Sakura's
eyes seemed to be clouded over by some mysterious emotion as she
raised her wand feebly. Raising her eyes to view the roof of Tomoeda
Elementary School, she could barely make out the outline of three
figures.
Tomoyo studied her best friend's face
worriedly. "Relax, Sakura-chan. Li-kun is not going to disappear
from this earth. He doesn't want that to happen, just like you.
Trust him."
She turned, studying Tomoyo quietly
as a stream of tears slowly trickled down her face. "I'm
trying to, Tomoyo-chan," she spoke quietly as she looked
at the ground. "It's not that I don't trust Li-kunI'm
just afraid that I might not be able to see him again. Tomoyo-chan,
I haven't even told him how I feel yet!"
Nodding mutely, Tomoyo trailed Sakura's
eyes. Li had to be safe; he still had to tell Sakura how he truly
felt. Besides, he had promised her that he would fulfill that
promise.
"Take careLi-kun."
-------
Li could feel the intensity of the situation as he
gripped his sword. He couldn't afford to lose this battle against
The Influence; he had to seal The Influence and The Unlimited
for Sakura.
The Influence stood on the edge, its eyes glaring
at him and The Unlimited as it jumped and landed on the cold concrete
floor of the roof. "Very well then, do your best and see
if it affects me."
The Unlimited attacked first, but Li could see by
its style that it didn't to actually defeat The Influence. Sashes
appeared from her palms, binding The Influence tightly.
"It isn't enough," Li whispered as he watched
The Influence snap the sashes as if they were useless pieces of
rags. "The Unlimited can actually defeat The Influence- but
somehow she doesn't want to."
His eyes trailed The Influence's smooth move to the
right as The Unlimited sent out its sashes again. It wasn't that
The Influence was strong; The Unlimited simply didn't want to
use its full power to defeat The Influence, and if it didn't,
the both of them wouldn't be standing here for long
"Unlimited! Use your true powers!" he called
out as he took out his fire parchment. "Force, know my plight;
release the light! ...Fire!"
A ring of fire shot out and surrounded The Influence,
but was blown away easily as The Influence blew on it. The flames
that had spread on the ground beneath his feet seemed to turn
into ice as he smirked at Li. "Is that the best you can do?"
Li gritted his teeth, stepping back as he gripped
his sword even tighter. There was no way he could defeat The Influence
with his powers only; The Influence could change the elements
and that made it hard for him to attack.
His eyes were somehow focused on The Unlimited, as
if asking her to help him defeat the evil Clow card that stood
in front of them. Helpless eyes simply met his pleading gaze as
The Unlimited shifted her eyes uncomfortably.
"What's wrong? Don't you have anymore attack
to try on me, cardcaptor Li? Unlimited? Surely you can't be that
weak!"
Li glowered, his amber eyes flashing with anger in
its depths as he stepped closer to The Influence. "Damare!
I'll seal you, even if that's the last thing that I do!"
"Iie, Li-kun!"
He turned at the sound of Sakura's voice, his eyes
wide. "Sakura-chan! I thought I told you to get out of the
school grounds! It's too dangerous!"
His eyes rested on Sakura, who looked down, clenching
her fists. "Li-kun, you don't understand," she spoke,
her voice soft as she looked up. A smile seemed to cross her lips
as she raised up her wand. "I am supposed to capture the
both of them. Leave them to me."
Silent, Li scrutinized the girl that stood in front
of him with some courage he had never seen before. There was something
different about her, yet if she were to get hurt
"Let her help you, Li-kun." Tomoyo's eyes
shone with gentleness as she kept her gaze on the two of them,
and unfortunately, her video camera. "You may have some memories
to keep -forever."
The Influence could feel his impatience arising.
"Enough of this!" he exclaimed, leaning back on the
railing of the roof. "If that other cardcaptor wants to join
in, she might as well. I'm going to bring the disaster, anyhow!"
"Not if I can help it!" Sakura's voice
echoed around the dark night as she took a Sakura card from her
pocket. "Fight card, bond your power with my own!" Her
wand struck the Clow card. "Fight! Release and dispel!"
A blue light seemed to glow within her, as she stood,
holding her wand in front of her as she glared at The Influence.
"I won't let anyone get hurt due to your freedom, and neither
am I going to let you bring the disaster!"
Raising her wand, she charged towards the Clow card,
swinging it swiftly from side to side while she tried to attack
him. The Influence simply sniggered as it raised a palm, avoiding
every one of Sakura's attacks. His eyes seemed to mock the mistress
of the Sakura cards, gazing at her with somewhat triumph.
Sakura can't defeat The Influence by herself, Li
thought as he watched as she was easily thrown towards the railing
of the roof. There was no way her power could match his own power;
unless she had the help of The Unlimited's full powers.
He took a step towards The Unlimited, his amber eyes
pleading for the help that he thought he'd never ask for from
a Clow card. "Please, Unlimited," he spoke quietly,
looking down as he spoke. "Sakura can't defeat The Influence
all by herself, and you know that."
The Clow card shook her head, cowering back slightly
as she listened to his plea. "Iie," she whispered as
she shrunk back. "I don't possess that type of power. Besides,
she is the mistress of the Sakura cards"
Li's eyes turned cold at the sound of The Unlimited's
protest. There was only one Clow card that could defeat The Influence,
and that was The Unlimited. And here she was, refusing to even
attack it attack it properly.
"Baka," he spoke, his voice sarcastic as
he glared at the Clow card that stood in front of him. "You
know fully well what would happen to Sakura-chan if she is defeated
by The Influence. Fine, if you don't want to help her, I will!"
With that, he gripped his sword as he jumped in between
the battle. His eyes flashed coldly at The Influence as he helped
Sakura up. "Daijobu desu ka, Sakura-chan?" he spoke
as she glared at The Influence.
Tomoyo, meanwhile, took a step closer to The Unlimited
and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Li-kun's right," she
told the Clow card gently as she gave her a small smile. "If
you continue doing this, the disaster will soon be here, and what
work they have done all these years will be wasted."
The Unlimited turned to looked at the black haired
girl as she closed her eyes. "You see," she explained
with a trembling voice. "The Void and The Influence were
the only friends I ever had. After The Influence dragged me down
to be sealed together with him and The Void, I was always lonely.
I had no other friends."
Tomoyo nodded, not taking her eyes away from the
battle scene that was in front of her eyes and she recorded it
using her video camera. "Do you really think The Influence
is a good friend towards you?"
There was no answer from The Unlimited as it studied
the scene in front of it. Tomoyo was right; The Influence had
never treated her like a friend. Besides, it was Li and Sakura
who had told her of her true powers. "Hai, Tomoyo. I'll help
Li and Sakura."
