The waters swirled about the cavern, forming a towering whirlpool with a calm space in the center. I shook my head, flinging droplets out of my eyes as I searched for Syaoran. There he was; standing on the same root as I was though closer to the sphere that held Sakura. His head was titled back, magic flowing out of his eye. A symbol appeared above his right eye, one I didn't know, but instantly recognized.
That soul is yours! I thought, taking a half-pace forward as the magic continued to leak out of Syaoran's eye. It's something that you, and Sakura-chan, and all the people who love you made together!
And so...
I raised my left hand, holding two fingers out. Magic crackled from the tip of my fingers, surrounding me in a maelstrom of power. I had made a promise the day I arrived in Yûko's shop. I would not use magic, not even when I was on the verge of death. But for someone else...As Kurogane said, that was a different question entirely.
You mustn't lose it!
I snapped my arm out, releasing a stream of magic. The power reformed into millions of symbols, reaching out to surround the symbol leaking from Syaoran's eye. The two magics collided, crackling and resisting each other like a summer storm. My hand began to tremble, threatening to break apart from the strain. I grasped it with my other hand, trying to hold the magic steady. All the while, I could sense the new symbol that was forming at the bottom of the whirlpool. I didn't have to look to know that it was the same symbol that appeared beneath Mokona every time we crossed dimensions.
My hand shook violently, and suddenly the symbol above Syaoran's eye burst apart. I snapped my wrist, severing the connection just in time. The symbols formed of my magic exploded; I threw my hands up in front of my face and shut my eyes. The wave of power passed, and I dared to open my eyes.
A small sphere was floating where the splintered symbol had been, emblazoned with a design which I recognized as the Ying Yang. Syaoran reached out and grabbed the sphere. Slowly, he lowered his hand, turned it over, and opened it. The sphere floated just above his palm, surrounded by rising ribbons of magic. Syaoran lowered his arm, and the sphere dropped to the ground. It rolled along the root towards me, trailing sparks of magic after it. Just before it would have dropped off the root and tumbled into the rushing waters of the whirlpool, I stooped and grasped it. I closed my hand around the sphere, holding his soul close.
Syaoran paused in front of me, and I rose to face him. His eye was blank and emotionless; I suppressed a shudder as I forced myself to meet his gaze, trying to ignore the gap where his right eye had been.
"Syaoran...kun?" I asked tentatively.
For a moment his gaze remained blank. Then he blinked.
"Fai-san?"