Last Time: Sakura made a revelation. She longed for a normal life and was willing to wish that she never found the Clow Book to get one. Meanwhile, the Wind Eagle struck…right at the restaurant where Tori was working. Although Yue and Ruby Moon tried to fend it off, the Eagle sent Tori crashing through the restaurant window. In a rage, Yue sent Ruby Moon to find Sakura…while he met the Eagle one-on-one.


Hunt For the Crystals: Episode 10


This fight had become personal. Yue looked back to see the fallen Tori, bloodied from the impact of going through the glass. He was glad he wasn't Julian at that moment, because Julian would have fallen apart upon seeing Tori like that. The attack on Tori left Yue enraged and he would take advantage of this chance to make the Eagle pay.

"I won't let you get away with what you did!"

The Eagle screeched and blew a strong wind towards Yue, but the guardian held his ground. When he saw a multitude of chairs being blown towards him, Yue formed his shield barrier to make sure they bounced off. Yue then shot his ice crystal shards at the Eagle, which hit…but weren't subduing the beast like he hoped.

The Eagle then took to the sky again. Yue looked back one more time to see his motivation. It was time for him to avenge Tori. So he took to the air and got ready for an air battle against the Wind Eagle.


~--------------------~


Sakura just finished washing her face. Not having slept well in the last few days, Sakura's eyes were practically filled with red lines. There were bags under her eyes and she yawned deeply. She did a lot of thinking last night and she made her decision. A decision that would change everything. A decision that would give her a chance…to live a normal life.

But maybe this would be her one day to sleep. There weren't any signs of any Crystal Beasts anywhere. There didn't seem to be any indicators of trouble.

"Sakura!"

That was Kero. Sakura rushed out of the bathroom and saw Kero and Lita looking out the window. Sakura ran over to the window and looked out to find…

"Ruby Moon?"

It was another old friend that Sakura hadn't seen in many years. It was Ruby Moon, Nakuru in her true form. Sakura opened her window and let her fly in. She didn't have a good feeling about this. If Ruby Moon was coming out after all these years…then that meant there was trouble.

"We have big trouble," Ruby Moon said bluntly. "Downtown at the promenade…one of the Crystal Beasts that Eriol told me about."

Sakura moaned softly. "Which one?"

"The Wind Eagle. Yue is fighting it right now…but I have a feeling he might be in over his head. I think he wanted to take it by himself after it attacked Tori."

Sakura gasped. "HOE?! It attacked Tori?!"

Ruby Moon nodded. "He took an attack meant for Yue and was thrown through a window. I'm sure he's ok, but still…"

"Get me over there!" Sakura shouted. "NOW!"

Ruby Moon perched herself on the window, while Sakura called for her wand. When she got her wand, she reached for her mode of transportation.

"Fly!"

Sakura almost never called for the Fly Card indoors, but this was an emergency. Sakura got on and looked over to see the fear on Lita's face. She knew what was coming.

"We don't have time to go over this again!" Kero snapped, echoing Sakura's thoughts. "Just get her, Ruby Moon!"

Ruby Moon complied and wrapped an arm around a reluctant Lita. Then she carried her out the window while Sakura flew out on Fly. Ruby Moon led the way downtown, with the screaming Lita in tow. Sakura followed, hoping she could reach Tori in time.


~--------------------~


Xander looked up at the sky to see the fight between the Wind Eagle and the powerful Earth guardian called Yue was still going on. The fight was going in favor of the Eagle and that wasn't good for Xander. He couldn't afford to let the beasts win, because he was supposed to collect the eight crystals when it was all over. Obviously, he couldn't get the crystals if they weren't restored to their crystal form.

Then Xander looked over towards the horizon. He could see someone flying, arriving at the scene. It was the other guardian, the one called Ruby Moon. She was carrying a screaming girl, who must have been afraid of flying. And flying in behind her…was a girl whom he recognized as the girl, Sakura. Only this time, she wasn't decked out in any of her fancy costumes. She almost looked scruffy in her pajamas. Still, though, Xander knew she was a force to be reckoned with.

