"Speaking"
-thinking-/dreaming
scene change
(Author's Note)
Disclaimer: *sighs* *glares at the word "CLAMP"* Oh! How I envy them for making such wonderful characters! All of mines are cracky and just plain idiots...*earns her own glare from one of her characters named Niko* *sticks tongue out at him* It's true, Niko, so don't try to deny it!
The Goddess of Light & The God of Earth
Chapter 31: The End Is Near
By: Azure Rosas
_________
Syaoran continued to walk on in silence. A while back he could feel Sakura's aura reaching out for everyone elses. He couldn't help but stop in his tracks when finding Rage, Gem, and Crystallight all disappearing one by one. He then felt Sakura's aura reach out, letting a lonely and longing feeling that made him lonesome along with her. Then he regained his composure and allowed his green one to flare out around him, hoping to comfort the distraught Card Mistress. A smile tugged at his lips when he felt her relieved and relaxed as both broke their magical contact. He continued to trot on through the winding and seemingly endless corridor. He stifled a yawn, feeling bored and tired as his eye lids became weary and threatened to cover his amber orbs.
All weariness abandoned him and suddenly turned to worry as he came to a halt again. "No..." he whispered through the deadly silence. "I...I can't sense Sakura's aura! What the fuck is goin' on around here!?"
"Oh, you'll find out soon, Little Wolf," a taunting voice replied, but he couldn't locate the owner of the oddly familiar voice.
He clenched the hilt of his sword tightly in his knuckles as he snarled at nothing in particular. "Zero! Show your face!"
"Not yet. I'll be waiting for you at the end..." Zero replied in a slithering voice.
Syaoran gritted his teeth, his eyes already narrowed to tiny slits as his green aura flared about him, showing the anger he had at the moment. When Zero spoke no more, he continued to walk on, the thought of beating and breaking every bone in Zero's body gave him all the strength he needed to stay awake and stomp on. All the while he was journeying through the corridors, he kept the same, annoyed and angered look on his face. His eye brows would twitch once in a while, along with his free hand. Why is he angry, you ask? Well, simply became he blames Zero for the others' sudden disappearance. He believes that he took them or had someone else take them. It was obvious to him now that Hades and his son has been waiting for the little gang sometime now. And who was he going to take his anger and his blame on? Why, Zero of course.
Thoughts of how he'd torture him and how he'd beat the crap out of him ran to and fro through his mind. A grim, evil smirk crossed his face, his amber eyes narrowed dangerously. He was blinded by his own anger that he failed to notice the high double doors that reached up to the ceiling not far ahead...that is...until it was too late. He collided into it head first and he fell back on his rear end. Groaning, he placed a hand on his forehead where he could've sworn a bump has formed.
"Damn that door," he grumbled, rubbing his throbbing head as he pushed himself up and brought his sword back in his grasp.
He placed the palms of his hand on the door and applied pressure, but it wouldn't budge. He rammed his shoulder against the door, and it still wouldn't budge. He even tried kicking it, head-butting it, hacking at it with his sword, and it still wouldn't open. Pulling out an ofuda, his anger and annoyance gave him more strength that he channeled into this one attack. Slamming the flat of his sword a bit too harshly against the yellow sheet of paper, he shouted out in a clear voice: "ELEMENT, WIND!" A sudden fierce gust of wind erupted from it, colliding against the door, which made it open widely. He stood at the frame, looking quite dumb as he blinked and mumbled aloud to himself. "Hmm...Maybe I should've just done that in the beginning..."
It was then that he finally took notice of the room he stood in. A bright light lit the room, allowing him to see every detail. There was a huge, blue matt that occupied most of the ground, obviously used for training, fighting, etc. etc. The room itself was huge. It was at least 15-20 feet in width and height. Weapons of all sorts aligned the walls. There were spears, swords, axes, shields, daggers, bladed fans (kinda forgot what they were called ^^;) and every weapon that you'd fine anywhere. He plucked a sword from the wall and studied it. It had fine craftsmenship. Well pointed, and beautifully designed. He placed it back on its perch and looked at the center of the matt as if just noticing what, or who, stood there.
It was the one and only Zero. His lips were curved in an amused smirk as he observed Syaoran throughout the whole time. Unlike the normal robes that he wore, he wore some plain, simple "normal" clothing. The black outfit he adorned matched his hair and eyes perfectly. He wore a plain boy tank top and pants that sagged slightly. Over that he wore a trench coat and on his hands, he adorned some gloves. Around his waist was a belt, the same belt that Sakura saw Hades wearing. Attached to that belt was a sheath, and in that sheath was his own sword.
"It's nice to finally see you again, Xiaolang," Zero hissed, his smirk widening as his two eye teeth grew and sharpened until they turned into a pair of fangs.
"Zero..." Syaoran snarled, taking a step on the matt as he kept his cool. He glared his oh-so-famous icy glare at his enemy.
"Are you ready to fight?"
"I'm more than ready," Syaoran replied as he approached Zero, then stopped when they were just a swords length apart.
"I'll try to go easy on you. Father wants you alive," he growled tauntingly as he unsheathed his sword. The two boys began to circle one another, the points of the blades touching.
"Don't worry about me, I intend not to lose to you," the God of Earth sneered, both of them glaring at one another.
And, in no time at all, the battle between Zero and Syaoran, began.
Meanwhile
She parted her heavy eye lids, everything looking dim and blurry. The first thing she felt when regaining her consciousness, was the pain that shot throughout her aching bones and her painfully throbbing head. She groaned gently, tightly shutting her eyes and furrowing her eye brows as if in hopes to rid the agony. Re-opening her eyes, she waited to adjust to the dimness of the room before realizing she lied on a stone, cold ground. She pushed herself up onto her knees, rubbing her forehead while letting out another groan. She took note of the mirror ahead. Why was this room so familiar?
