The New Cards

The New Cards

Awakening Master: Chapter Fifteen

By: Sakura

Sakura's scream pierced the air.

Syaoran and Di Shang halted when they heard - or rather felt - the Card Mistress' terror. Kam Un had stopped running as well and just stood there, not budging an inch. In less than a second, Syaoran grabbed Kam Un by the collar and held him fast.

"What did you do to Sakura?" he demanded angrily. Kam Un continued to smile, not saying a word. When Syaoran began to shake him roughly, the Jiao User still volunteered no information.

After a while, Di Shang realized what it meant. "Don't bother, Syaoran," he told his cousin. "It's no use. He's just a card; and one that can't speak." Syaoran turned and looked back at the figure in his hands. "Kam Un" smiled at him and then suddenly disappeared. Syaoran could only stare with wide eyes, his hands clutching nothing more than air. "It was the Copy Card," said Di Shang, answering his cousin's unasked question. Di Shang looked back at the direction they had come from, uneasiness in his eyes. "That could only mean that card has broken its seal." His brow furrowed with worry. But before he could take another step, Syaoran ran past him, heading back to where they had left Sakura.

"Why was I so stupid to leave you alone?" he wondered aloud as he ran, completely furious with himself. "I should've expected Kam Un to play a trick like this. Why didn't I see it?"

"I don't think it was completely your fault, Syaoran," said Di Shang, running alongside of his cousin. "It was my fault, too; and the Deceive Card as well, come to think of it."

Syaoran's fists clenched tight. "Does the Jiao User have any cards that don't cause such trouble?" he thought to himself. Syaoran stopped, reaching the spot they had left Sakura and the unconscious man. Traces of a struggle could be seen on the dirt ground, the dust still settling, but there was no sign of Sakura or even the man occupying the space previously. Sakura was gone…her aura no longer felt…she was nowhere near…nowhere to be found…

His legs giving way beneath him, Syaoran dropped on his knees to the ground, causing more dust to rise and settle again. His hands landed as well as he hit the dirt with his right fist. "Sakura…" he whispered under his breath. "I failed to protect you…again…" Both fists slammed into the ground this time. "Why am I so useless?" he cried. As the dust slowly dropped, something shiny sitting on the ground next to Syaoran's hand caught his eye. Sakura's star key!

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Where…am…I…?"

Sakura's eyes slowly fluttered open and she found herself leaning against a wall, her cheek pressed to the cold pavement. She slowly lifted her head away from the wall, letting her eyes wander around. She couldn't see very much, just stone walls surrounding her and a door. She pulled herself to her feet and forced herself to take a step forward.

Bad idea.

The room began to spin around her in dizzying motions and Sakura collapsed. But before she could hit the pavement, someone caught her. Sakura blinked, her vision still blurry, and tried to clear away the dizziness. The person holding her had short blue hair and cool charcoal-grey eyes. Shock registered on her face.

"Chi Yuen…?" she said in a soft whisper. Chi Yuen smiled at her, then pressed his finger lightly against her lips, silencing her when she tried to speak again. Her head suddenly feeling faint, and the room spinning out of control, Sakura drifted back into unconsciousness.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"All fifty-two cards have been returned?"

As he bowed to his Master, Kam Un nodded in response. "Yes," he replied. "She doesn't have a single Jiao Card left." His Master smiled maliciously.

"Perfect," he said. "It's almost time…I can't wait any longer. But…" he added, trailing off. "We are still missing two of our guests, are we not?" Kam Un nodded again.

"They'll be here soon," he answered. "They can't stray far from their Card Mistress for long. Though I'm rather surprised at their stupidity. Imagine chasing after a Jiao Card and leaving the Cherry Blossom all by herself. I suppose I gave the Li cousins too much credit. I must admit, though, the Card Mistress is not as weak as she was when I first met her."

