Chapter 10: Death Takes All
Iroel's Note: Here is now the 10th chapter. Thank you tangerine otaku for your review, you have brought a lot of errors into my attention which I had intended on revealing this chapter. (I think I failed to make it clear that there were two entities that inhabit Syaoran . )
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Chapitre dix: Mort prend tout
"Do you hear me Syaoran?" A voice called out. It seemed like a horrible realization when he found himself in such a peaceful and quiet setting. The voice had come from the abyss next to the setting.
"Where am I?" Syaoran focused his thoughts on the voice.
"Do you remember nothing of what had occurred?" Memories of the sword and the pain flashed back. Syaoran felt the sadness overwhelming.
"Is this the afterlife?"
"No, it is merely the room where the souls wait. Only few ever enter this room; however it is a terrible thing for they cannot ascend to the true afterlife unless their purpose is fulfilled. They remain here with other souls."
"Did I fail my purpose?"
"Hai, however you have been assured a second chance. For a brief amount of time, the Angels will restore you to the world of the Living; however this is not permanent, because of the Law. We can only allot you so much time."
"Will you explain the plot of the enemy to me?"
"The full goal cannot be revealed to you, by the order of the Law. However, we can give you a vague briefing. You are caught in between two sides of a war. The enemy cannot be allowed to succeed, or the order of the Law and Powers will be destroyed, and everything ceases. Your purpose was designated during your death, mysteriously. Thus, because of the sudden change of your purpose, we will grant you the chance of ending this war, one way or another, in order to be able to move on. This is not only for your sake, but for others as well. Many will suffer if this war continues and chaos will reign if we lose."
"You are the Angels, why can't you stop the enemy yourself?"
"We are bound by the Law as well. Without restrictions, everything collapses."
"Who is the enemy?"
"The one who has been watching you since the start of your journey; Fei Wang Reed."
"Reed?"
"Hai, this man is related to the great sorcerer, Clow Reed. We will send you to the main attention of this war, the world of Clow. Here you must find a way to end everything."
"I must do this on my own?"
"Hai, but we will tell you, that the success of the enemy depends on the possession of the Tsubasa."
"Very well…"
"It is my regret to inform you that the spirit from the eternal abyss will be hindering your purpose. There is a copy of your image which will now become a part of you. This copy has its own objectives which differ and threaten your purpose. We can only aid you by allowing you to retain your persona, but you must be able to suppress him at certain times.
"I understand."
"Go with great haste, for the power of the Angels can only last for so long."
With that, Syaoran awoke to find himself in the center of the Desert of Clow.
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Syaoran began to sweat and tire as he continued on to the ruins. He couldn't stop, every second counted.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" The other Syaoran wondered.
"That's none of your business."
"It seems that fight did quite some damage on you."
"Shut up."
"Is it hard to suppress me as the Angels ordered you?" He was being mocked.
"It doesn't matter to me."
"I do wonder what you're up to…" He worked hard to drive into Syaoran's thoughts. Syaoran merely waved it off; the other Syaoran was just as weak as he was.
"Why don't you just go back to the castle?" He started to tempt Syaoran. "Your sweet childhood friend is waiting for you. After all she has missed you. What's to stop you from just taking her heart and merely achieve your desires and passion?"
"There's no point. I've distanced myself from the Princess. God knows I deserve it."
"You can always wave it off with an excuse that you were being controlled."
"You just want me to do all this because then you can easily take control over me and do what you want. I know well of what you're trying to do, so shut up." Syaoran shut off the other Syaoran and continued on.
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"Where did Syaoran go?" Toya wondered.
"Didn't you notice him leaving?" Kurogane stated the obvious.
"Yes, but no one can find him in the city."
"Where else could he have gone to?" Fai asked.
"We're in the middle of a desert. There's no other place Syaoran could've gone to unless he wishes to get a very nice tan."
"Something is very confusing about Syaoran's return." Yukito seemed worried. "No one who is dead can come back alive."
"True, but you heard his explanation."