"I've been in here before..." Sakura whispered. And it hit her. This was the same room she was in when she was captured after being seperated from the group. Hugging herself, she found herself suddenly cold. Her gaze traveled along the ground and noticed three limp figures. Her emerald orbs widen in shock when seeing it was Rage, Crystallight, and Gem, all three unconscious. She scrambled instantly to Crystallight's side as she studied her. Bruises, cuts, and dried blood were all over her. She then studied Rage and Gem. Both of them had blood stains on their hair. Checking for breathing, she let out a relieved sigh when hearing their faint intakes of breath. "Good, they're alright. But what happened to them?"
Rage let out a light moan as he stirred until he lied on his back. Sakura gave him her full attention as she held her breath and remained silent. He gradually sat up, rubbing his eyes and then cupping his head in his hands.
"Damn headache..." he grumbled as he finally opened his eyes. "I feel like I've been hit by a hammer..."
"Well, konnichiwa to you too, Rage," Sakura said, snapping him back to reality as he lifted his head up to meet her gaze.
"Ah, Sakura-sama. It's good to see you too," he replied, flashing her a grin. "But uh...how did we get here?"
She scratched her cheek and put on a pondering expression. "I'm not sure..." Sakura then fixed him with a serious, yet worried, expression. "What happened to you and the others? All three of you look like you've been roughed up."
He snorted, and retorted in response. "Look who's talkin'. You should see yourself right now. You have burns, cuts, bruises, and your hair is a mess! What the hell happened to you anyway?"
Sakura groaned and rolled her eyes. "Answer my question first."
"Well..." Rage began as he glanced down at Gem and Crystallight. "I was chased by a bunch of no-good shadow demons that made themselves into some tornado that they sucked me through and then they had the nerve to drop me! And by the looks of Gem's condition, she probably had a nasty fall also. I'm just not sure about Crys'. What about you?"
She told him her story about what happened and what she ran into when walking down the corridor. By the time she was through, Gem and Crystallight awoken. Each one related to the other about the trouble they ran into. Besides the dreadful condition Crystallight was in, she seemed to be at full strength because in her anger, she slammed her fist into the cement ground, creating a small crater.
"Curse that lion! I swear! If I ever meet up with him again, I'm gonna make him pay!"
Sakura had her hands clasped over her heart, a panic look on her face. "I hope Zero hasn't gotten to Syaoran yet. And I hope he's alright..."
Gem placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Sakura. Master Xiaolang may be a bit hot headed at times, but if he runs into Zero, I know he'll be able to defeat him somehow."
She let out a sigh, forcing a grin at Gem. "I hope you're right."
Later on, Rage was up on his feet. He studied the mirror from top to bottom, back to front, and from side to side. He observed every crack and corner in the room they were in and then approached the door. He reached a hand out for the knob, but immediately withdrew it when a light shock of electricity shocked him. "Smart. They put a force shield around this room to block our auras and any possible way to escape."
"How nice of you to notice," Hades remarked as he materialized before the group.
They all scrunched their eyes up in a glare, Sakura's being the most venomous and icy one of the group. She reached up for her Star Key that hung around her neck, but to her shock and dismay, she found it wasn't there. She would've dug her hands into her cloak, but her cloak was gone also. "What the -"
"Are you looking for...these?"
She looked up and her eyes went wide in surprise. Dangling from one hand was her Star Key, and clasped in his other hand was the Sakura Book. She balled her hands into tight fists while eyeing him. "Give them back!"
He smirked at her and before their eyes, the key and book disappeared, as if they were smoke that was slowly dissolving away. "I'm afraid I can't give them to you. And besides, what use are they to you when I'm more stronger than all of your cards put together?"
Sakura glared and snarled in reply. She dropped the subject of her cards and key as she asked in a demanding voice, "Where's Syaoran?"
"He is battling Zero as we speak."
"Bring us to them!"
"I can't bring you to them, but I can show you them," Hades replied, the same smirk still on his face. He turned towards the mirror and snapped his fingers. Ripples appeared in the glass like water as images and shapes started to take place inside. The ripples came to a cease and it returned to its glass state. He stepped aside and the group was able to see Syaoran and Zero. They were both fighting each other fiercely, and so far, both were unscathed. Sakura let out a relieved sigh to see that he was alright, but she wasn't to content or pleased at the thought of him battling Zero. Sure, the thought of revenge and her fighting him on her own was what she wanted, but right now she mostly cared about Syaoran's safety and not some stupid revenge.
"Ganbatte, Syaoran..." Sakura whispered as her and the others watched the battle helplessly, wishing they could somehow aid Syaoran, but knew it was impossible. Hades observed the fight also, a grim smirk of satisfaction on his face. He always loved watching a good fight.
Meanwhile
He ducked, narrowly avoiding Zero's sharp sword that came whizzing over head, making a buzzing noise as it did so. Syaoran kicked his foot out, knocking him backwards. Zero did a back flip to avoid colliding into the ground and slid back as Syaoran sliced his sword side ways at him. They plunged their weapons at one another, metal colliding into metal mid way with an ear splitting clang. Both of them applied their weights onto the blades as they fought to push the other back. A strained look was clearly on their faces, their teeths firmly and tightly gritted. Syaoran slid his sword along side his, the blades breaking contact. He took a step back when Zero's weapon came slashing down at him.
Syaoran swung his sword at Zero's face. He took a step to the side, but Syaoran managed to land a gash across his left cheek. A smirk crossed the amber eyed boy's face and an outrage look appeared on his enemy's face. Zero let out a mighty battle cry before sending a series of hacks, and slashes with his sword. Each time Syaoran blocked the attack, he would take a step back from each blow. Their sword vibrated violently in their grasp and it took all their strength to hold onto the hilt and ignore the blisters that were forming on their palms. With a mighty blow, Zero knocked Syaoran's sword from his grasp and it went flying across the room. Smirking grimly, he started to send more assaults at the now defensless Little Wolf.
Ducking to the ground, Syaoran rolled to the side to avoid the blade that collided into the ground where he once was. Plucking a spear from the wall, he gripped the top part with one hand, and the bottom with the other as he lifted it above his head to block Zero's assault. But his sword easily cut the shaft of the spear in half with a clean slice. Throwing the pieces to the ground, Syaoran did a back-hand flip and grabbed two curved daggers. Using these new weapons, he easily blocked Zero's attacks and would send his own attacks. It was hard for his enemy to dodge and block both blades, but he managed the job barely.
