The Funhouse
Chapter 8: Nightmare Illusion
"Sakura!" Yue cried out as Sakura was enveloped by the dark cloud. To his relief, it vanished after a few seconds.
Psycho laughed. "Now I'm gonna have some fun." He looked at the screen. "Okay, now!"
Sakura blinked, noticed the darkness was gone, then picked herself up. "W-w-what was that?" Then she heard a noise from behind her. She turned around and saw something come out of the mirror. Her eyes widened. It was her. More accurately, it was the reflection of her from the mirror, the teen-age version of herself.
"W-what's going on?" Sakura asked, trembling.
She watched as more images stepped out of the mirrors. She saw copies of herself, herself as the crone, the wavy Sakura, the fat Sakura, and the thin Sakura. They surrounded her.
"What are you?" she asked the images.
All of them smiled, then started to change shape. They transformed into ghosts with black eyes and sharptoothed mouths.
"G-g-ghosts!" Sakura gasped, her eyes open with fear. She looked for a way out, but she was surrounded. She was trapped.
"You can't escape from us," a ghost said in an eerie voice.
"No, you can't," another said.
"You'll keep us company..." one started.
"For eternity!" another finished.
"That is, if we don't eat you first!" another said gleefully.
Sakura was petrified as the ghosts moved in closer. "Get away from me!" she yelled.
"Mistress, help me!" someone shouted.
Sakura watched as someone appeared before her. She stared at the figure, who was bound with glowing ropes. He looked haggard. "Yue-san?"
"Please help me," Yue begged.
"I'm coming, Yue-san!" Sakura shouted.
"But you'll have to go through us," the ghosts said in unison as they circled Sakura. "And you can't hurt ghosts, remember?"
"Mistress!" Yue shouted.
"Yue-san!" Sakura shouted.
Yue sighed. "Just like before. You couldn't save me before."
"W-what?" Sakura said.
"I was fading away because your power wasn't strong enough to support my existence," Yue reminded her. "Your brother had to give up his ability to see ghosts to save me and Yukito. As a result, he became weak. Just like you."
"Yue-san, what are you being so mean?" Sakura asked with tears forming in her eyes.
"Because it's true, girl," a ghost said. "You couldn't save him, so your brother risked his life to do so. It's your fault your brother was weak afterwards."
"Your fault! Your fault!" the other ghosts repeated.
Sakura bowed her head and reflected on that moment. "It's true," she sniffed, her tears starting to fall. "If I were stronger, oniichan wouldn't have had to risk his life for Yue-san and Yukito-san."
"You're totally useless!" someone cried out.
Sakura raised her head and saw a boy dressed in green Chinese traditional clothing. "S-S-Syaoran-kun?"
Syaoran marched up to Sakura. "You were lucky, Sakura. I'm more skilled at magic than you, yet Clow Read chose you as his heir. I guess he was drunk at the time because if he knew what a weak little girl you really were, he wouldn't have chosen you."
"Syaoran-kun, please stop..."
"I was the one who saved you on so many occasions," Syaoran said. "You wouldn't have all the Cards if I hadn't shown up. You're worthless."
Tears overflowed from Sakura's eyes. "Syaoran-kun, please. What's happened to you? Don't you care about me?"
Syaoran laughed cruelly. "Why should I care about a weak little girl like you? You're not worthy of being the Cardmistress!"
Sakura sniffed. *Why, Syaoran-kun?* She cried, unable to hold back her tears.
"There's only one way to solve everything," Syaoran said.
"Wh-what?" Sakura said, wiping away her tears.
Syaoran stretched out his hand. "Give me the Sakura Cards and the Star Key," he demanded.
* * * * *
Kerberos struggled with Altron and Shifter, but their grip were too tight. Touya tried to break out of Cap's strong grip, but could not. Tomoyo watched everything, not sure what to do.
Insert gazed upon the fallen Kerberos. "Well, let's end this." He turned to Controller. "What do you think, Programmer?"
"Finish them off," Controller said.
"With pleasure," Cap said, still holding Touya.
"Time for the grand finale," Insert said. He bowed and aimed his back missile launcher at Kerberos. "One kitty cat blown to pieces coming up!"
Kerberos growled and struggled harder. Altron and Shifter responded by tightening their grip. Cap looked thoughtfully at his captive. "You know, I'd like to see you blown to pieces," he told Touya. He tossed him hard onto Kerberos, knocking the wind out of him.
Altron and Shifter released their hold on Kerberos. Insert got ready to fire at Kerberos and Touya. "Okay, ready..." he said.
Tomoyo watched all this with uneasiness. *I have to do something.*
"Aim..."
A good-sounding idea came to Tomoyo. *I hope it works.*
"Fi..."
"Matte!"
Insert stopped and looked at Tomoyo, who was running towards them. "What do you want? We'll kill you after we're through with these guys."
"Yeah, wait your turn," Shifter said.
Tomoyo examined the scene. "But you're all out of place."
"What?" Cap said.
"What are talking about?" Altron said.
"This scene just doesn't look right," Tomoyo said. She started pointing at places. "I think Cap should stand there because he has a big presence."
"Really?" Cap said, pointing to himself. "Me?"
"That's right," Tomoyo said. "Stand over there behind Kerberos and Touya. Come to think of it, you guys don't look too menacing enough. Too bad I didn't bring any more costumes. They could've helped. Can you do scary noises?"
"Scary noises?" Insert asked. "What are you talking about?"
*What is she doing?* Touya wondered.
Commander Shade had the same thought. "What is that girl doing?"
"You know, like 'Grrrrrrrrrr'?" Tomoyo answered.
"Yeah, but we're not Ghosts or Shades," Altron said. "What about if we just say something cool when we blow them up?"
"Hmmmmm...good idea," Tomoyo agreed. "Got any good ones?"
"How about 'Die, heroes'?" Cap said.
"No, no, no!" Insert disagreed. "I like 'Kaboom!' or 'Kablam!'"
"That's so lame!" Altron shouted. "I like 'Buh-bye!' better."
"That's stupid!" Shifter shouted. "I like 'Sayonara, suckers' a lot better. After all, we're in Japan. It's apropos."
The four robots got together and started arguing over what would be said when they killed the Sun Guardian. The argument got louder, much to Tomoyo's enjoyment. Controller was disgusted. "Should've have given them individual personalities," he said regrettably.
At his post, Commander Shade was furious. "Will you just kill them already?!!" he shouted at his troops.
The robots stopped arguing. "Um, right," Insert said. When they looked at where Kerberos and Touya were lying, they were gone. Snarling, they looked for Tomoyo, but she was gone as well. "Where'd they go?" Cap asked.
"Up here, metalheads!" the Sun Guardian shouted from above.
The robots looked up and were greeted with a spread of fireballs. With Tomoyo and Touya on his back, Kerberos flew in the sky, raining fire on his enemies. "Sugoi!" Tomoyo exclaimed, capturing everything on tape. The robots were knocked down, but were not out.
"You idiots!" Controller shouted. "The girl was distracting you while the Sun Guardian got his strength back!"
Insert got up. "I'm gonna blow him out of the sky!" He targeted Kerberos, then fired his back missile.
"Incoming!" Tomoyo shouted.
