Sniff… I'm so sorry about the lack of updates… I'm very sorry… I've just
been lazy… go ahead and flame me… as soon as you finish the new chapter! ^^
Also, I have a good idea for a SEQUEL! YAY!
Chapter 34
Sakura just stood at the edge of the rock, staring down where Nave fell to his doom. She didn't say anything. She didn't move a muscle. She just stood in silence as her hair and dress flapped in the wind. Her once-white dress was now drenched in blood and covered in dirt. Her halo was gone, apparently falling off sometime during the fight. She turned her head back and saw Syaoran struggling to stand. He still had his halo, and seemed to be alright, despite the slight burns from the explosions. Everyone else was still out cold on the ground. As soon as Syaoran got to his feet, their eyes met. Sakura gasped and turned around again. Syaoran slowly walked to the edge with her. Syaoran smiled, despite the pain.
Suddenly, everything went black. When the light returned, they found themselves all back in the statue room. At their feet was one of the magic- enhancing stones. It was a bright golden color. Syaoran picked it up and put it in his robe. He turned towards Sakura. "I'm very impressed, Sakura! You did that all on your own. None of us could defeat him together, and you beat him on your own." Sakura turned her head away and started to cry. "…Just leave me alone…" She said through her tears. "Sakura?"
At that point, Eriol had woken up. He stood up and noticed Sakura's backpack next to him. He reached in and took out a magic-absorbing stone. He walked towards the statue. The portal was still open in the bowl of the statue. Eriol threw it in, and the portal slowly closed and vanished. He stood there, waiting to see what would happen.
"…Just leave me alone… I don't deserve to be near you…" Sakura said, with her eyes full of tears. Syaoran didn't know what she was talking about. "What do you mean? Of course you—" "NO!" Sakura turned around and shouted. Syaoran couldn't stand to see the tears in her beautiful emerald eyes. "I can't believe what I've just done…" She cried some more, envisioning it all over again. "I killed him… I killed Nave… He wasn't a demon, just a man with powers… I'VE KILLED ANOTHER HUMAN!" Syaoran started to cry as well. "Sakura, he was evil… he killed your father, after all… He had it coming." "No, Syaoran, your wrong. Look at my dress… it's stained with the blood of another human… just like me… It doesn't matter how evil he was… I can't kill. A life is a life. Up 'til now, we've only faced demons. Demons that weren't really alive. They had no purpose; they were just forced to do Sadin's business. They couldn't be changed… but Nave was different. Nave wasn't a demon… Nave was a human. He could be changed, yet… I just decided to kill him off… I'M A MONSTER!" Sakura covered her face with her hands and cried even harder. Syaoran couldn't take it. "Sakura, none of that is true! It's not your fault! Nave tried to kill you! You only defended yourself. You were protecting people, not killing them. If that psycho had lived, he would have taken countless lives. You've only slain a monster. He would never change. You're not a monster, you're a hero. And… if you hadn't killed him… he would have killed us… You've saved my life again." Sakura blushed. "Umm… I… that can't be true… I'm evil… I still killed someone. I'm usually cool and under control, but since I got here, I've lost my temper twice now… Just like you told me not to…" Syaoran blushed as well. "Sakura, you're not evil. Nave wasn't a demon. He was worse. And everyone loses his or her temper sometimes. I've done it here too, even against Nave… When I saw you out cold, I went berserk and I almost used too much of my power. Look, you are far from evil… in fact… Sakura… there has been something I've been meaning to tell you…"
Syaoran wrapped his arm around Sakura's shoulders. He moved her lips closer to his… "Sakura…" Sakura blushed deeply. "I've known this all for a long time, but I could never tell you…" "What is it, Syaoran?" Syaoran blushed even worse. "Sakura, I lo—"
BOOM!
There was a large explosion. Eriol ran up to them. "I hate to break up this moment, but I put a stone in the statue, and this place is coming down! We gotta go!" Syaoran took his arm away from Sakura and they ran around waking everyone up. Everyone appeared a little sore, but otherwise okay. Yue held his hand out, and fired a barrage of small crystal-like balls of energy at the wall. In a few seconds, the entire wall collapsed. Sakura grabbed the Fly Card and summoned her Angel Wings. Syaoran walked over to her, and put his halo on her head. "Looks better on you anyways." He said. Sakura blushed.
