Yey! I'm soooooooooooo happy! I've just checked out my story and I have THIRTY-EIGHT reviews! I love it! I love all my reviewers! You are the best! An inspiration!
Now, this is the second and last part of the flashback. That's right, folks! After this, you'll finally find out whether Syaoran dies or not! (and then… the real story can begin…hehe) Oh, soryy. You have no idea what I'm talking about, right? Well, you'll see… and I do believe you'll like it.
I'm so sorry the chapter came out late, but I had to deal with the BIGGEST and looonnnggggeeessst Social Studies project in the history of mankind (I got 96! Go me!). So, I was working non-stop for the last two weeks, and thus couldn't update. Please forgive me!
Disclaimer: *plucks a petal from a flower* I own it *plucks another one* I own it not *pucks another* I own it *plucks the last one* I own it not… Lousy flower… What do you know, anyways!
*****Continuation of Gigantic Flashback Which Pretends To Explain How The Heck Did Syaoran Ended So Messed Up****
or
***Somewhere Far Away, Too Dark To Tell Where***
The cave/improvised temple was very dark. And humid. The darkness she liked, but humidity was a problem… Oh well, she wouldn't be here for long. That stupid little Card Mistress and the Clow wanna-be were sure to figure out who she was. After all, the stuffed animal/Guardian Beast had recognized her, she had made sure of that. Once they knew who she was, tracking her down should be no problem for them. Unless Clow magic had lost its strength. Clow magic… she could still remember its taste: strong, bittersweet heat traveling from her mouth to the rest of her body. She could still feel it faintly, moving through her bloodstream.
She looked towards her captive. She, or rather her minions, had chained him to the one of the walls, using dark silver (which, after a fashion and some time, absorbs and contains light magic), to be sure he couldn't escape. Not that he was in any condition to escape; the spell she had used was sure to keep him unconscious for some time. Aside from the chains, he was blindfolded; over the centuries, she had found that complete and utter darkness made the desperation process faster for her captives. She had to admit, her hostage was quite a catch; chiseled muscles, sharp features, messy brown hair… yum. She was quite curious as to the color of his eyes, which she hadn't seen yet. Oh well, it didn't really matter. By this time tomorrow, he, the Card Mistress, and Clow junior would be dead, as well as anyone else who dared oppose her.
Walking towards the seeing pool in the center of the room, she wondered what her little puppets were doing now.
"I don't know Sakura. But I do know who she is." He looked at Eriol, and held his gaze. "Arielle."
Good, good; they had found her out. They were bound to be here soon… A rattling of chains disrupted her train of thought; it seemed her guest was awake. Walking casually she approached him, and began to talk. "Well, well, it was about time you awoke. I've been worried sick about you!" she exclaimed in mock concern.
"Who are you? Where are we? Why have you brought me here?" Syaoran asked, enraged, as memories of the previous fight began to surface. He could remember the warriors, the pain in his back (which still remained), but he had no recollection of this… woman? Was she a woman? Syaoran thought so, based on her voice. But then again, he was blindfolded.
"Easy… one question at a time. I'll answer, but first, you must shut up," With a hand gesture, the lady magically sealed Syaoran's mouth, "Who I am? Well, that's no concern of yours… Where are we? Do you really care? We're in some cave in the middle of nowhere. Why did I bring you here? Well, I really have no reason to tell you… But on the other hand, I do so enjoy revealing my evil plans to my captives; their deaths taste somewhat sweeter that way.
"You, my friend, are bait. I'm interested in the Card Mistress. In her power, to be more exact. You see, I can't get to that sneaky sorceress myself; she has way too much protection: that deck of over-rated poker cards, Simba, Birdman, you, Clow junior, the over-sized kitty, and that hermaphrodite butterfly…. Its practically impossible to get to her. So, what did I do? I decided to make her come to me! And what's the easiest way to manipulate the little witch? Threaten those for whom she cares and loves. And that's where you, my friend, come in; I must be honest, I have never seen to people as connected as you two. The bond between your souls is like a beacon on a mountaintop* to anyone with a magical sight, and even to some normal people, like that crazy/obsessed friend of yours… the one with the big purple eyes. And that overprotective guy that follows you two around with all that high-tech gadgets.
"Amazed I know so much about you and the sorceress's life? Well, I must admit I've been watching you two for quite some time… around 10 years to be exact. Yes, I'm no hasty villain, I plan my work well. I've observed each and everyone of you and your friends, memorized every detail about your lives, your dreams, your past. I know your characters and the way you think front to back and back to front; I can predict exactly what any of you would do in any given situation.
"That's precisely what enabled me to prepare this little scheme…and to guarantee its success. But I'm wandering off topic, am I not? My apologies; I tend to get a little carried away. Bottom line is, by noon tomorrow, your kawaii little girlfriend will be here, and you will have a front row seat to a once-in-a-lifetime event: the spiritual death of a Card Mistress. But don't weep, you will soon follow her… you'll make quite a tasty dessert." The sorceress stopped her pacing and elaborate hand gestures, and eliminated the spell bounding Syaoran's voice.
