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The Labyrinth	By : Capitalist Category: +. to F > Card Captor Sakura Views: 10493 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura, nor any of the characters from it, nor do I own Labyrinth. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
Chapter 2
‘far from home’

Forever. The word echoed ominously in Touya’s mind after Yue’s disappearance, there on the silent hillside. The breeze tickled his face, cool on the nervous sweat that had broken out when Yue’s wings closed around him (take what I please) forcing him closer (you will learn this). His stomach clenched remembering the predatory look in those eyes. Yue seemed to have no doubt that Touya would fail.
“Well then, I’ll just have to prove him wrong,” Touya said firmly to the evening twilight. “I’m smart. I can figure out a maze.” The castle in the middle was huge, after all, and easy to see. It couldn’t be that difficult to find it.
The clock was ticking. Feeling a little better, Touya started down the hillside toward the outer walls below, wincing every time he stepped on a sharp pebble. He wished he’d had a chance to put on his shoes before this, but wishing was what had gotten him into this in the first place. There wasn’t anything he could do about it now. He set as fast a pace as he could, and fell into the stride of walking in solitude. It was so quiet and still that when he arrived, he was surprised to see someone else outside the wall.
He was just a boy, as far as Touya could see, probably no older than his sister. He was dressed in some kind of rough clothing like the peasants in history books, and brown hair fell messily over his eyes as he stepped and spun, slashing a sword at the empty air. He ignored Touya and the teen gave him a wide berth, going well around him to approach the gate set in the wall. It was much bigger up close and the vast double doors looked solid and heavy. Tentatively Touya gave a tug on the handles, but there was no give, and he yanked harder. When that didn’t work he pushed, putting his shoulder to the door and shoving with all his weight. The gate didn’t even creak and he finally stepped back, panting from the exertion. The stone wall around the gate went straight up, smooth and slick, impossible to climb. The gate was locked. How was he supposed to solve the maze if he couldn’t even get in?
Touya kicked at the dirt in frustration and turned around. That boy was still moving through his sword drills, the blade flashing and gleaming in the thickening dusk. He didn’t look as though he would like being interrupted, but Touya really couldn’t afford to wait.
“Excuse me,” he tried, and when that elicited no response he said it again, louder. “Excuse me!”
The boy paused in the middle of a complicated maneuver and threw him an irritated look.
“Can’t you see I’m busy?”
“Sorry. I just want to know how to get in the labyrinth.” The boy snorted and resumed his drill.
“No you don’t. You don’t want to get anywhere near that place.”
“Well, no I don’t,” Touya acknowledged, “but I don’t have a choice. I need to get in. Can you show me?”
“Try the gate, moron.”
“I did,” Touya snapped, stopping just short of replying with an insult of his own. He wasn’t in the most patient of moods and this kid was rapidly getting on his nerves. But he did still need his help. “It’s locked.”
“No it’s not. You just don’t know how to open it.” Looking put out, he dropped his arm and stalked past Touya to the gate, rapping his sword against his leg. He ignored the giant handles in the center of the doors and instead slipped his hand in the crevasse where Touya had assumed the hinges were. He pulled with casual strength, and the huge door swung open easily.
He smirked in a superior way at Touya and turned on his heels. “You should be careful. Things are never what they seem in the labyrinth.”
Touya believed it. His stomach fluttered again as he looked through the open door and wondered what he was walking into. But Sakura was waiting for him, he had no choice.
“Thanks,” he offered, only a little grudgingly. A grunt was his only reply; the boy was already absorbed in his practice again. Touya shrugged, took a deep breath, and stepped through the open gate and into the maze. The solid metal door clanged shut behind him almost immediately, ringing a note of finality. He jumped a little, and rubbed his arms, then took in his new surroundings. From the view atop the hillside, he’d assumed this place would be full of complicated twists and turns, but right now he stood in a single stone walled passage. It stretched to the right and it stretched to the left, either way disappearing into the distance with no variety to be seen.
Well… okay. At least he had a fifty percent chance of choosing correctly. Arbitrarily he picked left and started walking, his socked feet scuffing against the cold stone floor. It was easy, if boring, and he fell into a fast stride. But it was awfully quiet, eerily so, making Touya’s skin prickle and the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. The solitary teen had never been a social person, cherishing what little private time he could get for himself, and never thought he would actually wish for company. But there was just a feeling about this place that made him uneasy. Like he was being watched.
The condition of the maze wasn’t great. Every so often he had to break his stride to step over some fallen-in rubble, or duck his head to avoid the huge growths of fungus on the wall. Disgusting but not dangerous, and Touya didn’t let it deter him as his long strides ate up the distance. Over and over again, one foot in front of the other, the monotonous walls on either side, unceasing, never changing. A hint of desperation crept into his pace, he started moving faster, anxious for something to happen, some kind of decision to make, anything! How could he solve a labyrinth if there weren’t any choices?
He put his foot down on a shard of rock and yelped, nearly tripping and stumbling against the wall. Angrily he punched it a couple times, which only succeeded in making his knuckles redden and swell, before he gave up and slid down to the floor.
“I can’t,” he spat at the watching fungus. “I can’t do it! I can’t use logic to solve a maze that isn’t even there. How the hell am I supposed to get anywhere like this?” The frustration welled up in his throat and he leaned his head back against the stones, struggling to hold back the hot tears. He was already defeated, and he’d hardly had the chance to begin.
“Allo.”
The tiny voice sounded right next to his ear, and he sat up straight with surprise, despair momentarily swept away. But there was nothing there, except a dark and moldy opening where a mid-sized stone had fallen out. And the bright green worm coiled up comfortably on its lip, watching him interestedly.
“Did… you say hello?” Touya ventured hesitantly. The worm shook his head.
“No. I said ‘allo. But close enough. You look right cold, you do. –d ye like to come in, ‘ave a cup o tea? Meet the missus?” He jerked his wormy head back to the shadowy crevasse behind him, and Touya shook his head.
“No thank you. I’m trying to find my way through the labyrinth, but it’s impossible. There aren’t any turns, no decisions to make. It just isn’t logical.”
“Ere then,” the worm said disapprovingly. “Nothin’s impossible in the labyrinth. Ye just got to know ‘ow to see them twists and turns, that’s all.” Touya jumped on this ray of hope.
“How?” The worm nodded to the blank stony wall opposite.
“There’s one right there, there is.” Touya shook his head in confusion. It looked like an ordinary wall to him.
“I don’t see anything.”
“Course you don’t. Go on, get up.” At the worm’s direction Touya got to his feet and took the couple of steps to cross the passage. The worm kept nodding for him to move forward though, and doubtfully Touya took another step. In an instant his perspective and the shadows changed, revealing what had been artfully concealed: there was a second wall several paces beyond the first, so well camouflaged he would have never guessed if he hadn’t known to look. Now he could choose between two more passages.
“Wow,” he said, impressed in spite of himself. This maze was going to be more difficult than any problem he’d ever solved, that much was obvious. “Thank you.” Again he turned to go left, but stopped short at the worm’s frantic squealing.
“Oy! Oy!”
“What?”
“Don’t go that way! You never go that way!” His tiny little eyes were big and dilated with fear, and Touya turned around obediently.
“Oh, thanks.” He waved in gratitude and took the right hand passage, leaving the worm to his tea. The tiny creature shook his head, relieved, if still a little worried for the fate of this lost stranger. It was clear he would need some kind of guide eventually – if he’d gone down that left passage like he tried, he would have gone straight to the castle!