Maybe now the tide would turn.


~--------------------~


Sakura finally saw it. It was a big white Eagle with a crystal inscribed on its chest. And it was doing battle with Yue. When Yue saw Sakura coming, he landed on the ground. So Sakura decided to do the same. She landed and recalled Fly, while Ruby Moon landed and allowed Lita to transform into Sailor Jupiter. Sakura then cried out to Yue.

"Yue! Where's Tori?!"

Yue looked over towards a nearby restaurant where the front window was shattered. Sakura instantly put everything aside and ran over to the shambles of the window and her fallen brother. He had lost consciousness and was bleeding from the cuts from the glass. Sakura was ready to cry. It was yet another example of the people she cared about getting hurt. This was the exact kind of thing that made her want to wish she never found the Clow Book.

Then Sakura turned her head to see the Eagle, the Wind Eagle. She knew that this wouldn't be easy, but hardly anything in her life ever came easy. Sakura slowly walked towards the Crystal Beast and she took out her first defense.

"Windy! Release and dispel!"

Windy came out and tried to wrap herself around the Eagle, but the Eagle shrugged Windy off with its wings. As hard as Windy tried, she couldn't get a grip on the Eagle. Sakura reluctantly recalled Windy and moved on to her next card.

"Fiery! Release and dispel!"

Fiery came out and rushed towards the Eagle. The Eagle saw that Fiery meant trouble, so it flew up into the air. Fiery followed and continued making a beeline for the Wind Eagle. The Eagle tried to defend itself the only way it could and that was by blowing a tornado around Fiery. But Fiery had ignited and the tornado only served to fan the flames and make them bigger. The tornado subsided and Fiery blew the flames towards the Eagle.

The Eagle was surrounded by flames and was screeching loudly. Fiery had done the job and was recalled. Now all that Sakura needed was for the Eagle to fall back to the ground, but it wasn't going quietly. It was struggling, but that's when Sakura's friends put the finishing touches. Ruby Moon and Yue both flew into the air and they both unleashed their crystal shard attacks, dazing the Wind Eagle further and it was Sailor Jupiter who delivered the final blow.

"Jupiter Thunder…Crash!"

The dazed Eagle was struck with the Thunder spell and combined with the flames of Fiery, the Wind Eagle could take no more. It came spiraling down until it landed on the ground with a sickening thud.

"The Eagle has landed!" Kero shouted, unable to resist the pun.

Sakura ran over to the burning Eagle and put it out of its misery. "Return to thy form which thou should be…Wind Crystal!"

After that tough fight, Sakura had subdued the Wind Eagle and had converted it to its crystal form. Sakura took the Wind Crystal in hand and immediately pocketed it. She had more pressing concerns. She ran to her unconscious brother.

"Tori! Tori! Speak to me!"

Nothing. Tori was out cold and it was obvious he needed a hospital. Sakura couldn't take him all the way there alone. She looked pleadingly at Yue and Ruby Moon. Ruby Moon transformed back into her false form, Nakuru, and walked over to pick up Tori. But Yue had not changed back. He wasn't displaying his usual cold demeanor. He looked…reluctant.

"I can't," Yue said. "Even he doesn't deserve to see this. He can't see Tori this way."

"We have no choice," Nakuru shot back. "We have to take him to the hospital."

Yue saw her point…and looked at Sakura. "I wish we didn't have to meet again under these circumstances."

Sakura nodded. "Yeah…me too."

Yue then began the transformation back. He changed back to Julian, and just as everyone feared, Julian gasped upon seeing Tori. "Tori! Is he ok?!"

"He needs a doctor!" Nakuru snapped. "We've got to get him to a hospital!"

Sakura couldn't stand to see this. She didn't want to see her brother like this and she didn't want to see Julian hurt like that. She couldn't take this anymore. She just turned and started to leave…alone. Kero tried flying over to her.

"Sakura…?"

"My mind's made up," Sakura said softly under her breath.

