gentle and affectionate

Chapter 57.

The dinner in the Desert Palace was exquisite and rich, which is not surprising in itself, but what was strange was that they seemed to have known that the little wolf would come here today, so they actually prepared his portion in advance.

Sure enough, that queen can also predict the future in her dreams, Xiaolang thought, following Princess Sakura's footsteps to the restaurant, the two little people sat down facing each other, the naughty little princess was already drooling with greed.

"Sure enough!"

"What really?"

"I'm on a fast now, and I can only eat fruits and herbs, but you see, there are also meat, Puglia, and cocoa here..." Sakura introduced like a few treasures, "I think The queen mother saw you in her dream, so it was specially prepared for you."

"Amazing……"

Parents said that someone who can predict the future so clearly in a dream must be an existence with strong magic power, and Xiaolang secretly admires it. After all, even his mother—and his father, who he has always considered to be very powerful existences—are also in this dream. After giving birth to herself, the ability to dream was restored.

As for why it was "recovery", the parents didn't say it clearly, and he didn't go into it further. He only told the matter to Sakura in front of him, together with her very similar appearance to her mother, and the exact same name.

Sakura couldn't help but froze.

"Eh? Me?"

"Yes."

He also felt that it was not accidental, so he asked this question.

"It's not accidental... But, is it also inevitable?"

The girl spoke thoughtfully, and her voice became smaller and smaller,

"But, my name is..."

This made it seem like "Sakura" was not her original real name, which made Xiaolang, who also inherited his father's name as a pseudonym, feel even more strange, but when he wanted to ask something, he saw the girl opposite shook her head, and her face recovered. innocent smile.

"Can I call you 'Little Wolf'?"

Faced with such a smile, Xiaolang felt that he could not say a word of rejection, and he did not mean to refuse in his heart; on the contrary, his name was so catchy when it was called by Princess Sakura, and it also revealed Somewhat inexplicably familiar, as if she had been calling him that since a long time ago.

That night.

"Mom had a dream?"

In the dream, the boy asked his father this.

"She said someone is waiting for you."

His father answered him thus,

"Besides, it's another world with different dimensions and principles... If that's the case, would you go there?"

Going away from parents to a foreign country, or even a different dimension, is something no child would want to do, but the future dreamed by the mother has never gone wrong, and the boy has been taught since childhood to be brave.

So, he still stared at his big brown eyes:

"If that's what I'm supposed to be doing...I'm going."

……

Afterwards, his father entrusted him with the family heirloom sword and his name, without explaining anything to him, and even his expression became blurred with the ambiguous memories and dreams.

The boy woke up from his dream. It was already bright outside, but he felt as if he hadn't woken up yet.

His father entrusted everything to himself. Even though it had only been a few days, he felt as if he had been away for a long time. When he was traveling for the first time, he couldn't help thinking of his parents.The little wolf looked at the palm of his hand, and suddenly remembered the ancestral sword that his father gave him. With a thought, he turned and jumped out of the bed, chanted the spell, and the eight trigrams magic circle inherited from his father appeared under his feet instantly, and his hands moved again. Together, he drew the sword from his left hand.

The sword is made of black iron, expensive but not flashy - it is the Li family's heirloom sword, and it should not be taken out lightly unless it is a critical moment, so he asked his father when he took the sword.

——Will it be used?

What did the mother see that made them decide that he should bring the family's treasured sword during the short seven days he came to Jiulou Kingdom?

But if there is something important, why don't the parents say a word about it?

The sword is long and wide, and it is heavy in the hand. No matter in terms of weight or significance, it seems a little difficult for the seven-year-old wolf to control, even though his father's strict requirements and the little wolf's unremitting efforts made him It has already exceeded the strength he should achieve at this age, but it is still too heavy for him to hand over everything to a child so early.

Good thing it's only seven days, he thought.

In just seven days, I can see my parents again, and I can ask all these questions clearly.

