~*~ Author's Notes ~*~ I'm SOOOOOOO sorry that it's been so long that I've updated but I've been under serious headache about this chapter. I feel like I've lost my touch with fighting completely and I guess I became scared for anyone to read it. My lil cuz said that it wasn't bad, although we both agreed that it needed more work and I just want to apologize. Also I wanted you to know, even though most of you won't care, but my Little Granny wants me to give up my writings. She said and I quote, 'You need to stop writing that crap and work more on your school work.' But don't worry, I will continue writing although I may only be able to post up once a week and I have to be careful to not write anything about my story around her.

Special Thanks ~*~ Moezy-chan ~*~ Sakura Sama Blossom ~*~ Emerald Blossom ~*~ Tomoyo-chan ~*~ Mysticalia ~*~ blueangelbaby ~*~ Firey chan ~*~ luckyducky7too ~*~ crystal-chan ~*~ Pnaixr0re8 ~*~ Shinigami Clara ~*~ lilsweetcherryblossom ~*~ Leena-chan ~*~ hana no tenshi ~*~ Mystress Tate ~*~ Yanddar Warit ~*~ Feyla ~*~ ________() ~*~ firefly

To the people who actually noticed, I did make a mistake. I said that the groups were Eriol, Boa, and Cobra and Syaoran, Sakura, and Tomoyo. Yet, on accident I switched Tomoyo and Boa, but since I have them like they are then I'll just keep them this way.

Chapter 28

You know that old saying "run toward the light (Ghetto Princess: personally I've always thought it was stay away from the light but my cuz says its run toward the light. Oh well.)," but this time I wish I hadn't. I hate it when I listen to those old sayings cause as I reflect on my life from these past couple of months I've noticed that al the sayings that are suppose to help you or whatever has just done the complete opposite for me.

No sooner had we burst out into the opening of the tunnel we were met the rest of the gang burst out of a tunnel in front of us. We stared at each other in bewilderment that's when I felt something click inside of me. We lead ourselves into a trap! Although it didn't seem like it at the moment.

I suddenly became alert of my surroundings. Craggy rocks imprisoned us in what seemed like a dome like structure as if it where some kind of dungeon. The jagged walls held gargoyle statues holding a torch casting an eerie red glow upon it's already bloodstained rocks, like in the tunnel Melin had lead us through.

I thought I had heard something that sounded close to the flapping of wings which seemed to rack my nerves. My heart started pounding hard up against my rib cage as I ever so slowly looked up above me, my whole body trembling and my breathes start coming in short and painful pants.

The rocky walls lead up to a gigantic hole at the top and at that exact moment time seemed to stand still. At first I saw an unfamiliar shadow block out what little sunlight that came through and pure terror froze me where I stood. My eyes widened and my mouth dropped in pure horror as an angry orange, red and black cloud of smoke and fire came rushing toward me. I breath caught and I could feel the heat coming at me with such a ferocity that made this look like some freakish nightmare.

I felt strong hands grab my frozen body and pull me back far back into the tunnel. The fire that had rained down upon us began to spread and gave chase. I could hear the fire's angry roar screaming after me and it's heat prickling at the tiny hairs on my arms.

"Sakura, we must hurry!" I heard someone call. I wasn't sure if it was Boa or Syaoran who had called me but I started to feel like an empty shell on the inside and nothing seemed to matter to me at that moment. All I knew was I was going to die.

I felt someone gives me a good hard jerk on my arm, causing me to let out a cry in alarm from the sudden pain that I felt, but either way it seemed to bring me back to my somewhat shattered senses. I forced my legs to work faster to try and escape the horrid heat that threatened to swallow me whole.

"There's no way we're going to be able to outrun this fire, everyone duck!" I heard Boa yell over the roar.

"Then we'll really get toast!" Syaoran shouted back.

"Just trust me! On the count of three drop to the ground! One! Two! Three!" Automatically we dropped to the ground and Syaoran had his body over mine as a human shield, and as romantic as that was I had the hardest time trying to breathe.

I waited and waited for the fire to come and consume us all alive and take us to our painful deaths, but it never came. Taking much effort I moved turned my head to the side and saw Boa. She was lying on her back with her hands high up in the air. Fire was coming straight at us but as soon as it got close it shifted upward, missing us completely.

"A force field," I heard myself breathe out in wonderment.

"Yeah, now lets just hope this fire passes by faster than this cause I'm running out of energy!" Boa said breathlessly. Who would have thought that Boa knew magic. I thought that she was just made weapons.

Just when Boa looked like she couldn't hold the shield up anymore the fire was gone. I saw her arms drop to the ground. Her body looked like it was bathed and sweat and her breathing were uneven.

