Li's return

by juufan

COMPLETED! Li returns to Tomoeda after ten long years in Hong Kong...

2. The Appearance of the two new Clow cards

Li watched as the star shot across the sky silently. There was no doubt about it; his mother had known that there was going to be something here, and had sent him here to do his rightful work. Yet, he still didn't understand.

His entire family had known that Sakura was in this university, yet they still pressed him to come here to Tomoeda. He hadn't known of their intentions, not until he had seen Sakura with his very own eyes. That had led to a slight confusion between the him and her. But now

He shook his head, trying to focus on reading the stars in the sky. Born with the gift of magic that been in his family for decades, he had the ability to use his magic to capture any Clow cards when he had been a cardcaptor and also the ability to do fortune reading.

Slowly, he closed his eyes, focusing all of his attention on reading the stars. There was something going on, he could see as he tried to even his breathing to get a clearer reading. Something was going to happen soon. Somewhere in Tomoeda to someone he knew.

His eyes snapped open. He had no idea who this person was and what would befall him or her, but something in him suggested that it could be one of his close friends. But who?

He scanned the sky for more signs of what he had just deciphered a moment ago. There were none; but he was sure that something was bound to happen soon. It wouldn't happen immediately, he knew. Soon.

He stood up, taking his lasin board in his hand as he went into his apartment. He had to be on the alert for any suspicious signs for any visible Clow cards. That wouldn't be hard, for the rest of the Clow cards had been changed into Sakura cards after Sakura had passed the judgment by Yue.

Sitting down on his bed, he took his sword and brushed off the dust that had settled on his all these ten years when he had lived like a normal kid. Holding up the sword, he knew that he bore the hope and the responsibility of the Li clan as he was the only male in his entire family. His father's death when he was still young forced him to shoulder the gigantic responsibility.

But with Sakura around

He shook his head again, trying to banish the brown haired girl from his thoughts. She was the main cause of his distractions lately, especially when he saw her. He had to stop all of these thoughts if he was going to capture the two remaining Clow cards, he knew. He had to focus all his attention on this.

And not on Sakura

-------

Sakura turned, trying to get the news that she had heard out of her mind and go to sleep. It was impossible, she knew as she sat up. She couldn't rest until she had fulfilled her duties as the chosen cardcaptor and capture these two cards that she had yet to know their identities.

A sudden thought of Li Syaoran suddenly appeared in her mind, causing her to furiously blush all of a sudden. She had no idea that she could even blush with no one in the room, except a snoring Kero who was sleeping in the one of the drawers of the table beside her.

She felt somehow comfortable with the silence of the room, only to be interrupted once in a while by Kero's slight snoring. Getting up from bed, she pushed the sliding door that led to her balcony open. Feeling the night breeze that immediately blew in, she closed her eyes.

There was a Clow card around, there was no mistake about that. Using the abilities that had been given to her by Kero, who was one of the guardians of the Clow cards, she could feel the aura that only could be emitted by Clow cards.

She opened her eyes, wondering if Li could sense the Clow cards too. Excluding Yue, Kero and Eriol, he was the only other person that could sense the Clow cards with the magic powers that he possessed. A slight feeling of envy came over her as she tried to imagine how her life would be if she was born with the same magical gift as him.

Her hand rested on the railing of the balcony as she looked at the starry sky. "I wonder if Li-kun is looking at the sky now too?" she spoke to herself as she touched the cold metal of the railing. She couldn't forget Li, she knew. She had known him too long just to forget him like that. But she couldn't go on like this

Carefully inspecting the Clow key that she kept in her pocket, she recalled its use when she captured all the Clow cards. An unexpected surprise had hit her though, when she realized that the judge of the Clow cards who was also the other guardian of the cards resided in Yukito, her brother's best friend.

She had thought that all of that cards had been captured, but with the latest news that was recently shown on the television, evidently not. There were two more Clow cards for her to capture, making the number of the Clow cards add up to fifty five, including The Void or The Hope and the two cards that had recently appeared.

Pocketing the Clow key, she turned to return to her warm bed and try to get some sleep, but not before having a last glance at the starry sky. Watching a shooting star dash across the sky, she remembered the superstitions that bore the story that a wish could come true if the person saw and wished upon a shooting star.

Closing her eyes and hurriedly making a wish, she smiled slightly at the thought of how ridiculous her wish seemed. Before pushing the sliding door shut, she wondered if she could ever get any sleep tonight.

-------

"Ne, Sakura"

Sakura looked up, her eyes filled with wonder as Li stood in front of her. A furious red blush spread across his face as he stuttered on his words.

"Has it anything to do with the sudden appearance of the two Clow cards?" she spoke, fingering her assignment slightly as she tried to avoid looking at his eyes. "If it has, I've already heard about it, Li-kun"

His face took on its normal frown as he pulled a chair from another table and sat down. "Don't you think it's a little odd for two Clow cards to avoid Yue's judgment?" he spoke, the bashfulness from his face gone, now to be replaced by his usual seriousness. "Even so, how could it manage to avoid The Void when it collected all the Sakura cards?"

"I have one idea of what may have happened," Sakura told him, her green eyes meeting his amber ones for split second. "I don't think The Void could have balanced all the positive cards by itself. True, all the Clow cards use the yin yang concept, but I think that"

"That these two cards may actually be the ones that can join up with The Void to form the yin part of the Clow cards?" he cut in, his eyes flashing. "That may be true, but I don't think Clow Reed would have created so many Clow cards to balance the other fifty two positive Clow cards. The Void had enough power to stop whatever card you tried to use on it."

"So what do you think, Li-kun?" she suddenly spoke up, looking at him straight in the eye. "If these two cards managed to escape The Void, what do you think might have happened to the both of them?"

"Eeto, I've been thinking about that for quite a while. I think that these two cards might have escaped The Void because they weren't Sakura cards. They weren't sealed which made it hard for The Void to simply steal them in their card form."

Sakura nodded slightly. "Hai. But Li-kun, if these cards were Clow cards, why doesn't Kero-chan know anything about them?

He frowned at the mention of the Clow cards guardian. "You asked that little toy about this? Why didn't you just ask" his voice trailed off.

"Nanda, Li-kun?"

"Nothing, Sakura-chan. Nothing."

Yamazaki watched as he left the library hurriedly. Li knew that his very own emotions were getting out of hand, he noted, watching his face take on the familiar red blush. He couldn't remember his best friend ever acting like that when they were in fourth and fifth grade together. Still, all that had happened almost ten years ago.

That didn't matter, he thought as he leaned on the bookshelf behind him. Somehow, he hoped that Li would eventually realize that his time was running out if he kept running off like that every time he saw Sakura. He couldn't keep on doing tat the rest of his life, anyway.

He smiled slightly at thought of Sakura and Li together. Now that he had put it this way, it didn't look as bad as he thought it would be

-------

Tomoyo's eyes widened as Li brushed past her on his way out from the library and promptly caught her sleeve. Dragging her to a secluded corner in between the lecture hall and the library, his face was grim.

"Li-kun? What's wrong?"

He let go of her. "Gomen, I have to drag you into this, Tomoyo-chan, but I really have to talk to you. It'surgent," he spoke, his face colouring slightly as he let go of her sleeve.

She smiled understandingly, knowing fully well that this had something to do with Sakura. "Sakura-chan again, Li-kun? Why don't you just tell her what you truly feel?"

He shook his head. "I can't tell her that, Tomoyo-chan. It's not well"

"You don't like her anymore?"

"Iie!" His eyes widened painfully as he looked down. "It's just that every time I see her, I suddenly can't speak or do anything without feeling like an idiot. You're the only one who understands how I feel about Sakura other than Meilin, Tomoyo-chan. Even she is encouraging me to go after Sakura."

The mention of Meilin made Tomoyo raise an eyebrow. "Meilin's in Tomoeda now, Li-kun?" she questioned, trying to see his face so she could identify what his expression was at that moment. Oh, if she only had brought her video camera!

