The Guiding Star

Allies: Chapter Six

By: Sakura

“…and you have no idea whatsoever?”

Wu Jin Chi sat up and nodded sadly before moving back into a bowed position on the ground. He sat before the council of Ministers and Prince Li Shui Ken, whom were trying to figure out where Prince Xiao Lang had disappeared to. Shui Ken stared long and hard at the elderly man, trying to see if he was lying about his Master’s whereabouts. But Jin Chi’s face was like a stone, betraying nothing.

“There are few places Xiao Lang could go,” thought Shui Ken, “and some of those places are far too obvious. I highly doubt he would go to Li Di Xuan and Li Mei Ling’s home since he is trying to escape. That would be too easy and-”

The doors to the courtroom flew open as a guard hurried in, unannounced. He approached the stand and kneeled on the ground, right next to Jin Chi, bowing to the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister, in a sour mood that an execution had taken the life of the wrong former Emperor’s son, barked out, “what is it now?” The guard sat up, still on his knees, one hand held tight over another in front of him, a show of respect.

“Do I have permission to speak?” asked the guard in a no-nonsense tone. The Minister nodded. “We have just found out that the Japanese Princess, Kinomoto Sakura, has disappeared. There are no traces of her among the palace grounds. It is assumed she has somehow run away.” At the mention of “Sakura”, Shui Ken rapidly changed his gaze to the guard. As soon as the guard finished speaking, he quickly strode forward in a few steps and roughly pulled the guard to his feet, shaking him.

“What do you mean ‘run away’?” he hissed angrily. “How could she possibly escape? Her home was one of the most protected areas in the palace grounds.” The guard winced as he chose his words, hoping he wouldn’t anger the Chinese Prince further.

“I don’t know how,” he managed to choke out, “the guards on duty there told me they had been there all day, not leaving once. One of my men went to bring her to you, like you asked, and he found she was absent from her home. Her handmaiden says she has no idea where she went. We went to look for her, but no one has seen her. It’s like she completely disappeared.” Shui Ken released the man and the guard, nearly hit the ground, recovering quickly enough to regain some dignity as he coughed for breath.

“Disappeared, huh?” thought Shui Ken fuming silently. “And Xiao Lang has disappeared as well. This is too much of a coincidence. He must have taken her when he left…” His hands clenched into tight iron fists. When he finds Xiao Lang, he will make him pay…Shui Ken turned around and stormily left the room.

One place Xiao Lang would definitely go to is the Li Elders, the magicians he had lived and trained with for the past months. The only problem was that the only people that knew where they lived had to have magical lineage. But only three of the former Emperor’s sons had this; the second son, Shuk Yue, who had left on a mission a few weeks ago, the fifteenth son, Xiao Lang himself, and the twelfth son, Wing Kuen, who was dead. Shui Ken slammed his fist against the wall, succeeding in splintering the wood.

This was so incredibly frustrating! Who else would know? Then it dawned to him. Li Di Xuan had magical lineage and he had trained with the Elders a year or so ago…then he would know where they were located! He strode quickly to find a messenger he could dispatch to Di Xuan’s home and…he had someone he needed to see…regarding a certain Princess…

~*~*~*~*~*~

Since leaving the palace, Xiao Lang and Sakura, travelling on one horse, had ridden through meadows and thick forests, putting as much distance between the palace and themselves. Sakura’s arms encircled Xiao Lang’s waist, the only way she could keep balance while Xiao Lang’s arms were around her, holding on to the horse’s reins at the same time.

From time to time, Sakura would look up at Xiao Lang and wonder how she could have been so lucky to find someone who could give her freedom back to her. But there was someone else who had aided Xiao Lang in giving her freedom - and his - and Sakura wondered if Xiao Lang knew about Wing Kuen’s death…and how he was coping with it. When she looked at him, his mouth was set in a determined line and his eyes portrayed a deep serious. It was as if he knew…

Finally slowing to a canter while going through a clear meadow, Xiao Lang’s face lost most of the seriousness and he looked down at Sakura with gentle eyes. “How are you feeling?” he asked her. Sakura smiled feebly.

“I’m okay,” she told him, “but what about you? Xiao Lang, are you really okay?” Xiao Lang nodded, smiling cheerfully; a cheerfulness that confused Sakura.

“Of course I’m okay,” he replied. “I’m finally away from that chained-to-the-ground palace, and you’re now out of Shui Ken’s clutches for good. What is there to worry about?” Sakura stared at Xiao Lang, almost in horror at his tone. His brother had just…Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but Xiao Lang, not noticing, continued, “but I am rather worried about one thing. Sakura, do you know what my brother did for me?” Sakura didn’t know whether to nod or shake her head at his words. Xiao Lang, a far away look in his eyes, kept going.

“To let me be free, my brother, Li Wing Kuen, has taken my place in prison. People always said we looked similar and in the darkness of the cells, they’ll never tell the difference. As soon as I can, I’m going back to the palace and free him since he has no actual right to be there. I can’t wait for you to meet him! You’ll like him a lot; everyone does.”