The little wolf stared at the sword in his hand in a daze, whether it was the different expressions of his parents, or the various coincidences he encountered after coming to Jiulou Kingdom, all of them seemed to be inextricably linked, but at this moment He couldn't tell.

What does it mean to meet a self who inherited his father and a Princess Sakura who resembles his mother in just seven days?

Suddenly, a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey, kid."

This early in the morning, who would have thought that someone would come to him.The little wolf was startled with fright, and hurriedly looked towards the source of the sound. It turned out to be the Prince Jiulou whom he met at dinner, and also Xiaoying's own brother, named Taoya.

"You actually took out your sword in the city, how courageous you are! Even if you are beheaded, you have nothing to say!"

Little Wolf was a very serious kid, and when he heard this, he panicked.Snow Rabbit, who came in with him, glanced at his unreasonable playmate, sighed helplessly, then turned to explain to Little Wolf:

"You didn't know this rule in advance, just put it away, don't worry."

The gentle elder brother smoothed things over for the tricky elder brother, and it is normal for ordinary people to accept their swords, but Xiaolang felt that he was still at fault, so he bowed to the two of them politely, apologized, and was as serious as a little wolf. The old man looked really cheerful, seeing that Xuetu liked it, he deliberately raised his voice, and said to the angry prince behind him:

"He's a good boy."

The gentle brother laughed even more gently, and the little wolf felt comforted, so he put the sword away obediently.Over there, a narrow-minded prince snorted coldly, while Xuetu shook his head helplessly. His Royal Highness usually behaves noble and decent, and everyone praises him, but when it comes to the matter of his sister Sakura, he will always be angry. Like a cat whose tail has been stepped on, this makes this person fluctuate between maturity and immaturity every day, and often even needs to help clean up the situation by himself.

However, the future Snow Rabbit Priest is not in the mood to talk to him right now, he has more important things to say to the little brother in front of him.

"That sword is something that exists in your body."

Snow Rabbit puts on the shoulder of little wolf, and sees the scenes that he saw in the dream appear more clearly in front of his eyes - he must be the one destined for Princess Sakura, and they still have a long way to go.

The young priest is still unable to understand the true meaning of the future, but inexplicably has a dull worry in his chest, unable to enjoy himself.

"You have strength, and you must also have strength and courage. From now on...you must get along well with Princess Sakura."

Xuetu said with some emotion here, while Taoya on the other side was trying her best to tear down the stage.

"Even if you have power, aren't you still a brat?"

The little wolf stared at him disapprovingly.

Toya stared back viciously.

Snow Rabbit sighed.

"Little wolf, are you awake—"

When the girl's voice came from outside the door, Yukito felt for the first time that Sakura, who was a little reckless, was in the right place today.

"Before breakfast, do you want to go for a walk together..."

The little girl didn't know what it means to be shy at this age, so she pushed the door open and barged in, but in the middle of speaking, she saw the scene where her demon brother and her new partner Little Wolf were fighting fiercely, while Snow Rabbit stood aside and laughed when she saw herself. Then he said good morning.

Xiao Sakura said good morning to Brother Xuetu, then turned to kiss her brother.

"Brother Wang, are you bullying little wolf again?!"

"I'm just telling the truth, a kid is a kid."

"Brother Wang is also younger than Brother Snow Rabbit!"

"..."

"Also, although Brother Wang is taller, he is much more childish than Brother Xuetu on the inside!"

The princess's firepower was too strong, and she hit all the vital points fiercely, so that Prince Taoya was a little bit overwhelmed at that time, and he had to lean on the wall to barely stand; It's a bit self-inflicted, but the behavior of Princess Sakura helping her little friend who has only known him for a day and wantonly attacking her brother is also a typical example of turning her elbows outward.

What's more, it's like this after only a day of acquaintance, what will happen in the future.

And on this side, the heroic and triumphant Princess Sakura is holding a two-person celebration with her little friend.