"Hai. She just arrived yesterday." The silence told Tomoyo all she needed to know. Li was terribly torn against his feelings just to forget Sakura or tell her what his true feelings were.

"Li-kun, daijobu desu ka?" she spoke gently, watching him look down. "Is every thing all right between you and Sakura-chan? Or are the both of you having a fight?"

"Iie," he spoke softly, clenching his fists tightly. "You've heard about the two Clow cards that have recently appeared, ne? I'm worried that Sakura might get hurt while trying to capture these cards. It's not that I want them for myself; I'd have no use for them as she is the chosen cardcaptor."

"So what are you so worried about, Li-kun?"

"I don't want her to get hurt," he spoke, looking up. "I can't always be with her to protect her. I want to, but that's impossible for me to do. Besides, those cards are dangerous"

Tomoyo nodded. "Hai, Li-kun. I understand. I'll try my best to keep her out of any type of danger, ne?"

He smiled at her. "Arigato, Tomoyo-chan. I knew I could trust you," Li spoke, taking out something from his pocket. "Eeto, Meilin asked me to give this to you."

She took the envelope, wondering why Meilin would want to see her for. "Sa. I'll try to keep Sakura out of trouble, but you have to promise me something, Li-kun." She looked at his seriously before giving him a slight wink. "That you must tell Sakura how you feel before the year is over."

Li bit his lip slightly. "I don't think I can do that, Tomoyo-chan"

"Anothen I don't have to keep Sakura-chan from running into trouble, Li-kun. You'll have to promise me before I fulfill my part of the promise, ne?"

He grinned at her. She had the amazing ability to help him yet also manipulate him at the same time, he noticed as he nodded to answer her. "Hai," he spoke. "I'll keep my part of the promise. Demo, you must keep yours too!"

Tomoyo nodded as she walked away. "Hai, Li-kun. And remember, before the year is out, you have to tell Sakura how you feel about her!"

Li laughed before shouting a "Hai!" to her. Maybe he could really finish what he had been longing to finish all these years

-------

Eriol watched as Sakura left the library. He had to warn her, for he knew what danger she would be in if she tried to capture the two Clow cards that had been creating havoc in Tomoeda Park the day before. Besides, there was no telling what powers these two cards possessed.

That was the real reason why he had come to Tomoeda. Kaho had told him that something was going to happen here, and he didn't want it Sakura or Li to be injured. So, he had caught the next flight all the way from England to Tomoeda to see what could happen following Kaho's prediction.

He hadn't expected that there would be anymore Clow cards on the loose after The Void was transformed into The Hope. However, a suspicion had formed in him overnight that these cards could be much more dangerous than The Void, judging by the amount of damage they had created.

"Sakura-chan! Matte!" he called, wondering how he could tell her that she was imposing a big risk on herself and Li by wanting to capture these Clow cards and change them into Sakura cards.

She didn't hear him. Instead, she was deep in her own thoughts about Li's strange behaviour this morning. Mumbling something under her breath, she continued walking, unconscious of him calling her.

Eriol sighed. Li most probably knew of the dangers if Sakura went and transformed the Clow cards into Sakura cards, but he didn't know if Li had actually spoken to her about that. The possibility of her getting in danger while trying to capture the two new Clow cards seemed to loom up on him as he shrugged.

How could he tell her that she couldn't capture the cards that he himself had created about a few decades ago?

-------

Sakura was deep in her own thoughts as she walked along the path. Why was Li suddenly acting so strange that morning? First, she had thought that he was going to act like how he was ten years ago when they were still capturing Clow cards, all serious and sarcastic.

He had suddenly changed, then, into his normal behaviour that he had been putting on for the past few days. The seriousness and grimness that she had seen had suddenly disappeared from his face and was replaced by his usual self that he had been for the past few days.

Yet, he wouldn't say why. He had been acting so odd lately, she speculated dully. Could it have something to do with the two Clow cards that have recently appeared?

But that was impossible; what would he want with the Clow cards? He knew very well that it was her duty as the chosen cardcaptor to capture all the Clow cards and transform them into Sakura cards!

A sudden bump pulled her back to the real world, and for the first time, she realized that she had bumped into someone. "Gomen nasai! I didn't see you. Gomen"

"Daijobu, Sakura-chan. Daijobu desu ka?"

She blinked at the person who pulled her up from her sitting position and bent down to collect her books before handing it to her. The face of this person was so familiar, yet who was she?

"Don't you recognize me anymore, Sakura-chan? I leave you for a few years and you forget me already?"

"Meilin?" Sakura frozen in her position as she viewed the girl that stood in front of her. She looked so different with her long black hair considerably shorter than how it was, but was Meilin all right

"Hai." Meilin smiled as she studied Sakura. "Eetoso how are things between you and Li-kun? Anything special that I should know?"

A blush spread across the other girl's face as she looked down. "Ano, Meilin, I don't think this is quite the right time to speak about Li-kun"

"Don't worry," Meilin assured the other girl with a friendly smile. "I'm sure Li-kun already informed you that we're not engaged anymore, ne? He's no reason to hide that from you."

Sakura immediately shook her head. There was nothing that Li-kun would hide from her, was there?

"Meilin, what are you doing in Tomoeda? Aren't you supposed to be in Hong Kong? Or are you actually" Her voice trailed off as she dismissed the thought angrily, but some afterthought did linger in her mind regarding her sudden thought.

Meilin seemed to sense the her discomfort; she immediately smiled at her. "Don't you worry, Sakura-chan" she spoke as she stood up and stretched. "Li and I are just cousins, and he's my tomodachi, of course. Don't get any wrong thoughts about him. He's fine as he is."

Sakura blinked.

"?"

"Taidama, Sakura-chan. I have to help Li-kun finish something that he should have long ago"

Sakura watched as Meilin walked away. Wondering what she had meant by 'helping Li-kun finish what he should have done a long time ago', she shrugged before walking off.

-------

An oddly dressed woman and a man stood on top of the building, their arms folded. "We'll have to handle the two cardcaptors in Tomoeda before we can redeem all the Clow cards. Those two can't stop us from bringing the disaster to this earth. After that, nademonai!"

The woman simply nodded, her eyes focused on Tomoeda University. She wanted all her friends back, especially The Void since the both of them had spent decades sealed under Clow Reed's house together. Since that day when Clow Reed's house was half demolished and The Void free, she had lived in loneliness.

"Remember, I won't take any gentleness from you when we destroy Kinomoto Sakura and Li Syaoran. I want you to destroy Sakura the most, for she is the mistress of all the Sakura card. Li Syaoran, as you know is the descendant of Clow Reed, must be destroyed too."

-------

"Li-kun!"

Li jumped slightly at the sound of Meilin's voice as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Meilin! What are you doing here on campus? I thought I told you not to come to the university to look for me"

"Nani, Li-kun? Since when am I not allowed to come and see all my old friends here in Tomoeda?"

He blinked before frowning. "Meilin, I thought I told you not to come out and wander around campus. You don't know anyone here except some like Tomoyo, Chiharu, Rika, Naoko, Yamazaki, me and" His trailed off as he blushed at the mention of Sakura's name.

"Sakura-chan? I bumped into her a minute ago. Seems that you haven't done anything yet, Li-kun. Nani?"

"Wakarimasen"

Meilin smiled secretively at him as she waved to Tomoyo that stood not far away from them. "You'll understand soon, Li-kun. Now, I have to speak to Tomoyo-chan about something"

She brushed past him, leaving him frozen in surprise. What did she mean by saying that he 'hadn't done anything' and 'would understand soon'? Shaking his head, he returned to studying the book that he had been reading earlier.

-------

Meilin smiled at Tomoyo as she waved. The two girls shook hands heartily, as they had been good friends since fifth grade and had always kept in touch even when Meilin and Li had returned to Hong Kong.

