Re-Broken

Disclaimer: I love CCS... but I don't own it. :( Oh, and I don't own Phantom of the Opera either.

- A change in writing style/time/place/whatever (will notate in () which one if necessary)

Rating: T

Summary: A new enemy is trying to break Sakura's spirit in order to weaken her enough to steal her cards from her. Everyone around her seems to be turning cruel... and the only solace she can find is in the arms of the man she never expected.

Pairings: Syaoran/Sakura, Sakura/Eriol

(Chapter 17.5: The Final Test)

The cards appeared ever more frequently as the trio traversed through the land of dreams. Sakura was getting a little worn out... but as they went she realized she felt even more strongly about their mission. Sakura thanked her lucky stars that the youngest Eriol did not in fact continue to age... though she did wonder why he wasn't.

After a particularly difficult battle against The Mist, The Sand, and The Shadow, Sakura finally understood what lesson she was supposed to be learning from this adventure.

'I love everyone so much... but I'm still here because I love Eriol the most...'

Directly following this realization, they met The Glow and The Change, who joined them without a fight. The Sword, The Storm, The Power, and The Fight were holding yet another Eriol hostage, this one was the oldest yet of the three... and apparently represented Eriol's true feelings towards Sakura.

Unlike the other two, he seemed to be rather knowledgeable about this place and her mission, glancing at her every now and then as though trying to figure out something about her demeanor.

At last, they came to a volcano with a lava river much like the one Sakura had first crossed in order to come to this world in the first place. The Firey and The Earthy lurked near the Volcano in their true forms, flanked by The Thunder, and The Arrow. Closing in on them from above was The Shot, followed by The Twin.

The young and old Eriol went forward at once and fought The Twin in perfect unison despite their age difference. Sakura summoned the Shield to avoid being hit by The Shot's and The Arrow's projectiles while middle Eriol summoned Clow's amazing power to take down The Create, which was currently spawning monsters at them from across the lava river.

Together the four of them resealed the most devastating of Sakura's cards, Sakura showing them her determination with The Hope the same way she had shown the others.

Sakura cheered happily. There were only four cards left missing! Little and young Eriol shared in her enthusiasm, but elder Eriol was solemn.

"Now comes the most difficult part... are you sure you are ready?" he asked quietly.

She beamed, giving him the thumbs up, "Nothing can beat the four of us combined!"

Elder Eriol didn't smile, "This battle is yours to fight... alone. We cannot help you."

"Hoe?" Sakura blinked.

"Don't worry Sakura-san, I'm sure that whatever it is, you can do it!" Younger Eriol comforted.

"Yeah, nothing can beat you!" Little Eriol agreed.

"Eheh... yeah you're right!" Sakura grinned then, star wand gripped tightly in her hands she made her way up the volcano, the three Eriol's trailing behind.

At the top, she met the most curious sight. The Sleep and The Dream stood like sentinels beside the floating body of a fifth Eriol. This one, Sakura immediately recognized as the most current one... and she nearly cried. He was floating in midair just behind them, glowing in a strange golden light that looked suspiciously like the work of The Time card.

The Dream stepped forward as the four approached. "You have done well getting this far, mistress. However, all of what has occurred will have meant nothing if you cannot use what you have learned to free this young man from Time's bindings."

"Why don't you just let him go?" Sakura demanded.

The Sleep shook it's head. "If we do that you will never be able to repair him."

"You cannot leave here as long as he remains in pieces. This is, after all, his world." The Dream continued.

Sakura blinked, "I thought this was my world?"

"Your mind has created this place, true enough... but it was his scattered thoughts that have made your journey through it possible." The Dream explained.

Sakura reeled, "Ok, whatever... let me through."

The Sleep and The Dream stepped aside to allow her passage. She stepped forward, and was at a loss for words temporarily. His eyes were closed... but he looked so tormented. Young Eriol seemed to be the most affected by his elder self's troubles. "Please do not leave me like this..." he begged quietly. The other two nodded their agreement to his sentiments.

Sakura nodded as well, "I won't. I promise."

She stood beside the body that was frozen in time and reached out to take his hand. She was immediately repelled by a barrier. She withdrew in annoyance and glanced helplessly at the other three. How could she help him if she couldn't get near him?

