Birth of the Deck Master

Prequel to Harry Potter and the Deck Master

Chapter Four: The Deck Master

Disclaimer: Card Captor Sakura is owned by the four lovely ladies of CLAMP and was originally published by Kodansha comics.


The stage hands had just left on another prop-run to the outdoor theatre that had been built for this evening's events. Within the room there was currently only Sakura, who was undergoing a final fitting for her dress, Tomoyo, who was putting on the last touches, and Kero, who was sitting with his lower half sill in Sakura's backpack.

"It's finally time..." Kero said with an edge of excitement to his voice.

"I'm getting nervous..." Sakura admitted, fiddling with the frills of her long skirt.

"I hope lots of people come to watch..." Tomoyo said, pulling the soft pink fabric from Sakura's nervous fingers so she could sew the hem properly.

"But to think there was another Clow Card left..." the Sun Guardian pondered out loud, mind drifting back to what Eriol had revealed the night before.

Sakura made a quiet noise of acknowledgement, looking rather disheartened by the reminder. Tomoyo must have picked up on it, because she pointed out, "Sakura-chan, you look a little pale.."

"It looks like you didn't sleep much last night. Are you alright?" Kero joined in with pressing her.

"Mmm..." the sorceress responded, nodding her affirmative.

Ever the perceptive, Tomoyo hazarded a guess at what could have Sakura in such a mood. "Did you speak with Li-kun about what's going on?"

Flushing slightly, as was normal when he was brought up, Sakura also looked nervous and guilty as she responded. "Y-yeah."

Before any details could be expanded on, a noise from the hall gained everyone's attention. "Is that all?" Yamazaki's voice asked from the other side of the door.

"Thanks for the hard work!" Naoko responded.

At once, Kero dived back into the seclusion of Sakura's bag, only to pop back out a split second later as a card flew from it without warning. "This presence..." Kero began, rushing along with Sakura and Tomoyo to look out the window.

"It's the Void!" the Card Mistress confirmed, eyeing the odd black orb hanging in the sky ominously. Suddenly, several further orbs materialized around the school grounds, crackling and rumbling with power. Sakura watched in minor horror as the contents of the orbs dissolved away into nothingness.

From outside the room, a commotion could be heard from the returning students. "What's that noise?" Hikari's voice reached the room.

"Let's go see!" Rei responded.

Panicking, Sakura turned to her Guardian, order on the tip of her tongue. "Kero-chan, hide!"

Kero looked around hurriedly, but the bag he had been residing in was on the other side of the room. Orders overriding logic, Kero began to move towards Sakura's backpack just as the door began to open. Thinking fast, Tomoyo reached out and snatched Kero up, tucking him in the crock of her arm as if he were some cute toy.

"Is everything alright?"Yamazaki questioned, a concern crease to his brow as he eyed the slightly panicked way both the girls were hovering over by the window.

"Yes," Sakura insisted, trying to act natural so not to draw attention to the near slip-up with her magical protector.

It was clear by the concerned looks on their classmates faces that Sakura wasn't fully believed, but an excuse for her state was quickly provided as Naoko approached and looked out the window they had been standing next to. "Part of the school yard is missing!"

"There's a huge hole out there. What could have happened?" Rika exclaimed, coming to see for herself.

This was all the prompting needed as the rest of the students gathered round to stare out the window and gape. Tomoyo took the opportunity to slip over to where the bags were and let Kero fulfil the order he had been given.

"More strange things are happening again?" Chiharu wondered aloud, coming and clinging to Yamazaki's side almost unconsciously. He placed a hand reassuringly on her back and looked with a grave determination towards the potential danger.

It was then that the music teacher stuck her head into the room and called Tomoyo's attention. "Daidouji-chan, the choir is preparing to leave."

Starting ever so slightly at the reminder of her other duties, Tomoyo nodded smartly. "Right! I'm coming! Good luck, Sakura-chan, Yamazaki-kun!" she called over her shoulder as she hurried out after the instructor.

There was a general consent in response, and then the seamstress was gone.


Most the student body had taken the rumbling to be a minor earthquake and put it aside none-the-wiser. The rainy skies had cleared up in the evening, leaving a damp but starry night to hold the performance on. The school choir had agreed to participate in a number of opening songs before the show began in earnest to amuse the gathering crowds. Being the little song bird she was, Tomoyo was selected to preform a number of solo segments, which was where she was at present.

Sakura sat before a full-length mirror within her private dressing room, mind not even any longer on the play she was to be preforming in less than half an hour. All Sakura was aware of at the moment was the looming threat of this new Clow Card, this Deck Master, and everything that it meant to have to capture it.

Floating behind her, Kero held a brush and pulled it rhythmically through her hair, trying to be as soothing as he could manage. "After what happened at school, you can't let your guard down. It's obvious those missing things were the Void's doing, now."

"Yeah."

"It would be good to know where the card is lurking at least..." the Guardian continued, bobbing softly as he moved the large brush that was as big as himself over her short brown hair again and again.

Just then the door to the room opened and in slipped Tomoyo, holding a boucay of flowers. She put them down hurriedly on a nearby table and moved forward to help Kero fuss over her cousin. "Sorry to make you wait!"

"That was fast..." Sakura commented, Tomoyo hadn't been gone more than twenty minutes at the most.

"Of course! If I couldn't put the finishing touches on my Sakura-hime-chan masterpiece, I'd regret it the rest of my life!" the black haired girl responded as if it were obvious.