"Sakura will see through it! She will not fall for your trap, you stupid witch!"
"But my dear Syaoran," the dark one turned to face him, "she already did.
****Another Scene Change, Now To Syaoran's Apartment, Parallel To the Scene Described Above***
or
****When Kero Reached the Apartment****
"…so that's it, then." Tomoyo said, having just finished a very long debate over what was better, chocolate or angel cake. Just then, there was a loud tap on the window. Or perhaps it should be qualified as a slap… maybe a splat? Tomoyo looked up, and noticed that while she had been sitting, pondering over the correct term for the noise, her friends had gone to check what it was.
"Kero?" Sakura asked "What are you doing here so soon? And where's Syaoran?"
"And why the heck did you try to enter through the closed window?" Keisuke asked, dangling the semi-conscious Guardian from his tail.
"Oh, Kami… I need some pudding…" Kero muttered, shaking his little head. "Hey, let go!" He flew away from Keisuke, and stopped in midair, suddenly remembering why he had rushed back, not noticing that the window was closed. "Sakura! Sakura! She took the gaki!"
"Syaoran? What happened to him? Who took him?" Sakura asked, alarmed.
"Some weird, dark woman kidnapped him!"
"What?"
"Well, first we were walking through this dark alley, because the gaki said he didn't want to run into this weird gal. Then, *POOF!*, I'm suddenly inside this weird crystal thingy, and there are these zombie warrior guys who just *WHAM!* start attacking the gaki, and I'm like *ACK!*, but the gaki is *SWOOSH* and *CLANK!* with that sword of his, and then this freaky lady *POOF!*, out of nowhere, and its like *ACK!*, and then the lady summons this black ball of magic and *SWISH!* it hits the gaki and *PUM!* he lands in the floor, and the warriors *POOF!* to Kami knows where and the freaky lady is like 'Hehehe… I won!' and she walks towards me and I'm like 'AHHH! What the heck do you want?!' and she's like 'Tell your Mistress to come for the gaki before tomorrow at lunch time or he dies' and then she *SNAP!* puts the gaki in a crystal thingy *POOF!* they're gone and I'm free, so I fly and fly and fly and fly and *SMACK!* I crash into the window and you are like 'What the…?' so I start—"
"Okay, fluff ball, that's enough! I can't get a word you're saying!" Meiling snapped.
"Cerberus," Eriol said, using his 'Voice of Reason' tone, "could you calmly explain what happened?"
Kero took a deep breath, trying to calm his beating heart. "We were ambushed; some weird warriors attacked us. I was trapped in some sort of crystal, so the kid had to fight alone. There were about 20 warriors, and they were more than a match. Then, this lady, I'm guessing she was a dark sorceress, appeared. She summoned a ball of black magic and threw it at the brat; he landed unconscious on the floor. The witch told the warriors to go, and she put Syaoran in the same sort of crystal cage that I was in. Then, she turned to me and said: 'Tell the Card Mistress that if she ever wants to see the boy alive again, she has to find me before midday tomorrow. After noon, he dies.' Then she's gone." Kero had spoken slowly and in a monotone, in hopes that his message would be better understood.
"Sh-she took Syaoran?" Sakura asked, her voice trembling.
"But how?" Tomoyo asked.
"I just explained! She-" Kero started saying annoyed, but was interrupted by Keisuke.
"She means why, Kero." Keisuke tried to clarify. A tear slid out of the corner of Sakura's eye. Maybe this was what the dream had been trying to warn her about, and she had just been to dense to see it. She wiped the tear away; she couldn't, wouldn't cry. Not now, that Syaoran needed her. Crying would solve nothing. Everything would be okay; she would get Syaoran back. Nothing could stop her. And when she found that witch… oh, she'll be sorry she ever messed with Card Mistress Sakura. Looking up, she addressed Kero.
"Yes, Kero, why did she take Syaoran?" The others in the room were alarmed by the steel that adorned her emerald eyes.
"I don't know Sakura. But I do know who she is." He looked at Eriol, and held his gaze. "Arielle."
****Yet Another Dramatic Pause, Only This Time, You Have No Idea Why, Nor Does The Name 'Arielle' Shock You. Also, It's A Scene Change****
****Back in the Dark Cave****
"You really think you'll get away with this, don't you?" Syaoran asked, his head leaning in the direction she guessed the sorceress was in. He was terrified, not so much for himself, but for Sakura. The witch was right; Sakura wouldn't let anyone get away with hurting him. She would be here as soon as she found out where 'here' was. That was what scared him. Despite Sakura's astounding powers, he wasn't as confident about her easy triumph as he usually was; his magical senses had been clouded by the dark sorceress's aura of hate, evil, and most of all, raw power, enough power to rival, and perhaps surpass, that of Sakura's. But there was no way in hell he would let the witch know that; he had to intimidate her, damp her confidence somehow. Perhaps then she would end this scheme. Or maybe the witch herself would give him a clue of how to escape in one of her monologues; anyway, he had to keep her talking. "Well, you wont. Sakura could beat you with one hand tied to her back. She's the universe's most powerful sorceress, for goodness sake! You don't stand a chance."
