Hello everyone.  I know that you're all upset that Syaoran might be dead.  I am too.  Sorry about the cliff hanger but I really needed to finish that chapter.  So far Sakura is unconscious, we've found out that Fey is Nisha and Syaoran got hit by Anuradha's energy blast. 

Also, The rating is R for this chapter.  There will be some mention of torture in this chapter.  It's not graphic but I just wanted to be safe.

So we continue our story.

***

The sounds of loud sirens filled the air as the ground returned to its normal state.  Only the faint smell of burning wood and a slight scent of venom left behind. The entire area had been cleared of people because of the floods, and the ambulance was on its way towards the clearing.

Sakura's still body was being cradled in Eriol's arms as both he and Kero witnessed the aftershocks of Anuradha's strongest attack.  Their faces were somber as they remembered their friend who was probably dead now.

Kero looked at his mistress and held back tears. He didn't hate Syaoran. It was just a habit he and the gaki had to name call and fight.  It wasn't anything serious.  He was actually fond of the Chinese warrior.  He'd protected Sakura so many times that he'd earned the respect of the guardian beast.

For once, Eriol wasn't smiling or smirking.  His cute little descendent was dead.  His aura was nowhere in sight, and no one, not even the magical, could have survived a blast that big.  He hadn't had the chance to get away. 

They'd been lucky.  Anuradha's barrier to keep them out also proved itself useful in protecting anyone outside the parameter of the blast.  There were holes in the ground from the acid the snakes had fired.

#Flashback#

Fire, water, earth and wind all collided together as the venom flew full force towards the struggling warrior.  A look of sad acceptance crossed his face.  He was going to die, and he knew it.

Kero and Eriol tried desperately to get through the barrier.  Trying to break at least a tiny hole for him to have a chance.  Nothing.  The invisible wall was weakened because the destroyer was no longer there, but still, they hadn't been able to break through. They'd watched as the scorpion-tailed man strangled the crazed demon teenager.  Pulled out her snakes fangs.  The howl she'd given in agony as his merciless and violent blades drew out the venom from their jaws.  He was definitely one of her former allies.  He had the same markings as she had, and his battle costume was quite similar. 

He hadn't even looked down at the energy.  Hadn't tried to stop it.  He was doing what he'd been ordered.  To take her away, nothing else.  The energy of both the venom and the elements were too strong for anyone to stop.

Xiao Lang had just stood there. Looking at the explosion with a blank expression. His eyes, the only clue to his true feelings. Regret, for not having had enough time with his love. Sadness. He'd have to leave his loved ones behind.  Fear. Of pain and the thought of dying, and acceptance. He knew he wasn't going to survive, and he was going to go out with his head held high.

Sakura was lying on the ground still unconscious.  Her arm was bleeding and she looked very beaten up.  He was glad she wouldn't have to see this. 

His friends watched on with horror. Screaming for him to get out of the way, to find a way out before it was too late.  He looked at Sakura one last time and then the explosion of energy hit. 

The earth rumbled at the sudden impact.  Eriol fell to his knees and Kero was thrown a few feet away.  The barrier was still there, keeping the destructive force from causing damage to the rest of the clearing.

"SYAORAN!!!!"

"GAKI!!!!!!!!!!"

#End of flashback#

The smoke still hadn't cleared, and they still couldn't see what had happened to his body.  Eriol gently placed Sakura back on the ground and started to tend to the bleeding wound on her arm. 

"Poor cherry blossom.  What will you do when you wake up?"  He whispered as he ripped off a piece of his shirt to act as a bandage.

"How bad is she hurt?"  Kero asked softly.  The look on his face was both gentle and heartbreaking.  His poor mistress.  She'd be devastated when she woke up.  Her protector wouldn't be there to greet her.

"Eriol??"  Both the reincarnation of clow reed and the guardian beast lifted their heads.  Standing in front of them was Tomoyo, Jin, Fu and Meilin.  All looking at them with concern and dread.

"What happened here?"  Fu asked, looking at all the rubble.  Jin walked over to Eriol with a small backpack and started to help him tend to Sakura's arm.

"It looks pretty bad.  I'll clean it up before it gets infected."  He took out a bottle from the backpack and started to gently clean up the blood from her wound.

"Where's Xiao Lang?"  Meilin asked.  Her cousin would surely be helping with his Ying Fa.  Eriol looked down to hide the unshed tears his eyes concealed.  The guardian beast bowed his head and refused to look at anyone.  "Where is he?  Why isn't he here?"

