The wind howled above us as Kurogane, Fai, and I surrounded Sakura's body in the large tree. Looking at the two men, I realized they felt just as helpless as I did.
"Can we go after them?" The ninja finally asked.
"I no longer have any magic. Besides, even if I did," Fai paused to look at me with a soft smile, "I would wait. Even though it's hard."
"Right." I said, smiling back at him. We all might worry, but we have faith in the same thing: Syaoran.
And so we waited. And we held onto hope. Until there was a loud crack through the sakura tree.
"Something must have happened in the dream." I heard someone say.
"Syaoran! Sakura!" Mokona called out. I watched in shock as the tree began to split open. I didn't even register that both the men grabbed my arms and pulled me away from the darkness until we were standing away from the sakura tree and they stayed protectively close to me.
I gasped suddenly as a sharp pain stabbed at my shoulder. It felt as though a knife were slowly pressing through the muscle. Oh, god. Is this what Syaoran is feeling? Or Sakura?
"What is it?" I heard Kurogane ask.
"Someone's hurt." I managed to squeak out through the pain as I held my shoulder. I couldn't help but cry out as the sharp pain felt as though someone removed the knife from my skin. I had to check my skin to be sure there wasn't any of my own blood there.
The panic in my heart was growing more and more frantic. I felt like I could barely breathe when I suddenly felt Fai's magic… from the other Syaoran. The power forced the sakura tree to split even further.
"What's going on inside the dream!?" Mokona cried desperately. Before anyone could attempt an answer, we were all knocked backward by a black sludge that rushed out of the crack in the tree.
"Sakura!" I heard Fai yell as we all tried to get back to our friend.
"Kid!" Kurogane called as the two Syaorans appeared. In a matter of seconds, we were completely surrounded by the black substance that flooded the room like a toxic ocean.
We watched in horror as the two boys lept into the air. Both were desperately trying to get their hands on a feather. I couldn't move a muscle. I couldn't do anything to help.
"SYAORAN!" I screamed as the boys raised their swords to one another. But an instant later, I felt my heart stop.
Bloodied, beautiful, and floating between the two boys was Sakura. With clone Syaoran's sword straight through her heart.
"Sakura!" Our Syaoran cried.
"Your Sakura," the princess spoke gently over her shoulder, "is not me." We were all in shock as her body started to break apart into cherry blossoms.
"What the hell…" The words slipped from my mouth as the realization dawned on me. I watched as Sakura turned to face clone Syaoran and explain.
"You and I are the same." she told the clone before addressing our kid again. "That's why you said back then 'what that Sakura treasures is not my heart.' Your Sakura is waiting." Her body was nearly gone, broken up into the beautiful petals of her namesake.
"So please," she continued addressing her fellow clone and falling into his arms, "After this, for the sake of the person you value the most, be free. Even if we are clones, because we're the same, as long as those two are alive it's not the end. I love y–" She didn't get a chance to finish before she vanished entirely. I felt my heart break for clone Syaoran… even if he did steal Fai's magic and try to kill all of us. I watched as he screamed, holding onto a single petal of Sakura's soul. Her soul might be gone, but her body remained limp, hanging from the tree.
As if things couldn't get any worse, I watched as a rip in our world opened and Dr. Kyle appeared. I felt my hands burn as I tried to use my magic to fight my way out of the black sludge that trapped us all.
"Sakura!" I heard Fai yell as the evil man gently pet the young girl's hair. The harder I fought the more the substance trapping us hardened against my skin.
"What is this? I can't move!" Mokona said, panic in her voice.
We watched helplessly as that man controlled the black sludge to bring him the feather the Syaorans had been fighting for. He lifted Sakura's body and grabbed the feather with a wicked smile.
"This time I'm taking this." He told us.
"WAIT!" Syaoran yelled, finally cutting himself free and leaping toward the princess. In an instant, though, they were gone and the sludge binding us vanished. I watched as the young boy fell to the floor in defeat.
"Syaoran!" I called, running toward him and immediately checking him for any fatal wounds.
"Sakura was taken away…" Mokona cried.
"The other Syaoran is gone, too." Fai noted, pacing a hand protectively on our young friend. Syaoran sat up, a look of anger and determination on his face.