Sakura's best friend nodded, her eyes shining with
pride as she gazed proudly at The Unlimited. "I believe you
can do it, Unlimited. I trust you."
-------
Li winced as his lightning rebounded back onto him.
Letting out a cry of pain, he dropped onto his knees, letting
go of his sword in the process. The lightning seemed to spark
around him before finally fading off.
"Li-kun!"
Sakura rushed to his side, her green eyes filled
with worry as she watched him try to withstand the pain that seemed
to cover is entire body. "Li-kun! Daijobu desu ka?"
He smiled, holding back the pained expression that
was originally on his face. "Daijobu, Sakura-chan. Don't
worry about me. Go and capture The Influence while you have the
chance."
Her eyes seemed to be filled with tears as she shook
her head. "Iie, Li-kun. I can't leave you like this"
She was rudely interrupted by The Influence's attack.
Manipulating a metal bar, he aimed it at her before making it
fly towards her. "Sakura-chan, look out!"
Li's eyes widened as a few sashes suddenly appeared
out of nowhere and wrapped themselves around the metal bar. It
was easily pulled the source of those sashes: The Unlimited. Giving
him a confident smile, she turned towards the other Clow card.
"I warned you once, Influence," she spoke,
her voice cold as she glared at him. "I told you never to
order me around, or else I'll join sides with the two of them.
Now, I'm fulfilling my promise."
The Influence took a hesitant step back, unsure whether
she was serious. "You can't be serious, Unlimited,"
he coaxed, his expression changing from angry to a slightly relaxed
style. "You know how we used to be together all those decades.
You're going to give it all up like that?"
"Hai."
The one word answer was what The Influence needed
to hear from the other Clow card. "Very well," he spoke
coldly, his expression changing once more. "If you want to
side with the cardcaptors, I won't protest. But remember- it won't
be my fault if you were to get injured."
The Unlimited nodded, her blue eyes not leaving The
Influence's face. "You don't have to worry about that, Influence,"
she retorted coldly. "I won't mind if you do that to me-
but leave the cardcaptors out of this. They have nothing to do
with this."
Li and Sakura looked up, shocked at The Unlimited's
words. "Demo"
The Unlimited's eyes seemed to soften at the sight
of the both of them. "Don't worry. I can handle him. There's
no need for the both of you to battle against Influence."
The other Clow card tapped his foot impatiently as
it frowned. "Enough of this," he spoke, his voice scornful.
"If you want to battle with me, fine. But prepare to lose!"
He raised one of his palms, and the floor around
The Unlimited seemed to rise up around her. His dark eyes were
triumphant at first, but turned suspicious when he saw that his
attack hadn't affected The Unlimited.
"Nani?"
The Unlimited seemed to smile at him as she raised
her hand, reversing what he had done. "You've known for a
long time what my powers are, Influence," she spoke, her
blue eyes boring into the Clow card who took a step back. "You
knew what would happen if I turned against you."
Li watched as The Influence tried to attack The Unlimited
again, but was simply stopped by a mere stretch of her palms.
There was something that still told him that The Unlimited still
didn't want to defeat The Influence, but he didn't know what it
was.
He turned to look at Sakura who was also watching
the battle in front of them. Her green eyes were glued to the
scene of the battle in front of them, while her mouth was slightly
opened in surprise.
Blushing slightly when she turned to look at him,
he turned away. He couldn't possibly let her know how he felt,
much less how frightened he had felt when The Influence had tried
to attack her. It was just thathe cared about her.
Sakura studied Li in confusion. She was sure that
he had been staring at her, but when she had turned, he had looked
away. Somehow, she felt as if he could feel the same thing that
she had been feeling lately, but why? There was no way he'd understand
how she felt towards him
-------
Meilin smiled as she read the note that had been
strategically set on the table so that she could see it. Li-kun
never left her alone, she recalled as she closed her palm around
the small piece of notebook paper.
Li had written to tell her that he wouldn't be back
until most probably late at night since he was out capturing Clow
cards. She needn't know with whom he had gone card capturing with.
After all, he and Sakura were both cardcaptors
Rereading the note once more, she set it down on
the table, a small smile lighting up her face as she turned around.
Li knew how dangerous it was for Sakura to go and capture he two
Clow cards alone.
Reaching the photo that stood not far from her, she
ran her hand over the glass, brushing off the dust from it. It
was an old photo, taken during the days when they were still in
fifth grade, when she was still schooling in Tomoeda Elementary
School.
She smiled at the thought of the memory. Li had always
been there for her, even when Sakura had been trying to figure
out the cause of all the odd happenings that turned out to be
Eriol. Being cousins, they shared a special bond that not even
his friendship with Sakura could break.
Arigato, Li-kun, she thought as she brushed her fingers
across the clear line that she had made across the dust on the
glass pane. He had never criticized her for her lack of magical
powers despite being born in the Li clan.
Her eyes seemed glow from its depths, making her
eyes look fiery red. The only thing she could do to repay Li was
to help him get together with Sakura. That was the least she could
do for her cousin.
Meilin seemed to hold the photo a little longer before
putting it back on the table beside her. There was no doubt about
it; Li and Sakura were meant for each other.
-------
The Influence stepped back, his eyes somehow unfocused.
"I won't let you defeat me, Unlimited," he panted as
he raised his hand up once more. As The Influence, there was no
way he could lose to this Clow card!
She just shrugged, focusing her attention on the
wind attack that he had thrown around her. It subsided to a slight
breeze, making her hair seem to fly across her face as she pushed
a strand of it back from her eyes.
Her eyes seemed to gaze at him for what seemed a
long time, before a smile crossed her lips. "I've warned
you before, Influence. I told you that I'd join them if you treated
me worse. It's become true, ne?"
The other Clow card seemed to back away slightly
at the sight of the glowering Clow card. He knew, The Unlimited
wasn't someone to be mixed with. Besides, she was one of the most
powerful Clow cards in the entire deck of Clow cards
"I don't care about that," he spoke recklessly
as he pushed a strand of hair back from his eyes. "I shall
prove to you that I can bring the Clow card disaster all by myself!
I don't need your help to get rid of these cardcaptors!"
The Unlimited didn't speak, but merely glanced at
the two cardcaptors that kneeled at one side of the roof. A smile
crossed his lips as she watched Sakura bend over Li in concern.
Those two were meant for each other, there was no doubt about
it.
-------
Sakura studied Li carefully as he turned to watch
the battle in front of him again. He was avoiding her eyes, she
could see, but why? Was he hiding something from her?
"Li-kun"
He turned to face her for a split second, his amber
eyes coming into full view as he looked at her in surprise. Then,
he turned away, his face heating up into its usual red blush that
had been on his face fir the past few days.
"Nanda, Sakura-chan?"
