Chapter 25

"Syaoran..."

"Huh?"

Syaoran turned around to see nothing but sand surrounded him. He was heading towards the base --- alone --- just as he was instructed to do. His earpiece picked up signal, and out came Cordo's voice. "You okay?" Syaoran tapped it and said. "Yeah! I'm...fine."

[For a moment there I thought someone was calling me...]

Cordo and the army were hiding behind the hill of sand that formed around the base. They stayed low and were arming with gears. Jon crawled over to talk to Cordo, "Don't you think this is kind of pointless?"

"What?" Cordo looked at Jon.

"This!" Jon loudly hissed. "What's the point of hiding and planning an ambush if they see all in the town?" He rubbed his thighs; "My legs are getting numb from all the croaching."

"Relax, Jon. This is the Forbidden area."

"Forbidden area?"

"Right. In fact, the army camp, the route we took to here, they're all part of the Forbidden Area. The missioners might be able to see all in the town, but the Forbidden area is one place they can't get their hands on no matter how hard they try. The Forbidden area is blessed by the Ometin Goddess herself, so the missioner will only see a blob of light if they try to spy us."

"I get it, so it's like we're hidden."

"Right." Cordo said. Then he heard something buzzed in his earpiece and he brought it closer to his ears. "Do I start walking towards the base?" Syaoran's voice echoed in his earpiece. Cordo commanded loud and clear. "Yes, move towards the base. Try not to make any sudden movements until further notices." Jon cupped his hand to his earpiece and said. "Yo! Good luck, dude!"

"Thanks Jon!" Syaoran said. Then the line went off.

"Cool communicators! It picks up the signals so clearly! Did Elsie invent it too?" Jon said. Cordo blushed, and turned his head around. "I know what you're trying to do, Jon. Forget it! I'm not falling for it."

"Oh...but you're blushing, look at you!" Jon leaned forward and messed Cordo's hair up, Cordo pushed him away. "Hey! Quit it!"

And the friendship went on...

~~~~~

Without Chocy, Sakura had to rely on her feet to get to Syaoran and the army. She ran, knowing she could never catch up. The thought didn't make her give up. For once in her life she had to be there, she had to protect him.

Her bad ankle kicked in and finally she collapsed. Kneeling in the middle of nowhere, she was stranded and abandoned. She felt useless, and tears flooded her eyes again. Then she began banging on ground, harder and harder each time until her hands started to hurt.

That was when she heard it, rapid footsteps coming from behind. She turned and for a moment she thought she saw Syaoran sitting on Chocy. The two most important people, or chocobo, in her life were coming towards her. But as they got closer, she knew it wasn't them, instead it was Elsie riding a chocobo. She halted the chocobo to a stop and offered a hand. "Hop on."

~~~~~

Syaoran walked in an even paste. He was getting closer and closer to base. He swallowed, feeling a bit nervous. The wind was blowing hard, but the sand stayed low so he had his hood down. Besides, he wanted the missioners to recognize him when he comes.

Inside the base, the dark figure was watching closely at the mirror he was looking at before. For a moment, it couldn't project anything but eye blinding lights. He knew what it meant. The hero was in the Forbidden area, where it was invisible to the missioner's eyes; and of course, the spies he sent that brought back the images to him couldn't see it either.

He turned around and looked at the dark, spheres rotating high above ground in the centre of the room. He frowned, and said. "He should be here by now."

"Your highness." A missioner said, the dark figure turned, and immediately know what he was calling for. A smile ran across his face.

"He's here..."

Projecting on a mirror was an innocent face of a little boy, coming the Forbidden area, and heading towards the base.

The fortress.

"Good." The dark figure almost grinned. His heart was pounding. [Seven years...] He thought. [Seven years I've waited for this moment to come...]

"Power up the fortress. We're going out to welcome our little hero." He turned around, heading away from the mirror. "But you highness..." one of the missioners complained. "Won't this jeopardize our safety? The humans could be planning something and using him as the bait."

