Chapter 19: The Fox Outfoxed
"Emperor," Min called the emperor staring outside. The emperor with his wise beard and sage like eyes turned his attention to Min. "Yes general Min…how can I be of assistance?" Min was carrying a baby in his arms, showing it to the emperor. The emperor wrinkled his brow in confusion. "What's this general?" the emperor carried the baby in his arms, trying to find out whose baby it was. Seeing no royal tag or special emblem on the cloth wrapping her, the emperor asked with suspicion. "Min, where did you find this baby?"
"In the desert," he answered, "Wuji had killed her parents, I decided to adopt her emperor, seeing as how I don't have a bloodline to continue my legacy for your highness." The emperor gave a wise hum, "Hummm!" sounding very wise and comical at the same time, "Adopt a girl?" he asked, "You trust the legacy of your bloodline to be in hold of a girl?" Min bowed down in respect for the emperor, "My family has served for his highness ever since the Tang dynasty," he said, "Our family has been part of your military forever, to mark the beginning of a new bloodline, I shall put her under the guidance of Clow Reed."
"Clow?" the emperor asked, "Why would you wish for her to learn magic?" Min took his baby back into his arms. "The Ho family has seen enough bloodshed for the empire," Min replied, "I wish not for my daughter to shed blood and stain her hands with the cursed water." Emperor stroked his long beard for a while considering Min's offer, "Then let it be so," the emperor replied, "She is your daughter, under general Min." Min put his left palm over his right fist and bowed, "Thank you emperor, you are wise and just." The emperor turned back to the window, looking out before his empire, "No thanks needed," he graciously accepted.
Min carried his baby and walked out of the emperor's chambers. The emperor looked out the window with anticipation. "Emperor!" another man walked in, "You have just bore two more sons from your concubines!" The emperor shot open his eyes, "Really?" he asked, "From which ones?" The servant bowed down and put out two birth certificates, this first baby that was born came from Ma Jen Wu, her son has been named, Ma Kuen Shuen." The emperor was waiting for the person to unroll the other certificate. "And who is the other?" the emperor asked anxiously. Unrolling the scroll across the ground, he announced the second name, "The second baby who was born, under the mistress of Li Yuet Lang, bore a child named Li Xiao Lang (Syaoran)."
The servant pulled out one last scroll with a bunch of writing and two lines for stamping the Heaven's Seal. "It is the mistress' wish to know which child will be in charge of which." The emperor took out his heavy Heaven's Seal and dipped it in red ink. "The first child, Ma Kuen Shuen will succeed the throne of emperor after my first son, who I feel is corrupt." The man took out another scroll where it required the Heaven's Seal, "And the second child?" The emperor dipped his seal in red ink and stamped the second scroll. "Li Syaoran will be the general after Min retires, afterwhich, he will carry the bloodline for his family by wedding his daughter."
"A wise choice emperor," the servant bowed as he backed off and out to the hall. "Min," the emperor said with his aging voice, "You have been loyal to me ever since the beginning of my reign, allow me to continue your bloodline, it is the least I can do."
End Flashback
"No Syaoran!" Sakura screamed running to Syaoran. Before she could get there, Wuji stood in her way. "Wish to get to him?" he said with a sick smile, "Then must get through me!" Sakura pulled out a card, "FIGHT!" Sakura ran up to him, face to face, and gave it her all. The fight card, enabling her to master the martial arts and beat the toughest of opponents was not doing so well. Every punch and kick Sakura delivered was dodged. Some moves were so incredibly accurate, yet, they missed. Sakura was getting suspicious.
Sakura Narration
With the fight card I should be at the same skill level Lung Da was at when he was fighting him. I remembered how easy Lung Da handled him, but now I am getting perfect moves off of him, but, somehow he's stopping me, or reading my mind. (Sakura grabs Wuji by the arm) "I've got you now!" He can't dodge this move, no matter what, I got him by the arm, it's impossible for him to dodge this move. "Dodge this!" (Sakura twists his arm and pulls her hand back, ready to strike the back of his shoulder and break his arm. Suddenly, the arm twists away and she no longer has a grip) What the? How is he doing this?
(Wuji turns around and punches Sakura in the face, making her fly a few feet away and returning the fight card back into card form) Owwwww! I don't understand, he couldn't have broken out of the arm lock, it's just impossible. Something is stopping my magic from getting to him, something is stopping me from attacking him with full force. What could it be? (Sakura looks around to see if there's anything different about the room. If anybody was helping him, suddenly, it snapped when she saw Syaoran) His armor!