Everyone looked at the two expectantly.  Where was he anyway?  Eriol lifted his head and motioned for Fu to help his brother with the wound.  He got off his knees and walked over to the warrior's cousin.  Placing a hand on the girl's shoulder he sighed heavily.

"He's gone."  He said, refusing to look her in the eye.  Meilin stepped back.  "He was hit directly by the blast. He didn't have a chance to escape.  W-we tried to help him, but the barrier was too strong.  Sakura was already unconscious, and he didn't move out of the way."

Everyone stopped moving.  Meilin stared at him as if he'd struck her on the face.  Tomoyo held her hand to her mouth, trying to cover her sobs.  Fu and Jin bowed their heads as the information slowly sunk in. 

"Where is he?"  Meilin finally broke the silence.  She was asking where his body was.

Both the beast of the seal and Eriol turned to look at the wreck.  The hissing sound of venom burning into the concrete still crackled through the air, and the smoke still hadn't cleared.  She walked over to the edge of the debris and fell to her knees, crying hysterically.

"No, he can't be gone!"  She wailed.  Tomoyo ran to her, wrapping her arms around her and making soothing noises.  Meilin grabbed onto her for dear life and cried over her cousin's death.

"It's ok Meilin.  I promise it will all be alright."  Tomoyo said through her own sobs.  She knew it wasn't true.  Syaoran was dead, and nothing would be the same. Meilin had loved him. His friends, her included, looked up to him. Sakura. Oh Kami-sama. Sakura would be crushed. She was still unconscious, and would wakeup expecting to see him.  How would they tell her that the love of her life had died?

A strange silence fell between them as Jin and Fu finished cleaning up Sakura's burns.  They had already bandaged her up, and were now attending to the smaller cuts on her face and legs.

They all looked over to her, uncomfortable looks on their sad faces.  The card mistress was still lying there.  Oblivious to what had happened, and would soon wake up.  It was impossible to predict how'd she'd react. Would she be in denial? Cry? Scream? Beg them to return her warrior?  There was no way of knowing. 

Her burns and cuts were bandaged and she would need a lot of rest to recover her energy.  Between the running and the use of the cards, she was very weak; the wounds had drained a lot out of her as well. 

"Xiao Lang."  Everyone snapped their heads to look at her.  She was squirming and murmuring his name.

"Oh Kami-sama. What will we tell her?"  Tomoyo whispered.  She was panicked.  Her friend was in no condition to hear this.

"The truth."  Eriol came closer to her and watched as the card mistress's eyes fluttered open.

"W-what happened?"  Her voice was soft and uneasy.  Her big green orbs full of concern and confusion.  She had no idea what had happened.

No one answered her.  They just gazed at her.  She didn't understand.  Why were her friends giving her those looks?  Why were they giving her those looks of pity?    She looked at her arm, now bandaged.  She remembered the fire burning her; all the cuts she'd received were now covered in bandages. 

"Sakura."  Tomoyo came closer to her friend.  "Are you ok?" 

"Yeah I'm fine.  Why are you all staring at me like that?  Where's Xiao Lang?"  She asked, purposely using his Chinese name.

Again, no one answered her, averting their gazes.  Sakura looked at them puzzled.  Why didn't they want to answer?

"Where is he? Is he hurt?"  Everyone bowed their heads.  "Oh Kami-sama.  He's hurt isn't he?  Where is he? Maybe I can help him."  She scrambled to her feet, even though Jin motioned for her to stay on the ground.

She looked around.  He wasn't there.  Surely her friends wouldn't abandon him.  Maybe an ambulance had come, and they where waiting for them to come back for her. 

"Guys? Where is he?  Why isn't he here?"  She asked in an unsteady voice.  The others kept their gazes low as Kero walked over to her.

"S-Sakura.  When you were unconscious the girl who attacked, put a barrier around him.  H-he couldn't get out, she used a great amount of energy to create a powerful attack."  He breathed in slowly to stay calm.  "Sakura I-I'm sorry, he didn't have a chance."  He bowed his head in remorse.

Everyone looked up to watch her reaction. They were afraid. Someone with magic could be very dangerous if they were emotionally unstable. The news Kero had given her would definitely put her in an unstable state of mind.

She just stood there.  She didn't even blink.  Her eyes held no emotion, her form slightly slumped.  It was like she was processing the information Kero had given her.  Trying to understand a foreign language.

"You're lying,"  She whispered after a minute.  "No! It's not true. You lie! He's not dead.  He's not!"  She was breathing harder and looking at each person to confirm that this was all a joke. A cruel joke. She looked around, waiting to see her precious little wolf come out from a bush and everyone laugh.

"Sakura, it's not a lie.  Li-Kun is-is gone."  Tomoyo said as she started to cry.  Sakura shook her head violently.

