Thank you for the reviews, that's what keeps me going. Hope you enjoy this chapter, is not as long as others...
Elements
Chapter Seven: Flame, The Fire Beast
A fanfiction by Kyo
-*-*-*-*-*-
Sakura entered her room, closing the door behind her. She leaned against it and sighed a "Hanyaaan" while she let herself slip to the floor. She ended in a heap with a hanyan smile and blush on her face.
Kero watched the scene, puzzled, forgetting the Clow Cards he was studying.
"Sakura? Are you all right?" Kero asked softly, concerned. Sakura didn't respond, but sighed again. Kero neared her, actually puzzled of what was happening. For one thing she didn't seem hurt, so why was she acting so strangely? Kero tried again as she placed one tiny paw on Sakura's head. "Sakura, are you okay?" This time Sakura heard him, a huge grin on her face. She stood up in record time and hugged the toy-like Guardian Beast of the Seal.
"Oh Kero! I had the most amazing day today!" Sakura explained while she danced around with one dizzy Kero in her arms. She let go of Kero and she laid down on her bed, still in hanyan mode.
Kero's head was spinning around. He couldn't even bring to focus the room. When he finally found where the floor was and where the ceiling hung, he flew to Sakura's side.
"Let me guess... you spent the day with the gaki." Kero said, kind of annoyed. Sakura nodded long and quick, a smile still plastered on her face.
"I'm very sorry to ruin your happiness, but I must show you something." Kero said, sitting on her desk where the Clow Cards waited patiently.
Sakura slowly came back to reality. "What is it, Kero?" Sakura asked, alarmed. This was serious.
With his power, Kero lifted three Clow Cards. The Cards that Sakura recognized as being the elemental ones. "Tell me what you see." Kero commanded, a deep frown in his toy-like face.
Sakura studied the Cards carefully, that's when she noticed something strange about them. "They changed positions!" Sakura exclaimed, alarmed. Sakura took the Watery and the Firey in her hands. Kero nodded.
"Only the Firey and the Watery have changed, the Windy is still the same." Sakura looked closer. It was true, only those two were different, the Windy still had it's arms crossed in front of it, but The Firey and The Waery had their wings raised up in the air, completely open. Thei mouths were open, too, showing fangs.
"Why?" Sakura stuttered, puzzled. Kero's frown deepened. "The Elemental Cards are linked to the Four Elemental Beasts. When these are unsealed, the Elementals change." Kero explained.
"You mean... the Fire and the Water beasts are unsealed?" Sakura asked with fear. Kero nodded. "You two are in a great danger." Kero finally said. Sakura didn't know what to say. She gulped as she felt a lump forming in her throat.
"I must tell Syaoran!" Before Kero could stop her, Sakura jumped from the window and ran to the sidewalk.
Sakura ran and ran till she got around the corner. There she bumped into someone. It was Syaoran. "Sakura! What are you doing here? What happened?" Syaoran asked desperately while Sakura caught her breath.
"It's... the cards..." Sakura breathed.
"What about the cards?" He asked.
"Look." She made appear the Elemental Cards from thin air and showed them to him.
"They... have changed..."
Sakura nodded. "The Water Beast has unsealed itself too..."
-*-*-*-*-*-
"What is that Hiragisawa guy doing here anyway?" Syaoran asked as he offered his hand to Sakura, who was still trying to climb.
"How am I going to know Syaoran? He said he was an exchange student from England." Sakura said as she took his hand, he lifted her as if she was a feather.
That Monday they had gone into a field trip for their Ecology, Geography and P. E. Classes. They had gone to nearby mountain that was covered by evergreens.
"Don't you think he is a little weird?" Syaoran asked, making the lead. He carried most of the stuff. They were sleeping the night there so they had some food and sleeping bags and stuff.
"Well, I have to admit he isn't exactly normal. Especially after what happened when we met." Sakura followed him, admiring the beauty of the place. Birds chirped and far away the sound of falling water could be heard.