"Are you ok?" I heard Syaoran ask me as he crawled off my back.

"Yes," I told him before taking a few deep breaths of the smoky air and wanted to gag, but my body needed air badly. "Boa.are.you.ok?" I asked still trying to catch my breath.

"Yes.Just a lit-little worn out.that's all," I heard her reply.

"How come you never told us you were a magic user?" Syaoran asked.

"I didn't want anyone to know. I wasn't sure if you would hate me or not, even though Sakura is a magic user, but she's a princess." Boa said.

"Boa, we could never hate you," I told her. It made my heart feel heavy when she thought that we would hate her because she uses magic.

"Yeah, besides I owe my life to you," I heard Syaoran say. "You saved the only woman I could ever love." He gave me a gentle peck on the forehead.

I saw Boa smile and that made me feel better, but then a ping hit me and I realized that this isn't the best time to talk about this.

"Well, I have a demon thing to fight, so if you'll excuse me." I said getting up and started walking back up the tunnel.

"Sakura, wait!" I heard Boa cry out to me. I stopped and turned to face her. "You mean, we have a demon to fight don't you?" she asked with a smile.

"No, I meant what I said before. I have a demon to fight. Touya told me that this was my battle and mine alone."

"Syaoran tell her that she can't fight the demon alone!" Boa pleaded.

"I wish I could tell her that. But it's true, she has to face him alone."

I saw sadness in their eyes as they watched me, and the way that they watched me frightened me. It was like they were looking at me for the last time. It's like they knew something that I didn't. Was I supposed to die and they weren't telling me?

Fear gripped my heart and it almost took over my whole body as well, but I pushed it back. I had to be strong, that was the only way to beat him.

What about the memories? I heard a voice ask me. I didn't know what to think except, that I've run out of time and that I would never remember anything else. The only thing for me to do is fight for all I'm worth.

I touched the hilt of my sword and turned around to walk back up the tunnel.

"Sakura, I know we can't fight with you but we'll walk you there," I heard Syaoran's voice say.

I stopped and heard their footsteps coming closer to me.

Syaoran's hand slipped into mine and Boa put a reassuring hand on my shoulder and we walked up the tunnel together.

Once again I got the feeling that time was moving slow. It was like we were entering the tunnel for the first time the only difference in it was, was that we were more careful.

"I hope the others are ok," I whispered to myself, and just as to answer my question I saw the others slowly emerging from the other side giving me relief.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSCCCCCCCCCCCRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEECCCCCCCCCCCHHHHHHHH! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everyone cringed and screamed in pain as the high pitch squeal filled the air. It felt like it lasted and eternity and that my eardrums were about burst.

When the squealing stopped I looked up and saw this huge dragon like creature slowly coming down through the whole at the top. It's body was at least hundred feet tall and fifty feet wide. It's skin was the color of night and it's eyes were as red as fire. On top of it's head look like four goat horns sticking up and it's wings were in the form of that of a bats only they looked raggedy and worn. The thing looked like it was smiling cause all I could see was sharp yellow teeth with dripping saliva that hissed when it hit the ground.

"Sakura." It hissed and smoke rolled out. It's voice sounded thick and heavy.

"Yo-You're the Demon Master?" I asked. At first I couldn't believe my own eyes I mean, he doesn't even look close to what the other demons looked like. He was a freaking dragon!

"It's been a long time Sakura," he said stressing the s, as he ignored the shock that was probably written all over my face, but it brought another question to my attention.

"What do you mean, 'it's been a long time?'" I didn't understand, I don't remember him at all and I'm sure I would the creature is scary looking beyond reason!

"You've grown so much since I've last seen you." His eyes grew brighter it seemed by the second, but then again it could be my imagination.

"What are you talking about?" Syaoran asked.

"Awww yes, I remember you as well Syaoran. You were such a little idiot back then, but unfortunately this doesn't have anything to do with you, and don't think I don't know how you are, Syaoran. Every move you make to help her she'll suffer," the Demon Master said with what look like could have been a grin.

Syaoran look like he was taken back a bit and I felt his hand tighten it's grip on mine. I squeezed back, I'm not sure if it was out of fear or out of trying to comfort him and myself.

"Everything will be ok, right Syaoran? We'll still be together," I whispered to him.

Syaoran opened his mouth to speak but the demon master interrupted. "Aww. how touching." he said in mock and started laughing.

My eyes narrow and my anger boiled. "Answer his early question. What are you talking about and then answer mine, how do you know me?"

"The silly little angel doesn't remember. well, whose fault is that?" the Demon master began taunting me.