"NO!  It's not true. He promised he wouldn't leave me! He isn't gone. I know he's not."  She closed her eyes and focused on his aura.  If she could feel his aura then she'd be right, and they'd be wrong.

She searched for his spirit, reached out for it. Called to him in her mind, but nothing.  No answer, no feeling.  Why wasn't he answering her?  Could they be telling the truth?

"Why can't I feel him?  I can always feel him.  Why can't I now?"  She said as she looked around. 

"Because he's not here Sakura."  Eriol said softly.  The card mistress looked into his eyes for a moment and dropped to the floor. Her knees and hand scraping at the rough and unforgiving ground.

No one moved for a moment.  Watching her intently and anxious.  The card captors aura was very strong right now and it was radiating a mix of emotions. 

"NOOOOOOOO"   She cried out as the tears started to fall.  "Xiao Lang!!"

She banged her hands into the ground as she called out his name.  Cursing the heavens for this.  Screaming and wailing the loss of her love.

"He promised he wouldn't leave me."  She cried out.  The ground in front of her was a puddle of tears and blood, as she continued her assault.  The sides of her hands were bleeding, and her cries became louder each time.

Tomoyo ran to her friend to try and comfort her, only to be rejected by hands slapping her away. 

"Get away form me!  Don't touch me!"  She snapped.  It scared everyone away.  Even Kero stepped back.  Sakura had never snapped at anyone.  She got mad at Touya for calling her a monster, but that was it.  Now she was cursing and yelling.

"Sakura, I just want to help."  Tomoyo said softly.  It hurt to see her best friend like this.

"Help?  You can't help.  No one can help.  My little wolf is gone.  He's gone."  She sobbed.  "It's all my fault.  HE'S DEAD BECAUSE OF ME."  She screamed, looking up into the sky, her face a river of tears.

"SAKURA!!"  Everyone turned to see Kero in front of her, his eyes full of anger.  "It's not your fault that he's dead.  Get that through your head.  I'm sorry he's gone.  I'm sorry you're in pain, but do you think he'd want you to act like this?  Do you?"  His face was right in front of hers.  She shook her head and sobbed louder.  He felt her head press against one of his shoulders and she wrapped her hands around his large neck.  Her tears sinking into his fur. 

"Why did he have to go Kero?  Why did he leave me?"  She cried into his golden coat as he nuzzled her with his head.

"I don't know Sakura.  I wish I did, but I don't."  He whispered as she cried.  His poor mistress was shattered into pieces.

The others watched as the mistress of the cards sobbed, her loyal guardian comforting her as best he could.

"She's still loosing blood."  Jin said.  "If she doesn't rest soon she's going to pass out again." 

As if an indication a series of gasps where heard from the girls.  The stress of finding out that her protector was gone, and the wounds, caused Sakura to collapse on the ground again with Kero trying to get her comfortable.

"Is she alright?"  Meilin asked as she got closer.  Kero nodded.

"She'll be fine, she just needs to rest."  With the help of Eriol and Fu, Kero got his mistress onto his back.  Sakura needed a hospital, and the ambulance was having trouble getting through.  The water had caused mudslides, and it was difficult to get anywhere.

"Let's get going.  We really need to get her some medical attention."  Jin said, everyone started to walk away.

"Keroberus!!"  A familiar masculine voice called from the smoke.

"Yue?  What are you doing here?  How did you get here?"  He called back to the other guardian. 

"I do not think that is important right now.  There is a much more pressing matter."  His wing was covering half his body as he walked closer to the group.

"What is it Yue?"  Eriol asked.  The guardian slowly lifted his wing and everyone gasped in shock.

"Kami-sama it's impossible?" 

***

(A/N This is the torture bit.  I'm telling you it is really mild, but still if you don't like that stuff don't read it.  You won't miss anything if you don't read the flashback.) (M: Wonders if he can get away with not reading it. No?… Oh well.)(K: Max co-write this section cause I let him adopt it.)

The sound of wailing screams filled the air as Bahul threw another punch.  He was in the vast training room, practicing his fighting technique.  His moves were graceful and faultless.  To the side sat Nisha, eyes closes and her hands draped across her lap. 

He stopped training and watched her meditate.  It had always been something to marvel at.  A powerful dark aura always surrounded her.  This session was being used for a different purpose today though,  she was blocking out the screams.

Their master had been at it for hours now. Or was it seconds? Time was irrelevant here.  Seconds could be years and millenniums could be minutes. The screams grew louder as the traitor's torture continued. She didn't deserve to be called by name.