"You'd regret something like that the rest of your life?" Kero questioned, not quite believing it.

"To each their own," the long haired girl brushed the question off easily. "One must live each day so that there are no regrets." Conceding to her point, Kero floated back and perched on top of a clothes hanger to watch instead.

Tomoyo was just finishing up straitening the last of Sakura's props when Terada's voice carried from the next room over. "Everyone, it's about time to begin!"

The girls' classmates all chorused out a "Yes!" as Tomoyo turned her attention to her masterpiece. "Looks like you're on."

"Alright, thanks," Sakura responded, getting up and heading for the door.

"Break a leg!" Kero told her, and with that she exited the room.


"Excuse me," Fujitaka edged his way down the isle, looking for a free seat. The outdoor concert hall that had been built over the last two weeks was absolutely packed. Nearly every seat in the place was taken, and the poor father cursed his luck at having been the one chosen to oversee the university's displays. Spotting a seat a few chairs over, he began to make his way towards it. "Excuse me!"

Noticing the commotion, Daidouji Sonomi looked up from her spot to see her number one most hated person headed her way. "Sensei!?"

Fujitaka blinked in surprise, himself, noticing who was sitting in the spot next to his desired chair. "Sonomi-kun! Oh, is this place free?"

Giving her old teacher a sour look, she unfortunately had to concede the fact that it was. "Yeah."

He sat down in the empty spot, and Sonomi shifted somewhat to put more distance between them. Feeling the need for polite conversation as they were acquaintances and all, Fujitaka opened the subject with what he figured was probably a polite and appropriate one that resided on neutral grounds. "Were you listening to Tomoyo-san's song?"

Ever eager to rub in her own superiority, Sonomi scoffed at the foolish man sitting to her left. "I recorded it on video, of course!"

"I'd like to see it later," Fujitaka told her with the smile that she found so very irritating, mainly because it was one of the things Nadeshiko had loved so much.

An uneasy silence descended upon the two of them for nearly a minute as Sonomi found no reason to need to reply to his last comment and he seemed content with the effort he had made to be cordial. However, after a short time, Sonomi noticed what Fujitaka held within his hand. "Just a camera?" she nearly demanded in horror.

"Yes," he responded with a smile, holding up the offending camera for inspection.

"Sakura-chan's a princess, the lead roll!" she tried to argue, pointing out the obvious absurdity of his choice. When all she was met with was his blank-eyed smile, she rolled her eyes in disgust. "Fine, I'll make you a copy of what I record." With a definitive snap of her fingers, her private bodyguards—beautiful women in dark suits and sunglasses—stood up from around the audience, shouldering professional film cameras angled at the stage from a number of views.

Fujitaka, not so used to the way Tomoyo and her mother think, was for a moment rather flabbergasted. Finally, after a moment to gather himself, he managed out "T-thank you."

Sonomi looked so smug with herself, but Fujitaka found his eyes focusing just past her shoulder where Nadeshiko shook her head sadly in defeat with a sweat-drop from where she hang, giving her much loved cousin and best friend a hug. Fujitaka smiled in sympathy to his dead wife's exasperation, but before he had a chance to say any more the floodlights around the stage started turning on.

Over a P.A. System, one of Sakura and Tomoyo's classmates came on and began introducing the next event. "And now, Tomoeda Elementary Grade 5 Class 2 would like to begin their play: The Magic Stone, written and directed by their very own Yanagisawa Naoko-san."

A round of applause broke out as the actors for the first scene hurried out and got into position. For a moment the stage was filled with dancing pairs of extras before the floodlights dimmed and the spotlight focused in on Sakura and her maids as they entered the stage.

"It's Sakura-san..." Fujitaka said, an edge of excitement and pride to his otherwise calm voice.

"Sakura-chan!" Sonomi squealed quietly, acting very much the part of the embarrassing parent, but thankfully keeping it down to small gestures and a whispering voice. Fujitaka happily flashed off a few pictures of his little girl with his camera, the light of which distracted Sonomi from the stage and caused her to fume quietly for a moment before she physically pried the offending inferior object from his fingers to stop the god-awful flashing.

On the stage, Sakura made her way over to the throne-like chair sitting by it's self. She sat with a disheartened sigh as her four friends, dressed as maids, encircled her and knelt around her.

"The war with our neighbours over the Magic Stone must wear you out, Hime-sama." Rika began.

"This is a ball where everyone must wear masks." Chiharu explained.

"Please enjoy it to your heart's content!" Hikari insisted.

"Thank you, but I'm not a great dancer." Sakura insisted.

"It's alright! The best way to improve is to dance with a great dancer! Now..." Rei urged.

Pulling Sakura once more to her feet, the girls gently pushed her in the direction of the dance floor. Sakura wandered through the spinning couples, looking around herself before dejectedly moving to the front of the stage and addressing the audience. "No. I can't dance with someone I don't know, after all. And I wonder where the Magic Stone has gone... The Magic Stone, it's said that if you hold it, wonderful powers are yours to command. My country has been fighting it's neighbour for a long time over it. If only there was not such thing as war. And the Magic stone that causes war is probably better off gone than in someone's hands."

"Indeed. I agree." Yamazaki interjected into her monologue, approaching from off to the sidelines.

Sakura feigned a startled jump and moved from him shyly. "May I ask who you are?"

