Hey everyone.  How you all doing?  I'm hungry.  *Rambles through fridge trying to find something to eat* Damn nothing good to eat. 

Well you guys can go read this chapter while I try and make something to eat. 

Enjoy.

***

The dim lights of the room bought the sleeping figures back from their dreams.  Each looked peaceful and refreshed.  Though not very comfortable.

"I think I've twisted everything in my body."  Meilin complained as she got up.  It was now dark outside and the two girls had fallen asleep on the hospital chairs.  (Not the best idea.)

"I don't even remember falling asleep."  Tomoyo muttered from beside her.  Her black hair was now in a birds nest.  Meilin's pigtails were ruffled. 

Looking over at the hospital bed, both girls saw a sleeping card mistress.  She had a small smile on her face and looked quite peaceful. 

"At least someone got some sleep."  Beside the card mistress was the small guardian beast of the seal.  His teddy bear form curled up against his mistress's neck.

"They must have come back."  Tomoyo slowly got up.  Stretching her sore muscles.  They must have slept all afternoon because the last thing she remembered was eating.  It had been light outside.  Now it was dark.

She looked over at the table to see a small piece of paper.  It was addressed to Sakura.

Dear Sakura,

We'll be back tomorrow.  Everyone went back to the hotel for some rest.  When Tomoyo and Meilin wake up tell them that they can catch a cab back to the hotel.  Kero insisted on staying with you

 AUTOTEXTLIST Love Dad,

Tomoyo set the letter down and sighed.  Everyone had left and now it was late.  They'd have to call a cab.  They really needed to have some decent sleep and get a change of clothes.  She looked down at herself.  She was a mess.  Her clothes were wrinkled and she could see a few food stains.

Looking over at Meilin.  She wasn't looking much better.  Her clothes were in the same condition as her own.  Her hair was definitely in need of a brush.  She still had sleep in her eyes.  (Don't you hate that?)  The makeup they had worn had seen better days.

"Meilin, maybe we should call a cab.  It's late and I think Sakura will be ok.  I mean Kero is here with her." 

"Yeah, we should. They're not going anywhere."  She stretched on her chair and looked at her cousin. "Nope, they're definitely not going anywhere. We should leave a note though. Otherwise Sakura will have a panic attack trying to find us."

Nodding, Tomoyo wrote a quick note to Sakura. She didn't feel good about leaving her friend there, but Kero would make sure she was safe. Meilin was right. They weren't going anywhere.

Taking one last glance at their friends, the two teenagers left the room and started to walk towards the exit. Everything was relatively quiet and no one really hassled them. It was late, but they might be lucky enough to get a random cab. (*Scoffs* That is the most unlikely thing that could happen. I swear. I've had to wait three hours for a cab.)

Meanwhile back in the room, the guardian beast had started to stir. He'd been dreaming about the chocolate pudding he'd eaten before and had been disturbed by female voices. 

"Huh? What's going on?" Looking around the room he noticed the two girls sleeping in the room that afternoon were gone. The only people remaining were himself, Sakura and Syaoran, who was still unconscious.

Floating around the room he noticed the notes. One was from Sakura's dad, and the other was from Tomoyo.

Dear Sakura,

Just a quick note, Meilin and I decided to go back to the hotel. We'll come back with everyone else tomorrow. I hope Kero takes good care of you and Li-kun.

Love Tomoyo

Kero studied the letter again. When everyone had returned with their food, they'd seen the three girls sound asleep. No one had the heart to disturb them.  Especially Sakura.  She looked a lot better. Her face had some color. Her bruises had started to heal again. It was a good sign.

Looking over at the unconscious Li warrior, Kero noticed that his injuries were getting better also.  His complexion was brighter.  He didn't look like he was dead anymore.  Kero didn't know what happened, but he was definitely grateful. 

The last few days had been stressful.  He'd felt useless. He hadn't been able to help his mistress, or Li get well again. Not even Eriol had been able to help their progress. It was depressing to know that you couldn't help the people you cared for.

Sighing he floated back to his mistress. She was still sound asleep and she wasn't having any nightmares like before.  

"I'm glad you're getting better Sakura. Let's see if Li follows your example."  He whispered. He'd promised himself to protect her from anything. He wasn't going to go back on that promise, and he had a feeling that neither Sakura nor Syaoran were safe.

