The Goddess of Light & The God of Earth
Chapter 20: Syaoran, Where Are You?
By: Azure Rosas



Waking up to the sound of rumbling thunder, Syaoran slowly opened his eyes; half expecting to see Sakura sleeping, and half knowing she wasn't there. He didn't want to except that little detail though and when he looked around, his heart slowly sank. He ran his fingers through his hair and stopped mid-way. Inhaling and exhaling deeply, he stared through the shield and out at the pouring rain. It never stopped and by the looks of it, the rain was growing more stronger and fierce then before. The wind howled and pounded against the shield that they were protected in. Worry and concern were evident in his eyes. Where was Sakura? How was she fairing against this storm? He bowed his head.

-Sakura. . . Onegai. . . Come back. -

Gem lied awake, peering up at her Master with half closed eyes. She knew he was deeply worried about the Card Mistress. Sighing silently, she turned around for she couldn't bare to see her Master looking so pitiful and down. Clasping her hands over her heart; she preyed. -Oh Angels of Protection, please, protect Sakura-sama and keep her safe. . . -

-Later On-

"We have to go and find her!"

"We can't! Haven't you noticed the storm!?!"

Gem, Rage, and Briar watched as Syaoran and Crystallight argued.

"Don't you even care about Sakura!?!"

"Of course I do! But going out in this storm won't help in finding her! We'll get seperated and that won't do us any good. Don't you ever think before you take action, Master Xiaolang?" Crystallight questioned as she crossed her arms and eyed him.

He stayed silent for a while, then replied, "No. I haven't thought about it. But I don't care. I'm going to go and look for her! You guys can just stay here."

"Gomen nasi, but that can't be permitted I'm afraid," Crystallight said in a low mutter. "We're not letting you go out there in that storm. Wait until it calms down a bit, and THEN we'll go look for Sakura-sama."

"I agree with Crystallight," Rage piped up. "It's the best decision. Going out in that storm will only get us lost and seperated also." Briar nodded in agreement. Everyone then turned their attention to Gem. She stared apologetically at Syaoran.

"I'll have to agree with the others," Gem decided.

Syaoran sighed in defeat and frustration. He walked to the other side of the shield where he stroked SilverFox's mane, trying to keep a calm composure. In side he was worried sick about the emerald eyed Goddess. SilverFox gently rubbed his wet nose against Syaoran's cheek, trying to show that he was worried as much as he was. Patting the mare on his forehead, Syaoran forced a grin at him. He tried his best to stay strong; to reassure himself and the others that Sakura was really going to be alright. But deep down, he doubted himself. He turned his head to the side and looked outside in the rain. It was then that something caught his attention. A white figure dashed madly towards him and once it grew closer, he recognized the thing as Jade.

"Look! Jade!"

Everyone saw the white stallion charging at them. Crystallight waved her hand and ripples appeared on the shield. Jade ran through it and into the covers of the shield where warmth enveloped her ice cold body. She moved restlessly about, snorting and staring around in a nervous and frightened way. Syaoran ran up to her and gripped her reins as he rubbed her mane. The horse finally calmed down; but a fearful look was in her jade eyes.

"Shh. It's alright, Jade," Syaoran soothed.

Gem stood in front of her, putting her palm on her forehead. "Jade, tell me, do you know where Sakura-sama is?"

Their eyes met and it seemed as if a conversation were being passed between the two. Gem nodded in understandment. "She doesn't know where Sakura is. She said that she fell off of her some time while she was running." A whinny sound came out of the female horse's mouth. Gem patted her on the head. "It's not your fault. You were frightened. Don't blaim yourself."

The horse stood as calmly as she could, though still a bit shaken up. Briar's gaze met Jade's and the female stallion started to move about restlessly again. Her eyes were in a glare as she snorted and neighed. The next thing anyone knew, the stallion charged at him.

"Jade! Stop!!" Gem exclaimed as she grabbed on to her reins and kept a firm grip on them. Briar stared blankly at Jade and Rex stood beside him; ready to deffend his rider if necessary. "What's wrong with you Jade?"

Syaoran, Crystallight, and Rage, meanwhile, eyed Briar and his horse. They knew very well he had something to do with all of this. And they were going to find out soon.

