Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ The Taste of Your Life ❯ Second Meeting With Death ( Chapter 3 )

Warning : This chapter contain mature situation and choking scenes, if you don't like people dying or sexual contains (thought the lemon is not in this chapter, sorry ^-^;) don't read this. You saw the rating anyway.

Declaimers : You know the thing, it's always the same. You see it every time you read a fanfic.

The Taste of Your Life

By Evil Karyta

Chapter third: Second Meeting With Death

Sakura was walking slowly toward the fancy bar by the Casino Street. Her eyes of luminous green were fill with fear and despite her never ending tries to convince her scared soul that nothing would happen, the facts were still there. The previous night, not long before her friend Tomoyo arrived home in an over panicked state of mind, another murder had been committed and she happened to walk by the exact same street were the corps had been found. She was beyond frightened and she thought she would pass out soon if she did not hurry.

She heard a big crashing sound coming from behind her. She instinctively turned around and saw an old garbage can rolling on the stained ground and an enormous rat running away from it. She took a few steps back and bumped into something rigid and cold. She jumped around screaming in surprise and fear and fell to the dirty pavement eyes tightly closed ready for any kind of harms that the cold thing could do to her.

But nothing happened. She slowly opened her jade green eyes stained with terror and they fell on the slim form of a streetlight. She sighed and got back on her trembling legs, laughing nervously at her stupid over reaction. I'm too tense, I have to calm down a little or I'm going to have a heart attack. After walking a few more steps she turned a corner and finally arrived at her destination. Quickly, she got to the employee's door behind the small building of the bar and opened the door the faster she could and closed it just as fast. She leaned against the doorframe and slowly let herself drift to the floor. Her frightened eyes started to water and a tear slide down her paled cheek.

"Hey Sakura! You managed to come here in one piece!" did a harsh manly voice coming to her from the end of the corridor. "You could've call me and I'd come to your place in no time to escort you here safely in my car."

"Get lost Shoji! I don't need your help," she spited looking up.

"Yeah, whatever. Neways, you need some one to take you back home after work sweat heart?

"I can perfectly take care of myself, thank you! Now if you may excuse me, I need to get in so I can work," she said bitterly to the man.

Shoji Moruko was a very over confidant man with an ego the size of the universe. With his sandy blond hairs and ocean blue eyes, he took more women's hearts than anyone could ever imagine. The only one in town who still resisted him was the delicious and innocent Kinomoto Sakura. He desired her so much, on the other hand she never liked him. She thought of him as rude and impolite and she never gave in his advances.

"One day you'll come crawling to me!" he shouted from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, whatever…" she murmured.

Inside the bar there were not a lot of people, four or five to the most. That 'Vampire Killer' is scaring away all the customers! If it goes on like this, no one will come anymore…Four hours passed and tow more clients entered the fancy building. As she was serving the second one a beer, the door opened and a man entered, he had dark chestnut hairs, a sharp but still young face and unreal brown colored eyes. He wore a simple white shirt and black pants under a long black trench coat. Sakura recognized those eyes and coat and a smile appeared on her now radiant face. It was Li Syaoran, the man who came tow days ago.

He approached the bar and sat on the same little stool, the one that was far from the light and the tables. His eyes scanned rapidly the place and found her near a table where she was serving a couple some drinks. His eyes never lived her until she was in front of him, a bright smile adoring her graceful face.

"Hello! What can I serve you?" she asked cheerfully.

He looked at her for a long moment, his eyes detailing each and every one of her curves. Her honey colored hairs, her eyes the same tone as the leaves in a mid summer afternoon, her rosy lips, her long neck devoid of protection…, the way her red shirt seemed to accentuate her curves, the small banner of skin that the shirt revelled to his hungry eyes. Her wonderful smell of honey and cheery flowers hooked his sense just like her appearance did to the rest of him. The most graceful creature he ever lied eyes on.

"I'll take the same wine you served me tow days ago if you don't mind," he finally answered.

"No problem, Li-san."

His lips curved a little, she remembered his name. It sounded so soft and silky coming out of her adorable mouth. He suddenly frowned, this was not like him. Telling his name to a mortal, admiring her beauty, thought it was something he did not mind doing before, as long as he killed them after. But somehow, he could not bring himself to do harms to this human woman. This angered him and made him lose momentary his control over his nature.

"Here you go," she said handing him his glass full of the red alcoholic liquid.

She smiled sweetly to him and he felt blood rushing to his face as their hand touched when he took the offered glass of wine. He turned his head away from her stunning eyes in a gesture of embarrassment, which she did not noticed in her innocence and own embarrassment. He seemed to take a sip of the delicious liqueur and his head turn back to her. His eyes were scanning her once again. It was as if he could never get enough of her sight.

