Chapter Twenty-Nine

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS.

In adversity, true feelings are revealed.

~ Chinese Proverb

There was a high-pitched ringing in the air. Where was it coming from? What had happened? Everything hurt. Touya felt like he was underwater and that the screaming he was hearing was faraway instead of coming from the man lying next to him. He coughed and rolled over onto his knees, his hands clutching his throbbing head. About him, other men were shakily rising to their feet only to fall back hard on their bottoms. Touya fumbled around for his katana, and using it for support, he pushed himself to his feet.

Now he saw why the man was screaming. His leg was bent back in a most unnatural position. Touya wretched but nothing came out. Still, the feeling of nausea stayed with him.

He closed his eyes, thinking that perhaps he should lie down a little longer. He was sinking to the ground when his eyes snapped open. Yue. Where was Yue? He stumbled out among the men searching for the white-haired general. By some miracle, he did not have to go very far. He could make out Yue's form up ahead, propped against the back of a dead horse. Using energy he did know he still possessed, Touya ran the last few steps.

His shoulders rose in relief just before he was overtaken by a brutal awakening. The end of a spear was lodged deep in Yue's chest. His lap was soaked with his own blood and its red hue looked even more terrifying and brilliant against Yue's gray armour. Touya slumped weakly to the general's side.

"Yue," he murmured.

He raised the man's head gently. Yue was breathing but his breaths were wheezy. Touya blanched. Yue's lung had been hit. Only his magic alone must be tempering his demise. As Yue took another erratic breath, he clutched Touya's shoulder. He tried to pull himself up, but he groaned in agony and fell back. The rest of the spear was buried inside the horse. He was trapped. His brows creased.

"I-"

"Don't try to talk," said Touya. "Just - you're going to be fine. You hear me? I just have to figure out… what to do..."

Yue's sharp blue eyes softened. He leaned back and gazed knowingly at Touya. This was the end for him. Touya brushed Yue's bangs from his pale face and let his hand glide down to cup his cheek.

"You're going to be fine," he lied. "You'll see."

Yue squeezed Touya's shoulder harder and started coughing, deep and dry. Then he was gasping for air. His face screwed up and he glanced away in shame.

"I'm afraid," he told Touya.

"Of what?" asked Touya, nonchalantly. "I told you. You're going to be all right."

Yue shook his head. His face was grim.

"Yukito... Yuki… to..."

"I'll find him."

Yue's eyes squeezed shut. His grip on Touya was becoming almost unbearable.

"I'll protect him," said Touya. "I swear."

Yue looked at Touya like one would look on a saviour. His hand gripped the spear in his chest, his knuckles whitening. His breaths came rapid and short.

"Yue..."

Touya could hear the panic in his own voice and it frightened him. He grasped Yue's head.

"Yue!"

Yue's body shuddered and his breaths came to a halt. Touya's eyes widened. The general stared at him for one brief moment with full awareness. There was a small tug at the corner of his lips and he was gone. Touya shook Yue's shoulder.

"Yue."

Nothing.

He fell back on his heels his body void of all morale. He should not be feeling like this. Yue was an imperial. Touya detested the imperials. Yet, his hands started to shake, and he did not understand why he could not bring himself to move.

A large presence loomed up behind Touya. He turned his head. His heart literally skipped a beat. There was a great beast before him but that was not what stunned Touya. The figure that sat on its back was surely Yue reincarnated. The man slid from the beast and stepped forward.

"Brother?"

Despair gripped Yukito with every intention of crushing him. He flung himself down beside Yue's body and engulfed his brother's shoulders. He buried his head in the crook of Yue's neck and morphed into a heartbroken child before Touya's eyes. Then, in the midst of all the blood and death, something beautiful happened. A blue light flowed out of Yue like a cool mist and enveloped Yukito. He pulled away and stared into Yue's lifeless face. He ran his fingertips along Yue's cheek and rest his forehead against his.

The light slowly vanished into the wind. Touya bowed his head in reverence. Sayonara, Yue.

"We have to go," said Touya, resting a hand on Yukito's shoulder.

More and more men were waking up and Touya questioned Yukito's ability to fight in his current state. He did not judge. After all, Yukito had just lost his entire family in one day. There were many questions in the imperial's face. One which must be why a Japanese man was dressed in imperial armour but he asked none. He merely nodded and let Touya lead him back to the beast.

"You are my Mistress' brother," said the beast. "You feel like she does."

Touya quickly recovered from the startling fact that this animal was speaking to him. He tilted his head as a thought sprang into his mind.

"You are Kero."