Kerberos dove to avoid the missile. Just as he did, it passed over him. Touya reached out and grabbed it. As he held it, he was surprised at its lightness despite its size. He scratched his head at this physical impossibility.
Tomoyo was amazed that Touya caught the huge projectile. "What are you going to do with that?" she asked him.
Touya eyed Cap on the ground. "Payback," he answered. He flung the missile at the large robot, still wondering why it was so light. It sped towards its target. Before Cap could react, the missile hit him in the chest. Touya watched the explosion and saw Cap's chest crack. Cap fell to pieces and as they fell, they disintegrated.
"Yes!" Touya shouted with a grin.
Shifter threw his shoulder discs at Kerberos. "Not this time, pal." He swatted them aside. One hit something in the air. It flickered, then decloaked.
"What's that?" Tomoyo wondered, aiming her camera at the revealed object. It was a floating orb with a camera lens.
Insert launched more missiles at the Sun Guardian. Kerberos flew out of the way and the missiles flew skyward. One hit the orb, destroying it.
Commander Shade watched as his screen went blank. "Oh no!" He turned to Psycho, who was enjoying the events in the Mirror Maze. "Master, I lost visual contact with the outside. My Window's gone blank. I can't direct the guards properly without the Camera."
Psycho looked away from his screen. "For this you interrupt my soap opera?" he snarled.
Commander Shade gulped. "I'm sorry, Master, but..."
Psycho returned his focus to his screen. "You said Programmer Controller is an effective leader and a powerful fighter, correct?"
"He is, but..."
"He'll rid me of the Sun Guardian," Psycho remarked. "If he doesn't, he'll at least keep them busy long enough for me to get what I want." He grinned as he watched Sakura in the Mirror Maze.
* * * * *
"Hoe?" Sakura exclaimed, staring at Syaoran.
"Give me the Cards and the Key," he demanded, still holding out his hand. "You're not worthy of possessing them."
"Syaoran-kun..."
"Please, mistress!" Yue pleaded. "End my suffering!"
"Give him the Cards and Key! Give him the Cards and Key!" the ghosts chanted, dancing around Sakura.
Sakura took out the Cards and looked at them. She looked at each Card and remembered the adventures she went through to get them.
"Give me the Cards and the Key now!" Syaoran shouted impatiently.
She remembered how Syaoran arrived as a rival, but gradually became her friend. He did get some of the Cards, but she received all of them after the Judgment. Despite her being the Cardmistress, Syaoran stayed in Tomoeda. She was not so sure why he did, but after Eriol made his final move, she found out why. He confessed his love to her, but she did not give him an answer. Her lack of that tormented her until he came back for a visit. At that time, the final Clow Card, a powerful negative one, made its appearance and caused trouble in Tomoeda. Only after everything was fixed did she tell Syaoran she loved him. After he returned to Hong Kong, they kept in touch through written correspondence. They felt e-mail was not appropriate for them. Sakura kept all of Syaoran's letters and reread them occasionally.
"Well?" Syaoran said.
Sakura looked up. "No."
Syaoran growled. "What?"
"You're not really Syaoran-kun," Sakura said. "Syaoran-kun loves me, and I love him." She glared at him. "You're not my number one!"
Syaoran narrowed his eyes and clinched his teeth. "Well, then. Looks like I'll have to take them by force!" He summoned his sword and charged at Sakura.
Enraged at the fake Syaoran, Sakura forgot about the ghosts surrounding her. She grasped the Star Wand, ready to strike. When Syaoran was within her range, she swung hard. She hit him in the face hard, sending him flying towards some ghosts. She watched as he bowled them over.
"Hoe? Ghosts can't be hit," Sakura said, puzzled. "I thought he'd go through them." She scanned the area for Yue, but he was gone. *What's going on here?*
Syaoran and the ghosts got up. They seemed to be dazed.
"You're not real ghosts!" Sakura said, realizing the truth.
The fake Syaoran smiled. "Smart girl." Then he changed into a Ghost. The "ghosts" followed suit and became Ghosts and Shades.
Sakura looked around her. "Robots?"
"Fire!" the Ghost shouted.
The Ghosts and Shades aimed at Sakura. She ducked in time to avoid their blasts. The Ghosts and Shades ended up vaporizing each other.
"Not very smart robots," Sakura said as she got up.
More Ghosts and Shades flew out of the mirrors. "Get her!" one shouted.
Sakura's eyes bugged out. "But there's a lot of them," she said as they rushed at her.
* * * * *
Kerberos flew in for a landing, knocking down Altron in the process. He would have gotten Shifter as well, but he disappeared. "Get off, kids. I have a score to settle with these guys."
"Stuffed animal," Touya muttered as he and Tomoyo did as they were told.
Kerberos faced Altron. "You first, Stretch," he growled.
Altron shot out his arms at Kerberos. He surrounded himself with fire and flew at the robot. He plowed into Altron, knocking him down. He hit the ground, then disintegrated.
Shifter reappeared behind Kerberos as he landed. He got ready to fire its electric tentacle when Touya tackled him to the ground. Shifter slashed at his attacker, but Touya grabbed his arms and pulled him up, amazed that he weighted so little. Meanwhile, Insert hit Kerberos before he could attack. "I'm gonna blow you away, pussycat," he declared, readying to fire another missile.
Touya flung Shifter into Insert's firing line. He launched the missile, but it hit Shifter instead, vaporizing him. While Insert was stunned, Kerberos let him have it with full power fire breath. Engulfed in flames, he exploded, then was gone.
"Yatta!" Tomoyo cheered. "And I got it on tape."
"Thanks," Kerberos said to Touya hesitantly.
"Hey, the kaiiju needs us," Touya said with a smile. "The faster we get rid of these guys, the faster we can help her."
Kerberos glared at Controller. "You're next."
Controller vanished. "Hey, where'd he go?" Touya shouted.
Controller reappeared in front of the entrance. "If you want to get in here, you'll have to get past me."
"Fine by me," Kerberos growled. He ignited and charged the remaining robot.
Controller held out his hands. "Vertigo Wave!" he shouted. The orb on his head glowed and sent out a faint energy wave accompanied by a weird sound.
Kerberos found himself caught in it and fell to the ground. "Oooooo, feeling dizzy..." he groaned, his surrounding flame fading away. He thought the ground and everything else was moving. Left became right, and right became left.
The Vertigo Wave hit Touya and Tomoyo as well. With their senses scrambled, they fell to the ground. Touya fought the urge to throw up. Tomoyo tried to keep her camera focused.
"Prepare to die!" Controller declared, forming an energy ball between his hands.
* * * * *
The Ghosts and Shades advanced on Sakura. "Get her! She's nothing without her Cards!" one shouted.
Sakura checked the ceiling for a line of green circles. Finding it, she thought, *Hang in there, Yue-san!* She faced the charging enemy. "Yaaaaaaaah!" she shouted, swinging her Star Wand in front of her. Each swing yielded a result; Ghosts and Shades were sent flying.
"Hey!" Psycho shouted. "She can't do that!"
"You said she couldn't use the Sakura Cards," Yue pointed out. "You didn't say she couldn't use the Star Wand."
Psycho snarled, then calmed down and watched as Sakura knocked down Ghost after Ghost and Shade after Shade. "Well, well. Looks like you'll get to see your mistress after all." He grinned at Yue. "At least you'll get to see her one last time!"
