SHIPWRECKED! 
an action/adventure/romance narrative
by Hellmaster Fibby

Prologue

Numerous clouds covered the warm sunlight, shielding the passengers of Shuppatsu Umi from the heat. The humid ocean breeze felt cool, which was a nice contrast to the tepid temperature.

It was a perfect day for a cruise. Nothing could possibly go wrong -- at least, that's what they thought...

Sakura leaned on the railing of the ship and exclaimed, "This is so much fun!" She closed her eyes and enjoyed the summer wind blowing against her face.

Tomoyo smiled, looking at Sakura through the lens of her camcorder. "I'm really glad you came with me, Sakura-chan."

Sakura beamed at her. "Thank you for inviting me! I sure hope your mother doesn't mind me and my family tagging along."

Tomoyo shook her head. "Iie. It is actually very important to my mother that you came along with us."

Flashback sequence

Tomoyo: A cruise?

Sonomi: Yes. Do make sure that Sakura-chan will come along! I'm pretty sure she'll love it! ^o^

Tomoyo: (daydreaming of videotaping Sakura while on the cruise) ^o^

Sonomi: Even if that man (referring to Fujitaka) would have to come along! ::nerve pop:: He could come onlybecause it will make Sakura-chan happy.

Tomoyo: H-hai! ^^;;

End of flashback

"Besides all that, we did have six tickets so..."

Sakura gave her best friend a grateful smile.

Tomoyo smiled back, her eyes sparkling like diamonds. "You're sooo cute, Sakura-chan!" She held up her camcorder and focused it on Sakura.

Sakura sweat dropped.

"Also, the sundress I made for you is just perfect!"

Sakura looked down at her outfit. She was wearing a pink sundress that extended up to her knee. Its collar looked like that of a sailor's, and it also came with a cute modified sailor's hat.

"It's really kawaii, Tomoyo-chan. Arigatou!"

Meanwhile, Touya and Yukito were having their own conversation.

"It's really nice of Tomoyo's mother to invite us." Yukito said, swallowing his ham sandwich.

Touya stared at his food, bored. " Yeah... "

Yukito looked up from his food and pointed at Touya's food. "Are you gonna eat that? If you don't want it..."

"Huh? Nah... It's yours."

Yukito grinned and placed Touya's sandwich on his own plate. "Thanks!"

Touya turned around just in time to see an awfully familiar face. "What in the...?!"

"Mou, Syaoran!! I want to go to the deck!" Meiling pouted.

Syaoran groaned but gave in anyway. "Fine, fine. But let's get something to eat first."

Syaoran felt a cold stab at his back. He turned around and saw...

"YOU?!!!!" Both Touya and Syaoran yelled at the same time. Uh-oh. Seems like a glaring contest is in order.

Feeling a bit hungry, Sakura and Tomoyo decided to go below deck to get something to eat but when they got there...

Sakura blinked.

Yukito simply smiled at her. Behind him were Touya and Syaoran glaring at each other.

"Hey! It's you!" Meiling exclaimed.

"M-Meiling-chan!" Sakura stammered.

"What are you doing here?" Tomoyo asked.

"Why... having an exotic cruise with my Syaoran!" Meiling answered proudly. She turned to Syaoran. "Ne?"

Syaoran ignored her.

Meiling blew up her cheeks. "Hmp!"

All of a sudden, the ship jerked wildly causing all the glasses to tip over and the plates to slip off the table. Alarmed cries and shouts erupted among the passengers.

"What's going on?!" Syaoran hurried up onto the deck and saw the problem. A storm had raged outside and the crew members were desperately trying to keep the ship intact.

"Hooee...!" Sakura had followed him to the deck. She stood there, unaware that a broken steel pole was falling straight towards her.

Syaoran was just in time to get her out of the way.

Shocked, Sakura rushed to Syaoran's side. "Li-kun!!"

Syaoran squinted his eyes in pain. "D-Don't worry. I'm alright..."

Sakura's eyes welled up in tears. "What are you saying?! You're bleeding!" She immediately ripped off the collar of her dress and desperately tried to stop the bleeding. Fresh blood soaked the fragile fabric as soon as it touched his injured leg, making Sakura panic even more.

"I said don't worry about it." Syaoran got up.

"Wait! Don't!" Sakura cried.

Tomoyo looked at him, concerned at his condition. "If you stand up, the wound might open and bleed again."

Meiling helped Syaoran by letting him lie down again.  "Please, you're wounded. Don't stand up yet," she pleaded.

Touya and Yukito had joined in the crew to help out in maintaining the ship. The captain did not refuse their offer to help and readily gave them instructions. After a while, Fujitaka and Sonomi arrived at the scene to check up on their children.

Sonomi took Tomoyo and held her by the shoulders. She questioned her daughter, anxiousness rising in her voice. "Are you alright, Tomoyo?"

"I'm fine, but Li-kun..."

Sakura looked up at her father, her eyes puffy from crying. "Please help him. He saved me from..."

Fujitaka gave his daughter a reassuring smile. "Shhh... Now, let's get his wound bandaged." He proceeded in gently wrapping Syaoran's leg.

Meiling sobbed. "I-Is he going to be alright?"

Fujitaka smiled kindly at her. "He's going to be fine."

The ship rocked back and forth, the winds blowing harshly at the sails that were now ripped badly from the force. BOOM!  the thunder roared. Lightning now bolted from the sky.

"I-I'm scared!" Sakura cried, clutching her father's shirt. Fujitaka took his frightened daughter in a steady embrace, stroking her auburn locks to calm her. "Everything is going to be okay..." he whispered to her.

Shuddering creaks sounded faintly as the caulking of the ship was about to give in.

"Keep 'er steady, men!" shouted the captain.

Tomoyo and her mother instinctively reached out to grasp the railing. Frightened, Meiling held onto Syaoran firmly, keeping him from moving around.

It was dangerous out there on the deck, and foolish as it may seem, they had no choice but to stay where they were. Sea water had seeped through from below and flooded the cabin, making the rest of the passengers rush up to the deck as well.

The waves were now getting more and more violent until finally, the ship fell apart and sunk along with its innocent passengers. There was nothing more they could do.

They were now at the mercy of the sea.

TO BE CONTINUED. . .

Chapter One

A pink suitcase floated in the middle of the ocean, moving rhythmically with the waves. "Gah! What is going on out there?!?" a small voice coming from inside yelled.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Splash!!! A small mouse-like creature with yellow fur suddenly burst out of the wet luggage, gasping for air.

"SAKURA! What is going on?!?!" it reprimanded in an Osaka accent. "Where's my dessert?!"

It stopped and looked around, confused. "Sakura...?" It flew off and tentatively hovered over the vast sea water, searching the surface for the Card Mistress.

"What the...?"

The yellow-furred creature named Kero immediately halted when he saw the wreckage of the ship. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, a determined look lingered on his face. The Clow Card Guardian scanned the surroundings. The wreckage was near the shore of an isolated island, which means the survivors would have nowhere else to go but that particular piece of land.

"Sakura! Tomoyo!" he called desperately. "Where are you?! Answer me!!!"

There was no reply.

Kero was now panicking. He flew towards the shore to find the missing girls, praying to Kami that they were all right.

His prayer was answered.

When he reached the shore, he saw two motionless bodies lying on the sand. He shook the auburn-haired girl as hard as his small body would allow him. "Wake up! Please, wake up!"

To Kero's relief, the girl stirred and coughed out a bit of salty water.

"Wha..." She started. Sakura blinked and looked around. "Kero-chan... What happened?"

Kero examined her. "Hey, you alright?" He frowned at the dazed look on her face.

"Huh...?" Sakura looked around, trying to recall what had happened. Her green eyes widened as she remembered. "A storm! And... then the ship! It..."

Then she noticed the black-haired girl beside her. "Tomoyo-chan!" She shook the pale girl that lay unmoving beside her.

Sakura's heart stopped when her friend didn't respond. "Tomoyo-chan!" She panicked. "Kero-chan!!! What am I going to do?!"

"Do the CPR on her! Quick!"

"I don't know how!!!" came the frantic reply.

"Well, you should do something! Anything!!!"

Sakura frowned and tried to recall what Terada-sensei had told them, following the procedure as it popped out of her head. <Kneel by the victim's side. Lift the head and check for any obstruction inside the mouth. Prepare to execute artificial breathing...> She then proceeded breathing for Tomoyo, hoping to the powers above that she was doing the right procedure.

Please be all right... Sakura thought as she tried to pump the water out of her best friend's system.

After a few moments of despair, the black-haired girl finally coughed out the salt water and slowly opened her purple eyes. Her cheeks gradually regained its normal color, relieving Sakura to no end.

"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura cried, hugging her friend tightly. "I thought I was going to lose you!" Tears came out as she buried her face on Tomoyo's shoulder.

Tomoyo gently caressed her best friend's back, trying to comfort the shaken girl. "I'm all right now, Sakura-chan. Thanks to you... Please don't cry..."

Sakura continued to sob as Tomoyo felt her own eyes fill up with unshed tears.

Kero remained silent. After a while, he eventually broke the two apart saying, "Let's get moving. We have to find shelter."

The dull blue gray color of the sky signaled that it was already late in the afternoon. The two girls and the Clow Card Guardian made their way towards the massive forest, deciding that the shore wasn't the best place to stay for the night.

"What now?" Sakura asked Kero, picking up some firewood as they walked on the uneven pathway.

Kero didn't answer.

"Do you think the others are all right?" Sakura suddenly looked worried, fearful even. She glanced at her best friend, then at Kero. "What if... what if they didn't make it...?"

Tomoyo turned to Kero, waiting for an answer.

"Well, we could use the cards to help us survive for the mean time... Then we could start our search to find them tomorrow."

Sakura's face lit up. "Oh, that's right!" She reached for the key, but her cheerful expression later turned into an anxious one. "...I-It's gone!"

Tomoyo gasped.

Kero's reaction wasn't a bit more subtle. "IT'S WHAT?!!"

"HOOEEEE!!! What are we going to do!!?!?!!" Sakura panicked, waving her arms frantically.

Kero thought for a while. "Wait, give me a second to think..."

Sakura and Tomoyo waited patiently for Kero to come up with a plan, trying their best to ignore the insects thriving in the dirt.

"Well... like I said before, we should find a place to stay first. Then, after settling in, we worry about our food."

They continued walking and stopped at a location where Kero thought was best for a shelter. There was a large massive tree in the center of the grove, which could easily serve as their protection from rain or sunlight. Then, seeing that it was already getting dark, Kero told the girls to gather some wood and stones to make a fire with.

Later, when everything was already set up, they huddled around the wood and stared at it.

"Um... how do you make a fire?" Sakura asked Kero.

Kero sweat dropped. "Uh... well..."

Tomoyo took hold of two stones and tried rubbing them together. A few sparks came from the friction but it was not enough to start a fire. Tomoyo looked at them and shook her head.

Sakura sighed. "If Li-kun was here, he could easily make a fire for us..."