-Meanwhile-

She kept her arms out in front of her, shielding her face with her arms against the fierceness of the rain and wind. She coughed; her hair stuck to her face and her damp clothes clung to her skin. Mud was on her, most of it was washed off though by the falling rain. Her legs ached terribly and her body was now numb. She couldn't feel her own fingers nor her feet in her shoes as she walked across Japan. Only one question ran through her mind:

Where was Syaoran and the others?

She was tired and weary. All she wanted to do was fall to the ground and sleep. But she continued to move on though, determined to find the others. Her bones cried out for rest and her head spinned as it pounded. She felt dizzy and her head ached along with every bone in her body. She coughed heavily and forcefully; her cheeks tinted with red. Her face was feverish and she gazed out with half opened eyes.

"Syaoran, where are you?" she gasped out as her legs buckled from beneath her and she collapsed on the ground.

She didn't care anymore. . . All she wanted to do was rest. . .

The rain beat against her back. She ignored it as her eye lids covered her eyes. Her breathing was heavy as she instantly fell into a troubled slumber. A pair of feet appeared next to her limp body. Then, strong arms swept her off the ground and into his arms. A smirk crossed his face and all that could be seen were his crimson eyes. He turned around and stalked away, easily carrying her away from where she once lied.
__________________

Briar's head snapped up. His lips tugged up into a triumphant grin.

-He has her now. Good. Now it's my turn.-

Syaoran glared at him, his arms crossed over his chest. "What are you grinning about?"

Eyeing the God with a crazy look and a mysterious grin, he stood up. "Oh you'll find out soon enough, Little Wolf."

Sending one last glare at him, the amber eyed teen turned his attention to the others. "I can't wait any longer! I'm going to find Sakura and there's nothing you guys can say that will stop me!"

"Then I'm coming with you!" Gem inquired, a determined look on her face.

"I might as well tag along," Rage added.

"I'll go along as well," Crystallight said with a sigh. "Will you be coming, Briar?"

He was silent for a while; just staring at them with a smirk and a glare. He grabbed the collar of his robe and tore it off to reveal himself wearing a black attire. At his side, his sword was sheathed. Rex trotted to his side as he stared with an evil look at the others. "I won't be going, and you all won't be leaving, I'm afraid."

"And why is that?" Syaoran questioned as he gritted his teeth and rose all of his defenses.

"I won't allow you to, that's why," Briar replied.

"Why, Briar?" Gem asked. "Or are you even Briar?"

He laughed. "No. I am not Briar, nor an Angel sent by the Council to help you."

"Then why are you here?" Rage snarled, as his own sword materialized into his grasp. "And who the hell are you?"

"I? I am Crainte, one of Lord Zero's and Lord Hade's most trusty minions," he replied in a cold, sneering voice. His hands then gestured at Rex. "And he is Noir."

"I should've known," Syaoran growled, his hand gripping the orb around his neck. He tugged it off and changed it to his weapon. "Let us go or I will be forced to destroy you!"

Bursting out into a roar of laughter, amusement gleamed brightly in Crainte's eyes. "Neither of you can defeat me without your true powers. I am not as foolish as the minions you've faced in the past. I am more stronger and smarter than those idiots. And there's another out there like me who, I believe, has found the Cherry Blossom."

Anger burned in his eyes like fire. "What have you done to Sakura!?"

"Oh we haven't done anything, yet," Crainte replied with a smirk. "My partner just found her and he has taken her. There's no use for you guys to go out and look for her. She's somewhere where none of you will ever see or be. Truth be told, she's not even in this world, but in an another dimension."

"Give her back to us!" Syaoran demanded, his body shaking.

"I can arrange for you to be with her," he remarked as his gaze fell on the other three Gods. "But I cannot arrange for them to come along."

"Master Xiaolang! Don't go with him!" Gem warned. "He's only using Sakura as bait to lure you and her to his trap so he could bring the two of you to Hades and Zero!"

The God of Earth stared intently at Crainte. "I know, Gem. But what else am I suppose to do? If he can get me to Sakura then maybe I can somehow get us out."