Knocking Zero's sword from his grasp, Syaoran raised the two daggers in the air, twirled them and stopped when the point aimed down at Zero and brought both down forcefully. He rolled to the side and up onto his feet. After that, Zero kicked his leg underneath Syaoran's wrists, making him loose his grip on both hilts as they slid away from hand's reach. They stood still, both eyeing the other steadily as they panted heavily. Beads of sweat could be seen, rolling down their brow.
"You put up a better fight than I thought you would," Zero commented through pants.
"Same to you," Syaoran replied as his breathing returned to normal. An idea popped in his mind. "How about we settle this with fists? No weapons and no magic."
"Sounds good to me..." Zero agreed as he crouched down in a fighting position.
Syaoran crouched down in his own fighter's pose as he smirked. It was evident that they were both fired up and ready for another round of fighting. Zero was the first to make a move. He charged towards Syaoran and raised a fist, bringing it down in one swift movement. Catching his fist in the palm of his hand, Syaoran used his free hand to punch Zero in the gut. He stumbled back a bit before regaining his composure. They went at it with all they got. Punches and kicks flew at one another, each landing their assault perfectly. Both of them were beating each other up, but neither seemed phased by the new bruises they were recieving nearly every second that went by.
Jumping into the air, Syaoran sent a kick to the side of Zero's head. Zero acted swiftly and grabbed Syaoran's ankle before flipping him over and making him land on his back harshly. He used his hands to push him up onto his feet as Zero brought his heel down towards his head. Tripping his enemy with ease, Syaoran raised a fist and brought it quickly down towards his face. Rolling to the side, Zero flipped back onto his own two feet before roughly kicking Syaoran on the side of his head with his heel. The Earth God stumbled to the side a bit, but managed to keep his balance as he shook his head. Seeing that he was temporarily distracted, Zero took this to his advantage. He kicked Syaoran's back, making him stumble forward. Then he tripped him from behind and when Syaoran was mid way of colliding into the ground, Zero rammed his elbow into his foe's stomach.
Amber eyes widening, a sharp, pained gasp escaped his lips when his back hit the ground. He clutched at his stomach, trying to gasp in for breath. That hit knocked the air from his stomach. Zero hauled him up onto his feet by his shirt collar and threw him over his shoulder and into a wall where a bunch of spears and swords hung. Syaoran collided into the wall and fell to the ground, some weapons falling underneath him, while others fell on him.
_________
"Oh no, Syaoran!" Sakura shrieked in worry when seeing the collision and the weapons fall on him. -I have to help him somehow...but how?-
"You won't be able to help him," Hades commented as if he read her mind. "All of you are helpless at the moment and are of no use or aid to him."
Sakura glared hatefully at his back, her fists tightly clenched. She hated this...She hated watching Syaoran get hurt. It made her heart do painful twists. She returned her attention back to the mirror and watched hopefully, praying that he wasn't unconscious and was alright. A relieved grin crossed her face when seeing the pile of weapons move and Syaoran suddenly stand up, glaring at Zero.
_________
"I'm not going to be defeated that easily," Syaoran sneered venomously at his opponent.
Zero let out a yawn, which made Syaoran's blood boil in anger. "This is getting really boring...I could end it here and now if I wanted to."
"I'd like to see you try," the chestnut haired boy growled, thinking that his enemy was just bluffing.
"If I were you, I wouldn't push me," Zero advised, his voice sounding calm which irritated Syaoran even more.
"What are you? A coward?" he taunted, his amber eyes laughing mockingly at him.
His face had a look of grim outrage as he glared at Syaoran, his fists tightly clenched. "Alright then, Little Wolf. I warned you." He held out a hand, pointing the palm at him as a smirk made its way across Zero's face. "The fight...ends here." A red-orange glow appeared in front of his palm which grew bigger until it was as big as his hand. Syaoran's eyes went wide.
"I thought I said no magic!?" he snapped.
"Haven't you ever been taught to never trust the word of your enemy?" Zero asked impatiently. "Oh well, never mind that. But, don't worry. This attack won't kill you. It's only strong enough to injure and weaken you, and probably knock you unconscious." He released the energy attack and it flew towards Syaoran like a pillar of red-orange light.
The next thing he knew, he was enveloped by the attack as a wave of pain washed over him. Then, everything went black.
_________
Sakura's eyes went wide in horror. "No...Syaoran..." Her world came crashing down in an instant as the insides of her stomach churned and tied in knots. Tears threatened to spill. Her body trembled, mostly from anger. She glared at Hades and grinded her teeth, her pink aura flaring around her like a wild fire. "He killed him!!! You bastard! How could you let him kill Syaoran!?!" (A/N: They couldn't hear what Syaoran and Zero were saying, they could only SEE not HEAR the battle.)
Hades sighed and eyed her calmly as the mirror returned back to normal. "The boy isn't dead. He's still alive, just unconscious."
"You better be telling me the truth," Sakura hissed through gritted teeth. "Or I'll break your spine and permanently paralyze you."
Hades smirked at her, looking the least bit frightened. "You're in no position to be making idle threats, Card Mistress."
Her glare intensified. "And if I were you, I would take that threat seriously!"
"Sakura..." Gem whispered to her from behind. "Onegai, calm yourself. Being angry at him and making threats won't get you anywhere."
She made no reply, but she did as she was suggested and inhaled and exhaled. All five of them were silent, Sakura's eye brow twitching as she glared at the still smirking face of Hades. That smile was seriously starting to annoy her...Then, Zero appeared with an unconscious Syaoran lying near his feet.
"Syaoran!" Sakura cried in worry, as she ran towards him. But before she could reach him, she collided into an invisible force shield that sent electricity bolts coursing throughout her body. She started to fall backwards, Gem catching her in her arms before she could hit the ground.