"Even if they try, they wouldn't succeed. They're powerless against us." The dark figure said. "Now do as I command."

~~~~~

Under miles of sand, the little claws on the fortress began to move. They looked more like little feet of grasshopper that grew all around the fortress. They began to dig; as they dug, the fortress began to accelerate upwards. It crawled like a giant insect, inching its way closer and closer to the surface.

As Syaoran walked, he felt the sand below him began to shake, harder and harder. "What...?" Before he knew what was happening, something burst out of the sand, and was now just a hundred metres away from him. The little claws stopped moving, and the fortress was now out in the clear, with some of its bottom part still buried in the sand.

Jon and the soldiers were excited. "There it is! It's out!" They were eager to attack, but Cordo held them back. "Hold on! No need to rush!"

Syaoran watched with amazement. The fortress was big. It was huge. He felt insignificant in front of it. Beside than the little claws around it, the next most noticeable feature it had was its windows. They look like red eyes one a monster's head. There were three of them, each bright red, and looked as if it was glowing.

One of the windows opened as if it was melted away. A dark figure stepped out; Syaoran felt a chill as he looked at him. He was a man in his late twenties. He had long, black hair that he tided up behind him. He was wearing a cape as long and as dark as his hair with a piece of golden armor that covered his chest and his shoulder. Despise the fact that they were hundreds of metres apart, Syaoran could see into his dark, black eyes. They looked like black holes that could suck him in anytime.

Syaoran so shocked when the dark figure spoke, than he almost lost his balance. "I don't believe we've introduced ourselves yet. What is your name, legendary hero?"

Syaoran swallowed hard, and said clearly. "Syaoran. Li Syaoran."

"Syaoran..." The dark figure repeated. He closed his eyes, and let the name sink in. " 'Child of wolfs'...it's a good name." He was speaking so lightly, that Syaoran couldn't hear him. When he reopened his eyes, he stepped forward. "I am Idipus, the leader of the missioner clan. I feel sad that your heroine isn't here to join you."

[So he did mean "heroes" after all?] Syaoran thought. Idipus continued. "I have been expecting you. Why don't you come in?"

Syaoran smiled and spoke with a bit more confident. "Now you know that's a lie. Unless you were expecting ten thousand soldiers."

Idipus pondered. Then he saw it, thousands of soldiers were rushing out of the Forbidden area, charging towards the fortress. Soon they caught up to Syaoran, and he disappeared among the crowd. Idipus smiled and said. "Pathetic." He stepped back into the window, which closed itself afterwards. The soldiers charged, and Cordo yelled, "Fire!" One of the few soldiers with arrows and spears started shooting. It did nothing but create a bit of sparks at the side of the fortress. "We'll have to get in to do any good damage." Cordo said. "Keep charging! We'll invade the fortress!"

~~~~~

About a mile away, Elsie and Sakura were riding on the chocobo, running full speed towards the battlefield. They could see soldiers had the fortress surrounded, and occasionally they could see fire sparkling at the sides of the fortress. "They're starting!" Sakura yelled. "We'll have to get there!"

"It's too dangerous!" Elsie said. "You can get hurt!"

"I don't care, Elsie! If you're afraid you can stay! But I have to get in there, no matter what!"

Elsie looked at the girl, she admired her courage. "Alright! We're going in!"

~~~~~

"They're getting closer!"

Idipus was entering the control room when panic took over. The room was surrounded with mirrors similar to the one he looked at before but smaller. They all displayed a top view of the fortress. He could see it clearly: swarms of enemies were closing in from all around. They came out from the Forbidden area and spread around the fortress. From the top view they look like a pile of ants rushing toward food. A few missioners were in the room watching nervously; they were all wearing black uniforms with silver outline. They didn't even see Idipus when he came in.

Finally, one higher rank missioner did manage to notice him and saluted nervously. "Your...your highness!" The others followed. Idipus nodded, and commanded. "No need to fear the weaklings, you know what to do. Once they get to a close distance, use the 'weapon'."

"Sire...you're really going to use that...?" One of the missioners said.

"Or we can just sit tight while the invaders attack, now how about that? Huh?" Idipus said sarcastically. The missioner didn't dare to say another word. Idipus started to talk again. "Use that to attack any invaders that get too close, and also, use it to bring back the legendary heroes, too."

~~~~~

The 'weapon' was a cruel device. Further more, it was brutal. So brutal that even the missioners themselves felt wrong using it on humans. But as a captain, the missioner could do nothing but follow his orders. He went to the weapon shelter began to do preparations. Back in the control room, they were setting their targets. At each sides of the observation mirrors were pebbles that you can use as a control. It brought a spinning red dot to the image and that was how you aim. The missioner soldiers set their targets on each of the mirrors and shouted. "Ready to fire!"