"Her strength…it seems to have increased over time," said Kam Un's Master after a pause. "Perhaps she'll be a challenge of sorts. But…she's still too weak for me…"

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Where am I now?" wondered Sakura. She found herself back in the same dark room. She was alone. As she tried to stand up, she saw her arms and legs were chained to the wall and 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. Sakura gasped. It was like she was in a reoccurring dream! Calling it a nightmare would have been more appropriate. The Prophecy Card…it had shown her this…and it came true… "I wonder if you remember someone, Card Mistress," continued the Jiao User, pointing to the opposite wall of the room.

"Not Syaoran…" thought Sakura despairingly. Sakura eyes followed his gaze and she saw another person stood chained to the wall like her. The figure had midnight-blue hair that hung limply around his face. His eyes were closed and he wasn't moving. "Chi Yuen!" cried Sakura, pulling on her chains, trying to reach her friend. At first, Chi Yuen didn't respond, but after a while, he opened his eyelids slowly and lifted his head to face her.

"Sakura…" he said hoarsely. He suddenly winced with pain and his head lowered.

"Chi Yuen! What did you do to him, Kam Un?" demanded Sakura. "What do you even want from him?"

"I didn't do anything to him, Card Mistress," replied Kam Un, his insufferable smile plastered on his face. "Nor do I want anything from him."

Sakura's expression became one of confusion. "Then why are you holding him captive here?" she asked.

"Card Mistress, don't be fooled so easily," laughed Kam Un. "Chen Chi Yuen died a long time ago. He no longer exists in this reality."

The Card Mistress' face suddenly turned pale. "You mean, he's a g-ghost?" Kam Un shook his head. He stepped beside Chi Yuen and they merged together, the chains holding Chi Yuen back disappearing, along with Chi Yuen, into Kam Un's body. He smiled arrogantly at Sakura.

"Do you get it now, Card Mistress?" he asked her. "The pathetic creature you saw before you was me…a long time ago. I have long since grown in strength and power. Chi Yuen was nothing but a weakling. He no longer exists. Only me." Realization dawned on Sakura's face.

"It was you…this whole time…? Chi Yuen…he was never really with us?" She felt confused again. A person she had relied on and trusted to be her friend…was really her enemy? It couldn't be…there was no way…

~*~*~*~*~*~

"What is it, Syaoran?" asked Di Shang. Syaoran picked up the tiny object off the ground and held it up for his cousin to see. It was Sakura's star key, still attached to the necklace. "The clasp is broken," said Di Shang as he reached for the key and held the necklace in his hand as he observed it. "It's as if it was torn off her neck." Suddenly, the key glowed, and before either Li's had time to react, the pink light from the pendant engulfed them and they disappeared.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The cousins suddenly appeared out of nowhere and dropped heavily on the cold cement pavement. "Get off me," muttered Syaoran through gritted teeth at his cousin sprawled atop him. Di Shang sat up and dusted himself off. Syaoran sat up as well, rubbing his head. "Where the heck are we?" he asked. Before Di Shang could reply, a voice interrupted him.

"Syaoran! Di Shang!"

Syaoran leapt up, immediately recognizing the voice. "Sakura!" As his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting in the room, he saw Sakura sitting against a wall, her arms and legs chained. He was by her side in a flash, holding her in a tight hug.

"Syaoran?" whispered Sakura.

"I was so worried about you," he said, pulling away slightly to look into her eyes. "I thought we really lost you that time." His tone was so soft…his words…was she dreaming? This wasn't a cruel trick played by Kam Un, was it? Sakura hoped not.

"I thought I'd never see you again, either, Syaoran," she said softly. "You're real, right? This isn't a joke?"

"A joke?" repeated Di Shang.

Syaoran let go of Sakura and tried to melt into the shadows of the room, hiding his furiously red face. He forgot Di Shang was behind him.

"Sakura," continued Di Shang. "Who did this to you? Kam Un?" Sakura nodded. Di Shang immediately unsheathed his sword and brought it down against the chains with a swift slashing motion.