"Sakura? Daijoubu desu ka?" the Wind Goddess asked in a concerned way.
"I'll be fine..." she managed to say, half conscious to what she just said. She shook her head, regaining most of her senses as she lifted her head up and eyed Zero. "What did you do to Syaoran!?"
Zero shrugged lazily as he sheathed his sword. "I just weakened and injured him. He's not dead, if that's what you're so worried about. He's just barely alive."
Sakura looked at him with despise, her emerald orbs showing hate beyond words. "Let him go!"
He crossed his arms over his chest, sending her a mocking grin. "I'm afraid I can't do that."
"And why not?" she snapped in a vexed way.
"Because..." he began, his dark eyes gleaming crazily down at her. "He's your weakness, and with him, I'll be able to get what I want."
"You sick bastard," Sakura sneered in distaste. "I said to let him go!"
"Silence!" Hades' voice boomed out, breaking their argument as everyone turned their attention towards him. "Zero, give her the boy."
"But - "
"Trust me on this one. I know other ways to have all of them surrender themselves," Hades replied, his eyes gleaming evilly.
Sakura eyed him suspisciously just as Zero sighed and mumbled an "Alright." He waved his hand and Syaoran disappeared, reappearing before the Goddess of Light. Completely ignoring their enemies, Sakura furrowed her eye brows in worry, gently lifting him up a bit as she wrapped her arms around him and craddled him. She burried her face at the crook of his neck, deeply worried for the injured Little Wolf. The others crowded around behind her, wondering if he truly was alright.
"Is he okay?" Crystallight asked in a whisper.
"Yes, I'm fine," a weak reply came from Syaoran.
Sakura gasped and gently pushed him down a bit so he lied on her lap. His eye brows furrowed before he opened his eyes to be met by the worried eyes of Sakura, Gem, Crystallight, and Rage. He forced a smile at them, a cough escaping his lips. "So...I guess I lost, huh?"
Smiling faintly down at him, Sakura pulled him into her arms yet again. "Yes, you lost the fight against Zero, but we haven't lost the final battle yet."
"This is very touching indeed, but I'm going to have to interrupt you," Hades inquired in a taunting way. "I have a proposition to make each and every one of you."
"We'd never agree to any deal with the likes of you!" Rage growled, saying the word 'you' with hate and distaste.
"Oh? But I'm afraid this is one where you're simply going to have to accept it," Hades replied calmly as he snapped his hands and an image of a city appeared in the mirror.
Gem's eyes went wide in a terrified way. "No...That's my home city!"
Zero, catching on to what his father was up to, vanished and everyone saw him appear before the city shown in the mirror. The Lord of the Underworld gave them a sinister, snarling smirk as he waved a hand, indicating the city. "You see this? Well, if you all don't hand yourselves over, I'll have Zero destroy all of Canada."
"No! Leave those innocent lives out of this!" Gem cried out. "They never done anything to you! And my family aren't immortal! They're not Gods like us! They won't survive the blow!"
"And...am I suppose to care?" Hades questioned, his voice sounding cold to Gem's ears. "I'll give you all 5 minutes to make your decision. If you say yes, then I might spare them, but if you say no then...boom!"
"What are we going to do?" Gem asked, her voice holding panic.
"We can't hand ourselves over," Crystallight reminded.
"Yeah...I know...but..." Gem replied, gnawing at her thumb nail. "My family...my friends...all those innocent lives..."
Sakura didn't know what to say. She already lost her own friends and families and a bunch of other lives, and the world lost part of its population. If Zero did destroy Canada, how much more lives would they destroy until they finally do hand themselves over? "Maybe..." Sakura began sadly, "...maybe it's about time we just gave up. The end is already nearing. They'll destroy the whole world if they have to in order to get what they want."
"Sakura, don't speak like that," Syaoran pleaded gently. "I don't know why they need to go and destroy places when they already have us captured."
"You know...You're right," Rage agreed, crossing his arms and putting on a thinking face. He then snapped his fingers, a solution to Syaoran's question popping in his mind. "I think it's because they don't want us to resist them because they either wanna brain wash us or take our powers, and they can only do that if we oblige."
"How right you are," Hades spoke up, startling the others who completely forgot he was in the same room as them. "Now, you better make a choice and fast. You only have two minutes left."
Gem, Crystallight, and Rage glanced at Sakura and Syaoran, looking at them expectantly.
"We leave this up to the two of you to decide," Gem whispered. "Whatever you choose, we'll agree with it no matter what."
The two chosen ones looked at each other silently, a silent conversation passing between them that the others couldn't decipher. The two minutes that they had left, finally passed by.
"Okay, times up," Hades interrupted. "What's it going to be?"
Syaoran nodded to Sakura, who nodded in return. She stood up and faced Hades, looking at him steadily and boldly. It was hard to really tell what her emotions were as she spoke this single word: "Yes."
"Yes?" he repeated, as if he couldn't believe his own ears.
"We decide to give ourselves over," Sakura replied, closing her eyes and bowing her head.
"Good," Hades said, smirking. "You made the right choice, Cherry Blossom."
To be continued...
Azure Rosas: I wouldn't exactly call that a cliffhanger, would you?
Niko: You know, you should've added more to that instead of ending it there....
Azure Rosas: *glares at him* hush up Niko, I can end it wherever I want *looks away haughtily*
Niko: *rolls eyes at his 'master' or 'mistress'* Okay, whatever. She'd like to thank these people for reviewing:
Keetra
Katsu-chan
Litwolf689
Kawaii-CherryWolf
HeavenlyAnimeAngel
Momiji-chan
Shinhwa-Gurl89
Azure Rosas: *accepts Momiji-chan's Special Cookie* Arigatou Momiji-chan! ^.^ I love cookies! *starts to munch on it* Anyway, please leave a review! And no flames! Niko, say bye-bye to the nice readers.
Niko: *thinks to self* I'm 17 and she's 13 and yet I have to take orders from her!? Has the world finally lost it? *says aloud to the readers* Ja ne...*evil smirk* And I hope you leave her a flame!
