The Goddess of Light & The God of Earth
Chapter 26:
Reaper's Doom
By: Azure Rosas

@---;----


He stared down at the pale, lifeless face of the once Goddess who was full of life. Her eye lids covered her deep bluish-ocean-green eyes that he so badly wished to see. He held her ice cold hands in his, praying that warmth would somehow return to her body. His bangs covered his eyes, but tears could clearly be seen, trailing down his cheek and lightly landing on the back of his palm. Only one question ran continually back and forth through his mind: Why? Grinding his teeth, he tried blinking back the tears, but his attempts failed. Tightly shutting his eyes, he pulled her limp body into his arms and broke into fits of sobs once again. How long has it been since Reaper stole her soul, he did not know. Already hours have passed since the incedent, and Rage has still not gotten up and left Crystallight's side.

Staring with puffy red-rimmed eyes, Gem let out a shaky sigh, her face looking sad, yet blank. It seemed as if she didn't see the world anymore; as if she were staring at something completely out of this world. Her face was pale and her cheeks were tear stained from the tears she shed a few hours ago. The loss of her best friend, that she thought so much as a close sister, was to much for her to handle. Never had she expected what just happened to happen. If someone were to tell her that her best friend would have their soul taken away, she would've laughed and denied that, or she would've said she wouldn't let that happen. But did she try to help her friend? No. She was to weak to do anything...to weak to prevent what just happened...and now...all she could do was try to learn to accept that and the fact that Crystallight was gone. Forever? Maybe.

Rubbing her eyes and stifling a sniff, Sakura tried her best to avoid looking at the sad and pitiful state that Rage and Gem were obviously lost in from their grief. She knew exactly how they felt...to have lost someone close for she lost whatever family and friends she had when Japan was destroyed. Clenching her fists, she tried her best not to cry. She had to stay strong for Rage and Gem. Sending a side ways glance at Syaoran, who sat alone on a log with his head bowed, she took note of the blood that was flowing from his back. Pulling out the Create Card, she mumbled something and tapped her Star Staff against it and as she did that, a First Aid Kit appeared in front of her feet. Picking it up, she made her way to Syaoran and knelt behind him as she silently began to pull his shirt off so she could easily dress his wounds. Obliging, he removed his shirt to give her full access to the eight deep gashes on his back.

Cleaning his wounds silently, she did this to keep her mind off of the sadness she felt at the moment. Syaoran simply stared forward with blank and dull amber eyes. All of this went on in silence. No one said a word or made a sound. Bitting the bottom of her lip, Sakura could feel tears forming in her emerald eyes.

-Of all the people...of all the people...Why did it have to be Crystallight!? It should've been me! She didn't deserve it! No! I should've done something to help her...I should've done something...- Sakura's mind shouted in a hysteric manner, more tears glazing over her eyes. Her tears fell from her hold and splattered gently against his back. The cloth she was using to clean the God's wounds slipped from her grasp and landed with a light thud against the ground. Covering her face with her hands, she found herself crying once again. Then she could feel a pair of strong, warm caring arms embrace her. She burried her face at the crook of Syaoran's neck and cried her heart out.

"Oh Syaoran. How come it had to be her? Why couldn't it have been me!?" she cried out as if in anguish. "How come I had to lose another friend? How come everyone that's close to me...always ends up dying?"

He could feel his heart wrench wildly in his chest. His face softened as his hold gently tightened. He didn't know what to say to comfort her. His mind didn't seem to be functioning anymore. Everything just seemed...out of place. Syaoran rubbed her back in a comforting manner as he rested his chin on the tip of her head. A hint of determination could be seen in his eyes as he gazed forward, remembering what Reaper said before he took his leave. "I'll give you two days for you guys to make a decision," Reaper spoke up, the blue orb now in one of his paws. "It's either you hand me over the chosen ones, along with the other stones, and she gets her life back, or you don't bother to give me anything and I'll keep her soul. Think about it wisely...because once you make your decision...there's no turning back." He then disappeared with a blink of an eye.

Sakura's crying came to a cease as soft light hiccups escaped her lips. Looking up, she stared into Syaoran's amber orbs with dull emerald eyes. It seemed as if a silent conversation was passing between the two chosen ones and Gem stared at them quietly throughout it all. They stood up and stared at the others with eyes that once burned with a determined fire.

"No..." Gem spoke up, her voice sounding raspy and hoarse. "You can't..." She forced herself to stand up. "You can't!"

Sakura fixed Gem with an intent stare. "We have to. This must be done!"