Yue bowed his head as Psycho broke out into a fit of insane laughter.
Sakura ran faster, following the paths with green circles on their ceilings. As she hit Ghosts and Shades along the way, she thought, *I'm coming, Yue-san! I'm coming!*
Chapter 9: End of the Line
Kerberos and the others were still grounded by Controller's Vertigo Wave. They groaned under the overstimulation of light and sound. "Well, I'm sure destroying you will earn me a promotion from my Master," Controller bragged. "I like the sound of 'Supervisor Controller under Master Psycho.'"
"Good for you," Kerberos grumbled, closing his eyes. The visual distortions plagued him no more.
Controller kept bragging. "Maybe when I assist in bringing the Sakura Cards and Star Key to the User, I'll be made a Commander. Perhaps even upgraded all the way to Mega Class and made a Master. That'll be quite an upgrade, don't you think?"
*Yeah, yeah, yeah.* Kerberos lifted his head and kept his eyes closed. He steadied himself and did his best to ignore the disruptive sounds.
"Oh well, time to die." Controller got ready to launch the energy ball.
"Got that right," Kerberos said. Following the sound of Controller's voice, he let loose with a powerful fire blast. Before Controller could react, he was hit. The blast was so powerful it knocked him into the entrance and he broke through the face's teeth. Kerberos heard a small explosion inside.
"That'll shut him up," Kerberos said, opening his eyes.
Touya opened his eyes. "Got him?"
Kerberos looked at the gaping hole in the face's teeth. "It's a good bet."
Tomoyo held her head and steadied herself. "Ohhhhhhh..."
"Are you all right, Tomoyo?" Kerberos asked as they got up.
"I'm fine." Tomoyo showed her video camera. "Good thing it's shatterproof. Otherwise, I would've lost all that great footage and I wouldn't be able to film Sakura-chan in her new battle costume."
Both Kerberos and Touya sweatdropped. Their mouths dropped open. They tittered a bit but kept their balance.
"Let's get going," Kerberos said, looking at the now-opened entrance. "Hop on. We're flying in." Once his passengers were on board, he flew into the Funhouse.
* * * * *
After knocking down Ghosts and Shades in the Mirror Maze, Sakura made it to another clown face entrance. The mouth opened and she ran in. She found herself in a large chamber. She spotted someone chained to the wall.
"Yue-san!" Sakura shouted, recognizing her Moon Guardian and friend.
Yue lifted his head. "Mistress?"
Sakura ran towards Yue. Despite the Moon Guardian's paler-than-usual skin, she was happy her friend was still alive. "Yue-san!"
"Mistress, no! Keep away!"
Sakura failed to heed Yue's warning. Within a few centimeters, the Worm leaped off Yue for Sakura, its fangs out and ready to strike. Sakura came to a screeching halt once she saw the robot cobra.
Sakura heard laughter from her right. "Gotta watch it, kiddo. My Worm has a nasty temper. You really don't want to get bitten."
Sakura turned to her right and Psycho and Commander Shade appeared. A mechanical bird was perched on the clown's shoulder.
"I must confess, I'm surprised you made it here," Psycho said. "I expected the Time Bombs or my Nightmare Illusion and Servers to finish you off."
"Let Yue-san go!" Sakura demanded.
Psycho wagged his finger. "Cards and Key first, Cardmistress." He held out his hand. "If you please."
Sakura clutched the Star Wand to her chest. She gave the clown a "You'll have to take them from me" glare.
"You want to fight?" Psycho asked. "Fine, but if we do, you'll waste time your friend doesn't have," he mentioned, pointing to the weak Yue.
Sakura looked at Yue. After a moment of hesitation, she turned the Star Wand into the Star Key and reached into her pocket. She pulled out the deck of Sakura Cards.
"Don't do it, mistress!" Yue shouted before another seizure overtook his body.
Sakura watched in horror as her friend suffered through the seizure. "Yue-san!"
"The Cards and Key, Cardmistress!" Psycho ordered. "Otherwise, the Avenging Angel expires right here. Worm venom is very poisonous. Believe me, your winged friend here's been having seizures all night long. You want me to give him the cure, hand over the merchandise."
Yue's seizure went away. "Don't give him..." he said weakly before bowing his head.
"Yue-san!" Sakura wanted to run to her friend, but the Worm blocked her path. It hissed at her, daring her to come closer and receive a poisonous bite.
"Give me the Cards and Key, little girl!" Psycho said. "Time's running out on your friend there. Do you want him to die so horribly?"
"N-no," Sakura said hesitantly, shaking her head..
Psycho stepped closer to Sakura and held out his hand. "What is more important to you, a deck of cards and a tiny key or your friend's life?"
*They're all important to me,* Sakura thought. She looked at the person who was not just her Moon Guardian, but a good friend as well. *I can't give the Sakura Cards and Star Key to this evil clown, but Yue-san...*
"Well?" Psycho asked impatiently.
Sakura closed her eyes. "Forgive me, Clow-san, Eriol-kun." She stretched out her hand with the Sakura Cards and Star Key. Grinning evilly, Psycho snatched them out of her hand.
Yue looked up. "Mistress, no..."
Psycho broke out into insane laughter. "Yes! The legendary creations of Clow Read are mine!" he gloated, looking through the Cards. "Hey, I got the complete set!"
Sakura bowed her head, unwilling to face anyone. "You have what you wanted. Now release Yue-san."
Psycho smiled. "A deal's a deal." He waved his hand, and Yue disappeared from his bonds. He appeared in front of Sakura, lying on the floor.
"Yue-san!" Sakura cried, kneeling next to her friend. She gave him a big hug. "Daijobu?"
Yue attempted a smile. "Mistress, you shouldn't have given him the Cards and the Key."
"I had to, Yue-san," Sakura said. "I couldn't let you die."
Hearing that, Psycho broke out into another fit of laughter.
Sakura glared at the clown. "What's so funny?"
Psycho gave her an evil grin. "Oh, just the fact he'll be dead soon."
Sakura's eyes widened in shock. "Hoe?"
The evil clown giggled. "You see, while you were getting through the Funhouse, the Worm venom made his condition worse. Plus, I lied. There is no cure."
"Hoe?!!" Sakura did not want to believe it. She felt a knife stab into her heart. "No, Yue-san can't die! All I went through..." Tears welled in her eyes. "All I went through..."
"Was for diddlysquat, Cardmistress," Psycho finished, digging the knife into Sakura's heart even deeper. She saw the tears fall down her face. "Look on the bright side, kiddo. At least you get to spend some time together before he expires."
Sakura said nothing. All she did was cry and hold Yue's head up.
"Aw well, time to make sure these Cards and Key serve our purpose." Psycho handed them to the bird, who opened its beak to receive them. "Scanner, do your thing."
The bird flew off to a nearby platform. Placing the items before it, it shot out a light beam on the Star Key. After a moment, it aimed the beam at the deck of Sakura Cards.
"This will take a while," Psycho commented, turning his attention to Scanner. "After all, Clow Read was one of the world's most powerful magicians."
Sakura watched Scanner and the Cards. "What are you doing to them?"
