he wasn’t sure what it had to stand up against. Syaoran pushed on it a couple times, then stepped back, admiring his own work. Sakura looked at the doorway with awe. It had taken him only ten minutes to build a sturdy doorway.

"Wow, that looks really good." Sakura picked up the box of nails off the ground. Syaoran grinned.

"Well it should hold against any, er, normal things." He said. Sakura nodded."Has Keroberus started to move yet?" He asked.

Sakura shook her head sadly. "He’s just stuck in the same position. I am hiding him in the closet in the dojo. He looks the same as he did before."

Syaoran started walking towards the door. "Well make sure you are there when he wakes up, he’ll probably be in pretty bad shock."

Sakura nodded and followed him up the stairs. The basement didn’t seem that scary now, with the bit of sunlight coming in, and the exits safely closed. Sakura made sure the door at the bottom of the stairs was well closed before turning to go. "I know!" She exclaimed. She grabbed the Lock card out of her pocket. "Just an extra precaution." She commanded the card to keep the door locked for anyone without the proper key, then used the create to make two keys. She handed one to Syaoran. "You aren’t planning to break into my house, right?"

Syaoran shook his head. "Not something in my calendar." He took the key from Sakura’s hand and inspected it. It was definitely an unusual key, the top of it was decorated with the sun and moon, and the bottom had two prongs that unmistakingly made it a key. Sakura shoved hers in her pocket then kept going up the stairs.

I wonder why I never thought of that before? Sakura’s mind betrayed itself. Maybe because you know keys and locks won’t stop a ghost. She ignored the thoughts and stepped up into her room. Syaoran turned and shut the door behind them. He glanced over at Bob the bug, who was still in his cocoon. Sakura didn’t notice, but walked over to her main doorway and looked down the hall.

"No one’s home yet." She said.

Syaoran nodded, but wasn’t exactly sure what she meant by that. Is that my cue to leave? He looked down at the watch on his wrist. He only had a half hour before he’d have to report to work. Syaoran walked over to the door. "I gotta go."

Sakura nodded. "Thank you very much for fixing that, hopefully it will keep everything out."

Syaoran smiled. "Any time." He walked out of the room and headed down the hallway. Sakura watched him leave, her feelings in a jumble. Why did he smile like that at her? She shook her head and shook off the thoughts with it, then headed down to the dojo to check on Keroberus.

___________________________________________________________________

The next day Sakura started having jitters about the music concert. Tomoyo and her had only just completed the song, and it was still very shaky on what parts each of them played. Sakura would often accidentally play Tomoyo’s part, and vica versa, so needless to say they were very worried about getting it up to concert standards.

She and Tomoyo planned today and the next day were going to be practice days after school. Sakura freely welcomed the time user, for Mark had invited her to go see a movie, and at least now she had an excuse. Sakura walked to her lunch table, where Rika and Chihura were having a discussion about their dogs and pets at home.

"Still, I am not entirely sure he doesn’t understand me. He follows my hand motions well, he just doesn’t listen." Rika said.

Chihura shook her head. "Maybe he’s deaf, who knows. At least he’ll listen to something, my dog thinks the object of fetch is to get to run free. Yesterday I was playing with him in the yard on a leash, then I let him go to fetch after a stick, and he ran out of the yard and down the street. We found him terrorizing Mr. Smith’s cat."

Rika giggled. "Our teacher Mr. Smith? That’d be embaressing! Did he know it was your dog?"

Chihura shook her head and sighed. "I tried to get him without making a commotion. I’m not sure if he saw me or not."

Sakura smiled. "Well if it’s the cat I saw, it could use a little chasing. That cat is so overweight! I don’t understand how an animal could be spoiled that much."

Rika lauged and nodded. "Yes, I know the one you are talking about! The poor cat’s head looks lost in its body. It’s stomach practically drags on the ground. Don’t worry Chihura, your dog might of done it a favor."

Meilin and Tomoyo came and sat down at the table. "What’s this? Your dog’s stomach drags on the ground?" Meilin asked.

"No, no! We were talking about Mr. Smith’s cat." Rika giggled.

Meilin nodded. "Yes, the fat little furball. Last summer when I was riding my bike, it was in the middle of the sidewalk. I rode really slow towards it, figuring it would move any second. It just sat there, calm as can be. I swerved last minute and wrecked into some bushes. Stupid animal."