Little and Young Eriol stepped forward. Young Eriol drew out the sun staff and held it aloft before him. Little Eriol touched the staff near it's base, changing it into a golden version of the staff with the heart and star. Together, they summoned all of their strength, their power spiraling upwards around them in a tornado of energy. Above current Eriol's body, the sealing circle with the star and heart appeared, the barrier revealing itself as it strained against the combined might of both Clow and Eriol's magic. Sakura then drew her own staff and added her power to theirs, and in seconds, the barrier disappeared. The swirling energy swept up both little, and young Eriol. Together they vanished, their energies draining into the current Eriol's inert body.

Sakura reached forward again and found no barrier this time. She wrapped her hand around Eriol's and bowed her head.

"Eriol-kun... onegai..." she took a deep breath, got her thoughts together, and lifted her head once more to look directly into his closed eyes.

"What happened outside of the theater... no... wait, this is deeper than that. What has happened to us since those two strange people began interfering with our lives... " Sakura paused again, her forehead scrunched up in thought.

"I'm not saying this right." She laughed, tears running down her cheeks. "I think though, that you blame yourself for not knowing that we were being manipulated... just the same as I was after I heard what Toro said. But it's neither your fault nor mine that any of this happened. I think that, even if Toro and Rika had never existed, somehow this was going to happen anyway. Not this fight, I mean... but this change... in myself, in yourself."

The remaining Eriol listened quietly as she spoke to his more current form. Dressed still in Raoul's costume, he looked like a sleeping prince, and Sakura, the heroic princess come to the rescue. It was kind of comical, this setting... but Eriol wasn't laughing. He listened to the words Sakura spoke, the feeling with which she was speaking them... something flickered within him...

"What I'm trying to say is... that even though I have no way of knowing whether or not any of this would have changed if they hadn't interfered... well, the thing is... I don't care what would have happened or not. What matters is what has happened, and that I wouldn't change any of it, even if I had the choice."

~Past the point of no return
No backward glances
Our games of make-believe are at an end.

Past all thought of "if" or "when"
No use resisting
Abandon thought and let the dream descend

What raging FIRE shall flood the soul
What rich desire unlocks it's door
What sweet seduction lies before us?

Past the point of no return
The final threshold
What warm unspoken secrets
Will we learn
Beyond the point of no return?~

Eldest Eriol closed his eyes. He felt in his heart her sincerity, he understood in his mind that she had meant every word that she said. Even as he questioned her judgment in closing her heart to the past... he believed in his soul that somehow this had been meant-to-be.

As she leaned forward and kissed his unmoving lips, the extra Eriol vanished, his essence too being absorbed into the main one... the golden glow of the time faded away and the remaining cards smiled as his spirit sunk to the ground once more.

They left to rejoin their cards in the real world without their mistress' permission, allowing her some private time alone with Eriol.

Slowly, his spirit awoke, blinking at her in confusion.

"What... happened?"

She smiled and without another word, she kissed him again.

(Tomoeda)

As fast as Rika sent out her cards against them, they shifted back to their original colorings. Eriol and Syaoran were pleased by this, it meant the battle was coming to an end at last.

Syaoran readied himself for a final blow when suddenly Toro appeared and blasted them with his own dark powers.

"This cannot be happening!" He bellowed as his cards flew away from his as well. "You have defied me, puppet, and you will pay with your life!"

Faster than Syaoran could see, Toro flashed behind him and grabbed Sakura, summoning a blade made of purely dark energy to press against her neck as Syaoran lunged forward. "You come any closer and she dies." Toro threatened.

"Release her at once!" Syaoran shouted in frustration. Eriol's body just stared, his brow furrowed. If Toro broke her dream-state now...

Rika just cackled. "Yes! Destroy her!"

"I have a better idea." Toro rumbled, drawing his only remaining card. Syaoran and Eriol both stared in horror.

The Return card glowed menacingly. "That's right peasant... just when you think you've won, I'm going to send you back. Make you start all over. You cannot win this battle... I WILL NOT ALLOW IT!"

Syaoran drew as much elemental energy to himself as he could... but he just wasn't fast enough to stop Toro as he summoned The Return's power on them...

And everything went white.

~Rozu