Psycho turned to Sakura. "Oh, something that's none of your business." He grinned evilly. "In fact, now that I have what I wanted, I don't need you anymore." His finger started to crackle with electricity. "I believe 'Sayonara' is the appropriate word for this occasion. Or is it 'Sarabada'?" He pointed at Sakura. "Oh, whatever. Joy Buzzer!"
A bolt of electricity shot out of the clown's finger and flew at Sakura. Despite his weaken state, Yue shoved his mistress out of the way. Sakura rolled back and watched as Yue took the full brunt of the Joy Buzzer.
"Yue-san!" Sakura shouted.
Yue screamed as electricity coursed through his system. He fell back, smoke coming from his body.
"Oooo, fried chicken." Psycho grinned. "Bad move, Birdboy. You just accelerated the venom's progress. Now you'll die in a few minutes, maybe even seconds."
"Yue-san!" Sakura ran to her friend. "Why, Yue-san?" she asked with tears streaming down her face. She wiped her face. "Why?"
Yue looked at her. "Because...you're my mistress...and...my friend..." Then he felt another seizure coming. His body convulsed at a faster rate than before, then started to fade in and fade out.
"Yue-san!" Sakura shouted, hugging him.
"Looks like I don't get to stuff him after all," Psycho remarked, watching everything with evil glee. "Aw, how noble, how honorable..." He pointed his finger at Sakura. "How futile!" His finger started to charge up. "Time to join your mother, Cardmistress." He smiled as the spark of electricity grew larger.
A blast of fire blew open the door, and Kerberos flew in with Tomoyo and Touya. He landed next to Sakura. "Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo cried out as she got off. "Daijobu?"
Sakura was surprised, but pleased. "Kerberos! Tomoyo-chan! I'm fine, but Yue-san..." She was really surprised when she saw Touya. "Oniichan? What are you doing here?"
"Someone had to make sure you were okay, kaiiju," Touya answered with a little grin.
Sakura smiled, then gave her brother a big hug. Touya patted her head. "Oniichan, Yue's dying, and I can't do anything about it."
Kerberos looked at his fellow Guardian. "He doesn't look very good."
"What happened to him?" Tomoyo asked.
"Psycho poisoned him, and there's no cure," Sakura revealed.
Touya bristled when he heard this. "Yuki," he whispered.
"The Sun Guardian? Alive?" Psycho powered down, then glared at Commander Shade. "Commander..."
Commander Shade gulped. "They must have defeated Controller, Master."
"No duh, Sherlock!" Psycho slapped the Commander, then snarled at Sakura and her friends. "Correct this little mistake now!" he ordered his spinning underling.
"Yes, Master!" Commander Shade stopped spinning, then charged the reunited group with the Worm slithering behind him.
Commander Shade pointed both arms at Sakura. "Shadow Spike!" he shouted, firing two dark spikes.
Kerberos leapt forward and used his wings as a shield. The spikes hit them, releasing a large dark cloud.
"I can't get a good shot!" Tomoyo cried out.
Sakura heard a hiss somewhere in the cloud.
"The...the Worm..." Yue managed to say.
The hissing grew louder, and the Worm lunged at Sakura. Before it could bite her, Touya grabbed it by the throat and lunged at it. Both of them tumbled out of the dark cloud, struggling for supremacy. "Oniichan!" Sakura cried out.
The dark cloud faded away. Commander Shade glared at Kerberos. "You destroyed my Servers! You will die for that! Darksaber!" A beam blade shot out of his arm. He swung it at Kerberos, who avoided it in time. Kerberos let out a fireball, but the Commander dodged it.
Now standing, Touya continued to fight the Worm, which was trying to wrap itself around him. It seemed happy for a new victim. Touya tightened his grip on the snake's throat. It gasped, and that moment of weakness enabled him to grab it and whip it on the floor. The Worm went limp. Angry for the dying Yue, he brought his foot down hard on the robot's head. It shattered immediately, and Touya watched as its body disintegrated.
This did not escape Psycho. "Uh oh."
To Sakura's surprise, Yue stopped fading in and out. His seizures stopped. His skin started returning to normal. "Hoe?"
"It seems I'm getting better," Yue remarked, getting stronger.
"But how...?" Sakura wondered.
"Touya-san smashed the snake," Tomoyo pointed out. "I guess that's where the poison came from."
"You are correct," Yue said, rising. "Destroying the Worm must have eliminated the poison in my body."
"Yue-san!" Sakura shouted happily. "You're all right."
Yue saw Kerberos and Commander Shade fighting. The Commander dodged another fireball. "Shadow Spike!" he shouted, firing one from his free arm. It hit Kerberos in the face, blinding him. "Die, Guardian!" the Commander shouted, readying for the killing blow.
Before he could bring down his blade on Kerberos's head, Yue fired a small wind at him. It hit, causing the Commander to spin in place uncontrollably. "Now, Kerberos!" Yue shouted.
Recovering his sight, Kerberos unleashed a powerful fire blast at his helpless enemy. Commander Shade was engulfed in fire and was vaporized immediately.
"Sugoi, Kerberos!" Tomoyo cried out, taping everything. Kerberos posed for the camera.
"Good to have you back, Yue. I think," Kerberos said with a grin.
Yue did not crack a smile. He gave Psycho a cold look. "Looks like you're alone, clown."
Psycho grinned. "My, my. Someone gets better so suddenly and he thinks he can take on the whole world." His finger crackled with electricity, then fired a Joy Buzzer at Yue.
The Moon Guardian held up his hand and blocked the blast. "My turn." He reacted with his crystal shot, hitting Psycho in the chest. The clown was sent flying into the wall. The impact was so hard it caused a cave-in in the area. Soon, Psycho was buried under a large pile of rubble.
"Looks like I'm back after all," Yue remarked. He aimed at Scanner and blasted the bird. With a shriek, it vaporized.
Sakura looked at where Psycho was buried. "Yue-san, how could you?"
"He was evil and he tried to harm you, mistress," Yue said.
"Gotta agree with him there, Sakura," Kerberos said.
"But he could've told us why he needed the Cards and Key," Sakura said.
"Well, we'll never know now," Touya said.
Yue looked at the rubble. "I didn't know that would happen," he admitted.
Tomoyo went to her best friend and gave her a hug. "I'm so happy you're safe, Sakura-chan."
"Me too, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura said. "How did you know I would be here?"
Letting go, Tomoyo smiled. "I'll tell you later." She dug into her camera bag. "I brought you something special, but I don't think we'll need it." She pulled out a battle costume. "I made it a while ago. I was so excited you'd be back in action."
Sakura sweatdropped. "I don't think I'll be going back into action any time soon, Tomoyo-chan."
"Better get your Cards and Key back, Sakura," Kerberos recommended.
Sakura nodded and was about to do so when the rubble exploded.
"Nani?" Touya exclaimed.
"Hoe?" Sakura said, shocked.
A shape appeared above the rubble. The fool's cap was easily made out. The laugh was unmistakable. The eyes were different. Instead of blue, they shone an evil-looking red. "Here's Psycho!" he said, raising his arms.
Tomoyo replaced a tape and resumed filming. "But how...?"
"That's impossible," Kerberos said. "No one could've survived that."
"No one human, that is," Yue said grimly.
The clown made himself visible, earning astonished stares from all present. "Okay, now I'm ticked off!"