There was something after them. The snake girl had been proof of that. Though it was something else. He remembered the man with the scorpion tail. He'd taken the girl away just before the attack hit Syaoran. Who were they? Why did they feel so familiar? 

"Could it be the destroyer?" He asked himself. He thought back to Sakura's birthday.  To the energy he'd felt from outside. It had felt so familiar. The auras they gave out reminded him of a past enemy. 

With a sigh he floated back to Sakura's bed. She looked so peaceful. So at ease. He was happy that his mistress was finally getting some decent sleep. 

"Night Sakura." He said. He curled back up against her and started to think again. 

'I'm almost positive it's a destroyer. I can sense it. Clow Reed closed the portal though. I remember it. Maybe Eriol will know what's going on. I'll ask him tomorrow.'

So concentrated on his thoughts and getting comfortable enough to go back to sleep, Kero didn't notice the slightest movement in the room. He didn't notice the way his mistress sighed in her sleep. Nor did he notice the small twitch Syaoran's hand made from the other side of the room.

***

"I'm glad you two made it back. It's really late." Rika said as she opened her bedroom door.

The girls had been lucky enough to catch a cab after only twenty minutes of waiting.  (So I didn't want to be cruel to the characters.)(M: darn). Now they were going to spend some time with their friend.

"Yeah, but I still feel bad about leaving Sakura on her own." Tomoyo said as she grabbed her Pj set from her room. The girls had been given rooms with adjoined doors.

"It's better that you come back though.  You wouldn't be helping her if you got yourself sick. You'd only be worrying her."  Rika said gently. They were the only ones who were awake. Everyone else had gone to bed a while ago and the girls had decided to stay up and talk a little longer.

"She looked better though. I think her injuries were getting better."  Meilin said as she walked into the bathroom. 

"Well, I feel bad about not going to see her yet, but it was so hectic here." Rika tied her hair back as she spoke. "We weren't allowed anywhere for safety and the reporters kept asking us so many questions.  It was impossible to leave."

"It's ok.  We'll all go tomorrow.  I'm sure Sakura will appreciate it.  If Li-kun was awake I bet he'd appreciate it too."

"You know, he looked better. He didn't look so pale."  Meilin said.  It was true.  He didn't look as bad as he had.

Tomoyo was now changed into her pj's and was brushing out her hair. Rika was sitting on the bed with her legs crossed. Meilin was now taking out her pigtails.

"Poor Li. They were only trying to help those girls and they got hurt doing it."  Rika was helping Meilin with her hair. 

"He'll wake up."  Tomoyo said confidently.  "He wouldn't leave Sakura."

The three girls remained silent for the remainder of the time.  There was nothing left to say.  Their friends had to get better. They all needed to believe that and there was nothing else they could do but hope.

***

A gentle chirping of a small bird stirred the card mistress from her pleasant sleep.  Her eyes slowly fluttered open as she examined her surroundings. 

She was still in the hospital and it was bright and sunny outside.  Her vision was slightly blurred as she leaned against her elbows.  She felt completely refreshed and healed. 

Looking down at herself she noticed the little cuts on her hands were gone.  Yesterday they'd looked brand new.  Today there was no trace of them.  She smiled.  She was getting better.  Her arm felt fine and the cuts she had on her legs didn't sting anymore.

Hearing a slight murmur from beside her, Sakura saw a sleeping Kero cuddled up to the pillow.  She had to smile.  He'd stayed with her that night.  He was so cute when he slept and she was happy to have him there.  As much as she loved her friends he was the only one she felt safe with.  Other than Xiao Lang of course.

Sighing she decided to get up.  She hadn't seen Syaoran since yesterday and she wanted to freshen up.  She swung her feet over the bed and got up slowly.  Kero didn't even flinch at her movements. 

She looked around the room to see if she could see a bathroom.  She really hadn't focused on the room before.  There was no bathroom.  The room only had a small toilet.  Sighing Sakura grabbed the bag Tomoyo had left for her and walked out of the room in search of a shower.  She really wanted to have a decent shower and get changed.  She didn't like not being clean.