"I don't think so."

The chains glowed dark red when Di Shang's sword impacted them. His sword was then thrown out of his grasp and clattered away. The chains stopped glowing, but only for a second. As they burned with a fierce red radiance, four chains materialized out of the walls and flew forward, snaking their way around Di Shang's arms and legs and clamping shut on his wrists and ankles. They retracted, pulling him back against the wall.

"Di Shang!" cried Sakura. The motion had been too quick for him to respond and Di Shang hadn't had time to react. He struggled against them now, finding it to no avail. Suddenly, Kam Un appeared before him, smiling.

"Haven't I told you more than once that my power was greater than yours?" he asked in a pleasant manner. Di Shang glared at Kam Un but said nothing. With his cousin trapped, Syaoran unsheathed his own sword, his eyes fixed on Kam Un. Di Shang saw him and knew what would come if he attacked.

"Syaoran, don't!"

Syaoran paid no heed to his cousin's words and rushed at Kam Un. Without turning around, Kam Un lifted his arm up and pointed it at Syaoran, shooting a small dark energy blast at him. Syaoran couldn't block the blast and he was thrown into the wall, chains clamping tightly around him. Kam Un turned around and walked to Syaoran, a smirk on his face. "You should have listened to your cousin, fool," said Kam Un. Syaoran didn't respond to his comment but did what his cousin had; he glared angrily at his captor. Silence followed as well as tension.

"Where are we?" asked Di Shang finally, breaking the silence.

"Right where you're supposed to be," answered Kam Un, turning away from Syaoran to face everyone. "Xian. If you have any questions, hurry up and ask them because I have somewhere to go."

"Fine," said Syaoran. "Why here? Of all places in China, why Xian?"

"Why do you waste my time asking this kind of question, Li?" responded Kam Un with a harsh laugh. "You of all people should remember what significance Xian has to the Jiao Cards."

"The Jiao Cards were created here, weren't they?" answered Di Shang. "Come to think of it, Clow defeated Jiao Wan here as well."

"Jiao Wan was a weakling then," said Kam Un bitterly. "His powers were too puny against Clow's." He smiled tightly. "But that's where I come in. By temporarily taking charge of the Jiao Cards, I've fed it more power than it's ever had. And its power is too great for any of you to contain." He walked over to Sakura and watched her intensely. "Especially you." Sakura shrank back slightly, trying to avoid the ferocity of his gaze. Kam Un smirked and leaned forward, giving her a kiss on the cheek, much to the outrage of both Li cousins. He stepped back, still smiling.

Sakura simply stared back at him, a surprised look etched on her features. Syaoran clenched his fists tight and tried to pull free from his bonds. But he found that was completely useless. Kam Un turned and headed toward the door.

Stopping in font of it, he paused and turned to Syaoran. "By the way, Syaoran," he said. "Thanks for the lovely souvenirs." He held up Sakura's star key in one hand, and both Li's swords in the other, an almost victorious smile on his face. Syaoran, already scowling and full of anger, lunged at the Jiao user but was held back by his chains. Kam Un slipped out, leaving the trio alone in complete darkness.

"How are we supposed to get out now?" asked Sakura softly. "How can we do anything like this? Is this how it's suppose to end? How-"

"Sakura!" said Syaoran sharply. Sakura looked up with surprise at Syaoran's tone and turned to his direction. "That doesn't sound the least bit like you. We can't give up," he admonished. "Just because there's a large obstacle in our path doesn't mean we'll let it take over. We have to work hard and conquer it, no matter how impossible it seems."

"Syaoran's right," spoke up Di Shang. "We can't let ourselves become the victims of our supposed fate. We choose what we want our fate to be…our destiny…our life…"

"Syaoran…" whispered Sakura softly, immediately grasping their words. "Di Shang…Thank you…for everything. This won't be the end of us…I promise I'll do whatever I can to ensure that!" A faint pink aura began to surround Sakura as she spoke.