The captain missioner swallowed hard. He pulled the lever to his right, and in front of him, rolls of red lights lid up, filling the hall with bloody colour. Soon the light began blinking, faster and faster. He moved a step over and put his hand on the second lever.

"Fire!"

~~~~~

Bong!

Syaoran thought he heard a distance explosion. He stood in the middle of the crowd; men passed by him, charging blindly towards the base.

Syaoran looked up, and thought he saw something.

Then his eyes widen as he saw it. One of the spikes, or little claws that the fortress used to dig out, it was...moving.

No...it was flying...

Directly towards them!

"Look out!" He yelled, but it was too late. One of the large spikes shot out of the fortress like a harpoon and slashed a soldier's arm. He let out a scream and all the other soldiers where shocked.

Then the spike withdrew --- it was actually pulled back by a chain that attached its end to the place it used to be. It flew back as fast as it was shot, and it flew to its spot on the fortress and was ready to be fire again.

The soldiers stopped charging. They were horrified, knowing what was going to happen next.

Thousands of harpoons shot out of the fortress's shell, firing again and again. Soldiers were getting hurt, the sand turned into a bloody colour. Syaoran took out his sword, stoke the harpoon and hit it to the ground. But it withdrew and attacked again, there was no end to this.

"Retreat!" Cordo said. "We have to retreat now! It's too dangerous!"

The soldiers heard the battle-cry and fumbled to retreat, but most of them were hit and injured by the harpoons. They had to be carried by their teammates while they use their weapon to hit off the harpoons that were attacking. Things were turning into a mess.

Inside the control room, the missioners yelled. "We can't find the hero!"

"There're too many soldiers!"

Idipus silenced them. "Quiet! We'll keep attacking until the hero is captured!" Then all of the sudden, a missionary cried "There!" He yelled out the displacement, and the other missioners adjust the pebbles to set the coronations. "I see him!" "Me too!" The missioners yelled. Idipus smiled.

Syaoran were dashing around, avoiding and hitting back the harpoons. He was helping the soldiers retreat; one by one they were leaving the harpoon's attacking range and reached safety. Then he saw that all of the harpoons were suddenly targeting him. He leaped from one place to another, dodging it smoothly. [I knew it...] He thought. [They are aiming at me! They're trying to kill me!]

He wouldn't let innocent people suffer. Jumping and dodging, he came to a more deserted area, where most of the soldiers were already gone. Syaoran was jumping left and right, hitting the harpoons from time to time. He was hoping as they target him, it would give the others a chance to escape.

The missioners whistled. "That kid's good. Let's see how long can he handle before he caves in." Now the missioners were just having fun.

"Forget him."

"What?" They all turned, staring at the dark figure. Idipus repeated. "Forget him."

"But I thought...I thought we were supposed to kill him..."

"It's no use."

"Your highness..."

"He's not out target." Idipus said with power. He gazed at one of the mirrors, and pointed. "This. This is our target." He was pointing to a girl that was entering the battlefield on a chocobo. There was another lady with her, but he was pointing at the girl.

He was pointing at Sakura.
~~~~~

"Sakura, Elsie, what are you doing here?" Jon said. Cordo was beside him, evacuating the soldiers and bring them back to the camp. Elsie pulled over her chocobo and said. "I don't really get it either, but Sakura was desperate to come. But man oh man! Those claws! They were just shooting at you weren't they!"

"Yeah, and they still are..." Jon said; he turned to see Sakura running towards the battlefield. "Sakura!" Jon yelled out and ran after her, but Elsie pulled him back. "Are you crazy, Jon? It's dangerous out there!" Jon fought. "No! But Sakura!"

Sakura ran with out thinking. She didn't even notice it when she dropped her necklace while getting off the chocobo. She had a bad feeling, a very bad feeling about all of this. She knew it was a mistake to run, but she wanted to be there, she wanted to be by his side. Running faster, she yelled aloud. "Syaoran!"

Syaoran spun around. He was shocked to see her here. "Sakura...?"

Then before they knew it, the harpoons attacked. They headed straight for Sakura. She tried to run, but her bad ankle kicked in again, and she collapsed on the sand. "No Sakura!" Without thinking, Syaoran leaped to protect her. He sprang up and smacked the harpoon so hard that his hand was shaking. He stood between her and the fortress, hitting the harpoons away. He didn't dare to dodge them, afraid that they were going to hit Sakura.

"The boy's getting in the way, sire." One of the missioners said. Idipus smiled. "Then we'll just keep shooting."

