Konnichiwa Minna! I've been mulling around a little before starting this chapter, so I'm sorry that it took me three days to update. Azure Rosas, I was honored to help you out with Sakura's costume, do not hesitate to ask of my assistance again.
Without Further adieu, I thank my reviewers and continue my story.
Chapter Seven
They woke up late, around eleven, that morning. Meiling was worn out from the fight, Sakura was worn out mentally from her own problems, Tomoyo and Eriol were too content in each other's arms to wake up early, and Rob was just plain lazy. Li got up early from habit and trained for a few hours with his sword. He sensed that Sakura and Rob were about to wake up, so he decided to start on dinner. Sakura got up and decided to get a shower.
She stepped into the hot water and allowed the heat to wrap around her and comfort her. Even if the Rob and Li predicament flopped, her shower wouldn't leave her! She gently washed herself and sang softly as she toweled off. She knew that her door was locked, so she left the towel and walked out the door into her room completely naked. What she didn't realize was that she came in through the door on the left and exited through the one on the right. Nor did she know that her room and Rob's room shared that bathroom. She opened the door with her eyes closed; she was still a little tired.
Rob was listening to Sakura shower, waiting for her to finish. He heard the water stop, so he drowsily climbed out of bed and disrobed. He grabbed a towel and waited for the sound of the other door opening and closing, signaling Sakura's departure. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily, trying to rid himself of exhaustion. He was extremely surprised when something hit him.
Rob and Sakura's eyes snapped open and looked at each other in horror. Each other's bodies didn't horrify them, but rather that they'd accidentally bumped into to each other naked. They both screamed in unison, "AAAAAAAAH!"
"What are you doing in my room naked!?" she yelled at him.
"This is my room! You just barged in!"
"This can't be your room, now get out!"
"Sakura, our rooms share a bathroom! See that door?" he pointed through the bathroom to her room's door, "That's your room."
Sakura realized that he was right and dashed into the bathroom, slamming his door, then her own. Rob just sighed to himself and went in for his shower.
The other tenants heard the commotion and ran up to see what the matter was. Sakura admitted Tomoyo into her room as she dressed and told her the whole story.
"So you walked out the wrong door into Rob's room, completely naked?" Tomoyo giggled as she recapped her story.
"It's not funny!"
"Oh, but it is!"
"It was totally embarrassing!"
"That's what makes it funny.
"TOMOYO!"
"I'm sorry Sakura-chan, but I think that it's funny."
They heard a knock at Sakura's bathroom door, then a muffled voice, "Sakura, is it my turn to barge in to your room naked?"
"No!" Sakura called back with an edge of anger in her voice.
"You can see her naked tomorrow!" Tomoyo called.
"Ok, see you later then..." the voice trailed off.
Sakura looked at her friend, horrified.
"Don't worry," her amethyst-eyed friend reassured, "we were only kidding."
"You had better have been kidding" Sakura muttered.
"So, was he hot?"
"TOMOYO!"
"What? I'm a teenager, I have right to be curious."
"Well..."
"Well what?"
"He was kind of hot..."
"Just kind of?"
"Well, yeah, kind of..."
"Sakura"
"Alright, he was hot! Jeez, do you always have to be so stubborn?"
"Hai, I do"
Sakura growled at her friend, "I'll have my revenge!"
"Oh yeah, how?"
"Like this!" Sakura jumped on her friend and started to tickle her. Tomoyo collapsed in giggles and soon broke out in loud laughter. Outside, everyone was just staring at the door, listening to the loud noises within. They just shrugged and went on about their business. Li called to both of them that breakfast would be ready in 15 minutes.
Downstairs
Everyone was sitting at the table, ready to eat. The only ones that weren't present were Rob and Sakura, who were on their way. Rob encountered Sakura in the hall and walked her in. They sat next to each other at the breakfast table.
"Rob, I'm sorry about barging in like that" Sakura said to him.
"Don't worry about it. I can't say that I didn't enjoy the interruption..." Rob said as he smiled at her.
Sakura just glared at him, "NOT funny."
"Well, I have to admit that it did wake me up" Rob teased her some more.
"You just have to tease me, don't you?" she asked.
"Feel honored, I only tease the people I like" he commented.
"Yeah, I feel really honored..." she muttered to herself.
"Hey! You don't tease me" Meiling chimed in.
"I barely know you. I'm afraid of offending you" he explained.
"You were quite offensive yesterday, why would now be any different" Meiling teased.
"An outdated code of chivalry that tends to do me more harm than good" he replied.
"Ah. Well, feel free to tease me anytime!" she chirped.
Rob noted that and began to eat.
"Shouldn't we say grace?" Li asked?
"I AM a god, what do you need to pray to another one for? If you like, you can pray and I'll pass it along" Rob commented as he continued to eat. He must have had a lot of practice talking with his mouth full. Li just stared at him for a moment.
"Oooook then, Let's eat!" Syaoran finally announced and everyone soon joined Rob in chowing down.
Twenty minutes later, everyone was full and recovering on the living room couches. They were talking about school and Christmas vacation.
"So, Meiling, will you be enrolling in school?" Sakura asked.
"No, I'm only here for a week of school so I don't see the point. I'll come to soccer and cheerleading practice if you like, though." she replied.
"Sakura doesn't cheerlead anymore, unfortunately. Soccer is also over for the year, too cold." Tomoyo told her.
"Ah, that's too bad Sakura," Meiling turned to her cousin, "and too bad that you can't show off your skills, right?"
"Yeah, it's a real pity. I was really looking forward to dazzling all of the Japanese girls...." Li stopped suddenly once he realized what he said, "and I like to really annoy them by telling them that I'm taken by the most wonderful girl in the world!" The last part he said unsurely.