Chapter 8: Nightmare Illusion
"Sakura!" Yue cried out as Sakura was enveloped by the dark cloud. To his relief, it vanished after a few seconds.
Psycho laughed. "Now I'm gonna have some fun." He looked at the screen. "Okay, now!"
Sakura blinked, noticed the darkness was gone, then picked herself up. "W-w-what was that?" Then she heard a noise from behind her. She turned around and saw something come out of the mirror. Her eyes widened. It was her. More accurately, it was the reflection of her from the mirror, the teen-age version of herself.
"W-what's going on?" Sakura asked, trembling.
She watched as more images stepped out of the mirrors. She saw copies of herself, herself as the crone, the wavy Sakura, the fat Sakura, and the thin Sakura. They surrounded her.
"What are you?" she asked the images.
All of them smiled, then started to change shape. They transformed into ghosts with black eyes and sharptoothed mouths.
"G-g-ghosts!" Sakura gasped, her eyes open with fear. She looked for a way out, but she was surrounded. She was trapped.
"You can't escape from us," a ghost said in an eerie voice.
"No, you can't," another said.
"You'll keep us company..." one started.
"For eternity!" another finished.
"That is, if we don't eat you first!" another said gleefully.
Sakura was petrified as the ghosts moved in closer. "Get away from me!" she yelled.
"Mistress, help me!" someone shouted.
Sakura watched as someone appeared before her. She stared at the figure, who was bound with glowing ropes. He looked haggard. "Yue-san?"
"Please help me," Yue begged.
"I'm coming, Yue-san!" Sakura shouted.
"But you'll have to go through us," the ghosts said in unison as they circled Sakura. "And you can't hurt ghosts, remember?"
"Mistress!" Yue shouted.
"Yue-san!" Sakura shouted.
Yue sighed. "Just like before. You couldn't save me before."
"W-what?" Sakura said.
"I was fading away because your power wasn't strong enough to support my existence," Yue reminded her. "Your brother had to give up his ability to see ghosts to save me and Yukito. As a result, he became weak. Just like you."
"Yue-san, what are you being so mean?" Sakura asked with tears forming in her eyes.
"Because it's true, girl," a ghost said. "You couldn't save him, so your brother risked his life to do so. It's your fault your brother was weak afterwards."
"Your fault! Your fault!" the other ghosts repeated.
Sakura bowed her head and reflected on that moment. "It's true," she sniffed, her tears starting to fall. "If I were stronger, oniichan wouldn't have had to risk his life for Yue-san and Yukito-san."
"You're totally useless!" someone cried out.
Sakura raised her head and saw a boy dressed in green Chinese traditional clothing. "S-S-Syaoran-kun?"
Syaoran marched up to Sakura. "You were lucky, Sakura. I'm more skilled at magic than you, yet Clow Read chose you as his heir. I guess he was drunk at the time because if he knew what a weak little girl you really were, he wouldn't have chosen you."
"Syaoran-kun, please stop..."
"I was the one who saved you on so many occasions," Syaoran said. "You wouldn't have all the Cards if I hadn't shown up. You're worthless."
Tears overflowed from Sakura's eyes. "Syaoran-kun, please. What's happened to you? Don't you care about me?"
Syaoran laughed cruelly. "Why should I care about a weak little girl like you? You're not worthy of being the Cardmistress!"
Sakura sniffed. *Why, Syaoran-kun?* She cried, unable to hold back her tears.
"There's only one way to solve everything," Syaoran said.
"Wh-what?" Sakura said, wiping away her tears.
Syaoran stretched out his hand. "Give me the Sakura Cards and the Star Key," he demanded.
* * * * *
Kerberos struggled with Altron and Shifter, but their grip were too tight. Touya tried to break out of Cap's strong grip, but could not. Tomoyo watched everything, not sure what to do.
Insert gazed upon the fallen Kerberos. "Well, let's end this." He turned to Controller. "What do you think, Programmer?"
"Finish them off," Controller said.
"With pleasure," Cap said, still holding Touya.
"Time for the grand finale," Insert said. He bowed and aimed his back missile launcher at Kerberos. "One kitty cat blown to pieces coming up!"
Kerberos growled and struggled harder. Altron and Shifter responded by tightening their grip. Cap looked thoughtfully at his captive. "You know, I'd like to see you blown to pieces," he told Touya. He tossed him hard onto Kerberos, knocking the wind out of him.
Altron and Shifter released their hold on Kerberos. Insert got ready to fire at Kerberos and Touya. "Okay, ready..." he said.
Tomoyo watched all this with uneasiness. *I have to do something.*
"Aim..."
A good-sounding idea came to Tomoyo. *I hope it works.*
"Fi..."
"Matte!"
Insert stopped and looked at Tomoyo, who was running towards them. "What do you want? We'll kill you after we're through with these guys."
"Yeah, wait your turn," Shifter said.
Tomoyo examined the scene. "But you're all out of place."
"What?" Cap said.
"What are talking about?" Altron said.
"This scene just doesn't look right," Tomoyo said. She started pointing at places. "I think Cap should stand there because he has a big presence."
"Really?" Cap said, pointing to himself. "Me?"
"That's right," Tomoyo said. "Stand over there behind Kerberos and Touya. Come to think of it, you guys don't look too menacing enough. Too bad I didn't bring any more costumes. They could've helped. Can you do scary noises?"
"Scary noises?" Insert asked. "What are you talking about?"
*What is she doing?* Touya wondered.
Commander Shade had the same thought. "What is that girl doing?"
"You know, like 'Grrrrrrrrrr'?" Tomoyo answered.
"Yeah, but we're not Ghosts or Shades," Altron said. "What about if we just say something cool when we blow them up?"
"Hmmmmm...good idea," Tomoyo agreed. "Got any good ones?"
"How about 'Die, heroes'?" Cap said.
"No, no, no!" Insert disagreed. "I like 'Kaboom!' or 'Kablam!'"
"That's so lame!" Altron shouted. "I like 'Buh-bye!' better."
"That's stupid!" Shifter shouted. "I like 'Sayonara, suckers' a lot better. After all, we're in Japan. It's apropos."
The four robots got together and started arguing over what would be said when they killed the Sun Guardian. The argument got louder, much to Tomoyo's enjoyment. Controller was disgusted. "Should've have given them individual personalities," he said regrettably.
At his post, Commander Shade was furious. "Will you just kill them already?!!" he shouted at his troops.
The robots stopped arguing. "Um, right," Insert said. When they looked at where Kerberos and Touya were lying, they were gone. Snarling, they looked for Tomoyo, but she was gone as well. "Where'd they go?" Cap asked.
"Up here, metalheads!" the Sun Guardian shouted from above.
The robots looked up and were greeted with a spread of fireballs. With Tomoyo and Touya on his back, Kerberos flew in the sky, raining fire on his enemies. "Sugoi!" Tomoyo exclaimed, capturing everything on tape. The robots were knocked down, but were not out.
"You idiots!" Controller shouted. "The girl was distracting you while the Sun Guardian got his strength back!"
Insert got up. "I'm gonna blow him out of the sky!" He targeted Kerberos, then fired his back missile.
"Incoming!" Tomoyo shouted.