Princess Sakura was very happy, whether it was winning the battle with the king, or protecting the little wolf from being bullied by the king, it was something worth celebrating for her; God, there are still six days before she can meet her father and queen mother, and before these difficult six days, she unexpectedly harvested such a little friend of the same age, and even protected him from the bad brother, isn't this being punished? Is it the result of luck?

The little princess danced happily, and the little wolf was happy with her.

"Thank you."

Sakura was a little surprised and turned to look at him.

"If... if someone bullies you next time, then..." Little Wolf clenched his fists, as if making up his mind, "Let me protect you!"

In the garden of Jiulou Kingdom, on this small oasis in the desert, a boy and a girl stand opposite each other. They have not yet opened their relationship, but they have made a lifelong vow.

Sakura didn't expect him to say that, she couldn't help but blush, after a while she realized it, and then burst into a big smile.

"Thank you!"

"..."

"But just now... when I ran over, I really wanted to hold hands with you," she changed the subject, "I ended my fast and returned on the same day as Little Wolf, maybe it won't be in time, but... if you still If we have time...let's run hand in hand!"

"Okay."

Xiaolang agreed without hesitation, and took advantage of the opportunity to teach Sakura the method of making an oath in his hometown.So the two little people wrote a hopeful prelude to the beginning of this long story through the scene of the agreement.

How long is seven days?If you want to study hard in seven days, it may be as long as January; but if it is a seven-day vacation, or the end of a holiday that is especially cherished, you will truly feel that time flies, and there is no moment. stay.

But for the little wolf, the seven days in Jiulou Kingdom were obviously the latter.

The little wolf stood on the balcony, looking at the desert at night.Five days have passed in a blink of an eye, during these five days, he has been invited by Sakura to live in the city, chatting and playing with her at night, and during the day, he has Momoya Snow Rabbit as a guide to visit and play.The two took the little wolf to enjoy a lot of historic sites and scenery of Jiulou Kingdom, and the simple folk customs made the little wolf love this place even more.

If possible, I really want to stay a few more days.

As he was thinking this way, he accidentally heard the sound of small footsteps coming from the corridor, and his movements were very light, but the young man who practiced martial arts since childhood still recognized who was coming.

"Haven't you slept yet?"

asked the little wolf.When the visitor saw him making a sound, he opened the door curtain openly and walked in. Sure enough, it was Sakura.

"I thought it would be bad if you fell asleep, so I came here quietly."

"By breathing... I know."

"Even if it's me?"

"Ah."

So the two little people laughed.The little wolf looked at her for a moment, only to find that the girl's body wrapped in the cloak was still wet, and the short light chestnut hair was dripping with water.

"Why are you wet?"

"Well, this, because I came directly from the Jiezhai Field," she hesitated for a moment, with a sad expression on her face, "then...there are only two days left."

Good times are always very short.The little wolf was thinking about this just now, and he couldn't help lowering his head when he heard the words. For him, these two days were not only the last two days, but also related to the use of the sword that his father gave him--of course he He didn't want anything to happen, but his father would not hand him the family heirloom sword for no reason, and his intuition also reminded him that something might happen.

What could it be?Looking at the girl in front of him, he suddenly felt uneasy, not knowing what she meant to him, let alone what he could do with his own weak strength.

Seeing his dignified expression, the girl quickly changed the subject.

"Well... Tomorrow night, do you want to go see the stars?"

"Star?"

"Ah."

Speaking of interesting things, the reluctance on her face was wiped away, and she returned to a state full of energy.

"When the sun comes out during the day, I have to stay in the clean room, so I have to wait until night," she said. "There is an observatory on the highest place in the city, and the stars are really beautiful from there...so I I want to go see it with Little Wolf."

The boy looked at her bright green eyes, and felt that their shining appearance was far more beautiful than the stars in the sky.

The little wolf did not expect to see the queen so early in the morning.

"Good morning~ You woke up really early."

"Good morning."

"Want to have breakfast?"

"Yes."

"Well... the end of the fast, there are only two days left, I hope from the bottom of my heart... everything will go well."

The little wolf felt that the queen seemed to have something to say.