"It's alright Li, your leash isn't quite that short" Sakura commented, but shot him a cold glare anyway. Everyone laughed when he shivered under her gaze.
"Good thing that I have enough sense to not to do to my girlfriend" Eriol added.
"True, he knows that I'd beat him up!" Tomoyo playfully punched his arm as she said that.
They all laughed but Eriol stopped them, "Don't laugh, she isn't joking. Look at this bruise!" He stood and lifted his shirt to reveal a large, purple bruise on his side.
"You got that when Nakuru glomped you thinking you were Touya!" Tomoyo explained hurriedly.
"Sure he did, I know you Tomoyo" Sakura teased her friend.
"I'm a lover, not a fighter!" Tomoyo quoted.
"True, I have first hand knowledge" Eriol said.
"Ooooh! My man Eriol is gettin' it ON!" Li teased his ancestor.
Tomoyo looked a bit, well, horrified by this exchange. "What, um, uh, NO!"
Everyone just giggled at her. Soon, even Tomoyo joined in on the laughter.
"Well, guys, I hate to talk shop after a nice round of fun teasing, but we need to plan a strategy" Rob said after a pause. Everyone had been avoiding the subject, but knew that they needed to plan something.
"Yes. What can you tell us?" Eriol inquired.
"It is called Akuma. He is an ancient force of pure evil that comes around every few hundred years. Normally a god can get to him and put him down quickly, but he has hidden himself too well this time" Rob explained.
"How was he defeated last time and who defeated him?" Li asked, "Perhaps he or she can give us some pointers."
"That is not an option. The last one to defeat him was the Goddess of Life, who I destroyed to acquire my position" Rob told them.
"You destroyed a goddess?" Sakura asked surprised, "As a mortal?"
"Yes. I prefer not to talk about that day. It was one of the worst days of my life," he shut his eyes trying to drive away the memory of what happened, "But yes, even as a mortal I am very powerful. In fact, I was only using my mortal strength when I defeated Meiling."
"Defeated me? You beat the living daylights out of me!" Meiling called playfully.
"True..." Rob smiled at her, "We can go another round as soon as you're ready."
"Nah, that's alright" she replied quickly.
"So, will you all be powerful enough to handle him?" Tomoyo asked.
"I hope so" Rob whispered.
They continued to talk and formulated a few strategies to use in dire situations. Most of which focused only letting the only immortal among them fight while they used all of their magical energy to protect themselves. Of course, Rob had a special contingency plan just in case he was not strong enough to defeat Akuma. He didn't tell them, figuring that telling them would make them rely on that as a safety net. They must fight believing that if they didn't do their best, they would die, which was completely true. rob excused himself to his room to meditate and perhaps gather insight as too what Akuma was doing.
"Well, Tomoyo, I guess we'd better do something to cheer us up!" Sakura announced to her friend.
"Yep, but what could we possibly do?" she asked with a sly smile on her face.
"Would could go... SHOPPING!" Sakura squealed. Tomoyo squealed happily and hugged her friend. They soon went out to Sakura's pink Bug and headed for the mall.
Mall
Tomoyo and Sakura were both walking around the mall, checking out a few of their favorite hangouts. Tomoyo picked up some jeans, a few tops, and a rather impressive pair of stretchy pants with illusion glitter (it changes color depending on the angle of the light hitting it). Sakura got a new jacket and a few long-sleeved shirts. They soon found themselves in front of a new costume store and Tomoyo pulled her friend inside.
"Tomoyo, what is up with you and costumes lately?" Sakura asked.
"I don't know, but I know I like it!" she replied.
Sakura put on a pair of fairy wings and turned to her friend, "How's this?"
"Kawaii! But, overdone," she grabbed a more substantial set of angel's wings and gave them to her friend.
"Thanks!" Sakura thanked (duh) as she put them on.
"You look so sugoi!"
"Hehe, thanks Tomoyo."
Tomoyo got an idea and grabbed a few items, then handed them to Sakura. "Ok Sakura, you've tried my Vampire costume, so go try this on!"
"Uh, ok..." Sakura said as she went into the dressing room.
She looked at the items given to her and blushed. Tomoyo really had a knack for dressing her in skimpy clothes. All she had was a barely-there robe, a white thong, and a set of angel wings. She also found a golden chain among the items. She knew that if she didn't come out dressed properly that Tomoyo wouldn't let her leave until she was, so she changed reluctantly.
Sakura emerged a few minutes later. Tomoyo was beginning to wonder if she would come out. That was definitely one of the skimpiest outfits that she'd ever picked out for her, and she wanted Sakura to wear it in a public place. She was ecstatic when an angel left the dressing room. Sakura had on the white robe that was really more like a long strip of cloth sewn in certain spots. It barely covered her breasts and other private areas. It was too thin to cover much, so the entire side of her body was visible. From each side of her ankle up to her shoulders was all visible skin. The golden chain was wrapped around her waist, then up to circle around her neck, the chain dangling slightly in her cleavage. Sakura's wings completely the sexy angelic look. Tomoyo complimented her and Sakura went back in to change back into her street clothes. What Tomoyo didn't know was that Sakura was planning her revenge.
Sakura stepped out, "You done embarrassing me today?"
"Maybe, what's it to you?"
"If you weren't my best friend..."
"...I couldn't make you do all kinds of kawaii stuff!" Tomoyo finished for her friend.
"Hmmmm, how about a little revenge?"
"W-what do you mean?"
Sakura gathered up some items then shoved them into Tomoyo's hands. She obediently walked into the dressing room and got dressed. As soon as Tomoyo was out of sight, Sakura ran out and bought a camera with a giggle.
