*You and I both know that I don't own Card Captor Sakura or its many characters. I luv them to death, but I don't own them. The only thing I own here is my writing.*
*IMPORTANT: For those who don't know, this story is based on the 2nd movie. Basically, I relive everything through Syaoran's Point of View. Haven't seen the movie? Then it's your choice to read it. I'd recommend watching the movie first though!
Much luv,
Mikomi .^^.
Keep Her Safe
"Kero-chan!" she was yelling, "Escape!"
I watched, voiceless and helpless, as the great Cerberus jumped towards the Void. Sakura, however, was frantic with worry. Her eyes widened slightly as Cerberus gave a painful yowl before disappearing into oblivion within the opalescent black bubble.
"KERO-CHAN!" she cried out as if it would bring him back.
But he wasn't going to come back. Not unless we sealed the Void.
The Void ignored her pain easily, but I felt it as keenly as she did. I had unknowingly spent a year observing her every movement, her every expression. When I had fully realized my feelings for her I found that I could decipher her emotions with ease. True happiness was found in a certain curve in her smile, forced happiness I recognized in the tiny crinkle at the corner of her eye, and sadness I found in the split-second quivering of her eyebrows. Sakura had learned to mask her emotions well, and I had learned to read them even better.
"Kero… Yue… why?" she whispered the question achingly.
I felt the now familiar pang in my chest. With each loss, card or friend, her heart had been breaking, and each time I had watched her at these moments my heart ached for her.
Keep her safe. Keep her safe from this feeling.
Void drifted calmly towards the ferris wheel, but Sakura only stood still. "Clow Reed made the cards and the guardians. It's impossible to beat her by Clow's power," I thought outloud, but she showed no indication of hearing me.
Sakura was still frozen with despair, "Why? Everybody will disappear…"
I turned my head to look at Sakura. She was without hope, without any light in her. Light and dark… we had transformed those two cards together. I had confessed my feelings after her triumph.
I couldn't stand it. She should never look that way, she should never look so completely devestated. She was destined to a lifetime of happiness, not this pain, this emptiness, this loss of love. No, I had to do something.
I turned and ran without a word to her. I didn't need to take another look, she was in my heart whether or not she wanted to be. The Void had an enormous head start, but I could sense her presence from the ferris wheel. She was stationary. I'm not using Clow's power. Maybe…
The ferris wheel loomed before me, and without hesitation I dashed up the stairs and leapt nimbly from the ground to the roof of the nearest booth.
Keep her safe from pain.
I jumped from booth to booth, praying to my ancestors for strength. Hop, leap, hop, leap… With my final jump I found myself staring into Void's blank eyes as she sat calmly in the booth. Her eyes startled me momentarily, they were like her name, void of every emotion. Snapping back to attention, I pulled a charm paper from my pocket and flung it into the wind. It flapped slightly before straightening out and I slammed the blade of my sword against it. "God of Lightening!" I yelled, summoning the magic within the paper.
The force of the lightening almost blew me backwards, but I braced myself stubbornly. The Void's black sphere formed around the booth as a shield, but the lightening strands pierced through them easily. Through half-closed eyes I could see Void trying to shield herself in the booth. I pulled another charm from my pocket, this time with added confidence. "Go back to a Card!" I shouted at Void.
There was a faint call from below. My name? I couldn't chance a second to look down, but there was no one else left that it could be. Sakura…
"Don't stop me…" Void murmured, bringing my attention back to the task at hand.
Grimly, I pulled out a fire charm and slammed my sword against it. "God of Fire!"
It would all end, Sakura would be happy again.
"DON'T STOP ME!"
The black bubble expanded at an alarming rate, and my attack rebounded off it. Panic seized my body as it rushed towards me, and suddenly a million points were stabbing at me. There was little pain though, Tomoyo had chosen good material that seemed fire repellent. Although I was relatively unharmed from the fire I quickly realized that I was falling downwards. Not only that, but mere centimeters away was the black bubble, racing hungrily to evaporate me into nothingness. It won't end like this, I gathered the shreds of resolution left in my wavering spirit, I won't let it!