One her side, Sakura was wondering why she reacted like this. Never once in her life did she blush this furiously, and she did not even know him. She observed him more closely, his peaceful facade, his glowing white skin, his burning eyes staring at her than turning to the television suspended above the bar. He was handsome, no beautiful, a real god. The volume of the small television was low and hardly audible but it was obvious that the people showed on the screen were talking about the strange murderer who was roaming around the little town of Tomoeda.

"I wish they would stop that psycho soon. My best friend swears that he had attacked her yesterday, but she is persuaded that he is not human…" she sighed at the intention of her mysterious client.

He looked back at her, his eyes unreadable hidden under a cloud of burning cinnamon and dark shade of blue and grey. So the girl was indeed one of her friend…he thought. Sakura went to a table to answer a customer and his eyes returned to the screen. I have to be a little more discreet with my kills. He sighed, the danger was not for him but for each an every one of his kind. If he were not more cautious, the whole world would know about their existence, though this was not a very bad thing for him, the other would be furious. Beside, he still wanted to life, if somehow someone tell the truth about them, he or she would be decree as a danger for the whole population of vampires and would be killed. As much as he wanted to, he would not do it… well not now.

When she got back to the bar, he was gone, once again. The glass of wine was empty and the money was on the counter. She turned her luminous eyes toward the door and she saw it closing slowly and the features of Li disappearing in the darkness of the night. Behind her she heard a voice telling her that her shift was over. This was all she needed and she paced toward the door, her mind set on a single idea; finding that man. She did not know why she was doing this, she just felt like she had to. She had to see him again, she had to understand him, to know him more, to befriend with him, at any costs.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The night was dark, humid and hot. The moon hidden behind an ashen cloud did not favour the small city with its milky rays. The rare stars and the widows of some houses were the only source of brightness beside the yellowish light of the old street lamps. Across a poorly lighted ally, in the shadow, walking mindlessly, Li Syaoran was trying to ignore the fact that some one was following him. He knew perfectly well who it was, but he could not understand why some one like her would fallow death. At was like asking annihilation to come and take her life away, begging the devil to take her soul… and it was so tough for him to resist an invitation so strongly offered.

Oddly, he found it exiting and he could almost not resist the strange desire to take her, not her life. It was the first time in an eternity that he desired the pleasure of flesh instance of those of life fluids, the feel of some one beneath him, around him and on him. His lust was so vivid it was almost hurting. He shocked his head to clear his mind of the burning thoughts and images. Images of the sweet woman nude in his arms, screaming in pleasure and pain in the same time, shouting his name in need and lust over and over again. An overwhelming feeling of need, desire and lust shout through his nerves giving them the live they did not have from a long time and now he felt her presence more than ever. Sweet, innocent… alive, a feeling of perfection made mortal.

He expired, his muscle released a small portion of his nervousness. I can't believe I feel this tense, she's just a normal girl… just a normal mortal girl. He tried to convince himself, repeating this simple sentence all over again but to no use. He wanted to scream, to growl, howl, destroy everything but it would not be of any help. The only thing to do was to get rid of her, than he would be free and would come back to his old self.

He slowed at the impend of a cross rode and stopped to leaned against the bricked wall of an old building. He rose his eyes toward the dark night sky and watched the dusky clouds slowly drifting away and let the moon appear on the heavens providing some silky light to the town. His consuming eyes seemed to drink all the light from it and make it its own. He was no longer in the shadow and he was assured that the young woman would see him, and she did.

"Why are you following me," Li asked his face and voice stern and cold.

Sakura emerged from the shadow, shame all over her delicate face, her deep green eyes staring intensively at the cemented ground. She was trying furiously to find a valuable excuse but her mind refused to co-operate and she felt like a ignorant in front of a genius who asked her a simple question like 'What's your name' and she could not answer. Li Syaoran was still looking at the sky and felt the uneasiness of the poor woman and found it quite amusing.

"I… umm… don't know… err…" Stupid Sakura, stupid!

He laughed inwardly. He knew exactly how she felt, he felt just like this a long time ago. He thought of himself as stupid at the time and he still felt the same way today but to think of it was simply a bad memory that he could push aside easily. It was his inhuman appearance that attired her to him, his vampiric charms.

"Actually, I don't know why I followed you but I know that I had to… to see you again but I don't really know why. Maybe it's because of the way you act, so silent, always in the shadow, away from every one…" Shut up Sakura, you're aggravating your case.

