Last Time: Sakura and her friends faced a fight on just about every front. The evil Malachite went at it with Sailor Jupiter while Sakura unexpectedly fought off The Kingpin. Keroberos and Spinel Sun successfully thwarted off the diversion known as Rhino. After using Erase on The Kingpin, Sakura used the Return Card to try and send Malachite back into the past. But Malachite wouldn't go in and it took a big rock to send him sailing back into the past. But when Sakura realized that the rock hadn't come from any of her friends…she turned around to find the final Crystal Beast: the Earth Gargoyle.


Hunt For the Crystals: Episode 14


Sakura wanted this all to be over. In the last 24 hours she encountered a fearsome Water Turtle, the fierce Fire Dragon, an enemy from Sailor Jupiter's past, and two other fiends from who-knows-where. Sakura wanted to call it a night, but it wasn't over yet. Now Sakura was face-to-face with the final Crystal Beast.

The Earth Gargoyle stood immense in size. It stood eight feet tall with yellow skin and wings that flapped loudly. It let out an earth-shattering roar that nearly knocked everyone back…and shook the ground.

Sakura was shaking at first. She looked back at her friends and saw that they weren't too confident, either. But Sakura grew more and more determined each time she saw the intimidating Earth Gargoyle. She wasn't about to lose now. She had come so close. She had come so far. She wasn't going to give up now.

"I don't care how big you are!" Sakura said boldly. "But I'm going to beat you!"

The Earth Gargoyle didn't take that too well. It raised its hands and Sakura saw the ground around her begin to shake. Sakura and her friends bunched together in a circle as the ground continued to shake. The ground directly below Sakura and her friends began to rise. Now the plot of land they were standing on was in the air and Sakura couldn't bring herself down.

Sailor Jupiter tried to attack, but the wound on her arm left her in too much pain. Sakura gently laid her friend down. "You're hurt! Just try and rest! I'll take that thing out!" Sakura looked up at someone who could help her. "Yue! Ready?"

Yue nodded. "We'll take that Gargoyle together."

Yue lifted Sakura from behind by her waist and then he started to swoop down. They both landed in front of the Gargoyle and it immediately went on the offensive.

The Gargoyle psychically lifted a huge stone and began to mentally throw it at Sakura, but Yue stood in front of her and fended off the attack with his shield barrier. Sakura needed a solid plan of action, but she didn't know what to do. She went with her first move.

"Sleep Card! Release and dispel!"

The Sleep Card came out and started to rush towards the Gargoyle. Sakura knew that no matter how big it was, it couldn't stand up to Sleep. But the Gargoyle tried to do the next best thing. It tried to avoid sleep altogether. The Gargoyle flew up and began to use its powers to lift the ground up in a huge avalanche and it fell over Sleep. Sleep was taken by surprise and taken down. Sakura gasped and quickly recalled her. That plan failed horribly.

Sakura needed to think of another card, but in the meantime, other allies tried to help her out. A flame shot out of nowhere, narrowly missing the Earth Gargoyle by mere inches. Sakura looked up to see Keroberos in his true form, much to her surprise. It looked like Kero was going to help her one last time. That move managed to get the Gargoyle focusing on the plot of land that was floating in the air. It was looking at Eriol, Madison, Li, and Jupiter; who were all standing behind Keroberos. But someone else was missing.

Spinel Sun was out in his true form as well and he was sneaking up behind the Gargoyle. He tried to let out his beam, but the Gargoyle flew down and lifted a series of rocks. The rocks started coming towards the Earth Gargoyle's hand and they all came together to make a huge rock fist. The Gargoyle flew up quickly and the rock fist came crashing down onto the head of Spinel Sun, knocking the guardian down to the ground.

"Sakura!" Li shouted from above. "You have to do something!"

Sakura wanted something that would be able to counter the irresistible force that was the Earth Gargoyle. And she had to think quickly, because it was looking up at Keroberos. The Guardian Beast of the Seal tried firing away, but the Gargoyle was too quick and was still coming closer. Finally, the Gargoyle tried to swing, but Keroberos was defending himself with his own shield barrier. The Gargoyle frustratingly tried smashing away at the barrier. That bought Sakura a little more time.