"Bah! We don't need that gaki around to survive! I'll do it!" Kero immediately grabbed one of the stones and imitated what Tomoyo did, frustrated.

"Wha..." Tomoyo suddenly looked around, alarmed. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Kero asked, dropping the stone.

"That!"

The three kept quiet and listened. It was coming from the bushes.

Crack.

Crack, crack.

Crack, crack, crack.

Kero looked on, alert and ready to protect the two helpless girls. Sakura hid behind Tomoyo, frightened.

A dark figure with glowing eyes burst out of the bushes, making them all jump in surprise. Kero prepared to attack.

"Oi."

Sakura's eyes widened. She knew that voice. "Onii san...?"

Touya emerged from the dark. He glared at his sister, but relief was obvious in his eyes. Kero stiffened and allowed himself to drop on the bed of dead leaves on the ground, attracting Touya's attention. Touya eyed him suspiciously.

Further behind his tall form was a campfire situated near the entrance of a small cave. Fujitaka, Sonomi and Meiling surrounded the warm fire while Yukito stayed inside the cave accompanying an old man.

Meiling looked up and saw them. Her crimson eyes brightened noticeably. She rushed towards them. "Syaoran!" she called eagerly as she peered at them. "Syaoran...?"

"He's not with you..." Meiling said, her voice shaking.

Sakura frowned. "What happened to Li-kun...?" she questioned, dreading the answer that she knew she was going to receive.

"He wasn't able to make it with us..." Yukito said, wearing a dismal expression on his usually pleasant face. "And with his injury..." He did not dare to finish his sentence.

Sakura felt tears threatening to come out. Alongside her feeling of extreme guilt, she felt a severe loss in her heart as she let reality sink in. Syaoran was gone. And it was all her fault.

"Li-kun..." she murmured. "It was all my fault!" She cried, already fretful. "It was all my fault!!!" she repeated miserably.

Fujitaka embraced his trembling daughter. "We'll find him somehow... Don't worry..." Although he said this with such a confident tone, he doubted that the chestnut-haired boy was still alive.

All they could do now was hope.

Chapter Two

The castaways woke up early that morning. As a matter of fact, there was not much sleeping done the previous night.

Anxiousness had taken over them. They were trapped on that island, and who knows how long it was going to stay that way. Each had their own individual concerns, but they needed to get organized fast or else they will not last a whole week on the island.

Sonomi looked around the group. "So... what are we going to do now? What if nobody comes by to rescue us?"

"Please don't say that..." Fujitaka frowned. "There must be a way."

"Maybe you have a cell phone that we could use..." Yukito said stupidly.

"No, duh. Why didn't I think of that?" Sonomi rolled her eyes, sarcasm dripping in her voice. "Oh yeah, maybe because my cell phone is WET?! I didn't get here by parachute, you know."

Touya glared at her, but agreed.

"It was just a suggestion..." Yukito lowered his head. Touya sympathetically patted him on the back.

"So what do you suggest we do?" Fujitaka asked Sonomi.

"I don't know. This is all YOUR fault! YOU think of something!" she snapped at him testily.

Fujitaka sweat dropped.

"That's enough!" The old man interceded, irritated. "This ignorance is testing my patience!"

Because of his sudden outburst, the attention of the whole group turned to the old man. This pleased him very much. "Good. Now, we have to sort out our priorities. Shelter and food comes first."

"Since the wreckage of the ship can be found near the shore, we couldn't be that far off from the original route. It means that there's a big chance for us to get rescued because this island is most probably charted and can easily be found. For now, we'll just have to concentrate on our basic necessities."

"This hot-tempered young lad here should check out the wreckage and get some materials that we could use." he said, referring to Touya. He looked at Sonomi. "You go with him."

"The three kids should stay on the beach and search the area for scattered materials from the wreckage. Bring back those that we could use for the shelter."

The old man gestured towards Fujitaka and Yukito. "We'll take care of the food supplies. We have a whole forest to search so we have to get moving now."

The beach on that lone island stretched about half a mile or so, all the trees situated to one side. The fresh sea breeze reached up to their nose and the constant sound of waves calmed their flooded senses.

The three girls walked in silence, leaving small footprints in the sand. There really wasn't anything that should be said.

"I can't believe this is happening..." Kero thought out loud. Sakura frowned and gave Meiling a side long glance.

Tomoyo stopped walking. "Look! There might be some supplies over there." She exclaimed, pointing to a wooden boat stuck between two jagged rocks. "Go and take a look at what's inside, Kero-chan."

Kero complied. He flew over and examined the boat. There was nothing much inside --- only a fishing net. The boat couldn't be used since most of its wood had been ripped off.

Kero went back to report what he saw. Tomoyo nodded. "The fishing net could be useful. We should get Touya." She knew her two companions were preoccupied so she opted to look for Touya by herself. Barely making three measly steps forward, Tomoyo tripped over without any warning. She looked down at her feet and saw the problem.

"It's a tool box..."

Sakura suddenly spoke up. "I'll go get him." She ran off to find her brother. Later, she returned with a soaking wet Touya by her side.

"Find anything?"

"There's a boat over there. It has a net inside that we could use." Tomoyo answered, holding Kero in her hands.

"How did you find out there's a net inside?" he asked suspiciously.

Kero flinched. Touya glared suspiciously at the 'stuffed animal'.

Tomoyo sweat dropped and tried to cover up her blunder. "I just assumed that the black thingy coming from inside the boat was a net. You know... since the boat doesn't seem to be motor-operated, it couldn't have been oil and..."

"Fine." Touya cut in. "I'll go get it." He plunged into the water.

Tomoyo breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to her two friends. "Let's head back to the cave once we acquire the fishing net. We'll make an improvised bed from it --- a wide one. And we should pick up some firewood on the way."

It was already late in the afternoon when they all returned from their assignments. Sonomi was the one who cooked their meal. Using the small cauldron Touya found from the wreckage, she boiled the water Fujitaka got from a nearby lake and used it to cook their food. After the carrots and potatoes were done, everyone hungrily ate their lunch with the rations equally distributed. It was their first meal for the day.

Because there was only a small amount of food for each, Yukito had quickly finished his share in one big gulp. "Can I have some more please?"

The old man smirked. "You've got some appetite there, boy. Better watch yourself. We only got a few supply of food enough to last for only a week."

Touya glared at the old man.

"I suppose you're right..." Yukito said, a bit embarrassed.

"Excuse me..." a soft voice spoke up. It was Tomoyo holding up a tool box. "Would you kindly take a look at this?" she asked timidly. "I found it on the beach."

The old man examined the tool box Tomoyo found. Its lock was forced open and had a few dents on its surface. His forehead creased thoughtfully, his wrinkles becoming more pronounced.

"What is it?" Fujitaka inquired.

"It looks like we're not the only ones on this island." He turned to Touya. "You said that there were not much left from the remains of the wreckage, am I correct?"

"Yeah. And so...?"

He lifted the tool box for everyone to see. "This could only be done by expert hands. I'm not talking about the dents --- those could easily have been made by natural causes; I'm talking about the lock being forced open. This lock is made from a very strong alloy that could not be destroyed by physical means alone. The ones that took the tools inside are probably the same ones who took most of the supplies from the wreckage."

"So you mean there could be other survivors in the area?" Yukito asked.

Meiling looked hopeful. "And Syaoran... he could be one of them?"

The old man nodded.

"Then what are we waiting for?! Let's go look for them!" the red eyed girl declared.

"No." The old man narrowed his eyes. "We shouldn't be so quick to action. There could be some wild animals out there. No one should go out there unaccompanied." He warned.

"He's right. No one should go out there alone. No matter what." Fujitaka agreed, giving Meiling a meaningful look. "We could start a search early tomorrow morning. It is already getting dark so it will be dangerous if we go out there now."

Meiling hesitantly gave him a small disappointed nod.

Sakura opened her eyes and rubbed them sleepily. The glare of the morning sunlight blurred her vision for a while, but when the images around her became recognizable, she saw that everyone else was already awake.

Tomoyo was wearing a distressed expression on her face as she turned to Sakura.

"W-What?" Sakura stammered, her heart tightening into a knot. "What happened?"

"Meiling... She's gone..."

Meiling stirred. "Ugh," she uttered groggily as she sat up. The crimson eyed girl stretched her arms and legs, letting her sore muscles loosen.

Determined to find Syaoran, she left the safety of the camp that previous night and wandered amidst the tall dark trees and prickly bushes, hoping by some miracle that the boy she cared for the most was alive. But instead, she had somehow fallen asleep on the rock-strewn ground.

Meiling shakily stood up and called with utmost urgency, "SYAORAN! SYAORAN!" She looked around, straining to hear a faint answer to her call.

Nothing.

She took a step or two forward, each time calling out the name of the chestnut haired boy. The rustling sound of dead leaves caught her ear, making her stop in her tracks.

"Syaoran...?"

She turned to where the sound came from. Suddenly, a wild beast burst out of the bushes. Meiling let out a shriek of terror and scrambled to get away as it swiped at her with its sharp claws.

She ran as fast as she could, but the angry beast was gaining in on her. Scratch marks and bruises were now appearing on her arms and legs as she rushed through the wounding mass of branches and thorns.

A trickle of blood trailed down her aching leg, but she didn't care. She could hardly feel the pain as she desperately tried to get away.

Little by little, she could feel herself lose consciousness. Her knees weakened but she didn't stop for anything. Using all the energy that she could muster, she gave one last cry for help.

The last thing she heard was an angry roar ... fading... then completely gone.

Sakura watched the waves crash against the hard surface of the rocks. Walking as if she was in a trance, she approached the shore and removed her shoes, feeling the course sand with her feet.

She sat on the ground and allowed the sea breeze to brush her hair away from her face. A tear escaped her jade eyes.

Meiling was in bad shape. She had already fainted when her brother found her lying motionless on the ground. She was hurt severely, and they hardly have any proper materials to tend to the poor girl's wounds. The old man had guessed that a wild animal attempted to attack her, saying that it probably got mad because Meiling had intruded in its territory. Whatever reason it had for attacking, it didn't matter.

It was all my fault, Sakura thought gravely. Her eyes clouded over with grief. "Li-kun..." she murmured. "If I didn't..."

"If you didn't what, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura blinked in surprise and looked up to see the smiling face of her best friend.

Tomoyo sat beside her. "Sakura-chan... it wasn't your fault." she assured.

Sakura looked down and slowly shook her head. "It was... If I hadn't rushed to the deck, Li-kun wouldn't have gotten hurt and..." She choked on her words, hot tears falling down her cheeks.

"Sakura-chan..." Tomoyo gently placed a comforting hand on her friend's trembling shoulder, motioning her to go on.

"A-And... he would probably be with us right now..." her shaky voice trailed off. Taking a deep breath, Sakura continued. "Then, Meiling wouldn't have gotten hurt looking for him..."

The black haired girl knew why her friend felt so much remorse. "Li-kun cares for you, Sakura-chan... That's why he risked his own life to save you."

