The Guiding Star

Another One Falls: Chapter Fifteen

By: Sakura

What was this feeling? A strange tightening in his chest… Why should he feel so strongly about it? Sakura should be fine. There was nothing to worry about…nothing at all!

Prince Xiao Lang suddenly stopped running. Why was it that guilt was weighing him down? Was it because he had promised he’d protect Sakura but now had abandoned her? “That’s not true,” he told himself aloud. “This is the only way I can protect her right now.” His voice sounded hollow to his ears and Xiao Lang knew he wasn’t fooling even himself.

He was such an idiot to leave her alone. What kind of protection was this? He could look after her better if she was by his side, not far away like this. Xiao Lang knew he was stupid not to realize it earlier.

Turning around, the Prince hurried back to the inn Sakura was, hoping he wasn’t too late.

The feeling that something was terribly wrong never left Xiao Lang. If anything, it made him more anxious to get back to the inn and he quickened his pace. He breathed a short sigh of relief when he caught sight of the inn and sprinted the rest of the way across the path. Entering the building, he stopped short at the greeting he received.

The place was completely empty.

There wasn’t a single person there. It was late morning and usually a few customers would be around, having a late breakfast. But today…nothing… Even the innkeeper wasn’t standing there by the counter, as usual. What was going on here?

A slight shiver crawled down Xiao Lang’s spine. He didn’t understand what could have happened. As long as Sakura was… After taking the stairs two at a time, the Prince hurried down the hall and flung both doors open.

His wishes were very different from reality. He wanted to see Sakura there, turning around in surprise at seeing him and scolding him for leaving her behind. He wanted to see her smile for him and tell him everything would be okay as long as they stayed together. He didn’t want to see what really met his eyes: the room completely in shambles, furniture thrown around, objects lying on the ground in pieces, blood staining the floor… Without realizing it, Xiao Lang dropped to his knees in shock.

He lightly traced the floor with his finger. Blood…it wasn’t Sakura’s, was it? Had the guards found her? Was it that them that drove everyone else away from this place? It was the only thing that made sense to him. Burning with anger, the only thing Xiao Lang could think about was that he had failed Sakura again. Another broken promise…and he couldn’t even remember now what made him leave her behind in the first place. Eyes hidden in shadows, the only other thing he could remember was…

“Shui Ken,” he muttered aloud. “This has to be his doing…”

Getting up, the Prince practically flew down the hall and stairs, running as fast as he can. He had to find those guards…he just had to! He had to get Sakura back!

But as he was running along, Xiao Lang had the feeling that he wasn’t alone. It unnerved him because he had no idea who was tracking him and where they were. He may not have been an expert tracker, but he was no novice. However, it wasn’t through his skills that he knew he was being followed; it was pure instinct.

Xiao Lang stopped running and stood his ground. He didn’t really have time for a confrontation from anyone. But his discomfort would never go away until he found out who was following him and why.

When he stopped, the Prince heard the rustle of tree branches behind him as someone leapt to the ground, landing effortlessly. “Why are you following me?” he asked, in a clear voice. There wasn’t a single trace of unease or wariness. The person behind him circled around and stopped before him. A pair of midnight blue eyes watched him coolly, with only indifference in his eyes and expression. “Just what was Chen Chi Yuen doing here?” Xiao Lang wondered silently in surprise.

“You seem to be in a hurry to get somewhere,” Chi Yuen commented. “Where’s the fire? Are you rushing because the Princess is missing? Has she finally slipped from your grasp?” Xiao Lang suddenly stiffened. So Chi Yuen knew…? He knew that Sakura was a princess? Did that also mean…? “That’s right,” Chi Yuen said, answered his unasked question, “I know everything about you, Prince Li Xiao Lang.”

Within moments, Xiao Lang had leapt forward, grabbed Chi Yuen by his collar, and slammed him against a tree. The latter didn’t even have time to flinch from being struck against the trunk. Nor did he even attempt to make Xiao Lang remove - or even loosen - his hold. He merely turned his cold gaze towards him. “Is something the matter, Prince Li?” he asked coolly. “Did I say something to upset you?”