Kerberos dove to avoid the missile. Just as he did, it passed over him. Touya reached out and grabbed it. As he held it, he was surprised at its lightness despite its size. He scratched his head at this physical impossibility.
Tomoyo was amazed that Touya caught the huge projectile. "What are you going to do with that?" she asked him.
Touya eyed Cap on the ground. "Payback," he answered. He flung the missile at the large robot, still wondering why it was so light. It sped towards its target. Before Cap could react, the missile hit him in the chest. Touya watched the explosion and saw Cap's chest crack. Cap fell to pieces and as they fell, they disintegrated.
"Yes!" Touya shouted with a grin.
Shifter threw his shoulder discs at Kerberos. "Not this time, pal." He swatted them aside. One hit something in the air. It flickered, then decloaked.
"What's that?" Tomoyo wondered, aiming her camera at the revealed object. It was a floating orb with a camera lens.
Insert launched more missiles at the Sun Guardian. Kerberos flew out of the way and the missiles flew skyward. One hit the orb, destroying it.
Commander Shade watched as his screen went blank. "Oh no!" He turned to Psycho, who was enjoying the events in the Mirror Maze. "Master, I lost visual contact with the outside. My Window's gone blank. I can't direct the guards properly without the Camera."
Psycho looked away from his screen. "For this you interrupt my soap opera?" he snarled.
Commander Shade gulped. "I'm sorry, Master, but..."
Psycho returned his focus to his screen. "You said Programmer Controller is an effective leader and a powerful fighter, correct?"
"He is, but..."
"He'll rid me of the Sun Guardian," Psycho remarked. "If he doesn't, he'll at least keep them busy long enough for me to get what I want." He grinned as he watched Sakura in the Mirror Maze.
* * * * *
"Hoe?" Sakura exclaimed, staring at Syaoran.
"Give me the Cards and the Key," he demanded, still holding out his hand. "You're not worthy of possessing them."
"Syaoran-kun..."
"Please, mistress!" Yue pleaded. "End my suffering!"
"Give him the Cards and Key! Give him the Cards and Key!" the ghosts chanted, dancing around Sakura.
Sakura took out the Cards and looked at them. She looked at each Card and remembered the adventures she went through to get them.
"Give me the Cards and the Key now!" Syaoran shouted impatiently.
She remembered how Syaoran arrived as a rival, but gradually became her friend. He did get some of the Cards, but she received all of them after the Judgment. Despite her being the Cardmistress, Syaoran stayed in Tomoeda. She was not so sure why he did, but after Eriol made his final move, she found out why. He confessed his love to her, but she did not give him an answer. Her lack of that tormented her until he came back for a visit. At that time, the final Clow Card, a powerful negative one, made its appearance and caused trouble in Tomoeda. Only after everything was fixed did she tell Syaoran she loved him. After he returned to Hong Kong, they kept in touch through written correspondence. They felt e-mail was not appropriate for them. Sakura kept all of Syaoran's letters and reread them occasionally.
"Well?" Syaoran said.
Sakura looked up. "No."
Syaoran growled. "What?"
"You're not really Syaoran-kun," Sakura said. "Syaoran-kun loves me, and I love him." She glared at him. "You're not my number one!"
Syaoran narrowed his eyes and clinched his teeth. "Well, then. Looks like I'll have to take them by force!" He summoned his sword and charged at Sakura.
Enraged at the fake Syaoran, Sakura forgot about the ghosts surrounding her. She grasped the Star Wand, ready to strike. When Syaoran was within her range, she swung hard. She hit him in the face hard, sending him flying towards some ghosts. She watched as he bowled them over.
"Hoe? Ghosts can't be hit," Sakura said, puzzled. "I thought he'd go through them." She scanned the area for Yue, but he was gone. *What's going on here?*
Syaoran and the ghosts got up. They seemed to be dazed.
"You're not real ghosts!" Sakura said, realizing the truth.
The fake Syaoran smiled. "Smart girl." Then he changed into a Ghost. The "ghosts" followed suit and became Ghosts and Shades.
Sakura looked around her. "Robots?"
"Fire!" the Ghost shouted.
The Ghosts and Shades aimed at Sakura. She ducked in time to avoid their blasts. The Ghosts and Shades ended up vaporizing each other.
"Not very smart robots," Sakura said as she got up.
More Ghosts and Shades flew out of the mirrors. "Get her!" one shouted.
Sakura's eyes bugged out. "But there's a lot of them," she said as they rushed at her.
* * * * *
Kerberos flew in for a landing, knocking down Altron in the process. He would have gotten Shifter as well, but he disappeared. "Get off, kids. I have a score to settle with these guys."
"Stuffed animal," Touya muttered as he and Tomoyo did as they were told.
Kerberos faced Altron. "You first, Stretch," he growled.
Altron shot out his arms at Kerberos. He surrounded himself with fire and flew at the robot. He plowed into Altron, knocking him down. He hit the ground, then disintegrated.
Shifter reappeared behind Kerberos as he landed. He got ready to fire its electric tentacle when Touya tackled him to the ground. Shifter slashed at his attacker, but Touya grabbed his arms and pulled him up, amazed that he weighted so little. Meanwhile, Insert hit Kerberos before he could attack. "I'm gonna blow you away, pussycat," he declared, readying to fire another missile.
Touya flung Shifter into Insert's firing line. He launched the missile, but it hit Shifter instead, vaporizing him. While Insert was stunned, Kerberos let him have it with full power fire breath. Engulfed in flames, he exploded, then was gone.
"Yatta!" Tomoyo cheered. "And I got it on tape."
"Thanks," Kerberos said to Touya hesitantly.
"Hey, the kaiiju needs us," Touya said with a smile. "The faster we get rid of these guys, the faster we can help her."
Kerberos glared at Controller. "You're next."
Controller vanished. "Hey, where'd he go?" Touya shouted.
Controller reappeared in front of the entrance. "If you want to get in here, you'll have to get past me."
"Fine by me," Kerberos growled. He ignited and charged the remaining robot.
Controller held out his hands. "Vertigo Wave!" he shouted. The orb on his head glowed and sent out a faint energy wave accompanied by a weird sound.
Kerberos found himself caught in it and fell to the ground. "Oooooo, feeling dizzy..." he groaned, his surrounding flame fading away. He thought the ground and everything else was moving. Left became right, and right became left.
The Vertigo Wave hit Touya and Tomoyo as well. With their senses scrambled, they fell to the ground. Touya fought the urge to throw up. Tomoyo tried to keep her camera focused.
"Prepare to die!" Controller declared, forming an energy ball between his hands.
* * * * *
The Ghosts and Shades advanced on Sakura. "Get her! She's nothing without her Cards!" one shouted.
Sakura checked the ceiling for a line of green circles. Finding it, she thought, *Hang in there, Yue-san!* She faced the charging enemy. "Yaaaaaaaah!" she shouted, swinging her Star Wand in front of her. Each swing yielded a result; Ghosts and Shades were sent flying.
"Hey!" Psycho shouted. "She can't do that!"
"You said she couldn't use the Sakura Cards," Yue pointed out. "You didn't say she couldn't use the Star Wand."
Psycho snarled, then calmed down and watched as Sakura knocked down Ghost after Ghost and Shade after Shade. "Well, well. Looks like you'll get to see your mistress after all." He grinned at Yue. "At least you'll get to see her one last time!"
