"Speaking"
-thinking-/dreaming
(Author's Note)


Disclaimer: -_-; don't own CCS...-sighs-

The Goddess of Light & The God of Earth
Chapter 28:
First Time For Everything
By: Azure Rosas


________



He never thought rejection could hurt so much. He never expected it to be this painful. He was starting to wonder how Rage could possibly tell him to accept it. How can he when it's tearing him to pieces? It was already 3 o'clock in the morning, and yet he found it impossible to fall asleep. His eye lids felt heavy but whenever he tried to sleep, it seemed utterly impossible. Letting out a sigh, he racked a hand through his unruly hair, staring at the burning embers that shrunk over the hour. Now that he admitted his feelings to Sakura, would he ever be able to show his face to her again?

-Aww, did the Little Wolf get rejected?-

Syaoran's head snapped up, his amber eyes scrunching up to a glare as he glared over the fire. "Who's there?"

-Baka ne...I'm in your mind!-

-Ursai yarou!-(Shut up bastard) Syaoran sneered mentally to whoever it was that he was telepathicly talking to.

-Do you even know who this is?- the voice asked, sounding more taunting than ever.

-How can I possibly forget an annoying voice like yours, Zero?-

-Tako! (fool; brat; squid) You'll pay for that remark, gaki!- Zero growled.

Dropping the insults, Syaoran groaned and rolled his eyes as he asked in an irritated way, -What is it that you want anyway?-

-Can't I pay a visit to a dear friend?-

He snorted. -Friend? HA! That's a laugh. What is it that you really want?-

-Eto(hmm)...Good question. What is it that I want? Let's see now...I just wanted to tell you to be afraid...be very afraid-

-Is that all you wanted to tell me?- Syaoran asked, annoyance clearly in his thoughts.

-Hai- was Zero's simple answer.

-Okay...whatever...can you leave me alone now?-

-So be it.- The connection was then lost.

Letting out a sigh, Syaoran rubbed his temples as he stared back at the dim fire that was nearly out. His mind wandered back to the rejection. It ran over and over in his mind. The words she said; her expression; her wide eyes...It played like a movie that was continually rewinding to torture him. "Syaoran..." Her head shook slowly from side-to-side as she started to back away from him. "I...I...I'm sorry! But I can't love you!" She turned around and ran back to where the others were silently sleeping. He grinded his teeth and tightly clenched his fists. Then, the last phrase she said repeated once more. 'But I can't love you!' What did she mean by that? Did it mean that she loved him, but wouldn't accept it? He let out an air of frustration. How come things had to be so complicated?

Next Day

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty!" Rage chirped teasingly down at Syaoran as he began to stir.

Moaning, he rubbed his eye lids, trying to adjust to the brightness the eclipse let out. He sat up and yawned as he stretched his arms before standing up. His expression went back to its old, emotionless, i'll-beat-you-up-if-you-bother-me look. His amber eyes held the icy look that was once gone, but now returned. It was obvious that his solid wall was brought back up around him to shield himself from anyone that tried to get near him. Rage blinked, obviously confused by his sudden change in motion. What caused him to return to his old, cold self?

"Someone, wake up Kinomoto. We need to get back on the road," Syaoran ordered, his voice stern as he mounted the already saddled Silver Fox.

Gem couldn't help but stare at him in confusion. All three couldn't help but take notice of his new appearance. They glanced at each other, Crystallight heaving her shoulders up and down in a shrug. Gem crouched down beside Sakura's sleeping figure as she gently began to shake the Card Mistress. "Sakura-sama? Wake up."

"Just five more minutes 'tou-san," Sakura grumbled, rolling over so she lied on her stomach.

"Sakura-sama!"

"Hoe! Oh, Gem...it's just you," Sakura said, her tone flat and dull.

Gem was shocked by her tone of voice and the way her face looked. She almost had the same expression as Syaoran, just that her face was blank and nothing more. Shaking her head, she got back up on her feet. "It's time to get up. We'll be riding again in a minute."

"Alright," Sakura replied, standing up as she straightened out her hair. She started to saddle Jade up and the three Elemental Gods stared from her, to Syaoran, then at her again.

"What's going on?" Rage whispered to the girls.

"I don't know," Crystallight answered back in a whisper.

"Do you think Xiaolang confessed?" Gem asked.