"This is what Sakura calls me," it said. "But in this form, the prince's name for me – Cerberus, seems more fitting. Hurry and get on. I'm not strong enough to fight everyone here just yet."

Soon they were rising into the sky away from the battle; away from what was left of Yue.

A sphere of dark magic was swirling menacingly around Syaoran and Sheng. The earth trembled and broke beneath them. The clouds in the sky became murky and plump and the sun cowered behind them shamelessly. Sheng's teeth clenched as he forced his mind to ignore his body's protestations.

Syaoran's eyes were trained on the ground in deep concentration. Sheng smirked. So, the Great Imperial Son was giving his all and it was not enough! He blinked. What was that? Did Xiao Lang just... chuckle?

The prince raised his sword towards the Heavens.

"God of Thunder!"

Sheng instantly had a sensation of being deflated. Huge bolts of lightning burst to life in the dark sky. They pooled together directly above Syaoran. His jian channelled their combined energy. He slashed his sword downwards. Sheng's eyes were saucers as the lightning came roaring at him. His back felt like it was being ripped open by the claws of a tiger. His mouth parted soundlessly as his sword fell from his hands. It could have ended there for him, but he had learned something from Harmless. His palms widened and suddenly, the lightning was being sucked into a void.

Sheng collapsed onto the ground, his head reeling. He was caught somewhere between delusion and reality and he was fighting hard to stay in the real world. There was a swift kick to his guts, and he went rolling. Sheng pressed his hands into the earth and channelled his magic into it. Fire rose up in front of him. It did not faze Syaoran, that is, until it formed into a wall and rushed in an angry blaze towards him. At the last moment, he raised his arms.

A mountain of water rose up and crushed into Sheng's fire. The air sizzled with steam. Syaoran grimaced as the heat slapped his face. Sheng stumbled to his feet. The air cleared and he stared into the eyes of his childhood adversary. This was what he had wanted - a battle between himself and Syaoran and it was being delivered in full.

Syaoran must have had a direct connection to his thoughts because he chuckled again, so fast, it could have been a sneeze. He surged towards Sheng who moved out the way just in time. Not missing a beat, Syaoran grabbed hold of his hair and tugged hard sending Sheng to the ground again. In a desperate move, Sheng threw a handful of dirt into the air and hit Syaoran in the face. He flailed backwards.

Sheng ran headlong into Syaoran and they both went crashing into the ground. His sword knocked from him, Syaoran was just as content to finish Sheng with his fists. The men struggled for dominance. Somehow in the heat of things, Sheng managed to get astride Syaoran, and he savagely pounded him with his hands. Left fist, then right, left, right, left, right and left again. There was no stopping. He could not afford to stop.

All Syaoran could do was hide behind his arms and wait. As soon as he found an opening, Syaoran exploded upwards throwing Sheng off him. Now he had the position of advantage and he let Sheng know it.

Blinded by the blood in his eyes, Sheng found it difficult to keep up. He was sure some of his fingers were broken. His ribs hurt and that thing coming up his throat, he knew it was not this morning's breakfast. It was too salty, too metallic.

Sheng screamed in frustration. A gust of wind kicked up around him and Syaoran as he summoned magic like he never had before. Blood streamed down Sheng's nose and fresh sweat burst from his forehead. His screams deafened even him. He brought his arms up and gave a mighty shove that sent Syaoran tumbling across the ground.

The look on Syaoran's face said it all. Sheng was going to die, one way or another. He opened his palm and his jian materialised in it. Again, he pointed it upwards and the lightning gathered as before.

"God of Thunder!"

Sheng raised his palms and a whirlwind of magic, hate and vengeance engulfed them both. The force of their powers lifted their feet from the ground. Then, just as Syaoran was bringing his sword down, his figure swam before Sheng's eyes. Sheng plummeted, his heart racing with the magic flowing through his blood. When Syaoran's lightning bolt hit him, he was sure he was dead this time.

Syaoran peeled his cheek from the hard earth. That last bit of magic Sheng had knocked him with was a devastating blow. It was not skill on Sheng's part; he could not control the magic and it had been released in its rawest form. Syaoran's head spun. He struggled to his feet, his legs dancing around each other like a drunkard. He stumbled over to his jian and picked it up.

His hand flew to his head. There were two Shengs in front of him. He blinked rapidly, willing his vision to correct itself. Bending over slightly, he breathed deeply through his nose. The two Shengs were trying to get up. Syaoran closed his eyes tight and when he reopened them, there was only one Sheng.

Better, he thought.

"Arise cousin," said Syaoran. "I wish to kill you on your feet."

A few failed attempts later, Sheng was up, swaying precariously on the balls of his feet, his eyes glaring venom at Syaoran.