She hesitated, wondering if this was the right time
to ask him such things. Things hadn't been going well between
the both of them, she admitted, but there was nothing that said
that she and Li-kun couldn't be just friends.
"Li-kundo you hate me?"
He blinked, his eyes wide as he turned to look at
her again. He hadn't expected that she would ask such a question
during such a time too. "Iie, Sakura-chan. What makes you
think so?"
She turned away, evidently embarrassed at her sudden
confrontation. "I don't know, Li-kun. It's just that you've
been quitedistant lately."
Li understood exactly how she felt. True, he had
been avoiding her for the past few days, but he hadn't known that
she had thought that he hated her. "Gomen," he replied
shortly, not wanting to talk of such a thing.
Sakura understood what he meant. He didn't want to
talk about this more than she wanted. The both of them were silent,
watching the battle, yet waiting to each other's reaction at their
replies.
There was tension between the both of them. Both
of them were reflecting the memories that been so perfectly cherished
all these years when they had been cardcaptors. How either one
of them had always been there for the other if the person needed
help
Li and Sakura's paths had crossed, but there was
no telling what would turn out in the end.
-------
The Unlimited calmly raised a palm as a quiver of
fire arrows hurtled towards her. The fire seemed to have been
doused by water, diminishing and fading before it could even touch
her.
The Influence stepped back, his eyes wide with somewhat
terror as he viewed the look in The Unlimited's blue eyes. Gone
was the Clow card who had been so afraid of him and willing to
do anything, and here was someone he didn't know. Someone cold,
and brave enough to do anything she pleased.
"Baka," he spoke as he took another step
back, his voice trembling slightly. " You think you can defeat
me? I'm not going to give up until I bring the disaster to this
world!"
She seemed to study him for a moment, her eyes growing
soft as she viewed the Clow card that stood in front of her. "It's
no use fighting, Influence," she spoke softly. "Why
don't you just forget your revenge towards Clow Reed?"
Li and Sakura turned, shocked at the sudden news.
They hadn't known that The Influence hated Clow Reed. Then again,
hadn't he known that Eriol was the reincarnation of Clow Reed?
"I'll never forgive him!" he spat, his
eyes glowing with anger as he clenched his fists. "He was
the cause that I was sealed at the bottom of his house anyway!
Why should I forgive him?"
"Because I did it for your own good."
All of them turned to see Eriol standing at the doorway
that led back down to the school hallways. He had taken off his
glasses, making it clear for everyone to see that he was truly
Clow Reed.
The Influence stepped forward, his face contorted
with anger as he glared at his creator. "So you are the reincarnation
of Clow Reed, Eriol," he spoke, his voice filled with rage
and hatred. "I should have killed at my first chance."
Eriol took a step forward, his eyes studying the
fuming Clow card that stood in front of him. "Do you think
I wanted to seal you and The Void?"
The Influence looked shocked at the question, but
quickly shook his head. "Nice try. All the same, I won't
forgive you for what you did to me decades ago and making me suffer!"
He raised his hands, making things start to throw
themselves at Eriol. It was evident that The Influence still hated
Clow Reed for what he did decades ago.
Eriol simply closed his eyes as the items flew at
him. Using his own magical powers, he avoided every item that
was sent to harm him in whatever way.
Li took a step forward, his eyes filled with worry
for his reincarnated ancestor who simply faced The Influence's
attack calmly. He was stopped by Sakura who tugged slightly at
his cardcaptor uniform.
"Don't interfere, Li-kun," she told him
as she turned to look at Eriol. "I believe that Eriol-kun
can defeat The Influence. He knows what he's doing. If he's truly
in trouble, then we can help him. For the time being, don't interfere."
He hesitated, looking at Sakura before nodding in
defeat. Sakura was right. Eriol was the only one who knew how
to handle The Influence in the best way possible. There was no
use trying to interfere in his work anyway.
The Influence finally stopped attacking. His eyes
widened in surprise as he saw Eriol calmly open his eye and look
straight at him.
"Are you satisfied now, Influence? Have you
attacked me enough, or do you want to attack me more?" Eriol's
voice was calm as he spoke to the Clow card that he had created.
"You're welcome to. I won't try to resist."
"What's the use?" he spat, his tone bitter
as he glared at his creator. "You know very well that even
if I were to attack you once more, you would either avoid my attack
or just use your magic to defend yourself!"
Eriol shook his head. "Very well, then, Influence.
I won't avoid your attack, or use my magic to save myself. Do
whatever you think is right. I won't mind."
The Influence hesitated, his eyes showing the slightest
hint of a doubt as he raised his hands slowly. Eriol stood firmly
on the ground, closing his eyes as he waited for The Influence's
attack.
"You don't frighten me!"
Eriol flew back as a strong force hit him. The direct
hit made his stagger back, his eyes open with shock as he tried
to look into The Influence's eyes. "Go on," he gasped.
"I won't stop you."
The Clow card paused, lowering his hands as he scrutinized
Eriol carefully. "Nani?" he asked at last.
"?"
"Why are you so willing to sacrifice yourself
? Why don't you use your magic instead of bearing my attacks?"
Eriol's eyes softened as he stood up, brushing some
dust off himself. "I've been wanting to tell you all this
time, Influence," he spoke gently. "I never wanted to
seal you and The Void under Clow Reed's house. That wasn't what
I wanted to do at all."
"What do you mean? You were the one that sealed
me and The Void under your own house!"
He looked down, his eyes full of sorrow as he spoke.
"I had no other choice, Influence. Since you and The Void
were the only yin cards among all the Clow cards that I created,
I had no choice but to seal the two of you to avoid anything bad
from happening if anyone released the Clow cards."
"Don't lie to me! You deliberately chose me
and The Void to be sealed under that house of yours! You don't
know how the both of us suffered! Ever Unlimited knows about how
it was under there! "
The previous owner of the Clow cards seemed to study
The Influence as he spoke. "I never wanted to do anything
like that to the three of you, but I had no choice. If I didn't
seal you under there, the entire world would be in danger. The
disaster might happen."
The Influence looked down, clenching his fists. "Iie,"
he whispered almost inaudibly as he looked up. "You never
cared about how we were! You simply left us to rot down under
that house of yours! Then, you left us alone!"
Eriol could feel the hatred that seemed to radiate
from The Influence, yet he was silent. The Influence was right;
he had been irresponsible to leave them there like that for all
those years. Still
"I didn't. After sealing the Clow cards in the
Clow book, I died."
This unexpected reply made both the Clow cards look
up in shock. The reality of the situation seemed to crash down
on them as they viewed Eriol looking down. "You died?"
He nodded. "Hai. Sealing you and The Void together
with The Unlimited took away most of my powers, but that didn't
bother me. I had to seal the other Clow cards in the book. That
took the last of my power, and I suffered the consequences"
"Masaka"
The Unlimited stepped forward, her blue eyes glimmering
with tears as she laid a hand on stunned Clow card's shoulder.
