10: the final chapter
The plan was simple. For Hiroshi Kanaye, one of Japan's most successful billionaire industrialists, the road to reclaiming his place at the top of the business world was absolutely, positively, mind-boggling simple. At least, that's what he thought at first. For the past few years, the 40 year old businessman was losing money to other competitors, who were making much further advancements in technology and medicine for the military, personal investors and so forth.
As every buyer and investor sought out the best company to bet their money on, Kanaye Industries was nowhere to be found on the list. Tired of striving for the top, Kanaye was about to sell his company to the highest bidder until one day. One fateful day that changed everything. A young girl and her friends led an army of magicians along a raging battlefield in the streets of San Francisco, eventually having an epic showdown on Alcatraz.
Later, the businessman would discover the dark secret of one of his business associates. Christopher Lorca, a professor at Tokyo Tech and part-time assistant to Kanaye, was revealed to be Johann Georg Faust's last living descendant and heir to the Sangria Gauntlet, the key to the Demon Realm. Forming a new alliance of revenge and greed, the two men set up an elaborate plan to bring honor back to Lorca's family name and to help Kanaye regain his place at the top.
The two would stage a series of events that would eventually lead to Sakura's untimely death, starting with the recovery of all 4 Demon Knights. Under Lorca's control, the Blue Knight traveled across the globe and revived his fellow riders then awaited for Kanaye's annual Kibou Festival to take place. Before that time came, however, Kanaye set forth his plan to inject Sakura with his most ambitious project to date: The Genesis Project. By using a team of hired guns to distract Sakura and her team, Kanaye was successful in having his sniper inject Sakura with a dart filled with the Genesis elixir.
The events that would soon follow were carefully planned out ahead of time by Kanaye. First, because of Sakura's enhanced DNA and magical abilities, Sakura would need a larger dose of the elixir to slowly weaken her over a course of a few days. Not only would that prevent her from using her magic to its full potential but the extra amount of elixir circulating in her body would allow her to die then use the excess matter to resurrect her at the cost of her memory. After Sakura's supposed "death" was broadcast, Kanaye put up an act with all of Tomoeda and Sakura's friends and family by generously setting up the funeral processions throughout town and paying for the whole thing itself.
Having complete access to Sakura's grave, where an underground facility was built beneath it, Kanaye revived Sakura and immediately took to training the young girl and reprogramming her mind. Arming her with a few inventions of his own, Kanaye then set Sakura loose on the town with only one objective: To steal as much information from as many competing corporations as possible then returning the information to him without getting caught. Because of the many raids Sakura had accomplished, Kanaye's rivals were indeed losing money and investors and with Kanaye gaining access to their projects, he used them to better equip Sakura and send her out for more confidentialities.
As Kanaye's company remained the only one untouched by the many raids, the businessman found himself back at the top again as several buyers felt safer investing their money with him. Things went well for him until Li Syaoran and his friends began snooping around and meddling in his affairs. Deciding it was best to confront them with the truth and eliminate them once and for all, Kanaye sent Sakura to take out moon guardians Yue and Ruby Moon in an attempt to provoke the team into fighting. The rest all played out according to plan. Until now, that is…
"Sakura, calm down…" Kanaye backed away slowly as Sakura gave him a deadly stare. "I know you're mad. I can understand that but please…"
"Mad?" Sakura calmly said. "Oh, I'm not mad. Not in the least bit. I can understand your actions."
"Really?"
"No." Sakura waved her hand and blew the man against a wall using the Wind card.
"S-Sakura…" Kanaye was now quivering with fear as he knocked over a few glass containers. "You're being irrational…"
"Irrational?" Sakura rushed over to the man, grabbed him by the shirt and hurled him into a table of various objects.
Kanaye rolled over the table and hit the floor with his head, giving him a slight concussion in the process. Sakura took her time with the man as she prepared to give his life a new meaning of pain.
"You staged the attack on the train station." She said as she picked the man up. "That was bad." Then using her might with the Power, she punched the man across the face and sent him rolling into another room of the building.
Kanaye crawled away in pain but Sakura kept close, her eyes remained locked on him. "You sent Lorca on a rampage, hurting several people in the process. That was bad." She kicked him across the face and watched as he coughed up a bit of blood.
"You made the world think I was dead." She continued. "Also bad." Sakura then lifted the man up by the back of his shirt and tossed him through another wall.