Tomoyo had the same look as Sakura did when she looked at the clothes given to her. Tomoyo was left with what appeared to be a Cleopatra outfit. It consisted of a tan unitard, which was quite tight, and some golden chain mail-like articles. She also had a set of sandals and a crown. Tomoyo disrobed and put on the costume. It was very formfitting, but didn't show anywhere near as much as Sakura's angel outfit. She finally understood exactly how embarrassing it must be for her poor Sakura. Tomoyo sighed and walked out comfortably. She met her friend and struck a very seductive pose for her. A flash of light then suddenly blasted her.
"What was that?" Tomoyo asked.
"Just the camera I bought next door" Sakura explained.
"Oh, ok..... A CAMERA!?"
"Yes, I want to show Eriol just how hot you really are!"
Tomoyo glared at her friend, then snatched the camera from her. "Fine, but I have to show Rob and Syaoran just how hot YOU are!"
Sakura giggled then agreed.
They spent half an hour at the store trying on different costumes and taking pictures for the guys. They'd only wished that Meiling had come. Afterward, they picked up a few costume accessories and headed home. Of course, they also stopped to develop all of their pictures on the way.
Eriol's House, Meditation Chamber
Rob had been meditating silently for hours. Meiling was beginning to get worried, but each time she tried to enter, a surge of energy knocked her away from the door. Eriol was slightly worried, but only because Rob's aura had undergone odd changes. Its color and intensity varied greatly in the past hour especially. Finally, he sensed his aura return to normal. Meiling was ready to great the being who left the chamber. But, this being did not wish to be welcomed.
Shinigami, not Rob, stepped from the chamber. His black wings were folded tightly against his back and his golden braid snaked down his front side.
"Hey Rob! Uh, what's with the new look?" Meiling questioned.
Rob simply glared at her and moved past.
"Rob, what's wrong?"
Rob completely ignored her and continued to walk.
Meiling was a bit concerned so she put a hand on his shoulder and asked him, "Is there anything wrong?"
Rob snapped his head to look at her and gave her a venomous glare.
Meiling was surprised and withdrew her hand on instinct. She figured that he would never do anything to hurt her, so she took a risk and hugged him tightly.
He stopped and looked down at her emotionlessly. He flared his aura strongly. So strong that She instantly flew back several feet, landing on her back. She then just watched the god walk away.
"We're here!" Sakura walked into Eriol's house and yelled.
"Yeah, and we brought presents!" Tomoyo called.
They then sighted Shinigami walk through the halls. Sakura dropped her bags and ran over.
"Shinigami-sama, what's wrong?" she asked.
He stared at her briefly then replied, "I have sensed an evil building, and I may require you, Eriol, and Li to assist me."
Sakura nodded then went upstairs to change into a new battle suit that Tomoyo had designed. She was going back downstairs as both Eriol and Li were running up to change. She heard Eriol call Nakuru and Suppi. She similarly called Kero and Yue telepathically. She ended up nearly bumping into Shinigami, who was waiting just inside the front door.
"Is it Akuma?" she asked the god.
"No, however it is one of his more powerful minions."
"Will we be able to beat it?" she asked.
"Yes, it should offer little resistance."
"That's good to know" Sakura commented as she heard Eriol and Li come back down.
"We fly" Shinigami said simply as he walked out the door and spread his wings, ready to take off.
"Kero isn't here yet, we don't have enough wings" Sakura told Shinigami.
"Use Fly on Li" he replied.
She did as she was told, but then asked, "How am I going to fly?"
Shinigami seemed to just appear behind Sakura and grabbed her by the waist. She let out a yelp of surprise as he immediately took off holding the sorceress. Li didn't like how the god was holding her, but knew that he could do little about it.
Soon, Kero and Yue joined them in the sky. Kero flew under Shinigami and he dropped Sakura onto her guardian. Shinigami was completely silent for the entire trip, making everyone else very nervous and crept out. They soon arrived at the battleground and soon a very dark aura made its presence known.
"I am Tsulao, my master Akuma has sent me to destroy you" it spoke.
"If you want us, come and get us!" Li yelled.
Tsulao glanced at a timepiece, "No, I will give you thirty minutes to prepare and rest. That is how gracious I am." He put the piece away and disappeared. I bubble of energy formed around the area, ensuring that no one could exit.
"The coward! Why does he not come and fight us now?" Li said angrily.
"Calm yourself, my cute little descendant. He has given us time and I suggest that we use it.
"Sakura, come hither" Shinigami spoke silently.
Everyone quieted and Sakura walked up to him. They conversed quietly.
"Sakura-sama, I have a way of strengthening you and your cards for the upcoming battle."
"You can?"
"Yes, but there is a problem. It shall take a minimum of 45 minutes to complete. You realize the problem."
"Yes, I do. But, surely Eriol and Syaoran can protect us long enough to carry out your plan."
"If I begin, I cannot stop until I hath finished. The effort will drain me. I will not be able to revive fallen warriors or help after I do it."
"Eriol! Li! Can you guys protect us from that thing for about twenty minutes?"
Eriol and Li walked over and Li answered, "Sure we can, or die trying. Why?"
"Shinigami-sama has a plan that will make me more powerful, but that thing will attack before we finish" Sakura informed.
"Alright, we'll start by arguing with it to give you some time, but we'll only last ten or fifteen minutes after the fight begins" Eriol estimated.
"That will have to be enough," Sakura said then turned to the god, "let's do it!"
"Your book and key..." Shinigami said, stretching a hand out to take them.
Sakura instantly gave the articles to him. "I may not have my cards," Sakura stated, "But I may be able to use MY magic to help you."
Eriol and Li nodded as Shinigami began to concentrate. He was soon enshrouded in his black aura, though it was swirled with bright pink.
