"Eriol!!" Sakura cried incredulously. "H-How.."
He shook his head. "If I were you, Card Mistress, you shall not worry about me yet. There are things you must deal with first, like this loose card.
She followed his gaze. The Clow Joker was looking at them impatiently. She turned back to him. "Eriol, what should I do?"
"Capture it, but it would be dangerous for you," he said. "Weaken it first."
Syaoran gripped his sword. "I'll go distract the demon while Sakura captures it from behind."
"Do not be foolish!" bellowed Yao. "It won't be easy as capturing a single clow card! The Clow Joker can use any of the clow cards with ease. You will just put Kinomoto's life in danger!"
Eriol joined them on the ground, his servants following him. "There is a way to capture it easily."
"How?" they chorused.
He turned grim. "Find a dimension where magic won't work, and defeat the demon there."
"But where is that dimension?" asked Yao.
Eriol gestured to the masamune. "Your weapon. Its negative forces can be neutralized by Sakura's transformed cards that emit positive energy, then magic won't work there. I can create the dimension in there so you can attack the demon stripped off its real power. Your battle will then be purely physical."
Syaoran grinned and flexed his arms. "I can still do martial arts."
Yao did the same. "Me too."
They looked at each other and then at Meiling. Quickly, an understanding formed between them.
"Let's do it!" they both said at the same time.
Yao looked at the sleeping Meiling first. He knelt beside her and traced the curves of her face with his finger delicately. "Wo ai ni, Mei. You are life's best gift to me. You are the reason why I decided to start life anew. I do love you."
Eriol patted him. "It's time."
The boy nodded. He followed Li, Sakura and the guardians into the portal Eriol created.
The demon growled. "Where are you going?"
"Do you want to know? Then follow us!" dared Ruby Moon haughtily.
The Clow Joker wasted no time. It followed them into the portal.
As they were walking, Li spoke up. "Yao, I didn't mean to leave you in the cave."
A pause. "I know. Mei told me about that already."
"I see."
"Thank you for saving Mei."
"You do love my cousin, don't you? I've noticed that even when we were just kids," said Li, relieved that after years of animosity, he and Yao were conversing normally again.
"Yes, but she does not feel the same way, unfortunately." He looked at him. "Mei loves you."
"But.. I can't love her..you see..I love someone else." Syaoran glanced at Sakura from the corner of his eye. "I can only love her as a friend."
Yao laughed bitterly. "A bizarre love triangle."
Their conversation was cut short by the appearance of the Clow demon in front of them.
"Let's get it on, children!" It held out the deck of Clow cards it was holding and started to paly with it with his hands.
Syaoran and Yao went into their battle stances. On the other hand, all the guardians protected Sakura.
"Be careful," whispered Sakura.
**to be continued**
He shook his head. "If I were you, Card Mistress, you shall not worry about me yet. There are things you must deal with first, like this loose card.
She followed his gaze. The Clow Joker was looking at them impatiently. She turned back to him. "Eriol, what should I do?"
"Capture it, but it would be dangerous for you," he said. "Weaken it first."
Syaoran gripped his sword. "I'll go distract the demon while Sakura captures it from behind."
"Do not be foolish!" bellowed Yao. "It won't be easy as capturing a single clow card! The Clow Joker can use any of the clow cards with ease. You will just put Kinomoto's life in danger!"
Eriol joined them on the ground, his servants following him. "There is a way to capture it easily."
"How?" they chorused.
He turned grim. "Find a dimension where magic won't work, and defeat the demon there."
"But where is that dimension?" asked Yao.
Eriol gestured to the masamune. "Your weapon. Its negative forces can be neutralized by Sakura's transformed cards that emit positive energy, then magic won't work there. I can create the dimension in there so you can attack the demon stripped off its real power. Your battle will then be purely physical."
Syaoran grinned and flexed his arms. "I can still do martial arts."
Yao did the same. "Me too."
They looked at each other and then at Meiling. Quickly, an understanding formed between them.
"Let's do it!" they both said at the same time.
Yao looked at the sleeping Meiling first. He knelt beside her and traced the curves of her face with his finger delicately. "Wo ai ni, Mei. You are life's best gift to me. You are the reason why I decided to start life anew. I do love you."
Eriol patted him. "It's time."
The boy nodded. He followed Li, Sakura and the guardians into the portal Eriol created.
The demon growled. "Where are you going?"
"Do you want to know? Then follow us!" dared Ruby Moon haughtily.
The Clow Joker wasted no time. It followed them into the portal.
As they were walking, Li spoke up. "Yao, I didn't mean to leave you in the cave."
A pause. "I know. Mei told me about that already."
"I see."
"Thank you for saving Mei."
"You do love my cousin, don't you? I've noticed that even when we were just kids," said Li, relieved that after years of animosity, he and Yao were conversing normally again.
"Yes, but she does not feel the same way, unfortunately." He looked at him. "Mei loves you."
"But.. I can't love her..you see..I love someone else." Syaoran glanced at Sakura from the corner of his eye. "I can only love her as a friend."
Yao laughed bitterly. "A bizarre love triangle."
Their conversation was cut short by the appearance of the Clow demon in front of them.
"Let's get it on, children!" It held out the deck of Clow cards it was holding and started to paly with it with his hands.
Syaoran and Yao went into their battle stances. On the other hand, all the guardians protected Sakura.
"Be careful," whispered Sakura.
**to be continued**