"Most likely," Rage said. "She probably rejected him, and now both are avoiding each other." (A/N: How does he know all this? And he's just guessing! ._.)

"You're probably right," Gem murmured, gazing sadly at the two chosen ones who seemed more distant then before. She stared more closely at them and noticed something that only one with the magical eye could see. Sakura's pink aura, and Syaoran's green one, seemed to be reaching out for one another. "Oh my...do you guys see what I see?"

"Nani?"

"Look more closely at them 'til you see their auras and tell me that my eyes aren't playing tricks on me," Gem instructed. They did just that.

"Go figure...it's quite obvious that Sakura-sama loves him," Rage stated aloud, but low so only they could hear him.

"Then why would she possibly reject him?" Crystallight questioned, half to herself and half to the others.

"Simple. She's denying her own feelings," Gem answered, a soft sigh escaping her lips. "She's confused."

"But...why won't she accept the fact that she loves him?" Rage asked, looking confused.

Gem shrugged, looking just as lost and confused as he did. "I don't know."

Sakura mounted Jade and the three chattering Gods took this as a sign to stop their talking and mount their own horses. Once everyone was set, Syaoran steered Silver Fox so he faced the direction where Hades castle was located. Clicking his heels against the side of his white stallion, the horse took off, followed closely by Jade, Flame, Dust, and Hue. Syaoran rode ahead of the others, with Sakura, then Gem and Crystallight, then Rage, trailing behind. Throughout the whole ride, Sakura would have to check herself to keep herself from glancing at the back of the Earth God. A deep frown was plastered on her lips and her eye brows were furrowed. She hid her worry for him by putting on a blank face.

-I really am sorry, Syaoran. You just have to accept the fact that I don't love you...- she thought to herself silently, sending a glance at the back of his head before tearing her gaze away. -Usotsuki!-(liar) she heard a voice snap. -You love him! Just admit it!- Sakura groaned. -Great...now I'm hearing voices! Argh!-

-Actually...you're just talking to yourself.-

-Ursai!- Sakura snapped mentally. Once the voice stopped, she let out a sigh and rubbed her eye lids. "Just great..." she mumbled beneath her breath. "I'm going crazy!"

Over the hours, they brought their horses to a slow pace and all that could be heard was the clicking of horse shoes as the mares and stallions walked on. Gem brought Dust to the side of Jade so it would be easy for her to speak with Sakura. "Sakura-sama? Can I have a word with you?"

She shrugged. "Whatever."

The two Goddesses allowed Crystallight and Rage to go ahead of them as they trailed in at the rear. Gem looked at Sakura, worry, concern, and seriousness in her eyes and face. "Onegai, Sakura-sama, tell me...What happened between you and Master Xiaolang?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sakura asked, raising an eye brow at her. "He told me how he felt, and I gave him the truth. Isn't that what he wanted? I mean...he can't get mad at me for not having feelings in return. He needs to learn to except things just the way they are." Once she was finished speaking, she stared forward with her head held up high.

"No..You lied to him."

She turned her head sharply and stared angrily at Gem. It was quite rare she got mad at her friends. "And what's that suppose to mean!? If you're inquiring that I love him...then you're wrong!"

"No. YOU'RE the one that's wrong," Gem snapped in return, her eyes blazing. "Quit fooling yourself! You say that Xiaolang needs to accept facts, well you're the one that needs to accept the fact that you love him!"

Sakura's grip on the reins tightened as she gritted her teeth and glared at her. "Just leave me alone, Yukitoune! How do you know if I love him or not? And besides...you wouldn't understand!" She then looked away, her face returning to the blank expression from earlier.

Hurt crossed Gem's face when she called her by her last name, but it soon disappeared. "Don't say that I won't understand! Prey, tell, so we can see if I understand or not."

Sakura's hands shook, her knuckles turning white as she grasped the reins even tighter. Her face paled as her eyes became distant, a memory that she wished to forget running through her mind's eyes. When she finally spoke up, her voice was flat and settled any further argument. "It's none of your business. Now just leave me alone." She lightly tapped her heels against Jade's side and the white mare trotted ahead of Gem, Rage, and Crystallight.

"So? What happened?" Rage asked, looking at Gem who had a distraught look on her face.

"I shouldn't have said anything to her...She most likely hates me now," Gem mumbled in dismay.