"Okaerinasai, Meilin!" Tomoyo smiled as she viewed Meilin. It wasn't hard to recognize Meilin, for she was the only one on campus that had long black hair and those slightly mischievous eyes.

"Konnichiwa, Tomoyo-chan," Meilin greeted in return as she sneaked a peek at Li who was sitting alone. "Tell me, why hasn't Li-kun told his feelings to Sakura-chan yet? Didn't he come to Tomoeda just for that?"

"He has to," Tomoyo spoke decisively. "He wanted to keep Sakura-chan safe from the two new Clow cards, so he came to me to ask for help. I made him a promise that if he told Sakura-chan his feelings by the end of this year, I would take care of her and keep her away from danger as much as possible."

Meilin frowned as she turned her attention back to Tomoyo. "But how are you going to do that, Tomoyo-chan? You and I don't have magical powers and we both know that Sakura-chan and Li-kun can't be pushed into doing things that they don't want to do."

"That's where we come in, Meilin. You and I are going to have to try to pair them up together. After all, you did promise me that you'll come back to Tomoeda with Li-kun and finish what we almost completed, ne?"

Meilin grinned as she nodded. "Hai, Tomoyo-chan. Li-kun and Sakura-chan are perfect for each other. We can't let anything to happen to their relationship, ne?"

Tomoyo gave a nod. "We can ask the help of Chiharu-chan, Naoko-chan, Rika-chan and Yamazaki-kun. They already know about the relationship between Sakura-chan and Li-kun and have been trying to help, but the both of them are simply too stubborn."

"That's when I come in," Meilin spoke as she watched Sakura walk towards Li's direction. "I have never understood why Li-kun chose to return to Hong Kong rather than stay here in Tomoeda to reveal his true feelings to Sakura-chan, but now that he's in Tomoeda, we'll have to make the best of it, ne?"

"If we're lucky, we can make them both be what they almost were in fifth grade. Anodo we have a deal, Meilin?"

"Hai!"

Meilin smiled as she watched Li and Sakura's face colour as she brushed past him. Their eyes met for a split second and she froze before shaking her head and walking off.

Yes, they definitely needed some pairing up, Meilin thought as she watched Li look longingly after Sakura's retreating back. They still had feelings for each other; she could see that by their expressions at the mention of each other's name.

-------

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief as she threw herself down onto the bed. She hadn't expected to run into Meilin after all this time, much less even to get a cheerful response from her. Her eyes wandered around the room, resting on some photos that showed herself and her friends when they were still in fourth and fifth grade.

Reaching out a trembling hand, she gently brushed the dust off and old photo that she had kept since fourth grade. It was when she had gone for a summer camp at the beach that was held by her class. There, she had noticed that there was a Clow card which later turned out to be The Erase.

She smiled slightly at the memory of how she had almost freaked out when Rika, Chiharu and Tomoyo had vanished into thin air, erased by The Erase. Then, Li showed up and had told her to calm herself down and try to sense the Clow card. They had just used The Float to cross the stream when he had started to disappear too.

He had been kind enough to tell me not to care about him and to focus on capturing The Erase, she reflected as she studied his serious face. Always being there for her, he had protected her when she needed him, especially when he offered to go first during the judgment with Yue.

He had always been kind to everyone despite how serious and quiet he was, she noticed for the first time. He had carried Meilin to the finishing line when she had tripped when they had been trying to capture The Loop and had also saved Tomoyo when she had been trapped on top of the wall of a maze that had been caused by The Maze.

Then, he was always there for her. He was always there for her when she was in trouble or in need for help, even when it concerned Touya, her brother, who was definitely not a friend of his.

How could she ever forget the time when he had helped her to find Touya who had been tricked by The Mirror and when she had been sucked into the past by The Return? If he hadn't showed up, Sakura didn't know where her brother would be by now!

He had also allowed her to capture other Clow cards that he himself knew well he could take for himself. The Power, for instance, had only been able to be captured with his help of freezing time to make her win the tug of war between her and The Power.

She placed the photo back onto his original place as she sat up and wrapped her hands around her knees. Could Li really hate her for forcing him to make a promise that they wouldn't have any deeper contact than mere friends?

It was then Kero popped out of the drawer. "I think I know what the two remaining Clow cards are," he confided as he floated up in the air impatiently. "After some time, I do remember that Yue and I was created also to make sure that three special Clow cards didn't escape from under Clow Reed's house. Unfortunately, they have."

"Three?"

"One of them, is of course, The Void, which you have captured and changed into The Hope. These three cards are the yin energy of the magical circle, while all your Sakura cards are yang cards. This makes the Sakura cards again in danger as all three cards have only one objective."

"Nanda?"

"They want to switch all your Sakura cards back into Clow cards again. If they do, you'll have to recapture all the Clow cards once again and pass another of Yue's judgment."

"Matte, Kero-chan. You're saying that if these two cards were actually able to gain control of all the Sakura cards, they can actually reverse the transformation?"

Kero nodded grimly. "These cards possess powers that are slightly higher than The Void's. That means that you'll have to battle even harder against these two cards since their power combined is doubled. There is a possibility that you may lose all the Sakura cards altogether"

"I won't let them gain control of the Sakura cards," Sakura spoke decisively.

"As much as I don't want to say this, I think you should obtain the help of that Li Syaoran and also try to contact Yukito. We need as much help from Yue as possible, for he should know more about these Clow cards since he was the former owner before Clow Reed and is another guardian"

Sakura was confused. "What for, Kero-chan? I understand why I have to get help from Yue, but Li-kun? Does he need to be dragged into this?"

Kero nodded his head as he floated down and sat on the bed. "We need all the help we can to capture these Clow cards. It would be even better if Kaho and Eriol were here."

Sakura was silent as she weighed her thoughts. As much as she didn't want to see Li-kun because of her shyness, she couldn't deny that Kero's statement was right. He had been a great help to her when The Void had been attacking her; he had stalled time by fighting against The Void while she was panicking.

"Sa, I'll try to ask for Li-kun's help," she spoke slowly at last. "Ano, Kero-chanwhat are these two cards?"

"That's what I haven't figured out yet," Kero sighed as it floated out of the room. "And that's why it's even better if Eriol and Kaho were here. They should know the remaining cards"

Sakura sat on the bed for a long time before finally standing up and walking out.

-------

Li was startled out of his deep concentration when he heard the knock on his door. Who could be visiting him at this time? Meilin had already left a note that she wouldn't be back until evening.

"Who's there?"

"Li-kun? Sakura desu!"

He froze in his sitting position at the sound of her voice, a slight tremble running through him as closed his eyes. What could she possibly want with him by coming all the way to his apartment?

"Li-kun?"

He stumbled slightly on his way to the door, wondering what he could say to her. As the door swung open, he was greeted by Sakura's worried face. "Daijobu desu ka, Li-kun? Don't ever do that again!"

"?"

She shook her head and managed a slight smile at him despite her nervousness. "Can I come in? I have something to discuss with you."

He nodded mutely, opening the door wider and knocking his foot in the process. A natural grin appeared on Sakura's face as she watched him wince in pain as he hopped off, clutching one foot.

Sitting down on the couch that stood not too far away from her, she watched amusedly as Li emerged from a room, cringing slightly as he forced a smile on his face. "Ano, Sakura-chanwhy have you come here?"

Her expression turned serious as she leaned back slightly. "It's regarding the two Clow cards that have recently appeared in Tomoeda Park, Li-kun. According to Kero-chan, these two cards possess powers that are slightly higher that The Void's."

"Hai. I know that."

"Unfortunately, since there are two Clow cards, their powers combined will form a very strong team. Kero-chan has already told me that if I lose this battle again both Clow cards, all the Sakura cards will be taken away from me and reverted to their original forms as Clow cards."

"If that happens, you'll have to recapture all the Clow cards once again and pass another judgment," Li spoke, leaning forward as his shyness gave place to the serious expression on his face. "And that'll happen until you manage to defeat those Clow cards."