"Be done with it," he told Syaoran, blood spurting from his lips. He had a hand on his chest and was forcing air into his lungs. "Finish me. If you can."

"I can and I will," said Syaoran. "I told you it would come to this. I warned you. You don't listen."

Sheng's brow furrowed.

"You warned me?"

"But you didn't listen. You are too stubborn." Sheng went into a fit of coughs as Syaoran circled him. "No good ever comes from opposing your emperor. Past or present."

"Because he had you?" spat Sheng. "Because you are the Great Imperial Son? The demon prince?"

The look in Syaoran's eyes could have frozen hell's fires.

"I am a prince no more. I am Huangdi. You made it so. You are a traitor. And you should have learned how to let things go."

"Would you have?" asked Sheng, wiping blood from his mouth, his brows turned up in a plea. "Could you have!"

The corner of Syaoran's lips twitched in a mocking smile.

"What I know for a fact," said Syaoran, his gold eyes bright and dangerous like molten lava. "Is that my first assassination attempt would have been a success."

Sheng gave a humourless laugh and gripped his side as a sharp pain cut through his torso.

"You had to prove a point in the grandest way," said Syaoran. "You could have maintained your title. Now look how far you have fallen."

"You knew the truth about what happened to my father!" shouted Sheng. "You knew we were cheated of our rightful places in this empire."

"You suffer delusions," said Syaoran in monotone. "Your father was weak. He would not have ruled. You were weak too. The Mandate of Heaven went to my father. And Huangdi's will is absolute. You do not challenge the emperor. The moment you did, your Fate was sealed."

Large droplets of rain burst from the sky and Syaoran tightened his grip on his sword.

"It did not have to come to this," he said.

Sheng drew himself up straight, his nose wrinkled in loathing.

"But it did."

After the terror of flying through a sky consumed with unpredictable bouts of lightning, Sakura and Nakuru had to contend with rain that hit so hard it felt like it would split your head open. Sakura wiped her wet bangs from her eyes. The clouds were churning, and some chilling darkness had pervaded the surroundings. A shiver ran down her spine. Something was jarringly familiar about this moment.

Nakuru stopped her in mid-air and gripped her shoulders.

"I'm going to search for Touya," she said. "Tell me you're going to stay here. Tell me you're going to be safe."

Sakura was looking at the soldiers down below. Nakuru shook her.

"Sakura-chan!"

"I am! Yes, I'll stay here."

"Good," said Nakuru. "I can't have Touya seeing you before I have a chance to explain -"

"AKIZUKI!"

"-myself..."

Nakuru turned stiffly, a pained expression on her face. Sakura gasped. The massive-sized Kero was flying towards her with Touya and Yukito on his back.

"What are you doing here?" asked Touya. "I told-"

He went bug-eyed when he caught sight of Sakura.

"AKIZUKI!"

"She gave me no choice!" said Nakuru pointing a finger accusingly at Sakura, who pointed to herself in confusion.

"NANI?!"

"He's not going to be mad at you for long," Nakuru whispered to her. "But me-"

"SAKURA-CHAN! WAAAAH!"

Kero flew right past Nakuru and straight into Sakura.

"HOE-EEEE!"

Sakura went careening towards the earth with full force.

"You're going to kill her!" she heard her brother yell.

Kero stopped his friendly assault and Sakura regained her bearings, her wings flapping madly to do so. The beast was grinning from ear to ear but Touya was looking everything but happy.

"What the hell are you doing here? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"I had to come," said Sakura, holding her hands to her chest. "I was worried!"

"You were worried? That's all you have to say for yourself!"

Sakura gulped.

"Well I-"

"I'm so glad you're here Mistress!" interjected Kero. "You won't believe what those bastards did to me! I haven't eaten in months! And no one brushed my fur... It was horrible! Traumatic! I won't be the same for the rest of my LIFE!"

Sakura blinked. So the person who had yelled Sakura-chan just now…

"Ano... YOU TALK?"

Kero grinned.

"It was difficult in the beginning because I couldn't draw any magic from you. But since your powers manifested and I'm out of that horrible room, I can do lots of things."

"We can save the reunion for later," said Touya, folding his arms.

"Yukito-san," said Sakura, a true smile lighting up her face as she took in the sight of him properly. He was as beautiful as ever. Yukito smiled but it did not reach his eyes.

"Yukito-san... what's wrong?"

Touya glanced at the man behind him.

"That we can talk about later too."

The dark clouds in the sky rolled away and were replaced by even more ominous ones.

"I'm glad you're all right, onii-chan," said Sakura urgently. "But I have to find Xiao Lang."

"He's duelling Lu Sheng."