"Oh, but I do, Little Wolf," the sorceress started walking towards him. "More than one, I believe. Or rather, all of them. You can now cease your pathetic attempt to scare me. It is useless. There is absolutely no way the Card Mistress can destroy me. None at all." She stopped now, inches from his face, her voice a soft whisper now. Syaoran instinctively recoiled from her face; the sweetness of her breath carried death with it. The sorceress brought a hand up to caress the cheek of her captive. But the minute her hand touched his skin, her enhanced sight saw a flash of images. Images flashed by, to fast to be acknowledged in their majority; wings, blood, light, arrows, power… and three pairs of glowing eyes.
Taken aback, the sorceress let go of Syaoran's face. Confused, she turned away and walked towards the seeing pool.
"Show me the vision I just had!" she ordered in a commanding tone. Immediately, the water swirled and changed color, until an image was clear in it. The pool showed a temple, or rather, a lot of columns arranged in a circular fashion that resulted strangely familiar to the sorceress. "The Temple of the Fates…?" She thought, confused. "But thought it had been destroyed…" She was even more startled by what she saw next: three women were standing in its center, one with white eyes, one with silver eyes, and the last one… was her.
Holding back a gasp, she frowned at the picture. "Sabriel? Lirael?" She saw herself and the other two battling, power of all types surging through the sky, golden arrows flying a mile a minute. Then, it stopped. A bubble of liquid light formed right in the center of the battle ground, growing in size and brightness steadily. Inside she saw a silhouette, unmistakably masculine. It stood tall and proud, when suddenly, wings sprouted from the figure's back: big, beautiful, black, feathery wings. The Arielle in the vision gave a step back as the figure looked up, opening his eyes and revealing a pair of deep golden eyes. She looked at the image in the pool, him trapped in the bubble of liquid light, the black wings, the intense look. No… it can't be! Not now, when I'm so close!"
Something in the figure struck her as familiar. Following her instinct, she walked back to where Syaoran was. With a trembling hand, she removed his blindfold. Brilliant eyes of pure gold blinked back at her.
***Third Dramatic Pause, Designed To Build Tension After Such a Supposedly Shocking Scene… Oh, And Scene Change ***
"Arielle? Are you sure, Cerberus?" Eriol questioned, his azure eyes showing fear for the briefest for seconds, before immediately changing back to their normal calmness.
Kero nodded. "Positive. At first I didn't recognize her, but her eyes gave her away."
"Arielle? Who's that?" Meiling asked.
"Arielle is a dark sorceress." Eriol answered. "No, scratch that. She's THE dark sorceress. Neither Clow nor I know really where she came from, we only know that she's immortal. She had already lived for several millennia before Clow came along.
"Arielle feeds on magic; light magic, to be exact. She wants it for something... For what, I don't know. But every century or so, she seeks the most powerful source of light magic, and goes after it. It happened to Clow…"
"You mean Arielle was the one that killed Clow Reed?" Tomoyo asked.
"But I though he had died of old age…" Keiske trailed off. "At least, that is what the Clan told us."
"He did." Kero answered "Only it is not as simple as you have been thought to believe."
"How so?" Sakura asked.
"When Clow encountered Arielle, he was around 70 years old. Now, by normal people's standards, that's a fairly old age. But for a magician like Clow, who wielded an amazing amount of power, even after the creation of the cards, death was still a long time away. He could have easily reached the age of 150.
"But he met Arielle… She cleverly deceived him, tricked him into her lair. Once there, Clow discovered her plan and tried to fight her, without success. None of his attacks had the least effect on her. At last, Clow managed to contain her long enough to escape; but by then, she had absorbed most of his magic, leaving him with barely enough to return to his home. Even so, he survived for three more months. But it was awfully painful for him."
"But Eriol," Sakura asked, "why did Clow die? Couldn't he just exist as a normal human without magic?"
"It's not as easy as that, Sakura." Kero explained. "You seem, magic is a sorcerer's life force. You may not realize this, but every organ in your body functions partly with magic. No, that's not right; let me rephrase it. Organisms can stay alive for as long as their body functions properly. But why do they? There is something pushing them, keeping their bodies working, keeping them alive. It has nothing to do with the conscious will to live, like friends, family, pudding… its more of an innate thing, a subconscious instinct. That's their life force. If an organism's life force ceases to exist, for any reason, its spirit dies, taking its physical self with it. Although, some can survive for awhile without it, like Clow did.