"Yeah. How could he know that Kazu wasn't my real name?" He asked her while he took her hand to step over some rocks. At the beginning of the trip they had been paired. It was only luck that they had been paired together.
"May be he didn't know. After all, Xiao Lang does mean Little Wolf." She responded, watching her step. The rangers said this route had a very tricky ground. The pair to reach the top of the mountain would be the winner, and the only ones to have a 100, but each pair would have a different route.
"It's still too much coincidence. And I think Daidouji has become very fond of him, have you ever heard of her being fond of anybody, besides you?" He said, getting the way clear for her.
"She is fond of you!" She said in defense of her friend, as she passed him. Sakura carried the minimal amount of stuff. Syaoran had volunteered to carry most of her stuff.
Syaoran chuckled. "I'll give you that much." He said, almost sarcastically. "but going back to that Hiragisawa guy... there is something strange about him, besides his personality, I mean." Now, Syaoran walked behind her.
"I'm not quite following..." She said without stopping. That mountain was getting steeper by the second. They would have to be very careful. In fact, they had chosen them to go into that route because they were the best in P. E., they feared the others could stay in the middle of the way.
"Don't you feel a magical presence when you are around him? Faint, but there, just in the back of your mind?" He asked, waiting eager for a response.
"You could say that... yeah. But it's almost nonexistent. You are worried for nothing." Sakura chided, just as she slipped. "Hoe!!!" She fell backwards. Syaoran caught her in his arms. Sakura blushed, his face was so close to her neck...
"Are you okay?" He asked, but he already knew the answer. He could kiss her now...
"Hai..." She said softly as she let go and started walking again. "How much more do we have to climb?" She asked, starting to climb again.
"I don't know, we should climb some more and make camp before the night sets in." Syaoran said, looking how she climbed to make sure she didn't slip again.
"You mean we are sleeping here!? With all those bugs!?" Sakura asked, as she tried to slap away some mosquitoes. Syaoran sweatdropped. He decided it would be fun to tease her for a while.
He smirked playfully. "I wouldn't be worried about bugs..." He said as he started walking at her side, in a very mysterious way.
Sakura winced. "What do you mean: you wouldn't be worried about bugs?" She asked fearfully.
Syaoran smirked in her direction. "Well, there are a whole lot more things out there than just bugs..."
She winced again, but tried to hide it. "Like..." She gulped. "What?" She stuttered. He got closer to her. "Like big Pumas!" And he jumped almost over her. "AAAAAHHHHH!" Came Sakura's scream, it echoed all over the mountain. She hid her face under her hands. Syaoran sweatdropped, again.
"Sakura, I might be Chinese, but I know Pumas don't live in Japan..." He told her, while she still had her face buried in her hands. When Sakura heard this, her head bolted up. "I knew it." She said in confidence.
"Suuureee..." He said sarcastically, leading the way again. "You scared me! Not big Pumas!" She told him in a very childish way, as she began climbing again. "and you did that on purpose!" She near-shouted. Syaoran nodded, while his eyes smiled.
"Mou!" She complained.
-*-*-*-*-*-
"Maybe we should just camp here!" Sakura said as she put her backpack in the ground and sat in a rock. The sun was very low by now, only an hour or so to nightfall. They were now on a clear, big enough for them to stay.
Syaoran nodded. "Yeah, this seems like a nice place." He placed his backpack in the ground too.
Sakura stretched cutely, this made Syaoran chuckle. "You want to set the camp or search for wood?" Syaoran asked her, while he sat down next to her in the same rock.
Sakura leaned on his shoulder and murmured. "How about you go for the wood AND set the camp?" She asked cutely. Syaoran chuckled. "You are such a lazy girl, you go search for the wood."
"Mou..." Sakura complained. She stood up very reluctantly and went to search for some dry twigs. Syaoran watched how she walked lazily toward the forest, when she was out of sight, he too, stood up and went to work.
Sakura soon forgot that she was being lazy and started skipping around, gathering twigs and small branches as she passed. This place was very nice. Huge trees made a roof above her head, so there were lots of shadows, and since it was getting late, the cold of the night was beginning to set in. She hugged her sides, she better hurry.