The shrine began to shake violently. Walls and pillars began to topple. Sakura held onto Syaoran tight as everyone ran and jumped out the whole in the wall into the open sky. The sun was beginning to set in the distance. Sakura spread her wings and gently glided down. Eriol, Natalie, and Kittie cast spells that slowly lowered them down. Keroberos, Yue, Ruby Moon, and Spinnel gently flew to the ground. Behind them, they watched the entire castle topple, and explode into nothingness. The last shrine was destroyed…
Sakura dived bomb to the ground in the center of the village. She found Tomoyo and Mia waiting for them there alone. Tomoyo was laughing out loud and smiling. "You did it, Sakura! I knew you could! I knew from the day I met you, you could do anything! You're the greatest, Sakura!" Tomoyo turned away, praising Sakura as her eyes sparkled in delight. A sweat drop rolled down Sakura, Syaoran, and Mia's faces. "Sigh, Tomoyo, you'll never change…" Sakura muttered under her breath. Mia spotted Sakura's blood stained dress. "Oh my God! What happened? Are you okay? Do you need some help?" Sakura put her head down. "No… I'm alright…" Syaoran turned to Mia. "…It's not her blood. It's Nave's." Tomoyo and Mia looked shocked. "Did you just say Nave?!" "Umm… yeah. Why?" Syaoran asked. They stood in awe. "Nave…" Mia said slowly, "Was the toughest of all of Sadin's known minions. Everyone who fought him died. But you killed him, Syaoran?" Tomoyo started to cry. "I've got a confession…" She cried even more. "I told you, my parents were killed by demons… but that isn't true… Nave… he alone raided the village. He thought I would die anyways from the illness I had, so he decided to do a little mental torture… and killed my parents right in front of me…"
They stood in silence. But Tomoyo dried her tears. Syaoran said, "Well, I have a confession too. I didn't kill Nave." They gasped. "You mean Nave is still out there?" Mia asked. "No, he's gone… Sakura killed him…" They turned towards Sakura as she put her wings away. She nodded. "I… couldn't let him get away. He killed my father, too… But I feel guilty… I've killed another human…" She started to cry. Syaoran hugged her. "I've told you already… You only did what was right. You saved me, Yue, Kero, Natalie, Kittie, and those strangers… You saved us all." Sakura buried her face into his chest and cried her eyes out. Sakura quickly looked up after a minute of crying. No one else said a word. "S-S-Syaoran?" "Yes, what is it?" He replied. "What were you trying to tell me up in the shrine before we had to leave?"
Syaoran's whole body froze. His face turned red. It had already taken all the bravery in him to try and confess his love before, but now he had to do it again. "Ummm… well… I… alright, I'll just say it." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and brought her closer. "Sakura, I l—" "UGH!" Sakura interrupted when she closed her eyes and fell into Syaoran's arm as he fell to the ground. "Sakura?" Syaoran asked. "…" No response. "…She's out cold. She must have used too much magic out there. I'll just let her sleep…" Sakura's halo, which Syaoran gave to her, vanished as her magic did. Syaoran stood up, carrying her in his arms. "Sigh… I just wish I could tell her… how much… I love her… without being interrupted…" "AHA! So you admit it! You DO love her! HA!" Tomoyo screamed.
An icy chill went up Syaoran's spine. "You… you're still there?! You heard everything?!" Tomoyo gave a nice big smile. "Yep. I heard it all! So, you want me to tell your precious girlfriend how much you love her? Hmmm?" Syaoran's face turned redder than ever. "Please! Don't! Don't tell Sakura!" He pleaded. Tomoyo laughed. "Oh, don't worry, I won't tell, but I might if you never do…" Syaoran growled. "Dammit… blackmailed…" Tomoyo giggled. "Don't call it that! I like to think of it as doing you a favor by helping you a little with your feelings. Okay, but anyways, bring her inside, we'll have a look at her wounds and yours and we'll let you get some rest. Then Mia will fill you in on the last stage of your mission." Syaoran growled as he lifted Sakura and walked in. Syaoran lied Sakura down on her bed and walked out. Eriol, Ruby, Spinnel, Yue, Kero, Natalie, and Kittie greeted him as he left, and as Tomoyo, Mia, and some other mage's carrying medical supplies and new clothes ran into Sakura's room.