"And I promise to protect you however I can," replied Syaoran. His own green aura surrounded him as well, and Di Shang's blue aura responded in kind.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Well, I'd say they're ripe and ready for picking."

"Master?" questioned Kam Un.

"Why not invite them in? I don't see how gathering more energy could hurt." Kam Un nodded. Holding out the Card Mistress' star key, he applied a transfer spell on it. Suddenly, Sakura, Syaoran, and Di Shang appeared in the air and dropped to the ground in a heap.

"Ow…" murmured Sakura under her breath, lifting her head. She looked around and saw she was no longer chained, realizing she had been taken out of the prison. Syaoran and Di Shang pulled themselves up into sitting positions as well. They found themselves surrounded by darkness.

"Card Mistress," spoke a quiet voice from the shadows. "I finally get to meet you." Sakura looked around with surprise. Who said that? Suddenly, out of the shadows stepped Kam Un, dressed in his traditional battle robes, his staff in his hand. It wasn't Kam Un whom had spoken, right? The voice had been much deeper…From behind Kam Un stood a tall figure. His face was half-hidden in shadows and in his hands was a book with midnight-blue covers and dark yellow borders and symbols; the Jiao Book. He released the book and it floated in mid-air, opening by itself and the Jiao Cards gliding out of its case, surrounding both figures in a circle. Di Shang understood what this meant almost immediately.

"Jiao Wan…?" he muttered under his breath. "But he should be dead by now…"

The figure stepped out of the shadows and nodded with a smirk. "You're absolutely right, Li Di Shang," said Jiao Wan. "I should be dead right now. But thanks to you and your little friends…" the older man looked from Di Shang to Syaoran, eyes resting lastly on Sakura. "I'm able to sustain for a while longer. Confused still, Card Mistress?" he asked Sakura. "My name is Chen Jiao Wan, the creator of the Jiao Cards, as is obvious." Sakura couldn't believe her ears. Jiao Wan had been alive around the time Clow Reed had existed physically - not counting Eriol. How could he still be alive after all this time?

"You're lying," said Syaoran, standing up. "There's no possible way you could be the real Jiao Wan." Jiao Wan raised his eyebrow questioningly and Kam Un stifled a smirk.

"So you don't believe me, Li Syaoran?" asked Jiao Wan. "I suppose you would prefer a demonstration of my way of survival." Jiao Wan raised his hand and drew one of the circling Jiao Cards to him. He held up the card to show them; the Drain Card. The card began to glow and energy surged into Jiao Wan's hand, through his arm, and spreading throughout his body. Suddenly, Sakura crumpled to the ground in pain, sharp currents running throughout her body.

"Sakura!" cried Syaoran reaching her side. Sakura struggled against the pain, trying to rid herself of its fierce intensity, tears rolling down her cheeks as she fought it. Syaoran held Sakura tight in his arms, even while she struggled. "Fight it, Sakura," he cried. "Fight against it!" Finally, the Jiao Card stopped glowing in Jiao Wan's hand and the pain Sakura felt subsided. Eyes closing, she crumbled in Syaoran's arms and lay limply against his shoulder. "Sakura? Sakura! Wake up!" With his eyes blazing with anger, Syaoran turned to face Jiao Wan, saying, "What did you do to her?" Jiao Wan smiled smugly, releasing his card. The card floated back to the Jiao Book and fitted itself back into place.

"You wanted a demonstration of how I survived, Li Syaoran," answered Jiao Wan. "So I gave you what you wanted. As similar as my cards are to Clow's, mine contain a catch: anyone who seals them loses their energy to the cards. Since I created the cards, the energy is transferred to myself, helping me to sustain longer. No matter what, Card Captors, the Jiao Cards will belong to me and only to me. Because you have each sealed several cards, I received energy from each of you. But seeing how Sakura would be able to transform my cards into her own cards, this would take even more energy from her and feed it to me. Not to mention that the only purpose of the Drain Card is to take another person's life energy and give it to the master of the cards."