Since he wasn't about to tell me what the heck he was talking the only thing I could think that he could be talking about is about when the Kingdom was at war. I was just a toddler then though and strangely enough I remember everything but seeing some strange dragon beast and a hoard of minions. "Listen, I'm getting impatient and I'm getting kind of thirsty for your essence so, can we just let the prophecy fulfill and you die and I win." the demon master hissed letting more smoke come out of his mouth.

I took one last glimpse at Syaoran and saw worry written all across his face, but I ignored it. For I all I knew he was just worried about me fighting the monster, heh, I'm scared. Yet deep down I knew that I had to be strong and that something bad was going to happen, but I pushed the feeling aside and accepted the demon master's challenge. "I may not know the whole prophecy, but I do know that I will never let you take over this planet."

The Demon Master chuckled causing more smoke to fill the giant cave even though there was that hole at the top. His chuckle even caused a few boulders, not rocks or rubble, boulders. I heard my fellow companions shouting on the other side trying to dodge the debris falling on top of them.

For a single instant the fear that I had kept pushed back sprang back to me full force, but almost as fast as it came I put it behind me again.

"Looks like the Princess is a little.angry.I like anger." he hissed and showed his sickening teeth again.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," I sneered pulling out my sword.

"Good.."

That's when panic started to set in. My surroundings started to become dimmer and dimmer until it became an unnatural darkness.

"What's wrong with Sakura?" I heard Eriol say.

"It looks like something's wrong with her eyes. Like she went blind or something.

"What's going on?" I asked panicky. "Why can't I see anything?" I asked. Then an image start to take form, blurry at first then it became clearer until every little detail about the demon master showed, but that's all that happened. No more images appeared.

"Relax. It's just one of those cheap and overrated black outs that only the fighters can see each other. Besides it's not like your going to need to see anyway where you're going." he hissed.

"You do mean, where you're going right?" I asked, my eyes narrowing in anger.

"So much like your pathetic mothers. Both of them are such a tragic creatures. especially your birth mother." he let his head fall back and let out a mighty roar of laughter.

That's when I saw my chance for an attack. I ran up to him with my sword drawn and aimed. I jumped up and was about to stick the sword in him, but he saw me before I could thrust. With a swipe of his claw he threw me into an unseen wall.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!" I cried out in pain.

"Sakura!" I heard Syaoran say along with footsteps.

"No wait Syaoran you mustn't!" I heard Boa yell out to him. I felt like fire was burning within me and it grew hotter with each step he took. I screamed out in pain again. "Get away from me!" I shouted out. I heard his footsteps stop and then I heard them again retreating.

" I told you that every move you make to help her, she would suffer." the demon master said.

I took in deep breaths as the fire within me cooled off. I'd have to admit it, Syaoran trying to help me took more energy from me than just getting thrown into an invisible wall. There's no way that I'd be able to fight the damn thing.

"What's the matter precious? Did little ol' boy hurt you?" the demon master asked in a way a mother would ask her child.

"Shut up y-" I didn't get to finish my sentence. The demon master swiped his of it's tail he hit me head on, sending me to another wall more painful than the last.

I didn't cry out this time. It would give him so much pleasure to hear my agonized screaming.

"And this game just keeps getting better and better! Trying to play the touch heroin are we Sakura? Tsk, tsk, so much like dead mother."

I slowly pulled myself up from the ground never taking my glaring eyes off of him.

"You know. now that I think about it I'm tired of playing. and mother always said to never play with my food," he grabbed my weakened around the waist. The dumb creature didn't have sense enough to keep hold my arms as well, especially when my sword was still in my hands, but hey! I don't mind too much!

I waited until he brought me up to his face to eat me and then when I was close enough I took my sword and jabbed it into his eye. I kept pressing until the hilt was almost embedded.

He screamed in rage and in pain and flung me into the wall once more.

"Sakura." I heard a voice say. It was beautiful, gentle and reminded me of an angel you hear about each Sunday morning.

I opened my eyes and saw the most beautiful person that I've ever met. (Don't blame me for this, but I forgot what Nadeshiko looks like. All I really remember is that she's really pretty ^_^) She had smiling eyes and long flowing hair that framed a flawless face. Even though I'm sure I had never met this woman during the years that I can remember, but I still knew that in my heart, that she was my birth mother.

"Sakura." she called again. I could see worry in her eyes now as she laid a soft and warm hand upon the side of my face.

"M-mother?" I asked.

She nodded her head before speaking again. "Yes, dear it is I. I have something that I must warn you before I have to leave," urgency entered her voice.

"Why must you leave?" I asked. There was so much that I wanted to ask her, so much that I wanted to say.

"Sakura child there's no time to explain. Just remember something for me ok?" she asked.

I sighed in slight defeat. "Yes?"