-thinking-/dreaming
scene change
(Author's Note)
Disclaimer: *sighs* *glares at the word "CLAMP"* Oh! How I envy them for making such wonderful characters! All of mines are cracky and just plain idiots...*earns her own glare from one of her characters named Niko* *sticks tongue out at him* It's true, Niko, so don't try to deny it!
Chapter 31: The End Is Near
By: Azure Rosas
Syaoran continued to walk on in silence. A while back he could feel Sakura's aura reaching out for everyone elses. He couldn't help but stop in his tracks when finding Rage, Gem, and Crystallight all disappearing one by one. He then felt Sakura's aura reach out, letting a lonely and longing feeling that made him lonesome along with her. Then he regained his composure and allowed his green one to flare out around him, hoping to comfort the distraught Card Mistress. A smile tugged at his lips when he felt her relieved and relaxed as both broke their magical contact. He continued to trot on through the winding and seemingly endless corridor. He stifled a yawn, feeling bored and tired as his eye lids became weary and threatened to cover his amber orbs.
All weariness abandoned him and suddenly turned to worry as he came to a halt again. "No..." he whispered through the deadly silence. "I...I can't sense Sakura's aura! What the fuck is goin' on around here!?"
"Oh, you'll find out soon, Little Wolf," a taunting voice replied, but he couldn't locate the owner of the oddly familiar voice.
He clenched the hilt of his sword tightly in his knuckles as he snarled at nothing in particular. "Zero! Show your face!"
"Not yet. I'll be waiting for you at the end..." Zero replied in a slithering voice.
Syaoran gritted his teeth, his eyes already narrowed to tiny slits as his green aura flared about him, showing the anger he had at the moment. When Zero spoke no more, he continued to walk on, the thought of beating and breaking every bone in Zero's body gave him all the strength he needed to stay awake and stomp on. All the while he was journeying through the corridors, he kept the same, annoyed and angered look on his face. His eye brows would twitch once in a while, along with his free hand. Why is he angry, you ask? Well, simply became he blames Zero for the others' sudden disappearance. He believes that he took them or had someone else take them. It was obvious to him now that Hades and his son has been waiting for the little gang sometime now. And who was he going to take his anger and his blame on? Why, Zero of course.
Thoughts of how he'd torture him and how he'd beat the crap out of him ran to and fro through his mind. A grim, evil smirk crossed his face, his amber eyes narrowed dangerously. He was blinded by his own anger that he failed to notice the high double doors that reached up to the ceiling not far ahead...that is...until it was too late. He collided into it head first and he fell back on his rear end. Groaning, he placed a hand on his forehead where he could've sworn a bump has formed.
"Damn that door," he grumbled, rubbing his throbbing head as he pushed himself up and brought his sword back in his grasp.
He placed the palms of his hand on the door and applied pressure, but it wouldn't budge. He rammed his shoulder against the door, and it still wouldn't budge. He even tried kicking it, head-butting it, hacking at it with his sword, and it still wouldn't open. Pulling out an ofuda, his anger and annoyance gave him more strength that he channeled into this one attack. Slamming the flat of his sword a bit too harshly against the yellow sheet of paper, he shouted out in a clear voice: "ELEMENT, WIND!" A sudden fierce gust of wind erupted from it, colliding against the door, which made it open widely. He stood at the frame, looking quite dumb as he blinked and mumbled aloud to himself. "Hmm...Maybe I should've just done that in the beginning..."
It was then that he finally took notice of the room he stood in. A bright light lit the room, allowing him to see every detail. There was a huge, blue matt that occupied most of the ground, obviously used for training, fighting, etc. etc. The room itself was huge. It was at least 15-20 feet in width and height. Weapons of all sorts aligned the walls. There were spears, swords, axes, shields, daggers, bladed fans (kinda forgot what they were called ^^;) and every weapon that you'd fine anywhere. He plucked a sword from the wall and studied it. It had fine craftsmenship. Well pointed, and beautifully designed. He placed it back on its perch and looked at the center of the matt as if just noticing what, or who, stood there.
It was the one and only Zero. His lips were curved in an amused smirk as he observed Syaoran throughout the whole time. Unlike the normal robes that he wore, he wore some plain, simple "normal" clothing. The black outfit he adorned matched his hair and eyes perfectly. He wore a plain boy tank top and pants that sagged slightly. Over that he wore a trench coat and on his hands, he adorned some gloves. Around his waist was a belt, the same belt that Sakura saw Hades wearing. Attached to that belt was a sheath, and in that sheath was his own sword.
"It's nice to finally see you again, Xiaolang," Zero hissed, his smirk widening as his two eye teeth grew and sharpened until they turned into a pair of fangs.
"Zero..." Syaoran snarled, taking a step on the matt as he kept his cool. He glared his oh-so-famous icy glare at his enemy.
"Are you ready to fight?"
"I'm more than ready," Syaoran replied as he approached Zero, then stopped when they were just a swords length apart.
"I'll try to go easy on you. Father wants you alive," he growled tauntingly as he unsheathed his sword. The two boys began to circle one another, the points of the blades touching.
"Don't worry about me, I intend not to lose to you," the God of Earth sneered, both of them glaring at one another.
And, in no time at all, the battle between Zero and Syaoran, began.
Meanwhile
She parted her heavy eye lids, everything looking dim and blurry. The first thing she felt when regaining her consciousness, was the pain that shot throughout her aching bones and her painfully throbbing head. She groaned gently, tightly shutting her eyes and furrowing her eye brows as if in hopes to rid the agony. Re-opening her eyes, she waited to adjust to the dimness of the room before realizing she lied on a stone, cold ground. She pushed herself up onto her knees, rubbing her forehead while letting out another groan. She took note of the mirror ahead. Why was this room so familiar?