Sakura nodded. "Kero-chan told me to ask you for help," she spoke, pausing at the irritated and suspicious expression on his face. Apparently, he probably thought of what Kero had been thinking to get even with him.

"It's not what you think," she hurriedly assured him. "Kero-chan says that it's better if I contact Yukito to get more information from Yue. Besides, I need some help from Eriol-kun too."

Li frowned slightly. Sakura had never needed so much help to capture Clow cards before, even when capturing The Void. All the same, he couldn't deny the risk that these Clow cards were imposing by their power. He had felt the night before that their spirits were strong; much stronger than that of The Void's.

"I don't know what to do, Li-kun," she spoke as she looked down. "I don't want to lose the Sakura cards, but I'm afraid of going against these two new Clow cards too. If I lose, the disaster that Kero-chan warned might befall the world and it'll be all my fault"

A tear rolled down her cheek and splashed onto the floor as she tried to hold back her tears. "I simply don't know what to do, Li-kun. I don't want to be the cause of the disaster that Kero-chan has been telling me all about"

He watched as she struggled not to sob. Moving himself closer, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "You won't lose this battle, Sakura-chan," he spoke comfortingly. "You can defeat these Clow cards. I believe you can."

Sakura looked up, her eyes glistening with tears as she hastily wiped those that were streaming down her cheeks. "NeLi-kun?"

"Nanda?"

"Will you be there for me when I need you, just like in fourth and fifth grade?" she asked him with a slight catch in her voice. "Even if I lose the Sakura cards, will you be there for me?"

He nodded automatically, knowing that there was no way he could deny that fact. "Hai, Sakura-chan. As long as I'm in Tomoeda, we'll always be issho. Always," he spoke as he closed his eyes.

Noticing the questioning look in Sakura's eyes, he immediately blushed. "After all you're the only other cardcaptor I know," he added, looking away.

Sakura nodded as she rested her head slightly on the couch. "I've been too long here already, Li-kun."

He nodded, releasing her unwillingly as he forced yet another smile on his face. "Hai. Itterasshai, Sakura-chan. Sayonara."

He watched as she walked out, before collapsing onto the couch. He had been so close to telling her how he felt, yet it seemed soimpossible. He simply couldn't tell her now. But he would.

That was, when he was ready.

-------

Eriol watched as she stepped out of Li's apartment block. Although he hadn't heard the conversation between the two of them, he could roughly guess that it had something to do with the two new Clow cards that recently appeared.

"Sakura-chan?"

She turned; clearly shocked at his presence. "Eriol-kun? What are you doing here?"

"I take it that you know about how dangerous the two new Clow cards are?" he spoke, ignoring her question altogether. His eyes met hers, taking a serious expression in them as he studied her. She nodded, slightly taken aback by his odd behaviour.

"Hai, Eriol-kun. Kero-chan already told me about it. Is there anything else I should know about these Clow cards? Do you know what they are?"

He looked down. "I think so, but I'm not entirely sure about it, Sakura-chan. You see, I'm not quite sure if I know the names of the all the Clow cards that I've sealed due to the negative energy it brings. The only one I remember is The Void, which you have captured and changed into The Hope."

Her smile faded as she looked down.

"So there's no telling what these two Clow cards are?"

He nodded grimly. "Gomen, Sakura-chan. I have to say that I don't know anything about these two cards. You'll have to give me some time to recall what I sealed under Clow Reed's house decades ago." He paused, suddenly remembering something. "Sakura-chan, I think I know where these Clow cards are going to strike next."

Her face regained its seriousness as she leaned closer.

"Tell me every thing you know about these Clow cards," she demanded.

-------

The man frowned as he looked down. It was enough that they had two meddling cardcaptors to get rid of, now another person appeared out of nowhere and apparently knew about the Sakura and Clow cards. Not that he needed any more people to get rid of before obtaining the rest of the Clow cards that had been changed into Sakura cards.

"We'll have to get rid of that Eriol," he spoke, turning to the woman beside him. "Can you handle that?"

She shook her head. "I don't think that I can destroy"

He glared at her. "You can't get rid of such a little thing? Then, how do you expect to get rid of that Li Syaoran and Sakura Kinomoto? Tell me, can you get rid of him?"

"Iie!"

The woman shook her head obstinately as she glared at him defiantly. She didn't want to go around hurting people that weren't involved in all these things. All she was supposed to do was to get rid of Li Syaoran and Sakura Kinomoto. That was all.

"You're too soft hearted," the man scoffed as he raised an eyebrow. "You won't even hurt that Eriol. How can you even get rid of that Sakura Kinomoto and Li Syaoran if you're going to behave like that?"

She narrowed her eyes. "I decide who I want to defeat," she spoke decisively. "I don't have to follow whatever you say. Who knows, I might even help the both of them defeat you!"

He snorted. "Baka. Do you really think you have the power to even fight me? Don't waste your energy; keep it for getting rid of Eriol."

She kept unwillingly silent. It was true; he was much more powerful that she was and could defeat her easily. All the same, she wished she didn't have to injure anyone at all. All she wanted was all the other Clow cards that had been changed into Sakura cards to change back into Clow cards.

He smiled, regarding her silence as an agreement.

"Very well. I expect you to do the job well."

-------

Li watched as Sakura exited his apartment. He had to admit, he hadn't felt something like this would happen, even when he was still in fourth and fifth grade.

"Sakura-chan, why do you have to torture me in such a way?" he whispered as he leaned against a sturdy pillar. "I have no idea how long I can control myself, yet when I see you"

He shook his head. What was he thinking? He should be thinking about the two Clow cards that they were talking about, and how to defeat them. Not about Sakura!

Something in him protested that he should at least give her a hint on how he felt, but he pushed it aside angrily. He couldn't just go up to Sakura and say, "Ai shiteru, Sakura-chan." There was no way he could.

So what could he do? He slowly sank down onto the couch burying his head in his hands. "Sakura-chan, you can't treat me like this," he spoke desperately as he pushed a lock of hair away from his amber eyes. "I can't stand it any longer!"

He trembled slightly, trying to bear the pain that had suddenly erupted inside him. He simply couldn't tell Sakura how he felt, yet he was suffering if he didn't. So, what could he do?

"Li-kun? Daijobu desu ka?"

He looked up to see Meilin and hastily wiped away a tear that had originated from his eyes. "Hai. I'm okay, Meilin. So, how was your meeting with Tomoyo-chan?"

Meilin ignored his question, knowing fully well that something was troubling him. But what?

"Li-kun, is something troubling you? You look slightlydifferent. Has anything happened when I wasn't around?" Meilin prodded gently as she laid a gently hand on his shoulder.

"Iie! Just" His voice trailed off as he looked down, unable to speak any longer. Meilin had always been there to listen to him, he knew. Even when he told her that he didn't like her in fifth grade, Meilin had indeed ran out of the house, but soon told him to tell Sakura his feelings.

"Nanda, Li-kun? Tell me."

"II can't," he whispered almost inaudibly. "It's no use. You wouldn't even understand if I told you, Meilin. Just leave me alone for a while. I'll be all right by then."

Meilin stood up, studying him. Finally, she shook her head and sighed. "I may not know what's happened to you, Li-kun, but I can only tell you one thing as a tomodachi. If this concerns Sakura-chan, just tell her how you feel. Keeping your feelings pented up isn't going to help you any."

Li watched as she stormed out of the room. Hope began to spring up in his heart as he went over what she said. Maybe she was right. Maybe he should just tell Sakura-chan how he truly felt about her.

"ArigatoMeilin," he whispered with a small smile. His cousin had always been there for him, and he had sworn never to let her get into danger despite the troubles she had brought him by interfering his attempts to capture Clow cards.

He loved his cousin, there was no doubt about that. That love, however was a love that a brother might give to his sister. They were cousins and friends, but their relationship was closer than just merely cousins. It was as if they were siblings as she was another person who had the ability to see through him.