Syaoran asked Eriol, "Okay, now that things that have settled down, can you at least tell me why you're helping us?" Eriol frowned. "Well, isn't that gratitude. I've told you before, we are allies, for now, but I can't tell you why. But we will be there for the last battle." And with that, Eriol, Ruby, and Spinnel walked away. Natalie and Kittie walked to him. Natalie spoke up. "Thanks again for rescuing us. We really appreciate it. So, we decided to help you in your fight against Sadin! We're coming along!" But before Syaoran could answer her, they ran off to rest. Kero and Yue stepped up next. "How is Sakura?" Yue asked. "She was hit with an arrow, and she seems upset." Syaoran sighed. "She'll be fine, but I'll take care of her just in case." Kero spoke up. "And I'm sure you need us to tell you—" "That you'll be joining me and Sakura in the battle against Sadin, right?" They nodded and walked off.
Syaoran leaned back against Sakura's door for a few minutes. He was very tired. A few minutes later, Syaoran started to doze off. Then Tomoyo opened the door and Syaoran fell to the floor. "Oops… sorry Syaoran!" Syaoran rubbed his head as he stood up. "Ow… what is it? How is Sakura?" He asked. Sakura began to whimper. "Sakura?!" Syaoran exclaimed. He ran next to Sakura. He held her hand. She was changed out of her bloody dress and back into her old Tomeda school skirt she wore when she arrived. "Sakura, what's wrong?" Syaoran asked with a look of concern. "…" Sakura didn't say anything. Tomoyo frowned. "We found out that apparently, Nave had a plan up his sleeves. Apparently, Nave had some kind of poison on his gloves. So when he got a hold on one of Sakura's arrows, he poisoned her." Syaoran looked shocked. "Will she…" Tomoyo smiled. "But don't worry. We may not know what kind, but we removed as much of it as we can. It won't be fatal. She should be fine after a good nights sleep.. but she is in quite a bit of pain." A tear rolled down Syaoran's cheek. "Sakura…"
That's when Tomoyo noticed something on Syaoran's neck. She moved part of his robe down. "Tomoyo, what are you doing?" Tomoyo gasped. "These burns… what happened?" Syaoran sighed. "Nave had quite a bit of explosives. It's just a mild burn." Tomoyo looked closer at it. "Well, maybe so, but I'm going to need to take care of it. Okay, get to your room. There are clothes there, and I'll just—" "NO!" Syaoran screamed. "I'm staying here, by Sakura's side." Tomoyo blushed. "Aww, wanna stay by your love's side?" Syaoran's face turned bright red. "SHHH! Quiet!" He said. Sakura stirred. Syaoran felt her forehead. She had a bit of a fever. "Huh? What? What did you say Tomoyo?" Syaoran blushed even worse. "Ummm, nothing!" He held her slender hands in his. "Just get some rest." Sakura put her head down and closed her eyes. "Thank you, Syaoran…" And Sakura fell asleep gently. Syaoran sat by her side. Tomoyo took out some bandages. "Alright, alright, you can stay here. But I'll put some of these bandages on first." And she wrapped his head as Syaoran sat by her side. Syaoran sat still, holding Sakura's hand. She looked so beautiful in her sleep. But Syaoran's eyelids became heavy… Tomoyo finished putting bandages on him. She placed her hand on the burns and his face glowed for a second. "There, that should help speed up the healing. Syaoran? Are you awake?" Syaoran's head kept drooping. "No… I'm awake… I'm just…" And Syaoran fell asleep. Tomoyo blushed. "Aww… they're both so cute..."
Sakura could finally see the shape of the demon in front of her. IT was a hulking dragon, as flames surrounded them all. Sakura leaped forward, attacking with all her might with her sword, but nothing could do any damage. With one swipe, the dragon took her down. The dragon, with its flaring red eyes, brought its head back like a snake, then, it sprang forward, ready to devour her. But before the dragon could bite, the shadowy figure kicked the dragon's head away, saving her. When the figure stood into the light… SYAORAN!