Crystallight placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Her and Rage heard everything. "Don't worry. Maybe she'll think over what you said?"

"One can only hope she will," Gem whispered, letting out a sigh.

Later On

Later that day, the gang had their lunch in silence. It was quite defening because no one said a word. All they could really hear was their own munching. Then, Rage being who he was, decided to break the icy wall of silence.

"How long will it be before we reach Hades' castle?"

"It probably would've taken us weeks if we weren't driven back a few times," Syaoran explained in a cold tone. "But from the lake and to the castle, it'll only take us a few more days. At least a full week or less."

"Oh, okay," Rage replied, smiling as a joke popped in his head. Being the one who didn't really enjoy silence, he instantly spoke up again, "Ya'll wanna hear a joke?"

Everyone sent him a warning glance and spoke all at once, "No!"

He blinked and then glared at each and every one of them before he returned to munching on his food. "Welf, beef that, mmf, way!" It was clear to everyone that his good mood was spoiled. "No one appreciates a good joke..."

Crystallight let out a sigh. "Rage, we're just...not really in the mood for one right now."

"Oh alright, I understand. I'll just keep my mouth shut and may we all suffer from silence..." And keep his mouth shut is what he did.

Time ticked by, and with each second that past, Sakura thought she was going to finally lose it if the silence continued. And plus, she didn't feel like sitting there and just eating, she needed to do something! Finishing her lunch, she stood up abruptly and made her way to Jade.

"Where are you going?" Syaoran demanded to know, glaring at her back. She came to a halt and didn't bother to turn aournd to face him.

"I'm going to scout ahead to make sure the road is clear," Sakura replied, her tone as cold as his glare. "Do you have a problem?"

He didn't reply, instead he returned to eating his food. Gem glanced at the back of the emerald Goddess, then at the amber eyed God before standing up and trying to see reason with Sakura. "But...Sakura-sama. Please, let one of us at least go with you..."

"I can take care of myself," Sakura stated flatly. "If I weren't able to then I wouldn't be the Card Mistress to this very day."

"Master Xiaolang! Say something!" Gem pleaded.

"What is there to say? She's right..." Syaoran replied, not bothering to look up. "She's capable of taking care of herself."

Mounting Jade, Sakura brought the reins into her grasp. "I'll only be an hour long. But I'll be back as soon as I can." With that said, she clicked her heels against Jade's side and the white mare rode off.

Gem turned sharply and eyed the calm looking Syaoran. She clenched her fists tightly. "I can't believe you let her go out there alone! You could've at least let one of us go!"

"She'll be fine," Syaoran protested. "She's the Card Mistress afterall. And she's not a little girl."

Gem barred her teeth at him as her body trembled with rage. "You know...just because she said she doesn't feel the same way you do about her, that doesn't mean you have to act this way!"

"Who said I was acting?" he growled, glaring at her. "This is the real me. The way I was before I came here to Japan!"

Gem stared at him for a while, her eyes flashing in anger. "You know...I thought you cared about Sakura-sama. You said you love her, so why are you acting so differently to her? And why did you let her out on her own!?"

Syaoran let out a hallow laugh, one that sent chills up the others' spines. "Love? I don't love Kinomoto! I thought I did but it was all a lie. A damn lie! A stupid crush that I got over! And I'm glad she rejected me. It brought me back to my senses."

Growling at him before stalking away, Gem mounted Dust. "I'm going after Sakura-sama. It's not safe for her to be alone! I sense something is going to happen and if you misjudge my instincts, then so be it. But if she's gone from your life, if she's taken away from you, don't come crying to me because I'll just say I told you so!" And then Dust rode off towards the direction that Jade and Sakura went.

Syaoran sat there, her words playing over in his mind. He racked his hands through his hair and stopped mid-way. He let out an air of frustration, his shoulders heaving up and down in a sigh. Rage and Crystallight sent a glance at each other. Both remained quiet throughout the argument that just took place.

"I'm going after them," Crystallight spoke up, jumping to her feet as she mounted Hue. "Gem's instincts are never wrong. And if she senses that something is going to happen, I trust her word for it."

Rage got up, but glanced down at Syaoran. "Master-?"

"I'm coming," he replied, sharply standing up as him and Rage mounted their horses. Then all three rode off into the distance, hoping to catch up with Gem and Sakura before something does happen.