“How did you know about me?” Xiao Lang asked him, through gritted teeth. “And what did you do to Sakura? To all those people at the inn? And your own father? Why are you even here in the first place?”

Chi Yuen studied him silently for a few minutes but suddenly laughed out loud. “You’re just a fountain of questions, aren’t you, Prince?” he said, still laughing. Xiao Lang’s grip on Chi Yuen’s collar tightened and he raised a fist, aiming to cuff him. But he stopped midway when he realized that he was grasping nothing but empty air. Chi Yuen had disappeared. Suddenly, the Prince fell forward, as he was knocked off his feet. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chi Yuen behind him, still smirking at him. He somersaulted and landed back on his feet immediately. He hadn’t realized how fast the other man was…to slip from his grasp and to attack in the same moment… But before he could move, the tip of a sword glinted in his eye. Xiao Lang also hadn’t noticed the danger he was in…

“Prince Xiao Lang,” said Chi Yuen lazily, his drawn sword’s blade resting lightly against the Prince’s neck, “you well realize that I am the key to all your unanswered questions, I suppose? But,” he smiled at the Prince, who only regarded the smile warily, “I’m a nice guy and that’s why I’ll answer any questions you have, providing that you’re able to spill my blood.” At Xiao Lang’s bewildered expression, Chi Yuen chuckled. “I know,” he mused, “it’s a rather unusual request. You must remember, though, Prince, that I never reveal anything to anyone weaker than myself.”

The older man withdrew his sword and sheathed it as he took a step back. “But like I already told you, I’m a nice guy. So I’ll answer one of your questions for nothing. What do you want to know first?” Xiao Lang remained obstinately silent as he had, listening to Chi Yuen talk, but the latter didn’t seem the least bit fazed by it.

“My name,” he began, “is Chen Chi Yuen, as you already know. That man you met, my ‘father’,” he smiled maliciously, “he’s not really my father, just someone I brainwashed who believed I was his son. He actually has no son. And the reason I’m here is simply because you were supposed to meet me.” Seeing the Prince’s startled expression caused Chi Yuen to stifle a smile. “That’s right,” he whispered softly, “I’m the one that killed Li Yao Liang.”

Xiao Lang couldn’t believe how a few cold words could be spoken so easily. He acted as if it meant nothing to him…

“Now, Xiao Lang,” said Chi Yuen serenely, his eyes on his own sword as he unsheathed it, “why don’t we get started? After all, answers don’t come for fre-” Something breezed past Chi Yuen on his right side and he froze on the spot, his sword only half-unsheathed. A trickle of blood rolled down his right cheek and he placed a hand on his face, lightly tracing the new cut on his cheek. As he looked down at the blood on his fingertips, he said, rather lightly, “You’re faster than I gave you credit for.”

The Prince ignored the comment and, without turning around, asked in a low tone, “Why did you kill him? What has he ever done to you?” His hands clenched tight on his sword.

“Let me tell you a little story,” replied Chi Yuen very quietly. “Many years ago, Yao Liang had killed a man, by the name of Jiao Wan, as a mission. Jiao Wan wasn’t really a bad person. He just craved for a little power, like everyone else.” At his pause, Xiao Lang turned around and Chi Yuen levelled his gaze to his. “Just like you and me. Yao Liang took pity on the only son of Jiao Wan, who was but a little boy, and decided to take him under his wing, even though the Council of Li Elders visibly disapproved. He taught that boy everything he knew and often even doted on him. No matter what the Council did to separate the two, Yao Liang stubbornly refused. Because, you see, he had cared for the boy as if he were his own son.”

A flicker of bitterness seemed to cross Chi Yuen’s eyes, but at the same time, Xiao Lang wondered why he had never heard of this before. Yao Liang was by no means cold to him before, but sometimes, he just seemed to distance himself from Xiao Lang purposely…

“However,” continued Chi Yuen, with a dark look about his face, “he never once suspected that the boy harboured resentment towards him for killing his father. He wanted nothing more than to see Yao Liang dead. But he decided to bide his time. Do you realize who that boy was, Prince? It was me.”

