Mistress of Darkness - Shaoran and the Race to Save Sakura
Written by Akari Kamigishi and inspired by Rianne Li
Wow. This series has really had a good start. I decided to write like a maniac so as not to keep all of you waiting. This chapter is shorter than the last one, but then, the last one was an introduction, and you always need more time to introduce a story element than you do to implement it. This chapter might be sorta lame so stick with me here. I really need this chapter. The next chapter will be the last one, as I don't want to drag on the story for very long. This is not an anime series, this is a fanfic. I don't need 70 episodes to make my point. :)
Touya was in a horrible situation now. His father was extremely angry at him for letting Sakura run away. She hadn't come home for days. The police hadn't found a single clue as to her whereabouts. There was only one more thing that Touya could do. He had to talk to Keroberos and Yue. They might be able to sense where Sakura is and tell Touya where to find her, so that he can bring her home. Touya walked into Sakura's room cautiously and looked around the room. He picked up a yellow stuffed animal with wings. Touya remembered that this particular toy was in fact Keroberos. Kero was pretending to be a stuffed animal so that Touya wouldn't know about Sakura's magic.
"Look you, I already know about Sakura and I want to bring her home. Wake up!" Touya yelled. Kero was pushed back to the wall by Touya's yelling. After Kero recovered, he gave Touya a cold glare.
"You already know?" Kero asked. Touya nodded.
"Yukito, Yue, and I are on pretty friendly terms. That and I've met a few of Sakura's 'friends'," Touya answered. Kero was not surprised. More times than he could count, Touya had stared at him for minutes, obviously finding that he was more than just a stuffed animal. Kero also remembered that Touya had let Yue take his magical powers in an effort to preserve Yue's, and therefore Yukito's, life.
"Well then why doncha already know where she is?" Kero snapped at Touya. Touya glared murder at the small beast.
"I can't possibly know everything. Especially since I can't sense spirits anymore," Touya answered calmly. Kero nodded and decided that he should tell Sakura's brother, of all people, the entire story.
"Your sis is the mistress of the Sakura Cards. They're magical cards. You've met The Mirror right? Well, she's got about 52 more cards just like that one, with different abilities. To gain these abilities, a dark force has possessed her, and now Sakura can't control herself. She's been doing evil stuff all around town."
"Wait a second. Who is commanding the cards now?" Touya interrupted.
"The brat. Shaoran Li. The cards have chosen him because he's the next powerful person that they know who has a pure heart." Touya didn't like hearing this, but he knew that Shaoran loved Sakura, and that he would die if it meant that she could live. He trusted the brat to keep his sister safe from harm.
"He's already retrieved two of the cards," Kero continued. "The Rain and The Song."
"Where do you think she is now?" Touya asked. Kero shook his head.
"No way. You don't stand a chance of bringing her home. We should just leave it to the brat," Kero answered.
"Why aren't you living with him then?"
"WHAT?!? Do you think I'd actually want to?!?" Kero yelled out in protest. Touya grinned mischieviously. He knew where Sakura could be now, but he didn't want to tell his father the whole truth about Sakura's magic. 'If I help out the brat', Touya thought, 'Sakura will come back home. He's my only hope.' Touya told his father that he was going out and walked out the door. It was a nice day, so he thought he'd walk to Shaoran's house to ask him what he knows.
Tomoeda newspapers and broadcasts were reporting sightings of a blur that was knocking children off of their bikes and stealing wallets. If Touya had been there, he'd have seen it on the news. As he was walking to Shaoran's house, he thought he felt something tug at his pocket. When he checked his pocket, he noticed that it was lighter than usual. The money that he kept in his pocket was completely gone. He thought that perhaps he had simply forgotten his money at home and continued walking to Shaoran's house. However, he saw Shaoran walking past him. Touya was only halfway to Shaoran's house. He turned around to catch Shaoran's attention.
"Hey brat, I was about to come and see you," Touya said through clenched teeth. Shaoran got into a fighting stance.
"I don't know where she is! Just leave me alone!" Shaoran yelled. Touya put his guard down and grinned.