Tomoyo wiped the tear-stained face of her best friend. "He wouldn't want to see you cry like this... And Meiling... she wanted to do something for Li-kun because she cared for him. What she did, she did out of her own accord. You wouldn't have been able to do anything to stop her..."

"But that's the whole problem!" Sakura burst out. "I didn't do anything for Li-kun! After all that he did for me, I wasn't strong enough to--!"

"... put yourself into danger," Tomoyo finished curtly. "What Meiling did, it wasn't wise. I know Li-kun wouldn't have approved."

Sakura stayed silent, falling deep in thought. "I..."

Deciding it best not to interrupt, Tomoyo waited patiently for her to continue.

"I..." Sakura closed her eyes as if in pain. "...I miss him."

Tomoyo's eyes softened, a faint smile on her lips.

"He was always there when I needed him. And now, I want to be there for him... I want to see him again, Tomoyo-chan... b-but now... I might not be able to!" Sakura burst into tears, burying her face on her best friend's shoulder.

Tomoyo stroked her auburn hair gently, trying to quiet the tremulous sobs, whispering comforting words in her ear.

After a while, Sakura finally calmed down. They turned to gaze at the ocean, expecting to see nothing but sea water.

They were wrong.

A faint shadow of a ship could be seen at a distance. It was such a welcoming sight. "A ship!" Tomoyo cried. "Sakura-chan!!! A ship!!!" They waved their arms, calling out to the ship all the while. "Over here! Over here!"

Their hearts sank as the ship faded into the horizon.

"I knew I forgot something! Signals! We forgot the signals!" the old man exclaimed when he heard the news from the two girls. "We could let them know we're here by fire signals or smoke signals. Even an SOS on the shore. Why didn't I think of it sooner!?"

"At least we know now," Fujitaka pointed out. "The next time a ship passes by, we'll be ready."

Yukito agreed. "He's right. We should work on the signals right away. I'll take care of the smoke signals," he volunteered.

"Good. Then I'll take care of the fire signal," said the old man. "That would be easy enough. That way, we would be ready in case a ship passes by in daylight or nighttime." He turned to Touya. "You take care of the SOS."

"I'm on it," replied Touya.

With a renewed hope of finally getting home, the castaways slept soundly that night. Soon, they will be carried off that island and return safely to the comfort of their own homes.

It was only a matter of time.

Chapter Three

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura stopped walking at the sound of her name and turned around to see her best friend waving at her. "Tomoyo-chan!" She waved back eagerly.

Tomoyo finally reached her. "I'll go with you to the lake, Sakura-chan." Tomoyo offered. "Besides, you forgot to bring these." She held up two improvised wooden pails with a coconut shell base and smiled.

"Hooee!" Sakura blushed and grinned sheepishly. "I forgot about those!" She took the pail and silently continued walking towards the lake with Tomoyo following her.

It was already late in the afternoon, roughly about four thirty. Due to the lack of 'manpower', as the old man had put it, the girls were sent on an errand to fetch some water while the others were assigned to do other tasks far more difficult.

"How much water did they say we need?"

"Two pails. For our drinking water." Tomoyo answered.

"That's all?"

"Yes, I believe so."

"I see..." Sakura shifted her gaze away from her companion and looked up. "Oh! Here we are!" she announced needlessly.

It was a captivating sight. The lake was surrounded by trees of different shapes and sizes. The water shimmered as the cool breeze fanned its surface. The bottom of the lake could be seen clearly through the water. There was a bed of azure, turquoise and ocean blue on the floor of the lake, each smooth stone contrasted by the festive colors of small fish.

"It's beautiful..."

Tomoyo could only nod in response.

Sakura filled her pail, motioning Tomoyo to do the same. So her purple-eyed friend did. Feeling the need to rest, Sakura decided to sit down for a while. She rested her head on her knees and watched Tomoyo stare at the bottom of the lake, seemingly admiring the fish found there.

Breathing a heavy sigh, Sakura fell into her own thoughts. Poor Meiling was still unconscious. Luckily, the old man knew a thing or two about medicinal herbs. He had told her not to worry the other day, but she couldn't help it. Meiling looked so...

Without any warning, Tomoyo splashed water at a surprised Sakura.

"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura cried in alarm, breaking into laughter. A mischievous smile formed on her lips as she approached the giggling Tomoyo to get revenge.

Trouble ensues as the two friends went on an all-out splashing war. Unknown to them, the noise they were creating would soon bring disaster.

Meiling stirred and found herself prostrated on a net-covered bed of leaves. "You're awake at last," a gruff voice said. She blinked a couple of times and saw the old man looking down at her. She tried to get up but found herself unable.

"Don't." The old man gently pushed her back on the bed. "Your wounds haven't healed yet."

"Wha...What happened to me?" Meiling asked, ignoring the pain shooting up from her right leg.

"You were attacked by a beast. You don't remember anything?"

"N-No..."

The old man sighed. "You'd better rest..." he said, standing up.

Meiling obediently closed her eyes and soon drifted back to sleep.

"Okay! Okay! You win!" Tomoyo giggled as Sakura kept on splashing her. "Stop!"

Sakura and Tomoyo fell hard on the ground laughing, both soaking wet. As their laughter died down, the only sound that could be heard were a few small birds chirping happily.

"Tomoyo-chan..." Sakura said, breaking the silence.

"Yes, Sakura-chan?"

"Arigatou..."

Tomoyo smiled. "You're welcome."

Sakura sat up and watched the small birds playing in the water. After a few moments, the birds began to display some odd behavior. It seemed almost as if they were frightened. "Tomoyo-chan, look." Sakura said, pointing to where the birds are.

Both girls slowly stood up, wondering what in the world could have frightened their feathered friends.

Then, they heard a very ominous sound that seemed suspiciously like a growl. They could hear dead leaves cracking, step by step, as an unknown creature approached them. One, two. One, two. One, two. It was getting louder and louder. The small birds suddenly flew off, scared.

The girls turned to where the sound was coming from. All of a sudden, a beast appeared from behind the thick bushes. Its sharp teeth were bared, blood still staining each of its ivory fangs.

They were petrified with fear. The vicious creature advanced towards them cautiously. This gave Sakura enough time to register the fact that they have to run for it if they wanted to stay alive. She took Tomoyo's hand and dragged her along as they fled. The beast went after them. They ran and ran, but the beast was still hot on their trail. Sakura turned to Tomoyo, "We have to split up! That way, at least one of us could get help!"

Tomoyo was already panting, tired from running. "N-no!" she protested. "I... You...W-we can't..."

Sakura shook her head. "I'll distract it. Go back to the camp." She slowed her pace a bit and allowed Tomoyo to go ahead.

"Be... be careful..." Tomoyo whispered under her breath as she glanced back at Sakura with a worried look on her face. Determined, the black-haired girl ran towards the direction of their camp.

With Tomoyo gone, Sakura sprinted away from the beast, ignoring the branches that were in her way. She heard the horrid beast let out an angry roar. Looking back, she could see the enormous creature slow down a bit. Seeing that she had just been given a chance to outsmart and escape, she shifted her direction occasionally as she ran, zigzagging her way to safety.

Fujitaka frowned. He glanced at his far left.

"What's wrong?" Touya questioned his father, holding a wooden staff with a sharp rock attached to its tip. They had just finished their hunt --- a new activity the old man had suggested to them --- and was now on their way back. Touya gripped their kill with his other hand, blood still dripping from its fatal wound.

"I don't know... It's just that..." Fujitaka sighed. "Don't mind it," he said smiling at his son. "Probably nothing..."

Sakura panted, her aching legs wobbling in exhaustion. Tired, she allowed herself to fall on the leaf-covered ground.

"I... can't... move..." She whispered helplessly, gradually losing consciousness.

When she came to, it was already dark. She could hear voices talking from the other side of the tall shrub, but neither one sounded familiar to her. Sakura didn't know whether it was just her imagination, but they were there. She couldn't call out for help because for some reason, she couldn't speak. She guessed it was her exhaustion wearing her out. Unable to do anything, Sakura just listened.

"I think we already gathered enough wood for our ship." a youthful male voice said.

Another male voice, which seemed much more mature than the other one, spoke up. "You got that right, boy. And things are going to be a lot easier now since we already finished the foundation of the ship. But of course, we would need to double the supports in order to make the ship more stable in case we run into a storm again, and the probability of which is quite high. The nearest inhabited island from our location is about a hundred fifty miles away."

The first voice gave a loud whistle. "That is pretty far..."

"Anyway, let's get some rest. We have a long day waiting for us tomorrow. And for the coming days, as well."

"Right, old goat."

"Hey, I'm no old goat, retard."

"Whatever."

<Rest... That's a good idea...> Sakura thought as she fell into a deep sleep.

"Somebody! Help!" Tomoyo had yelled those exact words as she arrived at camp. "Sakura! Sakura, she's..." Before she could finish, Tomoyo had fainted.

This worried the whole group immensely. It was obvious that Tomoyo was still in a state of physical and emotional fatigue so they couldn't get any answers from her until she awakes.

Fujitaka sat alone inside the cave, leaning on the rough wall. No one attempted to say anything, knowing that he was in grief. No one dared to approach him in this state. No one except his own son, of course.

Touya placed a hand on his father's slumped shoulder. "We'll find her..."

The only response he got from his father was silence.

When she woke up the next day, the two men were already gone -- her hopes gone along with them.

Sakura tried to stand up. Although she was still a bit unstable, she was ready to go back to the camp. The problem was... she didn't know where she is. All the trees looked the same. She ran so far she couldn't possibly find her way back now.

"I will find my way back somehow." She reassured herself. "Everything's going to be fine..."

"I'll go look for her." Fujitaka stood up, leaving his breakfast untouched.

The old man shook his head in exasperation. Sonomi voiced out what the others probably had in mind. "Are you crazy?! Going out there alone is plain stupidity!"

"That's why I'm going with him." Touya added, looking at his father. His eyes pleaded with his father's startled ones.

"No, Touya..." Fujitaka declined, shaking his head sadly. "I'll go by myself."

"Kinomoto-san... you can't! It's dangerous." Yukito said, stating the obvious.

"My child is missing..." Fujitaka began, a determined look lingering on his weary face. "...but I don't want to put the only one left in danger either." He glanced at Touya, who seemed a bit angry at his father's decision.

"That's not the point! What if you end up leaving your son orphaned!?" Sonomi yelled. "Don't you dare go inside that forest alone!" she threatened.

Fujitaka only smiled at her. "I'm sorry. I need to do this..."

Frustrated, Sonomi turned to the old man for support.

The old man shrugged. "No matter what I say to this idiot, he'd still go on his own."

"What?!" Sonomi shrieked, furious at the unexpected reply.

The old man gave Fujitaka a warm smile. "Just be careful. We'd need someone to start the camp fire." He winked good-naturedly. "Now go before I change my mind!"

Fujitaka smiled gratefully. "Thank you for understanding..." He hurried into the forest in search of his precious daughter.

"What now...?" Sakura whimpered.