Finally, it hit her. "Storm Card! Release and dispel!"

Keroberos moved back as Storm began to release in a tremendous storm cloud tornado. The storm cloud engulfed the surprised Earth Gargoyle. The Gargoyle was stuck in the storm cloud. And that gave the opportunity for the rest of Sakura's friends.

Sailor Jupiter weakly lifted her arms and looked over at Li. "Together…"

Li nodded back. "Force, know my plight! Release the light! Lightning!"

"Jupiter…Thunder…Dragon!"

Both lightning spells were unleashed at the same time and they went right into the storm cloud, nailing the Earth Gargoyle. Keroberos unleashed a powerful flame that went into the storm cloud, engulfing the Gargoyle. Sakura finally recalled Storm…and found the Earth Gargoyle was completely out. It fell to the ground and crashed.

Sakura walked up to the Earth Gargoyle…and recited those fateful words.

"Return to thy form which thou should be…Earth Crystal!"


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


From inside the bush, Xander saw that it was just about over. The girl, Sakura, was sealing the final crystal. Now she had all eight. Once the final Crystal Beast was back in its crystal form, Xander heard screaming. He looked up to see that a floating plot of land had nothing to float on anymore and came crashing to the ground. But more importantly…

Sakura's friend dropped her camera…and…

…THE CRYSTALS!

The group of friends fell and piled on top of each other…while the crystals…bounced…towards…the bush…Xander was standing behind.

Xander gasped. It couldn't possibly be THIS easy. Stumbling and not knowing what to do next, Xander reached for his communicator. "Shuma…the crystals…they're right in front of me!"

"Then get them! And wait right there! We're homing in on your location. The ship will be there in moments."

The communication feed cut off. His leader would soon be there for him. All Xander had to do…was reach out…and take the crystals. So he extended his hand out and had the crystals in his hand…unfortunately…

…there was another hand on them, as well.

Xander looked up…to the face of the mighty Earth heroine, Sakura.


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


After the encounter with the enormous Earth Gargoyle, Sakura didn't know what else could possibly happen. But now something else DID happen. Sakura looked down…to see the face of a guy about her age. And he was reaching for the crystals…and had them in his hand. They both had a grip on the crystals.

"Who are you?" Sakura asked.

The guy stammered. "Uh…um…uh…crystals…I need them."

"Sounds like yet another one who wants the crystals," Eriol said.

Sakura tried to take the crystals, but this guy wasn't letting go. He had a death grip on those crystals and it looked like he wasn't going to let go for anything. He was almost desperate.

"NO! Let go! I…need…these…crystals! LET GO!"

It was unbelievable. After all the fights and all the struggles Sakura had to endure, now it was down to a tug-o-war with the seven attached crystals. But Sakura wasn't planning to lose. The guy tried to kick Sakura away, but she wasn't going away easily. Sakura reached over and tried to push his head away. But when she pulled her hand back…she heard a tear.

Sakura fell back from the sudden surprise. She looked at her hand…to see a piece of the guy's face. It was a disguise. Sakura gasped when she looked in front of her to see…a green face. It was all a disguise. This guy was an alien; a humanoid with green skin.

The alien looked ecstatic…until he saw there were only seven crystals. "The eighth one…where is it?!"

Sakura held up the final crystal; the yellow Earth Crystal. She wasn't about to give that one up. "Who are you? Tell me!"

The guy didn't know what to say, but he knew he wasn't going to get anywhere. "I need that crystal…my people depend on it!"

That made Sakura curious. "Your…people?"

The alien nodded. "My name is Xander. I come from a world far away…or at least I used to. My people have been traveling for many years in search of a new world to inhabit, but we have been able to find none. Then…one day my leader learned of the legend of the eight crystals. He sent me out to the planet Earth with a human disguise to find them.

"But the task proved to be much more difficult than I anticipated. I saw others trying to hunt the crystals. I saw a man with four tentacles and his burly leader. I saw a group of four mutants with unusual abilities. I saw a warrior come out of the past. And then…I saw all of you. I have no powers. So I figured I could…wait and steal the crystals.