Yue bowed his head as Psycho broke out into a fit of insane laughter.
Sakura ran faster, following the paths with green circles on their ceilings. As she hit Ghosts and Shades along the way, she thought, *I'm coming, Yue-san! I'm coming!*
Chapter 9: End of the Line
Kerberos and the others were still grounded by Controller's Vertigo Wave. They groaned under the overstimulation of light and sound. "Well, I'm sure destroying you will earn me a promotion from my Master," Controller bragged. "I like the sound of 'Supervisor Controller under Master Psycho.'"
"Good for you," Kerberos grumbled, closing his eyes. The visual distortions plagued him no more.
Controller kept bragging. "Maybe when I assist in bringing the Sakura Cards and Star Key to the User, I'll be made a Commander. Perhaps even upgraded all the way to Mega Class and made a Master. That'll be quite an upgrade, don't you think?"
*Yeah, yeah, yeah.* Kerberos lifted his head and kept his eyes closed. He steadied himself and did his best to ignore the disruptive sounds.
"Oh well, time to die." Controller got ready to launch the energy ball.
"Got that right," Kerberos said. Following the sound of Controller's voice, he let loose with a powerful fire blast. Before Controller could react, he was hit. The blast was so powerful it knocked him into the entrance and he broke through the face's teeth. Kerberos heard a small explosion inside.
"That'll shut him up," Kerberos said, opening his eyes.
Touya opened his eyes. "Got him?"
Kerberos looked at the gaping hole in the face's teeth. "It's a good bet."
Tomoyo held her head and steadied herself. "Ohhhhhhh..."
"Are you all right, Tomoyo?" Kerberos asked as they got up.
"I'm fine." Tomoyo showed her video camera. "Good thing it's shatterproof. Otherwise, I would've lost all that great footage and I wouldn't be able to film Sakura-chan in her new battle costume."
Both Kerberos and Touya sweatdropped. Their mouths dropped open. They tittered a bit but kept their balance.
"Let's get going," Kerberos said, looking at the now-opened entrance. "Hop on. We're flying in." Once his passengers were on board, he flew into the Funhouse.
* * * * *
After knocking down Ghosts and Shades in the Mirror Maze, Sakura made it to another clown face entrance. The mouth opened and she ran in. She found herself in a large chamber. She spotted someone chained to the wall.
"Yue-san!" Sakura shouted, recognizing her Moon Guardian and friend.
Yue lifted his head. "Mistress?"
Sakura ran towards Yue. Despite the Moon Guardian's paler-than-usual skin, she was happy her friend was still alive. "Yue-san!"
"Mistress, no! Keep away!"
Sakura failed to heed Yue's warning. Within a few centimeters, the Worm leaped off Yue for Sakura, its fangs out and ready to strike. Sakura came to a screeching halt once she saw the robot cobra.
Sakura heard laughter from her right. "Gotta watch it, kiddo. My Worm has a nasty temper. You really don't want to get bitten."
Sakura turned to her right and Psycho and Commander Shade appeared. A mechanical bird was perched on the clown's shoulder.
"I must confess, I'm surprised you made it here," Psycho said. "I expected the Time Bombs or my Nightmare Illusion and Servers to finish you off."
"Let Yue-san go!" Sakura demanded.
Psycho wagged his finger. "Cards and Key first, Cardmistress." He held out his hand. "If you please."
Sakura clutched the Star Wand to her chest. She gave the clown a "You'll have to take them from me" glare.
"You want to fight?" Psycho asked. "Fine, but if we do, you'll waste time your friend doesn't have," he mentioned, pointing to the weak Yue.
Sakura looked at Yue. After a moment of hesitation, she turned the Star Wand into the Star Key and reached into her pocket. She pulled out the deck of Sakura Cards.
"Don't do it, mistress!" Yue shouted before another seizure overtook his body.
Sakura watched in horror as her friend suffered through the seizure. "Yue-san!"
"The Cards and Key, Cardmistress!" Psycho ordered. "Otherwise, the Avenging Angel expires right here. Worm venom is very poisonous. Believe me, your winged friend here's been having seizures all night long. You want me to give him the cure, hand over the merchandise."
Yue's seizure went away. "Don't give him..." he said weakly before bowing his head.
"Yue-san!" Sakura wanted to run to her friend, but the Worm blocked her path. It hissed at her, daring her to come closer and receive a poisonous bite.
"Give me the Cards and Key, little girl!" Psycho said. "Time's running out on your friend there. Do you want him to die so horribly?"
"N-no," Sakura said hesitantly, shaking her head..
Psycho stepped closer to Sakura and held out his hand. "What is more important to you, a deck of cards and a tiny key or your friend's life?"
*They're all important to me,* Sakura thought. She looked at the person who was not just her Moon Guardian, but a good friend as well. *I can't give the Sakura Cards and Star Key to this evil clown, but Yue-san...*
"Well?" Psycho asked impatiently.
Sakura closed her eyes. "Forgive me, Clow-san, Eriol-kun." She stretched out her hand with the Sakura Cards and Star Key. Grinning evilly, Psycho snatched them out of her hand.
Yue looked up. "Mistress, no..."
Psycho broke out into insane laughter. "Yes! The legendary creations of Clow Read are mine!" he gloated, looking through the Cards. "Hey, I got the complete set!"
Sakura bowed her head, unwilling to face anyone. "You have what you wanted. Now release Yue-san."
Psycho smiled. "A deal's a deal." He waved his hand, and Yue disappeared from his bonds. He appeared in front of Sakura, lying on the floor.
"Yue-san!" Sakura cried, kneeling next to her friend. She gave him a big hug. "Daijobu?"
Yue attempted a smile. "Mistress, you shouldn't have given him the Cards and the Key."
"I had to, Yue-san," Sakura said. "I couldn't let you die."
Hearing that, Psycho broke out into another fit of laughter.
Sakura glared at the clown. "What's so funny?"
Psycho gave her an evil grin. "Oh, just the fact he'll be dead soon."
Sakura's eyes widened in shock. "Hoe?"
The evil clown giggled. "You see, while you were getting through the Funhouse, the Worm venom made his condition worse. Plus, I lied. There is no cure."
"Hoe?!!" Sakura did not want to believe it. She felt a knife stab into her heart. "No, Yue-san can't die! All I went through..." Tears welled in her eyes. "All I went through..."
"Was for diddlysquat, Cardmistress," Psycho finished, digging the knife into Sakura's heart even deeper. She saw the tears fall down her face. "Look on the bright side, kiddo. At least you get to spend some time together before he expires."
Sakura said nothing. All she did was cry and hold Yue's head up.
"Aw well, time to make sure these Cards and Key serve our purpose." Psycho handed them to the bird, who opened its beak to receive them. "Scanner, do your thing."
The bird flew off to a nearby platform. Placing the items before it, it shot out a light beam on the Star Key. After a moment, it aimed the beam at the deck of Sakura Cards.
"This will take a while," Psycho commented, turning his attention to Scanner. "After all, Clow Read was one of the world's most powerful magicians."
Sakura watched Scanner and the Cards. "What are you doing to them?"