Before Xiao Lang even had time to react to this, Chi Yuen had already moved on, “Do you know what the best revenge is? It’s betrayal; betrayal from someone you care deeply about. It’s not just physical pain, but mental and emotional anguish as well. To have someone you thought believed and cared for you turn completely against you…it’s the most heart-wrenching revenge!”

Xiao Lang had completely frozen, wishing all that Chi Yuen had said was from his own imagination. He briefly recollected once asking his master if he had taught anyone else. But his master’s answer had come in a sharp tone and Xiao Lang never dared to ask him again. Now he remembered…the pain in his master’s eyes were like nothing he had seen before…

“Of course,” reminisced Chi Yuen rather coolly, looking into the distance, “I really had no intention of actually killing him then. Just to break him, hurt him so that he would never be able to pull himself back together, so that he would be nothing more than an empty shell of a man. That’s even worse than a plain, simple death. Want to know why he died, Prince? It was your own fault. All your fault. If you hadn’t shown up that time and gotten in his way, Yao Liang would not have died.” Xiao Lang had turned around to face him by this time, and saw the cruel smile on the other’s face. “How does it feel, Prince? To know that you are the real reason he died? The real cause of his death?” He could see the Prince was shuddering from the anger that was overwhelming him and breathing very hard. His hands were by his side, clenched into tight fists. The aura around him was being to grow. “You killed Li Yao Liang,” he said, not being able to resist that last taunt.

“Shut up!” cried Xiao Lang, exploding with rage. He could not remember a time where he felt such indescribable and uncontrollable anger. It coursed through him like a thunderbolt. Without another word, he leapt toward Chi Yuen, sword drawn and struck at him. However, Chi Yuen either easily blocked his moves with his own sword or simply moved out of harm’s way. While he was still fighting did the Prince realize that he was being blinded by his fury, that this was exactly what Chi Yuen wanted. Pausing momentarily, he tried to recall his calm, and remembered that he wouldn’t be able to fight properly like this, for his anger had made his moves big, clumsy, and predictable.

“It’s really hard to believe you were Yao Liang’s pupil, Prince,” Chi Yuen said, continuing with his taunts. “You must have just been some sort of failure; so much so that even a man as talented as Yao Liang wouldn’t be able to teach you anything.” At this point, however, Xiao Lang was no longer affected by his words and focused on the fight. He’d show him the extent of Master’s belief in him. He’d show Chi Yuen that Master would never ever regret sacrificing his own life for his apprentice’s…

Being a student of magic, Xiao Lang knew more than one way to fight. But, his biggest problem concerning it was that he lacked the experience fighting with magic. When he sparred with his twin cousins, out of respect for Mei Ling, neither he nor Di Xuan used magic in their fights. When training at the Li Elder’s home, he was told not to use magic as his power was greater than the majority of his opponents’, something Yu Hong resented him for. The only one that really helped him out with his magic was Master. He was the one that had trained him, after all. No one else was allowed to help teach him, not even Wing Kuen. His training had only begun when the Prince was thirteen, following the advent of his becoming an apprentice, and it lasted up until the day Master had died. Following that, Xiao Lang had wanted no other teacher, and had only trained himself. It was because of this that he did not know his own true strength. He didn’t know the depths of his power nor how much should be used with every move he made. It was an asset he sorely lacked and something he would never gain without experience.

Xiao Lang gripped the sword tight in his hand, the sword given to him by the Li Elders, and a sword that had once belonged to his master. He recalled Jian Wei telling him that Yao Liang had been on the same mission once but had died before he could really accomplish it. It was this sword that he had been entrusted with. As well, for some reason, it was a sword that the elemental rings seemed to fear, recalling the incident with the water spirit. Chi Yuen noticed the sword the Prince held for the first time and studied the blade with unhidden interest.

“You were granted the dragon sword…” he murmured quietly, almost to himself. Xiao Lang’s face displayed nothing but surprise at hearing this. “You mean you didn’t know?” laughed Chi Yuen, understanding the other’s sudden bewilderment. Trust the Li Elders to not tell everything they knew, he thought, with a malicious smile. “Nothing much is known about that sword of yours,” said Chi Yuen, pointing at the blade in Xiao Lang’s hands. “It has only been called the dragon sword because of the dragon carved out of the end of the handle. However,” he added, with a mockingly sad tone in his voice, “it’s a useless sword. No powers in it whatsoever. Nothing at all like its brother sword.”