Flinching slightly, he turned to look at her.
"He's telling the truth, Influence. I tried
to hide this fact from you all these years, hoping that your hatred
towards our creator would fade so that I could tell you what really
happened to Clow Reed. But I never had a chance."
"You knew about this from the start?"
She nodded, wiping away a tear that streamed down
her cheek. "I found out about it accidentally when I tried
to release myself from Clow Reed's seal. Then, I realized that
he hadn't left us alone. He had died."
The Influence sank down, his eyes downcast as it
reflected upon the hatred that he had bestowed upon his creator
all these years, not knowing that he had died. "Do it, Sakura.
Seal me."
Sakura blinked, evidently confused at The Influence's
sudden change of behaviour. Holding her wand, she stepped forward
hesitatingly as she gave Eriol a doubtful glance.
"Eriol-kun?"
He turned to look at the kneeling Clow card. "Influence?
Do you really want to do this?"
He nodded. "Hai. Now do it before I change my
mind!"
Sakura raised her wand as she closed her eyes. She
hadn't expected that she would be able to capture The Influence
before this, but suddenly, she felt as if she didn't want to seal
it. "II don't know."
Li laid a hand on her shoulder as he nodded. "You're
the mistress of the Sakura cards and the chosen cardcaptor, Sakura-chan.
It's your job to capture any Clow cards that haven't been changed
into Sakura cards yet."
She nodded, slowly raising her wand above her head.
"Return to your power confined...Influence card!"
-------
Meilin pushed the door of the balcony open, feeling
the soft night breeze sift through her long black hair. Closing
her eyes, she tried to reflect the memories that had dwelled with
her all these years when she had schooled here in Tomoeda.
Tonight was different than the nights that they had
spent here when the Sakura cards were still Clow cards. Despite
her lack of magical powers, she had joined Li, hoping to help
him capture at least one Clow card and hear him praise her at
least once.
Sighing, she smiled. That was before she had known
that Li actually liked Sakura. She had been so insecure, thinking
that she still could be somehow superior to Sakura and win Li's
affection.
All the same, Sakura won in the end. After Li had
confessed to her that he had feelings for Sakura, she had temporarily
shocked. True, she reflected with a shake of her head. It had
been a nasty shock for her. After all, she had been hoping to
marry him for so long
What could she do? He had chosen Sakura over her,
and there was no changing his decision when he had set his mind
onto something. Running off to Tomoyo had done her well though,
as she and Tomoyo were now good friends.
"Sakura Kinomoto, you had better treat him well,"
she whispered as she looked up at the starry sky. True, she hadn't
quite gotten over the shock that had hit her straight on the face
ten years ago, but what could she do?
Seeing how Li and Sakura were meant for each other
seemed to improve her spirits, though. She had noticed how they
blushed when they were close to each other, and not to mention
the extremely noticeable red colour that seemed to appear whenever
they heard the other person's name called.
Li and Sakura.
She smiled at the thought. It sounded perfect.
Just like the two of them.
-------
Eriol watched calmly as Sakura sealed The Influence.
His blue eyes seemed to be fixed on the sight of the Clow card
that seemed to smile at him before he faded away, sealed into
a Clow card.
Sakura handed the Clow card to him. "Here,"
she told him with a smile as she placed The Influence cad in his
hand. "I think it should be yours. After all, you were the
one who defeated him."
He shook his head. "I'm no longer the owner
of the Clow cards, Sakura-chan," he protested as he nodded
towards Li and smiled. "You are the rightful mistress of
the Sakura cards. it's your right to own The Influence."
"Demo"
Li shook his head. "Eriol-kun's right, Sakura-chan.
You captured The Influence and it's right that you have this Clow
card. Keep it and change it into a Sakura card."
He closed his eyes, turning around so that she couldn't
see the extreme hurt that was in his eyes at that moment. He couldn't
bear to watch what would happen to her if she were to change The
Influence into a Sakura card.
"Li-kun? Daijobu desu ka?"
He turned around to see a worried Tomoyo. Nodding
slightly, he ground his teeth, hoping he could at least fool Tomoyo
with his answer. "Daijobu."
Tomoyo frowned, her eyes narrowing as she studied
Li. She had learnt to read other people's feelings with the help
of her video camera all these years, and she certainly could tell
of someone was lying to her. Li, as she could tell, was lying.
"Li-kun doesn't want to lose Sakura-chan, but
he knows that she has to her job," she said to herself.
-------
Li could feel the pressure that seemed to loom closer
to him every minute. Should he or shouldn't he let Sakura change
The Influence into a Sakura card and lose her emotions? What would
happen if she sealed The Unlimited and changed it into a Sakura
card too?
He could feel Tomoyo's eyes on him, seeming to bore
through his brain while she tried to find out the real meaning
of his silence. There was no way he could lie to Tomoyo for long;
she was the second person that could read his feelings as well
as Sakura.
Turning back to The Unlimited, he watched as she
slowly nodded her head at Sakura. "You can seal me too, Sakura.
I'm ready to be sealed."
He wanted to scream in protest, yet no words seemed
to rise in his throat as he watched Sakura raise her wand above
her head. When she was about to utter the words that he dreaded
to hear, he closed his eyes.
"Return to your power confined...Unlimited card!"
The Clow card appeared at the tip of her wand as
she struck the air, taking in every single bit of The Unlimited's
spirit. Li opened his eyes once more, heaving a sigh of relief
as he viewed Sakura standing on the spot, holding the Clow card
in her hand.
Nothing had happened to her, he thought with relief.
What The Unlimited had told them didn't come true. Sakura didn't
lose her emotions. All the same, what if
Reality hit him on the face harder than he could
have ever imagined. The consequences that The Void had bore hadn't
befallen him when Sakura captured The Void. He had nearly suffered
the consequences when Sakura tried to change The Void into a Sakura
card.
Could the same thing happen to Sakura if she tried
to change The Influence and The Unlimited into Sakura cards? He
trembled slightly as Sakura took a step closer to him. Sensing
his discomfort, she took a hesitant step back.
"Should I change these Clow cards into Sakura
cards, Eriol-kun?"
He watched silently as Eriol nodded, his blue eyes
serious. Eriol wouldn't stop her from changing those two Clow
cards into Sakura cards, he thought bitterly. Just as she was
about to say the words that he had dreaded the most to hear, he
spoke out.
"Sakura-chan, matte!"
The words seemed to fly out of his mouth as he stepped
forward, looking down. Fidgeting slightly, he averted his eyes
slightly as he looked up so that she couldn't see the real emotion
that was hidden in his eyes.
"Nanda, Li-kun?"