High above the surrounding city, Yue’s castle stood regal and forbidding in the center of the labyrinth. It was a starkly beautiful vision of marble and crystal, compared to the ugly squatting huts at its base, but cold and unwelcoming all the same. Its king paused on the threshold of the great common hall, the gathering place of his minions. Ugly, goblin-looking creatures they were, numerous and noisy and thoroughly unpleasant to be around. But unfortunately, quite necessary.
They had all flocked here today, in answer to the rumors of fresh blood, and hovered excitedly around their prey. Terrified, the skinny wisp of a girl in her pink pajamas huddled against a leg of his throne, kicking frantically whenever one slithered too near and screaming in a muffled manner through her gag. This earned a roar of laughter from the others and made her cringe, pressing further back into her shelter and watching with panicked eyes for the next attack.
“Desist,” Yue ordered quietly, and the creature ready to pounce pulled himself up short with a surprised screech. Everyone in the room groaned in disappointment, and Yue raised an eyebrow. They all gulped and fled, vacating the room in seconds, leaving him alone with the sister. She didn’t move as he approached, curled into a ball on the floor with her hands bound behind her and shaking with fear, tears rolling down her blotchy cheeks. It was a pitiful sight.
She squealed when he scooped her off the floor and seated himself on his throne, cradling her on his lap. Tenderly he stroked her young face, wiping away hot tears. She flinched at his touch, but was too frozen with fear to struggle or try to escape.
“I do not like crying,” he informed her coldly, fingertips brushing over her rough cotton gag. “I will remove this if you promise not to cry.”
She sniffled and nodded quickly. Obligingly he undid the knot in the back and pulled it out of her mouth, and she took several gasping breaths.
“I wanna go home,” she whispered, voice scratchy from the gag and so much crying.
Yue shook his head. “You are home, Sakura. This is where you now live.” Her hair was tangled and he combed his long fingers through it. Much thinner and lighter than her brother’s, and not as attractive. But she really did have lovely eyes, for a human. Such a vivid green. Another pair of tears welled up in them, despite her promise, and she struggled to blink them back. “Are you afraid?”
“Yes,” she said softly, barely audible in the silent hall.
“Why are you afraid?”
“Be-because,” she hiccuped, “I’m all alone, and I want my big brother.” Her lower lip trembled and he placed a finger over it.
“Shh. You are not alone when you’re with me. Perhaps you will find I am not so terrible to be with.” He brought his palms together in front of her face and drew them apart, revealing a silver chain choker with a sparkling diamond. Cut into the shape of a simple flower, it dangled and caught the light, reflecting it and creating small rainbows. Sakura caught her breath, entranced by its beauty, and she did not resist when he fastened it around her neck. “You are tired. Sleep now.”
She murmured a denial, but his giant wings folded over her, cocooning her, lulling her into rest. Exhausted by her ordeal, the feathery softness was soothing to Sakura and she closed her eyes, resting her head against his shoulder. Within moments she was fast asleep.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters

If you’re wondering at the uncharacteristically (for me) short chapters, there’s a good reason. I didn’t dare post this at ff.net (motto: we censor your soul!), so I debuted it on the now-defunct ccsyaoi yahoo group. An email format necessitated shorter chapters. Anyway, the story itself isn’t very long – certainly not compared to Pleasure Slave – so shorter chapters are appropriate.
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- 2
- 3
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The Labyrinth