I struggled to twist my body around and faced the ground. Squeezing my eyes shut, I reached into my pocket yet again. "God of Wind!" hopefully it would slow me down.
The wind I had summoned circled around me, but I was too close to the ground now. My fall was barely cushioned, and I only managed to roll out of it to prevent myself from breaking any limbs. Searing heat shot up my back, my breath came in short, sharp gasps and everything about me was experiencing pain. Agonizing, excruciating pain. I groaned and sat up unsteadily. I was probably badly bruised, but it was nothing I hadn't experienced before. Nothing was broken, I hadn't cracked open my head, and as far as I could tell I still had control over my limbs.
Most importantly, I was alive.
My head spun as I tried to spot Sakura. Spots and streaks blurred my vision, and there were no stars or moon to lend me light. She wasn't on the ground anywhere… where was she? "Oh God," I rasped hoarsely, "Please don't let her be gone. She can't have jumped into Void's power…"
After a few anxious moments I spotted her in the sky, hovering over the gap in the ferris wheel. Feathery white wings sprouted from her back; she had used the Fly Card. Only two cards left then.
Her shoulders drooped slightly… for me? She was watching the Void head towards the clock tower. I stood up shakily, using my battered sword to support me. "Oi, Sakura!" I called feebly, "Sakura! I'm okay!"
She couldn't hear me. Even from the distance between us I could see the defeat she was experiencing. "Don't give up," I whispered encouragement to her, hoping that somehow it would reach her, "You can do it. I know you can do it…"
I straightened up, never taking my eyes off of her, "Sakura, you're capable of anything. I believe in you!" I said louder, knowing that she couldn't hear me.
And then, "I'll never give up!" I heard her yell after Void.
Relief washed over me, and I felt myself relax as she took off after Void. "Sakura…"
"At the final judgement of the Clow Cards, I found a world without 'Love'…"
Her words from the previous day struck me now with even more power than they had before.
"I don't like it. I don't like this loneliness…"
Even if Sakura stopped the Void she would lose her most important feeling, the feeling she treasured above all! She didn't want to, I knew that she didn't want to lose that feeling.
"Syaoran-kun? You don't care?"
She was wrong. I cared. I cared about it more than she knew. But, the rest of the world was at stake! Shouldn't the world outweigh the sacrifice of one individual's feelings?
And then I knew. It came to me in a flash, a brief thought of Sakura smiling cheerfully at me. She had said that she had to transform it into a Sakura Card by her most important feeling. But maybe… maybe she had failed to tell me that it would take away the most important feeling of the one who was the most powerful against the Clow Cards. Sakura had used so much magic already, perhaps I would be the one who would lose his feelings! She was afraid of losing her feeling, and if I could prevent it from happening I'd be satisfied. Sakura would be happy. And that's all I want, for her to be happy.
Keep her safe from her fears.
I had to catch up to her, but without magic. I needed to reserve my magic so that I would be the one chosen, not her. "Lend me your strength and magic," I murmured under my breath, "And keep her safe from harm…"
Inhaling deeply, I felt the brief presence of my ancestors, giving me what I had asked them for. I felt myself smiling, "Thank you," I expressed my gratitude softly.
My sore limbs felt refreshed with new energy, and I pushed myself to my limit, sprinting the long distance with a speed I didn't know I possessed. Images of Sakura flashed through my mind.
"Li-kun! Li-kun you're going to disappear too!"
"I know we're way younger than he is, but we can't help it right? This is love,"
"I lost my watch. The watch he gave me was so precious to me…"
"Today when you called my name, I felt happy! I feel like we're real friends now. Can I call you Syaoran-kun?"
"Sorry! I shouldn't force you to tell who you like!"
