Card the moon
Chapter 47 – Final judgement
…
Crazy, there was no other way to describe it. He'd seen some pretty weird things since the beginning of the school year; youma by their very nature were a whole other level of bizarre.
But youma had nothing on what he was seeing now. His own owl, the lovely snowy bird that he often thought of as his second friend stood before him; that's right, 'stood', on legs, human legs. It was difficult to connect his lovely owl with the effeminately handsome pale haired man that Kero had called Yue, but he'd seen it happen, there was no denying it. He'd officially entered the twilight zone.
"What is going on?"
"The final judgement," growled the leonine creature that was the true form of Keroberos.
"What's he judging?"
"The two of you."
"Great," like he didn't have enough people doing that.
"I thought it was going to be you Harry," said Luna.
"What?"
"I thought you were going to be him," she said.
"Why would you think that?"
"I've dreamt of him ever since Christmas. The image wasn't clear, but I was sure it would be you. You were very clear in my other dreams."
Other dreams? "What other dreams?"
Her lack of reply was very suspicious.
"Shall we begin?" said Yue with a hint of impatience.
"Alright, what exactly does this judgement entail," since no one had bothered to tell him.
"You must defeat me in battle. Only then will I accept you as master of the cards of Clow."
"Is that really necessary?" asked Luna. "Can't we just talk to each other."
Apparently not, if the ice shards he threw at their feet were anything to go by. "None are fit to be master of the Clow cards, but I am bound to judge, and this is how I choose to do so. Give up now if you wish. I would actually prefer if you did."
Normally Harry would have been the first to step up to such a challenge, backing down, even when it was in his best interest, was not something he was good at. But; and it was a big but, this wasn't really his fight, it was Luna's.
"Luna?"
The blonde sighed, hung her head a bit, "If that's how it has to be, then I suppose that's how it has to be, doesn't it?"
He smiled when she turned a quizzical look at him, "It does," he assured her. "Ladies first?"
She nodded and stepped up to the winged man. "We'll need to be quick about this, Harry has somewhere he needs to be."
Harry and Kero moved back as the two combatants squared up.
Harry had no idea how Yue would fight; probably hard and fast given his attitude.
"Is he always so offish," he asked Kero, lacking anything better to do.
"He was very close to Clow Reed," the winged lion beast growled. "I remember when he told us he was going to die; he was so distraught. I think he resents Luna for trying to take his place."
"So that's a, no?"
The witty repartee was cut short by a streaking flash; arrows of light pummeled the earth and bounced off the magical shield.
"He's seriously trying to kill her!"
"He wouldn't," Kero said, not sounding at all convinced by his own words.
Never going to win sitting under a shield, the glowing dome vanished and then so did Luna.
"What the…"
"DASH!"
The big-eyed blonde zipped around the battlefield as Yue rained down crystal shards that punched into the ground like jagged fists.
Another card was drawn, and a bubbling jet blasted at the winged man.
"Never seen BUBBLE used like that."
Harry chuckled, "That is so Luna."
The suds spread across the field, hiding Luna from view, and forcing Yue to come closer if he hoped to find her.
There was no witty banter as he bombarded the field with crystal shards; cold as he seemed, he was clearly angry. His lack of progress only made it worse.
Out of the suds a shadow leapt, and the angelic man was put on the defensive. Geysers of water shot out of the bubbles, forcing him to dodge and weave to avoid getting blasted.
"She's not holding back."
"Never seen her fight like this before."
"She never needed to. Those youma didn't know how to handle my card captor," the guardian boasted.
"Neither does he by the look of it."
Assaulted from every angle Yue was panicking. He looked cool and stoic while he did it but there was no mistaking the harried jerking motions or the frantic darting looks. It was a miracle he missed it.
The tree rose slowly at first, everything else a distraction, drawing his attention. It was right beneath him when the growth exploded, catching his feet before swiftly growing up the rest of him.
He struggled in the trap, but he lacked the focus to address the problem in any meaningful way. A few seconds and all but his face and part of one arm were encased in WOOD.
The bubbles vanished, as did the other distractions, revealing Luna, standing at the base of the new tree. She conjured the FLOAT and ascended to look him in the face.
"Please surrender," she said.
The cold façade cracked a bit and the white-haired man growled, conjuring a small ice shard in his free hand. With her rod, Luna smashed the crystal, looking the defiant guardian right in the eye.
"I asked you nicely, please don't make me ask again. We really don't have time for this right now."
She was right about that; Sirius ought to be in Flitwick's office already.
"I—submit," he was clearly pained to say.
"Good." With a wave of her staff, the tree retreated, lowering the humbled guardian to the ground. "Your turn Harry."
"My turn?"
"You have some of the cards too," Kero reminded him.
Yes, he did, but now seemed the time when that would change.
"I forfeit."
"WHAT!"
It was funny hearing the big, bad, lion beast squeak like a plushy, but there just wasn't time for him to enjoy it. "You heard me. Luna wins. I forfeit."
Rather than pleased, Luna seemed very put out, "Well that's not right. It's not a proper contest if you just give up."
"Luna, we don't have time."
"I know, but, you could just do it quickly."
"Alright, quickly," he marched up to the girl, took both her hands in his and looked deep into her eyes. "Luna, you remember that night in the hospital wing, when you said someday, I'd give you the cards? Someday, I would trust you?"
The girl nodded dumbly as her cheeks began to pink.
"Today is that day. If I'd known this was how the whole thing would end, I would have done it sooner, but I didn't, so, I forfeit. The cards are yours."
"So be it."
Being his job to make the judgement, upon his declaration the cards that resided in the pocket of his 'other pants', shot from whatever sub space they were currently inhabiting and appeared before Luna.
Her silence this time was not suspicious, it was warm and soft, filled with meaning.
Before he'd time to decipher that meaning however, they were interrupted.
"Harry!"
"Hermione—and friends."
The full cohort of Sailor scouts came running up, leaving so many questions and no time to ask them.
"You girls look cold," but there's always time for a smart remark.
"Glib, Potter."
"Harry, we don't have time for this," said Hermione. "We have to save Sirius."
Right. "We can fly up the tower, get in through the window."
"And how were you planning to do that?" the Slytherin in red inquired.
"With my—oh, right, don't have that anymore."
Luna smiled at his embarrassment, "Would you like some help."
"Yes please."