'I guess their intensive care patients don't usually take showers while they're in bed.'  She said when she found a shower room.  It was a small room with a small window.  It was painted in pastel colors.  To Sakura it looked very depressing.

"It is a hospital Sakura.  It's supposed to look depressing."  She muttered to herself as she locked the door.  Undressing quickly she turned on the water.  The feel of the hot water was pleasing to her aching muscles.  Her wounds had healed but her muscles hadn't been used for a couple of days now.  She was starting to feel the effects of not having moved around.

The water splashed down onto her ivory skin.  She was careful of her bandages and she started to wash away a weeks worth of weariness and tension.  She sighed contently as the warm water fell onto her aching body, soothed every part of her.

'I really needed this.  I would have preferred a bath, but I guess this will have to do.'  She said as she finished off her shower.  She looked around for a clean towel and dried herself off.  Her cuts were barely visible and the water hadn't stung her.

Looking into the bag she found her underwear.  She didn't want to get back into her pyjamas. 

She took out a white T-shirt that had a ying yang design on the front and pulled it over her head. She sighed in relief knowing that Tomoyo hadn't gone overboard with her designs. The shirt fit her perfectly and accented her curves. 

She then took out a set of pale blue pants that were made from a thin material.  She put those on too and looked at herself in the mirror.  She frowned at her reflection.  She didn't have any makeup on, and her hair was all tangled.  She looked inside the bag to find a set of hair pins and a brush. 

"Thank you Tomoyo."  She sighed, grabbing the hair accessories.  She was extremely grateful for her friend's foresight. 

It took another five minutes for her to get ready. She had a light lip gloss on, with a small amount of blush. Tomoyo had been sure to pack everything Sakura would need.

She unlocked the door and walked back to her room. She wasn't expecting the scene she was greeted with. 

In the center of the room floated a very anxious Kero. His little eyes were full of tears and he looked very stressed.

"Kero?  Are you ok?"  She asked walking into her room. The little guardian beast looked up and let out a cry of relief.  He flung himself into his mistress's arms and sobbed uncontrollably.

"Don't ^sob^ you do that to ^sniff^ me again."  He clung to her tightly and continued to sob as she sat down on her bed. She made soothing noises and ran her fingers over his head. "I thought something had happened to you."

"Kero. I'm alright. See." She tried to comfort him. She felt guilty now. Of course he'd be concerned. They were in a hospital. Patients were supposed to stay in their beds. Not be stubborn like she had been for the last day.

They stayed that way a little longer. Sakura wondered why no one had noticed her absence except for Kero. 

"Kero what time is it?"  She asked as her guardian stopped fussing over her safety. 

"Seven."  He said.  "They'll be bringing your breakfast soon."  He said as she wiped away his tears. 

"Oh joy."  Sakura really didn't like the hospital's food and she doubted she'd be allowed to walk to the cafeteria.  She'd been given a lot of privileges so far and she didn't want to push her limits.  "Well… I guess I can share my food."

"Yeah. Only because you don't like hospital food, but it's actually really good."  Kero said with a smile. The day before, she'd given him the food the hospital gave her.

"I bet."  She said and got up. She walked over to the other side of the room and sat next to the unconscious warrior. "Why haven't you woken up yet?"

"Sakura, give him time. He'll wake up when he's ready."  Kero floated over to her and sat on the bed.

"I know. It's just that it's taking so long.  I know that I've been fully conscious for less than a day but it's been almost a week and he's still not awake."  She leaned against the bed and traced patterns over Syaoran's arm.

"At least you both look better."  Kero tried to be positive.  "Yesterday you both looked near death. Today you look full of life."

Sakura frowned at that. He was right. They did look dead yesterday. She felt dead.  Today she felt perfectly healthy and full of energy.

"This is really strange Kero. How could this all happen? When I came around the first time I was in so much pain but I felt as if I was healing. The next thing I know I'm getting worse, and I felt as if I was dying. Now I feel completely healthy."

"I don't know Sakura. It's all strange to me. Just be glad that you're healing."  Kero looked at her thoughtfully. "Sakura, did you take anything yesterday?"

"Well, I ate the food Fey bought for me. I even ate Syaoran's share."  She smiled sheepishly. "Then I had some juice with that cherry flavored stuff that was in that bottle."

"Of course. Fey said it would make you heal faster."  Kero said excitedly.