"Now, a sorcerer's magic is his life force. Or rather, a sorcerer's life force is his magic; magicians just happen to have been born with the ability to transform this life force into physical energy. One way or another, when their magic is taken away, they die.
"So this Arielle gal... she's going to absorb Syaoran's magic?" Tomoyo asked, with a small tremor in her voice.
"Probably." Eriol answered.
"I have a question." Keisuke stated "You said that Arielle seeks the most powerful source of light magic, right? The why did she take Syaoran instead of Sakura? She's a lot more powerful than he is…"
"It's a trap." Kero answered. "Arielle knows that Sakura is too well protected for her to kidnap her."
"So then it is my fault…" Sakura mumbled, too low for anyone else to hear. Syaoran was in mortal peril, and all because of her. For the first time, she cursed her magic abilities; if it weren't for them, Syaoran wouldn't be in danger. But then again, if she had no magic, then she wouldn't have met Syaoran. Never meeting Syaoran… she didn't like how that sounded. Or perhaps they would have met anyways, perhaps destiny and fate would have led them to each other. Anyways, cursing her magic wasn't the solution; instead, she would use it to get Syaoran back. And when she did… That Arielle had better not touched a single hair on his head or else she'll see what Card Mistress Sakura was capable of. "How can we find Arielle?"
"Didn't you here me, Sakura? It's a trap!" Kero exclaimed.
"I heard you, Kero. But I don't care; I'm getting Syaoran back, even if it's the last thing I ever do."
"Don't you get it , Sakura? It might be the last thing you do!" Kero protested "Arielle is both awfully powerful and completely evil! Not a very nice combination, let me tell you. She is out to get you and nothing will stop her! Clow couldn't, Merlin couldn't… I know your way more powerful than they were, but still… I don't want to loose another Mistress."
"You wont, Kero. Please try to understand; I have to do everything I can to save Syaoran. I know you don't want to loose me, but I don't want to loose him."
"But, Sak-"
"Besides, you said Arielle would stop at nothing to get to me. So I really have no choice; whether its now or later, she'll keep trying."
"Please, Sak-"
"No! I'm not changing my mind! I'm sorry Kero, but I'm going, whether you want me to or not. I'm getting him back."
"It's decided then." Eriol sighted, resigned. He didn't like the idea of his half-daughter walking into Arielle's trap, even if she knew it was a trap, but she was right: there was no choice. Sooner or later, Arielle would find her. And besides, they had to get his cute little descendant back. "We're going. I'll set up the location spell."
"You will? Thank you so much, Eriol!"
"What? You too, Eriol?" Kero yelped, dismayed.
"I'll get the stuff for the spell!" Keisuke called.
"Keisuke?! Are you crazy? She can't go!" Kero protested.
"Kei-kun! Wait! I'll show you were they are!"
"She-brat?! Are you nuts?!" wailed Kero.
"And I'll go prepare an incredible outfit for my incredible, kawaii Sakura-chan to rescue Syaoran-kun in! It'll be so kawaii! I can't wait to tape it!"
"Tomoyo… Kami, help us." Kero resigned himself. Sure, he didn't want to loose Sakura… that's why, instead of trying to persuade her, he was going to make sure she was well-prepared.
"Hoe! Tomoyo, you can't go! It'll be dangerous!"
"And exciting! Besides, Eriol's going, Kero's going, Keisuke's going, Meiling's going… Why can't I go? And if I don't, then who'll tape this adventure?"
"Tomoyo; Keisuke, Kero and I have magic. We are more prepared to defend ourselves-" Eriol tried to explain, while managing some weird looking crystals.
"Meiling doesn't and she's going." Tomoyo pointed out.
"No, she's not!" Keisuke.
"What? Who says I'm not going?"
"Sweetie, be reasonable. You're pregnant. You can't go."
"Like hell I can't! I will not sit here, while you are in danger, waiting to see if you manage to get Syaoran back. He's my cousin, you know?" said Meiling.
"And my friend." Tomoyo finished.
"And we're going." They both chorused.
"Kami, help me… Okay, you can both go. But please, be-" Sakura was interrupted by a yell.
"I've got it! I know where they are!" Eriol exclaimed.
***Tun-Tun-Tun!(Pathetic Attempt At Suspense Music) Scene Change! Hooray!***
What little light resided in the cave assaulted Syaoran's eyes, and he had to blink several times before his vision returned. The first thing he saw was a very beautiful woman with long, jet-black hair and skin so pale, it surpassed even Eriol's. But her eyes… Syaoran felt a wave of chills pass through his body. Her eyes were black, too black to be human, too black be real. In them shinned a spark of evil and cunningness, of cleverness and… fear? What was she afraid of? Was she even afraid, or had he just imagined it?
She suddenly turned away and walked towards the pool in the center of the cave, muttering to herself and running a delicate hand through her hair. Suddenly, she came to a stop, seemingly reaching a conclusion.