"No! I won't let you!" she cried out, eyeing them with anger.

"It's the only way!" Syaoran protested.

"But what about the Earth? What about the world!? What about everyone whose lives depends on the both of you!?!" she exclaimed, trying to reason them from their decision.

"We failed," Sakura whispered, her face a mask of nothingness. "We failed everyone. It's too late, Gem, it's too late to save them all. Everyone was destined to die in the end. There's no use to go on anymore. Zero and Hades already won."

Gem stared at them, her eyes wide with disbelief. "I can't believe the two of you! How can you be giving up? We have all three Stones! All we need is the Earth Stone!"

Syaoran shook his head. "Gem...they won. Can't you see? They won! Me and Sakura (A/N: I know...bad grammar ^^;) have to hand ourselves over for Crystallight's sake, along with the Stones we have. We give up. We're sorry but...we just give up. We shouldn't have been the chosen ones in the first place. It was wrong to have chosen us."

"You're wrong, you know that?" Rage interrupted. Everyone looked at him, but he wasn't staring back, he was still staring at Crystallight. "The Gods made the right decision to chose the both of you. It was the smartest thing they have ever really done if you ask me. You two are the best hope for this world and I'll be damned if I let the two of you hand yourselves over and give up!" He lifted his head up and looked at them with flamming fiery red eyes. "This isn't what Crys' would've wanted! She would've wanted us to move on and find the last stone so we could save the world! Not give up and give in to Zero and Hades! Imagine what she would say if she heard what the two of you have been babbling about."

Sakura sighed. "But...it's the only option we have to get her back. Don't you want her back?"

"Of course I do," he replied in a low voice as he gripped her hand between his once again. "I want her back more than anything. But that's not the answer. There has to be another way to get her back without having to give you two away to them."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Syaoran asked.

"It's simple really," he answered, his voice trailing off. "All of you just stand back and leave it to me. I'll deal with Reaper."

"You can't fight him by yourself!" Gem protested as she furrowed her eye brows.

"I have to do this alone!" he replied, his voice stern. "Please, understand that this is something I must do without anyone's help."

She stared at him in a helpless way. Gem knew that no matter what she or anybody said, he would never change his mind. "Fine," she mumbled, her face flushed in anger. "But don't think I won't tell Crys' about this! And when she finds out...she'll have a word or two to say!"

"You know...You don't have to do this alone," Sakura spoke up.

"Yeah. Let us help you," Syaoran added in.

Gem waved a hand to dismiss their comments. "It's to late to say anythin' to that rock head over there. He's not going to change his mind."

Rage flashed a smile for the first time in a while. "I'm glad you understand."

Sighing and grinning faintly in return, Gem said in a soft voice, "Just...don't get hurt. Crys' would never forgive me if anythin' happened to you."

Sakura's emerald eyes shimmered brightly. It seemed as if the hope and determination she lost was slowly coming back. "They really do love each other," she mumbled to Syaoran. "Rage and Crystallight."

"Yeah," he muttered back. "It's quite obvious."

-Well...it's quite obvious how you feel about the Cherry Blossom- Rage's voice teased telepathically in his mind. Syaoran blushed and sent a glare at the Fire God. Their gazes locked and both spoke to one another mentally. -You have to tell her how you feel. Don't make the same mistake I did, Master Xiaolang. You have to tell her before you end up loosing her.-

-I know that...but what if she doesn't feel the same about me?-

-So, ya scared of rejection, eh?- Rage questioned in a matter-of-fact-tone. -I was scared of that also. It took her death for me to realize that I should've told her sooner then never. Sure, rejection hurts. But you have to accept it and learn to live with it. If you mourn over it, that won't help or change anything. You can only learn to live with it to make you stronger.-

-You make it sound so easy- he mumbled in his mind.

-Yeah, I know. But it's not, as you probably know. Look, Xiaolang. Take some advice from me: TELL HER!!!-

Syaoran winced. -Okay, okay! Just...don't shout anymore-

Seeing him flinch, Sakura gazed at him in a worried manner. "Syaoran? Are you alright?"

"I'm just peachy," he replied, his eyes twitching as his head pounded painfully from the shout he recieved from Rage that echoed and made his brain shake. He sent another glare at Rage who smiled and waved in a friendly and cheery manner.

The sorrow and grief the group once felt was instantly gone, but a little still remained in their hearts. Their spirits were lifted and each one of them held determination they thought they never had. It was now up to Rage to get Crystallight's soul back and they had to be strong for him.