Syaoran had soon finished setting the camp, it was simple, consisting of two camping tents which also had their sleeping bags and their backpacks. He had set a ring of rocks to place the fire there, now the only thing left was the wood, which would be brought by Sakura. He could only wait. This night was going to be chilly, he could tell. He should unpack the extra blankets too.
That's when he heard the ear-splitting shout.
A shout of sheer terror.
He panicked, for he recognized that voice to be Sakura's. He ran in the direction where he thought the shout had come, it was hard to tell due to the echo. Instead he relied on his magical senses. He searched almost hysterical for her pink aura. He headed north. While he ran, he prayed for her safety.
"SAKURA!!!" He called through the dense foliage. He stopped dead on his tracks to concentrate. He couldn't let himself panic or he would never find her. She couldn't be far. He thought. He concentrated again. He found her. North, his instincts had told him well.
"SAKURA!!!" He called again, the fear in his voice couldn't be masked.
That's when she found her. He stopped to a halt when she saw her figure. She was petrified. Looking without looking. When he came near her, she turned around very slowly, only then coming back to reality. She buried her face in his chest, looking for the safety she cherished so much. Syaoran crushed her close to his heart, still not daring to speak.
"What happened?" He asked in a whisper near her ear, still crushing her to his heart. She sobbed a little. He could feel her fright. She didn't respond. She kept silent, her face hidden in the crook of his neck.
Syaoran decided to carry her to camp. She didn't seem to be in the mood to walk. She didn't protest nor even acknowledge that she was being carried to camp.
Syaoran put her down on her sleeping bag carefully, and laid next to her, since she didn't let go of him, no matter what. "Sshh. It's okay, you are safe now. Will you tell me what happened?" He asked gently while she hugged him tight.
"I was getting the wood, like you told me to." She said softly. Syaoran had a hard time listening to her. "I crouched to get some twigs from the ground, but when I stood up again, a pair of yellow eyes were staring at me in the shadows. Then it jumped over me. That's when I shouted. I don't remember how it went away or anything. I just remember when you got near me. I only start to remember when I felt your aura."
Syaoran thought that was weird, but he knew Sakura had seen that. That kind of fear couldn't be just caused by an illusion. This wasn't the time to think about that, he concluded. Not when he had a shaking Sakura in his arms.
"Okay, don't worry. It didn't hurt you. I won't leave you alone next time. Okay?" He said soothingly. "I'll prepare dinner. I'll bring it to you. Okay?" He said while he let go of her and headed to the tent's door. Sakura nodded, she didn't want to be left alone, but she was kind of hungry. Being afraid was very tiring for her.
Syaoran came back only ten minutes later. He had decided to use magic to light the fire, it was faster, and that way he didn't have to leave Sakura alone again. He crawled into the tent, Sakura was lying with her eyes shut tight, but when he came to her side she opened them and looked directly into his amber eyes. He smiled warmly and handed her a can of food. She sat down and took the can, while with the other hand Syaoran gave her a fork.
"What is it?" She asked while she took the fork from his hand. Syaoran looked at his own can and read: "Spaghetti-Os." And he made a face. Sakura chuckled, the first time since she had seen the yellow eyes.
Both sat there and started eating. The food was okay, but the company was the best.
Sakura was really tired, all that walking and the scare had drained her. She yawned cutely. Syaoran chuckled and took the cans away, he was about to go away when Sakura stopped him.
"Don't leave me." She begged, at the same time she pulled his shirt. "Stay with me." She begged further. Syaoran was confused for a moment, but he nodded anyway.
Sakura laid down over the sleeping bag, still wearing the clothes from the day. Syaoran too, was wearing his day clothes, they have had no time to change due to the earlier happenings. When she laid down she dragged Syaoran along, who after a moment of hesitation laid down next to her.
The moment her head hit the pillow, Sakura fell asleep. Syaoran smiled. She was so vulnerable. Right there, seeing her asleep, her eyes closed and a small peaceful smile on her lips, made him feel a great desire to protect her.