"The etiquette here is not to ask for identities," he pointed out to her.

"That's right. This is my first time attending a masked ball..." Sakura replied in excuse for her breach of etiquette.

"Mine as well," Yamazaki confided, a smile gracing his face.

Sakura returned the smile, bringing her hands to her chin adoringly. "Oh, my!"

"I've forgotten how to dance with every day being so busy. My attendants brought me here today, as I tend to lock myself up," he explained.

"Myself as well," Sakura responded empathetically.

This earned her an endearing smile from from Yamazaki in return. "Hating war, first ball, we are quite alike."

"Yes," she replied shyly.

"Will you dance with me?" he asked, holding out a hand.

Sakura turned away from him, hiding her cheeks as she confessed, "But dancing is not one of my..."

"I'm not good, either," Yamazaki was sure to reassure her.

"I am sure to step on your feet," she expressed worriedly.

But he just held out his arm and smiled gently at her. "Then I will do my best to dodge yours."

Finding no other excuse not to, Sakura gently laid her hand on his arm and he led her to the middle of the stage for an elegant dance.


On the outer fringes of the crowd, Yukito and Touya hurried up, still dressed in their uniforms from the parlour they had been working at all day. "It's already started," Yukito observed, a little disappointed.

Touya took one look at the stage and bristled. "Who's that twerp she's dancing with?" he growled out protectively, cracking his knuckles to add to the intimidating effect.

"Oh really, To-ya! It's just a play..." Yukito scolded.


The play continued on, generally a great success, pulling at the heartstrings of the audience. "Sakura's a lot better princess than that gaki was last time," Kero insisted in a whisper from where he sat on Tomoyo's shoulder.

The response he got was a nod and the comment "It's looking good!"

On the stage itself, Sakura and Yamazaki were currently in a gazebo setup where a confrontation was taking place between the two. "You were the prince of the neighbouring country? The country we are fighting?" Sakura demanded, her tone horrified but also heartbroken.

"Hime, do stop crying. A smile suits you more than anyone. Please forgive me for making you so sad. However, I can not stop these feelings. I... I am in love with you," Yamazaki pleaded, kneeling before her and pouring out his heart so easily.

"I..." Sakura began, clearly struggling, before forcefully turning from him. "I am unable to respond to your feelings."

"Do you dislike me?" the prince asked quietly, his tone resigned.

"It's not that!" Sakura insisted turning back to him desperately. "It isn't... that," she struggled out, miserable.

"It's great... It's looking good..." Naoko exclaimed in a quiet whisper to her friends, the maids of the play, that stood around her reading along in the script from the opposite side of the stage that Tomoyo was taping on.

"I... I... No, I can not say it. I cannot tell you this feeling I have. No... especially you. Please forget everything about me. Please take me out of your heart," the princess insisted, fleeing from the gazebo.

"Hime!" Yamazaki called after her.

However, just as he did there was another powerful rumble, causing many of the floodlights to shatter and pop at the stage. "What?" Sakura asked, looking around herself startled.

Dropping all pretences of acting, Yamazaki moved forward and put a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Looking a little dazed, Sakura turned her eyes to her friend's boyfriend and nodded. "Yes," she insisted, though she was still distracted. This presence...

Before Sakura could find a way to excuse herself, Light and Dark flew from the hidden pocket in her dress and off in the direction of the amusement park. Yamazaki was just about to ask what that was when he saw something forming behind Sakura. "Look out!" he cried, grabbing her and jumping away. At the last moment, he turned so that she would land on him instead of vice versa and behind them Sakura saw they had barely avoided being swallowed up by one of those disintegrating orbs.

Horrified cries came from class and audience alike as Chiharu blindly rushed to her beloved's side. "YAMAZAKI-KUN!" she cried out to him. Getting up, Sakura looked down at the boy that had just saved her. He held his arm and grimaced in pain, but smiled bravely up at the girl he loved and her gathering friends.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked, eyes scanning over the assembled girls. The teachers, having been a little farther back, were only now coming onto the stage.

"We're fine!" Chiharu snapped, "We were on the other side of the stage, but what about you?!"

"I-I think I just bumped something..." Yamazaki insisted.

Amid the worried cooing of his girlfriend, Sakura made her own scan of her friends and to her horror found them one head too short. "Tomoyo-chan? Where is Tomoyo-chan?"

"I'm here!" came the happy call from across the gap cut into the stage. Tomoyo was picking herself up from the floor on the opposite side, dusting off her dress that Sakura noted had Kero's teeth dug into the back of. She could only assume that Kero had pulled a similar act of heroism to Yamazaki and ensured Tomoyo's safety.

Sighing in relief that everyone was safe, Sakura turned her mind to the cards that had just been taken from her. But no sooner than she had, another orb appeared behind her, dissolving the group that had gathered around Yamazaki into nothingness. But apparently, Void wasn't done there. It began using it's orbs to wipe out large sections of the audience, causing a mass panic in the crowd.

Fujitaka, with his heightened senses, barely managed to pull Sonomi out of the range of one of the orbs, however a few of her bodyguards weren't so lucky. The remaining ones fought loyally to get to their boss, but more and more orbs were popping up, making escape seem impossible.

Fujitaka's eyes, in all the commotion, landed on his son and Yukito. He watched in abject horror as an orb developed with them right at the edge. Touya blindly shoved Yukito out of the way, the Moon Guardian transforming mid fall and gliding up above the chaos.