The rest just waited around. Eriol was giving Sakura a few tips on how to use her magic supportively. It would take him too long to teach her to focus it into an attack, but this way she'll be able to heal them and restrain Tsulao. Li was practicing his sword with Nakuru. Yue and Suppi meditated while Kero gave himself a pep talk by promising himself all kinds of pudding if they win. All too soon, though, their thirty minutes were up and the evil returned.
"Well, isn't this pathetic," Tsulao said disappointedly, "The god has retreated and the most powerful magician is nearly powerless. Oh well, I guess that I'll won't have as much fun as I thought..."
Li smirked at him, "Don't worry, we'll have plenty of fun with you."
Tsulao got slightly angered and charged Li. Li parried easily and Eriol hit Tsulao with a blast of fire. Before the smoke cleared, all four guardians sent their strongest attacks in as well. They settled in a circle around the cloud of smoke. A gust blew the smoke away, revealing a smiling and untouched Tsulao.
"You think that will be enough to defeat me?" the evil one questioned.
"Well, we were sorta hoping" Eriol stated.
"An all out attack rarely works, especially when it's slow enough to allow your opponent to block!" Tsulao said.
"Then you won't block this time!" Sakura yelled as Tsulao tensed with his hands above his head. She was using her magic to hold him open to attack. His eyes widened as he felt all of the auras around him flare wildly.
"This'll leave a mark..." he mumbled to himself as a full barrage of energy attacks hit him and hit him repeatedly. Sakura released her hold from fatigue. A singed and cut evil being was very angry after being let go. He moved faster than they all expected.
First, he took out Li. He crept up on him quickly and knocked the sword out of his hand. Tsulao then kicked him to the ground. The evil caught Nakuru in a charge and she soon found herself on top of Li. Eriol tried an attack with his staff, but he missed and Tsulao kneed him in the stomach while he was off balance. He was then hit on the head, slamming him into the ground. Eriol was out of the battle.
Nakuru and Yue attacked together from opposite directions. They managed to keep Tsulao busy for a few minutes. Suppi and Kero were getting ready to attack once they were knocked away. Yue and Nakuru were sent to the ground and while Tsulao was smiling in triumph, another set of guardians bit into his arm and leg. He screamed in pain, but knocked Suppi away. Kero held him while his partner rammed Tsulao into the ground. All of this had taken about twenty minutes.
"Sakura!" Shinigami called.
"Shinigami-sama! Are you done?"
"Hai, here" he handed the book and to her.
They didn't look much different. The colors were darker and the golden trim was brighter. Also, the book now read "Goddess Book" and the Star key now had a sakura (cherry blossom) in the circle at the top. Sakura petals replaced the wings that were once there.
"Sakura, this change is temporary, so use the power wisely. I also need a moment to give you a quick power up."
"Go ahead!" she told him.
He grabbed her arm and she suddenly felt her aura become twice as strong as it had ever been. She turned to face her opponent and Fly gave her a beautiful set of wings, four wings. The cards now responded to her thoughts, rather than her calls. She entered the battlefield.
Tsulao was surprised when he was suddenly surrounded by white and blue flames (Fiery). These flames where so hot that he nearly passed out, but he stood his ground. He was then met with a large sword (Sword) that he barely avoided, but didn't avoid the kick (Fight and Power) that sent him sprawling. Before he got up, he found himself surrounded by five Sakuras (illusion), all circling at high speed (dash). One stepped forward and grabbed him from behind, three of the Sakura vanished leaving one to beat the restrained form (mirror). He broke free, but suddenly found himself unable to see (Shadow) or hear (Silent). All he knew was that he was high in the air (float) then was slammed down hard (Windy). He tried to get up, but was surrounded by a cage of rock (Earthy). He was suddenly blinded again by a bright flare (Light) then surrounded by darkness (Dark). He was then hit Hard by an arrow moving faster than he could have been ready for (Arrow and Shot). She thought that he'd had enough, so she combined Light and Arrow and fired it at Tsulao. The arrow of light pierced his heart and he disintegrated. (For those of you who were too lazy to count, she just used 16 distinct cards in quick succession without verbally calling for them.)
She stood over were the evil was, then the energy that had been given to her left her. Her eyes rolled into her head and Shinigami used his last remaining strength to catch her before she hit the ground.
"Will she be alright?" Syaoran asked.
Shinigami only nodded his head.
"Good, we should get her home to rest" Eriol said, limping over and holding his head.
"I'll take her..." Shinigami said as he picked her up and took flight.
Everyone just watched him leave and left their own ways.
Kinomoto Household
Sakura and Rob were alone in her room. He had just laid her in her bed and sat on a comfortable chair to sleep and keep watch over her. Just as he was about to drift off...
"Robbie?"
"Yes Sakura?"
"You said that you defeated the Goddess of life to become the god of death."
"Hai" he said as a tear rolled down his cheek, remembering that day.
"If you don't mind my asking, what happened?"
"It was a very sad and horrible day for me."
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked..."
"No, I'll tell you. Go to sleep and I'll show you in a dream."
"Alright" Sakura said as she curled up. She soon fell asleep.
Rob walked over and sat on her bed. He placed his hand on the back of her neck, giving her the memory of what happened.
Sakura's Dream / Rob's Flashback
Sakura opened her eyes to be inside a dark cave. She thought that it was a normal cave, but she then began to see its size as her eyes adjusted. It was massive and contained a large lake that let out an eerie, orange glow. This was Rob's home, his birthplace. "This is how it looked before..." It soon turned into a ruined city aflame. The buildings were collapsed and broken and all of the life that she'd felt was gone, except for one boy. She walked up to that boy and instantly recognized him. "This is how it looked after, all because of that poor boy..."
"But," Sakura said unbelievingly, "That's you, Rob."