Sakura's heart fluttered.

"You saw him?"

"Hai."

"Is he hurt?"

"You're not supposed to be here Sakura," said Touya, his patience waning thin.

Sakura was not hearing him though. She was thinking about Syaoran. She was thinking about the grating feeling in her that told her something terrible was going to happen.

"I have to go," she murmured.

"What?!"

"I have to go!"

With that, she went ripping through the atmosphere towards the battlefield.

"Follow her!" said Touya to Kero.

"You can't order me around."

"You didn't think that was a problem a while ago," said Touya, irritation laced in each word.

"That was before I was reunited with Sakura-chan. She is the only one whose commands I will obey."

Before he could stop himself, Touya hit Cerberus a hard punch to the back of the head.

"How dare you hit me!" yelled the Guardian Beast. "DO you know who I am boy! What I am. I am a Guardian Beast. I am revered. I am-"

"A loud big-mouthed tiger who's really a little kitten at heart and who clearly doesn't understand the meaning of common sense!"

"My Mistress, Sakura-chan will hear of these insults!"

"Your Mistress, Sakura-chan is heading into danger and you are refusing to go save her. And you!" said Touya to Nakuru who was trying to drift away quietly. "I haven't even started with you yet."

"But Touya-!"

"I don't want to hear it! You just need to do what you do worst and that is to shut up and listen."

"Oh, so now only you can talk?" asked Cerberus, the Guardian Beast. "Listen up everyone, only Kinomoto Touya can talk! Well guess what. Huangdi sent a message from the grave. He wants his job back gaki."

"Seriously, are you always this irrational?!" asked Touya, his anger reddening his face.

"No!" said Cerberus. "But I've been locked in a small room. For months. Hungry! And nobody brushed my damn fur!"

Touya threw his arms up in exasperation.

Why were these Chinese natives such a pain in the ass?

Sakura was hovering above Syaoran and Sheng, like some curious bird who had stopped mid-flight to take in the strange beings that were men. She was not sure how she had arrived there. All she knew was that some strong force had been tugging at her and instead of resisting, she had let her wings take her to it.

Sheng was standing unarmed before Syaoran who had his jian clutched firmly in his right hand. It was not a surprising scene to Sakura. She had seen this before in her dream. Only, she had been over there. She turned to the spot. Sheng's attention also shifted to the same place. Harmless was sprinting towards him, weaving in and out of soldiers with ever increasing momentum. Sakura could feel the intensity of each of his strides as she watched him defy the odds in fascination.

Her eyes flicked over to Syaoran. At the last moment, he changed his mind. He dropped his arm and instead made to drive his jian into Sheng. Yet somehow, unbelievably, incredibly, Harmless reached the men just as Syaoran's arm thrust forward. The jian sunk easily into the assassin. Sakura's mouth fell open. Of course, she knew Syaoran killed men, but she had never seen him like this.

Harmless stared at the blade in disbelief. Shakily, he reached behind him and touched the tip of the jian. Syaoran ripped the sword from him with a twist and blood gushed generously from Harmless' wound with pieced of his insides. He fell into Sheng's arms, his weight dragging them both to the ground. Sheng pressed his hand into Harmless' wound, but the assassin shook his head. Syaoran flicked the blood from his jian and was raising it again when Harmless extended a bloody palm towards him.

Sakura's heart leaped into her throat and her limps quivered. She knew that if she stayed where she was, if she did not move, Harmless was going to make Syaoran disappear forever. Move, she told herself. Move!

Her wings flattened against her back. Her Star Wand materialized in her hand as she pelted headfirst to the ground.

"Shield!"

There was a blinding flash of light and the men covered their eyes. Sakura landed in front of Syaoran, her body aglow with light. Harmless was the first to recover. He squinted at her, determination etched in his face even as it was distorted in pain. He aimed his hand at Sakura's Shield. A dark mist emerged, slowly but sinisterly enveloping the magical barrier.

"You are interfering."

Sakura swivelled to find Syaoran eyeing her with irritation. It was as though she were a stranger to him.

"I'm saving you," she told him, backing away as it seemed he would attack her at any moment. "Please Xiao Lang, you have to help me! I don't think the Shield will hold!"

Syaoran looked up at the ever-darkening Shield and something seemed to spark to life in his mind. Then, recognition flooded his eyes.

"Sakura…?"

Relieved, Sakura went to him, threw her arms around his neck and gave him a passionate kiss. He pushed her away, irritation replaced with anger.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

Sakura faltered as she felt the barrier around them trembling.

"I - I came to help."

"Help?" he all but growled. "You disobeyed my will... to help on a battlefield? Are you mad, woman?"