Fujitaka lunged forward, though he knew he wouldn't make it in time, calling out his son's name even as behind him Sonomi and his wife's ghost were swallowed as well. The horror on Fujitaka's face was mirrored on the usually impassive angel's. Denial, failure to protect, and an overwhelming sense of uselessness surged through Yue, mixing and aligning with Yukito's own rejection of this reality and allowing for the first time the two halves to synchronize. In that moment of combined loss, a bridge was formed between their consciousnesses as they became aware of each other's hearts like never before.

But then, in some back corner of their minds they realized, that Touya and Sakura had been right all along. It wasn't two hearts, but rather one single one, like the light and dark sides of the moon still being the same lunar body. Horrible, that such an event as this was what it took to unify the two shards, Yue landed at Fujitaka's side, looking to the Clow in him with pleading eyes so full of regret and shame.

The Mistress would be so displeased that he had failed to protect her precious brother, he wouldn't be surprised if she cast a useless Guardian like him out in favour of making a replacement as the Eriol-Clow had done. And Fujitaka... though he was not Master like Clow had been, did not know them as Clow had known them, there were still enough remnants there that Yue couldn't help but adore him. But this was his precious, precious child that Yue had failed to protect. Surely Clow would be as livid with him as the Mistress.

But to Yue's minor surprise, the eyes that looked at him were as lost as he was at the moment, a loving being mourning the loss of a beloved child and nothing more. No blame, no ridicule, only sorrow and personal guilt at failing to protect one that he loved. Yue understood the look, as he was feeling much the same way at the moment, and ruffled his wings ever so slightly, unsure what to do with this lack of reprimand towards his failure.

Turning away as the last of the orbs in the area vanished, Yue moved to his Mistress's side, intent to make himself useful, though he held himself with the shame of failure. "Sakura! Are you all right?!" Cerberus called, carrying Tomoyo on his back as he landed opposite his mirror.

"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo called in relief.

"Everyone!" Fujitaka stepped up a moment later, tears on his cheeks for his son, but a sort of odd, grim determination as he focused his attentions on his daughter instead.

"Everyone has disappeared on our end as well. This must be the doing of Clow's Deck Master," Yue informed.

"It looks like it," Cerberus agreed with a nod of his large feline head.

Sakura already had her staff out as she scanned the small group that had managed to survive the danger. "Onii-chan... and my friends... we'll get them back if I seal the card, right?" she asked the group as a whole.

Both Guardians nodded once in response. "That is how it usually goes..." Cerberus elaborated.

"So long as not too much time goes by," Yue added.

Fujitaka's fist tightened, his eyes oddly dark. "Then we had best get that card quickly."

"Otou-san!" Sakura exclaimed in surprise. Living with her family among her magic was one thing, but to fight along side them? It was clear that both the Guardians shared her sentiments as they shuffled uncomfortably at the suggestion.

"I will go with you," Fujitaka insisted, his voice leaving no room for dispute. Something in the way he said it must have been very Clow like, for both the Guardians made an obedient semi-bow, accepting whatever order it was he had given them. Sakura knew from experience with such gestures that Yue especially would blindly pursue the objective until Sakura herself gave a direct order for them to stop.

"Then please, wear this?" Tomoyo requested, producing a stylized pink marching band uniform from gods know where.

"To-Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura blanched, looking at the outfit in confusion.

"At a time like this..." Yue began in an exasperated tone.

"I would like her to wear it because it is a time like this," Tomoyo explained to the Moon Guardian. "I have saved all the costumes that Sakura-chan has worn in the past. She always returned with a smile, no matter what happened, together with the costume that I made. So I'm sure she'll come back safe and sound this time, too."

Touched by the speech, Sakura accepted the offered outfit."Tomoyo-chan... I'll do my best to come back with the clothes that you made me. I promise."

"Everyone please come back safely so we can take a souvenir photo with the new card!" the black haired girl insisted.

"Right!" Sakura and Cerberus cheered. Yue rolled his eyes in exasperation, but a ghost of a smile still graced his lips.

"Of course," Fujitaka chimed in agreement. He looked down at the children with the eyes of a loving parent, and swore within his own mind that he would find a way to protect his daughter and get his son back, no matter the costs.


The devastation to the quite little suburban town of Tomoeda was horridly apparent from where they had congregated atop a building. Large chunks of the city were missing, the streets were silent and no remnants of the celebrating masses were left visible.

"How horrible," Cerberus grumbled. "We have to hurry and find that card."

"It's not that far away. I am sure it is somewhere within this neighbourhood." Yue insisted, scanning the devastation with a calculating air.

"But where should you look?" Tomoyo questioned, scanning the horizon with her camera. She paused on the distant amusement park when she noticed the lights were still on there and there alone. She was about to bring it up when a cry from Sakura surprised her.

Tomoyo turned to see the tail end of another few cards flying unbidden from Sakura's deck. "Again?! The Key which hides the power of the Stars! Show your true form before me! I, Sakura, command you under contract, Release! WINDY!"

Windy burst forth from her card, racing forward before the cards and attempting to blow them back to their proper Mistress. The cards fluttered, spinning wildly under the force of the gust, before righting themselves and continuing on despite Windy's efforts. Then the gentle wind spirit heard the voice calling as well. The much loved Master and Creator that existed within the recesses of her memory was reaching out for her, calling her home. She missed this Master, and happily went to see him once more.

