The New Cards

The New Cards

More Prophecies: Chapter Thirteen

By: Sakura

Fighting against the current, Syaoran and Di Shang pushed their way through the rough waters, ignoring Hwa Ming's calls. "I have to get to Sakura," thought Di Shang.

Talking silently to himself through gritted teeth, Syaoran said, "I can't let her down…not now, not ever. I can't lose her again." With these thoughts in mind, he dove into the water, searching for the Card Mistress. Di Shang was about to dive as well, but he was suddenly separated from his cousin by a huge wave created by The Oceanid. The waves crashed down upon his head and forced him under. Di Shang swam underwater with the current and surfaced again. The night air was calm again…no, he was just out of reach of the Jiao Cards. The Showers had created a water barrier around the area he had last been in and the rough currents were impossible to swim through. He let himself be pulled along the current, hoping his cousin could do what he unable to do.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Syaoran had seen his cousin being pushed away, but could do nothing to help him. He had to find Sakura before she drowned in the watery depths of the Yangtze River. His head turned this way and that, looking for her. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted her, slowly drifting away. The usually sparkling emerald eyes he loved were nowhere to be seen for her eyelids had been shut tight. She was falling, being pushed deeper and deeper. "No!" his mind screamed out. "Sakura!" He swam faster toward her but was suddenly cut off. The Oceanid Card appeared before him, grinning at the Card Captor as it blocked his way. Syaoran's fists clenched tight.

"I won't let you defeat me…" he thought. He reached into his pocket and pulled out three charms. He flung one with great force ahead of him and held another in his hand. The first charm was moved past the Jiao Card and landed on the Card Mistress's sleeve. Chanting a short spell, the first charm turned into a bubbly orb that completely encased Sakura within it. The one in Syaoran's hand did the same for him. He steadied himself inside the sphere and breathed deeply; water could not penetrate those orbs. He needed this shield in order to use his next charm. Whipping out his sword, he thrust the flat of the blade against the charm. "Lightning! Strike!" he cried. The lightning flew forward and surrounded The Oceanid, nearly frying it with its intense energy. The Oceanid withdrew immediately, unable to protect itself from such an attack.

His vision becoming hazy, Syaoran dropped his sword and collapsed in the bubble. Using two shield spells and a lightning spell at once stole a lot of energy away from him. His head hit the side of the sphere and he fainted with the one thought, "I'm sorry, Sakura. I failed you. Again…". Mysteriously, the two orbs continued to flow with the water - neither puncturing at all - staying completely intact.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hwa Ming scanned the waters for her friends, worried to distraction that her friends had perished in the rough waters. "It's all my fault," she whispered. "I was supposed to take care of them. It's all my fault." Looking up, she spotting something - or someone - floating in the distance. It was Di Shang. He allowed the waters to wash him up onto the shore and sat down, panting and trying to catch his breath. "Di Shang!" cried Hwa Ming, running towards him. Di Shang turned to the source of the sound and smiled with relief when he saw Hwa Ming was alive.

"Are you okay?" he asked her when she arrived. Hwa Ming nodded.

"Where is Syaoran? And Sakura?" she asked

Di Shang looked off into the far distance, at the direction he had just came through. The sky was bright blue and the sun shone clearly. There wasn't a cloud in sight. His shoulders slumped forward slightly as he stared at the ground. "They must still be trapped back there," he said gravely. "Either that or they're…" Hwa Ming's hands flew up and covered her month when she gasped. She looked over the calm waterway of the Yangtze and wondered how that river could possibly have raged as fiercely as it had hours ago.

"Di Shang?" she said after a pause. "Can you tell me something?" Di Shang nodded, waiting for her question. "What are the Jiao Cards?"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Eyelids fluttering open, Sakura forced herself into a sitting position, holding her head with one hand. Looking about her, she found herself on a sandy bank. She was all alone. Tears welled up in her eyes but she forced them away - yet a few drops trickled down her eyelashes and onto the ground. A cold wind blew by and she shivered in her thin battle costume. The robes had been made more for ease and manoeuvrability, not for warmth.