“Xiao Lang…” Sakura realized it right away. Xiao Lang didn’t know! Xiao Lang never knew his brother had been executed in his place! And he looked so happy when he talked about his brother…Hearing Sakura softly speaking his name, Xiao Lang looked back down at her, an eyebrow raised in a questioning look.

“Is something wrong, Sakura?” he asked with concern in his tone. “If you’re tired, we can stop and take a break. I didn’t mean to tire you like this. I suppose this all happened too quickly…even for me.” Sakura shook her head.

“I’m not tired,” she answered, “but worried…about you.”

“About me?” repeated Xiao Lang with surprise. “What is there too be worried about?” Sakura bit her lip, not knowing how to say it. It was obvious he cared deeply for his brother and the news could devastate him. But at Xiao Lang’s look of encouragement, Sakura forced herself to try again.

“Xiao Lang, your brother…Li Wing Kuen…he…I…I don’t know how to say this…but…” Xiao Lang suddenly silenced Sakura by covering her mouth with his hand. He swiftly pulled tight on the reins, stopping the horse.

“Shh…” he whispered into her ear, still holding her close to him. “I hear someone coming.” They sat completely still and silent, Sakura straining to hear what Xiao Lang had picked up a few moments before. Out of nowhere, the sound of hooves beating the ground could be heard. A dark brown horse came galloping into view; its rider dressed in a plain tunic with a hood covering their face. Sakura could feel Xiao Lang tense up, as if preparing for a confrontation, while he held her close to him.

“Xiao Lang!”

At the single call, the tension in Xiao Lang dissolved immediately. He recognized the voice that belonged to the rider.

“Mei Ling!”

The rider pulled her horse up short and slowed it to a trot, stopping it when she reached the pair. She lifted her hood up, folded it halfway and rested it atop her head. The girl was beautiful; with long silky raven-black hair pulled back into a very simple ponytail and keen light-maroon eyes. She looked from Xiao Lang to Sakura, and back to the former. “It’s good to see you well again, Xiao Lang,” she said with a smile.

“Mei Ling, what are you doing here?” asked Xiao Lang almost incredulously.

“I’m here to take you to my home, of course. Come on,” she said, gesturing for him to hurry, “we don’t have much time. Because of your haste departure from the palace, guards and soldiers are beginning to search all over China for you. In fact, I saw a few not far from our current location.” Mei Ling turned her horse around and began to return the way she came. Xiao Lang cursed silently and quickly followed his cousin.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As they came in view of Mei Ling’s home, Sakura’s eyes marvelled at its simplistic beauty. Instead of the golden roof tiles and extravagantly decorated pillars and columns like the palace, the home was decorated in a simple fashion, topped off with tastefully chosen colours that seemed almost to blend in with the scenery. The roof was covered with dark green tiles, matching the surrounding trees while the pillars were a shade of mellow red, having been worn down with time. The entire structure and complex was built well to keep out intruders and was monitored by guards extensively. But as Mei Ling liked to say, that was all for show.

Li Mei Ling, and her twin brother, Li Di Xuan, were both highly skilled in the martial arts. They were related to Xiao Lang through both his parents; their father, now deceased, was a younger brother to the former Emperor, and their mother was a cousin of Li Yelan. Though neither of his parents possessed magical lineage, Di Xuan knew magic, like Xiao Lang did, but Mei Ling did not. And though a woman trained in martial arts was rare, Mei Ling, wanting to feel like she could keep up with her brother and her favourite cousin, Xiao Lang, forced it upon herself to learn how to fight, since she didn’t have magic like them.

When it came down to just strict combat, Mei Ling could beat her brother, almost any time. But against her cousin, she could never beat him fairly. He would let her win sometimes, but she knew that she wasn’t truly defeating him in combat. Sometimes this knowledge alone helped to create the initiative for her to work harder. But that never changed the fact that Xiao Lang was her favourite cousin; Wing Kuen coming in as a close second.

As soon as they past the main gates, Mei Ling slid off her horse and led it to the stables. Xiao Lang dismounted, leading his as well, and letting Sakura sit on the horse’s back for a little while longer. He stifled a yawn, but it never escaped Mei Ling’s notice.

“It’s been a long day for you, Xiao Lang. Why don’t you go inside and take a rest?” she suggested when they reached the stables. “Di Xuan wants to see you later. Something about the Li Elders.” She sighed and smiled crookedly at him. “He won’t tell me a word about it. My, you all are very secretive about your magic.” Xiao Lang’s eyes glanced over at Sakura momentarily. “Don’t worry,” said Mei Ling, noticing that as well, “I’ll take care of her.” He nodded in response.

