Shaoran and Tomoyo, the latter in the lead, hurried down the hallway of the apartment building, making their way towards the room Sakura and Tomoyo were staying while they were in Hong Kong. Reaching their room, Tomoyo burst in and immediately asked Sakura, who was sitting on the couch, where Eriol was.
"He's in the other bedroom, resting. Kero said he'll be alright, he just passed out due to his magic being stolen so quickly." Sakura replied, then watched as her friend rushed off to the mentioned room. Shaoran, having closed the door behind him and caught up, walked over to where Tomoyo had been standing, and saw that Yukito was also seated on the couch. Disregarding it as the fact that the girls needed an adult around, Shaoran sat down next to Sakura, asking, "So what happened? One minute we're looking at that weird painting, the next you're flying out the window with an unconscious Eriol in tow."
As Sakura told her story, a shocked expression came over Shaoran's face, while Kero and Yukito looked very serious. Finishing with the moment time went back to normal, she then said, "I'm almost positive the magic of the painting was after me, but Eriol knocked me out of the way, so it grabbed him instead."
While Shaoran tried to register the fact that Sakura figured it out so quickly, Kero reverted to his true form and said, "I believe I know the painting Sakura is speaking of, but I will need Yue's help to tell the whole story." After Yukito transformed, Kero began with, "This happened when we were still with Clow Reed. The three of us had traveled to a distant part of the mountains in China because Clow wanted to visit a friend who lived in the area. While crossing a more remote part of the mountains, we felt very strong magic emanating from somewhere. What we found was—"
"A witch." Yue continued. "and the reason she was so strong was because for years she had been luring other magical beings to her, than stealing their magic. By the time we found her, she was a threat to a large part of China. She tried to steal the magic that allows Kerberos and I to exist, as well as what magic Clow also had. Just a few seconds was all it took for that woman to take nearly all of Kero's magic. Clow ended it soon after that by using the CREATE card to make the painting and seal her inside it. The image you saw was created on the canvas by her dark powers. I can't believe it ended up in a museum."
After thinking to herself for a moment, Sakura remembered a question that she wondered she had never asked before, in the years she had spent changing the Clow Cards, than passing out by magic loss.
"What happens when all of someone's magic, every drop, is gone?" she asked. Yue answered with, "it depends on the level of the user's power. In the case of your brother, who was not very strong magically, you would lose consciousness for a while, than be slightly weaker for a long period of time. However, with someone who is very powerful, like you or Eriol, they…." He fell silent until Sakura said, "They…?"
"They die."
Sakura stiffened, silent for a moment before saying, "So if I had been too slow in getting that witch off him… he would be dead?" When Yue confirmed this, Sakura paled a little, staring at her hands folded in her lap. Sitting next to her, Shaoran rested a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.
"What matters is that you did make it in time, and that Eriol is going to be fine. We don't have to go to that museum ever again, and we won't have to worry about the witch."
"No."
Shaoran looked at his girlfriend, surprised at her reply. "Sakura, you want to go back to that painting!?"
Raising her head again to look him in the eye, Sakura said, "Yes, Shaoran. The fact that she was able to reach out of the painting and attack us is proof that the seal is weakening. Sooner or later, it'll break completely, and she'll want to destroy everything. I want to take the battle to her, and make sure she can't do that."
Shaoran immediately wanted to protest, but he caught the stubborn, determined glint in her eye, and knew it would be useless. So standing up again, he said, "Then I'm going with you. You'll need all the help you can get."
"Shaoran, no!" you can't—." Sakura started to say.
"Yes I can and I will." Shaoran said stubbornly. Leaning down to Sakura's face, he said, "I love you Sakura, and nothing you say or do will keep me away."
"He's right, Sakura." Kero interjected. "We will need help, because the only way that seal could have weakened was because the witch was draining its power away all those years. We will, in fact, need all the help we can get. That's why we'll wait for Eriol to recover. Being the reincarnation of Clow, I'm sure he'd be dead-set on destroying her."
"Well then," Tomoyo's voice sounded out from the doorway of Eriol's room. "I really need to finish that costume now, don't I Sakura."
The sweat-drop almost visible on her head, Sakura replied, "Y-yeah."
"What costume?" Shaoran asked.
"I had originally been working on it for a little reunion surprise, but it would make a perfect battle costume all the same. I'm sure it will turn out wonderful!" she finished with the again too familiar smile-and-starry-eyed look. Everyone sweat-dropped at this, and at that moment Ruby decided to barge out of the bedroom, yelling something about, "Eriol muttering" and "Tomoyo". No one knew exactly what she said, but they got the gist, and Tomoyo suddenly looked a little flustered, Sakura giggled, Kero and Yue smiled slightly, and Shaoran couldn't make head or tail of any of it.
"So it appears to be settled." Spinel said quietly. "As soon as everyone is ready and Eriol is recovered, we fight the witch, and eradicate her forever."
"YEAH!" everyone shouted, suddenly pumped up. It was one witch against the seven total magic-users in their group. How could they not be confident?