"But what if he doesn't bring you to her!?!" Crystallight snapped. "You need to think first before you act!"

Ignoring her remark, Syaoran knew she was right. What if he DID bring him some where else? There goes another reason for him not to trust this guy.

"So. What do you say?"

Not replying, the future Li Clan Leader glared at him. "Iie. I can't trust you."

Shrugging and shaking his head, Crainte let out a sigh. "So be it then. If you will not come with me, I shall kill all of your little friends and force you to come." He unsheathed his sword. "Defend yourself, Li, Xiaolang!" Crystallight's shield suddenly disappeared. The rain came crashing down on them, soaking them all instantly. Gripping the hilt of his weapon tightly, Syaoran eyed Crainte dangerously.

"I'll ask you one last time," he began.

"You don't have to," Syaoran stated. "I already said no and I shall not repeat myself again."

"Fine," the guy once claiming to be Briar said in an icy tone. He removed the sheath from around his waist and tossed it to the ground. Lowering himself in a fighting position, Crainte kept his sword out in front of him. Syaoran mimicked him and both boys glared at each other.

"Master Xiaolang! Please think things over!" Gem pleaded. "Don't fight him!"

"I'm going to fight him and there's nothing anyone can say or do to make me change my mind," Syaoran barked at them from over his shoulder.

"Then let us fight with you!" Rage suggested, ready to do battle if need be.

"Iie. This is just between Crainte and me."

"You'll loose to him!" Crystallight said. "If you have our help then the chances of him loosing would be greater then the chances of you being able to beat him alone."

"It's to late," the God replied. "I made up my mind. I'm going to fight him whether or not I win or loose. If I loose then I want you three to continue on without me and look for Sakura. Got that?"

"Iie," Crystallight stated firmly, her sword immediately in her grip. A stern look was on her face. "We're not going to abandon you just like that. We'll watch you fight, Master, but don't expect us to watch forever. We're going to step in sooner or later."

Smirking and turning his attention back to his opponent, Syaoran shrugged. "Whatever. If that's what you wish then I will not stop you."

"Enough stalling!" Crainted roared. "The fight begins: NOW!"

They charged at each other with a loud battle cry that was muffled by a clash of thunder from over head. Their swords were raised above their heads and they brought it down. Metal collided into metal with a loud CLANG that mimicked the way a thunder roared. Water from the rain spilled in their faces, but they ignored it. Their number one priorety at the moment was beating the one that stood in their way. Slidding the blade along side his, Syaoran slashed at Crainte's chest. He brought his sword down to block the attack in time. Crainte kicked out at the amber eyed boy's stomach, knocking him backwards. He stumbled back and clutched his stomach, gasping in pain. Shaking his head, he saw the blade of Crainte's sword jab out towards him. If he didn't see that then he couldn't have been able to duck in time. Thrusting his weapon towards Crainte's unprotected side, the boy once claiming to be Briar jumped into the air, did a back-flip, and landed lightly on his feet a few feet away from Syaoran. Another loud roar of thunder boomed above them. The rain pelted against everyone. Water dripped down Syaoran's face and his bangs. His eyes were narrowed to tiny slits as he stood straight and tall. Crainte glared back and smirked.

"I guess I under estimated you," he remarked. "You're a lot stronger than I anticipated. But no matter. This battle will end soon."

"Is that what you think?" Syaoran questioned in his cold, emotionless tone. "Well you've once again under estimated me. This battle has barely begun."

Bursting into a cruel laughter, a thunder bolt crashed behind Crainte, illuminating his features and giving him an evil look. He raised his blade and pointed it at Syaoran. "Those are strong words coming from a weak warrior. It's obvious that I'll beat you. You can't escape that fact. And you can't escape me. I'll get you, Li, Xiaolang, and I'll kill your little friends. Just you wait. . ."

Both boys were at it again. In a blink of an eye, they were locked in a fierce sword battle. Every time their blades collided, it sounded like a bolt of thunder crashing in the air. It was hard for the three Element Gods to make out who was winning. The rain was thick and the world was dark. They tried squinting to get a better look, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't see.

"Can you guys tell who's winning!?" Crystallight shouted over the defeaning sounds.