Psycho turned to Sakura. "Oh, something that's none of your business." He grinned evilly. "In fact, now that I have what I wanted, I don't need you anymore." His finger started to crackle with electricity. "I believe 'Sayonara' is the appropriate word for this occasion. Or is it 'Sarabada'?" He pointed at Sakura. "Oh, whatever. Joy Buzzer!"
A bolt of electricity shot out of the clown's finger and flew at Sakura. Despite his weaken state, Yue shoved his mistress out of the way. Sakura rolled back and watched as Yue took the full brunt of the Joy Buzzer.
"Yue-san!" Sakura shouted.
Yue screamed as electricity coursed through his system. He fell back, smoke coming from his body.
"Oooo, fried chicken." Psycho grinned. "Bad move, Birdboy. You just accelerated the venom's progress. Now you'll die in a few minutes, maybe even seconds."
"Yue-san!" Sakura ran to her friend. "Why, Yue-san?" she asked with tears streaming down her face. She wiped her face. "Why?"
Yue looked at her. "Because...you're my mistress...and...my friend..." Then he felt another seizure coming. His body convulsed at a faster rate than before, then started to fade in and fade out.
"Yue-san!" Sakura shouted, hugging him.
"Looks like I don't get to stuff him after all," Psycho remarked, watching everything with evil glee. "Aw, how noble, how honorable..." He pointed his finger at Sakura. "How futile!" His finger started to charge up. "Time to join your mother, Cardmistress." He smiled as the spark of electricity grew larger.
A blast of fire blew open the door, and Kerberos flew in with Tomoyo and Touya. He landed next to Sakura. "Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo cried out as she got off. "Daijobu?"
Sakura was surprised, but pleased. "Kerberos! Tomoyo-chan! I'm fine, but Yue-san..." She was really surprised when she saw Touya. "Oniichan? What are you doing here?"
"Someone had to make sure you were okay, kaiiju," Touya answered with a little grin.
Sakura smiled, then gave her brother a big hug. Touya patted her head. "Oniichan, Yue's dying, and I can't do anything about it."
Kerberos looked at his fellow Guardian. "He doesn't look very good."
"What happened to him?" Tomoyo asked.
"Psycho poisoned him, and there's no cure," Sakura revealed.
Touya bristled when he heard this. "Yuki," he whispered.
"The Sun Guardian? Alive?" Psycho powered down, then glared at Commander Shade. "Commander..."
Commander Shade gulped. "They must have defeated Controller, Master."
"No duh, Sherlock!" Psycho slapped the Commander, then snarled at Sakura and her friends. "Correct this little mistake now!" he ordered his spinning underling.
"Yes, Master!" Commander Shade stopped spinning, then charged the reunited group with the Worm slithering behind him.
Commander Shade pointed both arms at Sakura. "Shadow Spike!" he shouted, firing two dark spikes.
Kerberos leapt forward and used his wings as a shield. The spikes hit them, releasing a large dark cloud.
"I can't get a good shot!" Tomoyo cried out.
Sakura heard a hiss somewhere in the cloud.
"The...the Worm..." Yue managed to say.
The hissing grew louder, and the Worm lunged at Sakura. Before it could bite her, Touya grabbed it by the throat and lunged at it. Both of them tumbled out of the dark cloud, struggling for supremacy. "Oniichan!" Sakura cried out.
The dark cloud faded away. Commander Shade glared at Kerberos. "You destroyed my Servers! You will die for that! Darksaber!" A beam blade shot out of his arm. He swung it at Kerberos, who avoided it in time. Kerberos let out a fireball, but the Commander dodged it.
Now standing, Touya continued to fight the Worm, which was trying to wrap itself around him. It seemed happy for a new victim. Touya tightened his grip on the snake's throat. It gasped, and that moment of weakness enabled him to grab it and whip it on the floor. The Worm went limp. Angry for the dying Yue, he brought his foot down hard on the robot's head. It shattered immediately, and Touya watched as its body disintegrated.
This did not escape Psycho. "Uh oh."
To Sakura's surprise, Yue stopped fading in and out. His seizures stopped. His skin started returning to normal. "Hoe?"
"It seems I'm getting better," Yue remarked, getting stronger.
"But how...?" Sakura wondered.
"Touya-san smashed the snake," Tomoyo pointed out. "I guess that's where the poison came from."
"You are correct," Yue said, rising. "Destroying the Worm must have eliminated the poison in my body."
"Yue-san!" Sakura shouted happily. "You're all right."
Yue saw Kerberos and Commander Shade fighting. The Commander dodged another fireball. "Shadow Spike!" he shouted, firing one from his free arm. It hit Kerberos in the face, blinding him. "Die, Guardian!" the Commander shouted, readying for the killing blow.
Before he could bring down his blade on Kerberos's head, Yue fired a small wind at him. It hit, causing the Commander to spin in place uncontrollably. "Now, Kerberos!" Yue shouted.
Recovering his sight, Kerberos unleashed a powerful fire blast at his helpless enemy. Commander Shade was engulfed in fire and was vaporized immediately.
"Sugoi, Kerberos!" Tomoyo cried out, taping everything. Kerberos posed for the camera.
"Good to have you back, Yue. I think," Kerberos said with a grin.
Yue did not crack a smile. He gave Psycho a cold look. "Looks like you're alone, clown."
Psycho grinned. "My, my. Someone gets better so suddenly and he thinks he can take on the whole world." His finger crackled with electricity, then fired a Joy Buzzer at Yue.
The Moon Guardian held up his hand and blocked the blast. "My turn." He reacted with his crystal shot, hitting Psycho in the chest. The clown was sent flying into the wall. The impact was so hard it caused a cave-in in the area. Soon, Psycho was buried under a large pile of rubble.
"Looks like I'm back after all," Yue remarked. He aimed at Scanner and blasted the bird. With a shriek, it vaporized.
Sakura looked at where Psycho was buried. "Yue-san, how could you?"
"He was evil and he tried to harm you, mistress," Yue said.
"Gotta agree with him there, Sakura," Kerberos said.
"But he could've told us why he needed the Cards and Key," Sakura said.
"Well, we'll never know now," Touya said.
Yue looked at the rubble. "I didn't know that would happen," he admitted.
Tomoyo went to her best friend and gave her a hug. "I'm so happy you're safe, Sakura-chan."
"Me too, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura said. "How did you know I would be here?"
Letting go, Tomoyo smiled. "I'll tell you later." She dug into her camera bag. "I brought you something special, but I don't think we'll need it." She pulled out a battle costume. "I made it a while ago. I was so excited you'd be back in action."
Sakura sweatdropped. "I don't think I'll be going back into action any time soon, Tomoyo-chan."
"Better get your Cards and Key back, Sakura," Kerberos recommended.
Sakura nodded and was about to do so when the rubble exploded.
"Nani?" Touya exclaimed.
"Hoe?" Sakura said, shocked.
A shape appeared above the rubble. The fool's cap was easily made out. The laugh was unmistakable. The eyes were different. Instead of blue, they shone an evil-looking red. "Here's Psycho!" he said, raising his arms.
Tomoyo replaced a tape and resumed filming. "But how...?"
"That's impossible," Kerberos said. "No one could've survived that."
"No one human, that is," Yue said grimly.
The clown made himself visible, earning astonished stares from all present. "Okay, now I'm ticked off!"