Hey all! Back with chapter 9!
I'll make this short, ok: Let's get on with it, dude!!
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Sakura - - 17
Syaoran - - 18
"..." Spoken Words
*...* w/italics Thoughts
~~~~~~~~~ Scene Changes/Flashbacks/change in P.O.V
[...] Authors Notes
Disclaimer: The CCS characters DO NOT belong to me, ok! They belong to © Clamp...so please don't sue me!! ^^'
~No Strings Attached ~
Just in case you forgot, here's a review of the last chapter:
Sakura quietly gasped when she saw him fall.
*I've gotta help him! Even if he told me to hide... I can't sit back and do nothing while Syaoran gets beat up by this lunatic.* she thought as she began pondering a way to stop Odium.
Chapter 9: The Guardian is Revealed
Sakura reluctantly continued to watch as Odium mercilessly beat up poor Syaoran.
*What am I gonna do? I don't know how much longer he can take this brutal torture!* she thought, trying to devise a plan.
"Sakura..." whispered a small voice from behind her.
Sakura froze and let all thoughts slowly drain from her head.
"Sakura..." the voice whispered a tad louder.
Sakura stayed frozen in place, trying to steady her heavy breathing.
Then she felt a tap on her shoulder and heard her name spoken once more, only closer this time.
Sakura slowly turned her eyes in the direction of her 'visitor', allowing her head to slowly follow. Then she came face-to-face with a pair of large, black eyes.
"AH!" she breathed, jumping away from the black circles.
It was Kero.
"Oh my gosh, Kero! Never, ever do that to me again!" she whispered harshly to him while clutching her chest.
"Oops, sorry Sakura. I thought you knew it was me." he said, scratching the top of his little, yellow head.
Sakura sighed (^-^') out of relief and returned her attention back to the battle between Odium and Syaoran. Syaoran was off of the ground now and was clutching a tree for support.
"Kero, we've gotta help Syaoran! Think of something!" she whispered to the little animal.
Kero looked on at the battle.
"Whoa...who's the devilish guy in the black leather?" he asked, nodding in approval of the outfit.
Sakura smacked him.
"Kero, you're not here to look at clothes! This is NOT a fashion show! Help me!" she said desperately.
"How would you know why I came here? You didn't even know I was coming! So...there!" Kero cried softly.
Sakura rolled her eyes at him.
"Kero, not now, ok. We've gotta help Syaoran. He could die! I'd die if he left me...please, Kero! Help me think of something!" she cried, on the brink of tears.
Kero looked at her and then over at the battle once more; Syaoran was back on the ground this time.
"Sakura, this is a dangerous situation, especially for Syaoran...use the Cards, Sakura. It's the only way to help him."
Sakura thought about Kero's advice for a moment.
"But which Cards do I use, Kero? There's a wide variety, ya know!"
"Sakura, you're the Card Mistress, that's for you to decide. I'm going to help Syaoran until you're ready, ok? But be quick, I can't hold this guy for long."
Kero rose higher from the ground as large, white wings encircled him. A light shone from inside the cocoon of wing as Kero's transformation ended.
Slowly, the wings opened and the light ceased, revealing a massive lion with golden-colored eyes.
"Hopefully I'll return alive," he mumbled, walking toward Syaoran and Odium.
Syaoran was now paralyzed by magic and pinned to the ground.
Sakura watched as Kero made his way to the scene, desperately trying to think of something she could possibly do.
She allowed her gaze to fall upon Odium, who was busy snickering at the likes of Ceroberos defeating him.
Her emerald eyes scanned him: his black robes, boots, tunic, gloves, staff...
*Wait a minuet!* she thought hopefully, *That staff is where all of his magic power is coming from. If I can get it away from him or, better yet, destroy it, I can move in and gang up on him with Syaoran and Ceroberos!*
Sakura pulled her key from her neck and chanted the releasing incantation.
As the staff appeared, she grabbed it and held it close as she scanned through her Cards.
*I have to choose something that will be able to carry a heavy, wooden stick, AND withstand powerful dark magic...* she thought, while continuing to look through her Cards.
*AHA!* she cried inwardly, *'The Windy' can do it....but that wood looks pretty heavy, so maybe...yes! 'The Wood' Card could combine with 'Windy' and easily get the staff...at least, I hope it can.*
She quickly pulled 'The Wood' and 'The Windy' from her stack and shoved the rest back inside her pocket.
Then, she looked at the two cards left in her hand. Closing her eyes, she whispered softly:
"Please let this work, please let this work...you all have never let me down, so please don't start now."
Then she threw the Cards and cried:
"Windy and Wood, combine you powers and get that staff! Release!" she finished, smacking her wand onto the faces of the Cards.