"Can you get up?" Syaoran asked between breaths. Sakura tried but failed. Then it hit her to use the Sakura Cards to help her, but when she reached for her necklace, it wasn't there anymore.

Sakura gasped, then she turned to see Syaoran; he was defending in front of her, hitting the harpoons out of the way. They kept coming; there was no end to it. Sooner or later, he was going to be tired out. Sakura shook her head, thinking how dumb she was to get them into this. "Go! Go, Syaoran! Just leave me! I don't want you to get hurt anymore! I don't want you to get hurt because of me!"

"No...no!" Syaoran yelled. "Who do you think I am?" His tone sounded mad and desperate. Hitting the harpoons non-stop, his hands felt like they were going to fall off any second. "I am your boyfriend! You lover! Whatever you call it! But the important thing is I care for you and most of all, I love you!"

Sakura was touched; she could feel the tears flooding to her eyes. Syaoran went on. "I will never leave you alone! I'll always fight! I'll..."

He sucked in a breath, and shouted. "I'll fight till the end for the sake of your safety!"

Sakura felt her heart pound when she heard that phrase. It had replayed tons of times in her dream. Now that she heard it she could feel the reality. This was real; she wasn't in a dream anymore.

This was real.

"No..." Sakura said. "No, Syaoran...I..." Before she could finish, a harpoon sliced by and grazed her hand. "Ah!" She cried.

Syaoran heard the cry, and couldn't help but turn around. "Are you okay..."

He never finished that sentence.

A harpoon went threw his body; shooting him from his back and drilled threw his guts.

For a moment he stared unbelievably at his own stomach. His eyes were empty, hands shaking, reaching up to try and touch the harpoon.

The harpoon that went straight through his own flesh.

Sakura couldn't believe what was happening. It was like a nightmare, her worst nightmare, only this was real. This was real. "Syao...ran...?" She whispered, but no sound came out. She just stared soullessly.

"SYAORAAAAAANN!" Jon screamed, he yanked off Elsie's hands and sprang towards them.

The two children remained motionless in the battlefield. The missioners were cheering. "We've got him! We've got him, sire!" Idipus couldn't help but grinned. He commanded. "Good, bring him back." The missioner looked at him questionably. "What...? What about the girl?" Idipus turned and said. "You heard me! Bring him back!" The missioner followed.

The harpoon withdrew and Syaoran was being pulled along with it. He was halted back and his blood showered on the sand as he was being carried.

Rain of blood.

"No...no..." Sakura reached out, trying to grab him. But there was nothing but blood, showering on her face, her hair and her clothes.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

~~~~~

Jon ran. He never ran so fast in his life, not even when he was chased by two hundred police officers for stealing.

[I'll never make it; it's too late...] He watched Syaoran's image getting further and further and knew it was hopeless. He'd never catch up. He cursed Elsie for holding him back. He kept running anyway. Maybe it was just a way to punish himself, he didn't know, all he knew was to run.

As he ran, the harpoons around him began to withdraw. They flew back to the shell of the fortress with incredible speed. Jon's sixth sense as a thief kicked it and he had and idea. "No treasure in the world is better than a free ride." He said, and he jumped on one of the harpoons, grabbed on tight, and flew up with it.

~~~~~

As the harpoons withdrew and returned to its original place on the shell, Idipus walked out and welcomed him. He looked at the innocent child, hanging lifelessly on the harpoon, blood dripping. He was still conscious. After all that, he was still conscious. Idipus was impressed, and he was glad to see that Syaoran was such a strong little boy.

Syaoran's eyes were half opened; his whole body was trembling. He glared at Idipus. Syaoran wasn't sure what he felt. Fear? Hatred? Or just surprise? Whatever it was he didn't like it. He kept glaring, though it was hard keeping his head up.

"You did well." Idipus reached out and touched Syaoran's face. Syaoran tried to recoil, but he couldn't move. He could feel his cold, dry hand touching his face, smoothing his skin. Syaoran didn't like the feeling of it; Idipus was treating him like a child and Syaoran didn't want to be a child.

Syaoran was glad when Idipus finally withdrew his hand. He breathed heavily; his wound was getting worst and worst. Idipus commanded. "Take him off the claw." The others did so. They put their hands on the harpoon and energy began to gather. Within a second, the harpoon melted like an ice. Syaoran slipped down and Idipus caught him. He wrapped his cape around Syaoran carefully and gently. Holding him close, Idipus stood up and began to walk towards the door. Syaoran lied there like an infant in a mother's arms.