"Such a thing cannot be free of restrictions."
"What do you assume the restriction is?" Sakura asked.
"Perhaps its time I talked to the Witch." Yukito turned to Mokona. "Can you contact her for me?" Mokona's head lit up and revealed Yuko.
"To whom do I owe the pleasure of talking to you, Yukito?" The witch seemed amused.
"This is no time for formalities. Please tell me everything you can about Syaoran's death and resurrection."
"That information is not obliged to you nor is it allowed to anyone."
"That information is of great importance to us. We must know what Syaoran might be up to next."
"I cannot tell you the full story. However, I will reveal this much. Before Syaoran died, I fulfilled his wish to return Sakura's last memory to her. This of course was not without a price."
"What was that price?" Yukito asked.
"One which has the capability of keeping a boy imprisoned alone for all of eternity. He must now obey the Powers which govern the infinite universe. Because of this, he must now fulfill his new purpose before he moves on to the true afterlife, or stay in the Room of Awaiting until that purpose is served."
"What do you mean?"
"Syaoran has now become a pawn within a war which I would have never wished him to enter."
"Can you tell us why Syaoran might've left in such a hurry?"
"My guess is that he wishes to complete whatever the Angels had told him to do."
"Then why the rush?"
"Perhaps your Syaoran may not be truly alive; at least not for long."
"What?" Sakura was surprised.
"Even if one is granted new life, it cannot be for long. Not even the Angels themselves can grant that permeability."
"Please, tell me what Syaoran has to do."
"I myself do not know that, but can you think of clues that regard what this whole war has been over?"
"The Tsubasa?"
"If you can absolutely confirm that, I suggest you get to the ruins immediately, Sakura. There lies the Tsubasa, not within you. You are merely a guardian who is allowed access to the Tsubasa."
"The Tsubasa isn't within me?"
"Indeed. You merely accessed its power due to the unfinished extraction of its power at the ruins. Fei failed in that aspect of his plans. However, as you can see, he hasn't given up."
"Who is this Fei?" Toya finally asked.
"I already told you. He is responsible for the murder of your father."
"But I thought Syaoran was the murderer…"
"Syaoran was a mere puppet in Fei's plans. You should have enough sense to recognize that…" Toya felt the guilt hit him immediately. How does it feel to be forced to kill your own father and find out that it was your hands that were bloodied in the process?
"If you are going to act, I encourage you to act now." Yukito vanished from their presence.
"Let's go to the Ruins immediately."
"But the city…"
"Good point… I will stay behind with Yukito and manage everything. Kurogane-san, Fai-san, please handle this with extreme care. I want to at least see Syaoran one more time before his time expires."
"You want us to bring him back?"
"Hai, but only after he's done what he has to do. I could not live with myself knowing that his opportunity for eternal rest was sabotaged."
"Very well… But what if Syaoran attacks us?" Toya was silent.
"I'm going with you." Sakura firmly decided.
"No, you are to stay here Sakura." Toya grabbed her arm.
"I'm going there whether you like it or not. I can sneak out anyway like I used to."
"It's too dangerous."
"I don't care, I have to see Syaoran."
"You can see him afterwards."
"No!" Sakura freed her arm and dashed out of the palace before anyone could stop her.
"Damnit…" Kurogane ran after her, followed by Fai.
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"Honestly, why do you push yourself so hard?" Syaoran found it hard to push the voice away.
"You don't need to question my efforts all the time y'know…"
"I'm just curious. You've been acting very strange, and I do wonder if it may jeopardize me in any way through your actions." Syaoran was silent.
"What are you trying to do that won't allow you to at least rest until you're fully recovered?" Syaoran didn't respond.
"Tell me! Or I will resist you through the entire way." Syaoran's vision started to blur, until he resisted and forced back the other Syaoran.
"Stay there for me, until I do what I need to do."
"You'll get us killed…"
"We're going to die anyway… Our resurrection is limited."
"Then we can stop it. Use the Tsubasa!"
"No."