She was still hopelessly lost and she had just about given up. She was still very weak and now, in addition to that, she was suffering from thirst and starvation.

Sakura sighed. She was running out of energy.

She continued walking but an all too familiar sound made her stop in her tracks. The threatening growls coming from behind a nearby tree made her shiver. Sakura knew what was coming. Summoning her last amount of strength, she fled from the area. She could hear the vicious beast breathing hard behind her as it pursued. Tears of despair were coming out from her eyes, making her vision blurry. Sakura quickly wiped them away with a hand. She has to be strong.

She had to survive this somehow.

"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo sat up in alert, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead.

"You're awake," a weak voice said. Tomoyo looked to where the voice came from and saw Meiling gazing up at her.

"Meiling-chan! Sakura, she's... I have to tell the others!" Tomoyo tried to stand up, but the moment she did she fell back down again.

"No need." Yukito gently helped her lie down comfortably. "We already know. Don't stand up, you're still weak..."

"But the beast! It was following us and Sakura told me to go ahead and get help and she distracted the beast so I could get away and I don't know what happened to her after that! What if, what if she...?!" Tomoyo couldn't finish her sentence. Hot tears were now falling down her pale cheeks.

Yukito glanced at Touya in alarm. "Touya..."

"I'm going after him." Touya stated.

"Touya, wait!"

But he was already gone.

Sakura burst out of the trees to find herself in a dead end. She turned around to see that the beast had her trapped.

"I guess this is it..." Sakura fell to her knees as the creature loomed at her.

She closed her eyes and allowed her body to sink in exhaustion. There was no use fighting it. Anticipating the pain she was about to feel, she winced and waited for the creature to sink its sharp fangs into her soft flesh.

"Sakura!" a familiar boyish voice called her.

Suddenly, she felt herself enveloped in warmth. Eyes still closed, she could hear the beast growling more viciously than ever.

Then, yelps of pain could be heard from the monster as it was hit again and again. Sakura couldn't bear hearing it. The unfortunate creature howled helplessly, but with one last merciless blow...

The beast was now dead.

Sakura felt herself lose consciousness as fatigue finally sets in.

"Shhh... Everything is going to be all right..." a soothing voice whispered in her ear. Sakura felt comforted by the gentle voice --- the same voice she thought she would never hear again.

"Li-kun...?" Sakura murmured softly, falling asleep in his arms.

Chapter Four

Sakura slowly opened her eyes. "W-Wha...?"

She sat up and stared at the makeshift roof above her head. It was made from thick branches and dried leaves, arranged in such a way that not even rain water could seep through it.

It was dark out, but the bamboo lamps hung at the perimeter of the shelter made it quite easy for her to see. She placed a hand on the ground to help her stand up, but something made her stop. She looked down and realized that she was sitting on an improvised bed. It was amazing how the vines were weaved together to make a net but still have enough room for the vines to stretch out according to a person's weight.

"You're awake," a feminine voice suddenly spoke up.

Startled, Sakura looked to where the voice came from and saw a cat-eyed woman leaning over a steaming cauldron.

"Got a name, sweetie?" the cat-eyed woman asked, her eyes shining with amusement.

"U-Uhm... M-my name is Sakura... Kinomoto Sakura."

"Yuyoii Michirou. Call me Michirou."

Sakura smiled and watched silently as Michirou checked on the stew she was cooking. Grinning, she turned to Sakura and said, "Almost done. Would you like some? Don't worry, its edible." She winked good-naturedly.

Sakura blushed as her tummy growled at the prospect. "Hoooeee..."

"Poor dear, you must be starved! I heard what happened. How long have you been out there all alone?" She placed a slender hand on Sakura's forehead. "Oh, the fever's gone. Thank goodness!"

"Um, Michirou-san..."

Before she could finish, Michirou suddenly yelled, "Hey, pretty boy, your girlfriend's awake!"

Sakura blinked a couple of times and followed Michirou's gaze. There was a dark figure standing in the shadows outside the shelter, but she couldn't quite figure out who it was.

Her eyes widened as a very familiar person stepped into the well-lit shelter. "She's not my..." he started to say.

"Li-kun!" Sakura jumped up from her position and took him in a tight embrace. "You're alive!" she cried happily.

Michirou smirked. "Not your girlfriend, eh?" she teased.

Syaoran blushed three shades of red and didn't say anything. Sakura realized what she was doing and quickly let go of him. Turning bright red, Sakura quickly apologized. "G-Gomen... I didn't realize..." She trailed off, unable to bring herself to look at him. "Hoooeeee...."

"I-It's okay..." Syaoran turned away, still blushing.

There was a short pause.

"A-Anyway, let's get you something to eat." he added quickly.

Michirou started coughing out words that sounded suspiciously like "coward! coward!" Syaoran glared daggers at her. Michirou simply gave him a sweet smile in return and handed him a bowl of stew.

Still glaring, Syaoran took the bowl from Michirou and went over to Sakura. "Here," he said as he handed the bowl to her.

Sakura gratefully accepted and took a huge sip. She choked on the food, almost spilling the hot stew on the vine-covered bed. "G-Gomen!"

"Here, let me help." Syaoran carefully took the bowl from her as Michirou handed him a clean spoon.

"I'll go stand watch for the others. They should be back any minute now." Michirou announced, swiftly making her exit.

Syaoran nodded his response and went over to sit across Sakura. "Just eat little at a time," he said as he brought the spoon to her lips. Sakura shyly took a small sip. Both blushing furiously, they continued doing this until the stew was all gone.

She watched as he stood up and placed the empty bowl inside the 'sink' --- a square-shaped clay container half filled with water. She wondered why Syaoran seemed so different to her now.

"G-Gomen for the trouble..." she said after a while. She stared at the ground as she waited for him to answer.

Syaoran looked away from her. "I-It was nothing..."

There was a long pause, neither one of them making an attempt to speak first.

As if on cue, Michirou arrived at the shelter with two middle-aged men and a teenager wearing a blue baseball cap.

"We're here!" Michirou announced happily. Her eyes darted from Sakura to Syaoran, then back again. She smiled knowingly. Neither one seemed to notice their timely arrival.

She tried another approach. "Hey, love birds!"

That snapped them out of it. Syaoran glared dangerously at a giggling Michirou. Sakura simply turned red from embarrassment.

The eldest man, probably in his mid-thirties, laughed boisterously. He rubbed his goatee and observed the awkward situation with interest. "Well, well, well..."

The other man, who seemed to be around the same age as Michirou, approached Sakura. "Are you feeling well? You look a bit dazed." He examined her for a while and felt her temperature. "It's good that your fever is gone. Were you able to eat? I made sure Yuyoii made some stew."

"Y-Yes. I feel fine now. The stew was delicious." she replied, casting a grateful glance at Michirou.

Michirou gave her a thumbs-up sign and nudged an annoyed Syaoran.

The man with the goatee winked at Syaoran, "Aren't you going to introduce us, boy?" A sly grin crept onto his lips. "Or are you too tongue-tied to speak because of our lady friend here?"

Syaoran turned red and sighed in defeat. "Kinomoto, this is Takami Ryuusuke." he said, referring to the man with the goatee.

Sakura bowed courteously. "Kinomoto Sakura. Pleased to meet you all."

Takami robustly shook Sakura's hand, his huge calloused hand covering hers entirely. "Pleased to meet you, too! I'm your friendly neighborhood geographer slash geologist." He chuckled and whispered in Sakura's ear, "I'm quite a versatile man, y'know. Smart, too. Don't hesitate to bombard me with your 'unanswerable' questions!"

The teenager shook his head in disbelief. "Don't listen to that old goat, kid. That way, you get to ward him off before he even tries to blab your pretty little ears off."

"That's Sumu Kaneko." Syaoran told her. Sakura nodded as she tried to memorize the names.

"Call me Kaneko, kid." Kaneko grinned as he flipped his baseball cap backward. His messy red hair popped out as he did this. "A friend of my little buddy's a friend of mine," he added.

"Idiot." Takami flicked the teenager's forehead playfully. "You called me old goat again, retard."

Kaneko stuck out his tongue. "That's because you ARE an old goat."

"At least I'm not some retard playing lousy kid games." Takami shot back.

The man opposite Sakura chuckled heartily. "Very mature, guys. In front of the kids nonetheless! Aren't you ashamed?" He turned to Sakura, his blue eyes still twinkling. "Don't mind them. They're a little on the whacked side. I'm Ikuma Hirogami."

"Pleased to meet you sir," she said timidly.

"He's a doctor." Syaoran told her. "He was the one who took care of you. He's also the one who healed all your wounds."

Sakura looked down and realized that all her wounds were bandaged. "I didn't even notice..." She turned to Ikuma and bowed politely. "I'm very grateful for everything you did, Ikuma-san."

"Why, you're very welcome!" Ikuma turned to the bickering men. "You infants should learn a thing or two from our little Sakura here!"

"I'm pretending I didn't hear that remark, Ikuma." Takami said, making an octopus face.

"Goodness, what a way to behave." Ikuma shook his head disbelievingly. Then, he frowned at Syaoran when he noticed something different about the boy's left leg. "You're not wearing your sling."

"It was in the way," came the boy's answer.

Sakura turned to cast a worried look at Syaoran. "Sling?"

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." he said, not able to look at her in the eye. "Anyway, it doesn't hurt anymore."

Ikuma went over to examine the bandaged leg. "I suppose you're right. But please be extra careful with your leg, it looked pretty bad when I first saw it. I actually thought it was broken."

"B-Broken?" Sakura frowned, her jade eyes clouded over with concern. "Was it from...?"

Syaoran studied her for a while. Seeing that the girl seemed rather anxious about his condition, he shook his head slightly. "Don't worry about it." he assured her.

Takami decided to change the subject. "Did you have any companions before we found you? Do you have any idea where they are now?" he questioned.

Sakura shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid I don't remember. I was lost when you found me." She paused for a while and added, "They must be very worried about me right now..."

Takami stroked his goatee thoughtfully. "Well, then. We'll just have to figure out where they are. Could you recall how your shelter looked like? Could you describe its physical surroundings?"

Sakura nodded.

"Good. That's all we need." Takami winked. "Have a little faith, girl. We'll find them."

Sakura sat up on her bed. She couldn't sleep at all. She looked around and saw that everybody else was already fast asleep. Breathing a heavy sigh, Sakura stood up and stretched her arms.

"Couldn't sleep?" she heard someone whisper.

Sakura recognized the voice immediately. "Li-kun?"

Syaoran shushed her and subtly motioned her to follow him. They silently made their way towards the isolated part of the shelter.

They sat there for a while without saying anything to each other.

Sakura wistfully glanced at Syaoran, who seemed to be deep in his own thoughts. She gazed at his half-closed eyes and mused, I wonder what he's thinking about... He looks really serious... Turning away, she smiled. Then again, Li-kun had always been serious.

Syaoran cast a fleeting look at the girl beside him. Sakura was smiling at the night sky. What she was thinking of, he couldn't tell. All he knew was that she always looked so beautiful when she smiles, especially at that particular moment -- with the moonlight delicately caressing her smooth face.