Syaoran tried to struggle free, but he could hardly ever move. He groaned, for every step Idipus took hurt his wound. Idipus noticed that, too. He smiled, and whispered gently. "Go to sleep. It'll be all right when you wake up. It's best for you to rest now." That was a command Syaoran didn't want to obey. However, his body couldn't say no. For some reason he felt relaxed, and his eyelids got heavier and heavier. Seconds later he was fast asleep.

The missioners didn't really understand. They thought the heroes were their enemies, so why was the boss so nice to him? Why didn't he kill him? The hero received a lot more care from the boss than the most of them even the higher ranked ones. Confused, they followed their leader into the fortress.

Something caught a missioner's attention. It was a buzz. He turned around and saw a hand around the other side of the wall, just next to the door. It was waving at him. "Yo!" The voice hissed. "A little help?" The missioner didn't know what was going on, but he went to help him anyway, thinking it was one of the lower rank missioners trying to get some help on closing the door. As he approached the corner, the same hand that waved turned into a fist and pounded him on the face. He was out in a second. Jon stepped out of the shadow and said to himself. "You can help me by being unconscious and lend me that uniform of yours. Thank you, by the way."

~~~~~

"Keep digging! It's all we can do!"

It had been two hours since Syaoran was gone and the fortress had retreated back to underground since then. Miles above the base, thousands of soldiers were digging non-stop, hopping to rescue Syaoran. All of them knew it was hopeless, by the time they dug him out, he'd be long gone. They tried not to think about it, and hoped by digging none stop, they would forget about the bad side of the situation.

Cordo was digging too, desperately. When Syaoran was captured and his men injured, he blamed himself for everything. Why couldn't he be more careful? Why didn't he see that coming? He dug, harder and harder, punishing himself with hard work and labor. He wished the pain on his arms and legs could ease the pain in his heart.

His hands were full with blisters and they were bleeding badly. His hands were trembling, and his sweat was getting into his eyes. His men looked at him, and said. "General, you look bad. Go take a rest." Cordo just shook his head and went on, until finally, his hands gave in and dropped the shovel. He knelt down, and took a few deep breaths. Elsie came to him and gave him a glass of water. "Take a break." She said flatly. He sipped the water, but refused to rest. He dug on. Elsie was getting mad. "Cordy. It wasn't your fault. No one couldn't had see that coming, and no one could had prevented it."

Cordo didn't look up. "I should have been more careful. Because of me, that child's life is in jeopardy. Not just him…Jon…is also…" He slowed down, and lowered his head. Elsie lowered her head, also. They were worried about Jon, too. Worried sick. Elsie looked up, and began to tug on Cordo. "But there was nothing you can do. There's no point torturing yourself like that. Come on, you have to sit down." Cordo snapped off her hands. "No!"

"You asked for it." Elsie said angrily. She looked at the soldiers and nodded, the soldiers nodded back. Then they went ahead and lifted Cordo off the ground. "You'll have to excuse us, sir, but it's for your own good." They carried Cordo towards the resting area where most of the injured soldiers were being treated. Cordo struggled hard. "Let go! Hey!" But he couldn't fight all five soldiers, seconds later, he gave in and let them carry him.

They put him on a bed and Elsie signaled them to leave. Cordo collapsed on the bed and put his arm over his eyes. Elsie put a blanket around him, and for a moment, just listen to him breathe.

When he finally seemed to calm down, Elsie went out and got a bucket of water and a small towel. She began wiping his sweat and treating his wound. The whole time, Cordo didn't say a word; he just had his arm over his eyes. Elsie looked at him, and said sympathetically. "You know, it's okay for a man to cry." Cordo took a big breath, and replied with a shaky voice. "I knew that."

Elsie unfolded his arm and watched the tears dropped from his eyes. For the first time in two hours, he looked at her. Elsie's expression turned soft, and hugged him. "Let it out." Half lying down, Cordo wept in her arms.

~~~~~

Sakura was sitting in another tent, hugging her legs. She had been like that for hours, listening to the soldier's command and their chitchats. She overheard some of the soldiers saying there was little hope for Syaoran to survive after all these times. Sometimes one of the soldiers would shush the other one softly, pointing towards Sakura.

Then Sakura heard footsteps, she didn't bother to look up. The person knelt down before her, and said. "Here, this is yours."