"It doesn't matter. I'll just have to kill him before… before he ever finds out." He heard her say in a deep, melodious voice. Syaoran was puzzled; it was obvious that by him she meant himself, but what was she talking about? What wasn't he supposed to find out? And why? It didn't matter for now, the important thing was to escape. With those thoughts in mind, Syaoran started fumbling with the chains around his wrists, looking for a weak link.
But let's take a look at our antagonist's head, shall we?
The facts were very clear to Arielle; this… this boy had to go. He must not be allowed to discover… whatever it was. She wasn't quite sure why this young man was menace, she just knew he was, and as thus, had to be annihilated. With him gone, and the Card Mistress on her way with that yummy magic reserve of hers, Absolute Power, Global Domination, and Destruction of Civilization would be just around the corner, a month away at most.
Now, to the issue at hand: How to kill the bastard? A death spell? No, that only worked on magic-less beings. Burned alive? Might result, but it was to slow. The Card Mistress was due to arrive quite soon, and might save him. Hmm… that's it! Why hadn't she seen it sooner? Poison; a deathly one, one that would paralyze him from the inside out, until he was alive but imprisoned in a death body. And then… well, she had nothing against a good appetizer before a meal as grand as the Card Mistress.
Syaoran was busy with the chains, and didn't see his jailer approach, a sly smile upon her face, a twinkle in her eyes… a small, crystal bottle in her hands. She reached him, and stopped. Syaoran turned to look at her, and was utterly surprised when she open the bottle and drank the poison in a single gulp. As Syaoran was staring at her, Arielle seized his face and his neck, the sharp incisors on her mouth injecting the poison into the vein at his throat.
To Syaoran, the poison felt like ice surging through his body, slightly numbing his muscles and his senses. Immediately he knew it to be lethal, and was momentarily overcome by a sudden depression at the prospect that he would die before he got to ask Sakura to marry him, before he was made Clan Leader, before he had a family…perhaps before he even saw Sakura again. There was so much he wanted to say, so much he wanted to do, so much he wanted experience… He would never see his Mother or his sisters again, nor Tomoyo, Meiling, Eriol, Keisuke, Takashi, Chiharu, Naoko, Rika… he would never meet Meiling's kid, so much he would miss… He was barely 18! Life was just beginning!
Then his rational side caught up with what he was thinking, and remorse came. How shameful that he, Syaoran Li, had harbored, however briefly, the thought of giving up. He refused to die! Whatever it took, he would survive this, he would not let this witch win, he would show her that one does no toy with Syaoran Li and gets away with it. Along with these thoughts came a feeling of warmth, as his body began to fight the poison back. However, the death it carried was too strong for his weakened body, and all he was able to do was push it back, lock it away like a bad memory, one that would surface sooner or later.
All, this Arielle watched from the other side of the room. Her puzzlement evolved into rage when she saw that the little rascal just point-blank refused to die. Not to be put down, the sorceress decided that this was actually a good thing; the stronger the life force, the more delicious the meal! Perhaps…perhaps she'd let him live for now, until the Card Mistress arrived… and then she'd kill her, right in front of him. That would be just plain brilliant! And when he sees her dead, she reasoned his will shall break, at least for a minute… but that's all the poison needs. Then, she'll kill Clow junior and the Ke-something brat. An all-you-can-eat buffet! At this, a laugh erupted from her lips; soft at first, but growing steadily in volume until it could be heard all around the cave, a musical sound, very unlike the standard demented-villain laugh.
Nevertheless, it scared the hell out of Syaoran.
****Now It's The Time To Go To The Kitchen And Stock Up On Healthy Munchies—Don't Worry, I'll Wait****
***cue: start corny elevator music***
****Good, You're Back, Let Us Continue****
****Wait, the Stupid Tape-Thingy Wont Turn Off! Arghh!****
****CRASH***
****Better. Now Continue****
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…."
"What the hell was that?" Keisuke asked. They were currently walking in circles—excuse me, cleverly hiking through the woods that surrounded the cave that Arielle gal was supposedly in. That is, though, if Wonder Boy (alias Eriol) had gotten the coordinates right during the spell.
"No idea. Could be a blood-sucking alien clown, for all I know." Meiling said in a somewhat uncanny*/bitchy sense of humor. The rocky trail didn't agree with her ankles.
"Maybe we're near a circus?" Sakura proposed.
"Maybe." Keisuke answered. "Kami knows we have no idea were we are."
"I know exactly were we are!" Eriol exclaimed.
"Lost?" Meiling interjected.
"We are not lost!" Eriol explained "We are just taking the scenery route!"
"Oh. That's clever, my un-cute ancestor." Eriol glared at him; no one was allowed to work his line of humor. He was about to show that punch-line stealer bastard what a real comeback was like, when Tomoyo's voice was heard from behind her camcorder.
"Well, I thought it sounded somewhat like an evil-demented-villain-having-a-moment kind of laugh."
"And how exactly do you know what an evil-demented-villain-having-a-moment kind of laugh sounds like, love?"