To be continued…
Chapter 34
Sakura just stood at the edge of the rock, staring down where Nave fell to his doom. She didn't say anything. She didn't move a muscle. She just stood in silence as her hair and dress flapped in the wind. Her once-white dress was now drenched in blood and covered in dirt. Her halo was gone, apparently falling off sometime during the fight. She turned her head back and saw Syaoran struggling to stand. He still had his halo, and seemed to be alright, despite the slight burns from the explosions. Everyone else was still out cold on the ground. As soon as Syaoran got to his feet, their eyes met. Sakura gasped and turned around again. Syaoran slowly walked to the edge with her. Syaoran smiled, despite the pain.
Suddenly, everything went black. When the light returned, they found themselves all back in the statue room. At their feet was one of the magic- enhancing stones. It was a bright golden color. Syaoran picked it up and put it in his robe. He turned towards Sakura. "I'm very impressed, Sakura! You did that all on your own. None of us could defeat him together, and you beat him on your own." Sakura turned her head away and started to cry. "…Just leave me alone…" She said through her tears. "Sakura?"
At that point, Eriol had woken up. He stood up and noticed Sakura's backpack next to him. He reached in and took out a magic-absorbing stone. He walked towards the statue. The portal was still open in the bowl of the statue. Eriol threw it in, and the portal slowly closed and vanished. He stood there, waiting to see what would happen.
"…Just leave me alone… I don't deserve to be near you…" Sakura said, with her eyes full of tears. Syaoran didn't know what she was talking about. "What do you mean? Of course you—" "NO!" Sakura turned around and shouted. Syaoran couldn't stand to see the tears in her beautiful emerald eyes. "I can't believe what I've just done…" She cried some more, envisioning it all over again. "I killed him… I killed Nave… He wasn't a demon, just a man with powers… I'VE KILLED ANOTHER HUMAN!" Syaoran started to cry as well. "Sakura, he was evil… he killed your father, after all… He had it coming." "No, Syaoran, your wrong. Look at my dress… it's stained with the blood of another human… just like me… It doesn't matter how evil he was… I can't kill. A life is a life. Up 'til now, we've only faced demons. Demons that weren't really alive. They had no purpose; they were just forced to do Sadin's business. They couldn't be changed… but Nave was different. Nave wasn't a demon… Nave was a human. He could be changed, yet… I just decided to kill him off… I'M A MONSTER!" Sakura covered her face with her hands and cried even harder. Syaoran couldn't take it. "Sakura, none of that is true! It's not your fault! Nave tried to kill you! You only defended yourself. You were protecting people, not killing them. If that psycho had lived, he would have taken countless lives. You've only slain a monster. He would never change. You're not a monster, you're a hero. And… if you hadn't killed him… he would have killed us… You've saved my life again." Sakura blushed. "Umm… I… that can't be true… I'm evil… I still killed someone. I'm usually cool and under control, but since I got here, I've lost my temper twice now… Just like you told me not to…" Syaoran blushed as well. "Sakura, you're not evil. Nave wasn't a demon. He was worse. And everyone loses his or her temper sometimes. I've done it here too, even against Nave… When I saw you out cold, I went berserk and I almost used too much of my power. Look, you are far from evil… in fact… Sakura… there has been something I've been meaning to tell you…"
Syaoran wrapped his arm around Sakura's shoulders. He moved her lips closer to his… "Sakura…" Sakura blushed deeply. "I've known this all for a long time, but I could never tell you…" "What is it, Syaoran?" Syaoran blushed even worse. "Sakura, I lo—"
BOOM!
There was a large explosion. Eriol ran up to them. "I hate to break up this moment, but I put a stone in the statue, and this place is coming down! We gotta go!" Syaoran took his arm away from Sakura and they ran around waking everyone up. Everyone appeared a little sore, but otherwise okay. Yue held his hand out, and fired a barrage of small crystal-like balls of energy at the wall. In a few seconds, the entire wall collapsed. Sakura grabbed the Fly Card and summoned her Angel Wings. Syaoran walked over to her, and put his halo on her head. "Looks better on you anyways." He said. Sakura blushed.