A soft ray of the setting evening sun made him smile. He would tell her how he felt.

Soon.

-------

Sakura, meanwhile, had been told by Eriol that the two Clow cards would strike Tomoeda Library next. "Do you really think that it's a good idea that I dress up like this, Tomoyo-chan?" she spoke, looking down at the costume that Tomoyo had forced her to wear.

"Hai, Sakura-chan. You look so kawaii!" Tomoyo spoke as she held up her video camera, taping Sakura's blushing face. "Besides, this is the first time in ten years that I've been able to actually tape you catching a Clow card!"

The brown haired girl simply smiled helplessly as she lifted her wand and inspected it. It had been ten years since she had last even used her wand; could her magical powers have faded?

"Sakura-chan."

She turned, and was face to face with Li who stood in the exact same cardcaptor uniform that he had been wearing since fourth grade with a sword sheathed on his back. A slight blush spread across his features as he turned away, trying to avoid her gaze.

"Eriol-kun told me that you'd be here trying to capture the Clow cards."

He frowned at Tomoyo, who simply shrugged and continued taping Sakura with her video camera. "AnoSakura-chan, why didn't tell me that you were going to battle the Clow cards tonight?"

She was silent for a minute, studying him as she weighed her words carefully. "I wasn't sure whether I should have dragged you into this, Li-kun. After all, it was I who released out the Clow cards from the book. I have to take whatever consequences that come with it."

He nodded at her, his face now serious. "You do realize how dangerous these two Clow cards are, ne?" he spoke, his eyes dark as he studied her carefully. "Sakura-chan, I want you to be careful."

"?"

Li took a deep breath as he spoke, oblivious of the fact that Tomoyo was taping the conversation between the two of them. "I don't want you to get hurt, Sakura-chan. I'd rather if you lose than injure yourself while battling."

Sakura nodded, understanding his good intentions.

"Hai, Li-kun. Wakata. I'll try to be careful."

His reply was interrupted by a sudden crash that came from within the library building. Exchanging a brief nod, they raced inside, only to find themselves face to face with a young woman who held Eriol from his collar.

"Eriol-kun!"

His eyes were closed as the woman held him up, trembling slightly as she studied his face.

"Iie! Eriol-kun!" Sakura's cry was enough to make Li unsheathe his sword and get ready to attack if anything should happen to his reincarnated ancestor.

The woman's eyes softened as she slowly loosened her grip on Eriol, seeming oblivious to the fact that the three of them were standing at the doorway of the library. The boy in her grip didn't flinch at all.

"I don't want to do this to you, Eriol," she spoke softly, her voice echoing around the empty library. "I don't want to hurt anyone, not even the two people I'm supposed to get rid of."

Sakura and Li took a step back as she suddenly turned towards them "You. I don't want to hurt either of you or Eriol. Get out of here with him before he comes back." She let go of Eriol and raised her palm, making him float towards them.

"He?"

"Get out!" The woman's voice was desperate as she turned away. "I don't want to have to injure any one of you. I don't like doing this, but he does. Just get out of here now before it's too late!"

It was too late. A figure emerged from beyond the shelves and rows of books, making Sakura shrink back slightly in fear. "Li-kunwho's that?"

Li gritted his teeth, knowing fully well that this was the other Clow card that he had sensed. "It's the other Clow card," he spoke, his voice hoarse. "Sakura-chan, be careful. This Clow card is much more dangerous than the one that did this to Eriol."

"Why haven't you gotten rid of Eriol yet?" The voice boomed through the library, making Li draw forward in frustration since he couldn't attack at that moment. "And why are the two cardcaptors here? We didn't ask for extra guests, I'm sure?"

The woman was silent as she looked down. There was no sound as she shook her head before raising her head to reveal her flashing eyes.

"Even so," he spoke, turning to face Li and Sakura. "Since you're going to kill them sooner or later, you'd better do it now, ne? Don't you agree?"

"Iie."

"Nani?" The man's voice was mocking as he glared at the woman with intimidating fury. "Have you forgotten what you're supposed to do, baka? Fine, if you won't do it, I'll do it!"

Sakura suddenly found herself pinned to the wall by some unnatural force and the man charging towards her. "Li-kun! Help!"

"Sakura-chan!" Li raced towards the attacking man, unsheathing his sword as he did so. "Force, know my plight; release the light! ...Lightning!"

Flashes of lighting enveloped the man, who seemed unaffected by the lighting from Li's sword as Li struggled to free Sakura.

"Is that all you can do?"

Li took a step back, having almost freed Sakura from the force that pinned her against the wall. "MasakaI used my lightning"

"Well then, why don't you try this!" He held out his hands, sending Li flying towards the row of shelves behind him. "It'll do you some good to keep your nose out of some things before I finish with this Kinomoto cardcaptor."

"Li-kun!"

"Iie!"

The woman suddenly appeared a few meters away from the bookshelves and raised both her hands, levitating and stopping Li from hitting the bookshelves behind her. "I won't let you hurt them any longer," she spoke as she raised her hands again.

Sakura suddenly found herself on the ground with Li beside her. "Li-kundaijobu desu ka? Why is that Clow card acting so strange?"

He nodded, not taking his eyes off the scene in front of him. "Daijobu, Sakura-chan. I think thatthe Clow card doesn't want to harm us for some reason. I don't know why."

"Get out of her, all of you," the woman spoke, her eyes flashing at the other Clow card that stood in front of her. "I don't want anyone to get hurt here. Influence, you're mine!"

Sakura didn't need any more encouragement than that. Grabbing Li's hand, she raced out of the dark library with Tomoyo trailing behind them, not wanting to lose taping them for even a minute. At last, Li stopped running and fell t his knees, exhausted from having to carry Eriol and run at the same time.

"Sakura-chan" he gasped as he gently laid Eriol on a bench nearby. Wiping away the sweat that dotted his forehead, he tried to catch his breath. Soon, Sakura was kneeling beside him. He turned and looked at her as she handed him a tissue.

"Here," she offered as she watched him take it from her hand and wipe the beads of sweat on his forehead. "Ano, Li-kundo you want to capture those two Clow cards?"

He paused, studying her face carefully for something before he replied. "Nani? Is something wrong?"

She shook her head, blushing as she did so. "Iie! I was just thinking of the time when we first met here in Tomoeda when you asked me to hand over the Clow cards all of a sudden. Besides, you are a cardcaptor after all"

Li smiled at her slightly as he wiped the last of the sweat from his forehead. "Even if I were to capture the both of them, what good could it being to me? You are the chosen cardcaptor anyway, not me. Besides, you know that I'm not supposed to"

He blushed, suddenly aware of Sakura's eyes on him. Turning away, he tried to focus his attention on Eriol as his face grew even redder from embarrassment. "Why don't we bring Eriol-kun back to my apartment? After all, there still are some empty rooms there"

Sakura frowned worriedly at him. "Can you carry him anymore, Li-kun? You seemexhausted."

Just as the words were out from her mouth, a loud scream came within the library, making the three of them jump. Li's mouth tightened as he viewed Eriol's still form.

"I think it's better if we go back to my apartment," he spoke as he bent down and carried Eriol in his arms. "it's not safe here; that Clow card can come out anytime and continue what it almost did to us."

Sakura nodded, merely trailing him back to Tomoeda University.

-------

Li didn't understand why the Clow card had tried to save them. As far as he knew, all the Clow cards had always tried to injure other people before they were sealed and soon changed into Sakura cards. There had to be a reason why that happened; that was what he was taught to believe.

But what could explain the strange behaviour between the two Clow cards that were supposed to work together? The woman had protected them, yet the man, or The Influence had almost injured the both of them. What could that mean?

"Is something troubling you, Li-kun?"

He looked up to see Yamazaki sit down on the grass beside him. "Anything between you and Sakura-chan? Chiharu-chan told me that even Sakura's been deep in thought lately. Are you arguing with her again?"

