"Wha- what are you talking about, Misho?" asked Sakura as she backed away from
the silent staring boy.
"He... he said that if I brought you this far... he said I could keep you for myself when
he was done," said Misho coldly.
"Who?"
"The master."
Then, like a great fire, smoke poured up from the floor, covering the ground up to
Sakura's legs. Slowly the smoke began to gather into a form. The form of a man. The
form of the Infinity.
Coldly and harshly, the man smiled. "Very good job, Misho. Your work is done here."
Misho ambled over to the Clow card. "Yes, yes my lord, but I get to keep her! You
promis-"
Infinity halted Misho in mid-sentence. "You will get your desire, Misho, but not until
after I have made sure she is no longer a threat." He turned toward Sakura and sent a
dark stare at her. His lips curled up into an impish smile.
Sakura looked from Misho to the Clow card, and then back. "But what's going on
here?"
The Infinity card laughed in an evil tone. "Card Captor Sakura, you fool! How easily
I can deceive you! No matter though, give me a moment and I'll explain the entire
story in precise detail."
The card cleared its throat. "Clow Read saw to it that I was destroyed. Or so he
thought. Even sealed within a card, I was still as strong as now. I composed of myself
enough power to survive beneath the fires of the darkest tomb in the deepest
mountains I became imprisoned in! I survived, but I was sealed at the bottom of
those fires for eons! Finally, enough power had faded out so I could break the seal and
escape."
"I was weak, and spent many long years gaining back my strength, all the while
wondering what had happened in the world. Finally, about a month ago, I had
become strong enough to leave my holdings and view the world for my own. I found
that the card captors had not yet vanished from existence, and were still a threat to
my hazardous nature. I had to eliminate them all. Starting with you."
Infinity drew up a chair and sat down. Sakura stayed motionless as the card told his
story to her. "Soon, Sakura, I had decided the most effective way to defeat you was to
take your mind off your duties. I devised a clone of myself with the abilities of the
Twin card, and that was the birth of Misho, my equal in a young man. He lured you
away from the sense of my presence by emitting his own aura to shield my power. He
was the one that took your key, long enough for me to build this and to finish
preparations for the final battle. I captured young Li Syaoran on his way to meet you,
and chained him unconscious in here."
Sakura screamed. "How could you? Hurt Syaoran like that?! Deceive me and hurt the
ones I care about the most?!"
Infinity merely smiled again. "Chatter is useless. I have no feelings for those puny
fools. You are the only one strong enough to capture me. So you must die."
Sakura gazed at Infinity intently. While he had been relating his story, she had been
thinking of a plan to defeat the cruel and almost unbeatable card before her. She
gritted her teeth. She slipped a card into her hand and held it concealed in her palm,
waiting to strike.
Infinity rose to his feet. This was the chance she wanted. She threw the card into the
air, striking it with her wand and releasing the Watery. It streamlined toward the evil
Clow card, who had obviously not expected such a quick start to the battle. The card
hit the Infinity squarely in the chest and threw him against the wall on the other side
of the room.
Misho charged at Sakura, screaming. She had already drawn the Lock card and in a
moment Misho was struggling, trapped in a tangle of chains. Her next move was to
free her friends. Summoning the Sword, she sliced through her friends' chains,
dropping Meilin, Syaoran, and Madison to the ground. She cut cleanly through
Kero's cage, freeing him as well. None of them moved, though. They were fast
silenced to dreams.
The Infinity roared upward. The Watery smashed against the walls and fell to the
ground, unmoving. Infinity stared at Sakura in spite. "Well, card captor," he started
in a harsh, cold voice, "I must say I did not expect you to be so forward. Very well,
then. If you wish to fight this way, fine."
The Infinity card brought up his hands and formed a globe of light. "If I combine the
powers of the Shot and the Arrow, I now have an incredibly deadly weapon that
could likely kill you with one direct hit."
Sakura began to sweat.
Infinity smiled. "Run."
Sakura summoned Fly and blasted into the air on her wand, heading for the ceiling.
The infinity began to fire blasts of energy at her, blowing through walls and windows,
Sakura barely dodging them. She roared by the doorway as the dark Clow card blew
it to pieces with another blast. Great. The last exit was gone.
Syaoran grumbled and opened his eyes. He checked his surroundings. He was facing
the floor, on his chest, and felt weak. An explosion-like noise caused him to turn over
onto his back. He spotted Sakura fighting the Infinity card. Unable to speak, all
Syaoran Li could do was watch and pray Sakura could stay alive.