"I've been in here before..." Sakura whispered. And it hit her. This was the same room she was in when she was captured after being seperated from the group. Hugging herself, she found herself suddenly cold. Her gaze traveled along the ground and noticed three limp figures. Her emerald orbs widen in shock when seeing it was Rage, Crystallight, and Gem, all three unconscious. She scrambled instantly to Crystallight's side as she studied her. Bruises, cuts, and dried blood were all over her. She then studied Rage and Gem. Both of them had blood stains on their hair. Checking for breathing, she let out a relieved sigh when hearing their faint intakes of breath. "Good, they're alright. But what happened to them?"
Rage let out a light moan as he stirred until he lied on his back. Sakura gave him her full attention as she held her breath and remained silent. He gradually sat up, rubbing his eyes and then cupping his head in his hands.
"Damn headache..." he grumbled as he finally opened his eyes. "I feel like I've been hit by a hammer..."
"Well, konnichiwa to you too, Rage," Sakura said, snapping him back to reality as he lifted his head up to meet her gaze.
"Ah, Sakura-sama. It's good to see you too," he replied, flashing her a grin. "But uh...how did we get here?"
She scratched her cheek and put on a pondering expression. "I'm not sure..." Sakura then fixed him with a serious, yet worried, expression. "What happened to you and the others? All three of you look like you've been roughed up."
He snorted, and retorted in response. "Look who's talkin'. You should see yourself right now. You have burns, cuts, bruises, and your hair is a mess! What the hell happened to you anyway?"
Sakura groaned and rolled her eyes. "Answer my question first."
"Well..." Rage began as he glanced down at Gem and Crystallight. "I was chased by a bunch of no-good shadow demons that made themselves into some tornado that they sucked me through and then they had the nerve to drop me! And by the looks of Gem's condition, she probably had a nasty fall also. I'm just not sure about Crys'. What about you?"
She told him her story about what happened and what she ran into when walking down the corridor. By the time she was through, Gem and Crystallight awoken. Each one related to the other about the trouble they ran into. Besides the dreadful condition Crystallight was in, she seemed to be at full strength because in her anger, she slammed her fist into the cement ground, creating a small crater.
"Curse that lion! I swear! If I ever meet up with him again, I'm gonna make him pay!"
Sakura had her hands clasped over her heart, a panic look on her face. "I hope Zero hasn't gotten to Syaoran yet. And I hope he's alright..."
Gem placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Sakura. Master Xiaolang may be a bit hot headed at times, but if he runs into Zero, I know he'll be able to defeat him somehow."
She let out a sigh, forcing a grin at Gem. "I hope you're right."
Later on, Rage was up on his feet. He studied the mirror from top to bottom, back to front, and from side to side. He observed every crack and corner in the room they were in and then approached the door. He reached a hand out for the knob, but immediately withdrew it when a light shock of electricity shocked him. "Smart. They put a force shield around this room to block our auras and any possible way to escape."
"How nice of you to notice," Hades remarked as he materialized before the group.
They all scrunched their eyes up in a glare, Sakura's being the most venomous and icy one of the group. She reached up for her Star Key that hung around her neck, but to her shock and dismay, she found it wasn't there. She would've dug her hands into her cloak, but her cloak was gone also. "What the -"
"Are you looking for...these?"
She looked up and her eyes went wide in surprise. Dangling from one hand was her Star Key, and clasped in his other hand was the Sakura Book. She balled her hands into tight fists while eyeing him. "Give them back!"
He smirked at her and before their eyes, the key and book disappeared, as if they were smoke that was slowly dissolving away. "I'm afraid I can't give them to you. And besides, what use are they to you when I'm more stronger than all of your cards put together?"
Sakura glared and snarled in reply. She dropped the subject of her cards and key as she asked in a demanding voice, "Where's Syaoran?"
"He is battling Zero as we speak."
"Bring us to them!"
"I can't bring you to them, but I can show you them," Hades replied, the same smirk still on his face. He turned towards the mirror and snapped his fingers. Ripples appeared in the glass like water as images and shapes started to take place inside. The ripples came to a cease and it returned to its glass state. He stepped aside and the group was able to see Syaoran and Zero. They were both fighting each other fiercely, and so far, both were unscathed. Sakura let out a relieved sigh to see that he was alright, but she wasn't to content or pleased at the thought of him battling Zero. Sure, the thought of revenge and her fighting him on her own was what she wanted, but right now she mostly cared about Syaoran's safety and not some stupid revenge.
"Ganbatte, Syaoran..." Sakura whispered as her and the others watched the battle helplessly, wishing they could somehow aid Syaoran, but knew it was impossible. Hades observed the fight also, a grim smirk of satisfaction on his face. He always loved watching a good fight.
Meanwhile
He ducked, narrowly avoiding Zero's sharp sword that came whizzing over head, making a buzzing noise as it did so. Syaoran kicked his foot out, knocking him backwards. Zero did a back flip to avoid colliding into the ground and slid back as Syaoran sliced his sword side ways at him. They plunged their weapons at one another, metal colliding into metal mid way with an ear splitting clang. Both of them applied their weights onto the blades as they fought to push the other back. A strained look was clearly on their faces, their teeths firmly and tightly gritted. Syaoran slid his sword along side his, the blades breaking contact. He took a step back when Zero's weapon came slashing down at him.
Syaoran swung his sword at Zero's face. He took a step to the side, but Syaoran managed to land a gash across his left cheek. A smirk crossed the amber eyed boy's face and an outrage look appeared on his enemy's face. Zero let out a mighty battle cry before sending a series of hacks, and slashes with his sword. Each time Syaoran blocked the attack, he would take a step back from each blow. Their sword vibrated violently in their grasp and it took all their strength to hold onto the hilt and ignore the blisters that were forming on their palms. With a mighty blow, Zero knocked Syaoran's sword from his grasp and it went flying across the room. Smirking grimly, he started to send more assaults at the now defensless Little Wolf.
Ducking to the ground, Syaoran rolled to the side to avoid the blade that collided into the ground where he once was. Plucking a spear from the wall, he gripped the top part with one hand, and the bottom with the other as he lifted it above his head to block Zero's assault. But his sword easily cut the shaft of the spear in half with a clean slice. Throwing the pieces to the ground, Syaoran did a back-hand flip and grabbed two curved daggers. Using these new weapons, he easily blocked Zero's attacks and would send his own attacks. It was hard for his enemy to dodge and block both blades, but he managed the job barely.