Alarmed at the direction his thoughts were taking him, Syaoran shook his head violently as if doing so could make the disturbing thoughts fly off his head.

Sakura blinked at him. "Li-kun, what's wrong?"

Syaoran blushed furiously. "I-It's nothing..." He quickly stood up and said, "We should get some rest. I'm sure we'll find the others tomorrow." He walked away from her and wordlessly settled into his bed.

Sakura looked up at the hazy moon and whispered, "I hope so..."

Touya arrived at the shelter the next morning. Anxious eyes were on him as he approached his distressed companions. Fujitaka still haven't returned.

They all waited for Touya to speak.

"I couldn't find him..." he finally said, answering the silent question hanging in the air.

It was already afternoon when the draft of the whole island was completed. Takami cleared his throat, demanding attention from his companions. "Okay, people. Listen up! I already made a brief sketch mapping the whole island, taking note of its distinct surface features. Based on my previous sketches and Sakura's description of the surroundings, I may be able to pinpoint where her companions are."

"Right. So what should we do, old goat?" Kaneko asked impatiently.

"Well, retard..." This earned a glare from Kaneko. Takami smirked at him. "First of all, let me finish what I have to say."

Takami held out the map for everyone to see. He encircled a small area using his finger. "If my instincts are correct, their shelter should probably be around here. This means that we would only need a few people to go and fetch Sakura's companions. That would be me and the two kids."

He turned to Sakura and told her, "I'll need you to try and remember the place so you'd better be prepared, young lady."

"Okay." she nodded.

Then, Takami fondly ruffled Syaoran's already messy hair. "Be alert, boy. I'll need you to protect your lady friend while I go check out the area."

Syaoran glanced briefly at Sakura. She gave him a sweet smile, making him blush deep red.

"Michirou, you stay here at the shelter and prepare for our guests."

Michirou cheerfully grinned at Takami, giving him a playful salute. "Right on, boss!"

Ikuma smiled. "Okay, then. That means Kaneko and I will continue working on the ship," he assumed, reading Takami's mind.

Takami slapped him playfully on the back. "Good guess!"

Sakura looked at Takami questioningly. "A ship?"

"You heard right, girl. We already started working on a ship since day one so we could get outta here as soon as possible." Takami chuckled. "Don't ask how. It'll take us a whole week trying to explain how on earth we acquired the materials."

Kaneko snickered at this. "You got that right."

"Okay, that's enough of that." Michirou shooed them away. "You guys better get going or else I'll feed you cold meat for dinner." she scolded. "And hurry back, okay?"

"Yes, Ma'am!" the three grown men said in unison.

Takami walked ahead of the two kids who were following close behind him. Every kilometer or so, he leaves the two behind so he could map out certain areas he had neglected to consider, and also to make some necessary corrections and adjustments on the way.

"Look, there's a river over here!" Takami exclaimed as he motioned them to come take a closer look.

Sakura stared at the water for a while. This fish... I've seen this kind before... she contemplated. Her eyes widened as she recalled.

"Takami-san! I remember going to a lake located near our shelter! I know the way to the shelter from there! If we could find the lake..."

"Say no more," Takami cut in. "All we need to do now is go upstream. We'll be there in no time!"

It took them sooner than they had expected. The narrow river stretched for what seemed like miles. Sakura let out an impatient sigh.

The three halted when they reached a dead end. There was a pile of huge boulders blocking the easy way to the lake. It was impossible to squeeze through the holes in between the rocks so they had no other choice but to go around it the long way.

"Looks like we need to go through the forest." Takami remarked.

It was a long walk to the lake but fairly easy because of the flat ground. But then, just when they thought everything would go smoothly from there, Syaoran suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Sakura frowned, a worried look on her face. "Li-kun...?"

"What's wrong, boy? See anything?" Takami inquired.

Syaoran didn't answer them. He wordlessly turned to his left, his gaze never leaving whatever it was that caught his attention. A concerned frown formed on his handsome features.

Without saying anything, he suddenly ran off. Alarmed, his two companions immediately ran after him.

When they finally caught up with him, they found him standing on top of a fallen log. He didn't say anything, his keen amber eyes fixed.

Sakura hesitantly approached him. "Li-kun...?"

No response.

She followed his steady gaze and gasped at what she saw.

Chapter Five

"Otou san!" Sakura cried in alarm.

Distressed, she instinctively ran towards her father. Fortunately, Syaoran reacted quick enough to stop her. "Don't!" he yelled as he firmly grabbed her left arm.

Sakura struggled to get free. "Why?!"

Takami answered for him. "Look around him, girl! You see that moist land around him? Once you step on that, you'll sink just like your father did!"

Sakura felt Syaoran loosen his grasp on her. She cast an anxious glance at her father, who was already half buried in the mud. He was holding onto a vine, which prevented him from sinking any further.

Fujitaka slowly opened his eyes. "Sakura...?" He squinted his eyes as if he wanted to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"Otou san!" Sakura called out. "Hold on!" She turned to Syaoran, then Takami. "What should we do? We have to help him!"

Takami looked around for a while. A small grin appeared on his face as an idea came to him. He ran towards the area where Fujitaka was buried, making sure he used a safe path. He grabbed a thick branch on his way and scrambled up a bent tree. "Grab onto this!" he yelled as he carefully lowered the branch to Fujitaka.

Fujitaka struggled to keep himself above the earth, one hand reaching for the branch while the other held onto the vine tightly.

Sakura let out a gasp when she saw her father lose his grip on the vine. In an instant, he was pulled downward until the mud reached up to his shoulders. Luckily, he was able to grasp the vine in time. However, the sudden pull on the vine caused it to break.

Sakura held her breath as Takami lowered himself, stretching out his arm fully to Fujitaka so he could reach the branch. The vine was about to snap when she noticed something odd about the mud around her father. It was parting in a whirl, as if an unknown source of wind was blowing it apart. Round and round it went, freeing Fujitaka from the mud halfway. This gave Fujitaka a chance to grab the branch held out to him.

"That's it! Hold on," said Takami as he tried pulling the exhausted man above ground.

Sakura was genuinely confused. She looked behind her to ask Syaoran what was going on. To her surprise, she saw him standing behind a tree, partially hidden from the sight of the two older men. He was holding an ofuda, chanting softly. Sakura smiled gratefully at him and mouthed him her thanks.

"Oi," a voice behind her uttered.

Sakura jumped in surprise. She turned around to see the grumpy face of her brother. "O-Onii san!"

Without saying anything, Touya placed a warm hand on her head. His dark hair was covering his eyes so she couldn't make out his expression. This lasted for a few more moments before he gently moved her aside and went over to help Takami.

Sakura blinked a couple of times as she watched her brother walk away.

Meanwhile, the ones left behind the shelter was bewildered at Touya's sudden departure. Sonomi raised a brow at Yukito questioningly. "Why did he run off like that?"

Yukito simply smiled. He didn't say anything to answer her. Sonomi rolled her eyes and grumbled something about men and their stupid male breakdowns.

"Otou san! Daijoubu?" Sakura called out to her father.

"I'm fine." Fujitaka answered back, smiling. "...But my clothes need some serious cleaning though," he chuckled as he wiped the mud off his skin.

Takami grinned. "Don't worry about that. We have a trunk full of clothes at our shelter. I wager there would be enough for everybody."

They walked towards the two kids with Takami leading them. Fujitaka knelt down on the ground to face his daughter, enclosing her small hands in his. "I am so relieved you're alright, Sakura-san..." he told her. Sakura gave him a faint smile in response, tears brimming her jade eyes.

"Me, too. I thought I was going to lose you..." she whispered, her voice trembling.

Fujitaka wiped her tears with a clean hand. "Everything is all right..." he said reassuringly. "We're together now."

Takami smiled. Although he knew that they should keep moving so things would be done a lot sooner, he didn't attempt to say anything to disturb the tearful reunion. He simply stood there, waiting for them to finish.

"Hey, brat." Touya suddenly muttered. Syaoran put his guard up, expecting an insult from the dark haired teenager.

The stunned look on his face was priceless when Touya faced him with a half smile. Touya didn't say anything, expressing more gratitude with his gaze than any other words could ever accomplish.

Not knowing what to say, Syaoran gave him a small nod of understanding.

The old man languidly stacked their firewood on the ground, placing some dried moss in the middle. Yukito then held up a magnifying glass above the moss and made sure that the sunlight was reflected through its lens. They waited patiently until the dried moss caught on fire. Once a bluish flame was visible, the old man immediately gathered some branches around it and started blowing gently until a crackling fire was born.

This had become their habit when making a campfire. At first, they had no idea how to start a fire since they didn't have a match; if they did, it would have been wet and entirely useless.

It was the old man who had provided them with the clever idea, taking out his own magnifying glass for their use. It was a bit odd that the old man carried one with him, but no one questioned it.

The climate that particular day was humid, yet sunny as usual. They were fortunate that the sun had always been bright enough to start a fire, and that the weather had been like that for the past few days since the shipwreck. What scared them the most is when good old Mother Nature decides to go against them. If this happens, eventual death would not only be an alternative. It would become the only option.

The entire group was silent as they stared into the fire.

Meiling sighed and cast a dejected look at Tomoyo. She was deep in her own thoughts, holding the motionless Kero in her hand.

Sonomi was quickly running out of patience and angrily paced about in front of them. She kicked a piece of dirt and sent it flying past Yukito. Shaking his head, he gave a weak smile at the restless woman and said, "They'll be back."

"This is your lake? It's a bit smaller than what I had expected." Takami commented. "Plus, the water looks quite shallow."

Sakura took Syaoran's hand and earnestly pulled him towards the lake. "Come on! I want to show you something!"

This gesture made Syaoran blush beet red. She led him towards the body of water with a huge smile on her face and said, "There are so many colorful fish living here! You gotta see this!"

The adults smiled as they watched the children go off to the side of the lake. Touya was getting impatient as he glared at the chestnut haired boy. He grunted his irritation and faced Takami. "I think we should get going now. The shelter is nearby."

Takami raised a brow and stroked his goatee, studying the annoyed teenager all the while. "I see... Let's get going then."

He was about to call the two kids when Sakura let out a loud startled 'hooeee!'

"Takami-san, you'd better come and take a look at this." Syaoran told him.

"What's wrong?" asked Takami. His eyes widened at what he saw. The fish were swimming near the surface, which was a bit unusual for their particular kind. They were all rushing downstream, acting as though they were migratory.

They watched in amazement as the army of fish swam away until there was not a single fish left.

There was also something slightly different about the lake. It was lower now, only about a foot and a half high. Because of this, the bottom could be seen more clearly.

Takami stepped into the water and looked more closely at the ground. "Oh-ho, and what's this?" He scooped a handful of stones and lifted them above the water. Their shade of blue went darker as he did this. Then, he realized something. It was not blue at all. It was as black as coal.