End Sakura Narration
Sakura was bleeding in the mouth. The blood she was losing made her breathe heavily for air. Gasping for air and oxygen like she never breathed in a long time, she picked her head up to see Wuji approaching her. "He's got the armor protecting him from magic," she thought, "But armor is made of metal, and metal rusts. That's it!"
Sakura got back up, almost flimsily, her body was all wobbly from the fight. "WATER!" she called out shooting water from her staff. Wuji kept on walking towards Sakura, despite the water pressure pushing against him. The water stream stopped, and Sakura pulled out another card, "MIST!" she cried out. All of the sudden, the room was surrounded by humidity and green gas. Upon touching Wuji's armor, the mist disintegrated. Sakura thought she had failed when she saw no rust on the armor, suddenly, at the last second just before Wuji approached Sakura, she spotted a patch of rust right on his heart of the breast plate.
"That's the weak spot guurrr…" she said getting choked by Wuji. Sakura had let Wuji get too close, when he got close enough, he grabbed Sakura by the throat and pushed her up against the wall, choking her life out. Sakura struggled for dear life, trying to escape his monstrous hold. "Today is a good day," Wuji said, "Not only do I get to finally rape you. But I wiped out the last bloodline of obtaining my position."
Sakura kicked her feet continuously, trying to struggle out of Wuji's grip. She began gurgling and drooling blood. "As I look at your face now," Wuji said as his last words to her, "I see a bright future. Syaoran is dead, he can't obtain my general position, and the true emperor chosen by heaven, Ma Kuen Shuen, is exiled at Xin Jiang desert. I can rule all of China and finally get rid of all you annoying rebels. Too bad you won't be able to see it though." Slowly, Sakura fainted, her life was slowly getting drained away.
"Ahhhh!!!" Wuji screamed letting go of Sakura's throat. Sakura landed on her knees and coughed out blood. Trying to regain her consciousness, she tried to see what stopped Wuji from killing her. "What helped me?" she asked as she picked her head up, "Oh no! SYAORAN!" Sakura stared as Syaoran clung onto Wuji's back and stabbed a dagger right through the heart of Wuji's breastplate, where the weak spot of the armor was. "Die Wuji!" Syaoran yelled out weakly, still hanging on to Wuji's back, "Now you can't ever get to rule China." Wuji, struggling to get Syaoran off his back as Syaoran began to twist in the dagger deeper into his heart. Wuji roared with pain and threw Syaoran off his back with such force, that Syaoran's last act of life, was to help Sakura.
Sakura picked up her rod, and pulled out a card. "It ends here Wuji!" she said, "ARROW!" Turning her rod into a bow, she aimed it carefully at Wuji's heart.
Sakura Narration
Mother, father, Min, Lung, Tomoyo, Clow, Syaoran…all of you have suffered because of him. Because of him, our dreams have been harder to reach, our hopes have been shattered because of his tyranny, today it ends, today, we can honor all your deaths. I will let my arrow fly, and as it floats through the air I will wonder one thing, was it all worth it? Is it worth it to kill this man, to kill this freak of nature?
It's not worth our enjoyment, but for a better future, I will risk anything! "Goodbye, Wuji!"
End Sakura Narration
Letting go of the poised arrow to his heart, Sakura watches in slow motion as the arrow floats in the air. Every second, she endures the pain she has felt until now, she endures the pain from each loved one who had to feel it. As Wuji turns his head, he meets his fate. An arrow cutting through the air, whistling a tune of death, Wuji is hit in the heart with the arrow.
Wuji, stumbling back holding his heart, can no longer move or feel. The blood pours out of the arrow wound like a river of blood. Wuji falls down in pain, reaching for the sky, trying to say his last words, "My dreams, my world…taken from me, like I took it." Sakura saw his hand fall to the ground making a loud boom in the room, "It's over!" she said with a breath of relief, "We've won."
Slowly walking towards Syaoran, she kneeled down to his body trying to wake him up. "Syaoran," she said lovingly, "Syaoran, it's over. We won. We can finally make our dreams come true." Syaoran weakly opened his eyes while clutching his side, "At least you can Sakura," he said with a dying voice, "I for one can't make them come true at this rate." Sakura then felt her knees soaked with something. Putting her hand on the ground, she felt something cold and wet. Looking at her hand, she saw the blood that Syaoran shed in order to help her. "Syaoran!" she worriedly shook him, "You're not dying, tell me you're not!" Syaoran smiled closing his eyes, his strength could no longer keep his eyes open. "I want to Sakura," he replied, "But I no longer want to lie to you, I want to keep our promises." Sakura had tears drop out of her eyes, these were tears of anger, despair, and fear. She tried her best to choke them back, trying to see the optimism of this side, but she couldn't, Syaoran was indeed dying and she couldn't do anything about it.
