Well, here's part three of my story, I'm glad that I've gotten a lot of positive reviews for this story, heck, this is the first story that I've written that's gotten this many reviews. It's amazing what happens when you write outside of your native section for the second time. I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story, they are owned by CLAMP. I do however own the card in this story, the spirit card (I think I do) any ways, correct me if I match the cards up with the wrong owners, now onto the fic.
The moment of truth/Forever your protector
The moment of truth
"The spirit card", that's what Kero called it. "It's a card that has Ghost-like properties and can bestow them on its users or can cause spirit like occurrences with its powers". Needless to say, even after Kero had finished his explanation of what the card was capable of, Sakura was scared speechless. The fear of spirits and ghosts had always been a sort of phobia that she was unable to shake.
"I know your scared Sakura, but you have to at least try to capture this card, it's to dangerous to be left out in the open" she knew that he was right, she was just to afraid to admit it. Summoning up what courage she had, she grabbed Kero and left to go and search for the card.
Li stood outside of an abandoned warehouse with his Laisin board and directed it straight at the empty building. A beam of light shot from the ornately designed board and straight into the building. "It's here" he said. He headed straight into the warehouse, sword drawn and battle ready. "If I capture this card, then Sakura won't have to go through the fear of having to confront it", he knew all about Sakura's fear of Ghosts, and if anything, he wanted to prevent her from the trauma that this card would put her through. He felt that he owed her that much at least as he walked into the darkened warehouse.
He slowly turned a corner of the dark building. A loud noise was heard as he looked back and saw a paint can fall from a window. "I'm getting way too jumpy",probably from being around Sakura too long" he muttered He was however in for a real shock as he turned around and came face to face with what looked like a large hooded, robed figure with a pale white kabuki mask for a face.
Large black spikes of hair jutted out of all directions from the head. Li wasn't one to show fear to often, but this however just happened to be one of those rare occasions. "I think I'm in way over my head" he said as the figure seemed to close in on him.
Sakura had just flown into the area when she saw what looked like an explosion had come from the warehouse beneath her. 'Li?' Sakura thought as she dove down to the building. She landed at the entrance of the warehouse and looked in and saw a battle in progress. "Thunder, attack" Li shouted as he fired a blast of lightning at the "spirit" card, but to know affect as it just passed through the specter-like card. "I forgot, projectile attacks don't phase it, it's intangible, anything shot at it will just go right through it".
The sudden realization spelt doom in his mind as the dark figure closed in on Li. 'Goodbye Sakura, I'm sorry for ALL the times I misjudged you or mistreated you, I love you, my cherry blossom'. Those words echoed in Li's mind, like a never-ending chorus tormenting him at how he would never be able to say them in person.
"Shot card, release and dispel". The words rang through Li's ears as he saw an invisible force of energy fly straight through the "card" in front of him. He looked up as the creature in front of him directed it's attention, to it's new prey.
"Li, get out of here, I'll take care of it". He looked to the side and saw Sakura standing there with an uneasy look about her. 'This must be hell for her' he thought to himself. Sakura stood her ground albeit on rubber legs as the phantom card appeared to close in on her. "With her last bit of courage, Sakura called forth the last card to come to her mind.
"Wood card, release and dispel, ensnare him" she commanded as the vines began to snake out of nowhere and close around.... nothing as the vines then fell to the ground as they were unable to grasp something, that couldn't be physically touched from the start.
The card began to flow around Sakura and surround her. A black, cloth, tendril shot out at Sakura and wrapped around her wrists, trapping them from movement. It stared Sakura straight in the eyes. Her dark green eyes flashed with fear at the sight of the dark figure in front of her. Its mask showing no emotion nor any signs of a pair of eyes beneath the pale, white, porcelain mask in front of her. It brought her forward and brought itself forward and prepared to touch her lips with its own cold, hard pair.
Li was not unaware of any of what was going on, this card wasn't going to just stop Sakura and himself, it was out to make them both suffer, her by being touched by what she feared the most, and him by touching that which he cared about the most.
Sakura squirmed and moved as hard as she could to avoid being touched by the evil being.
The card observed this about its new prey and slowly probed the girl's mind by looking straight into her eyes shortly before she closed them. It knew what it had to do, so from beneath the once hollow opening of the robe sleeve, it produced a leather glove and touched the porcelain mask that was it's face. It slowly removed the porcelain cover from it's hood to reveal:
"Li?".Sakura said aloud as she looked forward and saw the face of Li Sayaoran, the card captor she competed with, worked with, and fell in love with. She didn't understand how he was the one beneath the elaborate robe and porcelain mask, he had a weird sort of light in his eyes, that sort of beckoned for her to kiss him, it was like magic, but she was focused on only one thing at the moment, that she had to kiss him, and now. She leaned forward and was prepared to kiss the boy she had fell for so long ago until another noise was heard:
"Sakura!!" Li shouted as he ran forward at the card at full speed with his sword drawn in for the kill, this thing had gone too far, first it attacks HIS beloved Sakura, then it tortures her by trying to kiss her, and worse of all it had the nerve to do it by making an illusion of his face to hypnotize her with, this was more than he could handle.