I swear I'll protect her, no matter what. He promised to himself, intending to give his silent vow the highest priority.
He looked at her face again and with gentle fingers he brushed a stray strand of her auburn hair from her face. She responded by snuggling closer to him. He kissed her brow and her smile broadened, while she mumbled something unintelligible. He hugged her close, and then he too, fell asleep. His dreams were going to be good tonight.
-*-*-*-*-*-
Sakura woke up next to a heartbeat and a strong sense of safety and warmth. She opened her eyes slowly, wondering to whom the heartbeat belonged. She straightened up and looked at the owner of the warm aura that made her feel so safe and warm. She found the Little Wolf sleeping like a baby. He looked happy and contented in his dream. Sakura decided not to wake him up. She guessed he would be very tired after yesterday.
When she moved to exit the tent, he started to stir, searching for the warmth he had lost. He reached out in Sakura's direction while mumbling something Sakura couldn't quite make out. After some more of this mumbling and stirring he stopped, still deep in his slumber. Sakura giggled. He looked cute. The only thing he needed to be a baby was a teddy bear, and of course, that could be arranged.
She exited the tent. She was surprised of herself. It was very early, only a few rays of the morning Sun dared to cross the horizon. She guessed it was like six in the morning. She breathed the cool morning air, it was great to breath clean air once in a while. She looked inside the tent, he was still asleep. She smiled down at him, then she turned around and prepared to make breakfast.
-*-*-*-*-*-
Syaoran woke up with a yawn. It had been a while since he had slept so well. He stretched lazily. His bones made strange noises.
"Spaghetti-Os is everything you packed?" A feminine voice asked from the entrance of the tent. Syaoran looked at her. He froze as his heart did somersaults.
"I think so." He finally responded. How is it that she looks so beautiful so early in the morning? He asked himself, while he thought of his own messy hair.
Sakura smiled down at him. "Okay, then. Breakfast is ready. Get changed." She ordered as she turned around to get the two cans of food.
Syaoran emerged from the tent fully clothed. Jeans, a black T-shirt that read "Bad Guy" in white letters and tennis shoes. Sakura was dressed in much the same fashion. Jeans, tennis shoes and a black T-shirt with the design of a pair of silver wings at the back.
She smiled at him and handed him his own can of food and his fork. They sat on the same rock as the day before and started eating.
"So..." Syaoran started uncertainly.
"So what?" Sakura asked, eating happily. Spaghetti-Os weren't her choice of food but at least they were easy and fast to prepare.
"What do you think the thing was?" Syaoran asked, looking inside his can.
Sakura stopped eating and paused for a second.
"I don't know. It didn't look like any other animal I have seen before, and the fact that it disappeared so suddenly... is strange."
Syaoran nodded. "Come on let's get going or we will be the last ones." He stood up and carried his backpack in one shoulder.
"Hey! I wasn't the one who woke up late." She teased. He eyed her. "You were the one who didn't woke me up." He replied.
Sakura giggled. "Aww, I didn't have the heart. You were sleeping like a baby." She too, picked up her bag and walked by his side.
He blushed a very bright red and looked away. Sakura giggled and laughed at his reaction. She simply loved making him blush, he looked even cuter that way.
-*-*-*-*-*-
"Now?"
"Not yet."
"Now?"
"Not yet."
"Now?" Asked a nearly desperate Sakura.
"Not yet." Syaoran responded automatically.
"Syaoran we have been walking for hours! Can't we rest for a while?" Sakura asked her companion, who walked behind her to make sure she kept walking.
"Just a little bit more and you can rest." He responded in a no-nonsense voice.
"To you a little bit more is two more hours!" She complained.
"Okay... We stop here!" He sighed. He sat on a rock and put his things on the leaf covered floor. Sakura did exactly the same, and sighed in what could have been relief.
"Ahh! Thank you, my feet are killing me." She said as she dropped all her stuff in the floor. "I don't know how you can walk so much without getting tired." She said while relaxing a bit. They were sitting on the same rock, but with their backs to each other, that way they could lean on something.