________


Sakura observed the area of land that surrounded her. From as far as the eye could see, all was clear, calm, and quiet. "Maybe a bit too quiet..." she mumbled beneath her breath as Jade continued to trot forward at a walking pace. She narrowed her eyes to tiny slits, looking at everything in suspicion. Her knuckles turned pale as her grip on the reins tightened. Chills ran up and down her spine when sensing an evil presence, lurking somewhere about. Her hands shot up to the Star Key that hung around her neck and she instantly pulled it off as she mumbled the incantation. The key then turned into the Star Staff. Jade came to a halt, but moved about restlessly. Sakura tried to keep her steady as she held her staff out before her in a defensive manner.

"Whoever you are, I know you're there! So come out!" Sakura demanded firmly.

Dracul then materialized out of nowhere, as if he were a mirage. Sakura's eyes went wide in surprise and fear at the towering, foreboding monster. He had broken chains dangling from his ankles, wrists, and neck. His eyes danced with amusement as he eyed the Goddess that Zero and Hades claimed to be a threat. But to him, she looked nothing more like a fragile, vulnerable, weak little human being that could easily be crushed with a single squeeze of his hand.

"Hm...So you're the famous Card Mistress," Dracul remarked, his voice sounding like a mighty roar of a dragon.

"Who are you?" Sakura asked, trying not to let her voice give way.

"I am Dracul, the God of Fear."

"Let me guess, Zero and Hades sent you?"

"Of course, who else would?"

"Well, look here. I don't have time for you and I'm not exactly in the mood to get in a fight," Sakura remarked, sounding a bit peeved at the fact that they would have an other obstacle in their way.

"You're going to fight me whether you like it or not," Dracul snarled. "Or you could simply hand yourself and the other chosen one over so it'll save a lot of bloodshed."

"I won't let you get me OR Syaoran! And there's no way I'm going to let you pass me," Sakura stated in determination. "I'll fight you then, if that's what you wish."

A triumphant smirk crossed his face. "Glad to hear that. I hear you're a force to be reckoned with...So prove it!"

Dismounting Jade, Sakura tapped the mare's back. "Get out of here." The horse didn't budge. "Now!" Jade then reluctantly ran off into a safe distance where she wouldn't get in the way of the battle. She faced Dracul, determination clearly on her face. "I'm going to make this quick. I have to get back to the others soon."

"Well guess what? You won't ever be seeing them again once I'm through with you!" Dracul snarled, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"Sakura-sama!"

The Card Mistress turned around to see Gem riding towards them, Dust running as fast as her legs would allow her. Dracul let out a chuckle as he mumbled something beneath his breath and flicked a wrist, making the chains rattle a bit. A transparent, dark purple shield then encased Sakura and Dracul. There was still enough space in the inside, big enough for them to fight. Gem's and Dust's eyes went wide as the horse neighed loudly, trying to stop itself before it rammed into the side of the shield. It skidded for a while, but managed just to stop a breath's length away from the shield where icy blue electricity surrounded it. Gem reached out a hand to touch it with, but immediately withdrew when electricity shocked it.

"Let me in this instant!" Gem demanded, dismounting Dust.

"I'm afraid that's impossible," Dracul replied tauntingly. "The shield will only go down if I die. And it's not really easy to defeat a God."

Gem's eyes went wide as she recognized the monster. "No...It can't be! Not you..."

"Oh but it is me. The all mighty, invincible God of Fear!"

Rage, Crystallight, and Syaoran brought their horses to an abrupt halt on either side of Gem. Crystallight's eyes went wide upon seeing who was locked in the shield with Sakura. "No...I thought you were locked away!"

He chuckled. "Hades released me, seeing that I was the only one fit for this task."

Syaoran grinded his teeth. "Sakura! Get out of there!"

"She can't get out..." Gem whispered, her eyes still wide. "That is...unless she defeats Dracul. But that's...that's impossible! No one, not even Hades and Zero, can defeat him."

"Okay, enough of the chit-chat," Dracul said in an irritated way. "Let's just fight already."

"Alright then," Sakura agreed, whipping out a Sakura Card. "And, just to let you know, I don't intend on loosing."

"And I don't intend on letting you win..." Dracul replied.