"Well then it looks like you're going to need some help," Touya said. Shaoran looked sort of blank at this point. Because the day was so sunny, he noticed that there were more shadows around Touya than there should be. The extra shadows gathered into one dark, hooded figure. It was The Shadow. The Shadow changed itself into a Shaoran Card and lept into Shaoran's hand.
"It looks like another card has escaped her power," Shaoran said. Touya was shocked. He had always thought that the cards were slaves to their master, who in this case was Sakura. Seeing The Shadow pledge its loyalty to Shaoran showed Touya that what Kero was saying was indeed true and that Shaoran was his only hope. Shaoran was tired, and decided that he should go home. Touya asked if he could come with him to talk about a few things.
"Sure. Wei will be happy to meet you," Shaoran answered.
At Shaoran's house, Touya and Shaoran were served tea, which Wei said had been specially made by Meilin. Shaoran was hesistant to sip his tea, but since Touya did not know Meilin too well, he immediately took a sip of his tea.
"Wow. Meilin makes great tea," Touya said. Shaoran looked really nervous at this point. Meilin making good tea was a concept that his mind had a lot of trouble grasping. He remembered ALL of her previous failures with baking and cooking. It seemed impossible to him that Meilin could have made the tea on her own. Shaoran finally took a reluctant sip of his tea. It wasn't bad. Wei must have helped her make the tea.
"It seems that Meilin-sama is improving at cooking and making tea," Wei said as he walked into the kitchen with an empty tray. Shaoran nodded and looked back at Touya. They had been enemies before, but now they were having tea together. It was yet another thing in Shaoran's life that didn't make any sense. However, strange things had been happening for days, so Shaoran was starting to get used to it.
"So. Let's get to the point kid. You know where Sakura is don't you? You were looking for her when I saw you," Touya said sternly. 'He's definitely getting right to the point,' Shaoran noted.
"I saw it on the news. A blur that steals people's money and knocks children off of their bikes. Then I felt the presence of a Sakura Card. I went out to see if the blur would attack me, hoping that the blur was actually Sakura using The Dash. Then I saw you, and got this card," Shaoran said, holding up The Shadow.
"Then we should go back out there and track her down," Touya said. "In fact, I have a plan of action."
"You do? Tell me more," Shaoran said. Touya told him the entire plan that he had mapped out in his mind. Shaoran and Touya smiled and walked out the door. Wei didn't know what to think of the two of them. It seemed like they got along quite nicely, although Shaoran didn't seem to like Touya before. Wei knew that he would never be able to understand children and teenagers.
Meilin rang the doorbell of the Daidouji residence. Sonomi answered the door, looking as beautiful as she always did. Sonomi asked Meilin to come in and had one of her servants show Meilin to Tomoyo's room. She walked down the elegantly decorated hallways that she had become so accustomed to and opened the door to Tomoyo's bedroom. Tomoyo was sitting on her bed, finishing off some summer homework. It looked like it was math homework. Meilin had come to her friend's house because she knew that Sakura's absence had a profound effect on Tomoyo. It was like as if she loved Sakura as much as Meilin used to love Shaoran, only it could have been even deeper than that.
Tomoyo taped Sakura's every happy and sad moment. It seemed to be her goal to record Sakura's entire life so that she could see the highlights of it again and again. Meilin guessed that having those tapes meant a lot to Tomoyo, but actually being with the real Sakura, and actually being beside her in her happiest and saddest moments made Tomoyo a lot happier. Of course, Tomoyo was all alone now. Chiharu, Naoko, and the other girls she stood beside were simply acquaintances. Meilin hoped to offer Tomoyo the chance to express her feelings about Sakura's new evil heart.
They sat together in the beautifully furnished bedroom and had tea together. It was a simple gesture, but Meilin was sure that it made Tomoyo happy. In fact, Meilin could see her friend smiling just as brightly as she used to when she was capturing Sakura's life on tape. Tomoyo had always been a good friend to Meilin, and Meilin felt that she owed her the same.
"Shaoran is working so hard to fight against Sakura's evil deeds," Meilin said, breaking the silence. Tomoyo nodded.