“What on earth are you referring to now?” asked Xiao Lang, keeping his eyes on Chi Yuen, looking for an opening. Though Chi Yuen appeared to be carelessly moving about, the Prince could clearly see that he was always on his guard, showing him no openings. Without another word, Chi Yuen took his own sword and struck it into the ground. His hand rested on the hilt for a brief moment before he lowered it and watched as Xiao Lang’s eyes widened. A phoenix had been carved out of the end of the handle for his sword. A split second later, Chi Yuen drew his sword from the ground and whirled it twice, letting the soil fly off the smooth, sharp blade. The design on the hilt of Chi Yuen’s sword was the same as his own, the Prince realized. In fact, the swords were identical, excepting the fact that a different entity had been carved at the end.

“Come, Prince Li,” Chi Yuen said, beckoning to him. “I’ll show you how weak and useless you truly are. I’ll prove to you that you are nothing but a failure, without the right to even call yourself a student of the formerly great Li Yao Liang.” A smirk suddenly lit onto his face. “It’s because of your nature that Sakura left you and never wants to see you again.” The added taunt had the very effect that Chi Yuen wanted; Xiao Lang lunged at him again, striking down. However, the attack was different from last time. Even though Chi Yuen had instantly sped around his opponent, he was shocked when Xiao Lang had spun around at the same time and slashed down on him. The blade slit his clothes from the shoulder diagonally to his waist. He hadn’t backed away enough to have the sword miss him, for the tip had also cut his skin in the same diagonal pattern, causing blood to draw to the surface as it dripped through the long thin opening. The man held his hand to his chest, smearing the blood on his clothes, as he sat in his crouched position. Although it looked bad, Chi Yuen knew himself to not be in any real danger, but he was lucky to not have been more severely injured.

“I really must stop underestimating you, don’t you agree, Prince Li?” he said, the steady confident smile never leaving his face. “Every time I think you’re just a weakling, you prove to me you’re not totally worthless. However,” Chi Yuen stood up, ignoring the cut, and dusted off his clothes nonchalantly. He looked toward Xiao Lang with eyes burning intensely, eyes the colour of a brilliant sapphire. “Your level is nowhere near mine. I’ll show you the differences in our powers.”

Chi Yuen held the sword up against the palm of his left hand and closed his eyes. He didn’t seem to care that he was leaving himself completely open. But when Xiao Lang moved to attack again, he realized that he couldn’t. It was as if something was pinning him down, not allowing him to budge at all. Looking back at Chi Yuen, he saw the other was muttering something under his breath and watched in amazement as a light coursed around him. The light all seemed to be drawn to the sword as it surrounded it and it flashed briefly before obtaining a glow of pure gold, or some colour to that extent. Chi Yuen opened his eyes and he saw that his eyes also were glowing, a deep sapphire blue. Something seemed to have awakened in Chi Yuen.

Without a word, Chi Yuen leapt toward Xiao Lang, his gold sword held tight in his hands. He landed before the latter, a cruel smirk on his lips, but before the Prince could make a single move - as he realized his movements were no longer restricted - Chi Yuen disappeared from sight. Xiao Lang whirled around, trying to spot him, but he was nowhere to be seen. It was then that the Prince suddenly noticed a light flutter in the wind. Chi Yuen was showing greater speed than earlier, but Xiao Lang knew exactly where he was and where he was heading. He struck his sword out to his left and his opponent suddenly appeared there, his own sword clashed against the Prince’s. Xiao Lang changed his stance to face Chi Yuen and both pushed hard against their swords, willing the other to fall. The elder of the two appeared to be struggling to beat down the young Prince, but it was really all a fluke. In an instant, his left foot kicked the Prince’s blade off to the side and he stabbed his sword into the boy’s shoulder. Xiao Lang’s eyes widened in shock as the force of the thrust slammed him into a tree. Before he could move again, Chi Yuen was already by his side and he pulled his sword free, Xiao Lang gasping from the swiftness of his move, and immediately followed up with a heavy cuff from his right fist.