"So that's it?" Sakura asked, "You're going to leave me?" Syaoran didn't respond to her question, knowing he should not waste his breath on stupid questions. Syaoran knew this was the time to seize the moment, even though he couldn't see nor hear Sakura's reaction, he reached deep into his pocket feeling for what he was going to give her. "I need to ask you a question Sakura," Syaoran said with his last breath. Sakura with anticipation waited for his question, but before he could ask it, he collapsed and finally stopped breathing from the loss of blood. Death, coming closer and closer, was now ready to grab Syaoran in mere moments.
"NO!" Sakura gasped holding her hand over her mouth, "You can't die Syaoran, you just can't!" She pounded on his chest. "Tell me you're not dead, tell me now!" No answer. Syaoran tried to pick up his hand, but he couldn't, death was coming all too fast. Sakura backed away from his dead body.
Sakura Narration
"Oh no! Syaoran, Syaoran don't die!" He can't die, he's Syaoran, we've been together forever, he just can't die. (Sakura hugs his head, apparently becoming lifeless) "Syaoran…" (she cries) "Giving up already?" (a familiar voice erupts from behind her shoulder, but no one is there) Who's that? "Who are you?" "Remember the gift Vung has given you, there is a reason for that." (Sakura checks her pocket) Mopan…weed? "Quick, Syaoran barely has little life left, better make good use of it." Lung? Is that you?
"Does it matter?"
End Sakura Narration
Sakura took haste, she unwrapped the package that Vung gave her. "This is mopan weed?" she asked looking at the purple-green plant. Sakura quickly ripped open Syaoran shirt trying to find the wound. She spotted a huge gash with blood still gushing out on his left oblique. Taking the plant, she rubbed it over his wound. Suddenly, Sakura began to see light colored sparkles as she rubbed, at first she wondered what it was, but then continued rubbing as magically, the wound started to clot and the blood started to drain back in.
Sakura kept on rubbing, slowly, Syaoran began to feel life coming back to him. When Sakura finally rubbed it all on Syaoran's wound, she began to panic. "Oh no!" she said, "I'm out!" Sakura frantically looked into the bag to see if there was more. Disappointedly sulking her head down as two tears dropped out. "I'm sorry Syaoran," She apologized, "I tried to help." "And you did!" Syaoran answered. Sakura shot her head up to see if it was true. It was…
Syaoran, sitting up looking at Sakura's emerald eyes, Sakura looking back into his brown ones. "Syaoran," she choked, "Syaoran…" Not wanting to say anything more with her joy, she hugged Syaoran with all her heart. It was light, but she felt it was very sweet and cuddly. Syaoran hugged back finally pulling out the box he had in his pocket. "Sakura…" he said pushing Sakura away, "Will you marry me?" Sakura, filled with tears of joy and victory, jumped on top of Syaoran, hugging him again. "Yay!" she shouted, "Of course I will!" she replied with zeal.
Syaoran felt eternal bliss, hugging Sakura for what seemed like forever, until suddenly, he was interrupted by a yell from outside. "Hey!" a voice shouted, "Are you guys up there, Sakura, Syaoran? You guys there?" Syaoran didn't want to let go of Sakura, but he reluctantly let go and held Sakura's hand as he walked outside the balcony and saw Touya carrying a soldier holding the white flag. "We've won!" Touya announced, with a smile, "It's finally over."
All the rebels cheered together in unison. The celebration had just started, looking back at the army of rebels and each other, Sakura and Syaoran held hands together as they looked at the sun begin to set through the balcony. "The setting sun," Syaoran began to say, "It ends today," Sakura continued with Syaoran's statement, "But it begins tomorrow!" Syaoran finished the statement and looked at Sakura in the eyes. Both of them stared at each other for hours as the sunset. When the sun finally tucked itself behind the hills, Syaoran's silhouette could be seen leaning against Sakura's, engaging in a deep passionate kiss for the ages.
The cheers and ovation got louder, but the celebration was far from over.
Quote of the Chapter:
"The setting sun, it ends today, but begins tomorrow." –Sakura and Syaoran
Meaning of the Quote: Gone today, come tomorrow. The forever cycles of the natural order of life.