"I hope that they won't have to fight to the end. I hope that Sakura will win over the evil spirit and banish it from her mind forever," Tomoyo said. It was the simplest solution that she could think of. If Shaoran and Sakura fought, it would hurt both of them and accomplish next to nothing. The spirit would obviously not leave Sakura, even if Shaoran bashed Sakura over the head with the handle of his sword. The spirit had to leave the body on its own terms. Meilin agreed with Tomoyo's sentiment. Feelings would definitely have more power than actions in the battle for Sakura's heart.
"When Shaoran does confront her for the final battle, we must be there," Tomoyo said. She took another sip of her tea. She was still hopeful that she could convince Sakura to stop doing evil things to the citizens of Tomoeda and to her loved ones and friends. Meilin hoped that Shaoran would win back his love, Sakura, so that they could be together again. She loved Shaoran as much as Sakura did, and she wished for Shaoran's happiness everyday of her life.
Sakura was bound against a wooden pole by ropes, and in front of her was a large shadow, much like The Shadow that she knew, only much scarier. It had deep, crimson red eyes, and a body which was really a thin skeleton. If anything, this shadow looked a lot like the Death that american fiction writers write about. The different between the characters, however, was that the one standing in front of her was wearing a purple dress, whereas the Death of literature wore a black robe with a hood. The spirit that was holding her captive was female, apparently.
"Let me go! You have no right to be here!" Sakura yelled. The spirit simply laughed at her.
"Why should I? I'm having so much fun. I'm finally the mistress of the cards, just like I should have been," the spirit exclaimed in a dark tone. A shiver was sent all the way up Sakura's spine.
"I'm the mistress of the cards! You are just a fake, and everyone knows it! Even the cards know that you are evil!" Sakura yelled. The spirit took one step back, regained her composure, and then took a step forward again.
"Everyone is evil, in the end. Even Clow Reed," the spirit said as she disappeared. She was going to go back to her newly found host and use her to cause even more trouble in Tomoeda. Seeing the citizens of Tomoeda panic when she attacked them was a lot of fun for her, and she enjoyed playing with Shaoran the most. She could sense his reluctance to fight her, and the love that he had for her host. Love will win over all, and evil will consume all things. That was what she called poetic justice.
Touya and Shaoran made their way to a small road that was bordered on one side by trees. It was the road that Sakura and Shaoran had run past when Sakura sealed the loop card. Touya made sure to go home and get his money before the plan started, as that was a part of the plan.
"Are you sure this is going to work kid?" Touya asked. Shaoran nodded. It was the perfect plan to catch the blur that had been causing trouble around Tomoeda. Shaoran climbed on top of one of the trees and hid behind its leaves. Touya did the same but looked out from the leaves to see if anyone was coming. Shaoran prepared to use The Shadow.
"Project a shadow from behind that wall, Shadow!" Shaoran said, pointing at exactly where he needed the shadow to be cast from. Shaoran prayed that the blur would approach from the right angle. He knew that the blur was indeed Sakura using The Dash and that she knew about The Shadow. If she approached from the wrong side, she would know that it was a trap and he would be in big trouble. Touya looked around the streets again. He could see someone running extremely quickly from the side that he and Shaoran had planned to have Sakura run from. The person stopped just a few metres from the corner where the shadow was being projected. Touya confirmed that it was Sakura, turned to Shaoran, and nodded to him. Shaoran called on the power of the God of Thunder, aiming it right at Sakura. Sakura jumped out of the way quickly.
"You're a tricky one. You and The Shadow both. However, your simple plan will fail," Sakura said. As she was saying this, The Dash, which was in her pocket, started to glow. It flew out of Sakura's pocket, turned into a Shaoran Card and flew into Shaoran's hand.
"On the contrary, the cards seem to be on my side," Shaoran gloated. Sakura glared murder at Shaoran and her eyes glowed a deep, crimson red.
"The cards are irrelevent, but I shall use them to defeat you," Sakura shouted. Shaoran jumped down from the tree and prepared to use The Dash. Sakura took The Shot out of her pocket and threw it into the air. She hit it dead on with her star wand, and the wand turned into a small gun, much like a pellet gun, but with a design that suggests that the gun has at least a little recoil. The gun floated around on its own, and took aim at Shaoran. Shaoran started to dash around it using The Dash's magic.