"I do get tired..." Syaoran said softly, so softly Sakura almost didn't hear him. She looked at him. He continued. "I just hide it." Sakura's expression softened.
"You don't have to hide it, Syaoran. Is normal to be tired." She said, as she moved from his back to his side and put an arm around his shoulders. Syaoran nodded. "I know, but now is a habit. I was trained like that, you know?" He said softly, refusing to meet her green eyes. "You could never show your emotions, you could never let anyone see you bleed, you couldn't show how tired you were. Everything was considered a signal of weakness. I cannot even comprehend how I went through all that." Sakura leaned on his shoulder.
"But you aren't with the elders anymore, now you can do whatever you want." She said playfully, poking his side. He squirmed. "Yeah, I guess so." He said with a faint smile. "Ready to keep moving?" He asked impishly. Sakura shook her head wildly. "NOOO! Unlike you, I wasn't trained to hide how tired I am, so I'll tell you. I won't move another foot till I rest at least for half an hour." She said as she pouted and crossed her arms in front of her. A determined look on her face.
Syaoran chuckled. "Okay, then. I'll have to carry you." And with that, he took her in his arms in a lighting fast move. Sakura couldn't even protest, for she was already being carried away by him.
Everything she could do was laugh and resign.
"You won't have to move your feet." He whispered into her ear.
"I guess you are right." She said while she rested her arms around his neck and blushed a cute shade of pink.
-*-*-*-*-*-
"Ugh! All my limbs hurt." Syaoran complained as he sat on yet another rock and rubbed his neck with one sore hand.
"Typical." Sakura responded. She sat behind him and started massaging him, Syaoran slipped from the rock and ended in the floor. "I told you to let me down." She chided. "But nooo, Mighty Warrior Li Syaoran had to carry me for more than half an hour." She said while she concentrated on her hands, massaging the right spots.
All the Little Wolf could say was "mmhhmm" while he enjoyed the feeling of her hands. She unconsciously was passing a little bit of her energy to him, which made him feel a lot better.
It was past eight, the Sun was setting down and they needed to set camp. But this time, Syaoran wasn't leaving Sakura alone, not even for a second. They were very near the top by now, only one or two kilometers were left of the route, but they couldn't risk on walking blindly into the night. That would be plain stupid, so they had decided to spend the night there, once again with the stars high above.
A burning flash of their magical senses ended any possibility of a pacific night. A burning sensation, a feeling both of them had learned to recognize and fear. The feeling of Flame, the Fire Beast.
Both stiffened, forgetting the massage for a moment.
"Kuzo!" Syaoran hissed his curse. "Never a peaceful moment!" He complained as he transformed his sword from it's false form to it's true form. He stood up, same as Sakura, and concentrated to be able to tell from where the magical presence came from.
"North again..." Syaoran breathed. This was giving him a bad feeling. Sakura gulped. She remembered what had happened last time they had encountered the beast. If it hadn't been for Clow, she would be dead by now.
Sakura started running to where her senses told her to. North, as Syaoran had said. She ran blindly into the night, searching for the flaming presence.
"Sakura no! It could be dangerous! Don't run!" Syaoran called her, but it was like she was being guided, like in a trance. Her legs took her there without even thinking it. She ran and ran, with the warrior just at her heels. The foliage hit them in the face and in the arms, but they kept running, running through the thick darkness.
Suddenly, Sakura saw a large fire in front of her, like 20 or 30 meters ahead. Sakura kept running, now with her wand gripped to her right hand.
Syaoran was panicking. No matter how much he tried to make Sakura stop, she kept running. The darkness was pitch black, it was hard to see ahead of your nose, and now, a big fire was floating in mid-air. The worst thing was that Sakura seemed not to notice that it was in mid-air, because she kept running toward it with no signs of going to stop.
"Sakura Stop!" Syaoran shouted with all his might as he grabbed her wrist. It was too late. Sakura had already stepped outside the cliff.