Kero tried to pry further, but Sakura held her hand up, indicating that she wanted to be by herself. The guardian beast reluctantly complied and stayed back and let Sakura walk away…alone.


~--------------------~


Something was wrong.

There was something in the tone of Sakura's voice that indicated something was wrong. It was something Kero felt he should know. Instead, it looked like Sakura wanted to be by herself. Kero wanted to go, but he didn't want to butt in, either. But there was no mistaking that something…was…wrong.

Sailor Jupiter shook her head. "This only made things worse."

That got Kero's attention. "What?"

Jupiter shrugged. "Nothing."

Kero flew right in front of Jupiter. "Is there something you know?"

"Uh…no…I don't want to talk about it."

"Wait a minute," Kero persisted. "If there's something you know, you have to tell me. Is something wrong with Sakura?"

"I can't tell you," Jupiter answered. "I promised."

"What do you know?" Kero asked again.

"I can't tell you!" Jupiter reiterated. Then she frowned. "Look…if you want to know…ask her yourself. But please…understand that I made a promise to Sakura that I wouldn't tell."

Jupiter tried to walk away and at first Kero decided not to follow. Then the guardian beast looked around to see the restaurant empty. Nakuru and Julian had carried Tori away and Sakura was already gone. So Kero decided to follow Sailor Jupiter and ask one more question.

"Can I at least have a hint?"

Jupiter sighed. "All I can say is…it concerns you…and everyone else…so I suggest you ask her yourself…before it's too late."

Kero didn't like the sound of that at all. There was obviously something huge he was missing. So he had to do the only thing he could do.

He had to find out what was wrong with Sakura. And he would do it as soon as he got home.


~--------------------~


Wilson Fisk took a look at today's newspaper and he didn't like what he saw. The front page had a huge picture of Doctor Octopus and it wasn't what he hoped for at all. Last night, Doc Ock was apprehended and today was shipped back to the United States for conviction and sentencing. There was no other way to say it. The Kingpin's ace in the hole was gone and, even with Spiderman back in New York, he had been foiled…again!

This was the worst thing that could happen. Without assistance, the Kingpin would not be able to collect the eight crystals and without the crystals, there was no way he could take over the world.

Then he saw someone else in the picture.

In the background of the picture, Fisk saw a familiar-looking boy. It was the same boy in the ceremonial robes he saw days earlier. That meant this was the same pack of misfits. It was the same group who had all the crystals.

"They still have the crystals," Fisk said to himself. "But they won't for long. I'll take them all myself if I have to."

All The Kingpin needed…was the right opportunity…or the right man.

"Hmm…maybe someone else can take them for me."

Fisk reached for his phone and made a call to one of his loyal minions. "Landon, this is Fisk. It's time to call our good friend. … Yes, I know he's rather dimwitted, but his loyalty will serve me well on this occasion. … That's right. Get him a plane to Japan, immediately! I require his services."

When Fisk hung up the phone, he chuckled. Maybe his plans for world domination hadn't gone down the tubes completely.

Maybe there was still a chance.


~--------------------~


Sakura got home early. Her father was still at the university and she had no idea how she was going to explain that Tori was in the hospital. She would have to worry about that later, because she went straight to the phone. She called Li and began to tell him that the latest crystal had been restored, leaving them with only three crystals remaining. The phone call ate up a lot of time and a few minutes later, Kero and Lita walked in.

She was hoping to relax with this phone call but it was too hard knowing that her brother was in the hospital and there were three other Crystal Beasts on the loose. But there was something else, too. Sakura suddenly saw Kero staring her right in the face…glaring a hole right into her.

Lita blinked. "I…need some fresh air. I'll leave you two alone."

Sakura watched as Lita walked out and Kero continued to stare Sakura right in the eye. "Um…Li…can I call you later? … Yeah. … Bye."

Kero's expression didn't change. He was staring coldly at Sakura.

"We have to talk."


Next Time: Will Sakura tell Kero of her plans? And little does anyone know that there will be ONE more person who will come after the crystals. And he'll come right out Sailor Jupiter's past. Come back next time to see what happens!


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