"Iie!" Rage shouted in return. He tried to wipe the water from his eyes but more replaced it. "Why must it rain!? Argh!!! Jasmine, Goddess of Weather, if you can hear me, PLEASE do something about this rain!!!!!"

-I can't!- a sharp, feminime voice snapped in their minds. -Someone is blocking me from doing anything about the weather!-

"Jasmine?" Gem muttered in a questioning tone.

-Hai. It's me- She replied in their minds. -Gomen nasi about this. I really am. I only wanted it to rain gently but then someone tampered with my spell and turned it to hail! Damn that Crainte and his partner!-

Crystallight let out a sigh. "It's alright, Jasmine," she assured. "We'll find a way to stop this rain."

-Alright, - Jasmine said in dull tone. -I just wish there was something I could do. Anyway, good luck on your journey and my best wishes goes out to you all. Find the Card Mistress and PLEASE, all of you, be safe.-

"We will, Jasmine," Rage answered for him and the others as they felt their connection with Jasmine being cut off.

The battle between Syaoran and Crainte raged on. All that they could see were dark figures fighting each other fiercely. Who was winning? They could not tell. Syaoran found it hard to block all of his opponent's moves considering that it was to dark to see. Crainte managed to fake to the right and dodge behind Syaoran just as his sword swiped above his head. Smirking in triumph, Crainte kicked the Little Wolf from behind, making him stumble forwards. Then he grabbed the back of his shirt, went down on his back, and flipped him over head. Syaoran landed roughly against the muddy Earth as he rolled across it. Coughing, he heaved himself up onto his knees, franctically trying to wipe the mud and water from his eyes.

The blue eyed villian took this to his advantage. He slowly advanced towards the fallen God. Crystallight, Rage, and Gem saw someone fall. It drove them mad that they couldn't tell who was who. They watched as the other figure advanced to the fallen one. Another thunder bolt, mixed with lightning, clashed above their heads, illuminating them. Their eyes went wide as they were finally able to make out who was who. Finally ridding his eyes of the mud, he opened them but his vision was blurred from the liquid. He could faintly make out Crainte as he approached him, his blade gleaming in a menacing way. Blindly reaching out for his sword, he searched the ground franctically as he tried to grip hold of the hilt; wherever it was that is. His hands only felt nothing but mud. What he didn't know was that his sword was far to his left; out of arm's reach. Crainte's smirk widen to an evil, triumph grin. His pearly white teeth could be seen, fangs in his mouth clearly exposed. He brought his sword up and pointed it at Syaoran's heart.

"You are defeated, Xiaolang Li. Surrender yourself or I will be forced to hurt you."

-Meanwhile-

Her head pounded. Her body felt numb. She could scarcely move let alone open her eyes or think. She felt weak and tired, sick and horrible. What confused her the most was that she couldn't feel any rain. She couldn't feel the muddy grounds. . . Instead, she felt hard, cold grounds underneath her. Where was she? Groaning as she forced herself up with wobbley arms, she sat on her knees. Parting her heavy eye lids, she looked around at her surroundings with weary eyes. It was hard for her to see anything in this dark, dim room. No lights were really on and all she could see was a mirror. The ground under her was made of grey cement that was cold against her own skin. Her gaze fell on the mirror and she was met by her reflection. Her auburn hair stuck to her still damp face, her emerald green eyes were pale, and her cheeks were a feverish red. Her once clean clothes were wet, tattered, and dirty. Dizziness suddenly enveloped her and she let out another groan as she leaned her forehead against the palm of her hand.

"Where. . . Am I?" she muttered aloud. Tears slowly glazed over her eyes as she remembered she was seperated from the others. She clasped a hand over her heart, dread over coming her. "Syaoran, where are you?"

The glass of the mirror was suddenly filled with ripples as an image appeared on it. She squinted and crawled closer. Her eyes were wide in shock, fear, and horror at what she saw. Briar was standing in front of Syaoran, clad in all black. The amber eyed God sat on the ground, muddy and wet. Briar had his sword pointed at Syaoran and his lips closed and opened, giving off the impression that he were talking. What was he saying? She lifted up a shakey hand and reached out for the image as if she thought that she could go through it and to where they were. Once her finger tips brushed against the glass, the image disappeared and her hands hit a solid surface. The tears flowed freely down her face.