A dark red blush spread across Li's face as he looked down. "Iie! Nothing's happened between me and Sakura-chan, Yamazaki-kun. It's just that"

"Nanda?"

He shook his head furiously, remembering that the secret of the Clow cards were to be kept a secret and no one more than Sakura, him, Meilin and Tomoyo knew about them. "Nothing, Yamazaki-kun. I'm justthinking."

He stood up hurriedly, fearing that Yamazaki might ask him more questions. "I think I'll go get some lunch from the canteen," he spoke as he began to walk off. "Sayonara, Yamazaki-kun."

Yamazaki watched Li's retreating back as a smile crossed his lips. Something had changed between Li and Sakura; he could feel it. Something was going to change between the both of them, and it was for good.

"You can't control the fact that you and Sakura-chan are meant for each other, Li-kun," he spoke as he turned. "Something is going to bring the both of you together, I know."

-------

Li walked into the park where he had seen Eriol and Sakura talking to each other a few days ago. "I can feel that something's going to happen," he spoke to himself as he clenched his fists. "Something that has to do with someone near me, but who?"

The stars had always been right in all of his readings, he knew. Even when he was still a cardcaptor, they had told him where some Clow cards had been. So what had that reading meant?

"Thinking about the Clow cards, Li-kun?"

He turned to see Eriol who placed a hand on his shoulder. Apparently, he had recovered from the shock that the Clow card had given him last night. It had taken a few hours before he had woken up, but he had already coaxed Sakura and Tomoyo to go back at that time.

"Something like that, Eriol-kun. I can't help thinking about what happened yesterday. About what those Clow cards meant when they said that they wanted to destroy us."

Eriol smiled understandingly as he sat down beside Li on the bench. "Nani? Do you suspect that they have something to do with Sakura-chan and her Sakura cards, Li-kun?"

He shrugged as he leaned back on the wooden bench as he gazed at the blue sky above him. "I don't know, Eriol-kun. I don't know why, but I think that someone's going to be injured by either Clow cards. Someone that I know and is close to me."

"So you suspect that the victim could be Sakura-chan?"

"I don't know, Eriol-kun. All I know that it's going to affect someone that I know. It might even be you or Sakura-chan's friends. At least that's what my readings tell me."

Eriol was quiet as he studied the patterns that he drew on the ground with his feet. His brow wrinkled as he closed his eyes, deep in thought as he tried to recall the two Clow cards that he had sealed under Clow Reed's house decades ago.

"The other card is The Unlimited!"

Li jumped slightly at Eriol's exclamation. "The Unlimited? What kind of card is that?"

Eriol studied Li's face seriously as he explained. "The Unlimited possesses powers that cannot be matched by any other Clow card. Its behaviour is quite distinct though. Originally, it wasn't supposed to be sealed under Clow Reed's house, but was unfortunately dragged down by The Influence."

"Wakarimasen, Eriol-kun. You said that The Unlimited has powers that cannot be matched by another Clow card. So what did The Influence taunt The Unlimited if it knew that it was much more powerful than him? Wouldn't it be dangerous to do that?"

"Iie. The Unlimited only uses its powers for good and not evil. That's why I'm alive here, Li-kun. This Clow card won't kill and hurt people for the sake of killing. All it wants is to be reunited with the other Clow cards because of the time it's been separated from them."

"And The Influence?"

Eriol's eyes narrowed, looking straight at Li.

"The Influence is a dangerous card, Li-kun. Its powers can do wonders, and it's even more powerful than The Void, but it cannot match The Unlimited's powers. I suspect that's the reason why he tried to dominate The Unlimited. It probably knew what would happen to it if The Unlimited were to attack him."

Li nodded gravely as he watched a Sakura flower float down in front of his eye. Catching it, he carefully enclosed it in his palm. A forlorn hope that he could do the same to the person who bore the same name appeared in his heart.

He had to warn Sakura!

-------

Sakura closed her eyes as she felt the soft evening breeze blow through her hair. It was at these times that she sometimes wished in the past that Li-kun could be there with her to enjoy it, for she knew how much he would like to feel it too

She blinked once before shaking her head. What was she thinking? Li-kun was supposed to be not more than a friend to her. A mere friend, ne? But he did promise her that he would wait for her until she was ready

What Tomoyo-chan said was right, she reflected as she leaned back. Li-kun wasn't going to wait for her the whole year long just to hear her say a few words. Besides, there were much more pretty and popular girls on campus besides her, but no one knew Li-kun as well as she did

She frowned, remembering the sign that had been taped on the notice board this morning. It had been a list of the ten most kakkoii guys on campus, and Li-kun had been somewhere on top of the list. Not to mention that he had got the second place, and was fast becoming number one

Leaning back on the strong trunk of the cherry blossom tree behind her, she wondered what would happen if Li actually liked another girl while waiting for her. A question sprung up in her mind if he'd even try to do that to her, but she pushed it away.

Li-kun wasn't that type of a person. Having schooled with him for at least two years, Sakura had slowly noticed that Li had never broke a promise no matter how impossible it was. Once he made a promise, he kept it.

"Konbawa, Sakura-chan."

Sakura spun around, shocked. Breathing a sigh of relief as Yukito's smiling face appeared over her shoulder, she returned his smile with a grin. "Konbawa, Yukito-san."

He took a seat beside her, not before noticing the distracted look on her face. "Why did you call me here, Sakura-chan? Is there anything I should know?"

She kept quiet, not wanting to tell Yukito about the Clow cards. She didn't have any idea what would Yukito do if he were to find out her long kept secret. She only wanted to speak to Yue who resided inside him.

Yukito sighed as he frowned slightly. "Perhaps you'd rather talk to my other self, ne, Sakura-chan?" he offered as he found her reluctant to speak a word. With that, he transformed into Yue.

"Nanda, Sakura-chan?"

"There are two Clow cards on the loose."

"Hai. I know that. I sensed it since a few days ago. Have you captured them yet?"

"Iie. You see, Kero-chan has warned me that failing to capture these two Clow cards will result in the instant conversion of the Sakura cards into Clow cards again. That also means that I've to capture the Clow cards again and pass another judgment."

"I see. And what does Li-kun say about this?"

"He doesn't stop me from trying to capture these Clow cards, but he warned me to be careful. According to him, Eriol-kun and Kero-chan, these two cards are much more powerful than The Void."

"Are there any consequences in capturing these two Clow cards, Sakura-chan?"

She frowned at his question and rested her chin thoughtfully on her hand. "I'm not sure. There is a possibility that changing these two cards will cause the same consequences as The Void, but Kero-chan hasn't confirmed that yet."

Yue nodded, smiling slightly at Sakura. "Don't take any actions on your own, Sakura-chan," he told her. "Make sure that there's always someone that knows magic with you. it can be Li-kun, Eriol-kun, Kero-chan or even me. Just don't make your own decisions and go and capture those Clow cards without informing anyone."

Sakura nodded. "Hai."

Giving her a last smile, Yue transformed back into Yukito. "Sakura-chan, have you told your feelings to the one that means the most to you?" he spoke, looking at her.

She blushed as she looked down, knowing fully that he meant Li. "Not yet. How is otousan and niichan?"

Yukito sighed as he leaned back. "Your brother wasn't too pleased when he heard that Li-kun was moving into Tomoeda University. I had better warn you, he still doesn't like Li-kun."

Sighing, Sakura wondered how anyone couldn't like Li-kun. True, he was unsociable, but once you got to know him, you could see that he was a different person inside.

"I'd better go. I'm supposed to meet Touya in five minutes. Itterasshai, Sakura-chan." He stood up, handing her a gift wrapped box. "This is for you."

She nodded, standing up as he unlocked his bicycle that he had leaned against the wall. "Arigato, Yukito-san," she spoke as she watched him get onto his bicycle. "Send my regards to niichan."