Knocking Zero's sword from his grasp, Syaoran raised the two daggers in the air, twirled them and stopped when the point aimed down at Zero and brought both down forcefully. He rolled to the side and up onto his feet. After that, Zero kicked his leg underneath Syaoran's wrists, making him loose his grip on both hilts as they slid away from hand's reach. They stood still, both eyeing the other steadily as they panted heavily. Beads of sweat could be seen, rolling down their brow.
"You put up a better fight than I thought you would," Zero commented through pants.
"Same to you," Syaoran replied as his breathing returned to normal. An idea popped in his mind. "How about we settle this with fists? No weapons and no magic."
"Sounds good to me..." Zero agreed as he crouched down in a fighting position.
Syaoran crouched down in his own fighter's pose as he smirked. It was evident that they were both fired up and ready for another round of fighting. Zero was the first to make a move. He charged towards Syaoran and raised a fist, bringing it down in one swift movement. Catching his fist in the palm of his hand, Syaoran used his free hand to punch Zero in the gut. He stumbled back a bit before regaining his composure. They went at it with all they got. Punches and kicks flew at one another, each landing their assault perfectly. Both of them were beating each other up, but neither seemed phased by the new bruises they were recieving nearly every second that went by.
Jumping into the air, Syaoran sent a kick to the side of Zero's head. Zero acted swiftly and grabbed Syaoran's ankle before flipping him over and making him land on his back harshly. He used his hands to push him up onto his feet as Zero brought his heel down towards his head. Tripping his enemy with ease, Syaoran raised a fist and brought it quickly down towards his face. Rolling to the side, Zero flipped back onto his own two feet before roughly kicking Syaoran on the side of his head with his heel. The Earth God stumbled to the side a bit, but managed to keep his balance as he shook his head. Seeing that he was temporarily distracted, Zero took this to his advantage. He kicked Syaoran's back, making him stumble forward. Then he tripped him from behind and when Syaoran was mid way of colliding into the ground, Zero rammed his elbow into his foe's stomach.
Amber eyes widening, a sharp, pained gasp escaped his lips when his back hit the ground. He clutched at his stomach, trying to gasp in for breath. That hit knocked the air from his stomach. Zero hauled him up onto his feet by his shirt collar and threw him over his shoulder and into a wall where a bunch of spears and swords hung. Syaoran collided into the wall and fell to the ground, some weapons falling underneath him, while others fell on him.
"Oh no, Syaoran!" Sakura shrieked in worry when seeing the collision and the weapons fall on him. -I have to help him somehow...but how?-
"You won't be able to help him," Hades commented as if he read her mind. "All of you are helpless at the moment and are of no use or aid to him."
Sakura glared hatefully at his back, her fists tightly clenched. She hated this...She hated watching Syaoran get hurt. It made her heart do painful twists. She returned her attention back to the mirror and watched hopefully, praying that he wasn't unconscious and was alright. A relieved grin crossed her face when seeing the pile of weapons move and Syaoran suddenly stand up, glaring at Zero.
"I'm not going to be defeated that easily," Syaoran sneered venomously at his opponent.
Zero let out a yawn, which made Syaoran's blood boil in anger. "This is getting really boring...I could end it here and now if I wanted to."
"I'd like to see you try," the chestnut haired boy growled, thinking that his enemy was just bluffing.
"If I were you, I wouldn't push me," Zero advised, his voice sounding calm which irritated Syaoran even more.
"What are you? A coward?" he taunted, his amber eyes laughing mockingly at him.
His face had a look of grim outrage as he glared at Syaoran, his fists tightly clenched. "Alright then, Little Wolf. I warned you." He held out a hand, pointing the palm at him as a smirk made its way across Zero's face. "The fight...ends here." A red-orange glow appeared in front of his palm which grew bigger until it was as big as his hand. Syaoran's eyes went wide.
"I thought I said no magic!?" he snapped.
"Haven't you ever been taught to never trust the word of your enemy?" Zero asked impatiently. "Oh well, never mind that. But, don't worry. This attack won't kill you. It's only strong enough to injure and weaken you, and probably knock you unconscious." He released the energy attack and it flew towards Syaoran like a pillar of red-orange light.
The next thing he knew, he was enveloped by the attack as a wave of pain washed over him. Then, everything went black.
Sakura's eyes went wide in horror. "No...Syaoran..." Her world came crashing down in an instant as the insides of her stomach churned and tied in knots. Tears threatened to spill. Her body trembled, mostly from anger. She glared at Hades and grinded her teeth, her pink aura flaring around her like a wild fire. "He killed him!!! You bastard! How could you let him kill Syaoran!?!" (A/N: They couldn't hear what Syaoran and Zero were saying, they could only SEE not HEAR the battle.)
Hades sighed and eyed her calmly as the mirror returned back to normal. "The boy isn't dead. He's still alive, just unconscious."
"You better be telling me the truth," Sakura hissed through gritted teeth. "Or I'll break your spine and permanently paralyze you."
Hades smirked at her, looking the least bit frightened. "You're in no position to be making idle threats, Card Mistress."
Her glare intensified. "And if I were you, I would take that threat seriously!"
"Sakura..." Gem whispered to her from behind. "Onegai, calm yourself. Being angry at him and making threats won't get you anywhere."
She made no reply, but she did as she was suggested and inhaled and exhaled. All five of them were silent, Sakura's eye brow twitching as she glared at the still smirking face of Hades. That smile was seriously starting to annoy her...Then, Zero appeared with an unconscious Syaoran lying near his feet.
"Syaoran!" Sakura cried in worry, as she ran towards him. But before she could reach him, she collided into an invisible force shield that sent electricity bolts coursing throughout her body. She started to fall backwards, Gem catching her in her arms before she could hit the ground.