"No need to fear, Li Syaoran," continued Jiao Wan. "The Card Mistress won't die…" A visible glint could be seen in his eyes as he spoke. "Yet." Syaoran kept his arms protectively around Sakura and glared at Jiao Wan. Jiao Wan smiled and placed a hand on Kam Un's head. "And I'm sure you've met my son by now." This was another shock for Syaoran and Di Shang. If Jiao Wan was supposed to have died hundreds of years ago, then shouldn't Kam Un have died, too? "No need to wonder, Li's," commented Jiao Wan. "Chi Yuen can use my cards the same way."

"Chi Yuen?" Kam Un transformed himself into his old look and smiled pleasantly as he brushed aside his blue bangs.

"That's just a name I haven't used in a while," he said.

"How could that be?" asked Di Shang. "You were sitting with us during the time we were at the circus when Kam Un was in the ring. You were with us at Tomoyo's party. How can you be both?"

"Easy." Chi Yuen held up the Copy Card. "Though The Copy cannot utter a word, ventriloquism always helped. Also, you were both outside when The Ice and The Blizzard attacked. How could you have known what I'd been doing inside? And besides, the Deceive Card has more than finished its job over the past months. None of you should have suspected a thing until now."

"I can't believe we fell for his tricks so easily," muttered Syaoran. "It was so obvious." He looked down at Sakura, the Card Mistress leaning lightly against his shoulder. How could he protect her? How could he fail so miserably?

Jiao Wan guiding all the Jiao Cards back into its book and closed it. Suddenly, the room they were in changed shape as the dimensions warped, time changing its course again. When the room completed its transformation, Di Shang could see nothing but a ruined room, with rocks and bricks lying askew, objects covered with centuries of dust. With the Hour Card put away, all of them were transported back to their own time, out of the past. That meant they could never see Hwa Ming ever again for she belonged in the past. She had been a good friend to them.

"Catch, Li's," said Kam Un, having transformed again. He tossed Di Shang and Syaoran's sword to each of them. "If you want your Card Mistress back to normal, defeat me, without using any cards. The magic you have learned throughout your years can be used." He smiled. "Of course, that gives me the edge, since I have been around for a few hundred years more than you." Di Shang unsheathed his sword, throwing his scabbard to the side. Syaoran looked from Kam Un, to his sword, to Sakura. Her eyelids were closed, hiding the bright emerald-green eyes he loved. There was nothing he wanted more than to see her smile warmly and tell him everything will be all right. He didn't want to see her like this!

"Come on, Li," taunted Kam Un. "Are you afraid to fight me or not? Don't worry about the Cherry Blossom. It's not like she can go anywhere." Syaoran glanced over at Jiao Wan and saw he had taken a seat on a chair with a high back. Kam Un followed his gaze and turned back to face his opponents with a laugh. "He won't interfere; not when you're all such weaklings. If you can't beat me, you're definitely not ready to face him." Syaoran looked back at the sleeping Cherry Blossom and fought the urge to hold her close to him; instead, placed her leaning against a wall. He angrily gripped his sword and unsheathed it as well. Looking over to Di Shang, both Li cousins nodded and fixed themselves into a defensive position, swords raised. Kam Un clucked his tongue and shook his head, almost laughing.

"When will you two ever learn?" he asked. "Defense is not the solution. Offense is the key and the only way to win!" With that said, he transformed his staff into a double-edged broadsword and lunged at the Li cousins. Both Li's jumped back, surprised at the sudden attack but suddenly, he was nowhere to be seen. Jiao Wan smiled inwardly, noting every move his son had made. Out of nowhere, Kam Un appeared behind Syaoran and Di Shang and he slashed downward. Syaoran had been the furthest away and jumped back in time when he sensed Kam Un's movement, but Di Shang had been struck in his upper left arm, the blade cutting through his battle robes and piercing his skin.