Sakura slowly stood up, and walked unsteadily on her two shaky legs. For some reason, she seemed to have lost a lot of energy. On the sleeve of her robes, she found an incantation paper, like the ones used by Syaoran and Di Shang, and wondered briefly how she got it. But as she took a few more steps forward, the ground felt like it was shaking beneath her and her vision blurred. She fell to the ground in a faint, lost in the darkness.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Sakura!"

Syaoran wandered around, his hands cupped around his mouth, shouting "Sakura!" Even since he had washed up on the shore, he had gone in search for Sakura. Where could she possibly be? China was a very big country and he was having a difficult time finding her. His energy level was dangerously low - he was unable to use any magic for the time being - and he was on the verge of collapsing. For the last few moments, he ran only on adrenaline…and his promise. But he knew that he could not keep pushing himself like this without causing more damage to himself. He had to find her…and soon.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"How about another Jiao Card?" asked Kam Un. The older man sighed and yawned with boredom.

"Might as well," he replied. "They're not doing anything interesting." He lifted his hand and a card flew out from the deck and floated before Kam Un. "Use this one this time. If she seals it, it proves she does have more power than I originally thought. If she doesn't, then good riddance to another weakling."

Kam Un nodded in response as he took the card. "I'll put it to work right away, Master."

~*~*~*~*~*~

While stumbling along and only looking through half-closed eyes, Syaoran tripped and tumbled down a small grassy hill, landing face-down on the sand. He groaned inwardly as he lay there. His shoulder muscles relaxed and slumped downward. He just didn't have the energy anymore. Abruptly, out of nowhere, he sensed another presence…but it was one that was dying down, one with even less energy than he had. Slowly lifting his head, Syaoran caught sight of another figure lying in the sand, a few metres before him. His heart caught in his throat as he realized who it was. Sakura! Suddenly, he was energized again and he got up and ran to her side.

He immediately checked for Sakura's pulse and sighed with relief when he found it, though it was faint and rather unsteady. He looked her over, and found his charm had done its job. As he studied the sleeping Card Mistress, he noticed her long eyelashes glimmered with tears caught in them, tears that had yet to fall. "Was she crying?" wondered Syaoran, also seeing the drops that had fallen on the sand. Out of nowhere, grey clouds pulled together and began to rumble loudly. It was going to rain; but this time it wasn't because of The Showers. Gathering Sakura in his arms, Syaoran chose to put most of his energy into using his magic to find them a shelter.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Not far away stood Kam Un, watching the scene with pure distaste. He liked watching them in action, not like this. This was so dull. As he flipped over the card in his hand, his mouth curved up into a smile. "Let's see how well the Card Mistress can handle this one," he said to himself.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Leaning Sakura against the cave wall, Syaoran plopped down beside her, his energy spent. He felt so tired, and wanted to go to sleep…looking over at the Card Mistress' sleeping form, Syaoran realized something. He didn't want to sleep; no, he wanted to hold Sakura in his arms and tell her he…loved her. A smile broke out on his face. He could admit it now, even to himself! He, Li Syaoran, loved the Card Mistress, Kinomoto Sakura! He had known it all along. This was why he didn't want her to get hurt, this was why he made all those crazy promises to protect her. This was what Meiling had told him all the time, he just never listened…

Sakura shivered slightly as she sat in the damp cave and Syaoran seeing this, pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her protectively. She immediately stopped shivering and relaxed in his arms, a tiny smile of content alighting her face.

Syaoran gazed down at her with a smile. He couldn't wait until she awoke so he could tell her…tell her how he felt toward her. He then frowned momentarily. The question was, did Sakura love him back? Years ago, he thought she did and he nearly told her then. But he had lost the chance and returned to Hong Kong without saying a word. Had he lost her because of his foolishness?