Fin Chapter Seven
We finally get to know something of Rob's past. It seems that he was quite powerful, but very destructive. Will Sakura see a side of him that she shouldn't? Find out next chapter!
Without Further adieu, I thank my reviewers and continue my story.
Chapter Seven
They woke up late, around eleven, that morning. Meiling was worn out from the fight, Sakura was worn out mentally from her own problems, Tomoyo and Eriol were too content in each other's arms to wake up early, and Rob was just plain lazy. Li got up early from habit and trained for a few hours with his sword. He sensed that Sakura and Rob were about to wake up, so he decided to start on dinner. Sakura got up and decided to get a shower.
She stepped into the hot water and allowed the heat to wrap around her and comfort her. Even if the Rob and Li predicament flopped, her shower wouldn't leave her! She gently washed herself and sang softly as she toweled off. She knew that her door was locked, so she left the towel and walked out the door into her room completely naked. What she didn't realize was that she came in through the door on the left and exited through the one on the right. Nor did she know that her room and Rob's room shared that bathroom. She opened the door with her eyes closed; she was still a little tired.
Rob was listening to Sakura shower, waiting for her to finish. He heard the water stop, so he drowsily climbed out of bed and disrobed. He grabbed a towel and waited for the sound of the other door opening and closing, signaling Sakura's departure. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily, trying to rid himself of exhaustion. He was extremely surprised when something hit him.
Rob and Sakura's eyes snapped open and looked at each other in horror. Each other's bodies didn't horrify them, but rather that they'd accidentally bumped into to each other naked. They both screamed in unison, "AAAAAAAAH!"
"What are you doing in my room naked!?" she yelled at him.
"This is my room! You just barged in!"
"This can't be your room, now get out!"
"Sakura, our rooms share a bathroom! See that door?" he pointed through the bathroom to her room's door, "That's your room."
Sakura realized that he was right and dashed into the bathroom, slamming his door, then her own. Rob just sighed to himself and went in for his shower.
The other tenants heard the commotion and ran up to see what the matter was. Sakura admitted Tomoyo into her room as she dressed and told her the whole story.
"So you walked out the wrong door into Rob's room, completely naked?" Tomoyo giggled as she recapped her story.
"It's not funny!"
"Oh, but it is!"
"It was totally embarrassing!"
"That's what makes it funny.
"TOMOYO!"
"I'm sorry Sakura-chan, but I think that it's funny."
They heard a knock at Sakura's bathroom door, then a muffled voice, "Sakura, is it my turn to barge in to your room naked?"
"No!" Sakura called back with an edge of anger in her voice.
"You can see her naked tomorrow!" Tomoyo called.
"Ok, see you later then..." the voice trailed off.
Sakura looked at her friend, horrified.
"Don't worry," her amethyst-eyed friend reassured, "we were only kidding."
"You had better have been kidding" Sakura muttered.
"So, was he hot?"
"TOMOYO!"
"What? I'm a teenager, I have right to be curious."
"Well..."
"Well what?"
"He was kind of hot..."
"Just kind of?"
"Well, yeah, kind of..."
"Sakura"
"Alright, he was hot! Jeez, do you always have to be so stubborn?"
"Hai, I do"
Sakura growled at her friend, "I'll have my revenge!"
"Oh yeah, how?"
"Like this!" Sakura jumped on her friend and started to tickle her. Tomoyo collapsed in giggles and soon broke out in loud laughter. Outside, everyone was just staring at the door, listening to the loud noises within. They just shrugged and went on about their business. Li called to both of them that breakfast would be ready in 15 minutes.
Downstairs
Everyone was sitting at the table, ready to eat. The only ones that weren't present were Rob and Sakura, who were on their way. Rob encountered Sakura in the hall and walked her in. They sat next to each other at the breakfast table.
"Rob, I'm sorry about barging in like that" Sakura said to him.
"Don't worry about it. I can't say that I didn't enjoy the interruption..." Rob said as he smiled at her.
Sakura just glared at him, "NOT funny."
"Well, I have to admit that it did wake me up" Rob teased her some more.
"You just have to tease me, don't you?" she asked.
"Feel honored, I only tease the people I like" he commented.
"Yeah, I feel really honored..." she muttered to herself.
"Hey! You don't tease me" Meiling chimed in.
"I barely know you. I'm afraid of offending you" he explained.
"You were quite offensive yesterday, why would now be any different" Meiling teased.
"An outdated code of chivalry that tends to do me more harm than good" he replied.
"Ah. Well, feel free to tease me anytime!" she chirped.
Rob noted that and began to eat.
"Shouldn't we say grace?" Li asked?
"I AM a god, what do you need to pray to another one for? If you like, you can pray and I'll pass it along" Rob commented as he continued to eat. He must have had a lot of practice talking with his mouth full. Li just stared at him for a moment.
"Oooook then, Let's eat!" Syaoran finally announced and everyone soon joined Rob in chowing down.
Twenty minutes later, everyone was full and recovering on the living room couches. They were talking about school and Christmas vacation.
"So, Meiling, will you be enrolling in school?" Sakura asked.
"No, I'm only here for a week of school so I don't see the point. I'll come to soccer and cheerleading practice if you like, though." she replied.
"Sakura doesn't cheerlead anymore, unfortunately. Soccer is also over for the year, too cold." Tomoyo told her.
"Ah, that's too bad Sakura," Meiling turned to her cousin, "and too bad that you can't show off your skills, right?"
"Yeah, it's a real pity. I was really looking forward to dazzling all of the Japanese girls...." Li stopped suddenly once he realized what he said, "and I like to really annoy them by telling them that I'm taken by the most wonderful girl in the world!" The last part he said unsurely.
"It's alright Li, your leash isn't quite that short" Sakura commented, but shot him a cold glare anyway. Everyone laughed when he shivered under her gaze.