Sakura looked up and saw her necklace dangling in the air. It was Elsie who brought it to her. Sakura took it slowly and put it around her neck. For a moment, she almost hated the necklace for didn't be there when she needed it the most. She resumed her position afterwards. Elsie looked at her sadly and sat beside her. She put her arms around her and said. "Don't worry, it'll be alright." Sakura leaned on her, and hugged back a little. "I hope so." She answered weakly.

"Jon will get him back. Have faith in him." Elsie said that, but deep in, she was afraid that Jon might be captured, too. Then she would lose both of them.

Sakura just nodded, and the two girls sat there hopelessly.

~~~~~

Jon was pulling his uniform here and there. He couldn't get comfortable. The uniform was itchy and didn't fit him. The waist part was too loose, and the pants were too short. Other than that, he would blend right in among other missioners. Occasionally he lowered his helmet so no one could see his face.

He lost Syaoran and the dark man in the hall when he was trying to get the uniform, now he was just wondering around the base, trying to catch sight of them.

He had no luck. The fortress was huge, and he saw everything from the restroom to the command room, but he couldn't find Syaoran or where they kept him.

If they chose to keep him that is.

Jon shook the thought out of his head. He had to try; by the look on Syaoran's wound a while ago, he couldn't have lasted long. Even if they did decided to leave him along, how long would it be before die from blood lost? Would they choose to heal him? Fat chance. All Jon could do was to try and find him before it was too late.

That was not the only problem, suppose things did magically turned out fine and he did find Syaoran, still alive, how could they get out? They were trapped, buried under miles of dirt.

Jon decided to take it one step at a time, and find Syaoran first. He came to the dining room and saw missioners eating away. Jon acted casual and walked into the room. He sat down, and listened to their casual talks for clues.

"Where's your tattoo?"

"I have it on my thigh, isn't it cool?"

"Things didn't go so well on the date…"

"I want your food, how much is it?"

"I think I'm coming on with a cold…"

"Why would Idipus keep the boy?"

Jon's ears twitched, and he listened carefully to the two that were having a conversation across the table he was sitting. Two missioners were drinking some sort of liquor when they talked.

"I mean…isn't that boy our enemy? Why would Idipus keep him alive?"

Jon felt a sense of relieve as he heard Syaoran was alive. He continued to listen.

"I don't know." The other one answered. "But he seemed to be Idipus's 'special little baby'." The missioner used his hands to quote. "He kept him in a very secured room and everything."

"I know, did you see the way he carried him to the his room? It was like holding his own child!"

"Did he carry him back to his own room?"

"He told the person to clean it up and stuffs so the boy can use it after. Now he put him in section 9-14."

Bull's eye!

Jon left hastily while the others talked. [Section 9-14…so it'd be level 9 underground and room number 14…so I'll take the elevator…]

"Hey you!"

Jon's heart skipped a beat; he turned around and saw the cook looking at him. "Yeah, you. Come over here." [Caught?] The thought flashed throught Jon's mind. He tried to keep his hand from shaking, and went over to the cook. "Yes?" He replied, getting ready to run any second.

"When you see Joey tell him to come down, will you? It's supposed to be his shift." The cook said. Jon exhaled softly, and said. "Sure, I'll…I'll do that." He turned around and got out of the room. As soon as he was out of sight, he relaxed and put his hand over his heart. "Oh my god, I thought I was dead meat!"

Jon took the elevator down to nine levels below. Room fourteen was surprisingly big. It had a double door that led to a hallway that ended with a ninety-degree turn. Jon stayed close to the wall and peeked. There were two guards at each side of the doors.