"Why...?" Sakura cried in frustration as even her oldest card left her. But her attention was quickly diverted as another rumble erupted from the source of the Void's power and the corner of the building her friend stood upon was engulfed in yet another orb. "TOMOYO-CHAN!"

Thinking fast, Fujitaka caught his daughter around the midsection as she lunged herself at her vanishing cousin. "You can't! I am sorry, Sakura-san, but even for Tomoyo-san you can't. You are the only one who can tame this card."

Looking at the empty space that once held her biggest fan, Sakura made a vow. "Please wait! We'll get everything back to normal!"

"Sakura, I figured it out. I know where The Void is," Cerberus announced.

"Where?" the Card Mistress demanded.

Yue stepped on the other side of Sakura and Fujitaka and calmly pointed at the lights in the distance. "The place the cards flew to."

"...The amusement park...?" Sakura wondered, eyeing the location. She then pulled what remained of her deck out of her pocket and looked at them. "I have five cards left."


Suspended high over the city streets by a pair of luminescent silvery wings, Sakura let herself be carried within the safety of Yue's gentle arms. Her father road astride Cerberus's mighty form as the winged puma glided on ahead of herself and his brother. All four sets of eyes were scanning the grounds for any sign of the card.

"I feel it. The presence of the Clow Card. I'm sure it's here somewhere," Sakura assured, her voice tight and tense.

Yue swooped down and set Sakura on her feet to free up his hands, and Cerberus quickly followed suit, taking his lead from Yue. Fujitaka slid off Cerberus's back taking a few tentative steps away in order to give the beast a chance to manoeuvre if he must.

Suddenly the sound of fair music erupted form the rides that all began turning on of their own accord, and a mass of multicoloured balloons elevated themselves towards freedom as they filled the sky in a dance of colourful orbs. Detracted by the spectacle, Sakura didn't see the branches of the nearby shrubbery lash out suddenly in her direction.

Yue leaped between them, erecting a shield around himself and his Mistress, defending her against Wood's sudden attack. "It's doing this..." Yue stated looking at the snapped branches that had been deflected by his quick actions.

The next attack against Sakura was far more effective as Erase removed the supports on the pirate ship attraction and sent the whole boat down on their heads.

"JUMP!" Sakura cried, leaping away from the descending mass, Yue dodging in the opposite direction a split second later. Sakura landed on the nearby roller coaster track, only to hear a strange clicking noise. Turning in it's direction she saw a light ascending upwards. "Hoe? What's next? How... "

About the same moment that Sakura realized that roller coaster car was headed in her direction, Void wrestled control of Jump from her and stole it away. In a last ditch effort, Sakura cried out "WATERY!" and summoned forth the combative elemental who charged forward and slammed full force into the car, holding it back from injuring her Mistress.

Bearing fangs and hissing like some demonic nymph, Watery's stubborn nature fought boldly against both car and Void's insistent calling. Discovering that she was at a loss, Void materialized in order to better subdue the fighting spirit of one of the main cards.

"There it is!" Cerberus cried out.

"Sakura-san! Be careful!" Fujitaka warned.

Sakura didn't seem to hear him, however, because all her attention was focused on the Void. "You're... You're Clow Reed's Deck Master, right? Why? Why are you doing this?"

Rather than answer Sakura's inquiry, Void summoned forth Thunder and sent it after Watery. "Four more." With a screech of pain, Watery lost it's focus and was quickly called back to Void along with Thunder. Having nothing holding it back any longer, the roller coaster car sped towards Sakura and knocked the Card Mistress from the track.

Cerberus caught Sakura and her wand as they plummeted, earning a relieved "Kero-chan!" from her for his efforts.

"Is talking to it useless?!" Yue cried out in frustration. His Mistress, his underlings, his lover... this card was hurting them all! Letting loose a barrage of attacks, they simply vanished into the shell that Void stood within.

"Please! Return everyone!" Sakura begged desperately at the card.

"It's no good! Look out!" Fujitaka cried as Watery ploughed Sakura and Cerberus into the ground.

Yue pulled back on a magic missile, focusing a large quantity of his magic into that single attack. Void turned her empty eyes on him, encasing even Yue in one of the orbs. "Yue-san!" Sakura's voice reached him in a cry of concern and fear.

Yue took only a split second to take in his predicament before letting loose his attack all the same. He remained part of reality just long enough to witness his attack fail before fading into nothingness. Cerberus took to the air in rage at his brother's defeat, letting loose a barrage of flames that engulfed Void's sphere completely. But within Void was calm and resolute, responding with only taking Cerberus as well.

"Kero-chan!" Sakura screamed in horror.

"It's no good. Their power isn't working against it at all..." Fujitaka bemoaned.

She didn't know it would feel like this. She didn't know that she would feel them vanish. That it would feel like her own soul was unravelling from within her. Her focus was shattered, her mind felt like it would follow her soul in unravelling if she couldn't find something to lock her existence on to. "Kero-chan... Yue-san... why?" she choked out. Everything was falling apart, she had nothing, not even her Cards, not even her Guardians.

Her fingers found their way to her pocket, clutching to the last three friends she had with her. Her thumb brushed across the surface of her nameless card that she had created and in it's presence she seemed to find an anchor to hold on to. Don't cry. Syaoran-kun always says don't cry. Calm down and concentrate. It's not done yet. I still have these three. Everything will be alright...