The shrine began to shake violently. Walls and pillars began to topple. Sakura held onto Syaoran tight as everyone ran and jumped out the whole in the wall into the open sky. The sun was beginning to set in the distance. Sakura spread her wings and gently glided down. Eriol, Natalie, and Kittie cast spells that slowly lowered them down. Keroberos, Yue, Ruby Moon, and Spinnel gently flew to the ground. Behind them, they watched the entire castle topple, and explode into nothingness. The last shrine was destroyed…
Sakura dived bomb to the ground in the center of the village. She found Tomoyo and Mia waiting for them there alone. Tomoyo was laughing out loud and smiling. "You did it, Sakura! I knew you could! I knew from the day I met you, you could do anything! You're the greatest, Sakura!" Tomoyo turned away, praising Sakura as her eyes sparkled in delight. A sweat drop rolled down Sakura, Syaoran, and Mia's faces. "Sigh, Tomoyo, you'll never change…" Sakura muttered under her breath. Mia spotted Sakura's blood stained dress. "Oh my God! What happened? Are you okay? Do you need some help?" Sakura put her head down. "No… I'm alright…" Syaoran turned to Mia. "…It's not her blood. It's Nave's." Tomoyo and Mia looked shocked. "Did you just say Nave?!" "Umm… yeah. Why?" Syaoran asked. They stood in awe. "Nave…" Mia said slowly, "Was the toughest of all of Sadin's known minions. Everyone who fought him died. But you killed him, Syaoran?" Tomoyo started to cry. "I've got a confession…" She cried even more. "I told you, my parents were killed by demons… but that isn't true… Nave… he alone raided the village. He thought I would die anyways from the illness I had, so he decided to do a little mental torture… and killed my parents right in front of me…"
They stood in silence. But Tomoyo dried her tears. Syaoran said, "Well, I have a confession too. I didn't kill Nave." They gasped. "You mean Nave is still out there?" Mia asked. "No, he's gone… Sakura killed him…" They turned towards Sakura as she put her wings away. She nodded. "I… couldn't let him get away. He killed my father, too… But I feel guilty… I've killed another human…" She started to cry. Syaoran hugged her. "I've told you already… You only did what was right. You saved me, Yue, Kero, Natalie, Kittie, and those strangers… You saved us all." Sakura buried her face into his chest and cried her eyes out. Sakura quickly looked up after a minute of crying. No one else said a word. "S-S-Syaoran?" "Yes, what is it?" He replied. "What were you trying to tell me up in the shrine before we had to leave?"
Syaoran's whole body froze. His face turned red. It had already taken all the bravery in him to try and confess his love before, but now he had to do it again. "Ummm… well… I… alright, I'll just say it." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and brought her closer. "Sakura, I l—" "UGH!" Sakura interrupted when she closed her eyes and fell into Syaoran's arm as he fell to the ground. "Sakura?" Syaoran asked. "…" No response. "…She's out cold. She must have used too much magic out there. I'll just let her sleep…" Sakura's halo, which Syaoran gave to her, vanished as her magic did. Syaoran stood up, carrying her in his arms. "Sigh… I just wish I could tell her… how much… I love her… without being interrupted…" "AHA! So you admit it! You DO love her! HA!" Tomoyo screamed.
An icy chill went up Syaoran's spine. "You… you're still there?! You heard everything?!" Tomoyo gave a nice big smile. "Yep. I heard it all! So, you want me to tell your precious girlfriend how much you love her? Hmmm?" Syaoran's face turned redder than ever. "Please! Don't! Don't tell Sakura!" He pleaded. Tomoyo laughed. "Oh, don't worry, I won't tell, but I might if you never do…" Syaoran growled. "Dammit… blackmailed…" Tomoyo giggled. "Don't call it that! I like to think of it as doing you a favor by helping you a little with your feelings. Okay, but anyways, bring her inside, we'll have a look at her wounds and yours and we'll let you get some rest. Then Mia will fill you in on the last stage of your mission." Syaoran growled as he lifted Sakura and walked in. Syaoran lied Sakura down on her bed and walked out. Eriol, Ruby, Spinnel, Yue, Kero, Natalie, and Kittie greeted him as he left, and as Tomoyo, Mia, and some other mage's carrying medical supplies and new clothes ran into Sakura's room.
