Chapter Eight: Finding the Light

Makura flew around the town, looking everywhere for his missing brother. Where had he gotten to?

"Surely he should have returned by now! He should have had an easy time picking off those humans and the Guardians! Where is he?" Makura wondered, as he flew back in the direction of the Hiiragizawa house. Then he felt it, his brother's presence!

"He's still there?! But why?!" Makura thought, as he descended silently, landed in a tree, and watched those inside. He was astonished when he saw Ankoku sitting contentedly beside one girl, allowing her to rub his ears, enjoying the attention he was getting.

"W-what is this?! What the hell has happened to Ankoku? Why is he not killing them?!" Makura thought, very confused and very angry by this strange turn of events. Without even thinking, he charged his energy weapon and blasted the side of the house away. He was even more surprised when Ankoku stood his ground in front of the girl with the long grey hair.

"What do you think you are doing, Ankoku? We are supposed to be killing them, not befriending them!" Makura snarled, his eyes glowing with rage.

"Makura, we don't have to hate these children! They've given me another chance to be loved and happy! You can have another chance too, if only you'd take it!" Ankoku replied, as Kerberos, Kyuui, and Spinel Sun gathered close to him, turning their gazes up to look at the enraged evil guardian.

"Feh. So you have fallen to their charms, Ankoku? And to think I'd thought you were stronger and smarter than that! Our master had made a mistake in making you. You are flawed." Makura growled, his blood red eyes glowing dangerously. With that said, he charged a blast that was meant for Ankoku and the girl beside him.

"Don't Makura!" Yue shouted, and leaped into the air, grabbing both of Makura's wrists in an attempt to prevent him from attacking.

"You are a fool, Yue!" Makura roared, as he freed one hand plunged it through Yue's back, having it emerge from Yue's stomach. Yue gagged as blood surged to the back of his throat and cried out in agony as Makura removed his hand from him, and allowed him to fall back.

"YUE-CHAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Sakura screamed, in horror, as Yue fell back.

"Yue!" Kerberos yelped, then leaped into the air, catching the severely injured angel guardian on his back. Makura smiled in pleasure as he watched Kerberos descend and as the children surrounded the wounded angel.

"That is enough, Makura. You have shed enough blood. Ensnare!" Mikomi's voice said, darkly, as a cage appeared around Makura, trapping him.

"Yue-chan, please……………hang on." Sakura sobbed, as she tried to stanch the gross bleeding Yue's stomach wound.

"Let us try something." Taihei and Ruby Moon said, as they gathered close to Yue's side and started using their own magic to heal the ugly wounds in Yue's back and stomach.

"He'll have scars for the rest of his life, but at least he's out of danger. He should be fine. Don't worry, little Card Mistress." Taihei said, gently.

"Now I'm pooped! I'm going to go find a good place to sleep for a while. Wake me if something happens!" Ruby Moon said, seemingly nonchalant, but actually quite worried for her elder 'brother's' well being.

"We will, Ruby. Sleep well." Eriol said, as he turned his attention back to the evil being in the cage.

"Will you be able to maintain that cage on your own, Mikomi?" Eriol asked, as Mikomi leaned on a pillar.

"I should be able to. Cage spells are easier to set up and sustain than they are to take down. You taught me that long ago." Mikomi said, as he stared grimly at the creature in the cage.

"Poor Yue-san." Tomoyo murmured, worriedly, as she gazed at the angel guardian's peaceful face. Even though his wounds were healed, his clothes were bloodstained.

"Let's get him to the couch. He probably won't remember much when he wakes up, but it's best that he's as comfortable as we can make him." Mikomi said, as he at last turned his back on the cage.

"Let me out of here! Damn you! Let me out!" Makura screamed, furiously. All ignored him, including Ankoku. He continued screaming for several hours more, then he simply gave up. He was surprised when Sakura came to him in the evening with a tray of food.

"What are you doing, little brat? What about your precious Yue-chan?" Makura sneered.

"Yue-chan doesn't eat, but I thought you would like something." Sakura said, gently. Makura was surprised, but he hid that from her; masking his expression with one of hatred.