"Yukito-san said… Someday I'd find someone I really loved and… he'd love me as much as I loved him"
"I should be thanking you! You were the one who helped me feel better that time,"
"Syaoran-kun! Are you okay?"
"Ever since I met you, you've been courageous and helpful… I couldn't have done it without you!"
"Syaoran-kun? You don't care?"
"I can't dance. I'll step on your feet,"
"Please… forget me! Forget me from your heart…"
The play. Yamazaki had made me go over the lines with him, drilling me until I knew them almost better than he did. I had thought at that time that he just need help with his lines. I should've known better. It was Yamazaki after all, an actor at all times. I'm not sure if he planned it himself, or if Tomoyo and Meiling had a hand in it. But during that play, I felt that Sakura and I had been playing out our experience together. I don't know if she realized it, but when I confessed my love as the prince, I reaffirmed my love for her. For the kind, joyful girl that I had unwittingly fallen for.
"Please… forget me! Forget me from your heart…"
I looked up, still dashing full speed towards the clock tower. Sakura was now diving downwards towards the entrance at the bottom of the tower. There was no way I could beat her there, not without using my magic.
Keep her safe from danger.
I bowed my head and added an extra spurt of energy to my speed. I couldn't risk using magic. I had to be the one, not her.
"I don't like it. I don't like this loneliness… "
I had to keep her safe from her fear of loneliness, I just had to. I had to help bring back the people she loves. I dashed through the doorway of the clocktower. The instant I passed under the huge arched doorway I stumbled and almost collapsed. The power from my ancestors had left me, and now I was feeling the exhaust and pain that their spirits had shielded me from. My body ached, and I leaned my weight against the sword to relieve a little pressure from my legs. There was a cry of surprise from above, and then the sound of fingers scraping against metal. Looking upwards I watched as Sakura clutched desperately at the pendulum, trying to prevent herself from falling the downwards. If she's going to fall off, I have no choice but to use my magic, I thought resolutely, But…
Luckily, I didn't have to think any further on the subject. Sakura landed at the base of the pendulum on the large circular piece of metal attached to the long bar. I breathed a sigh of relief too soon. A huge splash of black was diving downwards in her direction. I tried to yell a warning, but Sakura had already noticed it herself. "Shield!" she called upon the last card, and it shielded her from the Void.
Unfortunately, the rest of the pendulum was effectively disintegrated and the remains crashed downwards. I backed up into the doorway, afraid that if anything happened to me I wouldn't be chosen. Dust exploded into the air along with various debris accompanied by a fantastic rumble. When the air had been cleared of dust I staggered slowly over to the mess in the middle of the clock tower. I gave it a quick look over to see if Sakura was among the rubble. When I couldn't find her I looked up to see her pulling herself over the edge of the stairs. Stairs… I searched for the start of the stairs in the darkness. There was a faint outline of a step to my left, and I stumbled clumsily towards it.
The Void looked fondly upon the Shield card before having it disappear within her along with the other cards. "That's all of the cards," she said softly. Her voice wasn't smug as I would have expected, it was joyful. A small smile graced her lips.
"I'll seal you! Then I can save everybody!" Sakura had regained her calmness, and from the way she looked she wasn't about to lose to the card. She had the same determined posture during the Final Judgement and the transformation of the Light and the Dark. I closed my eyes and whispered her mantra, "It's alright. It'll be okay,"
"NO!" the Void cried out, as if Sakura's words had wounded her deeply. She sent a black ball in Sakura's direction.
Keep her safe from this power! I prayed.
Sakura dodged it easily, but Void wasn't finished yet. She hurled another one, and Sakura skidded slightly, turned around and managed to run out of the way of the second ball. Now she was trapped on a single piece of stairway, large gaps between her and the other sides. I continued limping up the stairs, telling myself over and over that it would be okay.