"Wow. He's fast," Touya commented as he watched the battle. "Not bad for a little brat."
Shaoran ran one last lap around The Shot, which was having trouble aiming at such a speedy target, and then immediately turned around and pinned The Shot to the ground. Shaoran stayed away from its line of fire so that it wouldn't shoot off any of his limbs.
"And I thought Sakura didn't know how to use the cards," Shaoran sniggered as The Shot turned into a Shaoran Card and flew into his hand.
"I've had enough for today. The next time you ruin my fun, you will die for it," Sakura yelled as she disappeared into a deep black cloud. The battle was long from over however, and Shaoran knew this very well. He just wished that it could be over so that he could go out with Sakura again like he did in the past. He held back a few tears as he sensed that Touya was jumping down from the tree. Shaoran didn't want to be seen crying. If he had something left, it was most definitely his pride.
"Good work kid," Touya said while applauding. Shaoran smiled and showed Touya his new cards. The Shadow and The Shot flew in front of Touya and floated in circles around him.
"Well, that means we have about 49 more to go," Touya exclaimed sarcastically. They both laughed and playfully pushed each other around. If they had been in a serious mood, they might have had a match against each other, but really, they just felt like enjoying their victory. From behind the trees, a light figure walked towards the two boys. The two boys instantly recognized Eriol, and they showed Eriol their new cards.
"You have made fine progress, Shaoran, but I think that you should try to obtain the rest of the cards as quickly as possible," Eriol said solemnly.
"Why?"
"Well," Eriol started to explain, "the cards that have changed into Shaoran Cards are being supported by your magic. The others are being tortured by the dark force that has possessed Sakura. Even if all the cards do not change to Shaoran Cards, it would be best if you exorcise the evil spirit that is controlling Sakura soon. The cards are slowly rejecting her as their master, but your magic is weaker than her's, and your magic will not be able to support Yue and all of the cards. If Sakura does not return to her normal self soon, the cards will become regular cards."
"She keeps running away," Shaoran exclaimed. Eriol nodded.
"Thus, you must find her and start the final battle. I do not know how to recover Sakura's pure heart, but if she is not confronted soon, her heart will continue to be consumed by darkness. The Sakura we know now will cease to exist, and the cards will lose their magic," Eriol finished.
"No way!" Shaoran yelled. Eriol nodded. What he was saying was indeed true, unfortunately for Shaoran. Eriol really didn't want what he was saying to be true, because he knew how Shaoran felt about Sakura, and he knew that losing her would be the most horrible thing that would ever happen to him.
"Only if you put your doubts and fears aside and fight the battle at hand will you win your precious Sakura back from the evil spirit," Eriol explained. He started to walk away. He figured that he had said enough, and that saying anymore would cause the spirit to want to silence him. If the spirit did that, Shaoran would have no help at all from then on. Shaoran thought about the words that Eriol said. He had once been the kind of person who could simply do what has to be done, but since he had met Sakura, he had started to exhibit a different kind of attitude. He started to try to do what he could for others, and strived to be as generous as Sakura. Because of this, he didn't feel like he could really fight her seriously. These little plans and small battles were simply jokes to him, but really fighting Sakura would probably crush his very soul.
"Hey kid, what's wrong with you?" Touya asked a little harshly. Shaoran turned away from Touya and just started running. He didn't even know why. He just didn't want to be seen right now. He needed to clear his mind on his own, and he was starting to cry because of the things that Eriol told him. He continued to run, almost bumping into other people who were walking down the road.
The final battle had to be now, Eriol said, but Shaoran didn't know if he'd be ready for it. There was only one person that could help him to face his doubts about fighting Sakura. She was someone who had been with Sakura for a long time and had never left her side. She was someone who loved Sakura with a pure heart and never wanted to see her hurt. If anyone could assure Shaoran that he needed to fight the evil spirit for Sakura's sake, it was her. Now all he needed to do was find her.
Well, that's that. The next chapter is the endgame. Will Shaoran succeed in winning back Sakura through his feelings of love and determination? Will Meilin and Tomoyo be able to convince Sakura to go back to her pure heart? Will Kero raid the Kinomoto fridge and steal their snacks? Find out in the next chapter, Shaoran and the Darkness Within.