"The trick of the sun." He threw the rocks back into the water, leaving a small sample in his hand. "I knew those type of rocks couldn't exist in an environment like this." He examined the rock for a while, his brows creased in concentration. It was smooth and had a glassy surface. Takami identified the rock immediately, but he knew that the rock was supposed to be sticky to the touch. Because it had been under water for a long period of time, there was not a trace of tackiness on the stone. He decided it was a good sign.

"Don't mind it. We'd better hurry and get your companions." he told them.

Crack!

Kero's ears twitched at the sound. Tomoyo looked up and turned to the crimson eyed girl who had fallen asleep beside her. "Meiling-chan... wake up!"

Meiling let out a moan of protest. "What is it...?" she asked sleepily. "What's wrong?"

"Someone's coming!" Sonomi announced to her companions.

They all prepared for any potential danger as the seconds passed into what seemed like hours. However, what they saw took them completely by surprise.

Touya appeared from behind a thick bush followed by Fujitaka and Sakura.

"Sakura-chan!" With tears in her eyes, Tomoyo hurried towards her best friend. The girls hugged each other as if they have been separated for years.

Meiling had a faint smile on her lips as she watched them. The flash of melancholy in her eyes was hard to miss as the image of a certain amber eyed boy returned to her.

"Welcome back," Yukito greeted Touya. "I knew you'd find them."

Touya shrugged indifferently. Yukito smiled at his friend. "You're too shy, Touya." he laughed.

As soon as she got the chance, Sonomi broke into an infuriated ramble and gave Fujitaka a piece of her mind. "What the hell were you thinking?! Running off like that... That was just too stupid, even for you! Look at you! You look like a total pig, covered in mud like that! You make me so angry, you BAKA!!!" she finished as tears threatened to come out.

She looked away from him. "...baka," she repeated softly as she suppressed a sob. Gathering what's left of her self-control, she shot him a poisonous glare.

Fujitaka looked surprised at first, then his face softened into understanding. He gave her a kind smile. "I'm sorry I worried you..." he said.

"Worried?! Who's worried?!! I wasn't worried!!!" she yelled, breaking into sweat. The old man smirked at this, a bit amused. "Right." He rolled his eyes and muttered, "Women."

He didn't even bother to wipe off the smirk from his face as he turned to Fujitaka and said, "She's lying. As a matter of fact, she was annoyingly hysterical the whole time you were gone."

"Anyway, where have you been all this time?" he continued as Sonomi glowered at him. "What happened?"

Fujitaka was about to answer when they were interrupted by a loud rustle coming from the forest. A few moments later, Syaoran arrived at the shelter along with Takami who was scribbling something on his crumpled pad.

Meiling stared at Syaoran as if paralyzed. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. She gazed at him again, tears falling down her cheeks. "Syaoran...?" she murmured, unsure.

"Meiling..."

"Syaoran!" Meiling threw her arms around him and buried her face on his shoulder. "I-I thought... I thought you were...!" She sobbed uncontrollably and didn't finish her sentence.

Not quite sure what to do, Syaoran tried comforting her by placing a hand on her back, but this only made her cry even harder.

Sakura watched them with an unmistakable smile on her face. But something was off. Her heart constricted as she gazed at them. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't name the emotion she was feeling at that moment. A slight frown appeared on her face.

Tomoyo took one perceptive look at her best friend, then at the uncertain chestnut haired boy. She knew immediately what was up. She smiled knowingly.

Takami finally looked up from his pad. "Let's save the introductions for later, okay?" he said, getting straight to the point. "We're moving you guys to our shelter. Believe me, you wouldn't want to stay here for long."

The old man looked at him incredulously. "And why's that?"

"Don't worry. I'll tell you guys eventually." he replied. "Just bring all the materials from your shelter that you feel we would need one of these days. Let's save the chat for later."

"I think we should follow what he says." Fujitaka told his companions.

So they gathered all their acquired items, including the fishing net and cauldron.

Syaoran went inside the cave to check if they left anything out. He paused and looked inside. He grimaced when he breathed in an unusual odor.

<I know this smell...>

"Syaoran, let's go!" Meiling called. "They're leaving already!"

He returned to his eager cousin, a serious expression etched on his face. Meiling didn't seem to take notice and pranced away. Syaoran took one last look at the cave before following her.

The newcomers settled into their new home just fine. They felt very welcome and was treated quite hospitably by the occupants. They were even able to eat some of Michirou's delicious cooking.

After changing into clean clothes, Fujitaka went over to join Takami and the old man as they sat in the isolated corner of the shelter. Introductions were made among the rest as the three became engaged in a thorough discussion about their current situation on the island.

Michirou rummaged through the trunk of clothes, the three girls surrounding her. "You girls are lucky we were able to dry these clothes beforehand. Let's see... tell me if you like what I picked out, okay? How about these?" She held up a white sleeveless blouse decorated with a red crisscross design at the bottom. Then, she pulled a simple black skirt from the trunk.

"Ooh, I like those!" Meiling took them from Michirou and skipped happily towards an enclosed area located near the row of improvised beds.

Michirou continued her search. She held up a couple of outfits for Tomoyo, but the black haired girl didn't like them. Giggling, Michirou held up a clown suit. "How about this one?" (H.F. - oopsies, how did that get there?! O.o; watches in horror as Tomoyo modeled it for them)

"It's fabulous!" exclaimed Tomoyo, making them all burst into a fit of giggles.

When their laughter died down, Michirou scavenged some more.

Tomoyo leaned over. "I think I like those," she said. Michirou took out the clothes she was pointing at, but something was pulled along with it.

"Oh, and what's this?"

It was a forest green dress: its style was somewhat Victorian with a bit of the modern touch. It was surprisingly light, despite the white skirts trapped beneath the velvety cloth. A long gold ribbon traveled from the bronze front buckle to the back of the skirt, leaving it free to sway gracefully behind.

Tomoyo's eyes sparkled when she saw it. "Sakura-chan! Try it on! It will look so cute on you!" A mischievous smile crept onto her lips as she glanced at an oblivious Syaoran.

Sakura blushed. "I don't know, Tomoyo-chan..."

Michirou didn't miss the gleam in Tomoyo's eye. "Don't be shy, dear." Michirou insisted, catching on. "You want to impress him, don't you?"

Sakura was clueless. "Huh? Impress who?"

Syaoran let out a bored sigh.

"And I scored!" Kaneko shouted dramatically, swinging an imaginary bat in the air.

Yukito smiled. "So you guys won? That's great!"

"If only it were true...." Ikuma murmured, earning a glare from Kaneko.

"Hey, I was telling the truth!" Kaneko glared at the doctor. Then, he noticed that Touya was already walking away. "Hey, Kinomoto! Aren't you going to listen to the rest of my games?"

Touya shook his head slightly. "No thanks. I'm going to sleep."

The red haired teenager shrugged. "Suit yourself, then."

"Does it look okay?" asked Sakura after fitting into the Victorian dress.

Both Tomoyo and Michirou sighed dreamily. "Kawaii..." they mused. Grinning, Michirou tied two matching dark violet ribbons to her auburn locks. "Now, you're ready. Come on!" They dragged the confused Sakura towards the small group surrounding Kaneko.

"W-Wha...? Ready for what?"

"Syaoran, look at me!" called Meiling in a sing-songy voice. She twirled around for him. "What do you think?"

Before he could even mutter a reply, Michirou arrived at their group. "Take a look at this, guys!" Nodding to Tomoyo, she took a step sideward and revealed a blushing Sakura.

Both Ikuma and Kaneko whistled their approval. The red haired teenager nudged the youngest in their small group playfully.

Yukito smiled. "You look really cute in that dress, Sakura-chan." This made Sakura blush even harder. "Arigatou..." she managed to say.

"Hey, Michie! Where'd you get that dress?" Kaneko ventured, ignoring Syaoran's deadly glare.

"In the trunk," came the reply.

Meiling fumed. Syaoran was trying his best not to let anyone see his red face. His eyes darted away every time he glanced at Sakura.

Sakura, on the other hand, couldn't take her eyes off the ground. When she did, she allowed her gaze to wander for a while and saw that Syaoran wasn't even looking at her. This made her feel a bit disappointed.

Tomoyo saw everything and gave Michirou a thumbs-up sign.

It was already late at night. Sakura had already changed out of the Victorian dress and fell asleep beside Tomoyo. She awoke to the sound of the forest and realized that it had started to rain.

Rubbing her eyes sleepily, she stood up to get something to drink. After she was done, she quietly returned to her own bed but on the way, she saw that someone else was still awake. The person was sitting alone in the isolated corner and without much of a second thought, she decided to go see who it was.

"Li-kun?"

Syaoran was startled at the sound of her voice. "Kinomoto," he acknowledged.

"Why are you still up?" she asked.

"... I was thinking."

"About what?"

Syaoran didn't answer. After a long pause, he told her "You should get some sleep."

"How about you?"

He didn't reply.

Sakura frowned at his indifference. Her heart sank when he looked away from her. Dejectedly, she turned to leave him alone. She was already halfway to her bed when she heard him call her.

"Kinomoto."

She turned to look at him, unable to hide the hopeful tone in her voice. "Yes?"

His back was still turned to her.

"Y-You looked good in the dress," he stammered.

Sakura blushed at this. She stared in amazement at the chestnut haired boy as her heart started beating loudly in her chest.

"A-Arigatou..." was all she could say.

The next morning, the innate smell of rain water and mud was thick in the air. As usual, Takami was the first to awake. Or so he thought.

"Takami-san... I need to tell you something."

Takami raised a brow questioningly at the chestnut haired boy.

Syaoran proceeded in telling the older man what was occupying his mind. Takami listened intently, nodding his head at the right places.

Later, Takami stood up and gathered a few things in his pack. He grabbed a coil of thick rope from their storage, turned to the boy and said, "Well? What are you waiting for, boy? Let's go!"

"Wha...? Go where?"

Takami threw him a bag. "We're going back there," he replied.

Chapter Six

The humid air surrounded the castaways as they slept. It was still quite early in the morning, and the moisture on their cold skin proved that the rain had only stopped pouring a few hours before.

Michirou stirred in her bed. She lazily opened her eyes and light streamed into her consciousness. With a tired sigh, she stretched her arms and sat up.

It was already time to prepare their breakfast.

The shelter was abundant with all kinds of fruits, including some succulent suha and a couple of freshly picked dalandan. Since they didn't have any livestock at their disposal, Michirou was forced to serve the fruits as breakfast. She carefully selected the food items she wanted to prepare. After a while, she decided to use the papaya, which was the best choice for breakfast. She sliced the fruit lengthwise before cutting them further into more manageable pieces.

When she was done, Michirou stood up to wake the others.

She was about to wake Sonomi when the ground shook below her for a split second.

Bewildered, she wondered whether or not it was just her imagination. Shrugging it off, she poked each sleeping form in the rib as she traveled from bed to bed. One by one, her sleepy companions woke up grumbling.

Three beds were empty, including her own. The occupants of the other two was nowhere to be found.

"Now, where did those two go off to?" Michirou wondered out loud.

