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