"I want the crystals…so I can wish for a new world for our people. However…my leader has asked that I hand the crystals to him, so he can wish for it. So…will you give me the crystals?"

Sakura started to feel something in the pit of her stomach. She went completely unaware of any of this. This alien was reaching out to her…pleading for a way to help his people. But how did Sakura know any of this was true? He could have easily been lying.

But just then…a huge noise could be heard from the sky.

"What is that?" Madison asked.

"My leader!" Xander announced. "He's here!"

Sakura looked to the sky and saw that a small spaceship was slowly descending to the ground. The extraterrestrial craft landed…and out of it came…an old deteriorated humanoid wearing a white robe. He was a short elder…who was walking with the aid of a staff.

"Shuma," Xander exclaimed. "The crystals…they're…well…they're…" He turned to Sakura, who was holding the crystals in her hand.

Something inside Sakura told her she should have held on to the crystals, but she honestly didn't know anymore. She saw this old alien…and she didn't know what to do. She felt pity. She felt like giving him the crystals…but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Please…" the elder, Shuma, pleaded. "The crystals."

Sakura finally made her decision. She brought up the crystals…and was about to hand it to the elderly alien. But just as she was about to hand them to him…she started to sense something…wrong. She looked up and saw what looked to be an evil smirk widening. Sakura suddenly acted fast.

"Wait!" Sakura shouted, pulling the crystals back. She pulled out one of her cards. "Libra* Card! Release!"

The Libra Card suddenly came out in a pink light…but the pink light quickly faded…and changed into a grim black light. Sakura didn't use the Libra Card very often and it wasn't until many years later that she figured out how to use it. But she knew what that black light meant.

"You're lying!" Sakura spat angrily. "You're using the crystals for something else, aren't you?!"

The old Shuma glowered and reached into his robe…to pull out a blaster. "So you've seen through me. Now that there are no more lies, you will give me the crystals!"

"Lying?" Xander asked confusedly. "What does she mean, Shuma? I thought you were using the crystals to wish a new home for us…for our people."

"Fool!" Shuma sneered. "I couldn't care less about the rest of the population. Don't you see? With those eight crystals, I can have total control of the universe! Who cares about finding the insignificant population a new planet? I shall have them all. The universe shall be MINE!" Then Shuma turned back to face Sakura. "Now…the crystals."

"What if I don't give them to you?" Sakura said boldly.

As Sakura said that, she saw Li trying to sneak up behind this evil alien. But Shuma saw him coming. He lifted his hand…and created a huge dome, covering only himself and Sakura.

"I see you are not willing to compromise," Shuma growled. "So I have a proposal. One-on-one. You and me. Last one standing gets the crystals. Do you accept your fate?"

Sakura looked outside the dome. Li was desperately trying to bust in, but it was no use. Yue and Jupiter were trying from the other side and were also getting nowhere. Kero and Suppi were flying behind Eriol and Madison and were saving their energy. They knew that trying to break into the impenetrable dome was a futile gesture.

It was down to a face-to-face confrontation. There was one fight…for the crystals. But Sakura realized one thing. She didn't have to go through with this. Sakura tried to put that eighth crystal together, but an accurately placed laser blast knocked the crystals out of Sakura's hands and left her left hand singed. Sakura yelled in pain, feeling like her entire arm had been fried.

"No cheating!" Shuma sneered. "We fight for the crystals! Last one standing gets them!"

Sakura wasn't backing down. She remembered the words that Kero told her. She was the world's most powerful sorceress. This guy didn't know who he was dealing with. Sakura reached up to release another card, but another blaster shot knocked her wand out of her hand…and out of reach.

"Do not look so shocked," Shuma smirked. "Despite my old age, I am still the most accurate shooter in my entire planet. You have no chance."

Sakura didn't want to believe that. So she rolled out of the way. Shuma tried to shoot towards the ground, but Sakura jumped into the air. The old alien didn't think that Sakura was so athletic. Sakura quickly picked up her wand while the blaster recharged and made herself even more elusive.