"Hai. Sayonara, Sakura-chan."

"Sayonara."

She watched him until his bicycle disappeared into the horizon. Turning around, she looked at the present that he had given her for a minute before opening it. Painstakingly trying not to tear the colourful paper, she gasped as she saw what he was inside.

There was a beautiful watch with a red strap inside. Opening the box that encased it, she unfastened it and inspected it. There was something engraved on the back of the watch, she noticed.

"To Sakura-chan. Hope you like this watch. Touya," she read aloud as she held it close to her. She couldn't imagine her brother spending money just to buy her this watch. Smiling, she looked up at the sun and waved, as if Touya could see her.

"Arigato, niichan"

-------

Sakura's hands shook as she held the Clow key in her palm. Could she really capture those two Clow cards and prevent the Sakura cards from being converted back into Clow cards? Could she prevent the disaster from befalling the entire world?

She blinked as the phone suddenly rang, pulling her out of her thoughts. Picking it up, she spoke an absent minded "Hello" as she fingered the Clow key.

"Sakura-chan? Are you there?"

Sitting up in surprise, Sakura held the phone closer to her ear as she put down the Clow key she was holding onto the table beside her. "Hai, Li-kun. Nanda?"

"I just spoke with Eriol-kun. According to him, the other card is The Unlimited."

"The Unlimited?"

"Hai. It has the powers that cannot be matched by the other Clow cards, and can even surpass The Influence's powers. It means that if you were to capture The Unlimited, you have the ability to capture any single Clow card."

"But wouldn't it be dangerous?"

On the other end of the phone, Li leaned back on the couch that he was sitting on. It hadn't occurred to him until now that capturing The Influence and The Unlimited had its own prices. He hadn't any idea if the price would be like The Void, which almost took his most cherished feeling from him.

"Dangerous as it is, you still have to capture these two Clow cards," he retorted as he drew out his sword from its sheath. "You know that as the mistress of the Sakura cards, you have a duty to capture any remaining Clow cards and convert them into Sakura cards."

Sakura blinked. "Hai. I know that. NeLi-kun?"

"Nanda?"

"Can you come with me tonight to capture both The Influence and The Unlimited? Yue told me to get someone that knows magic to watch over me. He doesn't trust that there isn't any price for capturing those Sakura cards."

"You met Yue?"

"Hai. Anocan you come?"

"I'll be there. Where do you think the Clow cards are going to strike next?"

Sakura held the Clow key close to her as she closed her eyes. A picture of Tomoeda Elementary School flashed into her sight, then her fifth grade classroom. Her eyes darted open, now that she understood what they meant.

"Our old school!"

"Nani?"

"Their next strike will be at Tomoeda Elementary School! Can you meet me there tonight at eight?"

"Hai. Sakura-chan, are you sure about this?"

"Hai, Li-kun!"

-------

Li fingered his sword as he looked around him. The surroundings hadn't changed since the time he left Tomoeda to return to Hong Kong; it still looked the same. The school building, the cherry blossom trees that grew just outside the gate

He couldn't deny the fact that he indeed missed this place, even though he had already left it behind about ten years ago. The memories it held were priceless, especially the ones that he had with Meilin and Sakura.

Colouring slightly at the thought of Sakura, he remembered the time when he had first met her here. He had demanded that she hand over all the Clow cards that she possessed, but he had been interrupted by Touya. A shudder ran through him as he reflected on his behaviour then.

He couldn't imagine how he had managed to actually hate her, though. Sakura was simply too hard to ignore, yet he still hated her guardian, Kero. His amber eyes darkened at the thought of his rival whom he called 'stuffed animal'.

He jumped as a hand was laid on his shoulder. Whirling around, he laid a hand on his sword, ready to draw it out at the slightest sign of danger.

"Li-kun! Sakura desu!"

Relaxing slightly, he lowered his sword and gave her a slight smile. "Don't do that, Sakura-chan," he spoke as he put his sword back into its sheath. "I don't want to hurt you accidentally for no reason."

She gave him a small smile, remembering that Tomoyo who stood behind hr, was recording every bit of their conversation. "According to my instincts, The Influence and The Unlimited should be somewhere in this school. We'll have to search the school."

He stepped back, viewing the vast size of his elementary school that had at least three buildings. "We'll start at that row of classrooms first," he spoke, pointing towards the building on the east. His eyes rested on Sakura as he waited for her response.

She nodded. "Ano, Tomoyo-chanare you sure you want to follow us? This might be dangerous for you since you don't have any magical powers. Why don't you stay outside and wait for us?"

Tomoyo looked away from her video camera and shook her head. "Iie, Sakura-chan, I've always recorded you in action when capturing Clow cards and I don't want to miss one out. Don't worry about me. I promise not to interfere."

Li nodded, taking a step forward. "Come on. We don't have much time."

Sakura paused for a minute, looking at the darkness that seemed to swallow the corridors and recalled how she used to cower at the sight of them during the night in fear of ghosts. Nodding her head, she simply followed him into the school.

-------

The long corridors seemed to loom up on them as they walked down, keeping their eyes and ears trained for any sign of either The Unlimited or The Influence. Suddenly, the both of them heard a soft sniffle.

"It's in the other building," Li spoke, lowering his voice in fear that he would frighten away whatever that was emitting that sound. Racing towards the building, he tightened his hold on his sword.

Sakura followed suit, running beside him. her green eyes were narrowed with concentration as the sound became clearer with every step they took. Somehow, the noise that they heard seemed to sound like someone crying.

They skidded to a stop when the hallway parted into two ways. "That's odd," Sakura spoke as she placed a finger on her chin. "I don't remember this hallway splitting into half, and nothing was done to this school for the last ten years. Why is there two hallways now?"

"I think I know," Tomoyo spoke up as she looked up from her video camera. "I suspect this is the work of The Influence. Since it has the power to influence whatever we are thinking, it is possible that it has somehow used its powers to weave some type of confusion for us."

"Meaning that The Influence already knows that we were coming here?" Li spoke, his eyes narrowing. "All the same, which hallway are we supposed to follow? We can't possible separate from each other. It's not safe, Sakura-chan."

Sakura bit her lip, wondering exactly the same thing. True, they couldn't separate in fear of their safety, but how else could they find the source of that crying sound?

"Li-kun," she spoke up suddenly, her eyes lighting up. "Can't you use your lasin board to detect the source of that noise?"

He nodded, taking his lasin board out of his pocket. Closing his eyes, he held two fingers in front of the lasin board. ""Source of light with ancient spin, send forth the magic power within, Force, know my plight; release the light!"

A blue beam shot from the magical lasin board, stretching far beyond the hallway on their right. Li nodded, beginning to run following the long blue line that acted as a guide from the lasin board.

The further they ran, the clearer the sound of sobbing seemed to echo around them. The second hallway seemed to fade away as they arrived at the second floor of the building.

Sakura listened carefully to the sound, trying to sense where it could originate from. "It's on the roof, Li-kun!"

He nodded, taking fast steps towards the stairs that led up to the roof where they had caught The Song. He could feel the Clow card that had been emitting those noises now; its aura was getting stronger. The two of them raced up the steps with Tomoyo trailing behind them, recording every single minute of the chase.

Li flung open the door, feeling the cool night breeze whip his face. There, in the corner, was The Unlimited sitting by herself. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she clenched her fists.

"Go away."

The two words were uttered clearly above all of her sobbing. Her blue eyes seemed to plead to them to go away and leave her alone, but Li didn't move.

"Go away," The Unlimited spoke, her voice even softer. "He's planning to trap you. That double hallway that you saw was a very easy trap set for the both of you. He knew that you'd be able to find your way through. Now, he's coming after you."

Sakura looked at Li, her eyes confused. "Li-kun"

He ignored her question, and questioned The Unlimited forcefully. "Why didn't you stop him from coming after us? You know you have the most power among all the Clow cards. You can defeat The Influence!"