"Why would you want to feed me? Especially after I nearly killed your precious moon guardian? Don't you hate me?" Makura asked, with a sneer.

"No, I don't hate you. I pity you. You're so cold and filled with hate, when you were once so warm." Sakura said, softly.

"It's all because of Clow Reed. If it wasn't for him, my master would never have died." Makura snarled.

"If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't even be here." Sakura said, with a quiet wisdom in her young eyes.

"What do you mean, brat?" Makura spat, his eyes taking on their reddish glow again.

"Clow Reed showed me what happened the day you and Ankoku were created. He showed me how he had to help Mujaki stabilize you so you wouldn't vanish from existence like his cards had." Sakura explained, as fresh tears came to her eyes.

"You lie. What you are telling me is a lie." Makura growled.

"No, she is telling you the truth, Makura-san." Tomoyo said, as she appeared beside her friend.

"How do you know?" Makura demanded.

"Sakura-chan would never lie to you or anyone else. It's just the way she is." Tomoyo said, gently. Then a tense silence fell upon them, as Makura looked from Sakura to Tomoyo, and back again. He was beginning to become confused; were they actually telling him the truth? Or were they lying to him? He jumped when he felt a gentle touch on his right hand, the hand unsullied by Yue's blood. He turned and found to his shock that Tomoyo had placed a hand on his, gently grasping his fingers.

"What are you doing? Don't you realize that I could strangle you or run my hand through your chest?" Makura asked, trying to find any fear in Tomoyo's eyes.

"Hai, I do realize you could, but you won't. I know that that gentle heart is in there somewhere and it won't let you hurt me." Tomoyo replied, confidently.

"A gentle heart? In me? How do you know it even exists?" Makura asked, scoffing at the very idea.

"Because Sakura-chan has seen it in Ankoku, and in you. That's how I know." Tomoyo said, matter-of-factly.

"You have a lot of faith in your friend, don't you?" Makura asked, suddenly sounding very sad.

"Yes. I have faith in all my friends, even more so in Sakura-chan." Tomoyo replied.

"What does it feel like? Having friends?" Makura asked, his voice becoming softer the more he talked.

"It's a wonderful feeling. Why don't you try it out and see for yourself?" Tomoyo asked, as she gazed up at the black-winged, black-clothed angel.

"How? How could I try it out when I have no friends?" Makura asked, bitterly.

"I'll be your friend, Makura-san." Tomoyo said. This took Makura by surprise; the girl he'd tried to kill was wanting to be his friend!

"Why? Why would you want to be my friend? I have been nothing but evil to you." Makura murmured, miserably.

"You're lonely, that's why. You and your brother have been alone for so long." Tomoyo said, as the angel looked confusedly at her.

"Yes……………….we have been………………..I have been……………..alone for so long." Makura whispered, as tears came to his eyes, all his malice and hatred giving way for his loneliness to take over.

"I'll make sure you're never lonely again. Please trust me, Makura-san." Tomoyo said, as Sakura watched them both silently. It took Makura a few moments to say anything more.

"I won't be lonely anymore?" Makura asked, sounding more like a lost child than an evil angel.

"No. You and Ankoku will live with me, just like Kero-chan lives with Sakura-chan." Tomoyo promised.

"Where does Yue live?" Makura suddenly asked.

"Nearby." Sakura said, with a giggle.

"Oh." Makura said, looking back at Tomoyo with a look of blossoming trust.

"I trust you, but how will you support me?" Makura asked.

"Don't worry. I'm already supporting Ankoku now." Tomoyo said, comfortingly. Then, almost hesitantly, Makura took Tomoyo's hand in his, and, without his realizing it, the cage melted away as he accepted Tomoyo's magic and pushed the darkness out of him.

"Welcome home, Makura." Ankoku said, as he emerged from the shadows and walked over to his brother.

"I'm sorry, Ankoku. Will you ever forgive me?" Makura asked, sadly.

"You know I will. But the ones you must apologize to are the ones you have wounded. Follow me." Ankoku replied, as he led the way into the undamaged part of the house. As Makura, Tomoyo, and Sakura left that part of the house, following Ankoku, a dark figure was taking shape; and it was not happy.