He pulled her to one side, looking around frantically
before he spoke.
"Sakura-chan, I just wanted to tell you that"
His voice trailed off as he looked down, unable to continue his
words any further. A red blush seemed to cover his entire face
as he fidgeted nervously.
"Tell me what, Li-kun? Nanda?"
"Ai"
He shook his head, knowing that he couldn't possibly
say those words to her. "Nothing, Sakura-chan. I just wanted
to wish you good luck."
She paused, looking at him as if she expected him
to say something else. When it became evident that he didn't want
t tell her anything, she nodded. "Hai, Li-kun. Arigato."
Turning away, tears appeared at the corners of her
green eyes. If what The Unlimited had told them would come true,
she would be the one that would lose her emotions and disappear
from the face of this earth. She would never be able to see his
face again.
Walking back to the place where she had been standing
less than a minute ago, she blinked back the tears that had been
streaming down her cheeks. She would never know if Li really meant
what he had said ten years ago at the airport.
Closing her eyes, she uttered the words that would
change the two Clow cards into Sakura cards.
"You, Cards created by Clow, drop your old form
and revive under the name of your new master, Sakura!"
Li watched, his mouth agape as a black sphere rose
up from The Influence. It shot towards Sakura, who had closed
her eyes, ready to face the consequences of changing The Influence
into a Sakura card.
"Iie!"
He raced towards her, pushing her aside. He couldn't
let her suffer and lose her emotions just like what The Unlimited
had told them. Closing his eyes, he breathed out as the sphere
hit him.
Sakura looked up from where was she thrown to. Her
eyes widened in horror as she watched Li stagger a few steps before
the black sphere covered him, blocking him from her view.
"Li-kun!"
Her scream faded as she noticed something at the
corner of her eye. Another black sphere was rising from The Unlimited
card, and she could see that it was headed for him.
Without any hesitation, she held her wand in front
of herself threateningly. "I won't let you take Li-kun away
from this planet!"
-------
The sphere suddenly stopped in mid air, as if it
understood what Sakura had said. There was a flash of light, and
The Unlimited appeared in front of her, hovering in the air.
Blinking, Sakura's gaze transferred from The Unlimited
to Li. As suddenly as it had attacked Li, The Influence's sphere
faded away. There was another flash of light as The Influence
appeared beside The Unlimited.
Sakura didn't shift her glare from the two Clow cards
that stood on the air in front of her. It was only when Li placed
a weak hand on her shoulder that she noticed that he was unharmed
from The Influence's attack.
"Li-kun!"
He smiled weakly at her, pointing to something in
her pocket. Intrigued, she took a glowing Sakura card out of the
pocket of her costume. It was The Hope.
"Unseal The Hope, Sakura-chan," Li instructed
her. "Let it join The Influence and The Unlimited."
Nodding, Sakura raised her wand as she closed her
eyes. "Hope card, release your power! Hope! Release and dispel!"
When the wand struck the surface of the Sakura card,
sashes seemed to come from it as The Hope released itself. The
Sakura card that had previously assumed the form of The Void appeared
in front of them before floating to join the other two Clow cards.
"Nani?"
"This is the time where all three of the yin
Clow cards meet and combine powers," Eriol informed her,
his eyes focused on the three glowing magical cards that were
hovering not far from him. "You have to let The Hope go with
The Influence and The Unlimited, Sakura-chan. if you don't those
two Clow cards will never become Sakura cards."
She nodded, taking a step back as she kept her gaze
steadily focused on three magical cards. The spheres had somehow
faded, and in their places stood The Influence and The Unlimited.
Now, they stood facing each other before turning to gaze at her.
"Someone has to withstand our attacks before
The Influence and The Unlimited can become Sakura cards,"
The Hope explained as her eyes darkened slightly. "This person
has to come from the Clow bloodline."
"But there are only two people here that are
descendants from the Clow clan," Tomoyo argued as she held
her video camera away from her eyes for a minute. "Only Eriol-kun
and Li-kun are descendants of Clow Reed."
The Influence shook his head gravely. "Only
Li can take the challenge, for Eriol is actually Clow Reed. The
creator is not allowed to undergo this test."
Sakura turned to Li, her green eyes full of worry
as she viewed his still weak form. "Li-kun, you can't do
this," she begged.
"I have to, Sakura-chan. I'm a descendant from
the Clow clan."
"What if you can't withstand the attacks?"
He shook his head calmly as he rested a comforting
hand on her shoulder and patted it. "That's my problem, Sakura-chan.
Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
Despite his words, his voice trembled, knowing fully
well if his magic wasn't strong enough to withstand the attacks
of the three Clow cards, he would die. A slight smile crossed
his lips, hoping to comfort the girl that stood in front of him
now.
A tear trickled down Sakura's cheek as she shook
here head vigorously. "Iie! I almost lost you when I battled
with The Void and when you wanted to withstand The Influence.
I won't let it happen again!"
With that, she flung herself into his arms, sobbing.
Oblivious to the fact that Eriol, Tomoyo and the Clow cards were
waiting for his reply, he wrapped his arms around her.
"Don't cry, Sakura-chan," he whispered
hoarsely as he bit his lip. "I'll come back safe. I promise."
Pushing her away, he restrained himself not to look
at her tear stricken face at that moment. he couldn't feel any
sympathy for her now; he had to withstand the attacks of three
different powerful Clow cards!
Sakura stared at him in surprise as he turned his
back on her, clenching his fists as he did so. Why didn't Li understand
her feelings at that moment? He had always been there to listen
to her problems, to understand her when she had something in her
mind. Why was he acting like this?
A little voice in her questioned the possibilities
that the boy that she had met during fourth grade was the same
as the person that stood in front of her now. Li had never behaved
like this before
Li had never been insensitive to her feelings despite
his sarcasm. His sarcasm had just been a shield to hide the warmth
and sensitive person that lay deep within him. So why was he treating
her like this now?
"Li-kunnani?"
-------
He froze at the sound of her voice. Something inside
him was asking the same question that she had just said: why was
he treating her like this?
Shaking his head, he tried not to look at her. "I
don't understand, Sakura-chan. I thought we were just normal friends
all this while. Since when have we become more than friends, ne?"
He cringed at his very own words, wondering how such
cruel words could have escaped his mouth. How could he possible
want to hurt Sakura? He couldn't even bear to see her hurt!
Sakura shrunk back, her green eyes downcast as she
tried to hide the tears that were now streaming freely down her
cheeks. Stung by his words, she simply turned, not wanting to
face him. "Hai, Li-kun. Wakata."
The words seemed to echo in his brain, making him
feel the pain that she was experiencing at the moment. Ignoring
it, he took another step forward. "I'm ready to face the
challenge."
There was a stunned silence as Sakura whirled around.