"I thought it sounded a tad like yours, honey."
"Remind me never to take the room besides yours, 'kay?" said Keisuke.
"You know? Tomoyo's right… It does sound like an evil-demented-villain-having-a-moment kind of laugh." Meiling observed. "What do you think, Sakura?"
Exactly that second, Sakura felt a sense of comfort invade her senses; the feeling was intoxicating, wrapping around her like a warm blanket on a winter day. "I think… we should take a right turn. I can feel Syaoran's aura coming form that direction.
"Then a right turn it is."
***Some Three Kilometers Later, Give Or Take A Few Hundred Meters***
"Yes, let's walk. It is such a great idea! We'll be there in no time." Meiling said in a sing-song voice.
"Well, if we teleported directly to the cave, she would notice the magic flare." Eriol defended.
"But still, did you have to orb us 3 hundred thousand miles away from the stupid cave?"
"Well-"
"Enough!" Sakura interrupted. "I think this is it." They had reached a clearing in the woods. At the center of it was what seemed to be the entrance to an underground tunnel. Approaching it cautiously, the group saw that some sort of staircase had been carved into the rock. The midmorning sun illuminated the first few feet, but after that, it was all darkness. Calling upon her wand, Sakura released the Light card. "Light card, illuminate the path only to our eyes. Light card!" The group's vision was significantly improved, even though the tunnel remained somewhat shadowy.
Walking slowly, Eriol took the lead, his Sun staff in hand. After him came Sakura, her staff out, one hand on the pouch in which she kept the cards. Kero flew beside her. After came Meiling, with Tomoyo close behind. Keisuke was the last one, his two daggers out. He kept looking back frequently, thinking someone might attack from behind. They moved silently, every sense alert.
"Sakura, Keisuke, Eriol, did you feel that?" Kero whispered, breaking the silence. Sakura and Keisuke nodded in response. Almost immediately, the walls of the tunnel began to quiver and a dark liquid oozed out of them. As soon as the liquid touched the ground, it turned into dark, human-like, sword-wielding forms.
"What the-" Keisuke began, but was interrupted by Kero.
"It's them! Those are the warriors that attacked us!" Without losing a second, the warriors attacked the group. They were enough of them so that each one was fighting more than three of the creatures a time, and more kept coming.
Keisuke and Meiling fought back to back, she delivering swift kicks and punches to all who dared approach her, he piercing through the attackers' odd bodies with his magically enhanced daggers. A particularly large one attacked Meiling, its sword coming down in a deadly arch. Meiling dodged swiftly to the right and swept the sword of its hands with a kick. Then, she kicked its chest, sending it flying to the wall. As the demon struggled to get up, Keisuke decapitated it with one of his daggers, and then turned around and stabbed another one in the chest. Looking briefly up, he spotted Eriol and Tomoyo fighting nearby.
Keisuke was surprised to see Tomoyo's method for eliminating warriors. No, she didn't beat them to death with the camcorder; she threw ninja stars at them with deathly precision. As the stars pierced their bodies, they emanated blue sparks, which seemed to burn the creature like acid. Eriol must have enchanted them for her… I wonder who taught her how to fight like that? Must've been either Meiling or Syaoran… Beside her fought Eriol, throwing balls of raw power at the creatures, which destroyed them almost instantly.
A little away, Sakura was using both the Sword card and the Arrow card to fight off the demons. The one who attacked her, however, acted oddly. Rather than trying to shred her to pieces like they did to the rest, it seemed they were trying to hit her in the head, as if expecting her to pass out. Sakura concluded that this was because Arielle wanted her alive but defend less. Sakura fought defiantly, destroying any demon who approached her. She was tiring, however, and the mass of demons seemed no thinner. Fending off one more, Sakura took a few seconds to cal upon another card. "Erase card! Erase all the demons! Erase!" Instantly, all the demons in the chamber banished.
Putting their weapons down, the gang regrouped. Except for quite a few cuts, they all seemed to be alright. "Whew," Meiling said, "I thought we were never going to beat those bastards!"
"Yes." Said Keisuke "Good idea to use the Erase card, Ying Fa!"
"Thanks." Sakura answered. "But I don't think we are done yet."
"What do you mean?" Tomoyo asked.
"I think those demons weren't meant to destroy us, but to tire us…" Eriol trailed off.
"So that we'll be weaker when we finally find Arielle." Sakura completed. There was silence as everyone pictured just how powerful Arielle was that she was capable of sparing so much power on toying with her preys. "Kero, maybe you should go back… get Yue, Suppy and Ruby Moon here. We might need them."
"Yes, Sakura. I'll be right back." With that, Kero flew off, faster than anyone had ever seen him.
"Well then, let's go show her just how strong we are!" Keisuke said.
"Right. Let's go." And together, they set off through the tunnel once again.
***10 min later***
"ACK! What the hell is this!" exclaimed Keisuke, as he crashed into… nothing.