Kanaye rolled along in the rubble, cradling his sprained wrist and looked up as Sakura picked him back up. She then continued. "And then you brainwashed me into hurting the people I love, nearly killing them in the process. Now that… was stupid."
And with that said, Sakura head-butted the man with all her might and gave him yet another concussion. Losing his concentration and balance, Kanaye waddled away and backed into the building's grid windows, where a 20 story drop awaited below.
"Sakura, please…" Kanaye said out of breath.
"No, Kanaye." She shook her head. "It's over."
Sakura then charged into the man and sent him flying out the window. As he began to drop, Sakura intercepted him and swung him back into the building, where he crashed through another window leading into another room. Hiroshi trembled in place and noticed several tiny shards of glass lodged deeply into his skin as the blood began to rise.
"No…" He painfully whispered.
"Oh yes…" Sakura said as she grabbed the man by the throat. "You didn't think I'd let you die like that, did you?"
"Please…"
"It's no use begging for mercy."
"You're not… a murderer…"
"Oh no? Well thanks to you, I am now!" Sakura then grabbed hold of the man's weakened arm and twisted it back much to his agony. She held onto the arm firmly and didn't let go as she gave him yet another dirty glare. "You took away six months of my life. I'm here to end yours."
"No, Sakura! Please!" Kanaye whimpered. "I took you in…I treated you well… I was… I was like a father to you. I was--"
"I ALREADY HAVE A FATHER!" Sakura shouted at the top of her lungs as she broke the man's arm in three different places.
"No!" He wailed.
Having lost her patience, Sakura swung her fist across the corrupt businessman's face with a left hook then returned with a right. She then continued this pattern until the man finally collapsed to the floor.
"No, Kanaye!" She scolded as she lowered herself to the ground and crouched over her enemy, landing several more punches to his face.
Releasing all her anger, all her rage and all her fury, Sakura bludgeoned the man with her fists at a rapid pace and breathed heavily as she landed every punch. Her hatred for this man proved to be so severe, that eventually spurts of blood landed on the girl's black suit after her punches grew stronger. Every new punch sent forth a new burst of blood from the man's face but Sakura didn't care. She wanted to see him dead. Finally, she raised her fist for the last time and attempted to lay it on Kanaye but noticed someone else's hand was placed around her wrist.
"Tomoyo?" Sakura gave her friend a surprised look. "Are you okay?"
"I'm okay, Sakura." She held onto Sakura's fist firmly. "But are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"Are you? Are you really?"
"Of course."
"Then what are you doing?"
"I'm trying to end this once and for all, Tomoyo."
"By killing him?"
"Yes."
"He's had enough."
"He doesn't deserve to live, Tomoyo. You know that."
"Yes. But that doesn't mean he deserves to die, either. For someone like Hiroshi Kanaye, death is nothing but an easy way out. You know that, Sakura. I know you do."
Sakura paused for a moment as she looked down on Kanaye's seemingly lifeless body and almost unrecognizable face. She then looked at her fist as the blood slowly dripped from the knuckles of her glove. With a heavy sigh, Sakura stood back up and gave her enemy one last kick across the face as more blood shot from his mouth.
"You're right" Sakura whispered to her friend as a tear rolled down her eye. "I can't kill him. I've already spilled enough blood."
"Then let it rest."
Sakura slowly nodded. "…I guess I should."
"Game over, Kanaye." Tomoyo looked down on the man as he breathed slowly. "You lose." The two girls then turned away and exited the room.
Kanaye managed to lift his battered head up and sobbed at the sight of his broken arm as a chunk of bone clearly stuck out from his torn flesh. Defeated, he dropped his head to the floor and awaited for the authorities to arrive. It was with them, where his fate would now lie.
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Kero awoke the next morning, revitalized and full of energy. He yawned loudly and scratched his back when he noticed Sakura in her bed, sleeping peacefully. Panicking, the doll tripped over his tail and rolled over to the alarm clock.
"Oh, God! Sakura!" He shrieked, waking the young girl up. "But you're dead! Wait! Is this Heaven? Then does that mean I'm dead!? Oh God! I didn't make it!"
"Kero?" Sakura yawned.
"Oh Jesus!" A thought struck Kero. "Maybe I'm not dead! Maybe you're a zombie!"