Syaoran asked Eriol, "Okay, now that things that have settled down, can you at least tell me why you're helping us?" Eriol frowned. "Well, isn't that gratitude. I've told you before, we are allies, for now, but I can't tell you why. But we will be there for the last battle." And with that, Eriol, Ruby, and Spinnel walked away. Natalie and Kittie walked to him. Natalie spoke up. "Thanks again for rescuing us. We really appreciate it. So, we decided to help you in your fight against Sadin! We're coming along!" But before Syaoran could answer her, they ran off to rest. Kero and Yue stepped up next. "How is Sakura?" Yue asked. "She was hit with an arrow, and she seems upset." Syaoran sighed. "She'll be fine, but I'll take care of her just in case." Kero spoke up. "And I'm sure you need us to tell you—" "That you'll be joining me and Sakura in the battle against Sadin, right?" They nodded and walked off.
Syaoran leaned back against Sakura's door for a few minutes. He was very tired. A few minutes later, Syaoran started to doze off. Then Tomoyo opened the door and Syaoran fell to the floor. "Oops… sorry Syaoran!" Syaoran rubbed his head as he stood up. "Ow… what is it? How is Sakura?" He asked. Sakura began to whimper. "Sakura?!" Syaoran exclaimed. He ran next to Sakura. He held her hand. She was changed out of her bloody dress and back into her old Tomeda school skirt she wore when she arrived. "Sakura, what's wrong?" Syaoran asked with a look of concern. "…" Sakura didn't say anything. Tomoyo frowned. "We found out that apparently, Nave had a plan up his sleeves. Apparently, Nave had some kind of poison on his gloves. So when he got a hold on one of Sakura's arrows, he poisoned her." Syaoran looked shocked. "Will she…" Tomoyo smiled. "But don't worry. We may not know what kind, but we removed as much of it as we can. It won't be fatal. She should be fine after a good nights sleep.. but she is in quite a bit of pain." A tear rolled down Syaoran's cheek. "Sakura…"
That's when Tomoyo noticed something on Syaoran's neck. She moved part of his robe down. "Tomoyo, what are you doing?" Tomoyo gasped. "These burns… what happened?" Syaoran sighed. "Nave had quite a bit of explosives. It's just a mild burn." Tomoyo looked closer at it. "Well, maybe so, but I'm going to need to take care of it. Okay, get to your room. There are clothes there, and I'll just—" "NO!" Syaoran screamed. "I'm staying here, by Sakura's side." Tomoyo blushed. "Aww, wanna stay by your love's side?" Syaoran's face turned bright red. "SHHH! Quiet!" He said. Sakura stirred. Syaoran felt her forehead. She had a bit of a fever. "Huh? What? What did you say Tomoyo?" Syaoran blushed even worse. "Ummm, nothing!" He held her slender hands in his. "Just get some rest." Sakura put her head down and closed her eyes. "Thank you, Syaoran…" And Sakura fell asleep gently. Syaoran sat by her side. Tomoyo took out some bandages. "Alright, alright, you can stay here. But I'll put some of these bandages on first." And she wrapped his head as Syaoran sat by her side. Syaoran sat still, holding Sakura's hand. She looked so beautiful in her sleep. But Syaoran's eyelids became heavy… Tomoyo finished putting bandages on him. She placed her hand on the burns and his face glowed for a second. "There, that should help speed up the healing. Syaoran? Are you awake?" Syaoran's head kept drooping. "No… I'm awake… I'm just…" And Syaoran fell asleep. Tomoyo blushed. "Aww… they're both so cute..."
Sakura could finally see the shape of the demon in front of her. IT was a hulking dragon, as flames surrounded them all. Sakura leaped forward, attacking with all her might with her sword, but nothing could do any damage. With one swipe, the dragon took her down. The dragon, with its flaring red eyes, brought its head back like a snake, then, it sprang forward, ready to devour her. But before the dragon could bite, the shadowy figure kicked the dragon's head away, saving her. When the figure stood into the light… SYAORAN!
To be continued…