Flinging the card out before her, it wasn't a single card, but it seperated to reveal four cards. Bringing her staff down, she pointed the tip at all four before shouting out in a commanding voice: "SWORD! POWER! FIGHT! DASH! GRANT ME YOUR POWERS!" Her staff changed into a sword and she glowed a dark blue, and then a dark pink before she ran towards Dracul with the speed of Dash.

"Your puny cards are no help to you in this match!" Dracul sneered as she raised her sword and brought it down. Throwing out a wrist, the chain around his right one wrapped around the weapon. He tugged at it, making her lose her grip on the hilt as it went flying across the battle area. Her eyes widen, but she regained her composure as she used the strength of Power, and the skills of Fight to deffend herself against him. Jabbing at him with her left fist, then her right, she twirled in the air and sent a side kick at his head. Once she landed on her feet, she back kicked him against his stomach. With each blow she gave, he took a step back from the force.

Jumping into the air to give him a round house kick, he raised a hand and smacked the back side of his palm against her side, making her collide harshly onto the ground. "I'm not going to let you win that easily!!!" With one of his huge hands, he lifted her up by the head and threw her across the battle area. She was rammed against the shield, electricity surging through her body as she let out a short cry of pain before grinding her teeth and slidding to the ground.

"Sakura!" Syaoran cried out in worry. (Him and the others already dismounted their horses a while back.) "We have to help her!"

"So...You still care about her?" Gem questioned, more like stated.

"I never said I didn't," Syaoran replied, looking at her in a serious way.

"Do you love her?" she asked, raising an eye brow at him. "Or...was it just a 'stupid crush'?"

"Why are you asking me this!?" Syaoran demanded to know.

"Just answer me! Do you or do you not love her?"

He bowed his head, his bangs swaying over his eyes. "...Of course. I love her more than anything."

"Then let that be your strength," she whispered encouragingly.

He looked at her in a confused way before it slowly dawned on him. He nodded his head in determination as the other three Elemental Gods took a few steps away from him. He tore his pendent from around his neck and changed it to his sword as he pulled out an ofuda. Slamming the flat of his blade against it, he called out: "LIGHTNING! COME TO MY AID!" A lightning bolt suddenly shot out from that simple yellow paper and struck the shield, creating a temporary hole in it that he jumped through before it closed up.

"Good luck," Gem mumbled, watching the battle in worry, yet in hope.

Dracul raised Sakura's body off of the ground before slamming her into the shield once again. She struggled desperately, her eyes wide and her teeth gritted as the pain continually ran through every fiber in her body. She started to see black dots swimming before her vision. She could feel herself slowly slipping into the world of unconsciousness. Syaoran let out a battle cry before stabbing his sword into the back of Dracul. The God of Fear let out a howl of pain, letting go of Sakura as she dropped limply onto the ground. The monster stumbled around wildly, trying to pull the sword from his back. Syaoran crouched down beside Sakura, helping her up into a sitting position.

"Sakura? Daijoubu desu ka?"

She parted her eye lids and gave him a weak smile. "I thought you hated me..."

"No, I can never hate you," he said, helping her up to her feet. "It was stupid of me to get mad at you for no good reason."

"Nuh-uh. I'm the stupid one for telling you that I can't love you. It's not true. I have feelings for you, but I'm just not sure of it yet. Give me time and I'll tell you my reply when I'm ready."

He smiled faintly before nodding. "Alright. So does this mean we can go back to the way things use to be?"

Her head bobbed up and down as she grinned brightly at him. "Hai!"

"YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT!" Dracul roared, finally pulling the sword out of his back as he flung it towards them. It landed at Syaoran's feet and he picked it up. The God of Fear's eyes flashed darkly, it was now evident that he was angry beyond words. "IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO FACE YOUR WORSE NIGHTMARE!" He held his hands out to either side of him as he chanted:

"Dark Mist of Nightmares,
Surround these two in your grasp.
May they suffer in their own dreams
of fears!"


Sakura held onto Syaoran as both of them glanced at the black mist that started to form. It rose up to the tip of the shield and started to get heavier. Gem's, Crystallight's, and Rage's eyes went wide when realizing what was going on. They've read about his attack in a book once that one of the Gods had given them to study. It started off with black mist, which surrouned its victim in a dark void, and there they would be facing their worse fears. It was said that no one could escape it. Then, the inside of the shield went pitch black, making it hard for the three to see what was going on.