"The Guardians were also made to bend to the will of Clow Reed. Things created to obey Clow Reed won't work against it," her father's voice reached her, pulling Sakura back to reality.

"That can't be... That means at this rate, everyone will be gone! What should I do... What should I-...O-Otou-san...?" but when she turned to look to her father for answers, he was no where to be seen.


Fujitaka ran in the direction the Deck Master had fled. This card had taken his wife, his son, and now most of his adopted children. He would not be forgiving of his original form's imposter. Merely preforming her duty or not, Fujitaka's children were at stake and he would not fail them again!

If it was made to subdue those who are submissive to Clow Reed, he reasoned, then maybe as Clow Reed's reincarnation I can have the power to control it. Just wait, children. I will find a way to save you.

Coming upon the card that had taken refuge within the Ferris wheel, Fujitaka found that now that he needed it, his magic unfurled from within him with surprising ease. Like riding a bike after decades without, the channelling of his magic flowed through him and around him with ease as he summoned forth a gust of wind that lifted him into the air and set him down atop the compartment adjacent to the one Void was currently residing in.

"Return to your sealed form!" Fujitaka commanded without knowing why he chose those words. It just seemed the most natural thing to say in this situation. When the Void did not comply, Fujitaka let loose a bolt of lightning. While most of the attack was deflected by the bubble surrounding the long haired little girl, a few sparks managed to get through. She flinched back from the sparks, looking scared, hurt, and frustrated.

Down below, Sakura approached, having seen the magical display going on from a distance. "Otou-san!"

"Don't get in my way..." the temperamental card ordered Fujitaka.

"Give me back my son!" Fujitaka retorted. Doubling up his spell work, Fujitaka let lose a spiral of flame that engulfed her protective barrier, damaging it further.

"DON'T GET IN MY WAY!" Void screamed, exerting her power and extending her orb to swallow Fujitaka inside. Had he been in the possession of all Clow's magic, he would have overpowered Void easily. But with only half the magic, and no real battle experience within his life, Fujitaka too faded from reality.

"Otou-san!" Sakura cried out as she watched her last ally, her father, fade away like everyone else had. "FLY!" she called, taking to the air and looking for some trace of her father, her guardians, anyone to let her know she wasn't alone in the world. "Otou-san! Otou-san... everyone... everyone... is gone. I don't like this at all." This wasn't worth it. What was the point in keeping hold of her strongest feeling if everyone she loved was gone? Even if it meant that lonely future for her that she had seen during the Final Judgement, if everyone else could come back, then it would all be worth it.

And then she understood. That was what Syaoran had been saying over the phone. If it meant protecting everyone else from facing this disaster, her own happiness was a price that she could afford to pay. "I won't give up. I will never, ever give up!" she declared, giving chase after the card that had taken so much from her and was about to take even more, with a burning determination. A conviction she had not felt since the time she had faced Eriol in battle.

Sensing some how the difference of intent, Void attempted to flee from the determined Card Mistress. Fleeing through the park, Void summoned forth one card after another. Windy refused to act against Sakura. Firey did little more than singe the tips of Sakura's wings as she outmanoeuvred everything thrown at her. Shadow, likewise, was dodged with little effort as it hesitated to obey every command Void gave it. Erase wouldn't even come out of it's card, and Flower jumped out on it's own to dance in useless circles on the ground below.

Void was quickly loosing control of the situation, with most the cards on the fence willing to sit this one out and wait to see which master was victorious. Disappearing into the clock tower that she had been taking refuge in for over a week now, Void took the opportunity to reassert control over the misbehaving cards and call Flower back to her. By the time she had completed that task, Sakura was steadily flying up the middle of the tower towards her.

Deciding that the misbehaving cards were too poor a source to rely on, Void began letting loose her own attacks with a simple statement. "Two more."

Still, the determined pursuer dodged every attempt made on her life. When she was over half way up the tall tower, Void ripped control of Fly from her and let the Card Mistress plummet towards her death. Sakura reached out and grabbed at the pendulum she was falling beside. Though the smooth surface wasn't enough to counter her descent, it was enough to slow her fall to the point that when she landed on the large round bottom she was merely bruised rather than broken or dead.

"One more," Void announced ominously.

Trapped on the swinging metal disk, Void let loose an attack against the girl. However, Sakura countered it with her last card. "SHIELD!" The power of it was enough to protect Sakura from an instant defeat, but still the attack managed to disintegrate the pole that was supporting her perch.

In a wild leap, Sakura reached the stairs that spiralled up the clock tower even as Shield, her last card, was taken from her. Now all that she had left was herself, her wand, and a nameless card that could not be called upon. But still, everyone was depending on her, and so she began her climb.

Void came down meet her, this thief who dared challenge her for her friends. "And now I have them all."

Sakura turned on the stairwell, wand out and that determined glint still in her pretty green eyes. "I'll seal you away," she insisted against all logic.

Void bristled at this. "Thief, do you now understand what it is to loose everything dear to you? Do you understand the emptiness of being all alone?"

"If anyone is a thief it's you! I'll seal you away, and then I'll bring everyone back!" Sakura challenged.

"NO! I've been locked away all this time! In that cold, dark place, the Master never called on me! And then you, thief, came and stole all my friends away... I was so lonely... I finally have my friends back. Why are you interfering?!"