Sakura came back to reality when she felt nothing underneath her, accompanied with a sharp tug on her wrist and strong pain on her right side. She shook her head to shake off the pain and the confusion. The fire that was guiding her had disappeared.
Her first instinctual move was to search for Syaoran, who had always provided her with a strong sensation of security. "Syaoran..." She breathed, her pained side couldn't afford anything else. Then she heard someone calling her name: Syaoran, above her head.
"Sakura! Sakura! Are you all right!?" Syaoran asked in a shout through the darkness, clutching her wrist like there was no tomorrow. Syaoran had landed with a loud thump on his stomach after Sakura had almost fallen over the almost vertical steep, but he had managed to grab her wrist in the last second.
"Syaoran..." She repeated breathlessly. The pain was getting her to the point of unconsciousness. "I am all right..." She said in an effort to keep herself awake.
The Little Wolf was having a hard time not letting go of her wrist, his already tired muscles were staring to disobey his orders, and he thought he had had incrusted a rock bellow his ribs when he had landed.
"Hang on Sakura, I'm getting you outta there." He stuttered almost as breathlessly as his companion.
Hahahahaha! I knew you Card Captors were stupid, but not that stupid. A voice in their heads mocked. Flame, the Fire Beast, appeared just by Syaoran's side in all it's splendor.
"Don't you dare to touch Sakura!" Syaoran hissed through clenched teeth.
Oh no, no. I'm not touching the Cherry Blossom, Little Wolf. In fact, neither will you. He said in an evil mocking voice as he neared Syaoran, who was laying on his stomach, still not letting go of Sakura. Syaoran narrowed his eyes as the Beast approached him.
"What do you mean?" He asked in a hiss.
The Beast laughed evilly. Just what I said, Little Wolf. You will never touch her again. With that said, the Beast placed a claw over Syaoran's back, who was struggling for breath. Let go of her, and maybe you will live. The Beast offered, but Syaoran didn't let go. Flame pressed a little harder. Syaoran felt how it's vicious nails stabbed his back.
He let go a muffled complain of pain.
Sakura, who had recovered the use of her senses by blocking her pain away, feared more for Syaoran's life than for hers.
"Syaoran, let go." She commanded. Syaoran was shocked, but refused to let go. "I won't. I'd rather die." He stated plainly. "Let go, Syaoran! I'll be okay. I promise." She whispered with tears on her eyes, tears of pain and fear.
You heard the lady, boy. Let go. It pressed harder. Syaoran felt like a thousand poisonous nails had been stabbed into his skin. "NEVER!!!" He shouted desperate, he could feel his flesh being torn apart, something wet and thick damped his back and his arms, his own blood.
"Syaoran please, I promise I'll be okay. When have I broken a promise?" She asked while two lonely tears flowed from her eyes, through her cheeks to finally fall into the no end cliff. Syaoran didn't want to let go, he could go trough that pain and much more for her, but he couldn't bare see HER pain. He wouldn't let go.
LET GO! You damn it! Shouted the Fire Beast, now loosing some of it's confidence. He wouldn't have thought that he could go through all that pain, just for her. What did the saga told, again? The two Card Captors will never be torn apart, only by their own free will they be able to be separated.
The Beast pressed harder, it's sharp claws sunk deeper into his skin with each passing second.
"Syaoran, let go. Please, I beg you. You will get killed if you continue!" She begged desperately, while she thought of a plan. Sakura's tears kept flowing endlessly from her eyes. Syaoran too, had tears in his eyes by now. He shook his head. "No." He said simply.
Sakura fixed her face determined. She wasn't going to let Syaoran die that bloody death. She wasn't going to let him die at all. "Let. Go. Now." Sakura ordered in an almost cold voice. Syaoran closed his eyes tight. Two tears fell from his eyes and landed on Sakura's face the instant he lost his grip, he refused to open his eyes. He didn't want to see Sakura fall. A sudden rage filled him, he wanted revenge, he wanted to hurt the Beast.
He trusted Sakura. She had promised to return Okay and he would trust her. But that didn't mean that the Beast was going to be Okay. No, not at all.