"The purple stuff?" Sakura was confused. She had a feeling she was forgetting something. Something really important. She just couldn't put her finger on it. 

"Yes, Fey said it would help you. It must have helped your magical healing ability." He sat on one of Syaoran's legs as he talked. "Since you and Li are bonded it could have passed onto him."

Sakura suddenly went pale. 

"Kero? How did you, um, know that me and Syaoran were, bonded?" She asked nervously.

"Oh. Eriol mentioned it to us the other day."  Kero scratched the back of his head as he remembered his behavior that day. "He didn't know how though." (M: *grins*)

Sakura stayed pale. She didn't know how to tell him.  It wasn't anything terrible but she'd kept it a secret.

"Oh."  That's all she could say.  Eriol had known something was up.  She reminded herself to seriously hurt him later.

"So, you mind explaining what happened?"  He asked her curiously.  "I mean I think we should know."

'This is it Sakura. No time like the present.'  She sighed and hung her head slightly.

"You remember the box Syaoran sent me for my birthday right?" Kero nodded. "Well it had a lot of stuff in it. Most of it I showed you. Well he sent me this statue."

"The dragon one that's on your shelf?" Kero suddenly remembered it. He hadn't taken much notice of it though.

"Yeah, that one. Well, it came with a spell." She stopped at took a deep breath. Here went nothing. (M: Or everything). "The spell was to bond with the person you loved."

"What a minute. Li sent you a bonding spell?"  She nodded.  "Sakura, you should have told me before. I thought something else had happened."

"You're not mad?" He chuckled.

"No. I'm a little hurt you didn't tell me but not mad. It might be good. You did seem happier after your birthday."

Sakura's face turned a bright shade of red. He was teasing her. He looked at her with a smirk and raised an eyebrow.

"Thanks Kero." She picked him up and gave him a tight hug, which Kero returned gratefully. He knew that Sakura would always need him by her side.  Even if Li was with her.

"Now, lets see if the gaki decides to join us." He teased floating over the warriors head.

"I am not a gaki. You cotton ball."  Both Kero and Sakura gasped.  They'd heard him speak, though it didn't sound clear.  It sounded more like.  'Mi an not m gafi. You cotton fall.'

(Were you expecting something really dramatic?  I think the simplest thing can get the best effect.)(M: Should've had Maccy cross over with him).

"Syaoran?" Sakura got off the chair and went to his side. Her eyes full of hope and concern.

Syaoran opened his good eye slowly and looked at her as best he could. (It's really hard to look at someone when you have a patch over your eye. It stuffs up your vision.) He graced her with a small nod. His mouth was still covered by the respirator.

No one spoke for a moment. Sakura and Kero were both in shock. Syaoran wasn't exactly in a position to talk, so everyone stayed quiet.

A whole minute passed and no one said a word. Sakura had tears forming in her eyes.  Kero looked like he was ready to burst into tears, and Syaoran was getting anxious about all this silence. He was about to speak again when he received a very unexpected surprise.

Sakura leapt at him accompanied by Kero. Both grabbing onto his neck and babbling uncontrollably. Sakura had tears falling down her cheeks and Kero had a firm grip on the poor warrior's neck.

"Don'tyoueverdothattomeagain.Doyouknowhowworriediwas?"  Sakura said without breathing. She let the tears fall as she nuzzled against him.

"Kid. Don't do that to us again. We thought you were dead."  Her said a little calmer.  This of course shocked Syaoran the most. Kero was being NICE to him?

Due to all the movement, three of Syaoran's pads from the cardiac monitor came off.  (That happened to me once.  I called out to the nurse saying I flat lined.  It was so funny.)  The alarm started to go off, but it went unnoticed by the three in the room.  They were too concentrated on the situation at hand.

The doctor and two nurses barged into the room. This was the second time they'd had to come in like this. Their patient had flat lined. They rushed in with the defibrillator behind them. 

The nurses sighed in annoyance and the doctor stepped forward to the couple. Luckily Kero had stopped moving and talking the minute he'd heard them barge in. It now looked like a girl hugging a boy, who was supposed to be unconscious, being hugged by a stuffed teddy bear too.