"Be nice, no matter what."

My brow furrowed. "I don't understand."

"I'm sorry Sakura, but I have to go. I love you!" That was the first and last memory that I had of my mother that didn't evolve the day she died.

"I love you to but.no wait don't go! Mother!"

My eyes flew open as I felt a sharp pain shoot through my body as my sword cut my leg and stood embedded into the ground next to me quivering. The demon master must have pulled it out while I was dreaming. was I dreaming? It didn't seem like a dream, it felt and sounded real as real can get. Yet I wasn't in danger and so it must have been a dream, but if it was a dream then why wasn't I hurt while knocked on conscious?

I probably would have though more on the subject but the demon master picked me up again and smashed me into the wall. I could feel the blood flowing from the scraps and cuts. Blood kept streaming into my eyes from one of the cuts on my head, probably from hitting the wall so much.

~ Be nice ~ echoed inside my head among the ringing that I heard. I felt my self being pulled backward into the air and then forward again to be smashed. I felt weak from the lack of blood.

"SAKURAAAAAAAA!!!!!!" I could hear Syaoran yell, but his voice sounded so distant.

After being smashed into the wall a second time he let me go and I crumpled up into a heap pile coughing up blood. ~ Be nice ~ I heard a voice say again, but I wasn't sure if it was my imagination or not.

"You're so bent on trying to be the heroin aren't you? Well since your so freaking bent on that then come on, I'll give you one last shot at me before I eat you alive!" ~ Be nice ~ ~ thoughts make him weak and dumb ~ those where the too thoughts that kept running into my mind. "Well, are you going to or not?" he asked getting impatient.

I give up! I pulled my sword out the ground and whipped t he blood and gore from it's blade on my tattered gown and put it away.

"No." was all I said.

"What?" he said in shock. "What do you mean 'no'?" he questioned in anger.

"Just what I mean. I'm not going to fight you." I closed my weary eyes and felt myself drifting to sleep. Now, I know what everyone is thinking, what the heck is wrong with you? Why are you going to go to sleep in the middle of a fight that you just so happen to be in? Well, I'll give you an answer. There's just no need for the fighting anymore. I'm tired and I think I know that it was my destiny to die so why fight it? The last thing I can do before I die is being nice to the most hated thing on the earth.

"Wench!" The demon master grabbed me and squeezed until I felt like I couldn't breath, but I didn't say nothing and I kept my eyes closed. I could hear my friends call my name and I felt their struggle to keep from helping me incase they caused me more pain.

Just before the demon popped me into his mouth I said my last words. " I love you all! Especially you Syaoran," then only so the demon master could hear, "and I love you to." I opened my eyes and looked him in his, "I really do, I said from the bottom of my heart.

I locked eyes with his and saw shock and terror feel his eyes. I continued to gaze into his fiery pits and just when I felt one of his razor sharp teeth on my leg I felt like something had hit me. Automatically my eyes closed and I felt a strong yet gentle winds surround me. Then I heard agonized screaming and opened my eyes. The darkness looked pastel blue. Screaming from demons filled the air and they began to slowly disintegrate.

I realized that I could breath and looked down where the demon master's claw holding me. Not only did I realize that I wasn't being held, but I also realized that I was floating! It startled me at first but then I felt like I've been doing it all my life.

Slowly the darkness that the demon master had created disappeared and I could see the cave and my blood on the walls, even all of my beloved friends all in blue pastel colors. A smile formed on my face with happiness.

That's when a bright light flashed from my body along with a sharp pain and that's all I remember.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~

When I woke up I woke up to Syaoran's sleeping face. He was clean looking, not like I remembered at all. Was I dead and Syaoran as well? Were we in heaven?

I sat up and a sickening headache and bile rose with me. Moaning I stumbled out of bed and ran into the bathroom where I threw up. Syaoran must have heard me or my moving disturbed him because when I emerged from the bathroom he was standing in front of me with a huge grin on his face.

"What happened?" I asked practically falling into his arms.

He pulled me closer to him and began stroking my hair. "You did it Sakura. You saved the kingdom and your mother. Not only that but you've rid the world of demons. You've saved the world and your finally home.."

"Home," I repeated and for once in my entire life not only did I feel whole, but I felt more.

Once again I would like to say that I'm really sorry about it being so late, but like I said, I've been scared to post this chapter. I know it must have sucked butt but it's the best that I could come up with so I'm sorry if it sucks, but I've had to write this when my grandma wasn't looking. Once again I'm sorry and I'm already secretly working on the Sequel so be on the look out for that and in the sequel all the answers about Boa and Touya become answered so keep on a look out!

Love you all ~* Ghetto Princess