"What?" Sakura then found herself being whacked over the head with a pillow. "Ow! Kero! Stop it!"
"Back! Back I say!"
"Kero, enough!" Sakura grabbed the doll and brought him close to her heart in a warm embrace. "It's okay, Kero. There's no need to panic."
"Is… is this real?" The doll asked with a lump in his throat. "You're alive?"
"Yes."
"Then these past six months were nothing but a dream?"
"I'm afraid not, Kero."
"Then how?"
"It's a long story. But the important thing is that I'm back now. And I promise I'll never leave you again."
"Oh, Sakura!" The doll happily rubbed his small head against hers.
"I missed you too, Kero." Sakura smiled as she kissed the doll on his head.
Just then, Spinel rushed in and tackled Kero along the bed in a friendly embrace. "Kero!"
"Oh, shit…" Kero choked.
"Buddy! You're alive! Oh thank Hoffa! I knew you'd be okay!"
"Yeah, yeah! Now get off me!"
With a giggle, Sakura laid back on her bed and sighed as the two bickered with each other. "It's good to be back."
¬¬¬¬¬
There was a small gathering at the Kinomoto household during breakfast as Fujitaka, Kaho and Sonomi sat at the dining table while Touya escorted newly-released Yukito and Nakuru into the dining room. They were still sore from their encounter but it wouldn't be long until they would be completely healed up. As they all took a seat, Meiling and Tomoyo arrived, wheeling in a recovering Eriol.
"Glad you're okay, you two." Fujitaka smiled.
"Thanks." Yuki smiled.
"Admit it, Touya!" Nakuru placed the young man in a headlock. "You missed me! You worried about me!"
"I'm not…" He struggled to speak. "…Going to dignify that… with an answer."
"Is Sakura still sleeping?" Sonomi asked.
"I wouldn't be surprised." Kaho answered. "After all she's been through."
"That was one long birthday…" Meiling shook her head. "How are you holding up, Eriol?"
"Oh, I'm fine…" Eriol stiffly said, his whole body placed in a cast. "Just fine."
"Oh, poor Eriol…" Tomoyo kissed her beloved on the forehead. "Look at it this way. At least she's on our side again."
"I suppose you're right."
"But man!" Meiling joked. "Did she kick our asses or what!?"
"Where's Li?" Sonomi changed the subject.
"He's outside on the porch." Fujitaka turned his attention across the room as Sakura walked in, fully dressed. He got up from his seat and walked towards her. "Sakura…"
"Hello, father." She smiled warmly.
After a long pause, the father and daughter reunited with a powerful embrace as everyone watched and smiled. Wiping a tear from her eye, Tomoyo pulled out her camera from under the table and started recording as Meiling rolled her eyes back and chuckled. It had been a long time since she'd done that.
"A family reunited." Kaho beamed.
¬¬¬¬¬
Li sat on the porch outside as the sun shined brightly over the neighborhood. Alone with his thoughts and feelings, the young boy almost didn't hear Sakura open the front door and step outside with him. Slowly, Li turned around and immediately recognized the face he saw before him.
There was a strange and awkward silence that befell the two until Sakura decided to break the ice. She moved in closer to the boy, her hands behind her back and looked deeply into his eyes.
"Li…" She started. "You saved me. You're always saving me."
"I…" Li tried to think of something. "I couldn't give up on you. I knew you weren't dead. You were just… lost."
"How?"
"My dreams. It wasn't until you took the mask off when they started to make sense."
"Always the thinker." She chuckled.
"Sakura…" He put his hands on her shoulders.
It was then when Sakura took out her hands and revealed the small bear she had been given so long ago. The one key to bringing her back from the darkness. The one, true symbol of their love for each other.
"Thank you, Li." She whispered softly.
Sakura then found herself wrapped in yet another hug and could feel Li trembling in her arms. After all this time, after all the pain he had endured and after successfully bringing his beloved back from the grave, Li finally broke down and cried. Not from anger. Not from sadness. But from the sheer happiness he could only find with Sakura, who was now in his arms once again.
A surprised Sakura slightly pulled her head back and gently wiped the tears from her beloved's eyes. "Li… you're crying."
"Yeah…" He chuckled through the tears. "I guess I am."
"Are you okay?"
"I am now."