"Mr. Li, nice of you to rejoin the living."  The doctor said as he walked up to the cardiac monitor and switched it off. Syaoran raised his eyebrow.  He'd never met a doctor with a sense of humor before.

Sakura didn't even move an inch during the whole thing. She continued to nuzzle his neck and cry in relief. Her grip was unfortunately cutting oxygen to Syaoran's lungs.  Syaoran's face was slowly changing from his normal tan color to a light pink. From pink to a shade of blue. Now it was a light shade of purple.

"Um, Miss Kinomoto. You might want to loosen your grip there."  The doctor chuckled as the nurse came in with a tray.

Sakura immediately let go of Syaoran and he took in a deep breath. As much as he loved Sakura, he loved to be able to breath as well.

"Sorry."  She smiled sheepishly as the doctor removed the respirator. Syaoran looked over towards her, giving her a weak smile as the doctor checked him over.

"This is very strange. You look perfectly healthy!"  The doctor exclaimed.  He then moved to Sakura and checked her over. The puzzled look on his face just grew. "This is all too strange. You were both in critical condition yesterday. Now you both look fine."

He started to pace around the room. This situation was near impossible. A patient didn't come in three quarters of the way dead and just wake up a few days later as if nothing had happened. Looking over at the young couple again, he looked over their scars. They were very faint.

"This is impossible." He yelled out, lifting his arms up into the air in frustration. Sakura just smiled nervously and grabbed her love's hand. He returned the gesture without hesitation. 

The doctor sighed and looked at the nurse. He said something in Korean and walked out of the room. The nurse smiled brightly at the two card captors and moved the trolley closer to them.

"Don't mind him. He's just a little stressed. He doesn't understand how you two healed so fast. I can't understand it either, but he's a doctor. They like to understand things."  She leaned against the bed and started to remove Syaoran's eye patch.

Sakura walked over to Kero and picked him up. The last thing they needed was Kero slipping up. She placed him on her bed and walked back to Syaoran's bed.

The nurse was still working on Syaoran's patch. The tape was stuck to his hair and it was making it difficult to take off.  Sakura laughed and moved over to help.

"His hair is really messy." She said teasingly. It earned her a glare from her boyfriend.  She just gave him her million dollar smile and winked at him.

"Yes it is. Don't worry we'll try not to pull too much out." The nurse teased. Syaoran was not amused. He'd woken up less than ten minutes ago and already he was being picked on. By his own girlfriend.

It took another few minutes for the patch to come off.  (It took ten minutes to take one off me.  I got really long bangs.)  Much to Syaoran's relief. Their breakfast had been bought in and the nurse had taken off Sakura's bandages. Both were now eating their food.

"You know Kero, you're right. The food isn't that bad."  Sakura said to her guardian.  He sat on the bed with Syaoran, while Sakura sat on the chair.  

"See I told you. So how you doing kid?" Kero said as he ate another piece of his sweet.  Syaoran looked at him for a minute before responding.

"I feel fine. Except my muscles, they feel tense." He complained grabbing a piece of fruit from the tray.

"Poor little wolf."  Sakura cooed as she ate.  Syaoran glared at her. 

"Maybe I should have stayed in the coma."  He muttered under his breath.  That earned him a very hard slap on the back of his head.  He turned his gaze to a very angry Sakura.

"Don't ever say that again." She whispered. Tears were forming in her eyes. He winced. He hadn't meant for her to take it seriously.  "Don't you dare."

"Sakura." He started but was interrupted when she flung herself into his arms. Miraculously missing the tray of food. She started to sob in his arms. "Shh, Sakura. It's ok. I didn't mean it that way."

"^Sob^  I thought I'd lost you."  She said. Syaoran kissed her forehead and continued to comfort her.

"Hey, I'm here now aren't I?" He gave her one of his rare smiles and she cuddled closer to him.

She nodded slowly and she got closer to him. Kero had graciously moved the tray away and gone off to the other side of the room to play a video game. He knew they needed this time alone. Besides the others would be here soon. Then no one would get any privacy.

***

"Grrr, why can't we get through?"  Meilin said as she paced around one of the entrances of the intensive care unit. They'd been standing at the entrance for the last half an hour.  Apparently there had been a restriction of visitors for another hour. (M: *misses Maccy*)

"Patience Meilin. We will go see them when they let us in."  Yelen told her niece.  In all honesty she was getting anxious as well. Why weren't they allowed in?