The pain in her eyes went unnoticed as he closed his eyes tightly
to focus his energy. "I'm ready."
The three Clow cards nodded, and The Hope stepped
forward first. Closing her eyes, a black sphere suddenly appeared
around Li, obstructing the others' view.
There was a sudden surge of energy that went through
Li, making him drop to this knees as he tried to withstand the
pain that ricocheted through him. He had to stand the pain, he
reminded himself. He was doing this for Sakura.
Somewhere, he could hear Sakura calling him. Her
voice was faint, but that was enough to increase his spirit inside
him. Forcing himself to feel calm despite the worry that he wouldn't
be able to withstand The Hope's attack, he stood up.
The sphere around him slowly faded as he opened his
eyes. Gazing at Sakura, he could detect the worry and anxiety
in her eyes as she took a hesitant step forward.
"Li-kun? Daijobu desu ka?"
He was struck by how much control she had over herself.
The temptation to keep on looking into her green eyes seemed to
be more than overpowering when he forced himself to tear his eyes
away from her.
"Daijobu."
His curt answer made tears rise to Sakura's eyes
once again. "Justbe careful, Li-kun. The Influence
and The Unlimited are dangerous."
He nodded, turning to face the two remaining Clow
cards. "Hai, Sakura-chan. Who's going to attack me next?"
"I am."
The Influence stepped forward, his eyes glowing at
the sight of the brown haired boy that stood in front of him.
Raising his palms, The Influence closed his eyes as Sakura disappeared.
Li spun around to face the Clow card. "Why did
you have to involve Sakura-chan too? This test is only taken by
me! it has nothing to do with her! Let her go!"
The Influence simply shook his head at the anguish
in his voice. Raising his hands once more, a hallway appeared
in front of him. "You'll have to go through this maze if
you want to see her again. I'd remind you that this place is dangerous."
Tomoyo moved closer to Eriol, holding her video camera
to her eye. "Can you grant me permission to enter this maze
too, Eriol-kun? I want to record all of this."
Eriol frowned at her, his blue eyes serious. "It's
dangerous, Tomoyo-chan. You might never escape from this maze.
Are you sure you want to this?"
"Hai."
He sighed, wondering why he could never persuade
Tomoyo to change her mind like how Sakura managed to do. "All
right. IF anything happens, just call either The Influence or
me. You'll be brought out."
She smiled, holding the video camera away as she
nodded. "Arigato, Eriol-kun."
-------
Sakura opened her eyes as she shivered. Where was
she, and why was she here?
"Li-kun?" she called out, hoping to at
least see a sign of the familiar brown hair and serious amber
eyes. Hearing her voice echo around the walls that surrounded
her, she took a step back, her eyes wide.
How could she have arrived here? Surely Eriol wouldn't
do anything of the sort to her!
Memories of the ghost stories that she had frequently
in her childhood seemed to come flooding back to her. There couldn't
be any ghosts here. Or was there?
"Sakura-chan!"
At the sound of her name, Sakura looked up. That
was Li's voice!
"Li-kun! I'm here! Li-kun!"
Her voice echoed off the walls again, making her
shrink back. As much as she wanted to find Li, she still was frightened
by the eerie echoes that this place emitted. Besides, she hadn't
forgotten the ghost stories that her brother had told her when
she was still small.
Sitting down on the cold stone floor, she shivered
from the dampness as she looked around. Where ever she was, it
sure was very confusing. This place had passages leading out in
every single direction, yet Sakura didn't dare to move from the
spot, frightened that she might lose her way.
"Li-kundo hurry," she whispered as
she squeezed her eyes shut to block out the fear that now resided
in her heart.
-------
Li ran a few steps forward at the sound of Sakura's
voice somewhere in the maze, only to be pulled back by Tomoyo.
"Don't hurry, Li-kun," she advised him seriously. "It
won't do us any good if we get lost. Let's follow her voice instead."
"How?" Li asked, straining to hear the
slightest squeak from the girl that he was looking for. "She's
stopped calling already. Besides, there's no telling if she can
hear me anyway."
She frowned, making him shrink back slightly.
"Sakura-chan! Can you hear me? Answer me!"
Li's plead was answered by a joyous call from the
passage in the west direction. "Li-kun! I'm here! Hurry!"
"Hang on, Sakura-chan! Listen, I don't want
you to move from your spot! Just stay there and speak so that
I can find you! Do you understand?"
"Hai!"
They started walking, following the direction where
Sakura's voice seemed clearer. Li was busy trying to find out
where Sakura actually was, but Tomoyo was having a fun time taping
him on her video camera.
"Li-kun, hurry please!" Sakura pleaded
from somewhere in the center of the maze. Her voice was somehow
trying to cover the fear that laced it.
"It's okay, Sakura-chan! Just stay calm!"
There was a faint "Hai" just when the two
of them arrived at a crossroad. Looking left and right doubtfully,
Li's forehead wrinkled as he tried to focus on Sakura's aura.
Tomoyo tapped his shoulder lightly, breaking his
concentration. "Should we use one way, or should we go separate
ways, Li-kun? If the both of us go one way, we may get lost, but
if one of us follows the correct way, there's hope that someone
might be able to rescue Sakura-chan."
He nodded, yet was silent before he spoke. "But
what if the other person went the wrong way and is lost forever?
Wouldn't that be dangerous?"
Tomoyo was silent. "What can we do, then?"
Raising his voice, he called, his voice echoing in
the entire maze. "Sakura-chan!"
Sakura, who evidently heard him, started to speak
as loud as she could. Their heads snapped around as they noticed
that the source of her voice was from the road on the north.
It was at that moment that someone jumped out at
them. Li's eyes narrowed as he studied the person that stood in
front of him now.
"Tomoyo-chan," he instructed, not taking
his amber eyes off the person that stood in front of him. "Go
and find Sakura-chan. I'll take care of this one."
"I don't think so."
The girl that stood in front of him glinted evilly
at Li and Tomoyo. "As the guardian of this maze, I won't
let you go any further unless you can defeat me!"
As soon as the words had escaped her lips, all the
openings that led in every single direction was closed up by a
wall. This barricade somehow dimmed Sakura's voice, making it
sound faded and far away.
"Look," Li spoke in irritation as he glared
at the girl. "We don't have all night just to play your little
games with you. What makes you think that we'll stay for this
little 'challenge' of yours?"
She smiled, reaching into her pocket and bringing
out an old, yellow parchment. "This charm can destroy every
single wall in this entire maze. In short, if you defeat me, you
don't have to work so hard to find that Sakura of yours. You can
simply use this."
Li's lips curved up to form a smirk as he narrowed
his eyes.
"Very well, then. I accept your challenge."
-------
Eriol watched the scene as his forehead wrinkled
into a frown. Using his own powers, he diverted his view to Sakura
for a moment before looking back at Li and Tomoyo.