________


"Where am I?" Sakura asked aloud to no one in particular as she opened her eyes only to find herself in some world of darkness. "Syaoran, where -" It was then she realized that he was gone. "Syaoran?" She looked around franctically for any signs of him. "Syaoran!? Where are you?" Standing up on her feet, she started to walk around, hoping to somehow run into him. -Where could he have gone to? Oh...I hope he's alright!- She clasped her hands over her heart, gazing around in a frightened and scared manner. She felt alone, and scared out of her wits. She couldn't sense any of her friends, nor could she sense Syaoran's green aura. They all seemed far away from her, making her feel lonely.

She continued to walk until she could go on no further. She dropped to her knees and stared hopelessly about her. When she blinked, her eyes went wide to find herself somewhere at the grounds of King Penguin Park. Tears threatened to spill when seeing happy little kids running around, playing in the sand, or swinging on the swings. Adults watched them, looking content. All of her friends were there: Tomoyo, Eriol, Chiharu, Yamazaki, Naoko, Rika, Yukito, Nakuru, Spinel Sun, Keroberos, and Syaoran. Even her dad, brother, Rage, Crystallight, and Gem were there. They all sat gathered under a tree, having a picnic. Everyone seemed happy. Tomoyo spotted her and gestured for her to come. "Sakura-chan! Over here!"

The tears she fought to contain leaked down her cheek as she ran towards them, letting out joyous cries. Then, her eyes widen in fear and horror as a blood red energy ball crashed into the ground and a red light surrounded her world. Before she knew it, she was standing alone on the destroyed and barren lands of Japan. No one was there. Not a single living soul was in sight. She was all alone. Everyone was taken from her. All of them. In an instant, she broke into tears as her world returned to darkness. She went down on all fours, banging her balled fist against the ground as the tears splattered on the ground.

"Sakura..."

She looked up, only to find Syaoran staring down at her blankly. Sakura reached out a hand for him but broke into more tears as he seemed to get farther and farther away from her, darkness pulling him into its clutches. "Syaoran! NO!"

"Sayonara, Sakura..."

"NOO!!!"

He then disappeared from sight. She sat on the ground with her knees drawn up to her chest. She began to rock herself, sobbing pitifully as her body trembled. The one thing she feared the most, that she wished would never happened...just happened. And that was: Syaoran being taken away from her life...forever.

Meanwhile

Syaoran blinked to adjust to the darkness. He found himself lying on a cold ground, but he couldn't see no floor because everything around him was just...black. Standing on his feet, he started to walk forward in search of Sakura. Where could she be? She was with him a minute ago. "Sakura! If you're here, answer me!" No reply.

He wandered about aimlessly. To him, it felt as if he weren't moving at all considering that he always saw the same thing over and over again. He tried searching for her aura, but found no signs of it or her. He was about to give up when he saw something up ahead. It was hard to make out who it was so he walked on. As he got closer, his eyes went wide when he was able to distinguish who it was. It was Zero. He had one arm around Sakura's neck with a dagger pointed at it. An evil smirk was on his face and Sakura stared at him with wide, fearful emerald eyes as she struggled to get out of Zero's hold.

"The Card Mistress is now mines..." Zero hissed, his eyes flashing evilly.

Syaoran clenched his fists as he glared at his nemisis. "No! I won't let you take her from me!" He ran at them, determined to get Sakura back. But he was to slow. They started to fade away right before his eyes. He ran faster and jumped towards them, but they vanished and he met nothing but hard, cold ground. "No! Damn it!" He slammed a fist onto the ground as he rose up to his knees. He failed to get Sakura back...He failed in protecting her...And he let Zero take her away from him. "It just can't be...It can't be!"

Then it hit him, like a ton of bricks raining down on him from the skies. He got up onto his feet, tilted his head back, and shouted: "DRACUL! I KNOW YOUR TRICK! WELL GUESS WHAT? YOU CAN'T FOOL ME!" He picked up his sword that he found near his feet. "It's time to find Sakura..."

The God of Earth then closed his eyes as he concentrated really hard. His green aura flared out around him, as if reaching out for something. His eyes snapped open when he finally located Sakura's pink aura. He couldn't help but shudder at the way her pink aura felt. It let out distress and a feeling of lonliness. -I'm coming Sakura...wait for me- he thought to himself as he ran towards the direction of her presence.