"What?" asked Sakura from a few feet ahead.
"This," explained Eriol, standing besides Keisuke. "It seems to be an invisible wall."
"Wall? It wasn't there a minute ago!" Sakura ran back to where her four friends stood, banging their hands on seemingly nothing. But there was something there, something smooth and cool to the touch, which seemed to vibrate with shield magic.
"Eriol," Tomoyo asked, "Can you blast it out of the way?"
"Let me see," he answered, summoning a gigantic ball of blue magic and throwing it at the invisible barrier.
"Hey!" yelled Keisuke, ducking as the ball of energy bounced off the surface and missed him by inches. "Watch it!"
"Hmm.… It seems to me that this thing reflects magic." Eriol said. "Sakura, why don't you try an attack at the same time as I?"
"Okay. On my count. 1…2…3!" Blue energy and pink magic crashed into the wall in exactly the same place, opposite sides. As a result, both sides of the wall reflected them, having no effect at all.
"Well, that went well…" Meiling remarked, as Sakura got ready to release a card from the other side of the wall.
"Through card! Allow my friends to cross the barrier! Through!" The card's energy charged into the wall… and was thrown backwards at least fifteen feet. "Its okay, Through. Thank you. Return!"
"So… what are we gonna do about this?" Keisuke asked.
"Well… I'm thinking maybe Yue and Nakuru could try their arrows…" Eriol answered.
"But we can't wait for them!" Sakura exclaimed "Arielle could kill Syaoran any minute!"
"Exactly." Said Eriol. "I think you'll just have to go alone, and we'll catch up as soon as we can."
"You're right." Sakura said, turning around and sprinting off, before anyone had a chance to protest.
"Be careful!" Tomoyo called after her.
"You too!" came the faint reply.
**** Scene Change.****
"So… your girlfriend is about to arrive. She'll be here in a few minutes." Arielle paused, watching the horrified expression on Syaoran's face. "Just thought you'd like to know."
"You're sick, you know that?" Syaoran answered her. "I mean, villains who think they are right are one thing, but those who do things just for the sake of evilness? What kind of psycho are you? Didn't our parents love you or something?"
Arielle turned to look at him. In a monotonic voice, she said "I had no parents. None at all." She faced the floor now. "Only sisters. Two sisters." For the first time, Syaoran saw a real smile on her face, but it was immediately replaced by a bitter look of utter hurt and sorrow. "But they're gone. Dead." Arielle looked back at him, and now her eyes where truly empty, no spark whatsoever. Suddenly, she smiled that devilish grin of hers. "Just like you will be."
It was in that second that Sakura walked through the cave entrance. Syaoran immediately spotted her, having been feeling her aura for the past few minutes. In his eyes shone both love and dread, but he turned away from his beloved, intent on not giving her presence away.
As for Sakura, she was horrified by the state her boyfriend was in. Dry blood dripping from is mouth, and his torn shirt revealed a particularly large, and seemingly deep cut, surrounded by several others. Blood dripped from his neck, and there was a gigantic bruise on his side. His lips looked too pale, as did the rest of his face. His wrists were sore from the chains, and blood dripped from them. He looked awful, and that only increased Sakura's resolve in teaching that Arielle a lesson. It hurt her to see someone she loved so much so visibly in pain.
Walking on er tiptoes, she crossed the length of the cave towards were the dark sorceress stood. Just when she was about to reach her, Arielle turned around.
****Hold Your Breath…1…2…3…4…5….6…7…8…9…10…Okay, Go On****
"So, you're finally here. Took your time, didn't you?"
"Let Syaoran go!"
"Right to the point, huh? Well, we'll see about that, Card Mistress." Arielle raised her left hand, and a ball of black energy came to being. The energy slowly took the form of a sword, which she raised in an attack position.
"Sword card! Fight Card! Release!" The battle began, both combatants ran towards each others, swords clashing as they met. Immediately, Sakura took offensive, not knowing whether her defense was strong enough to withstand Arielle's attacks. Sakura brought her sword down, and was blocked by Arielle. This went on for awhile, with Sakura attacking, and Arielle blocking; until Arielle tired and started attacking. The witch thrust her sword at Sakura, but the girl flipped back and brought her weapon down in an attempt to cut her opponent. Yet, Arielle blocked and swiped at her, but Sakura twirled and brought her sword back in time to meet it.
The sorceresses clashed swords again, their blades infused not only with energy but with magic too. Syaoran saw this from his place in the wall, and prayed to Kami that Sakura would come out of this alive and well. Observant as he was, he noticed the opening in Sakura's defense at the same time Arielle did.
Only the dark one didn't go after it with the blade, but with magic. Summoning a ball of black energy, she threw it at Sakura, hitting her side and throwing her off balance and to the floor.