Akari Kamigishi
Written by Akari Kamigishi and inspired by Rianne Li
Wow. This series has really had a good start. I decided to write like a maniac so as not to keep all of you waiting. This chapter is shorter than the last one, but then, the last one was an introduction, and you always need more time to introduce a story element than you do to implement it. This chapter might be sorta lame so stick with me here. I really need this chapter. The next chapter will be the last one, as I don't want to drag on the story for very long. This is not an anime series, this is a fanfic. I don't need 70 episodes to make my point. :)
Touya was in a horrible situation now. His father was extremely angry at him for letting Sakura run away. She hadn't come home for days. The police hadn't found a single clue as to her whereabouts. There was only one more thing that Touya could do. He had to talk to Keroberos and Yue. They might be able to sense where Sakura is and tell Touya where to find her, so that he can bring her home. Touya walked into Sakura's room cautiously and looked around the room. He picked up a yellow stuffed animal with wings. Touya remembered that this particular toy was in fact Keroberos. Kero was pretending to be a stuffed animal so that Touya wouldn't know about Sakura's magic.
"Look you, I already know about Sakura and I want to bring her home. Wake up!" Touya yelled. Kero was pushed back to the wall by Touya's yelling. After Kero recovered, he gave Touya a cold glare.
"You already know?" Kero asked. Touya nodded.
"Yukito, Yue, and I are on pretty friendly terms. That and I've met a few of Sakura's 'friends'," Touya answered. Kero was not surprised. More times than he could count, Touya had stared at him for minutes, obviously finding that he was more than just a stuffed animal. Kero also remembered that Touya had let Yue take his magical powers in an effort to preserve Yue's, and therefore Yukito's, life.
"Well then why doncha already know where she is?" Kero snapped at Touya. Touya glared murder at the small beast.
"I can't possibly know everything. Especially since I can't sense spirits anymore," Touya answered calmly. Kero nodded and decided that he should tell Sakura's brother, of all people, the entire story.
"Your sis is the mistress of the Sakura Cards. They're magical cards. You've met The Mirror right? Well, she's got about 52 more cards just like that one, with different abilities. To gain these abilities, a dark force has possessed her, and now Sakura can't control herself. She's been doing evil stuff all around town."
"Wait a second. Who is commanding the cards now?" Touya interrupted.
"The brat. Shaoran Li. The cards have chosen him because he's the next powerful person that they know who has a pure heart." Touya didn't like hearing this, but he knew that Shaoran loved Sakura, and that he would die if it meant that she could live. He trusted the brat to keep his sister safe from harm.
"He's already retrieved two of the cards," Kero continued. "The Rain and The Song."
"Where do you think she is now?" Touya asked. Kero shook his head.
"No way. You don't stand a chance of bringing her home. We should just leave it to the brat," Kero answered.
"Why aren't you living with him then?"
"WHAT?!? Do you think I'd actually want to?!?" Kero yelled out in protest. Touya grinned mischieviously. He knew where Sakura could be now, but he didn't want to tell his father the whole truth about Sakura's magic. 'If I help out the brat', Touya thought, 'Sakura will come back home. He's my only hope.' Touya told his father that he was going out and walked out the door. It was a nice day, so he thought he'd walk to Shaoran's house to ask him what he knows.
Tomoeda newspapers and broadcasts were reporting sightings of a blur that was knocking children off of their bikes and stealing wallets. If Touya had been there, he'd have seen it on the news. As he was walking to Shaoran's house, he thought he felt something tug at his pocket. When he checked his pocket, he noticed that it was lighter than usual. The money that he kept in his pocket was completely gone. He thought that perhaps he had simply forgotten his money at home and continued walking to Shaoran's house. However, he saw Shaoran walking past him. Touya was only halfway to Shaoran's house. He turned around to catch Shaoran's attention.
"Hey brat, I was about to come and see you," Touya said through clenched teeth. Shaoran got into a fighting stance.
"I don't know where she is! Just leave me alone!" Shaoran yelled. Touya put his guard down and grinned.