________

A day already passed sinced their encounter with Reaper. They remained at the same area, knowing that Reaper would come to them when the time came. It was another chilly day and dark, rain clouds could be seen up ahead. They prayed that it wouldn't rain. The horses seemed tense and restless and Gem took that as a sign that a storm was brewing.

"Just great," Sakura grumbled darkly. "A storm!"

"Don't worry Sakura-sama," Gem said. "It won't arrive until a few hours by the looks of it."

The group sat around a fire, the horses behind them. Crystallight lied close to Rage and he still held her hand in his. They ate the food that Gem concocted with her magic. Rage put up a shield around them just in case the storm would come sooner. Later on, everyone was asleep besides Syaoran and Gem.

"So? Are you going to take Rage's advice and tell her?" Gem questioned out of the blue.

"How-?"

She gave him a wide grin. "I happened to intercept your little conversation." He eyed her. "Besides that. Are ya gonna tell her or not!?"

"I don't know," he replied in a gruff voice as he poked the fire with a stick he found.

It was obvious that she was at the brink of loosing whatever patience she had for the God. "Damn it, Xiaolang! Just tell her! This is getting annoying! I don't even know how you managed to keep it to yourself for so long. I knew you loved her the moment I set eyes on the both of you. It's a wonder to me how you kept this to yourself."

"I've only known her for a short time," Syaoran said, his amber eyes firm and intense. "I only met her just last month! I haven't known her long enough."

"So what!?" Gem exclaimed. "You love her and that's all you gotta know to tell her! People can fall in love in a month you know? Even a day! I know for a fact that you were head over heels the minute you saw her. Am I not right?" He didn't reply. Gripping his shoulders, she gently shook him. "Just. Tell. Her. Take Rage's advice! Don't wait until it's too late!"

"Why do you guys care so much if I tell her or not?" Syaoran suddenly snapped. "Wait. Don't tell me. I already know. You simply want me to tell her so I could gain control over my powers and so the world would have a better chance. You guys don't care jack shit about our feelings! You only care about saving the earth, and I understand that. But you shouldn't be pushing neither of us because of it."

Gem's eyes went wide, and then they softened. "Xiaolang...You got us all wrong. We do care about the both of you! All we want is for the two of you two be happy. It's just that...We're getting annoyed that you haven't told her yet! And besides, even though you realized your feelings, answer me this: How come you don't have control over your powers? Sure, even if you do tell her, would you then have control?"

He remained silent. That's what he wanted to know also. "Tell me...do you know?"

Gem let out a sigh, and to his shock, she shook her head. "No. We thought that if you realize how you feel, then you'll have control over your powers. I never thought there was more to it."

"But...what about Sakura? How will she ever control her powers?"

"I cannot say," Gem replied in a no-nonsense tone.

Inhaling then exhaling, Syaoran stared at the burning embers. Rain started to fall and it soon fell harder and harder until it turned to hail. A wailing wind blew outside, banging noisely against the barrier that shielded the travelers. Lightning flashed overhead, followed by thunder.

"I sure hope it doesn't carry on like this tomorrow," Gem inquired. "It would just lower Rage's chances in winning against Reaper."

"And let's pray that he'll defeat him."

Meanwhile

"So...You managed to capture the Water Goddess' soul. Good."

He snorted. "Yeah. But did he get the Cherry Blossom and Little Wolf?"

"At least MY minion returned with something besides nothing." He remained silent. Smirking, he returned his attention to the crouching Reaper as he fiddled with the blue orb. "He's right though. In a way, you failed."

"I'm sorry, Master."

"But, I'll give you ONE more chance and that's it. If you don't have them, then don't bother to come back! You got that?"

"Yes, Master."

"Good." He tossed the orb back to Reaper who caught it between his claws. "Now be gone! And DON'T fail me."

"Don't worry Master, I intend not to."

Next Day

Rage inspected his sword carefully as he cleaned it off with his cloak. He tapped the point to make sure it was sharp and then he swung it in an arc, practicing wielding the weapon. The hilt was unlike any other with a golden dragon wrapped around it. Tiny red gems were used for eyes and its claws looked deadly. Near the tail of the dragon, a small, circular medallion was embroided in the hilt. On it, was a Japanese character that represented fire. Outside, the wind continued to howl as the storm continued on. It still hadn't cleared yet and it gave no signs of stopping. Rage was filled with excitement, but still couldn't help but feel nervous. He always felt this way before a battle.

Suddenly, whatever activies they were doing, they stopped as their heads snapped up and concentrated their energy on the force they felt. The mares and stallions stopped their restless moving and became stock still, each one of them knowing very well what it was.