At this point, however, Xiao Lang had ducked and somersaulted out of the way, his left hand grasping his injured shoulder as the blood from the wound ran down his arm, soaking his clothes in its redness. He was panting heavily and his shoulder was throbbing from the pain, but he still stood his ground. In his right hand, he still gripped his sword tight. Chi Yuen slowly approached him this time, the glow of his eyes never wavering, his own golden blade by his side. He then held it up and threw it toward Xiao Lang, using it like a spear and when the Prince had moved to avoid it, he suddenly found himself flat on his back. The sword had merely been means of a distraction. Chi Yuen had used those few seconds to knock the Prince down with a well-placed punch. As Xiao Lang tried to sit up, he found he could not; Chi Yuen’s foot rested heavily on his chest, pushing him down.

“Going somewhere, Prince?” Chi Yuen asked, a cold smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Xiao Lang obstinately refused to answer him and just glared at him with his amber eyes. Silence ensued around them as both watched the other. The elder of the two chuckled lightly for a moment and removed his foot from the Prince’s chest. But before the latter could move, Chi Yuen brought his foot down heavily on Xiao Lang’s arm. A sickening crack split the silence in the atmosphere and Xiao Lang’s sword fell from his grasp. His arm had been broken.

“Oh, I’m very sorry,” said Chi Yuen in a tone of false sadness. “Was that your only ‘good’ arm? I guess that means you won’t be able to use your sword for a while, with that right arm of yours out of commission. That’s really, really just too ba-” The man had touched his right cheek again to find another cut, deeper than the last, and looked to the dagger that created it, fixed to the trunk of a nearby tree. The Prince had originally slipped the blade from under his clothes and threw it with his left hand.

“You still…owe me…two answers…” Xiao Lang said, with some difficulty. His breathing had become ragged and he was beginning to feel a little dizzy from the pain. Chi Yuen drew his foot back coolly, but the Prince could no longer gather the effort to pull himself up. It took him some moments before he could find the words to speak. “Where is Sakura?” he asked, at last. “What did you do to her?”

“I didn’t do a thing to her,” Chi Yuen answered with a low laugh. “She came with me willingly and decided on her own to stay with me. The poor girl,” he added, shaking his head in mock sorrow, “she doesn’t realize I’m just using her powers to collect the rings. When my mission is done, she’ll be useless. It’ll then be my sad duty to get rid of her for good.”

The Prince’s strength suddenly felt as if it had been renewed. There was no way he was going to let this man hurt Sakura. She didn’t deserve anything of that sort. He wouldn’t let anyone hurt her, ever. He had promised to protect her… He struggled to get up, ignoring the pain in his shoulder and the look of his right arm lying limply on the ground in the strangest angle. But the moment he sat up, Chi Yuen had already bent over him, his hand resting lightly on his chest. “If it were up to me,” he whispered into his ear, “you would never see Sakura ever again.” He moved back a bit to face him and smiled coldly. “Don’t forget to say hello to Yao Liang when you see him in the after life.” It was then that Xiao Lang noticed the area around his chest where Chi Yuen had placed his hand was warming up… No, it wasn’t warm…it was burning hot…

A wave of fire seemed to engulf the Prince entirely, originating from that one hand pressed lightly against his chest. This fire was all internal; an excruciating pain that spread to every part of his body… Unable to suppress it, a scream ripped through his lips as the fiery heat consumed him. With a sudden, stark realization, the Prince realized it. “I’m going to die…”

Through half-closed eyes, amidst the writhes of torture, Xiao Lang could see Chi Yuen watching him as he stood up, a mask of indifference covering his expression. Even a display such as this seemed to give him no satisfaction whatsoever. Rather, he turned tail and walked away, leaving the Prince to die in his agony. Xiao Lang tried to ignore the effects of the flame again, and tried his best to sit up, but the effort was hurting him more than anything else. He fell back on the ground in the end, his mind beginning to numb from the pain: the wound in his shoulder, his broken arm, and…what was the other thing…? His head felt so clouded…he couldn’t really remember anymore…

Tired…he felt so tired… Maybe he should just close his eyes and sleep…it wouldn’t hurt so much if he slept…he could escape this insufferable pain this way… After all, what was the point of living? There was really nothing for him at all…nothing at all…

“You’re an idiot if that’s what you believe.”