Meanwhile

She continued to rock herself back and forth, her sobs coming to a cease as she hiccuped. Her auburn hair clung to her face and she stared dully at the ground with puffy, red-rimmed emerald eyes. A sudden chill surrounded her and she shuddered, drawing her knees closer to her as she tried her best to keep warm. Her teeth started to chatter wildly and her body began to shake violently. Everything was suddenly just so cold. Maybe she'll freeze to death? -It'll be better than being alone...- Her eye lids became heavy and they started to droop when a voice snapped her back to reality.

"Sakura!"

She looked up to meet a pair of amber eyes. She still shivered as she held out a hand towards them, a hint of hope in her eyes. "Syaoran? Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me," he assured, kneeling beside her. She threw herself against him, wrapping her arms around his waist and burrying her face in his shirt. Warmth spread through her body and no more did she feel lonely.

"You're back! You didn't leave me afterall!" Sakura exclaimed, relief evident in her voice.

"I'd never leave you alone," he whispered softly into her ears, snaking his arms around her shoulders and drawing her closer to him. "Sakura, it's time we returned."

She nodded in agreement, her tears gone and hiccups distinguished. He helped her up to her feet. "I know the perfect way to relieve us of this darkness." She whipped out a Sakura Card, her staff suddenly in her grasp. "When I get out of here...Dracul is soo gonna pay!" Sakura grumbled, glaring at the darkness as she flung the card out before her and brought her staff upon it. "LIGHT CARD! DRIVE AWAY DRACUL'S SPELL!!"

A wave of light washed over the black world and the two chosen ones tightly shut there eyes from the blinding brightness.

Meanwhile

They stared helplessly at the inside of the shield, the only thing capable of doing was praying at the moment. It was impossible for them to get in there to aid Sakura and Syaoran. Their eyes went suddenly wide as a dim, bright light glowed inside, then became greater as it surrounded the darkness in its grasp. Once it died down, they were able to see Sakura, Syaoran, and Dracul. A wave of relief washed over them as they sighed.

"Good...they managed to break through his spell," Gem said with a grin.

"Impossible!" Dracul roared out in disbelief. "No one was ever able to break through it!"

"Well, there's always a first time for everything," Sakura commented, smirking at him. "And there's always a first and last time for someone to defeat you."

"Only a God can defeat me!"

"You're looking at TWO Gods...er...I mean a God and a Goddess!" Syaoran said.

"You don't even have control over your powers!" Dracul snapped, his eyes wide in a crazed manner.

"So? We don't need them to destroy you...we can use these," Sakura replied, smiling sweetly as she pulled out the Wind, Fire, and Water Stone.

"You don't know how to use them!" Dracul pointed out but he still looked a bit panicy and worried.

"Like we said: There's always a first time for everything," Syaoran repeated, smirking at his expression.

Sakura held out the three stones before her and Syaoran and it hovered before them. Their smirks and grins turned into a deep frown as they furrowed their eye brows and looked at the stones in a serious manner. They're mouths opened, and these are the words they spoke:

"O Elements of the Earth!
I, the Goddess of Light,
And I, the God of Earth
summon you under one command:
RELEASE!"


The three Elemental Stones began to spin in a circle, each one nearing each other with each turn. Then, they collided and a bright, white pillar of energy shot towards a wide-eye Dracul. It enveloped him into its burning grasp as he could be seen, withering and struggling in pain. His mouth parted and a roar of agony echoed everywhere as he slowly disintegrated away.

End of Chapter


Azure Rosas: -collapses onto the ground with swirls in eyes- @.@ Boi was that tiring...This has to be one of the longest chapters yet! -shaking hand- I had to end the chapter there because I can't go on anymore! My hands hurt T.T I hope this long chapter made everyone happy after the last chapter I posted ^^;; Anyway, enough of that. Onto my thank you's:

Devils Sanctuary
Litwolf689
KawaiiSakuraAngel
HeavenlyAnimeAngel
Kawaii-CherryWolf
silvercherrywolf
Katie
Isa-chan
Idiot2002
Animefreak242
Keetra


Arigatou minna-san! I really appreciate the reviews! ^.^ Welp, I must go now. My next update will be sometime next week. Please R+R!

Oh, and P.S: Don't be expecting chapters as long as this one in the future ^^;;; I'm not sure if I can possibly do it again. Ja ne!