"Sakura? Daijoubu desu ka?" the Wind Goddess asked in a concerned way.
"I'll be fine..." she managed to say, half conscious to what she just said. She shook her head, regaining most of her senses as she lifted her head up and eyed Zero. "What did you do to Syaoran!?"
Zero shrugged lazily as he sheathed his sword. "I just weakened and injured him. He's not dead, if that's what you're so worried about. He's just barely alive."
Sakura looked at him with despise, her emerald orbs showing hate beyond words. "Let him go!"
He crossed his arms over his chest, sending her a mocking grin. "I'm afraid I can't do that."
"And why not?" she snapped in a vexed way.
"Because..." he began, his dark eyes gleaming crazily down at her. "He's your weakness, and with him, I'll be able to get what I want."
"You sick bastard," Sakura sneered in distaste. "I said to let him go!"
"Silence!" Hades' voice boomed out, breaking their argument as everyone turned their attention towards him. "Zero, give her the boy."
"But - "
"Trust me on this one. I know other ways to have all of them surrender themselves," Hades replied, his eyes gleaming evilly.
Sakura eyed him suspisciously just as Zero sighed and mumbled an "Alright." He waved his hand and Syaoran disappeared, reappearing before the Goddess of Light. Completely ignoring their enemies, Sakura furrowed her eye brows in worry, gently lifting him up a bit as she wrapped her arms around him and craddled him. She burried her face at the crook of his neck, deeply worried for the injured Little Wolf. The others crowded around behind her, wondering if he truly was alright.
"Is he okay?" Crystallight asked in a whisper.
"Yes, I'm fine," a weak reply came from Syaoran.
Sakura gasped and gently pushed him down a bit so he lied on her lap. His eye brows furrowed before he opened his eyes to be met by the worried eyes of Sakura, Gem, Crystallight, and Rage. He forced a smile at them, a cough escaping his lips. "So...I guess I lost, huh?"
Smiling faintly down at him, Sakura pulled him into her arms yet again. "Yes, you lost the fight against Zero, but we haven't lost the final battle yet."
"This is very touching indeed, but I'm going to have to interrupt you," Hades inquired in a taunting way. "I have a proposition to make each and every one of you."
"We'd never agree to any deal with the likes of you!" Rage growled, saying the word 'you' with hate and distaste.
"Oh? But I'm afraid this is one where you're simply going to have to accept it," Hades replied calmly as he snapped his hands and an image of a city appeared in the mirror.
Gem's eyes went wide in a terrified way. "No...That's my home city!"
Zero, catching on to what his father was up to, vanished and everyone saw him appear before the city shown in the mirror. The Lord of the Underworld gave them a sinister, snarling smirk as he waved a hand, indicating the city. "You see this? Well, if you all don't hand yourselves over, I'll have Zero destroy all of Canada."
"No! Leave those innocent lives out of this!" Gem cried out. "They never done anything to you! And my family aren't immortal! They're not Gods like us! They won't survive the blow!"
"And...am I suppose to care?" Hades questioned, his voice sounding cold to Gem's ears. "I'll give you all 5 minutes to make your decision. If you say yes, then I might spare them, but if you say no then...boom!"
"What are we going to do?" Gem asked, her voice holding panic.
"We can't hand ourselves over," Crystallight reminded.
"Yeah...I know...but..." Gem replied, gnawing at her thumb nail. "My family...my friends...all those innocent lives..."
Sakura didn't know what to say. She already lost her own friends and families and a bunch of other lives, and the world lost part of its population. If Zero did destroy Canada, how much more lives would they destroy until they finally do hand themselves over? "Maybe..." Sakura began sadly, "...maybe it's about time we just gave up. The end is already nearing. They'll destroy the whole world if they have to in order to get what they want."
"Sakura, don't speak like that," Syaoran pleaded gently. "I don't know why they need to go and destroy places when they already have us captured."
"You know...You're right," Rage agreed, crossing his arms and putting on a thinking face. He then snapped his fingers, a solution to Syaoran's question popping in his mind. "I think it's because they don't want us to resist them because they either wanna brain wash us or take our powers, and they can only do that if we oblige."
"How right you are," Hades spoke up, startling the others who completely forgot he was in the same room as them. "Now, you better make a choice and fast. You only have two minutes left."
Gem, Crystallight, and Rage glanced at Sakura and Syaoran, looking at them expectantly.
"We leave this up to the two of you to decide," Gem whispered. "Whatever you choose, we'll agree with it no matter what."
The two chosen ones looked at each other silently, a silent conversation passing between them that the others couldn't decipher. The two minutes that they had left, finally passed by.
"Okay, times up," Hades interrupted. "What's it going to be?"
Syaoran nodded to Sakura, who nodded in return. She stood up and faced Hades, looking at him steadily and boldly. It was hard to really tell what her emotions were as she spoke this single word: "Yes."
"Yes?" he repeated, as if he couldn't believe his own ears.
"We decide to give ourselves over," Sakura replied, closing her eyes and bowing her head.
"Good," Hades said, smirking. "You made the right choice, Cherry Blossom."
To be continued...
Azure Rosas: I wouldn't exactly call that a cliffhanger, would you?
Niko: You know, you should've added more to that instead of ending it there....
Azure Rosas: *glares at him* hush up Niko, I can end it wherever I want *looks away haughtily*
Niko: *rolls eyes at his 'master' or 'mistress'* Okay, whatever. She'd like to thank these people for reviewing:
Keetra
Katsu-chan
Litwolf689
Kawaii-CherryWolf
HeavenlyAnimeAngel
Momiji-chan
Shinhwa-Gurl89
Azure Rosas: *accepts Momiji-chan's Special Cookie* Arigatou Momiji-chan! ^.^ I love cookies! *starts to munch on it* Anyway, please leave a review! And no flames! Niko, say bye-bye to the nice readers.
Niko: *thinks to self* I'm 17 and she's 13 and yet I have to take orders from her!? Has the world finally lost it? *says aloud to the readers* Ja ne...*evil smirk* And I hope you leave her a flame!