Hanging his head slightly, Syaoran spoke softly into Sakura's ear. "All the time we've captured Clow Cards, you and I were rivals, always fighting for the same thing; for cards and for love. It took me so long to realize you had captured something else along the way, and without meaning to. In that innocent way of yours, you've opened my eyes and shown me the way, shown my heart how I could be. You saw things in me that I never believed to be there before. And you know what, Kinomoto Sakura? You're the only one that can truly make me happy - the only one in my heart. Wake up soon, so I can tell this to you, face-to-face. Because…you're my cherry blossom." Syaoran's eyelids, already drooping, closed and he fell asleep resting against the cave wall, Sakura in his arms. The rain gently pattered to the ground outside.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Sakura was running; running toward something. Tears were in her eyes, like she had been crying. It was dark all around her and she couldn't see anything. Nothing; except for the figure before her. As she neared the person, she saw Syaoran's face, clear as a bell. He stood there, looking away, but when he heard her approaching, he turned to face her, his arms opened wide, an almost cheerful smile on his face. The moment she reached him, his strong arms wrapped around her in a protective hug and he twirled her around once before setting her back on the ground. Sakura smiled happily for, in his arms, she always felt safe. "Syaoran!" she cried. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

"Sakura…" said Syaoran hesitantly. "I…" Suddenly he vanished and Sakura was alone again. Sakura whirled around in the darkness, searching for him.

"Syaoran?" she called. "Where are you?" Then she saw him, he was lying on the ground, completely motionless. She ran to him and knelt by his side. "Syaoran," she cried, shaking his shoulders. "Are you okay?" As she continued shaking him, a hand abruptly flew up and clenched her arm tightly. Sakura gasped aloud and tried pulling her arm away, but the grip remained firm. When she looked up, Syaoran had already sat up and it was he who had caught hold of her. "Syaoran?" she asked. Unexpectedly, Kam Un appeared in his place and his grip tightened around her arm, twisting it painfully behind her and pushing her to the ground, her arm still pinned behind her.

"You think you can get away so easily, don't you, Card Mistress?" he hissed. He used his free hand and drew a card from his pocket. "The Jiao can't be defeated, not by weaklings like you." He placed the card flat on Sakura's back and the card glowed. Sakura screamed as a searing pain rippled through her body.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Sakura's scream pierced the air and echoed throughout the cave.

Woken by the sound, Syaoran sat up immediately. Sakura was screaming and struggling in his grip. "Let me go! Let me go!" she cried. But Syaoran didn't let her go. Her eyes were still closed. She was still dreaming.

Still holding her tight, he tried to calm her down. "Sakura," said Syaoran. "Wake up! It's only a dream! It's me, Syaoran! Whatever's hurting you, don't let it affect you. You have to fight it. Come on, Sakura!" Tears were streaming down Sakura's face as she continued to cry out with pain. Managing to get her arms free, Sakura pushed Syaoran away and curled up on the ground, still shaking violently. Syaoran tried to calm her again, but then Sakura spoke aloud in her sleep.

"Syaoran! Where did you go?" she cried. "I can't fight…this…alone…anymore……Ah!" She was still doubling over in pain. Syaoran swept Sakura into his arms and held her tight, refusing to let her go again.

"Sakura!" he shouted. "Get a grip of yourself! It's only a dream! Don't let it affect you! I'm right here; right by your side. I'll never leave your side because I always promised I'd protect you. Please, Sakura, you have to wake up!" Sakura quieted down, but only because the pain had subsided. Syaoran's words still could not penetrate the deep barrier set by the Jiao Card in Sakura's mind.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Where am I now?" wondered Sakura. She found herself in a dark, black room. She was alone again. As she tried to stand up, she saw that her arms and legs were shackled to the wall. She was unable to move more than a few inches away from it. "Who could have done this?" she murmured aloud.

"I did."

Sakura looked up and saw Kam Un standing before her. He had a wide smirk on his face. "I wonder if you still remember someone, Card Mistress," he said, pointing to the opposite wall of the room. Sakura followed his gaze and saw another person stood chained to the wall like her.

"Syaoran!" she cried, jumping forward, pulling herself as close as she could to him with her chains. She did not get very far. Syaoran looked up at her, a saddened expression on his face.