It took them about an hour and a half to reach the previous shelter Fujitaka and the others had resided in for the past few days.

Syaoran gazed at the dark cave with a serious expression on his face.

The older man spoke up, an equally sober look on his rugged features. "If what you say is true, it would mean trouble for all of us." He took out his lighter and lit the improvised torch he was holding. Pressing his lips into a thin line, he gestured the boy to follow him.

He entered the cavern with Syaoran trailing behind. Holding the torch to light their way, they went deeper into the dark cave until they reached a steep pathway. Nodding to the chestnut haired boy, Takami took out a rope from his pack and tied it securely to a nearby stalagmite. Syaoran then handed him an unlit torch, which was simply a wooden stick with one of its two ends wrapped in a petroleum soaked cloth. Takami placed the torch in his pack with the cloth-covered end sticking out. Then, he carefully climbed down the rope, his feet against the jagged slope.

When he reached the bottom, he tugged on the rope to let Syaoran know he made it. He lit the torch using his lighter and moved forward.

Syaoran waited patiently for the older man's return. He could hear the pitter patter of feet as Takami walked across the wet cavern floor below. His gaze never wavered as he focused his attention on the faint light of Takami's torch. After a while, he saw the light move towards its initial position and felt a slight tug on the rope, signaling Takami's return.

Not long after, Takami appeared from behind the ledge, his face somber.

The boy stared questioningly at the geographer, eager to know what was found below.

"We have a problem," said Takami as he pulled up the rope and stuffed it in his pack. "Let's go."

It was almost lunch time and their two missing companions still haven't returned. The group was just starting to get worried when Michirou assured them that the two most probably went off to finish the draft of the island, purposely neglecting to mention the fact that Takami usually took Kaneko with him, not Syaoran.

Both Ikuma and Kaneko didn't say anything at the obvious omission, knowing very well that she was only trying to prevent the newcomers from panicking.

Excusing herself, Michirou went off to gather some mussels she could cook for lunch.

Silence governed the shelter for several minutes after she left.

Moments later, a soft whimper was heard, catching everyone's attention. Wincing, Meiling gently touched the unhealed wound on her right leg. "It stings," she complained.

Ikuma rushed towards the black haired girl and sat across her. "What happened to you?" he asked in alarm, seeing the numerous scars on her leg.

"A beast attacked her. She was unconscious for three days," provided the old man. "I treated her immediately so there would be no infections."

Ikuma examined the leg and said, "And it's a good thing that you did. If not, she would have suffered from high fevers." He smiled kindly at Meiling. "I know just the thing to ease the pain. Come with me."

Meiling nodded and followed him to their storage area.

It was her favorite spot. Located southwest from the shelter, the rocky coast was constantly being washed by waves and had always been affected by the tide. Sighing, Michirou bent over to gather some mussels.

There was an incredible change in that area, thought Michirou. The wide expanse of rocks, half of which were supposed to be underwater, was now exposed to the Pacific breeze. Takami was right. The low tide is at its peak.

Michirou paused and raised a brow. Gosh, listen to me! I'm sounding just like him! Wearing a slight smile, she decided to let her early thoughts go and enjoy the rest of her stay in that barren yet surprisingly picturesque place. Several minutes passed and when she was finally done gathering, she smiled to herself contentedly.

Dropping the mussels carefully inside, she lifted the bucket she brought with her and returned to the shelter humming an impromptu melody.

Sonomi was getting more impatient as time seemed to stretch forever. "Where in the world are they?!" she demanded through gritted teeth.

"I'm sure they're on their way back right at this moment," answered Ikuma reassuringly. He sighed and cast an exasperated look at the old man.

The old man shrugged. "Don't look at me. She's always like that." Sonomi glowered at him.

A cheerful voice broke through the 'jolly' atmosphere. "I'm back!" Michirou sang happily.

Not noticing how tense her companions were, she headed towards the cauldron, which to her surprise was already half filled with water. While she was gone, Yukito had brought it upon himself to fetch the water for the mussels.

She thanked him for this kind gesture and started working on their meal. Bending over, she held out a lighter to the pile of wood stacked under the cauldron.

"You have a lighter?" asked Fujitaka. Sonomi couldn't help but comment. "Duh." She rolled her eyes in irritation.

"Two, actually. I'm guessing Takami took the other one with him," she answered.

"Oh... I see." And as easy as that, the subject was dropped.

The mussels were just about ready when a booming voice announced their missing companions' arrival.

"We're back!"

Meiling eagerly stood up to welcome them. "Finally!"

Both Takami and Syaoran looked quite serious. The others didn't know how to interpret their odd behavior so they just kept quiet.

"The ship needs to be completed as soon as possible." Takami stated, putting down his pack. "If my memory serves me right, there would be no ships passing by this area for the next three months. But due to circumstances, we need to get off this island by then. The men will be working on the ship and the ladies will be handling the sails."

"Whoa! Wait a minute!" Kaneko protested, holding up two hands. "Back up for a while! Why the rush? It's not like we're going to starve or anything."

Ikuma agreed. "We have enough food resources here and you said it yourself -- the ship was made simply to ensure our departure before the high tide hits the island. And the peak isn't until six months from now."

"High tide?! What high tide?!" Sonomi demanded, throwing Takami an inquisitive glare.

Takami let out a defeated sigh. He cocked an eyebrow at her and sat on the ground beside Yukito. "This island is uncharted. I know this because I've had my nose buried in an atlas long enough. And judging from the life species living here -- be it plant or animal, this island sinks underwater for a long period of time. And it stays there until the beginning of the next low tide in this area.

"What about the beast that attacked me?" Meiling asked.

Sakura shuddered as the image of the beast flashed in her mind.

"This island doesn't sink completely under water. There's still about one third of the land that stays above water. The rest is simply instinct and adaptation. Besides all that, there's enough room there so the animals could live and feed on the edible plants that are still alive." Takami chuckled and added, "Or rather, feed on those lower in the food chain."

Takami seemed to be completely lost in his monologue now (or gibberish in another person's point of view. ;) "The mud pool Fujitaka sank in was yet another confirmation to my theory. Because of being under water for a long period of time, the mud lost its capacity to hold things on its surface. And since the interstitial property of the mud was lost, its characteristics would become similar to that of quick sand."

"And the cave you resided in," he continued. "It leads to the shaft of a volcano -- the very volcano that formed your lake. The stones, or rocks rather, on the bed of the lake told me something about the kind of eruption the volcano has. The rock is called 'Obsidian', a rock formed from violent eruptions. It forms as lava cools rapidly. This means that this island experienced a series of eruptions for quite some time even after the formed lake accumulated some water and became what it is right now. The eruptions had been so violent that there were earthquakes, explaining the boulders that blocked our path to the lake. And I'm guessing this continued for many years."

"But the volcano had not been active recently. I confirmed this because none of the Obsidian found in the lake were tacky to the touch, so I'm guessing they had been there for quite some time now without new rocks being added to them. Also, since the lake is affected by the low tide, it means that the 'lake is dying' so to speak. I suspect that it is beginning to lose some of the properties the periodical lava flow gave it."

His audience hung their heads in confusion. Some of them seemed to understand while the others gaped at him.

Kaneko managed to reel his mind back from the unexpected Geology lesson. "Okay then. So tell me again why we are supposed to leave so soon?" he questioned, bringing back the initial topic at hand.

Takami snapped back to reality. "Yes, yes." He glanced at Syaoran. "You see, Li Syaoran here noticed something odd about the cave."

"Something odd?" Tomoyo repeated thoughtfully.

Takami nodded. A frown made its way to his smooth forehead. "It smelled of sulfur," he clarified. "And from what I found out by going there with him this morning..." Sonomi gave Michirou a look, earning an indifferent shrug from the cat eyed woman.

"The volcano had become active again."

That little piece of information seemed to have cast a sudden ominous atmosphere in the shelter. Takami looked around the group, studying their facial expressions. Everyone looked distressed, making him hesitate to continue his alarming news.

"There's more..." He frowned, the reality of their situation beginning to weigh down on his shoulders. "It is a long walk before anyone could reach the wall that separates the shaft of the volcano from the cave. Given this, it is quite unlikely that the sulfurous odor could have reached the entrance. But when I was able to observe the wall, I saw that it had begun to wither away and that there was a bright fiery glow coming from inside the cracks. The odor radiated strongly and because of the enclosed area, the odor needed to go somewhere spacious -- the entrance."

"What makes it dangerous is that every high tide, sea water rushes inside the deep cavity where the wall is located, the depth of which is about twenty feet below the ground. I don't know exactly how it happens but there is probably a way in for the water to rush inside. From what I observed, it would only take about a month before it is again completely filled with water. The pressure coming from the outside and inside -- the powerful sea against the cramped accumulation of water inside the cave --- as well as the constant earthquakes will make the already deteriorating wall crack open until it yields completely. The wall will then crumble all at once, allowing a large entrance for the sea water to come rushing inside the volcano with an incredible force."

"Everything's cool then! The water will simply extinguish the fire inside the volcano!" exclaimed Kaneko.

Takami shook his head slowly. "If only that were the case."

"People always had this notion that volcanoes, which are almost always near the sea or any other body of water, may be extinguished by opening a passage for water to pour into them. What they do not know is that if this is done, the volcano will blow up almost immediately. The water, rushing into a closed cavity with a temperature of several thousand degrees, would be turned into steam with such sudden energy that nothing could withstand it."

Fujitaka, being a professor who has background on volcanoes, had to question this. "But the existence of underwater volcanoes makes your theory unfeasible."

"Wrong," Takami countered. "There is a big difference between the two. If you'd think about it for a while, you'll see what I mean."

"So how many weeks do we have to finish making the ship?" asked the old man.

"Good question. We have about two whole months. But depending on the situation, we might need to finish it even before that."

Touya breathed a heavy sigh. "We should get to work."

Three weeks passed by. The castaways worked nonstop on the ship, taking little time to rest. It was all they could think of, or should think of. The volcano was already acting up with earthquakes disturbing their work every now and then.

Vapor, smoke, flames and burning rocks were escaping from the crater. The top of the mountain seemed as if it was on fire.

Shaken, the castaways continued working on the ship. The men had already finished the planking of the ship's base and was now working on the deck. They didn't bother to make rooms and dividers inside as long as the ship could sail. On the other end of the shore, the women were almost done, using any piece of fabric that they could spare. The sails may not be the best looking (and coordinated at that) but if it could facilitate movement for the ship, it would have to do.

"Tomoyo, could you hand me that skirt?"

"Here Sakura-chan."

"Thanks."

Feeling a rather pointed sensation radiating towards her, Sakura blinked a couple of times. She turned around and saw Meiling staring... no, glaring at her.

"We need to talk," Meiling hissed.

Meiling took her away from the group and led her to a place where they could talk privately. Sitting on the beach facing the ocean, Sakura turned to face the girl beside her. "What did you want to talk to me about, Meiling-chan?"

The red eyed girl had no intention of being subtle. "Do you like Syaoran?"