"Good thing that I have enough sense to not to do to my girlfriend" Eriol added.
"True, he knows that I'd beat him up!" Tomoyo playfully punched his arm as she said that.
They all laughed but Eriol stopped them, "Don't laugh, she isn't joking. Look at this bruise!" He stood and lifted his shirt to reveal a large, purple bruise on his side.
"You got that when Nakuru glomped you thinking you were Touya!" Tomoyo explained hurriedly.
"Sure he did, I know you Tomoyo" Sakura teased her friend.
"I'm a lover, not a fighter!" Tomoyo quoted.
"True, I have first hand knowledge" Eriol said.
"Ooooh! My man Eriol is gettin' it ON!" Li teased his ancestor.
Tomoyo looked a bit, well, horrified by this exchange. "What, um, uh, NO!"
Everyone just giggled at her. Soon, even Tomoyo joined in on the laughter.
"Well, guys, I hate to talk shop after a nice round of fun teasing, but we need to plan a strategy" Rob said after a pause. Everyone had been avoiding the subject, but knew that they needed to plan something.
"Yes. What can you tell us?" Eriol inquired.
"It is called Akuma. He is an ancient force of pure evil that comes around every few hundred years. Normally a god can get to him and put him down quickly, but he has hidden himself too well this time" Rob explained.
"How was he defeated last time and who defeated him?" Li asked, "Perhaps he or she can give us some pointers."
"That is not an option. The last one to defeat him was the Goddess of Life, who I destroyed to acquire my position" Rob told them.
"You destroyed a goddess?" Sakura asked surprised, "As a mortal?"
"Yes. I prefer not to talk about that day. It was one of the worst days of my life," he shut his eyes trying to drive away the memory of what happened, "But yes, even as a mortal I am very powerful. In fact, I was only using my mortal strength when I defeated Meiling."
"Defeated me? You beat the living daylights out of me!" Meiling called playfully.
"True..." Rob smiled at her, "We can go another round as soon as you're ready."
"Nah, that's alright" she replied quickly.
"So, will you all be powerful enough to handle him?" Tomoyo asked.
"I hope so" Rob whispered.
They continued to talk and formulated a few strategies to use in dire situations. Most of which focused only letting the only immortal among them fight while they used all of their magical energy to protect themselves. Of course, Rob had a special contingency plan just in case he was not strong enough to defeat Akuma. He didn't tell them, figuring that telling them would make them rely on that as a safety net. They must fight believing that if they didn't do their best, they would die, which was completely true. rob excused himself to his room to meditate and perhaps gather insight as too what Akuma was doing.
"Well, Tomoyo, I guess we'd better do something to cheer us up!" Sakura announced to her friend.
"Yep, but what could we possibly do?" she asked with a sly smile on her face.
"Would could go... SHOPPING!" Sakura squealed. Tomoyo squealed happily and hugged her friend. They soon went out to Sakura's pink Bug and headed for the mall.
Mall
Tomoyo and Sakura were both walking around the mall, checking out a few of their favorite hangouts. Tomoyo picked up some jeans, a few tops, and a rather impressive pair of stretchy pants with illusion glitter (it changes color depending on the angle of the light hitting it). Sakura got a new jacket and a few long-sleeved shirts. They soon found themselves in front of a new costume store and Tomoyo pulled her friend inside.
"Tomoyo, what is up with you and costumes lately?" Sakura asked.
"I don't know, but I know I like it!" she replied.
Sakura put on a pair of fairy wings and turned to her friend, "How's this?"
"Kawaii! But, overdone," she grabbed a more substantial set of angel's wings and gave them to her friend.
"Thanks!" Sakura thanked (duh) as she put them on.
"You look so sugoi!"
"Hehe, thanks Tomoyo."
Tomoyo got an idea and grabbed a few items, then handed them to Sakura. "Ok Sakura, you've tried my Vampire costume, so go try this on!"
"Uh, ok..." Sakura said as she went into the dressing room.
She looked at the items given to her and blushed. Tomoyo really had a knack for dressing her in skimpy clothes. All she had was a barely-there robe, a white thong, and a set of angel wings. She also found a golden chain among the items. She knew that if she didn't come out dressed properly that Tomoyo wouldn't let her leave until she was, so she changed reluctantly.
Sakura emerged a few minutes later. Tomoyo was beginning to wonder if she would come out. That was definitely one of the skimpiest outfits that she'd ever picked out for her, and she wanted Sakura to wear it in a public place. She was ecstatic when an angel left the dressing room. Sakura had on the white robe that was really more like a long strip of cloth sewn in certain spots. It barely covered her breasts and other private areas. It was too thin to cover much, so the entire side of her body was visible. From each side of her ankle up to her shoulders was all visible skin. The golden chain was wrapped around her waist, then up to circle around her neck, the chain dangling slightly in her cleavage. Sakura's wings completely the sexy angelic look. Tomoyo complimented her and Sakura went back in to change back into her street clothes. What Tomoyo didn't know was that Sakura was planning her revenge.
Sakura stepped out, "You done embarrassing me today?"
"Maybe, what's it to you?"
"If you weren't my best friend..."
"...I couldn't make you do all kinds of kawaii stuff!" Tomoyo finished for her friend.
"Hmmmm, how about a little revenge?"
"W-what do you mean?"
Sakura gathered up some items then shoved them into Tomoyo's hands. She obediently walked into the dressing room and got dressed. As soon as Tomoyo was out of sight, Sakura ran out and bought a camera with a giggle.