This took his attention and he left the sky gazing to look at her. Now he could see her from head to toes. Her red shirt which fit her like a charm and a pair of black pent that showed her long and slimy legs. Her head bent down in shame of her weird actions. He started to approach her, detailing every subtle changes in her heavenly features.

"I know what you might be thinking," he whispered.

She looked up and saw him coming slowly toward her. His colorful eyes shinning just like the moon and stars did. He was shaped like a god, a manly yet childish looking face, well build chest, about a head or tow taller than she was and his burning eyes filled with almost all the feeling of the world making them unreadable, mysterious and hypnotizing.

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean,"

He smiled to himself, she said this with such a crying innocence and the sweetness of a child, he could not help but smile to this but it disappeared just as fast as it came. He could not allow himself to start liking the girl he would soon kill…

"You must tell yourself to stop talking, to go away, that it was stupid to do this. You don't even know me, you saw me only twice… and you're wondering if I was the one who scared your friend."

"How do you know about Tomoyo?!" exclaimed Sakura.

He walked the few steps separating them and gazed deeply in her summer colored eyes, searching for her soul. He knew very well that the more her would past time with her the bigger the risk of been discovered was. He knew too that the closer he would get to her, the bigger the risk of losing both of their lives was, but right now he did not care.

"You almost told me that in the tavern. I guessed you followed me for that reason but now I'm not that sure… There is another reason behind all this. But for your friend, it wasn't me." Why I am lying to her...

Never once did he leave her eyes and he said all this with the deepest and warmest tone of voice she ever heard. The total opposite of the one he used about tow minutes ago. She smiled naively, she did not really know why she followed him but what he said made sense to her ears. It was as if he could read the part of her mind that she could not reach. On the other hand, there was another reason for her impulsive gesture but she could not put her finger on it. A soft wind started to blow around them, playing gently with their clothes and hairs giving an unreal look to the scene.

He approached her a little more, their face just a few inches away from the other. Their breath mixing, heart beating, the images of the woman screaming returning to his mind, driving his sense toward the edge. Her delicious flowered filled fragrance playing mindless with his sensitive nose and intertwining slowly with his autumn sent. Slowly their face came closer and closer, lips almost touching, mind, soul and body in harmony. Li's mind screamed to him to change direction, to attack her neck and to take her life but another part of him wanted this to happen, needed this to come.

The same mixture of lust, need and desire he felt previously took over his mind and sense again pushing him toward her and he saw her eyes close he was almost there. He could almost taste the cheery sensation of her lips just a dwarf away from his. At the last second, just before their mouth touched, he moved away. It would not be now. Latter when he would sort out his feelings. Right now he was to confused, he needed more time, and when it will come, he would take her, her life and flesh, but not now. He turned away from her ready to leave but her voice stopped him.

"Wait!"

Syaoran turned his head in the direction of the beautiful woman he desired so much. She seemed hurt but she was trying to hind it. He felt himself starting to regret all he did, he had hurt her, harm the only living angel, his source of wanders and frustration. Why did he felt so bad to do so?

"What is it…?"

"Can… Can I see you tomorrow?" Asked Sakura

Her voice sounded confused, uncertain if she did the right thing. In the mean time, it sounded joyful and as innocent as always. In between the tow of them, she was the most mysterious. Always smiling and friendly, tow things he was not used to. He thought a little about her proposition. It seemed to him to be the perfect opportunity to understand her and finally, get rid of her once and for all.

"Yes we can, but I will come at the time I chose and don't bother to tell me were we will meet. I will find a way to find you. Now if you may excuse me…"

And with that he was gone. She sighed and turned in the direction of her apartment building pondering about the last events and feeling strangely impatient to see him again. But the main thing in her mind at the moment was the whole conversation. The way she felt warm, secure and so comfortable around him. Something she felt only when she was home with the one she loved.

She looked back behind her to see the fading forms of Li Syaoran. Never once in her life did she see a man like him. He was charming, handsome and had a way to talk, walk and act that made her melt. He had everything of the lady's man yet he did not act like one. Always alone, not very talkative and something within him a big dark hole. He was perfection in all its glory, a god, everything she always wanted without knowing it.

As she was walking down the street leading her home everything about their encounter hit her. The way he had looked at her and how she looked back. The intimate space between them the way he had reached her mind and body. Finally, the way he penetrated her barrier and came as close as he wanted to, close enough to kiss her, which he almost did. He moved away at the last second. What was this feeling she felt, was it hurt, the pain of been rejected, apprehension? No it did not hurt like that, she felt like crying and laughing all in the meantime. Was this excitement than? No… yes… don't know. Maybe confusion, she felt a lot like this lately yet…

With a big sigh she brushed it away, right now, all she wanted to do was sleep. Arrived in front of her apartment building, she pushed the door and climbed the wooden stairs toward the third floor were she could finally get inside the reassuring walls of the small apartment she shared with her best friend, who must be working right now. Once inside she slid slowly out of her clothes and got in the warmth of a delicious perfumed bath.