"Didn't you see it in your dream?"

The queen shook her head.

"Although I can see the future in my dreams, I can't see everything," she said with her eyes closed. "However... because of this, I can have hope for a happy future."

"My mother... said that too."

"yes……"

The queen opened her eyes, stroked his cheek, and returned to her gentle smile.

"If there is a chance, I really want to meet your mother," she said with a smile, "Go, I made Apple Payo today."

The little wolf failed to see the sadness in the queen's smiling eyes, and waved goodbye to her.

Sunset on the west mountain, half a piece of jade plate in the sky, full of stars.

"Quietly...quietly..."

They walked very lightly, as if they were worried about startling the stars in the sky.The two whispered small words, and quietly walked up the long winding steps until the girl gently pushed open the door leading to the top——

"Great..."

The star river in the desert, the bead curtains are scattered, and the silver and Han system is far away in the sky.

The boy couldn't help sighing that in this dark and cold desert night, there can be such a magnificent and charming scene.

"Do you like it?" the girl asked him.

"Hmm...it's really beautiful."

Even in Yongye, where you can't see the front at a glance, you can still look forward to the light with hope.

There is extreme joy begets sorrow, and there is also extreme happiness.

"As long as you're happy..."

Because people's will can really surpass everything sometimes.

"Sakura!"

The emerald eyes that were originally looking at the starry sky suddenly lost focus, and the girl flew away from him into the air without warning, facing the direction of the distant ruins, and murmured——

"there's noise……"

"It's like... the sound of bells colliding..."

"Calling me..."

"water……"

Her suspended body moved forward slowly, and was about to leave the range of the observatory. The little wolf quickly reached out to pull her out, but was stopped by her himself at the moment of contact.

"Little wolf—!"

Little Wolf couldn't believe that the voice came from Sakura, that voice seemed to be possessed, it was clearly Sakura, but it wasn't Sakura—it seemed to be the rejection shouted out by fate through her mouth, like a boulder. It hit his heart, freezing his whole body in an instant.

So the little wolf's hand only stopped at that moment, and he could only watch her fall heavily to the ground.

"Sakura—are you alright?!"

The girl who fell on the ground tried to turn her head, her face was pale, as if she had seen something terrible, she forced herself and said slowly:

"No... little wolf... dangerous..."

"Can't... come here..."

After she finished speaking these words intermittently, she was exhausted and passed out. The little wolf's heart was raised in his throat for a moment. Fortunately, King Fujitaka arrived in time, and the little wolf quickly told Fujitaka the whole story. Frowning.

"When I dreamed of something before, this kind of situation happened... Did she say anything?"

"It seems... the bell came from the ruins," Little Wolf recalled. "She seemed to have seen the pool area, and she called my name, telling me that it was dangerous and told me not to go there."

The king's expression became more solemn, and the little wolf became more worried.

"After this fast is over, until the next festival, the princess will not have the opportunity to enter there again..."

"So... did you dream about tomorrow's fasting pool?"

"I don't know," the king frowned. "Even the queen who is currently serving as a priest cannot see what will happen tomorrow in her dreams."

"..."

It was cold and windy at the stargazing platform at night, but they couldn't send her back to the room, they could only watch her trembling against the cold, her beautiful eyebrows were also frowned uncomfortably, wondering if she had dreamed something wrong again. Good thing.

Little Wolf felt that he should do something.Xuetu said that Sakura also has the ability to dream about the future. If tomorrow's fasting pool is really as dangerous as Sakura dreamed, he can't just watch her in danger like this—if he can do it , then he will definitely do it.

It suddenly occurred to him that maybe it was because of her that his parents asked him to come here.

Cub weighed it for a while, and finally mustered up the courage to say to Fujitaka:

"Tomorrow... can I go to the clean pool?"

Fujitaka was a little surprised, but then calmed down.

"During the fast, only the priests can stay in that place... on the last day, not to mention the royal family, even the priests are not allowed to enter."

"..."