"Syaoran. . . " she whispered in a scarce voice.

She was scared. Frightened. Alone. Where was she? She drew her knees up close to her chest and sobbed. She couldn't help but cry. She was scared out of her wits so of course she had the right to. How she cried out for the others. . .To come and find her. How she cried out for Syaoran. She needed him. She didn't feel safe anymore. Whenever he was around she always felt safe and warm. Now she felt cold and frightened. Where could he be? And what did that image mean? Was it just a mirage? Some projection put there to make her see things? Or. . . Was it really happening right now? And what confused her the most is WHY would Briar do such a thing like that and challenge Syaoran to a fight? Her head pounded even more as she pondered over these questions. Her tears finally subsided and she wiped them away. All she wanted to do was get out of wherever she was and get back to the others. But the question was: How?

Standing up onto her feet, her legs gave way and she immediately leaned onto the wall for support before she fell. She looked around the room, trying to find some route of escape. She sighed when she realized she couldn't find any.

-Whatever happened to the doors!?-

She walked across the room, running her hands alongside the walls just in case there WAS a door but was covered by the shadows. Her face lit up when she gripped a knob. She twisted it, but to her dismay: it was locked. Her heart sank and her face fell. She slumped her shoulders and sighed once again. It was then she heard the faint clicking of shoes. She pressed her ears against the door and strained to hear more. The sound came closer and it was then she heard someone insert a key into the lock. A nervous look came on her face as she immediately backed away. Her foot got caught in the red carpet beneath her and she tripped and fell backwards; landing roughly on her rear end.

"Itai. . ." she muttered.

The door was thrown open. At the frame of it stood the one and only: Zero. Her eyes were immediately scrunched up in a glare as she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. Next to Zero stood an unfamiliar boy around Zero's age. The guy had long dark brown hair that was held in a pony tail. He stared at her with piercing crimson eyes. He had tan skin and he wore a loose red shirt. His pants sagged a bit and at his waist, a sword was sheathed. They both stepped into the room, the boy with the crimson eyes closing the door behind them. Zero smirked down at her.

"So I see you're awake, Card Mistress."

She was to weary at the moment to reply. Every bone in her ached terribly, along with her head. She couldn't speak at the moment, feeling far to sick. Her stomach was knotted which made her feel even worse. She just stared back at him with dull emerald eyes that were half opened.

"This is Quin," Zero said as he gestured at the stranger. "He helped Crainte in your capture." He already knew what she was asking just by the confused and bewildered look in her eyes. "Crainte is the one you know as Briar. He inpersonated the Angel of Honor to gain everyones' trust. . . and right now. . . he is fighting the Little Wolf."

Sakura's eyes were wide. So, the image in the mirror was no mirage.

"And so far by the looks of it, Crainte is winning." Zero chuckled. "And I always thought that Syaoran would at least put up a good fight considering that he is after all a God and the future Li Clan Leader."

Sakura's emerald eyes burned with anger. She wanted to snap back at Zero for mocking Syaoran in such a way. She would've, but couldn't. In the current condition she was in, she could barely do anything. Zero saw her anger and bursted into laughter.

"Don't take it the wrong way my dear Cherry Blossom, but it's true." He then turned to look at Quin who remained silent ever since. "You know what to do."

Quin nodded and slowly approached the helpless Goddess. He stared down at her with blank eyes and she stared back with wide fearful ones. What was he planning to do? He unseathed his sword and she gasped. He raised it up and the next thing she knew, something hit her roughly against the back of her head. She felt liquid trail down from behind her head before total darkness over came her. The world around her spinned before she lost complete consciousness.

-Syaoran. . . Where are you?-


-End of Chapter-

Azure Rosas: -cracks knuckles- Man. . .It took me ALL day today and a few other days just to finish this chapter. . . -yawns- Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I hope it wasn't short like the last chapter. -sighs- I would like to thank the people that have reviewed the last chapter and I would like to thank the people that continue to review every chapter. You know who you are! -smiles gratefully- It means a lot to me! ^^ Well, please R+R! -bows- Arigatou!