"Goodbye, Sakura…" he whispered. Seconds following those words, Kam Un lifted his staff and struck Syaoran with a black orb of energy. Syaoran took the hit hard and dropped to his knees, completely motionless. A little bit of blood trickled over the lip of his mouth. His hair covered his eyes, the cool amber ones that she had grown to love.

"No!" cried Sakura. "Syaoran!" It was like her heart was ripped away from her. Kam Un laughed and faded to the background as Sakura continued to weep bitter tears.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"No! Syaoran!"

Syaoran was at a loss for actions. He didn't know what to do. His words…they just weren't waking her up. And whatever dream Sakura was having, it was tearing her apart. She was now crying uncontrollably. "What's happening in her mind?" he thought. "Something is in there; something's hurting. Just like the Forget Card had done once." He took out her Sakura Cards and quickly scanned though them. The Forget Card was still there. "So it didn't break free…then what is the card hurting Sakura?" Syaoran removed his arms from around Sakura and instead held her head in them, forcing her to look at him. Her eyelids were open now, but they saw nothing. Tears continued to stream down her cheeks.

"Sakura," he whispered. "It's me, Syaoran. I'm right here; can't you hear me? Can't you feel my presence, my aura? Speak to me, Sakura. Not to the person you see in your mind, but the real me. The one holding you at this very moment…"

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Sakura…"

Sakura looked up from the ground and the Syaoran that had been before her vanished. The image of him disintegrated. Instead, she heard him calling her. "I'm right here…"

"Syaoran?" she whispered. "Is it really you? Help me!"

"I'm trying to, Sakura," he replied. "Believe in me…place your trust in me again. I'll always be here for you…you know that…deep down in your heart, you know that…" Sakura closed her eyes and clasped her hands together.

"I do…" she murmured. "I do believe in you…" Opening her eyes, she looked up and saw someone's hands reached toward her. She reached out with her own hands and the other pair clasped them gently.

"Wake up, Sakura."

Sakura's eyelids opened and she blinked several times, trying to adjust her eyes to the light, or lack of. When she could finally see her surroundings clearly again, she found herself face-to-face with Syaoran. He was holding her head close to his head and her hands were gripped tightly to his arms. She was so close that she could see the relief in his eyes.

Syaoran gazed down at her with soft amber eyes. She had finally woken up and her nightmares had disappeared. She was so close to him, he just wanted to bend down and kiss her. As their eyes met, both Card Captors suddenly blushed when they realized how close they stood together. Sakura released her grip on Syaoran's arms while he released the grip on her face. Both avoided each other's gaze and stood in an awkward position. Syaoran then ventured to take a sidelong glance at Sakura. Tears still sparkled in her emerald-green eyes and an expression of fear was seen clearly in them.

"Are you okay, Sakura?" he asked her quietly. Sakura turned and looked at him slowly before nodding.

"I'm all right now," she answered, just as quietly. Syaoran permitted a smile on his face.

"I'm glad." They both fell silent again. "Sakura," said Syaoran after a few minutes. "What were you dreaming about? It was so difficult to wake you up." Syaoran nearly jumped back with surprise when Sakura leapt into his arms. She was crying again.

"I was so scared," she whispered. "I thought I'd never see you again. I thought you had died…" Sakura buried her head in Syaoran's chest and he held her close to him in a secure embrace. "I was all alone…and then I saw you. You welcomed me with open arms and you were about to say something when you disappeared. And then you were just lying on the ground. When I went to you, you transformed to Kam Un and he pinned me down. All I can remember after that was a sharp pain rippling through me. It was completely unbearable."

Syaoran continued to caress Sakura's hair soothingly as she shed her tears. "That's why she screamed…" thought Syaoran. "Her dreams were so vivid that she physically experienced them outside of her dreams."

"The last thing I saw was Kam Un," she continued. "He used his staff and created a black energy ball, which he shot at you. You were dying…and I couldn't do anything to help you…What if it comes true? I…" Her words were caught in her throat. She stopped and closed her eyes. The images created in her dreams continued to stick in her mind.