"Well then it looks like you're going to need some help," Touya said. Shaoran looked sort of blank at this point. Because the day was so sunny, he noticed that there were more shadows around Touya than there should be. The extra shadows gathered into one dark, hooded figure. It was The Shadow. The Shadow changed itself into a Shaoran Card and lept into Shaoran's hand.
"It looks like another card has escaped her power," Shaoran said. Touya was shocked. He had always thought that the cards were slaves to their master, who in this case was Sakura. Seeing The Shadow pledge its loyalty to Shaoran showed Touya that what Kero was saying was indeed true and that Shaoran was his only hope. Shaoran was tired, and decided that he should go home. Touya asked if he could come with him to talk about a few things.
"Sure. Wei will be happy to meet you," Shaoran answered.
At Shaoran's house, Touya and Shaoran were served tea, which Wei said had been specially made by Meilin. Shaoran was hesistant to sip his tea, but since Touya did not know Meilin too well, he immediately took a sip of his tea.
"Wow. Meilin makes great tea," Touya said. Shaoran looked really nervous at this point. Meilin making good tea was a concept that his mind had a lot of trouble grasping. He remembered ALL of her previous failures with baking and cooking. It seemed impossible to him that Meilin could have made the tea on her own. Shaoran finally took a reluctant sip of his tea. It wasn't bad. Wei must have helped her make the tea.
"It seems that Meilin-sama is improving at cooking and making tea," Wei said as he walked into the kitchen with an empty tray. Shaoran nodded and looked back at Touya. They had been enemies before, but now they were having tea together. It was yet another thing in Shaoran's life that didn't make any sense. However, strange things had been happening for days, so Shaoran was starting to get used to it.
"So. Let's get to the point kid. You know where Sakura is don't you? You were looking for her when I saw you," Touya said sternly. 'He's definitely getting right to the point,' Shaoran noted.
"I saw it on the news. A blur that steals people's money and knocks children off of their bikes. Then I felt the presence of a Sakura Card. I went out to see if the blur would attack me, hoping that the blur was actually Sakura using The Dash. Then I saw you, and got this card," Shaoran said, holding up The Shadow.
"Then we should go back out there and track her down," Touya said. "In fact, I have a plan of action."
"You do? Tell me more," Shaoran said. Touya told him the entire plan that he had mapped out in his mind. Shaoran and Touya smiled and walked out the door. Wei didn't know what to think of the two of them. It seemed like they got along quite nicely, although Shaoran didn't seem to like Touya before. Wei knew that he would never be able to understand children and teenagers.
Meilin rang the doorbell of the Daidouji residence. Sonomi answered the door, looking as beautiful as she always did. Sonomi asked Meilin to come in and had one of her servants show Meilin to Tomoyo's room. She walked down the elegantly decorated hallways that she had become so accustomed to and opened the door to Tomoyo's bedroom. Tomoyo was sitting on her bed, finishing off some summer homework. It looked like it was math homework. Meilin had come to her friend's house because she knew that Sakura's absence had a profound effect on Tomoyo. It was like as if she loved Sakura as much as Meilin used to love Shaoran, only it could have been even deeper than that.
Tomoyo taped Sakura's every happy and sad moment. It seemed to be her goal to record Sakura's entire life so that she could see the highlights of it again and again. Meilin guessed that having those tapes meant a lot to Tomoyo, but actually being with the real Sakura, and actually being beside her in her happiest and saddest moments made Tomoyo a lot happier. Of course, Tomoyo was all alone now. Chiharu, Naoko, and the other girls she stood beside were simply acquaintances. Meilin hoped to offer Tomoyo the chance to express her feelings about Sakura's new evil heart.
They sat together in the beautifully furnished bedroom and had tea together. It was a simple gesture, but Meilin was sure that it made Tomoyo happy. In fact, Meilin could see her friend smiling just as brightly as she used to when she was capturing Sakura's life on tape. Tomoyo had always been a good friend to Meilin, and Meilin felt that she owed her the same.
"Shaoran is working so hard to fight against Sakura's evil deeds," Meilin said, breaking the silence. Tomoyo nodded.