He had drawn up a mental guess while Sakura was being captured. This thing couldn't turn intangible while it was holding something with its robe, it took a lot of concentration and focus on it's part to hold its prey and maintain tangibility, as it was naturally intangible.
If frustration and anger were possible for a card with no face, then it would have been seen as the primary emotions seen on the porcelain face of the card as it replaced the mask from the now face less void that once possessed the face of the boy who was now charging at it. It discarded it's previous catch to deal with it's newest problem. It lashed out at the screaming mad youth by sending out razor-sharp tentacles to cut the boy to pieces.
Li was in a frenzy as he slashed away at the robes and leapt up into the air with the blade raised high above his head, he was struck by some of the robes, he knew that, but he didn't care right now, all that mattered in his mind was payback. He almost considered using his sword to cut the card to pieces on the way down, but he remembered his teachings that the cards could not be destroyed, only sealed and contained. So if he truly wanted to be rid of this revolting creature, then he had to seal it, and seal it now.
"Spirit card, return to your power, confined!!" Li screamed as the blade was brought down on the robed head of the card. If Li had looked close enough, he would have notice the porcelain mask that the card was wearing had cracked from when he had struck the card with all his might. Within minutes of the strike, the card was then sealed within it's small rectangular prison, forever.
Smiling with pride, Li looked back to see Sakura unconscious on the ground, he rushed to her side so fast that the dash card would have paled in comparison to his speed. "Don't worry my Cherry Blossom, I'm here now, the real me, and I'll never let anything happen to you again." He said the words aloud as he cradled her sleeping form close to his body. He looked around almost as if he was daring anyone to try and take her away from him again.
Forever your protector.
Sakura awoke awhile after her encounter with the card. She remembered seeing Li's face, then it disappeared to reveal nothing, she fainted soon after. But as she awoke now, she found herself in the arms of none other than a sleeping Li Sayaoran, he had his back against a wall as she found herself cradled in his arms, she felt safe and secure in his arms, like she could stay this way forever. She also remembered feeling this way with the card, so she had to be for sure.
Li awoke and saw Sakura awake as well. "Sakura" he spoke. She immediately cupped his face in her hands as she felt that it was the real thing, no illusion here, this was the real boy that she had fallen in love with all those years ago, and still was in love with.
Sakura threw her arms around Li's neck and sobbed into his shirt. She felt his arms and some areas of his chest. They were cut open and bleeding. "Li, your hurt" she said, concerned for his safety. "It's alright Sakura, all that matters is that your alright". She relaxed a little, knowing that he cared for her that much was a sort of relief to her.
She then got a feeling of dread, as another memory came to her. "The spirit card", what happened to it" she said, for fear that the fearsome card could still be loose. "Don't worry" Li said as he held her a little closer to him. "I took care of it, and don't worry ,I won't use it when your nearby" he said reassuringly to his beloved cherry blossom.
That being said made Sakura relax a lot more. In response to what he said, she then responded by cuddling up closer to him. Li loved having Sakura this close to him, he would have given anything to hold her this close forever, but he knew that it had to end eventually.
You should probably, get going, Touya will be getting worried and, I doubt Tomoyo will like the idea of you being with me after all that's happened. Sakura stiffened, she didn't like the idea of leaving him after finally getting this close to him after so long. Li was about to move when he felt Sakura grab a hold of him even tighter than before. Li was surprised at this, but he knew what he had to do.
Carefully he put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "One day my Cherry Blossom, one day". He said it so softly, that she was his only audience. He slowly got up and walked out of the warehouse.
Sakura had ran out of the warehouse from where she was at and looked around not finding Li anywhere. She looked around and still found nothing. In defeat she walked away with more tears running down her face. Twice in one week he managed to make her cry, why was this becoming a habit. She turned to see Kero flying toward her.
"Sorry I'm late, But Tomoyo was lost so I had to direct.." He was going to continue when she stopped him by putting her hand up. "Is anything wrong?" he asked. "No, Kero I just want to go home" she said. Pulling out the fly card, she cast it and was flying home on her wand.
Getting ahead of Kero a bit, Sakura whispered to herself: "Thank you Li, and you don't have to feel guilty about what happened anymore, I forgive you" she said them not quite aloud but just enough for them to reach the ears of another young card captor.
Li stared at Sakura as she flew away from the Warehouse District. Using a technique that he had used for detecting Clow Cards, he had succeeded in canceling out all other noises, and heard only Sakura's soft voice as it said: "I forgive you" exhaling a sigh of relief, Li exited the alley that he had ducked behind and gripped his sore arm and began to walk home.
A.N. : well here I am asking for no flames and just letting that one reader out there know that I had forgotten that li lived in an apartment, so lets just forget that estate that he stayed at in that one chapter. Don't worry about the bad ending in this chapter, as it will be much, much better in the next chapter, I guarantee. R&R