Who said that? The voice was familiar…it was someone he knew, a voice he hadn’t heard in so long…a voice he missed…

“Get up already! Your master would be ashamed of you. I’m ashamed of you, come to think about it. And how do you think she feels? Are you going to break your promise to her again? You know you can’t do that, because you care for her too much. Don’t let her go…”

Her? Who was she? Promise…he promised something to someone…? What was it…what?!

A lone drop of water landed on Xiao Lang’s cheek. But soon, more drops fell from the sky. It was as if someone was crying… As the rain fell, the Prince stared dully at the sky, blinking every time the water touched his eyes. It felt soothing…somewhere in the back of his mind, he noticed the fires within him had been put out…but it mattered little to him now, so far gone on the other side of pain…it would be so much better if he just closed his eyes and rested…

An image suddenly flashed in his mind; an image of an unknown, lonesome girl, crying all alone. He wanted to reach out to her, hold her, and tell her that she needn’t cry, that he would protect her always…

“Sakura!”

Xiao Lang’s eyes snapped open at the jolt of remembrance and he forced himself to sit up. He couldn’t let himself go, just like that. He had to get Sakura back before that guy does anything to hurt her. But, at the sudden action, his body went limp from the shock, and he fell back to the ground with a heavy thud, no longer moving…no longer breathing…

And the rain continued to drizzle down over his body…

The teacup suddenly slipped from Sakura’s fingers and hit the ground with a loud crash. The cup and tea both forgotten, she placed her hand on her forehead. For some unexplainable reason, the Princess felt rather dizzy. Was it just her imagination? Had someone said her name? Because it sounded like Xiao Lang had called her…

No…it couldn’t have been Xiao Lang, Sakura thought firmly. There was no way…besides, she didn’t even want to think about him right now. Her gaze drifted to the window, listening to the heavy rain beating on the roof the inn. Chi Yuen had left hours ago…when was he coming back?

As if on cue, the door opened and Chi Yuen limped in, soaking wet from the downpour, a still-bleeding gash on his cheek. Not only was he wet, but he was also covered with dirt from head to toe, with blood intermingling his many wounds. With a slight gasp and eyes widened, Sakura hurried to his side and helped him into a nearby chair.

“What happened to you?” she asked anxiously, wiping the dirt away from the cuts on his face. Taking a closer look, she realized it looked like someone had struck him with something sharp, twice. But why would anyone want to do that to him?

Grinning ruefully, Chi Yuen placed his hand over hers and held it, stopping it from moving. Sakura felt her face flush slightly as he answered, “I accidentally got in the middle of a brawl just outside of town. But I haven’t been injured badly. There’s no way they could hurt me. They’re all so weak and-” He suddenly stopped in mid-sentence when Sakura flung her arms around his neck and hugged him. When he watched her from the corner of his eyes, he was startled to see she was crying.

“Thank goodness you’re okay,” she whispered through her tears. “You really had me worried there…”

Chi Yuen wrapped his arms around her slender form, the dirt and blood staining her clothes. “I’m sorry for scaring you,” he murmured into her ear, smiling again, and more cheerfully this time. “I’m all right, really.” He thought back to the “weakling” he had fought just earlier. “But he may never be…” he muttered under his breath.

Author’s Note: I’m sorry, I’m sorry!! begs forgiveness of everyone Bad Sakura, bad Sakura! thwaps, thwaps I’m so sorry that I’ve been really slow about updating my fics… I haven’t had very much time for anything during school and after school ended, it was all work, work, work. Aah! The strange thing is, more than half of this chapter was finished since around the time I posted the last chapter. But, I couldn’t actually finish it with all those stupid writer’s blocks. “The New Cards” had the same issues, too! Gomen nasai, gomen nasai!! ;;

If anyone still wants, I can e-mail them whenever I update this fic, or any of my fics. Just leave me your e-mail and I’ll do it.