Tomoyo had the same look as Sakura did when she looked at the clothes given to her. Tomoyo was left with what appeared to be a Cleopatra outfit. It consisted of a tan unitard, which was quite tight, and some golden chain mail-like articles. She also had a set of sandals and a crown. Tomoyo disrobed and put on the costume. It was very formfitting, but didn't show anywhere near as much as Sakura's angel outfit. She finally understood exactly how embarrassing it must be for her poor Sakura. Tomoyo sighed and walked out comfortably. She met her friend and struck a very seductive pose for her. A flash of light then suddenly blasted her.
"What was that?" Tomoyo asked.
"Just the camera I bought next door" Sakura explained.
"Oh, ok..... A CAMERA!?"
"Yes, I want to show Eriol just how hot you really are!"
Tomoyo glared at her friend, then snatched the camera from her. "Fine, but I have to show Rob and Syaoran just how hot YOU are!"
Sakura giggled then agreed.
They spent half an hour at the store trying on different costumes and taking pictures for the guys. They'd only wished that Meiling had come. Afterward, they picked up a few costume accessories and headed home. Of course, they also stopped to develop all of their pictures on the way.
Eriol's House, Meditation Chamber
Rob had been meditating silently for hours. Meiling was beginning to get worried, but each time she tried to enter, a surge of energy knocked her away from the door. Eriol was slightly worried, but only because Rob's aura had undergone odd changes. Its color and intensity varied greatly in the past hour especially. Finally, he sensed his aura return to normal. Meiling was ready to great the being who left the chamber. But, this being did not wish to be welcomed.
Shinigami, not Rob, stepped from the chamber. His black wings were folded tightly against his back and his golden braid snaked down his front side.
"Hey Rob! Uh, what's with the new look?" Meiling questioned.
Rob simply glared at her and moved past.
"Rob, what's wrong?"
Rob completely ignored her and continued to walk.
Meiling was a bit concerned so she put a hand on his shoulder and asked him, "Is there anything wrong?"
Rob snapped his head to look at her and gave her a venomous glare.
Meiling was surprised and withdrew her hand on instinct. She figured that he would never do anything to hurt her, so she took a risk and hugged him tightly.
He stopped and looked down at her emotionlessly. He flared his aura strongly. So strong that She instantly flew back several feet, landing on her back. She then just watched the god walk away.
"We're here!" Sakura walked into Eriol's house and yelled.
"Yeah, and we brought presents!" Tomoyo called.
They then sighted Shinigami walk through the halls. Sakura dropped her bags and ran over.
"Shinigami-sama, what's wrong?" she asked.
He stared at her briefly then replied, "I have sensed an evil building, and I may require you, Eriol, and Li to assist me."
Sakura nodded then went upstairs to change into a new battle suit that Tomoyo had designed. She was going back downstairs as both Eriol and Li were running up to change. She heard Eriol call Nakuru and Suppi. She similarly called Kero and Yue telepathically. She ended up nearly bumping into Shinigami, who was waiting just inside the front door.
"Is it Akuma?" she asked the god.
"No, however it is one of his more powerful minions."
"Will we be able to beat it?" she asked.
"Yes, it should offer little resistance."
"That's good to know" Sakura commented as she heard Eriol and Li come back down.
"We fly" Shinigami said simply as he walked out the door and spread his wings, ready to take off.
"Kero isn't here yet, we don't have enough wings" Sakura told Shinigami.
"Use Fly on Li" he replied.
She did as she was told, but then asked, "How am I going to fly?"
Shinigami seemed to just appear behind Sakura and grabbed her by the waist. She let out a yelp of surprise as he immediately took off holding the sorceress. Li didn't like how the god was holding her, but knew that he could do little about it.
Soon, Kero and Yue joined them in the sky. Kero flew under Shinigami and he dropped Sakura onto her guardian. Shinigami was completely silent for the entire trip, making everyone else very nervous and crept out. They soon arrived at the battleground and soon a very dark aura made its presence known.
"I am Tsulao, my master Akuma has sent me to destroy you" it spoke.
"If you want us, come and get us!" Li yelled.
Tsulao glanced at a timepiece, "No, I will give you thirty minutes to prepare and rest. That is how gracious I am." He put the piece away and disappeared. I bubble of energy formed around the area, ensuring that no one could exit.
"The coward! Why does he not come and fight us now?" Li said angrily.
"Calm yourself, my cute little descendant. He has given us time and I suggest that we use it.
"Sakura, come hither" Shinigami spoke silently.
Everyone quieted and Sakura walked up to him. They conversed quietly.
"Sakura-sama, I have a way of strengthening you and your cards for the upcoming battle."
"You can?"
"Yes, but there is a problem. It shall take a minimum of 45 minutes to complete. You realize the problem."
"Yes, I do. But, surely Eriol and Syaoran can protect us long enough to carry out your plan."
"If I begin, I cannot stop until I hath finished. The effort will drain me. I will not be able to revive fallen warriors or help after I do it."
"Eriol! Li! Can you guys protect us from that thing for about twenty minutes?"
Eriol and Li walked over and Li answered, "Sure we can, or die trying. Why?"
"Shinigami-sama has a plan that will make me more powerful, but that thing will attack before we finish" Sakura informed.
"Alright, we'll start by arguing with it to give you some time, but we'll only last ten or fifteen minutes after the fight begins" Eriol estimated.
"That will have to be enough," Sakura said then turned to the god, "let's do it!"
"Your book and key..." Shinigami said, stretching a hand out to take them.
Sakura instantly gave the articles to him. "I may not have my cards," Sakura stated, "But I may be able to use MY magic to help you."
Eriol and Li nodded as Shinigami began to concentrate. He was soon enshrouded in his black aura, though it was swirled with bright pink.
The rest just waited around. Eriol was giving Sakura a few tips on how to use her magic supportively. It would take him too long to teach her to focus it into an attack, but this way she'll be able to heal them and restrain Tsulao. Li was practicing his sword with Nakuru. Yue and Suppi meditated while Kero gave himself a pep talk by promising himself all kinds of pudding if they win. All too soon, though, their thirty minutes were up and the evil returned.