The Void drifted downwards to Sakura's eye level. "I was alone. I was locked in darkness and cold. I'm very lonely, I'm happy to see my friends again. Why do you stop me?" her voice was strangled.
I couldn't see Sakura, but for once I could sense anger and grief mingled inside her. "That's not called a friend!" she yelled harshly at the Void.
I winced. Never had I heard her use that tone on anyone.
Keep her calm, keep her spirit strong, keep her safe…
"Friends never push each other! You can't be regarded as a friend! You're wrong!" Sakura yelled, her voice breaking slightly.
As if recognizing the voice of their mistress, the cards flew free from the Void and surrounded her in a circle. Sakura's shoulders immediately straightened out at the sight of her beloved cards. Some of her happiness and energy was coming back! My heart cheered for her, but I knew what was coming next…
"Please… forget me! Forget me from your heart…"
I steeled myself for what was to come and sent all my spirit, all my energy, and all my feeble courage to her.
Void collapsed in the middle of the circle, sobbing into her hands. "You, why?" she cried stormily, aching from her loneliness "Do you hate me? We're not friends? Why?"
I was so close to Sakura now, and I could see her expression soften as Void wept hopelessly. She didn't sense my presence, all of her was concentrated on the forsaken card. And all of me was focused on Sakura. Would she become like Void without her most treasured feeling? No, because she wouldn't lose her most treasured feeling. "Please, honoured ancestors, lend me just a little of your magic. Let me be the one who is to be sacrificed…" I whispered under my breath.
The cards flew away from Void and lined up in mid-air, forming a pathway from Sakura to the Void. Sakura seemed to hesitate for a moment, but her faith in the cards was strong. She wouldn't believe that they would betray her, ever. She loved them, and they in turn loved her as well.
Keep her safe from the emotions she'll feel after her decision, I continued to pray.
Sakura stepped onto her beloved cards tentatively, "Don't worry," she told Void softly, kindly, "Come join us!"
Trying to stifle her sobs, Void dropped her hands from her face and looked at Sakura, "You won't… leave me alone?"
Smiling sincerely, Sakura shook her head no. "Everyone is waiting for you…"
The Void slowly rose to her feet, accepting Sakura's offer. Sakura didn't move though, hesitation once again clouding her mind. "It's okay Sakura, you won't lose your feeling…" I said softly, silently encouraging her even though she didn't know I was there.
Sadly but firmly she raised her wand, and she uttered the words that she had used so many times, only this time with a tone of defeat. "Return to thy original form. Clow Card!" she paused again, as if deep in thought. The Void swirled into a mist to form the card, but still Sakura did nothing. After what seemed like hours she seemed to have made up her mind, "Clow Card, shed thy previous form and be reborn. I order you, as the new mistress, under the name of Sakura!"
I could tell she was bracing herself for the Void to wrap around her. Please be me, please take me! I wished silently.
The darkness pulled away from the card, and it looked as if it would envelop Sakura. No! No, I'm here! Take me!
And then it turned away from her and wrapped itself around me. She's safe… I sighed with relief, It's over and she's really safe…
Through the black I could just make out Sakura's expression. Bewildered, she looked at me with disbelief. "Syaoran-kun!" she called my name in alarm.
She's safe… I smiled to show her my relief, "Luckily I could catch up with you. I have a little bit of power…" I put down my sword and read the exhaust in Sakura's face. "Tired? You used too many cards,"
She was looking distressed now, worried for me and for my treasured feeling, "Syaoran-kun…"
She's safe, nothing could be better… "Even if I lose this feeling…" I looked fondly upon her cheerless face. I needed to cheer her up, let her know that I would still love her somewhere inside, and that I would fall in love with her again willingly. "I still…"
Black crept into my vision, blocking out the edges of her face. Her tears filled my vision. "SYAORAN-KUN!"