"We can save ourselves."
"It isn't right."
"Baka! This isn't about morals or rights; this is about survival!"
"I don't care; I'm going to sacrifice myself for this purpose."
"Why? What's the point when no one will care in the future? The world is ungrateful and ignorant."
"It's not for the purpose of being known. I'm doing it to save others hard and terrible misery."
"Then let them have it! The fucking corrupted bastards deserve it!"
"And so do we…" The other Syaoran became quiet. He was like this until he reached the Ruins.
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"Fei-sama… He has arrived."
"Very well, attack him immediately. Do not allow him to get near the center of the two structures." Fei had deducted earlier through Syaoran's behavior that he would attempt to destroy that which would end everything Fei had worked hard for… All to save his beloved princess.
Immediately, an army of black soldiers charged at Syaoran, who had drawn his sword on instinct.
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"If you're so intent on making people suffer," Syaoran said, "Then I suggest you help me give these men hell before we die." The first soldier's torso became detached from his lower body, blood and gore flew in the air, momentarily distracting the tother soldiers. Syaoran's eyes blazed with the Heavenly Eyes.
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Sakura hurried quickly towards the ruins. She was about a mile away, but she knew that there was a fight going on.
"Sakura-chan!" Fai called out. "Don't go in there just by yourself."
"I want to talk to Syaoran."
"We all do, but let's kill those soldiers first shall we?" Kurogane grinned at the thought of a battle.
Though he could dodge all of the attacks from the soldiers, Syaoran found it as a constant struggle to move at the speed he was moving at, even with the help of the other Syaoran. Corpses began to pile up quickly as Syaoran kicked and slashed soldiers. Two snuck behind him, on to be blown away by the cyclone cuts from Syaoran's blade. The other soldiers suffered deep wounds from their torsos and began to tremble and die from too much loss of blood.
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Iroel's Note: Cyclone cuts are generally waves of wind propelled by the sword to cut enemies from a distance (Fictional)
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Syaoran avoided a slash from a soldier as he jumped up. He reacted on impulse by twitching his body to the left, only to narrowly avoid a bullet aimed for his head; however a second bullet got him in the shoulder. Syaoran fell to the ground, nursing his wound.
"Kyle-san…" He turned to come face to face with a black-haired man with glasses.
"Strange way to meet a familiar person, wouldn't you say so Syaoran-kun?" Kyle started to mock him.
"You won't succeed here, the Tsubasa will be destroyed. You should leave if you value your life." The other Syaoran reacted in shock.
"Ah, but you see, Syaoran-kun, we just have to stall you long enough for the power of the Angels to wear off." Syaoran jerked. "Yes, Fei Reed knows about your resurrection. It disappointed him to know it can never be permanent. However, he will gladly have you sacrificed for his plans to come through."
Syaoran felt cornered. Desperation clutched his heart as he knew that he would fail if he tried to kill everyone here. With a cry he ran towards the center of the ruins, sword ready to cut anyone in his way. Soldiers came from behind and slashed him in the sides and back, but he didn't stop, until the other Syaoran resisted and stopped his movement.
"You're planning on destroying the Tsubasa?" Syaoran didn't respond, knowing that it was over for him. "You bastard!"
"Please… just help me do this… Please, I'm begging you." Syaoran was at a desperation.
"I will save us both by using the Tsubasa."
"No… please, we have to destroy it or we'll stay trapped for eternity. You don't want that, do you?"
"We can change all that by reversing time."
"Time doesn't matter to the Angels… We'll die anyway and screw up everything…"
"Liar!" The other Syaoran forced him out and got back to charging at the center. The soldiers started to attack him, until-
"You all right, Syaoran?" He turned around. Kurogane had killed the five soldiers in a single swing. Fai was back to back with him.
"Yeah, thank you."
"Do what you need to do, Syaoran, we'll keep these soldiers off of you." Fai looked at Kyle. Syaoran dashed off to the center and steadies his sword.
"No!" Syaoran tried to stop the other.