"But you are not from the royal family, or even from this world," Fujitaka changed the subject, "Even if you meet the princess by the pool during the fasting period, the ceremony can still continue. Both the queen and the snow rabbit said that this means that the pool allows you The presence."

"So……"

"But, the princess said 'danger' to you in the dream, right?"

"Yes……"

"In your original world, your family is still waiting for you, even if it's for Princess Sakura, I can't let you..."

The king showed a serious expression, trying to persuade the boy very seriously, but the latter showed determination far beyond his age. He looked straight at Fujitaka with a pair of brown eyes, like a little general who was fearless.

"I'm going."

"If you tell me not to go because it's dangerous, it means that the princess herself must be in danger..." He lowered his head and looked at the sleeping Sakura, "Although I don't know if I can do anything, but if there is, I can do it. If so, then I will definitely go.”

What the boy said made sense, and his attitude was so firm that even Takashi Fuji couldn't resist refuting it.

After deliberating over and over again, Fujitaka could only let out a long sigh.

"Originally, as a father, I should be by her side, but... in this country, the ceremony held in the ruins is considered very important. If she started when she was three years old, then the hard work Priesthood rites, let it be an empty word on the seventh birthday..."

The king's words were not finished, but the meaning was obvious, and the little wolf nodded in response:

"I have learned all kinds of rituals and spells from my father, so I understand that once such a ritual begins, it must be completed... If you don't do this, misfortune will befall the person who performs the ritual , I don’t want that to happen either.”

"Is it the same in your country?"

"Yes...and, I also promised."

He thought of their appointment in the garden a few mornings ago.

"Next time, I will protect her."

"Then... Sakura, please."

Definitely a sleepless night.

The next day, which was the seventh day of the fast, the boy accompanied the princess to the cleansing field.He sat on the stone steps beside the clean pool, looking at the spiritual water in the pool and the people standing in the pool. The little princess, who was only seven years old, possessed amazing magical powers, to the extent that he could not detect all of them even though he tried his best.

The young man felt more and more that things were not easy, but as a young man, he had limited experience and strength. He could neither predict the future nor even know what kind of preparations he needed to make, which made him feel powerless.

This made the young man feel for the first time that some things really cannot be achieved with perseverance and courage.

"Does the little wolf also participate in the cleansing ceremony?"

At some point, Xiao Ying actually walked in front of him, he was startled, and quickly said as if nothing had happened:

"I... I'm just staying here, with the permission of the king and queen."

"Well, I'm glad you can come, but why?"

The girl looked completely unaware, as if she hadn't experienced what happened yesterday, Xiao Lang thought, if Fujitaka hadn't been there last night, even he would have thought everything yesterday was just a dream.

Of course, if it was really a dream, and if none of the dangers Sakura saw happened, then of course it would be the best.

"They said... the pool area allows me to exist." He thought for a while, and had to explain it this way.

"So that's how it is," Sakura said thoughtfully, "So, does Shui also like coyotes?"

"……also?"

"Ah, that, that's—I mean, in that case, we might be able to hold hands when the fast is over!"

The girl was obviously changing the subject forcibly, and ran away after finishing speaking, not giving the little wolf any room to ask any more questions, but the little wolf didn't understand what she was hiding, so he could only give up; The extra effort was spent thinking about other things. Even the queen, who is a priest, couldn't get a glimpse of today's events. The only Sakura who had seen it before said it vaguely last night, and now she doesn't even remember it.

His mother said that someone was waiting for him, and he had been staying in the palace for seven days. Now, he only hoped that the person waiting for him was Sakura in front of him, and he could help her with a little effort—he came to this world It is for this reason, not to mention that now, he himself wants to protect Sakura from the bottom of his heart, and sincerely hopes that the little princess in the desert city can live with such a bright smile forever.

That way, even if there is no chance to meet again in the future, it is enough to know that she is still living happily.

The girl stood in the middle of the pool, closed her eyes and prayed.

Not far from the pool, the boy made up his mind.