"You're curious about what he's doing to her, aren't you?"  Bahul snapped out of his trance.  His mistress still had her eyes closed, her arms elegantly moving in small shapes.

"A little."  He mumbled.  He didn't like it when she read him like that.  Truth be told, he was curious, what could make the girl scream in such agony?

"Even the strongest warriors break at the treatment she's getting."  She opened her eyes slightly, watching his expressions.  "I've seen it."

His eyes widened.  Nisha had watched the pain inflicted on someone by their master?  He was known for his torture methods.  The use of simple things, to create excruciating pain.

"When?"  His low husky voice asked. 

"A long time ago.  When I was younger.  We still existed in the real world back then."  Her eyes were fully open in recollection, and she called out for him to sit. He did so with expectant eyes.  "Before our rule of the earth was taken away."

#Flashback# (M: *rubs hands together* here we go.)

A young girl, adorned in her dark green training gear walked into the bleak dungeon. 

A burst of nervous excitement shot up her spine, leaving a tingling sense of curiosity in its wake.

She shouldn't be here.

This was the master's torture chamber, a palace of pain.

The room was dark, bare shadows of light seeping through the thick glass of the high windows, usually no problem for the young apprentice's eyesight, yet, in this dungeon of death, she wasn't able to see through the darkness that veiled the space.

The residual traces of the broken auras, forever trapped in the dark dungeon, forever in search of themselves, clouding her feelings.

The room was brimming with pure hatred and raw agony.

How could she not be drawn to it?

Her growing wings were a brilliant shade of gray, obscured against the dark walls.

Her eyes, a light shade of silver, signifying her blood innocence. Yes, in her own way, even she was innocent. 

Aging blood stains covered the floor in a carpet of red.

Rumor had it, that the master, Elsu, came here often.

His face, always covered until he had a victim. The only people to have seen him, his lovers and his victims.

Her hand gently brushed against one of the whips on the wall.

The weapon fascinated her. It's unique sound as it snapped against the skin of its victim. The swift movements slicing through the air. Next to the sword, it was her favorite. 

Nisha could not wait until she had a torture room of her own, until she had an assemblage of broken auras haunting her dungeon with their dark presence.

A loud wail as the door was slammed brought the apprentice out of her thoughts.

She was going to get it if she was found here.

She ducked behind one of the large pillars, focusing on masking her aura, and watched as Elsu dragged a young woman, barely older than herself, down the stairs by the ends of her hair.

"Please my lord."  The woman begged as he laid her onto her stomach, chaining her arms and legs to the raised table. Nisha had to wonder if she was begging for him to stop, or to give her a quick death.

He didn't respond.

He lit the hearth, and took off his long cloak.

Nisha had to hold back her gasp.

The master was young, his eyes, glowing through the darkness, a deep emerald color, sharp and captivating, their depths endless, like a shattered gemstone.

They shinned with anticipation as he picked up a blunt metal rod from the rack.

"I've had you whipped, starved, beaten, dragged by a horse, and left dangling by your arms. I think its time for me disregard these primitive methods of torture. I tire of their monotonousness." His voice was smooth and charming. Almost soothing. Nothing like the menacing dark timbre that erupts from under the mask.

His hair wasn't long enough to be tied back, but long enough to need a cut before it was short enough to be called short. It fell over his eyes as he leaned forward to whisper in the girls ear, low enough that not even Nisha could hear him. No doubt continuing the verbal torture that she was taught should accompany any bout of torture.

The girl whimpered as Nisha continued to study the image before her.

The master's hair was a shade of brown she'd never seen before, it appeared to glow under the light cast by the flames.

He didn't look much older than seventeen. It couldn't be though. Elsu was supposed to be thousands of years old.

She was sixteen. It was impossible for him to be the same age as her.

"Torture is a form of art." Nisha was brought out of her reminiscent thoughts by the sound of his voice at his statement, speaking as if it were simple fact that every person about to be tortured should understand.

He thrust the end of the rod into the flames and left it there to heat up as he picked up a bottle of clear liquid. Nisha remembered hearing of a magical acid that was used to torture traitors along time ago by the predecessor of the predecessor of Elsu.

"This, little rabbit, is going to be quite interesting. The patterns I can make on your skin.  The agony you'll feel.  It's perfect. The ideal form of art." 

He poured some of the acid into a stone bowl as he continued to talk.

"Even after you die rabbit, you will remain here. Forever."

A sob escaped her as he pulled the rod out of the flames.

"You will break, and your soul, your aura will break also."

Seeing that it was only glowing red, he thrust the rod back into the flames and continued.