"It's time," Rage spoke, his face holding a grim determined look as he tightened his hold on the hilt.

He waved his hand and the shield instantly disappeared. Rain came pounding on them like ice, but they ignored it. Through the blankets of water, they could see a dark, forbodding figure making its way towards them. A faint, blue glow could be seen with the figure, and once it came closer, they immediately recognized him as Reaper. He had the blue orb that contained Crystallight's soul, firmly clenched between his teeth. Once they were only two yards apart, the huge wolf came to a halt and dropped the Stone on the muddy floor. He grinned evilly at them and Rage simply glared with all the hatred in the world.

"So? Did you make your decision?" Reaper asked.

"Yes," Syaoran answered.

"What will it be then?"

"We're not going with you!" Sakura spoke for her and Syaoran.

He seemed a bit taken aback by her response. It was evident that he wasn't expecting that. "Are you sure?" He placed a paw on the orb, his eyes giving them warning glances.

"We're sure," Sakura replied, sounding as calm as she possibley could.

"You made a deadly choice," Reaper growled as he gently applied pressure onto the orb.

"I suggest you don't do that," Rage said. "If you break it, then Crystallight's soul will be free and she'll be able to return to her body. And I know you know that by now so don't try to taunt us with tricks that won't work."

Barring his fangs, Reaper sneered dangerously at him as he removed his paw. "You all are fools! Because of your selfish and foolish choice, your friend will live the rest of eternity in HELL!"

"I won't let that happen," Rage snarled, his voice sounding as cold as ice. "I'll make you a deal: Fight me. If you win, then you get my soul along with hers, but if I win, you give me back her soul. You got that?"

Reaper chuckled dryly. "I got it."

"I'll make this quick for you," Rage began, now sounding dangerous as he lifted his sword-arm up and pointed the tip of his blade at him. "I can easily defeat you and I really don't wish to waste any time battling against someone unworthy of fighting me." His eyes burned brightly now, looking like a true, blazing fire. "It is time for you to say good-bye." He grinded his teeth as the blade of his sword was enveloped by fire. It soon spread out to the hilt and then it blazed out and covered Rage in its burning embers. No matter how hard or quick the rain fell, it wasn't the least bit phased by the water.

"What is he doing?" Sakura breathed out, her emerald orbs wide in a stunnded way.

"He's changing into his Godly form," Gem explained. "We each have one, but it's quite rare we usually transform because there's never no need to."

Sparks flew from the fire and the area all around them was lit up by light. It made the rain that splattered on them feel warm to the skin. The fire spread out like energy waves and then it started to grow smaller and in a blink of an eye, vanished. Once it did, everyone rubbed their eyes to adjust to the darkness of the world. Then, Sakura's, Syaoran's, and Reaper's eyes widen in astonishment at the bright figure who stood before them. It was Rage, though different. His eyes were recognizable, along with his hair. But his outfit and other things were different. He wore a red outfit. His tunic criss-crossed across his chest with golden out-linnings.

He wore a gold belt, a dragon embroided at the center. He also adorned a pair of loose pants and neatly kept white boots. His clothing were made of silk and clung loosely to him. A golden chest armor could be seen underneath his tunic with unfamiliar looking characters inscripted on it. His sword still looked the same, but jewels emroided the hilt instead of a dragon, and on the blade was where the dragon was wrapped around. On his back were a pair of wings made of nothing but fire. An orange red glow surrounded him, making him look dangerous and yet stunning.

"Wow..." Sakura commented in awe.

Reaper gritted his teeth, trying to hide his fear at the new power Rage let out. "You don't scare me!"

"Well, you should be scared," Rage spoke up, his voice sounding different. It held a mighty tone that he never had before, with a hint of ice that made him sound perilous and grim.

Reaper let out a hollowed laugh. "You think your little tricks can scare me? Well think again you fool!" He dashed towards the God of Fire like a wild beast chasing its prey.

"You're the fool, Reaper!" Rage boomed loudly. "You just signed your own death warrant!" Pointing his sword at the ground before him, his eyes flashed more brighter than before as he chanted in a clear, commanding voice:

"O Burning water
O Fire of Rivers
I summon thee in a time of need.
Grounds of Earth
I command you to part
Hear thy plea
And oblige to thee!"