So…um…I killed off a main character? nervous laugh Oh, well, since hardly anyone reads it anymore, I guess it's quite possible that no one will notice. P

I'll do my best not to post the next chapter so late next time I've already outlined what's to happen in the next chapter and all I need is time to write it all out. )

Just so you know, this chapter would have been out a few days sooner if FF.N hadn't died on me. On the day I finished writing and proofing, the site died on me. xx

Author's Note to LiL DreameR: I guess this chapter explained more of Chi Yuen's character, ne? I'm a little vexed with myself, though. I just found out that the proper romanization for "Chen Chi Yuen" is actually "Chen Qi Yun". -o- Oh, well. It'll stay as it is. Þ

Author's Note to hannagrace: Hahaha, no longer just muse, but "mommy", too, ne? hugs Sorry I was being evil and not letting you read the ficcy the day I finished. x Just to note, this is probably the fifth or sixth title change and I still hate it. ¬¬

Author's Note to mercurygirl: Oh, I've always liked just calling Yu-Gi-Oh! as Yuugiou. The hyphens take longer to type out and Sakura's just a naturally lazy person. P Also, technically, "Yuugiou" isn't incorrect as when you romanize character for character, it's yu-u-gi-o-u. But sometimes, when there's a long u sound (two u's), it would be replaced with just one u or sometimes a u after an o would be romanized as h. As we all know, that's how Takahashi-sensei romanizes it (Yugioh). ) So many ways of romanizing, so confusing sometimes. xx

Author's Note to Shirahana: Have you ever watched Huan Zhu Ge Ge? Just one of the many Chinese series set in the past (I think this was around Ching Dynasty or something? I don't really remember right now) and my favourite of that genre. However, that wasn't where I got my idea for the fic. Thinking back to two years ago, it was more like I was walking by kaasan watching one of those types of series and thought, what if so-so was this or that, etc, etc… My inspirations usually come from random places or things. P As for my descriptions, if they're somewhat like that, then cool. I don't have much confidence in my way of describing anything. --

Author's Note to Sara: I really wish I could give you a date when you could expect the next chapter and whatnot. Unfortunately, there are so many factors in my life that affect my writing or most importantly, my time to write. So giving out an approximate time is exceedingly difficult (it would be hard to make it accurate). The most I can do at the moment is to e-mail you whenever there's a new chapter out.

Author's Note to sparklybrowneyes: I know, I know, the many different characters…it's too confusing right now. I know I've been saying it forever, but I have been trying to make a chara list that briefly sums up each chara. I'll most likely have it posted on my blog. I'm also an avid Syaoran and Sakura fan so I, just as much as you, want to see them together. However, I still haven't thought of how to conclude this story so we'll see what happens to them and everyone in the end. Because we can't forget, Sakura is still technically Shui Ken's concubine…

Author's Note to Shadow: Wow, Shadow-san… I never even thought of it being Wing Kuen at all… You had a very interesting theory there. D Hmm, I've been neglecting poor Wing Kuen, even if he IS dead…he needs a side story like the one Shui Ken got sometime. Maybe, maybe…

Author's Note to Dusk-Magic13: Oh, Sakura's name stays because, well, she's from Japan, ne? And that's her name, not the flower. (This makes no sense, huh? I'm getting lost myself.) If we were talking about the flower, then they'd call it "ying hua". But since it's a person's name, it doesn't change. The only reason Xiao Lang's name is romanized as "Syaoran" in the CCS series is only because that's how they would pronounce his name when it's transliterated to Japanese. Ar-gu, ar-gu, how to put this…

Author's Note to Yukimi Takiro: Which boy? You mean Shui Ken? Ar-gu, I really need to get those chara lists finished… He should be around twenty at this point of the story.

And thank you Final Fantasy Princess, AZNangel20, MimiGhost, Rosie, Nanali, Animefreak242, rubygurl, Jurei, meemee, Litanya, White Blossoms, and Trulie Hope for your reviews!

Sakura
The Animé Archives Team