"That part of you. The part that you will lose will remain here, long after you have gone, long after I, if it is possible for me to go, forever to be trapped in agony. You will forever feel an eternity of pain, a pain so agonizing that I promise you, you will never be use to."

Nisha watched as he removed the back of the girls dress, catching a glimpse of the bruises and scars that mare her once pristine back.

The girl could no longer control her sobs as Elsu pulled the now white hot rod out of the flames and dipped it into the bowl of acid.

"Hush now little rabbit." He cooed, whispering in her ear, his voice like a caress. The girl grew quite, fearing what lay in store if she did not.

He kissed the girl's shoulder, his lips moving over her skin with such familiarity that it made Nisha wonder what the nature of the girl's crime against Elsu was.

At the first contact of the metal against the girl's skin she screamed in agony.

He slowly dragged the blunt rod against the girl's tender skin. The acid and the heat of the metal worked in unison to create colorful markings on the girl's skin, directed by Elsu's artistic hand.

The girl passed out from the pain, and he waited for her to wake up before continuing his torture, reheating the rod as he did so.

Nisha watched as the girl's aura started to darken, little cracks appearing along the edges.

It was already starting to break apart.

He made another line, and another cry was heard.

The girl begged and pleaded with the gods to let her die quickly, and a slight smile formed on Elsu's lips.

"Now little rabbit, we'll have none of that."

The image before her disgusted her.

She wasn't against torture. 

She was against this.

It was true, torture was an art form, but it was meant to be distorted this way.

It was meant for traitors and thieves.

Not for pleasure.

She saw pleasure in those green eyes and from that moment on she hated them.

Another agonizing scream was heard as she snuck out, unable to watch anymore.

#End of flashback#

(M: Isn't he a sick little bugger.)

"I would have thought you'd like that type of thing."  Bahul said, as Nisha got up. 

"Well I don't. I believe in honor. What he did that day was not honorable. We are to be graceful and proud. Not brute and blind."

"Is that what he's doing to her now?"  She shook her head. 

"What he did five thousand years ago was for pleasure. The girl betrayed him. She's going to get much worse. She'll be tortured for a decade at least."

"So, you saw his true form that day?"  Bahul was interested now. No one had ever seen that form.

"Hai, I have, but it is very different now. He has begun to age. Not much, but enough to change."  She grabbed a crystal glass filled with red wine.  "The only thing that stayed the same are his eyes."

"His human form, the one he used for his plan. Is it the same as what he truly is?"  She shook her head again.

"It's different. The eyes were the same, but his build was different. The way his hair shone. It was all different."

She started to walk towards the door. She had enough of this discussion and was now interested in the effects the card mistress was having.

"Are you going to go see what he's doing to her?"  He called out.

"Bahul, not even I have the strength to see what he's doing."

With that she walked away.

***

A loud rumble was heard as the thunder echoed its presence.  Droplets fell gracefully to the ground, forming large puddles of water.  The flowers reached up into the storm, drinking away their thirst.

Li Yelen stood on the balcony of one of the many terraces of the Li estate. Her eyes closed slightly as she felt the wind move.

"You feel it too?"  Liao Kuotian said, as he walked up behind her.

"So much pain."  She said solemnly. The elder was now right beside her.  She watched his expression. It was full of concern. "What do you think it is?"

"We're not sure. The energy being radiated is strong. It also feels familiar, but there is no way of being sure of what it is." He said, sighing.

"You recognize the magic?"  The elder shook his head.

"Not the magic, the aura. Something very familiar and deadly."  He looked out into the rain. The lighting crashed down again in a passionate crash.

"There is something else isn't there?" She could feel the slight tension. Something had happened, and it wasn't good.

"We have discovered that your son, Xiao Lang, may no longer be among us." Yelen looked at him with no emotion. "We know the card mistress was with him when they were attacked.  Whether he survived or not, is not clear."

"Do not loose faith in him, my son is strong.  He is not dead." 

"Hai, Li Yelen. I hope for our sakes that he is." A rumble of the thunder echoed in the silence.

***

I'm evil.  Yep I admit it.  Lock me up and throw away the key.  I've made another cliff hanger and it's getting more likely that our beloved hero is dead (M: *snorts* beloved hero. Right.).  Though I did say that the torture scene was really mild (M: until you gave me permission to co-write it that is).  I can't write that kind of thing without getting a weak stomach (M: I can).

Well anyway I'll get into chapter four. (M: Chapter 4? Don't you mean 14?)  Everyone review.  Cause you know I work better with some praises. (M: yeah. And I wont let her write again.)

Well this is going off to Max's computer for editing. (M: Lucky me.)

Ja ne minna

Kang