He could feel the tension that was building up between
Li and this newly created guardian of the maze. He knew the limit
of Li's powers, but then again, he couldn't underestimate his
very own descendant. Besides, he hadn't seen Li for about ten
years already.
It was then that someone landed lightly beside him.
Turning, his frown changed into a frown as his gaze was met by
Kaho's smiling face. "Konbanwa, Eriol-kun. I came as soon
as you called me. Where are Li and Sakura?"
He sighed, shaking his head. "Li's taking the
tests that are given only to the descendants of the Clow clan.
As I am Clow Reed, I can't take the tests instead. So far, he's
been able to pass The Hope's test. Now, he's going through the
second test, The Influence's maze."
"So where is Sakura?"
"As far as I know, The Influence has taken her
and placed her in the center of the maze. This is supposed to
make Li find his way through, but recently, The Influence has
created a guardian for the maze. Li is supposed to battle her."
Kaho frowned, watching the view from a small crystal
ball that Eriol had formed with his powers. "Didn't Kero-chan
or Yue-san come to help Sakura? They are, after all, Sakura's
guardians. Where are they?"
"I have specifically hidden our aura,"
The Unlimited spoke up as she stepped forward. "I don't think
that the two guardians of the Clow cards should interfere with
this. This test, after all, is only for Li and not Sakura."
Eriol turned to look at Kaho for a moment as he sighed.
"I just hope that Li has sufficient power to defeat the guardian
of this maze. He's been using much power to battle these two Clow
cards earlier, and he still has to face The Unlimited's test if
he passes this one."
She nodded, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I just hope that Li's going to be all right. After all,
he is the only male descendant of your family"
-------
Li closed his eyes, focusing his energy on one purpose:
to defeat the guardian of the maze that was created by The Influence.
He couldn't allow her to trap him and Tomoyo in the maze forever,
for he knew that Sakura was still trapped at the center of the
maze.
All the same, she had come up with an irresistible
offer. Offering him the charm that could break the walls of the
maze, she had challenged him to defeat her. And defeat her was
what he was going to do.
Tomoyo was happily taping away in the corner, where
it was safe. Her blue eyes seemed to shine with excitement as
she viewed Li unsheathe his sword while the other girl smiled.
"I don't need something to slow me down."
Raising her hand, she closed her eyes. "Wind!
Bind him and don't let him escape!"
Even before Li could blink, he had been tightly bound
by something that he suspected was the guardian's wind power.
Struggling, he glared at her as he carefully cut the wind ropes
with his sword.
"Your wind power can't defeat the Li clan's
sword," he scoffed as he raised his sword. "Come on.
Let's see whether your power is as strong as it really seems.
Or is it merely for show?"
Her eyes flashed angrily at him as he raised an eyebrow
in amusement. "You'll pay for what you said! I'll make sure
you don't see that Sakura of yours forever! We'll see about that!"
His amber eyes darkened as he gripped his sword tighter.
"No one talks about Sakura-chan like that in front of me!"
Raising his sword, he closed his eyes as he uttered
the words. "Force, know my plight; release the light! Fire!"
A blast of fire seemed to come from the parchment
as he opened his eyes. Leaping away, the girl's eyes seemed to
glow as she glared at him.
"Water! Clear this fire and attack that cardcaptor!"
Li jumped away before the rings of fire than seemed
to appear out of nowhere could touch him. His eyes darkening,
he crouched, ready as the rings of fire flew towards him at an
astounding speed.
"Force, know my plight; release the light! Wind!"
The rings of fire were blown away as Li relaxed,
a slight smirk on his face. He watched as the guardian slowly
pushed herself up, her eyes downcast as she slowly trudged to
him.
"I lost," she mumbled as she handed him
the charm. "Here. You've defeated me, so it's yours now.
Go and find that Sakura of yours."
She turned to exit her lost battle site, but Li grabbed
her arm. "Not so fast. First of all, you tell me how this
charm works. Or else, you're not going anywhere."
She seemed to study his face for a moment before
nodding. "Hai."
Plucking the parchment from his fingers she stood
in front of a wall and lightly brushed the parchment on it. Suddenly,
there was a resounding crash as the bricks of the wall gave way,
revealing a wide hole that she walked through.
"Masaka"
Li gaped at the power that the small charm held.
It only seemed like the parchments that he sued for his lightning,
fire and wind powers, yet now that he had seen it
"You know Kaho?"
She blinked as she handed the parchment to him. "Kaho?
Iie. As far as I can remember, I don't know anyone with the name
of Kaho. Nani?"
He shook his head, not wanting her to know of Kaho's
bells that had broken the walls of The Maze when Sakura, Tomoyo,
Meilin and him were trapped inside. "Nothing. Just a passing
thought. Arigato for his charm. Come on, Tomoyo-chan."
She nodded, smiling to herself as she thought of
how she managed to follow Li on his test. Watching as another
wall gave way, she wondered if Sakura was okay.
-------
Sakura stopped calling at the sound of shouts not
far off. One of it sounded like Li's voice, but she wasn't sure
of that. Why would Li be yelling as if he was scolding someone?
Weren't he, Tomoyo and herself the only people in this maze?
"Li-kun! Are you there?" she called, trembling
as the walls of the maze brought back frightening echoes. There
was no answer from him; just the frightening sound of her very
own voice.
"Sakura-chan!"
The sound of Tomoyo's voice suddenly seemed to pull
her up. Standing up, she strained to see over the high walls of
the maze that obstructed her view, not allowing her to see the
other side.
"Tomoyo-chan! I'm here!"
There was a resounding crash as the wall in front
of her gave way with a crash. Retreating, she squeezed her eyes
close as she held her hands out to block whatever that she imagined
would bear down on her.
"Sakura-chan! Daijobu desu ka?"
Her green eyes shot open in surprise as she viewed
Li who was kneeling in front of her. His amber eyes seemed to
show all the worry that resided there as he raised a hand to push
back a few loose strands of brown hair that had gotten into his
eyes.
"Sakura-chan?"
She nodded, shaking slightly as she stood up. "Daijobu,
Li-kun. Why are you here?"
Tomoyo appeared beside the both of them, holding
her video camera to her eyes as she smiled. "He came to rescue
you, Sakura-chan."
Li and Sakura's face coloured, as they tried to avoid
Tomoyo's video camera.
"How are we supposed to get out of here, Li-kun?"
Sakura asked as she turned back to face him.
Before he could even reply, there was a bright flash
of light. When they opened their eyes once again, they found themselves
on the concrete floor of the Tomoeda Elementary School.
They blinked; their eyes still unable to adjust to
their surroundings.
"Are we back at Tomoeda yet?"