Sakura zoomed by a window as the Infinity's shattering blast blew it to pieces.
Sakura's mind was racing. She had no real recourse. Her battle was losing
momentum. She summoned up the Power card, her last and best hope, and dove
toward Infinity. Infinity smiled and launched a blast straight at Sakura. It rolled right
off her, the Power using its incredible strength to withstand the blows. Sakura
slammed into the Infinity card, pushing it forward and toward the wall.
"NO!" screamed Infinity right before the evil Clow card and Sakura plunged through
the window and dropped hundreds of feet to the roads below.
Syaoran screamed. "SAKURA!!!"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Sakura opened her eyes. She was on her back in the middle of the road. Slowly she
rose to her feet and looked around. No signs of Infinity appeared. Was it possible
that she had beaten him?
Suddenly, she felt a powerful earthquake shake the ground. She turned, and
screamed. There before her, wearing a smile of intense evil and maliciousness, stood
the Infinity card, yet now he was at least eighty feet tall!
"Sakura," said the huge Clow in a deep, booming voice, "I gave you several chances to
beat me in an attempt to have a little fun. Nevertheless, it seems that I have indeed
underestimated you. You are a very powerful card captor, I must say, and I suppose
that playing with my food has gotten a bit boring. So, Sakura, now it is time to die."
Sakura watched in tremendous horror as the monstrosity approached, in succession,
toward her. She trembled. Then an idea sprang to her mind. She pulled out the
remaining Clow cards she had. The Big card. The only way to stand truly up to the
Infinity's power. "Release the power within!" yelled Sakura as a field of light engulfed
her and she grew enormous, almost as big as the Infinity himself.
The Infinity smiled. "What a smart little girl." He raised his hand and fired another
Arrow/Fire card combo blast at Sakura. She moved out of the way, watching as the
beam took out a nearby neighborhood. People were dying and they didn't even know
it.
The Infinity rushed forward as fast as he could, grabbing Sakura and throwing her to
her knees. He drew a sword. The Sword. Sakura drew her own. Two blades clashed,
each equal in size and strength, leaving the only variable the will of a young girl and
an unstoppable Clow.
Sakura thrust the blade forward. Infinity deflected it down and shoved his own
toward her. She rolled on her back and kicked Infinity in the face. He grunted and
took a few steps backward. That was Sakura's chance. Darting to her feet and getting
into a sprinting form, she threw herself at the Infinity card, sending them both flying
backwards into a large building.
With the Infinity pinned under Sakura's weight, she plunged the Sword deep into
Infinity's stomach. The rampant feel of blood, black and thick, poured down into the
streets of a frozen world. Blood splattered on Sakura's clothes.
The Infinity card looked up at the young card captor. He smirked with his remaining
strength. "Damn you."
With those as his final words, his body turned into light and disappeared. Sakura fell
to the earth beneath him and shrank back to her regular size.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The young card captor known to some as Sakura limped steadily back toward the
high tower that the Infinity had built. Her skirt was torn, her jacket gone, her shirt
tattered and filthy with dirt, and blood running down her face, some hers, some that
of the Clow card.
Syaoran dashed out of the tower, followed closely by the other members of the group.
"SAKURA! SAKURA!"
He ran up to her and grabbed her as she started to fall. She looked into his eyes with
what little sense she had left. Syaoran looked back with compassion. "It's okay now,
Sakura, it's okay. You saved us all."
Kero looked at the tower with a growing terror. "Sakura..."
The injured card captor turned to her small, yellow pet. "What's the matter, Kero?"
"I only want to know one thing... if the Infinity card is destroyed, why hasn't
everything returned to normal?"
Sakura stopped moving.
A hand shot out of the ground and grabbed Meilin's leg, tossing her to the earth.
Burning embers sounded quietly through the night as the angel of death roared forth
in his hated form. His face now scarred with blood and his hair tangled. His eyes held
an emotionless stare that no one should ever have to bear, and his teeth were gritted
in the fullest of that which is anger. Silence escaped him.
"We are not done yet, card captor."
The Infinity raised his hand again, not caring for what a blow was shot; only that it
strike the accursed card captor through the heart, and end her life forever. The blast
discharged from his hand, aimed straight at the young girl. Still, a body took the full
force of the hit. That was the body of Syaoran.