"Sakura."

Sakura looked up apprehensively and relaxed when she saw Syaoran. "It was only a dream," he said. "Don't let yourself believe in them. That's what Kam Un wants. We can't let him win." He held up his arm and taking her hand, he made her pinch him. "See? I'm right here. I won't leave you. Not like that."

"Do you…promise?" she asked softly. Syaoran nodded.

"I promise."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Sakura! Syaoran!"

"Where are you?"

Hwa Ming dropped her arms to her side. "It's no use," she thought. "We'll never find them." When she looked over to Di Shang to tell him, she could see the determination in his eyes.

"Any luck?" Di Shang asked her as Hwa Ming approached him. Hwa Ming shook her head sadly. Di Shang clenched his fists tight then continued to call for them. "Syaoran! Sakura!"

"Di Shang?" The boy paused and looked at Hwa Ming. "Something puzzles me," she said. "Tell me something, is Sakura your wife?" Di Shang fell back with surprise.

"What?" He exclaimed. "My wife?!" Hwa Ming nodded. "No…she's not," said Di Shang. He raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think that?"

"Where I'm from," she said. "And every place I've been to, I've never seen a male care so much for a female." She studied him carefully. "But you - and Syaoran - are different. You treat Sakura like she's your equal, maybe even better, and you treat me like I was your equal, too. Why is that?"

Di Shang realized that in different time periods, people acted differently. He remembered that men always held a much higher status than women during this time. "It's just how we were brought up," he answered. "We've been taught to think that everyone that is not a clan Elder is our equal. Though we have also been taught anyone with less magical powers or none at all should be treated like they were below us. But I've just never picked that up. Syaoran sort of did before, but he's changed now…Sakura has changed him."

"You love her, don't you?" added Hwa Ming. "And Syaoran does, as well, doesn't he?"

Di Shang chuckled. "You're pretty observant," he commented.

"We women have to be."

Nodding, Di Shang agreed with her. "We guys have to be, too, you know." He shifted the weight of the backpacks he carried. "Come on, let's continue looking for them." Hwa Ming nodded and they started their search again.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Do you feel better, Sakura?" Sakura looked up at Syaoran and nodded shyly.

"Thank you, Syaoran," she said. "I don't know what I'd do without your support." Moments after Sakura had first awoken, both Card Captors fell asleep again, this time into a dreamless one. Both woke up refreshed, their energy restored. "Let's go find the others." Syaoran nodded.

The rain had stopped hours ago and the sun shone brightly. Syaoran and Sakura ventured out of the small cave and into the bright light. Sakura smiled at Syaoran and her light rivalled that of the sun. "Ready to recapture those Jiao Cards?" she asked him.

Syaoran nodded in response. "Sakura," he started. "Before we go, I…I wanted to…to tell you that…"

"You need to prepare for your fate!"

The two Card Captors turned around abruptly. Floating just above the entrance of the cave sat Kam Un. He appeared to be sitting on the air. He jumped off the seemingly empty air and landed before them, a card appearing in his hand at the same time. It was the one he had just been using; The Suspend, an equivalent to The Float. Syaoran stood in front of Sakura in a flash. "What do you want, Jiao user?" he growled in a low tone.

Kam Un smirked at the tone. "I merely want my card back," he replied airily. "Prophet Card, return!" he ordered. A grey, mist-like shadow flew out of Sakura's mind and floated toward Kam Un. Syaoran saw this and immediately called for Sakura to take action.

"Seal the card, Sakura!" he cried.

"Right!" responded Sakura. Releasing her star key, she commanded, "Return to your true form, Prophet Card!" Before the Jiao Card could reach the user, the cards' shadows disappeared and encased itself into its card form. Kam Un smiled inwardly. That meant the Card Mistress had regained her strength and energy. Good, good…all the better…He pretended to scowl angrily.

"Don't start overestimating yourself just because you've sealed another one of my cards, Card Mistress," he sneered. "You'll lose it all sooner or later." Kam Un slowly began to disappear. "One last thing, Card Captors," he said. "The Prophet Card is never wrong…be wary of its powers." With that said he disappeared from sight.