"I guess something is going on in there. Though it's weird they're not letting anyone in.  Only patients and doctors are allowed in." Tomoyo tired to get a good look inside.  Nothing seemed abnormal. 

"No it doesn't."  Fujitaka said.  He saw a security guard walked passed.  "Excuse me.  Can you please tell me what's going on?"

"Oh, patients being moved. Some big shot. They don't want the media to know what room they're in."

"Thank you." 

No one was pleased with that though. Who was being moved? What made them so important? 

***

"Syaoran?" She mumbled as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Hmm?" 

"How did you come back?" She asked looking into his piercing amber eyes. He stared into her emerald ones and sighed.

"I had to follow the girl who almost killed both of us for an eternity, and then fight off a creature that I could barely see."

"The girl who almost killed us?" Sakura frowned slightly. She didn't want to remember her. She didn't want to remember anything from the last week.

"Yeah. She was ordered to help me. Strange thing. I'll have to talk to Eriol about it. See what he knows." He didn't look extremely thrilled about that. No matter what circumstances they were in, Syaoran would never get along with Eriol.

"Won't you ever get along with him?" She teased. He glared at her for a moment and shook his head.

"Not in a million years. Ancestor or not."

Sakura giggled and ran her hands up his chest. It was now eight and visiting hours would start in an hour.  Their friends would be barging in soon, and their time of peace would soon end.

They spent the valuable time they had talking about what had happened. Kero had entered the conversation as Syaoran explained his journey. (I busted my hand up this morning and I have a bandage on it. It is really hard to type so bare with me.) (M: I got your back babes).

"So, you were led around by Anuradha, and then she left you to fight the guardian of the gates on your own?" Kero summed up. The warrior in question just nodded. "This isn't good. I can't be sure, but by everything you've said it really does sound like a 'destroyer'." 

Both card captors looked at the guardian with a puzzled expression.

"Kero? What's a destroyer?" Sakura asked innocently. She had no idea what he meant.

"This is before anyone's time. The destroyers were three. Two girls and a boy. They were legendary demons who wrecked havoc over the land in the dark ages."

"I've heard of the dark ages, but I've never heard of something called the destroyers."  Syaoran sat up with Sakura still in his arms.

"That's because Clow Reed didn't want anyone to know about them. You see the dark ages lasted a millennia. Clow wasn't the one to banish it though. Human beings got tired of having to serve the demons, so they found ways to banish them from this existence.  The problem was, not all could be kept out. There are portals that allow maybe one or two at a time to return."

'So these destroyers got through?" 

"Yep, and the destroyers are Elsu's top warriors." Syaoran suddenly stared very intently at Kero. Remembering his guide's mutters and curses to that name.

"Kero? Who is Elsu?"

"He's the big guy. The ruler of the dark universe. Back then he was the most powerful demon in existence. His next in line was Nisha. A winged demon. She was called the devil's angel for some time. Bahul is her student, along with Anuradha but by what you told me she was disgraced for what she did."

"But why?" Sakura was confused. Why would they be angered with someone sent to kill them? If they were evil then wouldn't they want them dead?

"Well I don't know. I just know that they're very dangerous. She almost killed both of you, and she's the one with the least power. Nisha and Elsu are the ones that could cause the most damage. We got to figure out what they're after."

"The star cards maybe." Syaoran said. "I remember her saying stuff about the cards, but I don't think it's just the cards. I think they want something else."

"But what?"

"I don't know, but we'll find out. Don't worry about that."  Syaoran kissed Sakura's forehead. 

"I wonder where the others are." Kero muttered. They had a big problem right now.  They'd need the others to figure it out.

"Oh are you two ready to be moved?" The nurse came in with two orderlies.

"Hoe??"

***

'Scratches head' My editor is out on retreat so I'm really sorry this has taken so long.  He said he'd edit when he got back. I hope he had a good time. So you'll get this chapter and nineteen together as an 'I'm sorry' present.

I hope it was worth the wait though.  I've had a case of intermission block.  It will start getting interesting now that Xiao Lang's awake.  I know you're grateful for that.

Well I'm going to get some dessert. 

Ja ne minna.

Kang