He shouted, through it soon grew faint, and he tumbled to the ground, blood
slopping from his chest nonstop. Sakura ran over and held his head. He smiled
weakly. "Sa... Sakura... I did it for you... you're the only person... the only one that
matters now... it's all up to you... I love you Sakura... save them..." He closed his eyes
and fell into eternal slumber.
Sakura didn't make a sound. Slowly and silently, she rose to her feet. Her long hair
shaded her eyes. As dead as a zombie, she ambled toward the Infinity, pulling out two
Clow cards. He smiled and welcomed a challenge.
She looked down and laid the cards on the ground. Her last two cards. No reason left
to fear him. He must die. She raised her wand and struck the two cards, summoning
up the last resort against such a powerful creature. The Light and the Dark. The
perfect balance between good and evil emerged.
Kero and the others watched as Sakura moved closer toward the Infinity. Tears bent
her eyes. Then she screamed. She ran at him, for it seemed that there was nothing left
to lose.
The Infinity shot a blast at Sakura. It struck her directly in her heart. She pitched
over and hit the ground, skidding to the Infinity's feet. He smiled.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Infinity smiled. "Keroberos, guardian of the Clow, now you see how pathetic your
defenses are? No more places to run, guardian." The card rose into the air and flew
toward Kero, Meilin, and Madison.
Something halted him. He turned about. The Light and the Dark hovered quietly
over Sakura, gazing down at the unmoving child. Infinity stared at them in confusion.
Torpidly, they reached down toward Sakura with their outstretched hands and placed
their fingers spread out over her heart. Then Sakura began to glow. Infinity watched
it all in amazement.
The two cards lifted the girl into the air, and now she floated between them. Then
Light and Dark became beings of energy, and absorbed into the young girl's body.
"Wha? What is this?" stuttered the evil Clow card.
Sakura's eyes snapped open. Meilin screamed. Madison stared in amazement. Kero
rubbed his eyes.
"No! I killed her myself! How can she be alive?!" screamed Infinity as he shot another
blast at her. It bounced harmlessly off the shield around her.
Then she changed. She shed her clothes. Wings parted from her back, and she
became an angel of life.
Kero stared in awe. "My God... Sakura..."
The girl floated toward Infinity. He fired at her repeatedly. Her wand flew into her
right hand, transforming into a long, golden staff. She said no words. Her eyes were
blank and empty.
She engulfed Infinity in light. "Now... you will rest."
The light exploded, temporarily blinding Kero and the others. When they looked
back, Sakura and Infinity were gone.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"Where... where are we?" stammered Infinity as he looked around. They were in a
barren field.
"It is the gateway to Hell, Infinity. I intend to stop your evil indefinitely."
Infinity gazed at the angel with a growing anger. "You think you are more powerful
than I? Never! It is impossible!"
The evil Clow who had spread so much pain throughout a week now turned to his
captor as a being of madness, no longed controlling a sense of reason, but unleashing
a wave of fury. He threw his hands into the air. "You shall feel the ultimate pain!"
Light fell from the stars and grew into power in his hands. He launched that power,
that uncontrollable rage, at the angel that was once Sakura. She watched silently, and
uncontrollably fired a beam of light at him, cutting through his own attack and
piercing him through the chest. A flame engulfed him and all he possessed, and he
screamed mercy. Then silence.
"NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The angel approached Keroberos, Meilin, and Madison, but turned to Syaoran. She
knelt to him, placing her hand on his forehead. Slowly, but surely, life began to flush
through his cold face. He groaned. The angel stepped away.
"Sa.. Sakura?"
Then the angel broke. The Light and the Dark separated, and Sakura fell to the
ground. The two cards returned to their captured bodies, and fell to the earth.
Madison ran up to Sakura, followed by Kero, while Meilin checked on Syaoran.
Sakura's eyes fluttered open. She stared impotently at her friends. "We did it."
Madison smiled as she set a blanket over Sakura. "We did it."
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Life returned to the city. Infinity's death caused everything he had made to
disappear. No one realized what had happened except the card captors and their
allies.
It was windy outside, and Sakura stared from a bench in the park toward the lake
spread before her. She felt... empty.
Syaoran sat next to her. "Is this seat taken?"
Sakura smiled and scooted next to him. He put his arm over Sakura's shoulder and
looked out into the lake. "Sakura. You know you are the strongest one of us out
there. No one else will ever be. If it hadn't been for you, I would be dead. I owe you
everything."
Sakura gazed into his soft eyes. "Let's put the past behind us, Syaoran."
Then they kissed.