Jon went back outside and thought for a minute. [Maybe I should use the old trick again…] He went around, and was about to use the trick he used on the other missioner earlier -------- a buzz and a smack on the face. Just as he was getting ready, a shadow emerged from behind. He spun and was shocked to see Idipus there. He stood tall before him, and was looking at Jon.

Jon panicked. "Ah…ah…" His hands were waving in the air madly, didn't know what to do. [Was I suppose to salute or something? What do they refer him as? What kind of salutes do they use? Oh man…I should've been more observant…]

However, Idipus didn't say anything. He just looked at him, and they remained silence for a moment. Finally, he spoke. "You want to see him, don't you?"

Jon didn't understand at first, but he soon realized he was talking about Syaoran. "I…" Jon couldn't answer that, he was afraid that it would be a trap.

Idipus didn't wait for him to answer; he proceeded ahead, and commanded. "Follow me." Jon hesitated before he finally followed him into the room. He kept his hand close to his weapon just incase. Idipus went in, and the two missioner guards saluted him and went outside as he nodded and signaled them to leave. They passed by Jon without even glancing at him. Jon followed Idipus deeper into the room.

It was dark inside expect for the panel in the middle of the room. It glowed creepily in the dark with red and green colours. Idipus went up to it and placed his hand on it. All around machines began to hum. The soft, blue spotlights came on and focused on a giant glass cylinder in the centre of the room. Jon gasped as he saw it. "No way…"

Inside the cylinder was bluish clear liquid with glowing tubes, and they were all connected to one place ------- Syaoran's body.

His shirt was removed. The tubes were connected to his hand, his legs, his chest, and most importantly, his wound, that was where most of the wires went. The tubes seemed to be injecting something to his wound. Syaoran slept unconsciously in it with oxygen mask. The whole glass cylinder was bubbling; Syaoran looked like a beautiful doll that has been frozen in time.

At first Jon didn't really know what they did to Syaoran, then it hit him: they were healing him.

He went ahead and put his hand on the glass, looking at it like a kid that was looking into an aquarium. Idipus studied him, and said. "He'll be fine. He just has to be here for a few hours." Jon slowly turned around. He stared at Idipus with an unbelieving expression. "But…why?"

Iidpus suspected that he'd say that. He closed his eyes and simply said. "Because this is my true destiny."

Jon didn't understand. Idipus went on. "Those chemical that's being transmit to him," He looked at Syaoran. "Those can heal his wound efficiently, and…" He stopped, and narrowed his eyes. He lowered his head, and looked away. Jon asked. "And what?" Idipus shook his head. "It's too soon, not yet. Time will come when you all realize it." He smiled, and turned around. "But you must be a good friend of his, you came all these ways, after all."

"Of course. Just like you, I have my own destiny. I am his comrade." Jon said determinedly.

Idipus's eyes suddenly softened, but he closed them again. "Then I supposed you'll do anything for him."

Jon tilted his head and asked seriously. "What do you mean?"

"I want you to do a favour for me."

"A favour?"

"I want you to return to your army camp."

"Fat chance."

"That's not all, I want you to deliver a message."

"A message?"

Idipus looked at him, and smiled. Jon could tell that he didn't mean that smile in any evil way; if any, it was a warm smile. "I want you to tell his heroine that he'll be fine."

Jon was surprised. He frowned, knowing it would be nice if Sakura knew Syaoran's going to be all right. He shook his head, and said. "I don't get you man, I really don't get you."

Idipus just looked at him. He was heading outside. "I'll bring you to the escape pot, you can use that to dig your way out." For some reason, Jon felt more comfortable around him now, so he followed him without thinking. Before he left the room, he took one last glace at Syaoran. He wished him luck and went out.