"Cheap shot," commented Di Shang, trying to ignore the flaming pain in his left arm. Kam Un merely smiled at the younger boy.

"There's nothing fair in a war, Li," he replied airily. "And this is just what our situation is right now. In this game, there are no rules. If you get hurt, it's not my problem. If you die, it's your own fault." Syaoran watched his cousin grit his teeth and raise his sword again into a defensive stance. Kam Un, moving quickly, disappeared from sight again, much to Di Shang's dismay. With Kam Un's unusual speed, he was difficult to track.

Di Shang closed his eyes, trying to sense where Kam Un could strike next. He felt a hand on his shoulder and opened his eyes, turning around. Syaoran removed his hand and nodded grimly to his cousin, a determined expression on his face. Di Shang realized that both of them shared the same thoughts; if neither of them worked together, they would never be able to defeat Kam Un or help the Card Mistress. Since that time in Hong Kong, their truce had never been broken. In this situation, it could only re-strengthen their former bond.

Kam Un appeared overhead this time and struck downward, throwing his sword spinning to the ground. Both Li's leapt back as it struck the ground and each pulled out an incantation paper. "Element: Wind!" they cried at the same time. The force of the wind nearly caught Kam Un by surprise and tangled him up, carrying him up high. With one sweep of his arm the winds disappeared and Kam Un dropped to the ground in a crouch. His annoying smile was still plastered to his face.

"Is that the best you can do?" he asked with a smirk. Syaoran tightened his grip on his sword, wanting to wipe the smile off Kam Un's face. But for the first time, a calm feeling took over him and he smiled back, almost as if he were challenging him in return.

"That was just a warm-up," he told him. Di Shang looked over at Syaoran and wondered at the calmness in his tone. Syaoran never took things lightly in his life, so what was he talking about? He never "warmed-up", so to speak, always starting out strong. So…why was he bluffing?

Sakura slowly opened here eyes, regaining consciousness again. The striking pain had disappeared and she felt nearly herself again; just rather tired from her lack of energy. Sitting up, she found herself propped up against a wall. She vaguely remembered being held in someone's arms, someone that held her with great tenderness, as if she was a delicate flower. "Syaoran…" she whispered.

Letting her eyes adjust to the darkness of the room, Sakura searched for Syaoran. He had been with her just a minute ago; where was he? She suddenly spotted him standing next to Di Shang, facing off against Kam Un. Di Shang was doing his best to ignore his injured arm but every once in a while, his right hand would move to the cut and try to stop it from bleeding. It was not a deep cut, but it was troublesome and making him lose blood. Kam Un was smiling at them, obviously challenging the Li cousins to attack him. Syaoran was just…Sakura tried to stand up, wanting to help her friends when a voice cut through her thoughts.

"They have to do this, Card Mistress. They must fight their own battles. Your own battle will come soon and you must save your strength. I have complete faith in you." Sakura recognized the voice. It belonged to Clow Reed! But…how? When she turned her gaze back to Syaoran, she saw him turn to glance at her and his eyes lit up when he saw she had woken up. He smiled reassuringly at her before turning his attention back to his opponent. The sight of his sweet smile etched itself into Sakura's memory. She wanted to see him smile like that more often.

Kam Un noticed the Card Mistress had awoken as well but didn't pay much attention to it. She was still too weak to put up much of a fight, anyway. "Are you ready?" he asked Syaoran. Syaoran's eyebrows lowered as he glared at Kam Un.

"What do you think?"

Author's Note: It's three am and I'm cranky. Not to mention I'm beginning to think this fic is pretty silly, ne? Not much happens and it's just…*sighs* I don't know. You guys hate it, don't you? Do you want me to quit now? (Quit = stop writing)
By the way, when Kam Un said "Li" those few times, they weren't typos. He was merely calling Syaoran or Di Shang by their last name. Oh, honestly how many people figured out that Chen Chi Yuen was really Kam Un before this chapter?

*Sakura
~The Animé Archives Team