Eriol nodded, his blue eyes serious as he turned
to look at Tomoyo. "Daijobu desu ka, Tomoyo-chan? I told
you not to go in there. It's dangerous!"
She smiled, nodding slightly as she viewed the worry
on his face. "Daijobu, Eriol-kun. Don't worry. After all,
I wasn't the one who had to battle against the guardian of the
maze. Li-kun was."
Sakura blinked. "What guardian of the maze?"
"We had to face the guardian of the maze before
we could find you," Li explained with a wry smile as he examined
a bruise on his elbow. "I managed to defeat her. In exchange,
she gave me this charm that could break down the walls of the
maze."
He held up a charm that he had been holding, but
gaped at it when he saw that it had transformed in age. "Nani?
I just got it from her a few minutes ago. How could it become"
"This charm only can work in the maze,"
The Influence explained as he stepped forward. "It cannot
work in real life, and also not on The Maze."
Li nodded, turning to face The Unlimited.
"I'm ready to take my last test."
-------
Meilin could feel the cool night breeze sifting through
her hair as she ran towards where Li and Sakura could only be-
Tomoeda Elementary School. There was something that told her that
she might not be able to see Li again- but what?
"Li-kun," she whispered as she ran through
the quiet street that passed through Penguin Park. "You have
to be all right. You're the only one in Tomoeda that are part
of my family"
She squeezed her eyes close as tears seemed to flow
down her cheeks. She couldn't bear to lose Li, she knew. He was
the only one that she was related to now, as they were living
on campus.
Her fists were clenched tightly now as she used her
knowledge of running marathons that Li had taught her while they
were in fourth grade. He had taught her so much, Meilin recalled
as she opened her eyes. She couldn't lose him.
I have to stop him from doing something that will
endanger his own life," she whispered as she passed through
Tomoeda Park.
Suddenly, she screeched to a stop. There, on top
of Tomoeda Elementary School, were a few figures that stood in
the dim light that seemed to glow from the rooftop. Was Li one
of the people up there? Was he trying to capture the two Clow
cards?
"Don't do anything baka before I come, Li-kun,"
she whispered as she raced towards the school that she used to
school in when she was in fourth and fifth grade. "I won't
forgive myself if I lose you!"
"Matte, Li-kun!"
-------
Li closed his eyes as he nodded. "I'm ready,"
he repeated as he stepped forward. "I'm ready to face the
last challenge that I've been destined to take."
Sakura stepped forward, her green eyes hidden from
his view as she didn't want him to see the pain that she was experiencing
deep inside.
"Be careful, Li-kun," she croaked hoarsely
as she turned to see the amber eyes that were filled with confusion
at her words. "Take care when you take on the last challenge."
Leaf green eyes met a flash of confusion and worry
in the amber eyes that seemed to flash in them for a minute before
disappearing as Li turned away. His voice was bitter, yet he was
trying to conceal the sorrow that laced it.
"Wakata," he replied curtly as he closed
his eyes in pain. He couldn't bear to speak to her like this,
he knew. It simply broke his heart even to imagine how her face
was at this moment.
"Don't think I'm doing this for you, Sakura-chan,"
he continued, his back towards her as he spoke. "I'm not
doing this for anyone more than my family. I have to uphold the
Li clan's honour. It's as simple as that."
She nodded, unable to speak except a soft "Hai"
before turning away. Her throat choked with sobs, she tried to
calm herself down as she breathed in. her entire body trembled
as she closed her eyes.
"It's time for your last test, Li-kun,"
Eriol spoke up as he tapped Li's shoulder gently. "Come on."
The cardcaptor nodded, turning to see Sakura one
last time. For some odd reason, he felt as if he wouldn't be seeing
her ever again, yet he had no idea why.
Turning to look at the sky, he silently read the
stars that were in the sky. Something bad was going to happen,
but after that, something good was going to happen. So what was
that supposed to mean?
"Sakura-chan."
The words seemed to leap from his mouth as he turned
once more to see the other cardcaptor that he had been missing
for the past ten years. The stars in the sky seemed to reflect
in his amber eyes, turning them darker until they seemed like
a smoldering fire.
He stared at her, trying to think of what to say,
yet the words couldn't come out of his mouth. He stood frozen,
looking at those green eyes of hers as he shook his head. It's
hopeless, he told himself. I'll never be able to tell her how
I truly feel about her.
"Nanda, Li-kun?"
He shook his head again, turning away. "Nothing,
Sakura-chan. I just wanted to say sayonara."
She nodded, her deep green eyes filled with the sorrow
that she felt deep inside her. If Li didn't like her, there was
nothing she could do about it. After all, it was his choice.
"Hai, Li-kun. Sayonara."
He nodded at her before turning back to face The
Unlimited. Clenching his fists, he breathed in as he looked at
the Clow card evenly. "I'm ready to face the challenge now."
She nodded, her blue eyes serious as she took a step
forward. "I have to warn you, Li, that my challenge is not
as easy as the challenges that have been posed by The Hope and
The Influence. Are you sure you want to take this test?"
"Hai."
She sighed, knowing fully well that he would take
on her challenge, not only for his family, but also for Sakura.
"Very well. My test is going to be based on the five elements:
fire, wood, water, earth and void. If you can't pass this test,
you will have to stay in this world that I have created forever."
Lifting her hands, The Unlimited closed her eyes
as she concentrated her power to a certain spot. Slowly, a doorway
began to appear in the dark shadows of the night, glowing in the
dark.
"You have to enter through here. There is another
doorway in the end of this place, but you have to find it. During
this test, you will come to face many things that have to do with
the four elements. Do you understand?"
Li turned to look at her, then at Sakura.
"Hai."
Taking a deep breath in, he stepped into the doorway
that held many dangers that he wouldn't expect.
TO BE CONTINUED
Author's notes:
This time round, I still haven't finished my story
yet. I guess I just love to stretch my stories and make it boring
^o^;;. This time round, my entire story is on the tests and battles
that Li is going through for Sakura. Although he tries to deny
it, there's no lying about that feeling for Sakura inside him,
ne? *grins* As you see, I've put Tomoyo as one of the minor characters
here, for this time round, my story is more focused on Li and
Sakura and how they feel. After all, one of them have to tell
the other his or her true feelings, ne?
Japanese words
Arigato- Thank you
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 Li and Sakura 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 - meaning "sorry"
Demo- but
Daijobu- I'm okay/all right, or it's okay/all right
Masaka- Impossible, or something like "no way"
Sakura to Li - Sakura and Li. 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
Konbanwa - Good evening
Sayonara - Goodbye
Arigato - Thank you.
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.
Daijobu - safe, all right, O.K.
Wakata - I understand
Matte - wait
San - Mr/Mrs/Miss, honorific for someone of status
equal to yourself. Is to be add at the end of the name