"I hope that they won't have to fight to the end. I hope that Sakura will win over the evil spirit and banish it from her mind forever," Tomoyo said. It was the simplest solution that she could think of. If Shaoran and Sakura fought, it would hurt both of them and accomplish next to nothing. The spirit would obviously not leave Sakura, even if Shaoran bashed Sakura over the head with the handle of his sword. The spirit had to leave the body on its own terms. Meilin agreed with Tomoyo's sentiment. Feelings would definitely have more power than actions in the battle for Sakura's heart.
"When Shaoran does confront her for the final battle, we must be there," Tomoyo said. She took another sip of her tea. She was still hopeful that she could convince Sakura to stop doing evil things to the citizens of Tomoeda and to her loved ones and friends. Meilin hoped that Shaoran would win back his love, Sakura, so that they could be together again. She loved Shaoran as much as Sakura did, and she wished for Shaoran's happiness everyday of her life.
Sakura was bound against a wooden pole by ropes, and in front of her was a large shadow, much like The Shadow that she knew, only much scarier. It had deep, crimson red eyes, and a body which was really a thin skeleton. If anything, this shadow looked a lot like the Death that american fiction writers write about. The different between the characters, however, was that the one standing in front of her was wearing a purple dress, whereas the Death of literature wore a black robe with a hood. The spirit that was holding her captive was female, apparently.
"Let me go! You have no right to be here!" Sakura yelled. The spirit simply laughed at her.
"Why should I? I'm having so much fun. I'm finally the mistress of the cards, just like I should have been," the spirit exclaimed in a dark tone. A shiver was sent all the way up Sakura's spine.
"I'm the mistress of the cards! You are just a fake, and everyone knows it! Even the cards know that you are evil!" Sakura yelled. The spirit took one step back, regained her composure, and then took a step forward again.
"Everyone is evil, in the end. Even Clow Reed," the spirit said as she disappeared. She was going to go back to her newly found host and use her to cause even more trouble in Tomoeda. Seeing the citizens of Tomoeda panic when she attacked them was a lot of fun for her, and she enjoyed playing with Shaoran the most. She could sense his reluctance to fight her, and the love that he had for her host. Love will win over all, and evil will consume all things. That was what she called poetic justice.
Touya and Shaoran made their way to a small road that was bordered on one side by trees. It was the road that Sakura and Shaoran had run past when Sakura sealed the loop card. Touya made sure to go home and get his money before the plan started, as that was a part of the plan.
"Are you sure this is going to work kid?" Touya asked. Shaoran nodded. It was the perfect plan to catch the blur that had been causing trouble around Tomoeda. Shaoran climbed on top of one of the trees and hid behind its leaves. Touya did the same but looked out from the leaves to see if anyone was coming. Shaoran prepared to use The Shadow.
"Project a shadow from behind that wall, Shadow!" Shaoran said, pointing at exactly where he needed the shadow to be cast from. Shaoran prayed that the blur would approach from the right angle. He knew that the blur was indeed Sakura using The Dash and that she knew about The Shadow. If she approached from the wrong side, she would know that it was a trap and he would be in big trouble. Touya looked around the streets again. He could see someone running extremely quickly from the side that he and Shaoran had planned to have Sakura run from. The person stopped just a few metres from the corner where the shadow was being projected. Touya confirmed that it was Sakura, turned to Shaoran, and nodded to him. Shaoran called on the power of the God of Thunder, aiming it right at Sakura. Sakura jumped out of the way quickly.
"You're a tricky one. You and The Shadow both. However, your simple plan will fail," Sakura said. As she was saying this, The Dash, which was in her pocket, started to glow. It flew out of Sakura's pocket, turned into a Shaoran Card and flew into Shaoran's hand.
"On the contrary, the cards seem to be on my side," Shaoran gloated. Sakura glared murder at Shaoran and her eyes glowed a deep, crimson red.
"The cards are irrelevent, but I shall use them to defeat you," Sakura shouted. Shaoran jumped down from the tree and prepared to use The Dash. Sakura took The Shot out of her pocket and threw it into the air. She hit it dead on with her star wand, and the wand turned into a small gun, much like a pellet gun, but with a design that suggests that the gun has at least a little recoil. The gun floated around on its own, and took aim at Shaoran. Shaoran started to dash around it using The Dash's magic.
"Wow. He's fast," Touya commented as he watched the battle. "Not bad for a little brat."