The Earth started to shake violently. Sakura held onto Syaoran for support and Gem went down on her knees as she held Crystallight's limp body. The horses neighed loudly in fright as they were put into fits of panic. The pouring rain was slowly decreasing until it was nothing but drizzle. The wind stopped completely and all that could be heard was the grumbling of the Earth. Reaper continued to run head long towards the God of Fire, never realizing what was happening. A crack started to form before Rage and it soon grew longer and headed towards Reaper. Once it passed beneath the wolf, the Earth started to split open where the cracks formed.

Eyes widening as it finally dawned on him, Reaper turned around to run away, but the crack grew larger as he continued forward. A reddish glow emitted from the chasm. Then, once it was at least 27 feet in width, everyone was able to make out lava thrashing about at the bottom. Letting out a howl, Reaper found that he couldn't outrun the quickly growing chasm. The Earth continued to shake and then he lost his balance. Stumbling backwards, he found himself falling towards the fire like water.

A long, loud howl echoed in everyones ears as the sound of a body splashing in lava could be heard. The Earth went back to shaking as the two sides of the chasm started to inch closer to one another. Once the ground was "un-splitted" all the shaking came to a complete stop. Everyone was silent for the time being, each trying to register in their minds what just happened. Syaoran helped Sakura to her feet, both of them fell during the wild shaking.

"What just happened?" Sakura blinked, still not able to take in Reaper's defeat.

"He won," Syaoran answered, a smirk crossing his face. "He actually won."

Rage walked with slow, silent strides towards the blue orb that Reaper dropped. Picking it up, he fiddled with it before turning around and facing the group. He approached them and stood before Gem who still held Crystallight. Pointing the palm of his hand at her, the Water Goddess' body was lifted away from Gem's hold. Crystallight was lifted up onto her feet as her head hung limply to the side. Holding the orb out, it hovered above his hand and then flew quickly towards her and disappeared into her chest.

Color returned to her once deathly pale white skin. Her chest started to rise up and down as soft breathing escaped her parted lips. Her eye lids parted, only to be met by the warm, greeting fiery eyes of Rage. A smile made its way across her face and he grinned in return as he turned back to his normal self, dressed in his regular clothes without the wings and his sword turned back to its regular form also. His eye lids started to droop as he fell forward in fatigue from the power drain. Dropping to her knees, Crystallight caught him before he hit ground.

"I'm glad you're back..." Rage mumbled, his face burried at the crook of her neck.

"And I have you to thank for that," Crystallight replied, hugging him closely to her. "Thank you, Rage."

"It was nothing," he said. "Really, it wasn't."

Chuckling, Crystallight pushed him back a bit so she could look at him. "You silly oaf. You could've gotten hurt, you know that?"

Flashing her a wide grin, he let out his own little chuckle. "I know. But I would've died to save you."

Her eyes glazed over with tears as she bit her bottom lip. "You were always the hard head...trying to be the gallant knight in shinning armor..."

"...saving the damsel in distress," he added with a laugh.

Running her fingers along side his face, Crystallight couldn't help but grin at that. "I'm just glad you didn't get hurt."

He lifted up a hand and grasped hers in his. "I wouldn't let that happen because I had to save you. I wasn't about to let him take you away from me."

Resting her forehead against his, she stared deeply into his eyes. "You were always the determined and stubborn one...and that's why I love you."

His eyes widen in surprise as what she said slowly registered in his mind. Then, he rested both palms on either side of her face as he gave her a loving, tender grin that made her insides melt. "I love you too, Crys', I love you too."

Sakura smiled at the happy scene that took place. She was overjoyed that Crystallight was back, and that the two have told each other they loved each other. Her smile widen when the two leaned in and kissed. Gem sighed contently, looking just as happy as Sakura.

End of Chapter


Azure Rosas: There! Finished! Fanito! End! Fin! End of chapter that is ^^; I decided to end this chapter on a happy note instead of my usual cliffhangers. I bet ya'll are glad for that...hehe ^^;;; Welp, onto my usual speech: I hope this wasn't short and I hope you enjoyed it! And I know...it wasn't much of a battle scene but I wasn't really up to writting some fighting crap. Now lemme thank these people for reviewing:

Kaylie-chan
Kawaii-CherryWolf
Animefreak242
Isa-chan
Silvercherrywolf
Litwolf689
SapphireStar
kawaiiaznangel36
HeavenlyAnimeAngel
Keetra


-waving hands in the air wildly- ARIGATOU MINNA-SAN FOR YOUR REVIEWS! ^^ Weelll...please leave a review! And if I haven't mentioned this already but if ya wished to be informed when I update, then just tell me in the little review thinguhmabobber or leave an e-mail address and I'll be more than glad to let ya know! -wavez- Ja ne!