The aroma invaded the whole bathroom, a delicious smell of cheery blossoms and honey. Eyes half closed she released all her tensed muscles and slowly relaxed. She was still thinking about Li but it was mostly like a background thought. Those thoughts that you don't really bother with, mostly like silent whispers of your memory or the soft wind that blows the grass and leaves around you in those beautiful summer afternoon.

Its in this state of mind that this night, the angelic Sakura went to her bed, thinking about everything and nothing, the one she shared her life with, the one she loved. Those wilful persons who loved her in return without asking for more, those kind people she passed her live with and to who she will soon have to say goodbye…

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Sited against the wall of an old building, which had been destroyed by the flames a few days ago, was Li Syaoran. Thirst devoured him from the inside, he had not drink anything since yesterday night and he started to feel the ravages of the vampire's thirst. He felt so weak and unable to think straight and all he could imagine was the delicious red liquid of life that the human kind provided him. At least to night, he would not kill violently. Even though he loved to scare the mortals, he did not like to make them suffer as much as he did to his last victims.

Suddenly, coming out of nowhere, a soft music entered his sensitive ears. It was smooth, sad and sounded like little bells. The beautiful melody of a music box repeating the same tune over and over again. It was a comforting and saddening song playing for the moon and stars above mixing with the wind adding to the sound something unreal to it.

Li got to his feet and let his ears guide him toward the owner of the music box. The music had, on him, the propriety to make him forget almost everything, even the savages thirst he could ever experience in his never ending life. He followed the sweet aria around the ruined building and found a door half opened. The sound seemed to come from inside so he entered. He found himself inside a room, which appeared to be the lobby of an apartment. So this place was an apartment building… wonder what happened. In front of him was a long corridor and at the end was a staircase. On each sides were four doors leading to the rooms, some of them were charred and others were burned to aches, all there was left was the frame.

The tune was coming out of half burned door which was clacking because of the wind flowing trough it. Behind it was a small room, the kitchen was to his right and the living room that now leaded to the other apartment was to his right. Ahead of him were the bathroom and a doorframe were surly was a bedroom. Still following the sound of the music box, Li marched toward the bedroom, the soft music getting louder with each step taken to the room. He finally arrived and passed his head inside the room. It was small and one of the walls had fallen and left a passageway to the backyard.

The music was coming from there. He scrutinised his surrounding. A metalled bed with a spring mattress, a bed table fallen to it side because of tow of its legs was broken. There was another bad smaller than the first one, a childbed, only the mattress remained and there were some burned toys here and there. In a corner of the room stood a swaying chair, a book stair was against the only wall that was not burned and there were some child's books in it too. On the other wall was nothing else but a little ball of old tissue. The sound was coming from it, it was then that he realized that the ball of clothes were in fact a human being, a kid to exact. The young thing had heard him entering the room and had sat up to look at him. The music box was at the side of the poor child and the melody was slowing down a bit.

The child was a young girl about the age of ten or so. Her big blue eyes staring at him than looking back down toward the music box. It was shaped like crystal ball but it was broken, inside the ball was a little butterfly flapping its wings along the music. The ball was sited on a pedestal of flowers and the whole thing was slowly turning on itself, it was beautiful.

" My kaasan used to sing this song each night to make me sleep…" whispered the little girl.

He came to her slowly not wanting to scare her. He sat beside her, the music box was now resting on her laps, she was starring at it and the music slowed a little again. Her clothes were dirty and there were holes here and there. She wore a black kangaroo shirt and the hood was placed over her small face and sandy locks of hairs fell from it and an old pair of jeans covered her legs. He saw a tear slide down her sad blue orbs to her round cheeks and down to the burned floor.

"Where is she," asked Li with a gentle tone.

"I don't know… She just disappeared to nights ago when the fire forced me to live her, she said that she will help people get out and come to take me but… she didn't come back…" sniffed the young child.

The melody stopped. She turned the box up side down and twisted the key so the music could start again. Soon the soft tune filled the destroyed room once again with it's beautiful sound. The pace was fast at the beginning but slowed down as the minutes passed. Five minutes passed by and the music stopped again and she started it again. She did this three times, at the end of the third she looked up to look at Syaoran once again and she whispered her childish voice filled with sobs.

"I wanna see my kaasan!" and she through herself in his arms crying.