Blankness…
Suddenly I was thrust back into a world with colours. Everything was blurry. My surroundings, sounds, and my thoughts were muddled beyond understanding. Green shapes swam into view. Gloves? My hands were in the gloves? I turned them over slowly, fascinated by the movements. Where was I? Who was I?
Sobbing. A voice was crying painfully.
It seemed familiar, but why?
"Don't cry, everything's alright" another voice tried to soothe the crying one.
I shook my head, trying to unmuddle the mess in my brain. What had happened? I was sure I had been through a great ordeal… hadn't I? Slowly images came back to me. Images of a kind face with glasses, a stuffed animal, a girl with a video camera. Who were these people? A Chinese girl with a teasing smile and understanding eyes seemed to be chiding me. Meiling! The other must be Tsukishiro, Cerberus, and Daidouji then. And then, images of a girl with cheerful green eyes, a kind smile, and a sunny personality. I knew this girl… she was important? I shook my head again, trying to clear my mind to make room for this girl. "Please… forget me! Forget me from your heart…"
"Syaoran-kun!"
My name? Was Syaoran my name? More images and scenes of this girl, this voice…
"I don't care what you think," she was talking to me, "I love Syaoran. I love you most of all!"
"I love Syaoran,"
I turned to look at her and recognized her as the girl I couldn't place. Something cleared in my mind. "Everything's alright," the voice that had soothed the crying voice entered my mind.
Brightness hit me between my eyes. A memory of a confession much like that of the sad voice. I saw myself, dressed in green robes. The ceremonial fighting robes of my family. I was kneeling with the girl I couldn't name in my mind. "I…I'm… I'm in love with you!" I watched myself say to the girl.
The girl… Sakura…
The one who I had loved.
No! She was the one who I loved now. The one who I would always love.
She was crying, and now I knew for sure that she was crying for me. She loved me.
"I love you most of all!"
"Me too," I surprised myself by speaking.
Her crying stopped abruptly and I could feel her surprise. I turned around, smiling as I saw Sakura's face, hopeful that she had not heard wrong. "Sakura…"
Her smile started small, and within seconds she had an enormous grin on her face. I knew that mine matched hers perfectly. My heart was calm and bursting with happiness at the same time. I wanted nothing more than to hold her, and never let her go so she would never have to hurt. But the physical gap between us was great, and it was a long way down… I looked back into her shining eyes, and the sun decided to show itself at the moment. Sakura ignored the entrance of the sun, instead she seemed to be judging length of the gap between us. When she noticed me looking at her with a quizzical expression she winked and pulled a Sakura card from her pocket. "JUMP!"
She backed up, never taking her eyes of me, still smiling. "Here I come!" she yelled a warning to me.
My heart dropped. She hadn't fully regained her magic yet. What if she wasn't strong enough to make it? I held my hands out, motioning for her to stop, "Please, don't! Your power will be restored soon!"
"No!" she disagreed cheerfully before running.
Don't let her fall, everything in me screamed. Sakura jumped, and then she flung her arms out, ready to embrace me. "I really love you!" she yelled again as she came flying towards me.
I only hoped that I wouldn't drop her. Suddenly her arms were around my neck and I had her firmly by the waist. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to stand against the weight flying at me and we both ended up falling down. Sakura immediately jumped up and pulled me with her. "Syaoran-kun! Are you okay?"
I gazed at her for a second, worry creeping into her eyes. I couldn't wait anymore. I pulled her into a fierce hug and breathed in her scent. "I love you, Sakura," I murmured into her hair.
Her arms tightened around my neck. "I love you too," she said softly, "I love you most, I…"
Making sure I still had a firm grip on her, I spun her around once and she laughed. "Syaoran, put me down!" she giggled.
I did as she asked, "You called me Syaoran…"
"I can, can't I?" she asked anxiously.
Her eyes searched mine, and then she took hold of my hand and smiled, "Can't I, Syaoran?"
"I…" raising my hand, I touched her cheek, "I've been wondering when you would call me that…"