Sakura slowly moved her face in closer to Li's until their lips met with a long and passionate kiss. Their first in a very long time. Finally, after what seemed like a blissful eternity, Sakura and Li broke away when they noticed everyone looking at them from inside the house.
"Oh, I forgot about this part…" Sakura blushed.
"I forgot about Touya…" Li began to panic.
"I'll kill him!" Touya screeched from inside the house as Nakuru and Yukito held him back. "Let me go! I'll rip his face off with my bare hands! I'll bite his head off!"
"Oh, I missed this!" Tomoyo hugged Eriol tightly much to his displeasure.
"Ow!" He groaned. "Tomoyo? Darling?"
"Oh, sorry…"
Sakura turned away and looked into the distance as Li watched her closely. He looked towards her direction but couldn't quite figure out what she was looking at.
"Sakura?" He asked. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah…" She grinned.
Tomoyo, Yukito, Nakuru, and Meiling stepped out of the house as Sakura continued looking far away much to Li's bewilderment.
"What's going on?" Tomoyo asked. "Is everything all right?"
"I'd say it is, Tomoyo." Sakura giggled. "Hey, you guys?"
"Yeah?" Yukito raised an eyebrow.
"Anybody else get the feeling we should be out there taking care of the city?"
"What? You mean now?"
"Sakura?" Nakuru put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you up for it?"
Sakura turned to Li. "Well?"
With a grin of his own, he nodded. "I'm game."
"Yes!" Tomoyo and Meiling high-fived each other eagerly.
"We're back!" Tomoyo then turned to Eriol. "Sorry, Eriol. You'll have to sit this one out."
"I seriously doubt that…" Eriol struggled to get out of his wheelchair but the pain in his back proved too much for him. "…Yeah, you know what? You guys go ahead. Bring me back something nice."
¬¬¬¬¬
In the park, Takashi, Chiharu, Naoko and Rika strolled along the grass with their heads down. They had gotten wind about Kanaye's apprehension and how the police uncovered his shady business transactions but nothing about the Shadow Reaper.
"Well…" Chiharu sighed. "There goes another person off the 'Tokyo Knights Allies List'."
"I never trusted that guy anyway." Takashi shook his head.
"Do you guys hear something?" Naoko looked around.
"Is something wrong with her?" Rika asked.
"I'm being serious!"
"Hey, wait a minute." Takashi turned his head upward. "I hear it too."
"What is it, Takashi?" Chiharu started to worry.
"It sounds like a… a plane or something. Like a jet."
"It could be the Knights going on another mission." Naoko suggested. "They do have a jet, you know."
"Yeah but this one sounds different."
"Different?" Rika scratched her head.
"Yeah. It sounds… faster."
"Oh my God!" Chiharu pointed to the sky. "Look!"
An explosion of sound broke the silence and practically knocked the four to the ground as a powerful jet stream rocketed through the sky. Upon closer examination, they were surprised and at the same time excited to see their old friend Sakura soaring rapidly through the air and back into action.
"Yes!" Takashi shot his fist into the air. "Sakura's back!"
"Sakura!" The girls jumped with joy.
As Sakura flew above all of Tomoeda with everyone watching in awe, she could see her friends following closely behind. With a leftward spiral, Sakura winked at Touya and Yukito as they ascended the WarHawk from the air hangar. To her right, Meiling ran along the roofs of the building and leaped every one with ease. Continuing her flight through the sky, Sakura could see Yue and Ruby passing her by as Spinel Sun swooped along with Eriol on his back. Keeping up the pace, Sakura could see Cerberus carrying Li and Tomoyo, who were happy to fight by her side once more as they headed towards the sun.
"All right, everyone!" Sakura shouted. "Let's go have some fun!"
THE END
NOTE: Yeah, okay… I know what you're thinking. What was the point of all this? No point, really. I just wanted to do something different. Something a bit more emotional and less silly. Obviously I failed. :( I don't even know if I should go on with the next story or not… aw, to hell with it. I'm gonna do it anyway!
UP NEXT:
Everything from "The Next Crusade" and onward will all catch up to this next story. The magic army, Sakura's 3 symbols, the Demon Knights and even the Shadow Reaper will have something to do with my most ambitious story to date. I'm not gonna give much away but it's gonna be BIG. I mean BIG ASS BIG. There's even potential crossover material but that's all I'm gonna say right now. So until then, adios! And thanks for the reviews!