"Hooee?" Sakura tilted her head sideways. "Why wouldn't I? I mean, he is my friend."

Meiling groaned at the other girl's naiveté. "No. I meant do you like him in that way? As in more than a friend?"

Sakura blushed. She didn't know how to answer. It was a very delicate matter to both girls. And with Meiling staring at her like that, it was no mystery why she was suddenly at a loss for words.

Seeing that her question made Sakura fidgety, Meiling pursed her lips as if she was hesitating. She breathed in a gulp of air and released it with a sigh. "Look. I'm not going to be possessive over this since I could see that..." she paused, a pained look dawning on her face. "I could see that Syaoran likes you... a lot." Meiling winced. Every word that escaped her mouth stung. Shaking her head, Meiling took back everything she said. "Just forget I said anything." She stood up and walked away, leaving Sakura behind.

A bit surprised, Sakura watched the other girl walk away. Then, it struck her.

"He likes me?"

Syaoran tried to ignore the commotion coming from the other side of the ship, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Takami's boisterous laugh could be heard from miles away. Thoroughly embarrassed, Kaneko's face was flaming red, the same color as his hair. Hearing Takami's sudden outburst, Fujitaka asked what had happened.

It seems that Kaneko had somehow forgotten that he placed his hammer inside the pocket of his pants and spent an entire hour looking for it. Overwhelmed by laughter, Takami had managed to keep it a secret until he couldn't take the display of stupidity anymore.

Ikuma was smiling when he turned to his companions. "This is the first time in weeks that I've seen Takami laugh that hard. And it wasn't even that funny."

"That would be because the ship is virtually finished and a month haven't even passed yet," said the old man. "You people had a good idea --- using parts from the old ship to make the foundation saved us lots of time."

Ikuma agreed. "Yes, that's true. And now, Takami could finally feel relaxed." He turned to Syaoran. "Would you mind getting some more nails from the shelter?"

"No problem."

The sails were almost done when Michirou realized that their supply of fabric was about to run out. Without thinking twice, she sent Sakura to collect more clothes from the shelter while the others continued stitching. Sakura took this opportunity as a blessing. She wanted to think things over, or at least give her heart a chance to slow down.

Meiling's words were still repeating in her head.

I could see that Syaoran likes you... a lot.

<He likes me?> Sakura blushed at the thought. She doubted if it was true. But then, why would Meiling say such a thing?

The image of the chestnut haired boy flashed in her mind, making her blush even more pronounced.

He had always been there for her and had actually risked his life just to save her. There was no doubt that he cared for her. It was obvious.

But does he look at her in that way?

Sakura felt her cheeks burn at the prospect. She shook her head vigorously. No, the question should be --- what does she feel for him? What about Yukito?

She closed her eyes. Recalling the events that had happened since the shipwreck, she realized that she hadn't gushed over Yukito for the past few weeks. It was unusual for her. She was too worried about Syaoran during the time. But then, thoughts of Yukito never crossed her mind even after she found out Syaoran was okay. Now that was definitely unusual.

Then, she finally understood.

Everything.

And right at that moment, her emerald eyes met a startling pool of amber.

"Kinomoto?"

With a worried look etched on his face, Syaoran frowned at her. Sakura looked as though she thought he was a ghost. He stood up, holding a tin can full of nails in one hand. Their eyes locked for a while. Feeling extremely awkward, Sakura blushed furiously. She blurted out the first word that came to her mind.

"Cow!"

He looked at her as if she was a pod person pretending to be his emerald eyed friend. Hoping he would buy it, Sakura laughed nervously. "Michirou was telling me how she wished we had a cow. It would be very useful!" She grinned at him giddily. "A cow would be able to provide us with milk and once we get tired of milk, we get to eat meat!"

Syaoran cocked an eyebrow at her less than persuasive little speech. "Okay..."

Deciding to give her space, he changed the subject. "Anyway, what did you came here for?"

"Right!" Sakura exclaimed. "I came here to get some clothes." She rushed towards the trunk and took out a pile.

"Let me help you," he offered.

Her back towards him, she smiled and shook her head. "It's okay! I can handle this." She turned around to flash him a smile. But as she did so, the ground suddenly shook violently. She lost her balance and landed straight into Syaoran's arms. Because the earthquake didn't stop immediately like it usually does, Syaoran fell down with her.

When the ground became still again, Syaoran looked up at Sakura. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm..." she trailed off as she turned to face him.

They blushed three shades of red when they realized that the proximity of their faces were only inches apart. The couple turned away from each other and scrambled quickly to get as much distance between them as possible.

Tension rose in the air as they avoided each other's eyes.

"W-We should get back to the others," Syaoran stammered nervously.

"O-Okay," she replied.

No one noticed their odd behavior when they returned to the respective groups waiting for them. The others were too worried about the earthquake, which almost destroyed part of their ship.

What worried them the most was the volcano. Burning rocks were now being hurled a thousand feet above the crater. A pillar of thick smoke had emerged from the burning mountain, signaling that lava would be flowing from the volcano any time soon.

The next day, they relocated their shelter near the area where the ship was so it would be more accessible. The relocation of the shelter and the constant earthquakes slowed down their work a bit but four weeks later, much to their relief, the ship was ready to sail.

It was much smaller than the usual size of a ship. No surprise there given the time allotted to make it. Plus, it looked rather obvious that the ship was made by people who have no experience in building a ship. That would not be a problem as long as the ship remains afloat.

"Let's go!" Kaneko called from the deck of the ship. "It's safe. You guys can come up here now!"

Sonomi breathed a sigh of relief. "About time!" She looked up at the fiery torrent of lava pouring from the crater of the volcano, eyeing the bright orange lakes snaking down towards their location.

Without any hesitation, the castaways quickly boarded the ship. They were about to release the line holding them to the shore when they realized that something was wrong.

"Where's Takami?!"

"He's not here?!"

"Syaoran's missing, too!"

"What?!"

"Shit! Now what?!"

"Guys, look! The volcano! It's..."

There was an explosion that could have been heard a hundred miles away. Whole pieces of the mountain were hurled into the air as a cloud of smoke expanded directly above the island. Within a few minutes, the island was completely destroyed.

There was no sign of life.

Epilogue

An isolated rock no more than twenty feet long, sixteen feet wide and three feet high -- this was the only solid piece of land that remained intact. The rest were totally obliterated. Sadly, the catastrophe took everything away. There was nothing left on the island.

Miraculously however, the castaways managed to survive the incredible blast but not without injury. They had taken refuge in that small piece of land since there was no other place to go. The ship -- their only hope left -- was destroyed.

They were bruised, wounded and weak. Everything seemed hopeless.

It was heartbreaking to know that despite all their hard work, they would end up like this. And now, two of their companions was gone. Possibly dead.

An eternity passed by as they stared blankly into the ocean.

Then, soft muffled sobs broke through the deafening silence. And just like that, as if an invisible dam was broken, not a single eye remained dry. Even Touya's.

Sakura suddenly burst out crying. Kero subtly nuzzled against her trembling hand in an attempt to comfort her. This only made her cry even more. Tomoyo tried to hold in her tears but she couldn't. She leaned towards her best friend and hugged the grief-stricken girl.

Meiling was crying so hard her body jerked with her sobs. The old man gently placed a warm hand on her head. It was the only thing he could do for the girl. What's done was done. Nothing could bring them back.

It was a loss the castaways couldn't bear.

And just when they had finally resigned to their fate, a small spark of hope went their way.

From a distance, a faint familiar sound was heard. No one noticed it at first but as the sound grew louder, each castaway turned to face the direction the long-awaited sound was coming from.

It was a ship!

The captain explained everything to them. It turns out that the crew found two injured bodies floating near the route of their ship. Thankfully, both were still alive. The older one, who identified himself as Takami Ryuusuke, was still conscious and was able to lead them to the location Sakura and the others were.

It was an unexpected miracle. The castaways couldn't be thankful enough.

They were finally going home.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It had been exactly seven months, two weeks and three days since the shipwreck.

Sakura smiled as she opened the letter that came all the way from Kyushu. Tomoyo leaned over to see what was written on the smooth piece of paper.

It was from Michirou.

According to the letter, everyone was doing great. Michirou had recently opened her own restaurant, which was slowly gaining popularity with the locals. Ikuma continued his practice as a doctor and was doing quite well. He had just proposed to his longtime girlfriend and they are invited to attend his wedding in September. Kaneko got even better at baseball and was planning to try-out for the national team. Takami studied the drafts he made on the island to advance his knowledge further and was actually convinced by Michirou to share his secret hobby to the world -- writing. He is currently working on his book "On The Island That Was Never There." He is hoping to have it published within the next two years.

What had happened to the old man, they never found out. They never heard from him again.

Tomoyo thought for a while and realized, "We never did ask for his name..."

When they reached the intersection, she turned to Sakura and said, "We part ways here. See you tomorrow at school, Sakura-chan!"

"Hai! See you!" Sakura gave her best friend one last smile before she continued walking on home. On her way, she saw someone waiting for her on the sidewalk.

She smiled at her unexpected company. "Li-kun!" she greeted cheerfully.

Without saying anything, Syaoran approached her and held out a small box. Sakura looked questioningly at him before accepting it. She slowly opened the cover and what she saw inside greatly surprised her.

"The Key!" she exclaimed. "But... but how?!"

His answer was simple. "I found it."

She looked at him, refusing to believe that was all there is to it. "Where? When?"

Syaoran hesitated. He gazed at Sakura, studying her. It was certain that she wouldn't let the subject go that easily without an answer. Because he did not want to worry her, he kept his answer vague.

"When we were about to board our ship..." He paused, recalling what had happened that particular day. He didn't bother to tell Sakura everything, ashamed of the recklessness in his actions. "Takami went after me when he realized I was not with you guys."

She remained silent and he didn't know how to interpret her unresponsiveness. Thinking that she didn't believe a word he said, he began elaborating on his story when to his surprise, he suddenly found himself in her arms.

"Arigatou!" she exclaimed gratefully.

Syaoran blushed deep red. "I-It was nothing."

Sakura looked up at him, smiling in open admiration. He couldn't help but smile in return. It was a rare smile and Sakura knew it. "You know what, Li-kun... You should smile more often," she remarked teasingly.

He blushed again and looked away. Sakura couldn't help but smile at this.

Syaoran managed to bring himself to look at her again and said, "I'll walk you home..." Unsure, he added nervously, "...Sakura."

Her eyes widened in surprise, a faint blush forming on her cheeks. A shy smile made its way to her lips. She took his left hand and entwined her fingers with his'.

"Sure..." she smiled contentedly. "Syaoran-kun."

Before anyone accuses me of plagiarizing, I only have this to say --- This fan fiction was based on Jules Verne's The Mysterious Island (a sequel to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea) --- well... the clever idea of the volcaano blowing up came from it. ^^;; The rest of the ideas are mine. If you don't find them in the least bit logical, blame me, not Jules Verne.

For comments, insults, flames, etc. --- contact me at hellmaster_fiblizo@yahhoo.com