Everything is witnessed by this moment of silence, with the murmur of the water, and the time is obviously passing peacefully, but it seems that everything is frozen at that moment, 1 years at a glance.

If possible, he would like everything to stay there and not move forward.

But time is never controlled by anyone's will, and the moment when the wheel of fortune begins to turn will finally come as promised.

Accompanied by the small click sound gradually increasing, the girl's eyes lost their brilliance again.

This is exactly the same as last night.The young man ran into the pool in a hurry, without hesitation, but he didn't expect that the water would suddenly become turbulent, and the rapid water column collapsed the rock platform on the four walls that received the water flow, and the broken pieces fell into the water one after another. This made the distance between the boy and the princess longer.

Sakura seemed to have heard something, and lost her mind like last night, her small body floated up; Xiaolang was worried that something would happen to her, so he had to dodge debris and rocks, while wading in the water, desperately ran towards Sakura I went, but at this moment I was surprised to find that a slit appeared out of nowhere in the midair!

Parents said that time and space are interconnected, and even through magic, the two worlds can be forcibly connected.

A man's face emerges from the slit.

——That’s not from this world.

The boy made this judgment immediately, and his steps did not stop for a moment.He thought he was fighting for his life, with time, with this man of unknown origin.

He wanted to take back Sakura, because he said he wanted to protect Sakura.

The man in the slit chanted a spell, and black slime appeared out of thin air from the slit, filling the entire clean room in an instant, and their goal was only one——

"Sakura-"

"Wake up quickly!"

But the girl didn't hear his call, she was still hanging in the air in a daze, and was about to be wrapped in that mass of black——

The young man made mudras with his hands, pulled out the family-inherited sword from his palms, and jumped towards the girl in mid-air; the water flow also understood emotions, and cooperated with the young man to form a long water column, splitting a gap in the shadow alive.

Gathering up his strength, he leaped into the air——

"Sakura!"

The young man cut through the swamp of death with a sword, and stretched out his hand.

Fingertips will touch—

He suddenly remembered the day when they first met, the girl said that he could not touch her no matter what.

The girl seemed to be about to wake up, muttering something.

He therefore hesitated for a moment.

The hand misses in mid-air.

She disappeared into the endless darkness in an instant, without a trace.

"Sakura—!"

……

He shouted her name, pinched his fingers and recited the formula, turning all his anger into thunder and lightning.

——The man in the slit said that it was his momentary hesitation that decided such a future.

When the black demon swamp slowly bloomed in midair like a flower of hell, the person he was determined to protect no matter what also appeared in midair, but black wings grew out of her chest.

——The man told him that it was the imprint of death, and it would grow up slowly from the day it was engraved.

The young man stored all his magical power in the sword, but he had no choice but to ignore the man.

——Until the moment it grows to completely cover Sakura's body, that is the last...

"Why--you are doing this to Sakura--!!"

Shouting almost hysterically.

Overwhelming power gap.

The boy was knocked to the ground, covered in bruises.

"To make your wish come true," the man said casually, "and, next time you get hit, you will die."

But the young man seemed not to have heard it, stood up with his sword strong, and then swung his sword again, and the man over there was also ready for the final blow——

Gorgeous magic circle and butterflies came to this world together.

Gave him and her the possibility of a future.

……

In the wish-fulfilling shop, there was a boy who called out a girl's name as soon as he woke up, but the owner of that name was far away in another world, unable to hear his call, let alone hold hands with him. .

He thought that it was he who broke the oath he made that day and failed to protect her well.

"How would you choose?" the shopkeeper there asked him.

"I want to go back, back to Nine Towers..."

He says,

"Because I promised Sakura... no matter what happens, I will protect her."

The author has something to say:

I went through the outline last night, and it looks like there are still three chapters, I'm really reluctant~

I wondered whether I should post it together after finishing writing. After asking for opinions from my roommates, they all said that they prefer to update slowly compared to procrastinating too long, so I will update slowly, no matter whether it is good or bad. , in short, the killing of memories belonging to the children is finally over, amen