Xiao Lang walked to Sakura’s side and placed a reassuring hand over hers, smiling gently at her and helping her dismount from the horse. He then turned and hurried into the main house, Sakura watching him go. She turned back and looked over at the Chinese girl, rather nervously. Mei Ling was studying her, her arms folded and her expression completely serious. By Mei Ling’s stance and manner, the Japanese Princess felt rather intimidated by her. Finally, Mei Ling smiled and her arms dropped to her side.

“You must have cast a very powerful spell to make Xiao Lang fall in love with you so quickly,” she commented as she tied the horses reins to the pole. Sakura stared at her in surprise. A powerful spell? Xiao Lang in love…with her? What was she talking about? Mei Ling, seeing the confused look in Sakura’s expression shook her head. “Never mind,” she said, “I might just be seeing too much into this.” Finishing up with her work, she bowed formally to Sakura. “I’m Li Mei Ling, a cousin of Prince Xiao Lang,” she continued, with a friendly tone. “I’m really sorry about what happened to your country. I bet if Xiao Lang had been there at that time, he would never have let Shui Ken do anything like that. For the time being, you’re welcome to stay here with me and Di Xuan for as long as you like.”

Sakura bowed formally as well to Mei Ling. Though the latter seemed to be tough and unapproachable at first, she could be really friendly and warm up the instant she saw a friend in a person. “Thank you,” she replied softly. “I’m Kinomoto Sakura…from Japan.” Sakura winced when she said the last word in her sentence. The thoughts of her fallen country still lay deeply rooted in her memories. Mei Ling, understanding this immediately, put her arm around the foreign girl and led her toward the house.

“If you need anything, I’ll always be available to help you.” Sakura nodded, smiling gratefully at the other girl. “Come on,” added Mei Ling, “I’ll show you to your room.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Sit down, handmaiden.”

Tomoyo obliged to Prince Shui Ken’s request and sat down at the table, while he took a seat opposite to her. His guards stood at the doorway, completely blocking it. Tomoyo regained her composure after the shock of Shui Ken’s sudden arrival and poured some tea for him; which he took and finished in one gulp. Setting the little teacup back on the table, he began to speak in a disarming manner, an almost pleasant smile on his face.

“Has your Mistress ever returned, handmaiden?” Tomoyo shook her head sadly.

“I haven’t seen her since last night,” she told the Prince. “My Mistress told me she was going to go see the beautiful gardens and maybe pick a few flowers. She hadn’t returned since then.”

“Why is it the guards on duty say that Sakura never once passed by them?” continued Shui Ken, still smiling falsely.

“I don’t understand why myself,” answered Tomoyo almost innocently. “Earlier in the evening, though, after my Mistress had left, I accidentally tripped on my shoes while I was carrying a tray of tea and cups and the whole tray went flying out of my hands. The table was knocked over as well and, while trying to regain my balance, my Mistress’s bed curtains were torn down and I couldn’t get untangled. This whole scenario made a rather loud crash, I should say. Those nice gentlemen came in when they heard the commotion and helped me out. But since that time, I haven’t seen a sign of my Mistress.”

“Hmm…” muttered Shui Ken to himself, “I never received a word about this. That story will need to be checked out.” Standing up, he said to Tomoyo with a tight smile, “I will come back another day, handmaiden, and we will discuss where your Mistress could have gone.” Tomoyo nodded in response. The Chinese Prince turned and left abruptly, his guards at his heels.

Tomoyo sank deeper into her seat and sighed with relief. That was too close. How had he known to come here straight after hearing Sakura was missing? Was it that obvious? Tomoyo stood up and slowly crept to the window, peeking out. An extra guard had been stationed at the entrance this time. Shui Ken obviously wasn’t completely buying the handmaiden’s story. Tomoyo turned around and leaned against the wall, sinking to the ground. She clasped her hands together and curled up into a little ball. Lying to a Prince…that could be considered treason! But still…she had no regrets…

“At least I know you’re all right, my friend,” she whispered.

Author’s Note: Recognize anyone (besides Meiling)? If you’ve been following my other CCS fic, “The New Cards”, you would have recognized one of my original characters, Li Di Shang, Syaoran’s cousin is/will be in this story. I might add in other characters from my other CCS fic like this. The one I have in mind so far is Chen Chi Yuen. Note that I have switched to the Mandarin romanization for the characters. You’ve already seen Xiao Lang, and now Mei Ling and Di Xuan (Di Shang) are there too. Does anyone know the Mandarin romanization for Yelan? I think that’s CLAMP’s version.

So, er, what did you think (of this chapter)? I noticed my fic can no longer be called unique anymore and that just kills me (figuratively)…Someone else is using the CCS characters in China, too, set in the past. I guess I’m not the only one that came up with that idea. *sighs* At least I think I was one of the first that did and this fic was unique for the last few months…right? *sighs again* Argh…this is just pointless babble. It ought to be ignored, ne? Maybe a review will cheer me up. =Þ I’m kidding, but review anyway! Me = bad mood. (Computer’s not working and all my other fics are there. Luckily I hadn’t started this chapter before the computer went down.)

*Sakura
~The Animé Archives Team