"You can't call them friends! Forcefully making them yours isn't making friends! It's only through their free will choosing to be with you that you are friends! It's not right! It's not!"

Hearing her words, hearing her intent, the waiting cards make their choice. From within Void's bubble, all nineteen of them burst and abandon Void once more, returning to Sakura's side as she is the one who loves them, not subjugates them. "Everyone... why? Do you hate me? I'm not friends with you all? Why?!" Void sobbed out, confused and scared.

And Sakura, with that sweet and gentle light that was hers, felt empathy for the one who had taken everything from her out of misplaced spite. Sakura reached out a hand of compassion and forgiveness. "Everything will surely be all right. Come with me, and let's go join everyone else."

Void looked at the young Card Mistress like a lost little child, confused and in awe of the faith and gentleness seen within this one insurmountable will. "I won't... be alone?"

"You won't," Sakura assured. "They all want you to come with them, and I want you to be my friend, too. Return to the guise you were meant to be in. CLOW CARD!"

I guess I wasn't able... to tell him how I feel, after all... Sakura thought as she preformed the ritual that she had so many times since she began her magical adventures over a year before. "Card created by Clow, abandon your old form and reincarnate. Under the name of your new master, Sakura!"

She was prepared. Really she was. To give up her feelings of love... to never have a reason to smile or laugh again... she would give them all to this lonely card if it meant everyone else would be free to live their lives happily. And who knows, maybe she could come to find new love all over again? She was sure that if it were someone like Syaoran, she'd love them again and again no matter how many times she was made to forget. Because love—real love—wasn't something that could just vanish like that.

And then it happened, something so unexpected. Her card, her nameless card that would never be called on, activated. It shined with such blinding intensity that the whole tower exploded in a white light. And when that light faded, both her nameless card and the Void were gone, and in their place hung a fused card with a new name inscribed on it. "Hope...?" Sakura asked, tears running down her cheeks as remnants of the thoughts she had been thinking.

And she heard it, the voice of her new Deck Master. "Don't cry, it's alright. From now on, the future is looking bright!"

As the sun rose, and the rays of light touched the city, Tomoeda and it's people were all returned.


The Mistress of the Sakura Cards walked tentatively from the clock tower. Her body was bruised and her energy drained, but she had won, and for whatever strange reason she had not lost her feelings for Syaoran, or anyone else. At the doorway she was met with a sight she had been half convinced she would never see again.

Two figures, as alike as a person and their reflection, but as opposite as opposites could be, they stood there looking at her with apprehension and worry. Their radiant white feathered wings rustling in agitation and uncertainty as tears came to their Mistress's eyes. They both bowed in shame before her and recited, "We are sorry Mistress/Sakura, we failed you..."

But Sakura was having none of that. She lunged forward and encircled both their necks in her arms, holding them so close. She feared that if she let them go again she would loose them once more. She knew she was babbling nonsense as she cried into their shoulders, trying to express everything at once.

But they—wonderful them—they seemed to understand as they enveloped her back. She didn't know how long they had stayed like that, the three of them holding on to each other for sanity's sake, but she eventually found the words to explain what it had felt like when they were taken from her.

"Huh, I wasn't aware it went both ways..." Cerberus commented.

"It would make sense, in a way, that it does," Yue responded.

"Hoe? What goes what way?" Sakura asked, pulling back to look into the slitted pupils of her two Guardians.

"The bond," Yue said as if it were common knowledge.

Cerberus shot him a look before elaborating on the matter. "Guardians exist to serve and protect our masters. In order to better fulfil that purpose, we Guardians are bound to the Master's soul. We feel through that bond what the Master feels, so to always know when the Master needs us for something, or is in danger."

"So, our... souls... are tied to each other?"

"Yes," Yue confirmed. "It ensures obedience."

"...Wait... so... do all Guardians feel the way I just felt when their Master dies?"

"Well, sure," Cerberus shrugged off.

"What does that matter? It increases our efficiency in serving the Master. That's the only important part..." Yue insisted.

Sakura frowned at this. "The important part is that you are my friends and that you were forced to endure this sort of pain... will again when I die! I don't want that!" she insisted.

Their eyes showed no real comprehension to the statement she was trying to express, but Cerberus nodded anyway, and Yue responded with "If that is the Mistress's wish."


Sakura, Tomoyo, Yukito, and Fujitaka approached the location of the Nadeshiko Festival play to find an odd sight. To Fujitaka's eyes, Nadeshiko sat primly on the corner of the cot that Touya slept upon. Yukito rushed forward at once, intent to get to the one he loved and check on him. In the opposite direction ran Sonomi, scooping her precious daughter into a hug.

"You stayed with Touya-san this whole time?" Fujitaka questioned.

"Of course, I did!" Sonomi challenged, sounding all too affronted that he would think otherwise. "He is my Nadeshiko's precious son, after all!"

Fujitaka looked back over at him with a fond smile. "Yes, yes he is."


Yamazaki found himself bedridden in the hospital for a week after the strange events of that night, with an overprotective girlfriend and an ever-growing fanclub as news of not only his wonderful performance but his heroic deeds in the face of what happened spread like wild fire.

He had a good deal of fun twisting the truth to the point that only those who had been there to witness it had any idea what really went on, but none the less the part about the whole event he liked the most was having Chiharu's attention all to himself.