Shaoran ran one last lap around The Shot, which was having trouble aiming at such a speedy target, and then immediately turned around and pinned The Shot to the ground. Shaoran stayed away from its line of fire so that it wouldn't shoot off any of his limbs.
"And I thought Sakura didn't know how to use the cards," Shaoran sniggered as The Shot turned into a Shaoran Card and flew into his hand.
"I've had enough for today. The next time you ruin my fun, you will die for it," Sakura yelled as she disappeared into a deep black cloud. The battle was long from over however, and Shaoran knew this very well. He just wished that it could be over so that he could go out with Sakura again like he did in the past. He held back a few tears as he sensed that Touya was jumping down from the tree. Shaoran didn't want to be seen crying. If he had something left, it was most definitely his pride.
"Good work kid," Touya said while applauding. Shaoran smiled and showed Touya his new cards. The Shadow and The Shot flew in front of Touya and floated in circles around him.
"Well, that means we have about 49 more to go," Touya exclaimed sarcastically. They both laughed and playfully pushed each other around. If they had been in a serious mood, they might have had a match against each other, but really, they just felt like enjoying their victory. From behind the trees, a light figure walked towards the two boys. The two boys instantly recognized Eriol, and they showed Eriol their new cards.
"You have made fine progress, Shaoran, but I think that you should try to obtain the rest of the cards as quickly as possible," Eriol said solemnly.
"Why?"
"Well," Eriol started to explain, "the cards that have changed into Shaoran Cards are being supported by your magic. The others are being tortured by the dark force that has possessed Sakura. Even if all the cards do not change to Shaoran Cards, it would be best if you exorcise the evil spirit that is controlling Sakura soon. The cards are slowly rejecting her as their master, but your magic is weaker than her's, and your magic will not be able to support Yue and all of the cards. If Sakura does not return to her normal self soon, the cards will become regular cards."
"She keeps running away," Shaoran exclaimed. Eriol nodded.
"Thus, you must find her and start the final battle. I do not know how to recover Sakura's pure heart, but if she is not confronted soon, her heart will continue to be consumed by darkness. The Sakura we know now will cease to exist, and the cards will lose their magic," Eriol finished.
"No way!" Shaoran yelled. Eriol nodded. What he was saying was indeed true, unfortunately for Shaoran. Eriol really didn't want what he was saying to be true, because he knew how Shaoran felt about Sakura, and he knew that losing her would be the most horrible thing that would ever happen to him.
"Only if you put your doubts and fears aside and fight the battle at hand will you win your precious Sakura back from the evil spirit," Eriol explained. He started to walk away. He figured that he had said enough, and that saying anymore would cause the spirit to want to silence him. If the spirit did that, Shaoran would have no help at all from then on. Shaoran thought about the words that Eriol said. He had once been the kind of person who could simply do what has to be done, but since he had met Sakura, he had started to exhibit a different kind of attitude. He started to try to do what he could for others, and strived to be as generous as Sakura. Because of this, he didn't feel like he could really fight her seriously. These little plans and small battles were simply jokes to him, but really fighting Sakura would probably crush his very soul.
"Hey kid, what's wrong with you?" Touya asked a little harshly. Shaoran turned away from Touya and just started running. He didn't even know why. He just didn't want to be seen right now. He needed to clear his mind on his own, and he was starting to cry because of the things that Eriol told him. He continued to run, almost bumping into other people who were walking down the road.
The final battle had to be now, Eriol said, but Shaoran didn't know if he'd be ready for it. There was only one person that could help him to face his doubts about fighting Sakura. She was someone who had been with Sakura for a long time and had never left her side. She was someone who loved Sakura with a pure heart and never wanted to see her hurt. If anyone could assure Shaoran that he needed to fight the evil spirit for Sakura's sake, it was her. Now all he needed to do was find her.
Well, that's that. The next chapter is the endgame. Will Shaoran succeed in winning back Sakura through his feelings of love and determination? Will Meilin and Tomoyo be able to convince Sakura to go back to her pure heart? Will Kero raid the Kinomoto fridge and steal their snacks? Find out in the next chapter, Shaoran and the Darkness Within.
Akari Kamigishi