He did not know what to do, the child in his arms, his thirst revived now that the music had stopped. How could he help that little thing he held in his arms? All he was able to do was… kill. And now his need for blood was stronger, hurting and it played with his will. Never once had he been confront to this kind of situation, a kid who wanted to find her mother and a thirst the size of the earth. He had never taken a child and he was certain that he would never do it. He might be an evil vampire, one who took the blood of innocent people but never the life of a child. But this one wants to die and join her mother, you know pretty well that she passed away in the sinister. His mind argued.

"I wanna be with her, I miss her soooo mush," cried the girl between subs.

Damn it! Li seized the music box and turned the key to start the music a fourth time. The child in his arms and the box in his hand, he got up and went to the childbed, the only thing that survived the fire. He sat on it, the little girl on his laps and put the box down beside the bed. He looked at the little girl who was still crying on his shoulder and spook softly to her.

"If I tell you that I know where your kaasan is, would you want me to take you there?"

She looked up her eyes filled with fresh tears, her cheeks red because of the salty substance. Not sure if she was saying the right thing she nodded a little.

"She is very far away, somewhere beautiful where every one is always happy. She is there waiting for you, but it's very far and it takes time to go there. Lots of long years but I know a short cut… do you want to know how?"

Once again she nodded but this time she was a little surer about what she was doing. In her mind, Li was going to send her to her mother sooner then supposed she was going to do her a big surprise. A smile lighted her dirty little face as she was but down on the broken bed. Her deep and innocent blue eyes still full of salty water gazed in the burning stare of her benefactor. The calm and soft music of her box playing the relaxing music slower and slower, almost lulling her to sleep. Only the deep voice of Syaoran kept her awaken as he told her everything to do in details.

"Listen to me carefully now. I want you to relax. Breaths slowly, think of nothing else than your mama and let me do the rest. Oh and, it might pinch a little but it doesn't hurt that much, you'll see."

All was said with such a gentle voice, he was wondering if it was him who said all this. With a light and slow gesture, he removed her hood of her holed-cottoned shirt rivalling her sandy blond hairs and small neck. He past his hand through the smooth feeling of the sandy locks in a caring movement. She signed lightly and started to relax even more, she was almost sleeping. The soft air lagging with each passing second.

Li moved his head down toward the child' small neck, approaching it dangerously, his mind screaming in need and remorse, but he could not back up now, it was too late. He breathed the sweet smell of the youth, an aroma of life at its pick, the strongest and freshest odor he ever had the chance to perceive. Slowly, not wanting to hurt the child, his fangs tear inside her delicate flesh, driving deep inside her throat to her tiny aorta.

The red juice of the girl spilled out of her to his mouth filling his murderous thirst with its gratifying flavour of existence. He felt her heart pounding against his chest, a slow and steady beat, the pace of a life that does not want to leave the world yet. He could almost hear her thoughts, he could almost tell that she was screaming to her mother that she was coming, that soon, they will be together.

The red flow was not stopping, filling his mouth, his thirst, making him forget everything. A bliss he rarely enjoyed while killing, all most as good as sex. And the taste was so pure, it was as if the blood was reflecting her soul, the soul of a child, the purity and innocence of the world. The only thing that could make him smiles, the only thing her regretted of the eternity, beside the loneliness and the tournament of his conscience.

Slowly, the heart of the little girl started to slow dangerously down, if he stopped now, she would have her life spared for a while, until the lake of blood makes it effect or until some one finds her and get the poor thing to an hospital. But he could not stoop, the taste was so good, so vivid, he had lost control of himself.

She was losing all her strength, her skeletal feature letting go of life, abandoning her being to the darkness of death. He felt her little torso filling its-self of air one last time, just as the last gentle notes of the melody of the music box resound in the air, her life got away. He removed his sharp teeth from her throat where he observed for the first time the tiny holes left there, the mark of the death-giving kiss.

She seemed so calm and peaceful, as if she was simply sleeping. He caressed he pale visage with the back of his hand, tracing slowly her fragile trait. Li smiled sadly, another one who will not have the chance to see the true and of her day. He got on his feet, taking a blanket half burned from the stained floor and covering the little body of the dead girl in the way a father would cover her daughter after the good night wishes.

With one last glance at the forms of the child, he lived the desolated room by the falling wall. The night was cool but he did not felt it, he never truly felt the weather, his mind always somewhere else. This time it was on the kid and the beautiful Sakura who he could not seem to find a way to chase away from his mind. He looked up toward the sky, admiring the twinkling stars and sighed. Tomorrow he would go and see her, he would find a way to get rid of her, if not, he will simply leave her alone. One thing for sure he had to sort out his feeling for the beauty with the name of a flower….

To be continued… … …