The Kinomoto household was as lively as it ever was these days. With curious, playful, helpful, or just plain socializing magical creatures to be found around every corner, Fujitaka had never felt so content. Windy and Firey helped him bake a cake to welcome their newest house member, who was currently out in the living room with Sakura, Flower, and Mirror learning to play boardgames.

Kero could be heard on the game machine upstairs, battling it out against Glow on some fighting game while Shadow, Jump and Erase waited their turns. Illusion, Light, Dark, Maze, Thunder and Wood were all in his study where Illusion was reading to them out of some of the many books Fujitaka kept. Fly was napping on the back of one of the dining room chairs while Watery and Earthy were playing cards at the table. Touya and Yukito had opted to avoid the chaos for a few short hours and had gone on a date somewhere. Sword and Shield, for their parts, had taken it upon themselves to make sure no one interrupted this unusual family gathering.

To Fujitaka, despite the fact that this wasn't normal by any means, this was how things should be. And when things are how they should be, life can't get much better than that.


Yukito and Touya sat on the park bench, looking up at the full moon. Touya had dozed off again, still suffering from some of the ill effects of losing his magic months before. Yukito wondered if his beloved friend would ever fully get over loosing what he had taken from him.

Not so much get over it, as get used to it. Given time, it will become the new normal and he will fully adjust. The voice, not quite his own, came to his mind unbidden.

Yukito jumped slightly, eyes scanning around, though he knew he would find no one. After all, he knew that voice as well as he knew Touya's. You're Yue, aren't you...

That's right. You don't seem too surprised by it... Yue pointed out.

I've been feeling you ever since that event with the Void card. Though, honestly I've been feeling you for a lot longer, haven't I? Yukito questioned.

Yes. I have been watching what you do all along.

I used to fear you... Yukito admitted, I thought that all I was was some fake mask that you had made. But now that I've actually met you, I see that's not it at all, is it?

No. The Mistress and your lover are right: you and I, we share a heart—a soul. You are the hidden part of me, just as I am the hidden part of you.

So what now? I can feel it... You and me, we're blending ever so slowly. We are becoming one...

Yes... At one point in time, that thought scared me. I didn't want to change from the person that Master had made, from the person Master had loved. I thought if I was everything Clow desired, I would be the one he loved most. But... he never did. In the end he always chose humans over me, and I couldn't understand why...

You were there for him... You did everything for him for hundreds of years. Lived, breathed, and nearly died several times just for him. But... you were his possession, not his equal, so his heart could never belong to you.

But you, as your own person, have found the love I never could. The Mistress said that it was okay for me to have my own heart and mind. Said she wanted to be friends, not my Mistress... Yue remembered. I... am not sure I understand what exactly that means, but if it makes Mistress happy, I wish to try.

Yes, I think that would definitely be worth trying. I used to be so scared of meeting you, like somehow if I met you, you would just snuff me out of existence. But I see now... I see that's not it at all. You and me, we've always been one. Joining together won't be loosing myself, it will be finding it. And in finding it, I'll be gaining you as well.

You and me... Yue thought.

Becoming one... Yukito pondered.

It might not be so bad after all... they shared in unison.


Eriol was the first to manage to get through to Sakura's phone. He had laughed at her when she had expressed confusion and surprise at still having all her emotions in tact. /Feelings are the sort of special gift that only become bigger the more you give them away,/ he had said.

She had proceeded to get mad at him and chew him out over it, as she had spent quite some time worrying about loosing her precious feelings. Afterwards she had called Syaoran and spent a good while talking to him about everything that had happened. They had both apologized repeatedly for how they had acted over the phone the last time they had talked, and had patched up the relationship rather nicely with Syaoran promising to try and visit as soon as he would be able to in order to see this new card for himself.

"Yuki! Kaijuu! Lunch is ready!" a voice called from the kitchen.

"Onii-chan!" Sakura shouted back indignantly, "I am not a Kaijuu!" Yukito just laughed as he and Sakura rose from the couch where they had been watching a movie together. Sakura looked thoughtfully at Yukito for a moment. "Ne, Yukito-san...?"

"Yes, Sakura-chan?"

"Why do you let Onii-chan call you 'Yuki'?" she asked.

Yukito smiled down at her affectionately. "Because, To-ya is someone very dear to me. And besides, he lets me cut characters out of his name..."

"Ano... seeing as Yue-san said that me and you share a soul... do you think maybe I could call you 'Yuki' as well?" she asked shyly.

Yukito gave a nod, "I think we could manage that."

"And, do you think maybe it would be okay if I asked Yue-san if I could just call him 'Yue'?" Sakura pressed again.

Yukito gave a chuckle and told her, "Yue says he'd like that very much."


So... erm... Double post? I'm very sorry. I didn't realize I hadn't actually posted the previous chapter of this story until I went to post this one. And it appears no one is interested in playing my trivia games... Is it just that no one knows the answer? Or is no one interested in reading the bonus material? Anyway, trivia for this time: tell me in your review which of Sakura's two new friends were from the anime series and which episode she showed up in! And don't forget to give me a random number 1-5 so I know which bonus scene you win. This part was only 14 pages this time, so it got cut down quite a bit from the previous chapter. I guess dialogue takes up more room than battle scenes? Anyway, so now that these are finished, all I have left are the two side stories (one of which is nearly complete) one detailing how Yukito and Touya got together, and the other is about what's going on with Syaoran over this summer break. I hope you all enjoy these chapters. Shade and Sweet Water everyone!