"Jump!"

Sakura avoided blaster shots while bouncing high into the air with the aid of the Jump Card. But it wasn't without pain. Sakura found her head smashing up against the top of the dome. Then Sakura got another idea.

"Mirror! Release!"

Sakura used Mirror in her mirror form. Sakura held it up and stopped jumping. The next blaster shot that was fired bounced off the mirror…then bounced off the top of the dome…and nailed the old Shuma on the arm, making him drop his blaster. He was stunned and that gave Sakura enough time to end this.

"Freeze Card! Release and dispel!"

The Freeze Card came out…and began to engulf Shuma. In a matter of moments, the old alien was nothing more than a block of ice. The fight was over. Sakura had won…and the dome disappeared.

Usually during moments like this, Sakura's friends would run over and congratulate her. Everyone would rejoice and everyone would go home. But not this time. Sakura's friends all stayed where they were…because they knew very well what could be coming.

Sakura saw Sailor Jupiter hang her head down…silently asking herself if it was truly over. She saw Xander crouched down on the ground, looking hopelessly to the sky. She saw her best friend, Madison, hugging Eriol tight. Their relationship may very well be over. She saw Suppi shaking his head…and Kero looking at her despondently. And she saw Yue, the guardian under the moon, looking emotionlessly at his mistress…but inside, he was wondering if she would remain his mistress.

Sakura slowly reached over for the seven attached crystals…and the lone Earth Crystal. All that remained…was to put them together…and make that one wish. But as Sakura picked them up…she looked up…to see Li.

"You're right about one thing," he said somberly. "For the first time in your life, your destiny is in your hands. So now that it is…will you do the right thing?"

Those words hit Sakura hard. But what hit her harder was that Li turned his back. He was seemingly trying to hide the tears in his eyes. Sakura started to weigh everything in her head.

This was just the opportunity she wanted. After all the pain she had endured since she was ten, this was truly it. This was her chance to start over. This was her chance to grow up as a normal girl. This was her chance to grow up without every having to worry about strange magic and being responsible for the fate of the world.

But she also thought about everything she could lose. Kero…he would be gone from Sakura's life forever. He would never be in her room playing video games or making puppy dog eyes in a desperate plea for pudding. He would never be there to hear her out whenever she needed help.

She thought of Madison. Their friendship was the strongest it could have been, but it never would have gotten to this point…without the Clow Cards. The Clow Cards had seemingly brought them closer together. But more than that…Sakura thought of Eriol. If she had never found the Clow Book, Madison would have never met Eriol…and their relationship would never be.

And Sakura thought of her own relationship. She loved Li more than anything. But if she never found the Clow Book…he would have never come into her life. Was a normal life really worth losing the man she loved? Was it worth losing the man who would be there for her through thick and thin for the rest of her life?

Sakura finally made her decision…

She attached the final crystal…

And made her wish.


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


Xander opened his eyes after that flash of light. He looked around…and saw that he wasn't on the Earth anymore. He was…back in his spaceship.

"What happened?" Xander asked. "Where am I?"

Xander looked around to see that most of the population was out in the lower deck, but he was lying down by the stairs. But someone picked him up. It was one of the other members of the population.

"You're back here," he said. "It's weird…you just suddenly appeared here…out of nowhere."

"Where's Shuma?" Xander demanded.

"That was also unusual," the other guy said. "Shuma was sighted earlier…but he was frozen solid. It's the weirdest thing. Especially since I thought he went down to where you were. Xander, what happened?"

Xander couldn't get another word out…because there was a sudden shout below.

"LAND!! We've found a planet!!"

Xander looked out the window…and saw that there was a planet out there…and it looked to be uninhabited. Suddenly, it all hit him. The crystals…the wish…the girl wished…for a home…for Xander and his people.

"Thank you…Sakura…"


Next Time: We see the aftermath in a special epilogue. What happens to Sakura, her friends, and the villains after this is all over? Come back tomorrow for the epilogue, because you won't want to miss it!


Any comments? Then go ahead and mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!