"Well, isn't this pathetic," Tsulao said disappointedly, "The god has retreated and the most powerful magician is nearly powerless. Oh well, I guess that I'll won't have as much fun as I thought..."
Li smirked at him, "Don't worry, we'll have plenty of fun with you."
Tsulao got slightly angered and charged Li. Li parried easily and Eriol hit Tsulao with a blast of fire. Before the smoke cleared, all four guardians sent their strongest attacks in as well. They settled in a circle around the cloud of smoke. A gust blew the smoke away, revealing a smiling and untouched Tsulao.
"You think that will be enough to defeat me?" the evil one questioned.
"Well, we were sorta hoping" Eriol stated.
"An all out attack rarely works, especially when it's slow enough to allow your opponent to block!" Tsulao said.
"Then you won't block this time!" Sakura yelled as Tsulao tensed with his hands above his head. She was using her magic to hold him open to attack. His eyes widened as he felt all of the auras around him flare wildly.
"This'll leave a mark..." he mumbled to himself as a full barrage of energy attacks hit him and hit him repeatedly. Sakura released her hold from fatigue. A singed and cut evil being was very angry after being let go. He moved faster than they all expected.
First, he took out Li. He crept up on him quickly and knocked the sword out of his hand. Tsulao then kicked him to the ground. The evil caught Nakuru in a charge and she soon found herself on top of Li. Eriol tried an attack with his staff, but he missed and Tsulao kneed him in the stomach while he was off balance. He was then hit on the head, slamming him into the ground. Eriol was out of the battle.
Nakuru and Yue attacked together from opposite directions. They managed to keep Tsulao busy for a few minutes. Suppi and Kero were getting ready to attack once they were knocked away. Yue and Nakuru were sent to the ground and while Tsulao was smiling in triumph, another set of guardians bit into his arm and leg. He screamed in pain, but knocked Suppi away. Kero held him while his partner rammed Tsulao into the ground. All of this had taken about twenty minutes.
"Sakura!" Shinigami called.
"Shinigami-sama! Are you done?"
"Hai, here" he handed the book and to her.
They didn't look much different. The colors were darker and the golden trim was brighter. Also, the book now read "Goddess Book" and the Star key now had a sakura (cherry blossom) in the circle at the top. Sakura petals replaced the wings that were once there.
"Sakura, this change is temporary, so use the power wisely. I also need a moment to give you a quick power up."
"Go ahead!" she told him.
He grabbed her arm and she suddenly felt her aura become twice as strong as it had ever been. She turned to face her opponent and Fly gave her a beautiful set of wings, four wings. The cards now responded to her thoughts, rather than her calls. She entered the battlefield.
Tsulao was surprised when he was suddenly surrounded by white and blue flames (Fiery). These flames where so hot that he nearly passed out, but he stood his ground. He was then met with a large sword (Sword) that he barely avoided, but didn't avoid the kick (Fight and Power) that sent him sprawling. Before he got up, he found himself surrounded by five Sakuras (illusion), all circling at high speed (dash). One stepped forward and grabbed him from behind, three of the Sakura vanished leaving one to beat the restrained form (mirror). He broke free, but suddenly found himself unable to see (Shadow) or hear (Silent). All he knew was that he was high in the air (float) then was slammed down hard (Windy). He tried to get up, but was surrounded by a cage of rock (Earthy). He was suddenly blinded again by a bright flare (Light) then surrounded by darkness (Dark). He was then hit Hard by an arrow moving faster than he could have been ready for (Arrow and Shot). She thought that he'd had enough, so she combined Light and Arrow and fired it at Tsulao. The arrow of light pierced his heart and he disintegrated. (For those of you who were too lazy to count, she just used 16 distinct cards in quick succession without verbally calling for them.)
She stood over were the evil was, then the energy that had been given to her left her. Her eyes rolled into her head and Shinigami used his last remaining strength to catch her before she hit the ground.
"Will she be alright?" Syaoran asked.
Shinigami only nodded his head.
"Good, we should get her home to rest" Eriol said, limping over and holding his head.
"I'll take her..." Shinigami said as he picked her up and took flight.
Everyone just watched him leave and left their own ways.
Kinomoto Household
Sakura and Rob were alone in her room. He had just laid her in her bed and sat on a comfortable chair to sleep and keep watch over her. Just as he was about to drift off...
"Robbie?"
"Yes Sakura?"
"You said that you defeated the Goddess of life to become the god of death."
"Hai" he said as a tear rolled down his cheek, remembering that day.
"If you don't mind my asking, what happened?"
"It was a very sad and horrible day for me."
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked..."
"No, I'll tell you. Go to sleep and I'll show you in a dream."
"Alright" Sakura said as she curled up. She soon fell asleep.
Rob walked over and sat on her bed. He placed his hand on the back of her neck, giving her the memory of what happened.
Sakura's Dream / Rob's Flashback
Sakura opened her eyes to be inside a dark cave. She thought that it was a normal cave, but she then began to see its size as her eyes adjusted. It was massive and contained a large lake that let out an eerie, orange glow. This was Rob's home, his birthplace. "This is how it looked before..." It soon turned into a ruined city aflame. The buildings were collapsed and broken and all of the life that she'd felt was gone, except for one boy. She walked up to that boy and instantly recognized him. "This is how it looked after, all because of that poor boy..."
"But," Sakura said unbelievingly, "That's you, Rob."
Fin Chapter Seven
We finally get to know something of Rob's past. It seems that he was quite powerful, but very destructive. Will Sakura see a side of him that she shouldn't? Find out next chapter!