By now, Odium had graciously forgotten Syaoran, who was lying on the ground, groaning in pain, and had turned his attention to Ceroberos. They were apparently trying to intimidate one another because they were only staring at each other harshly and doing nothing more.
Sakura watched nervously as Wood and Windy weaved together and flew through the air toward Odium. He only had time to look over, however, as Wood and Windy latched onto his staff and effortlessly extracted it from his loose grasp.
Sakura eyes widened in happiness as she ran toward the staff and grabbed it. Still carrying her own staff, she dashed over to Syaoran, who looked to now be unconscious, and faced Odium.
Her face turned dark when she set her gaze upon him.
"You...will pay severely...for the damage...you have brought...upon my life..." she breathed viciously through clenched teeth.
Odium merely smiled evilly and kept his dark eyes focused on Sakura's quivering form.
Slowly, Syaoran was coming to and noticed Sakura was next to him...no, wait a minuet...there's no way this could've been Sakura! This aura is...black...
*Uh-oh, not good.* he thought forcing himself to sit up.
"Sakura, it's alright, you don't have to fight this loser. Gimme his staff." he said breathlessly as he held tightly to his left arm.
Sakura's dark gaze hit him like a ton of bowling balls. If he didn't get that staff from her, she'd become a minion of the dark realm!
"Sakura, please, give me the staff. It's for your own well-being. Give it to me, now!" he cried desperately while trying to stand.
Sakura's already dark gaze turned harder as her eyes narrowed.
"I WON'T give you this staff, Syaoran! Well-being or not, someone's gotta stop him. You tried...now it's my turn!"
She then suddenly swung the staff in Odium's direction as a silvery bolt of magic shot out of it.
"DIE YOU EVIL FREAK! DIE!"
*She's getting outta control. I've got to stop her before she hurts herself. I'd die if I lost her...*
Then, something amazing happened...
~~~~~ End of chapter 9 ~~~~~
lol....j/k....I'm not THAT mean!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Then, something amazing happened.
Odium's eyes grew wide, but not because of the magic surging toward him, but because of the other thing he saw:
There was a huge burst of light and all went silent.
Syaoran emerged, fully rejuvenated, his gleaming sword in his hand.
Slowly, he made his way toward Odium, totally ignoring both Sakura and a stunned Ceroberos.
"I won't let you take her, Caligraphum. If you're so desperate to take another minion, take me. Her heart's too pure for your realm." he said quietly, but fully meaning every word of it.
Odium stood still, clutching the only injury he managed to obtain: one full length scratch on his right arm. He continued to stare wide-eyed in full disbelief, even though the light had vanished.
"This realm breeds insane beings...I am retreating...GLOQUMED!"
Then, with a burst of smoke and Odium still holding his arm, he was gone...
Syaoran smiled contently to himself and continued staring at Odium's former location.
Ceroberos, now having recovered from his shock, strolled over to Syaoran and sat in front of him.
"Marvelous job, Syaoran. You have fulfilled your destiny: you truly are the Guardian of Sakura's Heart. But, there's one more task that must be completed before all is well once more."
Syaoran nodded at him and turned to Sakura, who had been knocked out but the sudden blast of light.
Syaoran sighed (^-^') and walked over to her limp, unconscious form. He slowly kneeled and took her hands in his.
"Sakura?" He whispered softly while gently shaking her.
"Sakura, wake up."
Nothing. No response.
"Sakura must've had a magic overload. I think she's unconscious, Ceroberos. C'mon, let's get her to my apartment, I think it's close."
Ceroberos nodded at Syaoran and returned to his smaller form as Syaoran carefully picked up Sakura and carried her out of the forest.
"Do you think she'll be alright, kid?" asked Kero, solemnly.
Syaoran looked at Kero and then at Sakura; he smiled.
"I know she'll be alright, Kero...I know she will be."
~~~~~The REAL End of Chapter 9~~~~~
To Be Continued...
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YEAH! One more chapter (well, epilogue anyway) and this story is officially completed!! Well, I hope you all like this chapter and that you don't hate me for scaring ya with a cliff hanger ending back there (*lololololol*) OBkb, the epilogue will come quicker because I really wanna finish this story (not that I didn't enjoy writing it, just that I wanna get started on another story and I can't write more than 2 at once...I get confused and overwhelmed!!!)
OBkb, see u guys in the epilogue!
BYE Bye!
Questions? Comments? Advice or Suggestions?
Email me:
silvr255@bellsouth.net
:: OR ::
silverserenity2000@yahoo.com
::: legal stuff :::
Storyline © Angel: da Newsies fan
Title © JC Chazes of *NSync
Character © CLAMP