"This is were it gets rough." She summoned another attack, but Sakura rolled out of the way. She jumped to her feet and dodged another attack. "Sword Card! Fight Card! Return! Firey! Release!" Manipulating the magical fire as years of experience had taught her, Sakura countered her enemy's attacks with her own. The thing was, whenever a ball of fire hit a dark one, both would dissolve, but whenever fire hit Arielle it just disappeared, causing on damage at all.
Sakura gritted her teeth in determination; the Firey needed help. "Watery! Release!" She complemented her attack with water balls, with the same effect. "This is getting nowhere. "Firey! Watery! Return!" She took out another card. "Thunder! Release!" Instantly, bolts of electricity shot at Arielle, but she dodged them gracefully.
"So you want to play with electricity? Fine by me!" Dark bolts of lightning shot at the Mistress of the Cards, but she managed to flip out of the way. Electricity flew in every direction, filling the cave with light. "You know, Card Mistress, while this is certainly amusing, its getting a tad old. I guess I'll just have to end it."
With her hands in front of her, Arielle summoned a gigantic ball of energy, and threw it at Sakura. The lithe sorceress wasn't able to dodge it, and she was throw against the wall. A 'crack' resonated through the room, and Sakura held her arm in pain. The dark sorceress walked towards her, and stopped about a meter in front of her.
"Well, let's get down to business. The Cards, please. No? Oh well, I wasn't expecting you to give up that easily. It doesn't make any difference, any ways. Holding her arms out in front of her, Arielle called "Cards made by Clow! Come to me! I command you to! Sakura Cards!" Slowly, almost reluctantly, the cards flew out of Sakura's grasp and into Arielle's hand's.
"No!" Sakura protested, jumping to her feet and charging at Arielle, but the dark one sent her back to the wall with a hand motion. Muttering something, the witch turned the cards into a ball of glowing, raw power. It shone so bright, neither Sakura nor Syaoran could look at it. Arielle looked at it greedily, and then pushed it into her chest. She closed her eyes, her whole figure shinning for a second. Then it was over, and the Sakura Cards were no more.
"Delicious. Now its your turn, Sakura. Say good bye to your lover. But don't worry, you'll see him soon enough."
"No! Sakura!" Adrenaline pumping through his system, Syaoran pulled the chains clear off the wall. No one would do anything to Sakura. He ran to the witch, and tackled her away from his beloved. The spell was interrupted, Sakura's magic untouched.
"Sakura." Syaoran ran towards his girlfriend, taking her into his arms.
"Syaoran." Sakura held him tight, afraid to let him go even for a second.
"How touching! But it wont help you. Instead, you'll pay!" Flames shot at the couple, burning their skin. They rolled out of the way, putting the flames out.
They stood up, still holding one another. "Element! Lightning!" Syaoran called, sending a bolt of powerful electricity at their attacker. It, however, dissolved as soon as it reached her. Still, Syaoran repeated the attack, with Sakura sending balls of powerful pink magic at the same time. It had no effect.
"You fools! No magic can touch me! Nothing can save you!" With another hand gesture, she send both magicians flying to opposite sides. Syaoran landed awkwardly, pain shooting through his leg. He looked up in time to see Arielle start the incantation to rob Sakura of her powers.
Then, something inside him took control; power surged through him, as he had never experienced before. With a hand gesture of his own, he threw the unaware Arielle out of the way.
"What?!" the witch cried, regaining her balance and turning to face Syaoran. His eyes shone pure gold once again. He threw a sphere of dark green energy at her, which she countered with one of her own. The power resulting of the impact threw the opponents back a few feet.
Now I get it… Arielle thought. This is so not good… or is it? Perhaps… I need to get out of here. Fast. Before he gets it… I have the Cards, the rest can wait. "Well, kiddos, it's been fun, but I don't have time for this. You have not escaped me, you never will. You have only bought yourselves some time. We'll meet again… when you least expect it." With that, she twirled elegantly, and was gone.
Syaoran fell to his knees; his adrenaline had run out, and he was magically drained.
"Syaoran!" With difficulty, Sakura got up and ran towards her soul mate. She enveloped him in her arms, and held him close. He, however, pulled back a little, and cupped her face in his hands.
"I love you," he said, "never forget that." Then, he met her lips with his in a passionate embrace. Love rushed through the, as they held each other close. At last, they pulled apart, and Syaoran felt the poison unlock its bindings and invade his body.
And he knew nothing more.
****To Be Continued****
So… did you like it? Was it worth the wait? You know what happens next: Syaoran is rushed to the hospital, where he is an inch from death and… hehehe. Like I'd tell you!
Sorry if the fights sucked… I'm not very good at writing them.
The next chapter, the one you've all been waiting for will be up two weeks from today. That means, on Monday, November 11. No excuses. I promise it'll be ready (it's a fairly easy one to write.)
This story is far from over…
Please, review! I would love it if the story could reach 60 reviews before my next update! (although, I'm not setting a limit… the more, the better!)
Bye! Thanks for reading (and reviewing)!
Kirjava-chan