Tomoyo smiled. "I have never seen this cat. Where does Mr. Smith live?"

"Quite near your house, really. Take a left from your house, then another left, and it’s the second blue house on your right." Said Rika.

Tomoyo nodded. The conversation began switching to the music concert. Sakura listened and spoke a little, but was more caught up with her food. She noticed Syaoran sitting down a ways next to Tamakazi. She smiled brightly at him, trying to thank him for fixing the door once more. Syaoran met her eyes for a second, but dropped them back down, and only attempted a smile once his eyes were dropped.

Sakura looked back to her food, satisfied that she had gotten at least little grin out of him. He is so strange sometimes. She listened to the conversation around her again.

"Well I started taking lessons just last week. It’s very fun." Chihura said proudly.

"Wow your parents can afford those? Lessons are very expensive!" Rika said.

Meilin shook her head. "I never needed lessons." She said braggingly.

Rika, Chihura, and Tomoyo all looked on with amazement. "You know how to ride too?"

"Well then again it makes sense if Syaoran has a horse." Chihura said. Syaoran looked over that direction with an annoyed look on his face.

Meilin smiled, beaming with pride. "Syaoran is a master at riding! We took lessons together when we were little."

Tomoyo’s eyes showed her deep admiration. "Wow, I wish I could ride a horse. I don’t think I have ever been on a real one before."

Chihura shook her head. "I hadn’t either till my lessons. They are really big."

Sakura listened to the conversation with slight anxiety. Big and mean. I don’t think I like riding them anymore. Who am I kidding? I am afraid of them. I wish the horses wouldn’t have freaked out like they did when we went trail riding in the states. Tomoyo noticed Sakura’s dazed look, because one does not stare at a ham sandwhich for no reason.

"Remember that horse Syaoran was riding? Is that his horse?" Tomoyo asked.

Sakura shrugged. She felt bad for keeping things from her friend, but she knew Tomoyo would go blitzo and start shreiking ‘cute’ and ‘adorable’ if Sakura told Tomoyo about Syaoran’s heroic horseback rescue. "We have to get our music out of the music room before we leave to your house."

Tomoyo nodded, not protesting at Sakura’s change of subjects. "Yes, we can get it after school."

Meilin had moved over next to Syaoran. He hardly payed notice to her, though she was talking nonstop about horseriding. Sakura found it slightly amusing, but felt a bit of pity for Syaoran. "Pleassssssssse take me riding after school! I wanna ride!"

Syaoran was pretending to listen to a completely different conversation. Meilin pulled on his arm to force his attention back to her. "Meilin Li leave the horse thing alone!" He said sternly.

Meilin backed down a bit with puppy dog eyes. Her attention was immediatly diverted along with everyone else’s to Mark’s loud announcement.

"....For anyone who wants to come, I’m having a New Years party. It’s at my house, I’ve got directions if you need them, I’ll have a live band and stuff." He sat back down.

Syaoran couldn’t hate Mark more, or so he thought. He prayed Sakura wouldn’t want to go, for then he could stay home as well. Meilin was jumping up and down in her seat. "Another party! We have to go Syaoran!"

Syaoran glared at her. Meilin ignored it and went back over to the table of girls and started talking rapidly of clothes and hair and stuff like that. Sakura stayed in the back of the conversation. She didn’t want to go, she remembered that the last party she had gone to Mark had asked her to dance. Sakura didn’t want to be put in that situation again, so she figured the best way to stay out of it was to not go at all.

Something in the back of Sakura’s mind seemed to appear. She couldn’t put her finger on it - for a split second her vision dimmed, her hearing was fuzzed out. Sakura looked around the room for a moment with a confused look, then looked back at her food. Whatever danger there was was gone now, but only for this time. Sakura could feel a curtain of darkness creeping its way through her mind. Her suffocating thoughts just as she had almost been killed under the ice flooded back into her mind. I thought I was going to die. I would have died, if Syaoran hadn’t gotten there. Someday Syaoran won’t be there to protect me, and I will not be strong enough to fight the evil off alone.

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There you have it folks, chapter twelve. I haven’t broken any records, but this is a pretty long chapter. Stuff should be getting exciting. I am starting to plan things in my story, not just write them blindly. S + S FOREVER!

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