"No. Not mad. Just in love."

Syaoran's harsh demeanour faltered and once more, Sakura's gaze shot to the translucent barrier around them. Her dream was vivid in her mind - the darkness, Syaoran disappearing... and here she was with him.

"Xiao Lang…" she said, her voice shaking with fear. "I think we're going to die."

Syaoran looked at the spot Harmless lay, though he could not see him because of the dark mist surrounding the barrier.

"Step aside, wife," said Syaoran. "I will kill them both."

Sakura shook her head and gripped his arm.

"I dreamed… that if you were out there… you would disappear."

She did not know how he knew, but she could see him understand that she was not speaking of a regular dream.

"How can I die?" he asked her, cupping her cheek. "I have too much to live for."

Suddenly, the weight of the day lifted from Sakura's shoulders and she knew that everything was going to be alright.

"You are strong indeed, wife," he told her. "But you are no warrior. You're already tiring and your magic is waning."

He went to her back and hugged her from behind.

"Show me your Cards."

She took them from her robes and displayed them to him. He plucked the Light card from her hands and, hugged her from behind. Darkness overcame them just as his chin rest on top of her head.

"Xiao Lang...!"

"Shhh. Your Shield still stands."

"It's breaking."

"Yes. It is. When it breaks, his magic will tear our bodies apart. It is a very old, very dark spell."

Sakura shivered in his arms. Was this really the end? He shifted his jian into his left hand and helped her hold her wand with his right. His aura comfortingly wound its way around her body and into the depths of her soul. Sakura felt her wand lengthen and thicken between her fingers.

"Do you trust me?" asked Syaoran.

"Yes," said Sakura, without hesitation.

Together, they raised the wand above their heads.

"Sakura..." he murmured into her ear. "I believe your light can overcome any darkness."

Around them, the barrier shattered. But rather than be swallowed up in the dark mist, the dark magic twisted into the large, golden star of the staff, making it swivel, and shine brighter and brighter with each turn. Syaoran raised the staff higher and Sakura tiptoed to maintain her hold on it.

"Release the Card."

"LIGHT!"

A beam of white light shot into the air, disintegrating the dark clouds above them. The earth rumbled beneath their feet and their hair flew skywards. Like a storm that was breaking, the heavens cleared, and once more blue skies and white, wispy clouds hung in the air above them. Beyond them, the Sun cast its warm blanket on every living thing beneath its domain. Every man on the battlefield dropped to his knees, void of the hate and animosity that had filled their hearts. The Light stretched to the far corners of the upheaval within the City and slowly, the blinding quality of it dissipated, the tremours of the earth stilled, and a deep quiet and gentle aura was left in its wake.

Beyond her, Harmless was watching them, stupefied, his face holding an uncanny peace. Sheng's lids were heavy and he seemed almost euphoric. He gazed down at Harmless as the man's body went still in his lap. Harmless had died. Sheng fell back to the muddy earth, motionless and calm.

Sakura's staff shrank into its key form, and settled lightly in her palm. She looked round at Syaoran, her body light, and her mind numb with tranquility. Her brows knotted as she gazed down at Harmless. She should be alarmed but she did not feel stricken or terrified.

"Did I...?"

"No," said Syaoran, his tone like a lullaby. "You are not responsible for him. It was his time."

He moved closer to Lu Sheng but Sakura hugged him around the waist, her cheek sticky with the blood and dirt on his armour.

"Enough killing," she said to him. "Please?"

She could see Syaoran fighting the calming effects of the light. His eyes flickered between amber and gold.

"Please. Tell me this is enough. Xiao Lang...?"

"He has caused a lot of pain and suffering."

"So have you. So have you."

"We are not the same," said Syaoran.

"I know. You are a better man. You've won. Let this be enough. No more killing. No more vengeance. Can this be enough?"

For a moment, she thought he would push her away and finish Sheng off but he remained standing there with her. Dropping his sword, he caressed her cheeks, wiping the blood from them, and stared into her eyes. Shame washed across his face and bit by bit, the gold hue peeled away to reveal beautiful amber.

"Blood should never mar this pretty face," he told her. Giving a reluctant sigh, he said. "For you, I will let it be enough."

A/N

Hey Tomodachi! I just want to assure original readers that this is the same story. I just cleaned up incomplete thoughts and ideas and things that did not make too much sense. lol. When I originally wrote the story several readers PMed me with certain requests and I tried to write what they wanted and ended up tying myself up somewhat. But I added a lot more than I discarded. Fool For You will be updated soon. I am very busy and had slight writer's block but I am getting over that. So, ^_^ Until next time, Ja ne!