She shook her head. "I don't use my powers for that sort of thing," she revealed as she looked up. "I don't like hurting anyone, even if it were someone that I truly hated. Besides," she added bitterly. "I don't have the power to defeat him."

"You haven't used your potential, that's all!"

Sakura studied Li's face, wondering why he had suddenly changed. "Li-kun, how do you know that The Unlimited hasn't used her full power yet? Maybe The Influence is more powerful than her. She can't defeat it if it is and you know that."

His eyes hardened, making them seem cold and unfriendly. "You don't understand, Sakura-chan. Eriol-kun told me everything about this Clow card. It has the most power among all the Clow cards and is the most powerful of all of the Clow cards."

The Unlimited shook her head, hastily wiping the tears that streamed from her eyes away. "You don't understand. Influence has much more power than I do and can defeat me in anything. Besides, he was the one who dragged me down to be sealed under Clow Reed's house."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Meaning"

Li nodded. "Hai. The Unlimited was supposed to be a yang card, a card that was supposed to be among your Sakura cards by now. It was actually forced to be sealed under Clow Reed's house because The Influence had pulled it down together when Clow Reed sealed it there."

The Clow card suddenly looked up. "Enough of this talk," she spoke, her voice suddenly sounding harsh. "Either the three of you go now or I'll have to send all of you back the hard way. I don't want to trouble anyone."

Sakura shook her head. "Iie. We want to help you, but we simply can't do anything if The Influence is that powerful. We need your help to defeat The Influence before we can actually seal him into a Clow card and change him into a Sakura card."

The Unlimited eyes them carefully. "The Influence won't be sealed into a Clow card and changed into a Sakura card without the captor suffering the price. The same thing also goes for me. Whoever who captures the both of us will suffer the most terrible consequences."

Li and Sakura exchanged worried looks. "What kind of consequences do you mean?"

The Unlimited shook her head. "The most main thing is the loss of your emotions, be it all or just partial. That is what happens to the person who successfully captures Influence. As for me, the person could disappear from the face of the earth completely."

A gasp escaped Sakura as she took a step back. "Masakathat's the price that a person has to pay if they capture you?"

Nodding, the Clow card raised its eyes to look at Sakura. "That's why I've been warning you to keep away from me. I don't want that to happen to either of you. In fact, I plan on staying under the site where Clow Reed's house is going to be demolished so that I don't cause anyone problems."

"That will never happen, Unlimited. You're destined to help me bring the disaster to this world. You have to do that."

The four of them turned, horrified at the sound of The Influence's cool indifferent voice. He stood there, folding his arms as he smirked at the three of them. "Nice work, Unlimited. You did a good job of keeping them here."

Sakura now took a step back, ready to run at the first sight of The Influence's attack. "Ano, Li-kunare we staying to battle and capture the two Clow cards?"

He shook his head. "Iie. Sakura-chan, you go. I'll stay here and capture the Clow cards. Tomoyo-chan, you'll have to go with her. Help her find her way out of this school."

She stepped forward. "Demo, Li-kun"

He nodded his head, his amber eyes full of gentleness as he looked deep into her leaf green eyes for what he believed was for the last time. "I'll stay here and catch these two cards. Don't worry about me, Sakura-chan."

Tomoyo stepped forward. "Demo, Li-kun, if you capture these two Clow cards, you may lose your memory and also disappear from the face of this earth. You know about the price you have to pay for capturing these two Clow cards."

"Hai, Tomoyo-chan," he replied as he tore his eyes away from Sakura. "Now go, before I change my mind."

He watched painfully as Sakura and Tomoyo slowly stumbled their way across the roof before opening the door that led to the floor below. His eyes caught Sakura's for one last time, and he realized with a sinking heart, that he might not be able to finish what he did ten years ago.

"Sayonara, Sakura-chan," he whispered, gazing at her before she disappeared down the stairs. Now that she was gone, he knew that he had to concentrate on defeating The Influence and The Unlimited.

"How touching," The Influence scoffed, its brown eyes blazing with criticism. "Even a descendant of Clow Reed's can succumb to a mere human."

Li's eyes seemed to be filled with fire at the sound of that insult. He didn't mind if The Influence just insulted him; he had to add Sakura's name into the fray too!

The Unlimited seemed to sense his fury, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Listen to me, Li," she spoke, her voice soft. "I can try to defeat Influence, but I can't say that I can do that to myself. All the same, I can drop my guard so that you can capture me."

He looked at her in surprise; no Clow card had ever been so willing to be captured by a cardcaptor. "Demo"

She nodded, her blue eyes soft. "Trust me, Li. I don't like Influence more than you do. What makes you think that I don't want to defeat him too?"

Li took a step back. "Iie. I promised Sakura-chan that I'd capture you and Influence for her. I won't go back on that promise."

"Enough of this already!"

The Influence stood in front of them, its face somehow contorted with fury. "Very well, Unlimited. I accept your challenge to battle me together with this cardcaptor Li."

Li unsheathed his sword, gripping it tightly. He had to win this battle and seal The Influence as well as The Unlimited to fulfill his promise to Sakura.

Three words escaped his lips as he concentrated on The Influence's aura.

"Ai shiteruSakura-chan."

TO BE CONTINUED

Author's notes:

I'm mostly developing Sakura and Li's relationship here. If you noticed, I've stopped mixing 'Li' with 'Syaoran' due to the confusion it may spark. This time, Li is still somehow 'frightened' to tell Sakura how he truly feels about her, but he will in the future (that is, if he dares to ^^;;). That's why you have to read the continuation of this story. *grins* Anyway, I have included Meilin because I think that she might be a good addition and the person who will push Li to tell his true feelings. After all, how can he withstand the girl that he liked ten years ago, ne?

Japanese words

Sa- something like "all right, then"
Arigato- Thank you
Ano- either "excuse me" or "well"
Daijobu desu ka- Are you okay/all right
Ne- Depends on how it's used. If it's used like here, where Sakura says, "Ne" it means hey. Then, when Sakura smiled at Syaoran and Chiharu and said "Ne?" She means "right?" At least I think so. Dictionary says it means "is it so," so I guess that's the right meaningand is it spelled "ne" or "nee"?! So many different spellings for kanji Oh, whatever. I'll just use "ne"
Hai- Yes
Nanda- something similar to "what," I'm not too sureI think it means "What is it"
Gomen nasai- a slightly more respective form of "gomen" or "gomen ne," meaning "sorry"
Demo- but
Eeto- a word said when pausing to stop and think for a whilelike let me see, well, er, etc.
Daijobu- I'm okay/all right, or it's okay/all right
Masaka- Impossible, or something like "no way"
Kinomoto Sakura to Li Syaoran- Kinomoto Sakura and Li Syaoran. By the way, Sakura means "cherry blossoms" (for several references throughout the story) in Japanese, and Syaoran means "little wolf" in Chinesenot that it really matters now. ^^
Baka- Stupid or idiot. I'm trying to use it in a more light sense here, because I think it's not exactly a good word
Nani- what
Iie- no
Ai shiteru- I love you Konnichiwa - Good day, hello
Konbawa - Good evening
Sayonara - Goodbye
Arigato - Thank you. San - Mr/Mrs/Miss, honorific for someone of status equal to yourself. Is to be add at the end of the name
Chan - Honorific for someone of status lower to yourself, and term of endearment for family and friends. Used mostly for females and is very informal. Is to be add at the end of the name
Kun - Mr (junior), master, boy. Similar to chan, but mostly applied to males. Is to be add at the end of the name.

Itterasshai - Take care

Okaerinasai - Welcome back!

Daijobu - safe, all right, O.K.

Kawaii - pretty, cute; lovely, charming, dear, darling, pet

Tomodachi - Friend

Issho - Together

Wakata - I understand

Wakarimasen - I don't understand, I have no idea
Nademonai - It's nothing! Meaning easy

Matte - wait