"You will thank me when I save us both." He couldn't move Syaoran's will. "Damnit! Let me do what I want!"
"No!" Syaoran struggled for control. Sakura looked from a distance in curiosity. Syaoran seemed to be struggling with himself.
Syaoran presided and forced control.
"No! Don't destroy it!"
"I must…" Hien began to transform. With a glow of golden light, its shape transformed and resembled that of Soul Breaker. The ruins began to tremble and crack. From below, a source of light began to envelope Syaoran. Celestial wings began to form from his back, stuttering and then becoming solid. Syaoran now had the Tsubasa.
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"Fei-sama… I am sorry, but we have failed…" The com was silent.
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Hien flew into the air, the blade pointed down. Syaoran seemed to be spent by the energy it took to take the Tsubasa and fell to the ground on his back. He focused all of his energy onto this one task. It would be done. The pain and weariness would all be over.
"Let it be done!" Syaoran yelled. The sword was at a considerable distance now, still powered by Syaoran's will, and now began to dart towards his heart. Fai and Kurogane looked in horror, realizing what Syaoran was really doing.
"Syaoran! No!" Sakura yelled, dashing towards Syaoran. His eyes opened in surprise. Life was mocking him. He was a man who found hope at the gallows before he was to be hung. Looking at Sakura's teary and desperate face again, his heart broke, and thus came an overpowering desire to live… But the sword still came down. "Let it be done…" He whispered softly.
The sword penetrated Syaoran's chest and in a magnificent glow of pure light, a sphere exploded, surround Syaoran's body. Sand and wind darted to the onlookers as the Ruins crumbled and fell, no longer the strong structures from the ancient times.
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It seemed dark and cold without the sun's absence. Ruined bodies of soldiers lay on the ground as Kyle disappeared in a flash.
Sakura brought herself slowly towards the remains of the ruins. She dreaded the horror of seeing her lover once again dead. She never told him…
She didn't expect to see Syaoran still there. He looked peaceful, and almost happy. His toil and pain wasn't all for nothing, and there was no wound. In fact, Hien was harmlessly by his side. Sakura reached his body and fell to her knees.
"Syaoran…" The tears began to flow.
"Don't cry… princess…" Syaoran's voice was almost unheard, his eyes were barely open. He had at least the last moments to say something.
"Keigo…" Sakura simply said, "I told you to stop using Keigo…"
"I'm sorry." Sakura strained to hear him. "It's over Sakura… No more of your people have to die… But too many have already been taken…Your father… I'm sorry, Sakura…"
"Why, Syaoran… Why did it have to be you?"
"It doesn't matter… At least I'll leave… this way…" He began to lose his energy to talk.
"Syaoran…"
"Sakura… I don't have much time left… I never told you… my last regret… Sakura, everything about you… your smile… your personality… I've wanted to tell you for so long…" His hand reached her cheek. "Live and regret nothing, Sakura… I love you…"
"Syaoran…" Tears welled up uncontrollably as she desperately she brought her hand to keep his where it was.
"You have to let go, Sakura…" Syaoran's words could barely be heard, his hand grew colder and finally…
"Syaoran!" Sakura merely screamed, his hand fell from her cheek as she fell on his body, tears just kept coming. Why couldn't she just tell him then? He never heard the words from her mouth. Kurogane and Fai made their way up slowly to where Sakura was. A green cloak fell from Kurogane's hand, an act of pity. She drew it around herself tightly in hopes of ending the pain in her chest, but the cloak didn't do anything, nor did it provide her any warmth. Sakura just continued to cry as Kurogane and Fai turned around.
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Far from the reaches of any mortal, the council of Angels knew something went horribly wrong…
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No one seemed to notice that for a brief moment, Syaoran's hand had twitched.
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Iroel's note: Yea… This chapter took a long time cause I kinda… slacked off… which accounts for the possibility that a lot of my chapters may be pretty incompetent or confusing or ect. I will try to put more effort and more time into these chapters to reward your patience and appreciation in reading this.