~~~~~

Outside, it was nighttime; and the soldiers were still digging. By then the hole was as big as a whale. Cordo's emotion was a lot calmer now, so he got back to the battlefield and commanded his man. Elsie and Sakura came out to help out, too. Elsie was bring water around and Sakura, even her heart was worried sick about Syaoran, used the sand card to help dig.

As the soldiers were digging away, they heard a strange noise coming from the underground. They all dropped their shovel and listened. It was a hum that grew louder and louder. Suddenly, something burst out of the sand and gave a shock to everyone.

They all turned to see it was a drilling machine, in a shape of a beetle. Its little mechanic legs were still moving when it got out. It slowed down and its shell open. All the soldiers gasped as they saw a man with missionary uniform. They were about to attack him when he suddenly removed his helmet and revealed a familiar face.

"Jon!" Sakura, Elsie and Cordo all shouted in union. Jon shook off his sweat on his head, and winked to them.

~~~~~

"So that's the case." He said. "He's keeping Syaoran alive for some reason. For what, I don't know. But one thing's for sure, Syaoran's safe with him."

They all gathered in the meeting room, and fell quiet when Jon finished the story of his adventure. "Why would he do that?" Elsie was the first one to speak. "Keeping Syaoran alive would only cause him trouble. If he ever wants to take over Ometin, the only way to do it is by getting rid of the heroes." Jon frowned. "I thought of that, too. But he seemed to…care for Syaoran. He certainly didn't want him to die."

"At least not yet." Cordo said. Everyone was speechless again. Cordo went on. "We have to keep in mind that he has been planning this for quite sometime now. He might not be doing what we all think he's doing. Maybe kidnapping him is only the first step. He could be using him as a bait."

"For what?" Elsie said.

"Most possible to get Sakura." He turned to her. Sakura has been quiet throughout the meeting. She didn't want to take Syaoran's life as a national issue. She loves him; he's her boyfriend, end of story. She shook her head, and replied. "I…I don't think so. He could have got me, too if he wanted to." She put her hand to her forehead. "Back then…when he got Syaoran…he had plenty of chances to get me. So…why didn't he?"

Jon studied her face, and said. "Why don't you go get some rest? It's been a rough day."

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, Jon. Knowing Syaoran's fine will certainly help me get some sleep." She left the room. Cordo and Elsie continued to talk about the possible outcomes and what exactly is up Idipus's sleeves as Jon continued to stare at the door.

[Should I tell her…?]

~~~~~

It was late, but the soldiers dug on. There were fewer soldiers now, though. Sakura and the others rest in their own tents a mile outside of the battlefield. Sakura came out of her tent, and stared at the starry sky. Syaoran's image popped up again, making her heart ache. She reached into her shirt and took out the necklace he gave her. She squeezed it tight, trying to make herself shake less.

Footsteps sounded behind her and she spun around. It was Jon, coming out of his own tent. He caught sight of Sakura and waved at her.

Soon, he joined her, and greeted. "Hey, Sakura. Can't sleep?" Sakura just nodded. Jon nodded along, too. "Figures." He turned and looked at the soldiers a mile away, digging hard. "I mean if it were my lover that was caught, I'd can't sleep either." Sakura nodded again, then for a minute, no one talked.

Sakura shifted, then asked hesitantly. "Jon, have you ever fallen in love?" Jon was taken by surprise. He looked at her at the corner of his eyes; he could see that she was still looking at the stars. He shook his head, and replied. "No."

"Really?" She was facing him now; Jon looked at her, and smiled. "Yeah…" She lowered her head, and said. "That's too bad. But I can't seem to understand why…you're such a nice person." Jon waved. "You know me, I can never stay in one place for long. I never got the time to really get to know a girl." Sakura tilted her head, didn't quite understand, but she went along anyway. "So, I guess you won't understand how I feel then."

Jon held out his hand. "Whoa! If it's love advice you're looking for, you're asking the wrong guy, gal! My knowledge in romance is next to nothing!"

Sakura giggled. "Really…"

Jon's face softened, and said. "You missed him that much, huh?"

Sakura nodded, and turned her attention back to the stars. "It's only been a day since his gone, but I felt like I haven't seen him in years. Oh, Jon, I'd do anything to see him." She tried to hold back her tears.

Jon saw the look on her face, and he turned away. "Anything, huh?" He said. Then he put his hand to his chin and thought deeply for a while. Sakura caught the look on his face and wondered silently.

Finally, Jon drew to a conclusion. "You know, Sakura. When I said I know almost no romance, I was kind of lying. You see, I get a lot from you two. The way you look at each other, the way you two care for each other. I think I understand love more than I think." He turned and faced him. "So I do. I do understand how you feel. That's why I've decided to tell you."

"What?" Sakura asked eagerly.

"When Idipus let me back on the surface, he didn't just ask me to tell you that Syaoran's fine."

"Hoe?"

"He also had another request. A request that I didn't want to do, but I guess I'll have to do it. For Syaoran's sake, and for your sake." He breathed deeply, and continued. "He wants you to go the fortress, to take care of Syaoran as he heals."

Sakura's face almost lid up. "He wants…me?"

Jon nodded. "You can ride the escape pod I came from to go down. He said it was necessary for Syaoran to have a maid he trusts. But…I don't know, it just sounds too much like a trap! And I know if I tell you, you'll jump at the chance, so…"

Sakura thought for a while, then she looked up, and faced Jon with determination. "I'll do it. I'll take the chance."

"I knew you'd say that." Jon sighed. Shaking his head, he went on. "Okay. All right. But you'll have to promise me. Promise me you'll be careful. If something happens to both of you I'll have to live with that guilt for the rest of my life."

Sakura cheered merrily. "Right!" She spun around and took one last look at the stars. All of the sudden, they seemed as if they were filled with hopes.

To be continued…

Author's Thought:

A record~!! This is the longest chapter ever written so far~!!

Piggy Ho Ho ^(oo)^
January 2002