"The Prophet Card?" repeated Sakura in a whisper. She looked down at the new Sakura Card in her hand. Her mouth went dry. "No…It…it can't be…It can't come true…" She squeezed her eyes shut at the thought of Syaoran dy-

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Sakura looked up. Syaoran was watching her with concern, but he still kept a reassuring look in his eye. "I'm not going to die, Sakura," he said. "Don't worry about it. Kam Un is just trying to play tricks with you. Your destiny is created by you and what you do. It's not controlled but one stupid little Jiao Card." Sakura nodded and hugged him. Syaoran didn't pull back; instead, he held her close to him.

"I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you," whispered Sakura.

"I don't know either…" thought Syaoran. "Come on," he said gruffly, trying to hide his emotions. "Let's go find the others." Sakura started up a little footpath. "Wait." Sakura turned around and looked at him curiously.

"What is it, Syaoran?" she asked him. "Is something wrong?"

"Sakura, I…uh…I…" he stuttered for a moment. His courage was lost again. He forced a smile on his face. "I just forgot my hat. I'll be right back." As he picked up his hat, he cursed himself. "You're so stupid, Syaoran," he said to himself. "You know you love her now, so why can't you tell her?"

Author's Note: Boy, am I ever in a good mood! I was just flipping around different scenes in the CCS second movie on my DVD, thinking, "how am I ever going to understand this? Pretty much the only word I know is watashi…and also names don't count." Then I was thinking of turning on Chinese subtitles - though I can barely understand that, as well - and what do I find? There are English subtitles, too! *smacks side of head* I never saw it until now, and I've watched the movie at least three times! (I've watched the ending at least ten times. ^_~ I love it! It's so sweet…) Maybe I'll type out the DVD English script and post it on my site. But I'm not sure if it's entirely accurate, thought…it's good enough! =)


Since the chapter got cut short again, I'm going to continue with the S + S flavour into the next chapter. Happy about that? ^_^


Can you believe I know exactly what's going to happen in the last few chapters of this fic (though I still have a long way to go) but I have no clue what will happen in the chapter after the next one? *sighs* Do you want me to shorten my fic and get right to the end after the next chapter or do you still want me to write more before I get to the ending chapters? You're the readers; it's your choice. Let me know what you think, please. It would help me out a lot.

Three cheers to atros for choosing Di Shang as a first choice for this chapter! I'm glad someone actually thought of choosing him. Of course, there were more votes for S + S so…sorry, Di Shang.


Thank you very much, Yumie-chan, for giving me the Japanese chants. I'll use those from now on *smiles*. I sort of had no choice but to use the ones in the American version because that's pretty much the only one I've heard. I don't have a translator that can translate Japanese or Chinese for me o_O. Wish I did.


To whoever wrote that review: Me?! Hate Sakura and/or Syaoran?! *giggles* I've never been asked that! If I hated either of those two characters, I don't think I'd be writing a fan fic involving them as main characters, now would I? Nor would I be writing under the penname: Sakura_Kinomoto. ^_~

Author's Note to SakuraBubbles: Offense? None taken. You don't like the names? My reason for using "two names" is quite simple, really. In Chinese, most names are three words (there are some exceptions, but I won't get into them now). I'll use's Syaoran's Chinese (version) name as an example. The first word is the surname, like "Li". The second and third is their given name "Xiao Lang". Together, it's Li Xiao Lang. Two words, one name. Therefore, they're actually not two names, but one. I'd prefer to not put the two words together because some of them look a little weird to me, e.g. Dishang. So, for the so-called "two name" thing, since all of my original characters so far are Chinese…well, you can see why. It's my way of writing Chinese names and I don't think I'll be altering that.

Thanks for voting, everyone! =) Have you noticed these "Author's Notes" get longer and longer? *sweatdrops* Does anyone actually read them? They're so long…o_O Review with a ~ if you did! ^_^

*Sakura
~The Animé Archives Team