The Beast removed his claw from his back. A smug smirk on it's feline face. He had won. Or so he thought.
Syaoran stood up, blocking away the immense pain he felt. His limbs felt like lead and all of him was covered with blood. His own blood. He gripped his sword, that until that moment had been lying on the dirt. Syaoran's emotions fogged his mind. He saw red. Nothing, but red. Death and revenge. Nothing more.
With his sword on his right hand, he advanced toward the Beast with a glare on his face. The most ferocious and hating glare he had ever fixed on somebody, or something in this case.
When Flame saw that Syaoran still had the strength to stand up and keep fighting, his smug smirk disappeared. His features now showed incredulity and a small hint of fear.
"You are going to pay, Flame. And pay dearly." He looked at the Beast right in the eyes, causing it to take an unconscious step back.
Syaoran gripped his sword and charged toward the scared Beast. It didn't move, just waited for the sword, petrified.
Syaoran charged at it with his sword in the right position. The furious warrior sunk his full sword on the Beast's flesh, through it's heart. Blood pored from it's fatal wound, soaking the ground, soaking the warrior.
A glowing force engulfed the Beast till it was reduced to it's Card form. Only the Card and his sword remained. Blood-drenched
Syaoran fell to his knees, and prayed. Prayed for Sakura's safety, while restrained tears flowed from his eyes. He ignored the Card and sank into his thoughts. He had let go of the Card Mistress. He concluded. And there was nothing that could change that. He would rather die than hurting her, and now he had done just that. He had let her go, and now only God knew if she was okay.
There was a tap on his shoulder. A gentle, polite tap on his shoulder. So light, he could have dreamt it. He turned around slowly, automatically, he was no longer conscious of his own body.
Behind him, he found a beaming Sakura.
Syaoran was out of words. Sakura kneeled in front of him and hugged him, being careful of all his many injuries.
"I told you I was going to be alright..." She whispered into his ear. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, like she had done countless of times. "Come here. We need to fix you." She breathed. He reluctantly let go.
"You are not hurt?" He asked while he stood up and started walking, leaning heavily on Sakura. She shook her head. "Not as much as you. That was very stupid Syaoran, you could have bled to death." She told him seriously.
"I didn't, did I?" He said with the last remains of strength that hadn't escaped from his tired body. They arrived to the camp. Sakura unrolled one sleeping bag and spread it over the leaf covered floor. There was no time to set the tents.
When lying down, Syaoran discovered he had a problem, he couldn't lay stomach down and he couldn't lay down back down, since both of them hurt like hell.
"I'll use the Float!" Sakura said cheerfully.
"That is a good idea." The warrior praised, with a last effort to smile.
Sakura unsealed the Card. "Float Card, keep my partner afloat!" Sakura commanded. Instantly, a pink light surrounded the Little Wolf and now he was floating. Sakura smiled. Now, she could begin to take care of him. He wasn't as hurt as she had thought at first. But bad enough. Good thing she had brought a good First Aid Kit. She took his shirt off. Another shirt that ended in the trash can. Sakura wondered how he could go through all that pain, he was super-human she concluded. She began bandaging him.
"How did you get up?" Syaoran asked, as he winced slightly due to the pain.
"Easy. I used the Float." She said simply. "At first I thought I wouldn't have the time to use the Card, but I got it from somewhere. It took me some time to get up, that's some high steep. By the way, where did the Card went?" Sakura asked, quite puzzled. She had not have thought about it till this moment.
Syaoran took a moment to answer. "I think I sealed it." He said softly. That part of his brain was still very fogged. "And where is it?" Sakura asked.
"Back there." He answered with a yawn.
Sakura nodded. "We will get it in the morning, along with your sword. You forgot it too." He yawned again.
"We better sleep." She said as she was finishing. Syaoran nodded, but he had his eyes closed already. Sakura smiled. She laid down next to him, the only difference was that he was floating a few centimeters above the sleeping bag.
Tomorrow they would finish climbing.
To be continued...
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End of Chapter Seven! What do you think? Review or no more chapters!