Hello again!

SIBLING LOVE's first chapter is uploaded! Go check it out and tell me what you think, please! It's an AU about Syaoran and his sisters, only 3 chapters, which will be posted by the end of February at most. I liked the way it turned out, but let me know if it was just me...

OK, people, warnings: DEATH chapter!

-Kai clears throat-

OK, not A death chapter... ¬¬

-Syaoran elbows KLKL-

Alright! Geesh! DOUBLE DEATH CHAPTER! There! Satisfied?!

Syaoran/Kai: Very!

¬¬' OK, here we go with chapter 8. This is it, people. Twists and turns from here onward

And I do hope you have life insurance because this might be a little too painful or heavy for your hearts...

THE LI GUARDIANS

CHAPTER 8 – THE SACRIFICES

They all stood there, ready to face the black mass, but something was not right: it wasn't advancing at all, just floating uselessly. Not knowing what else to do, they just waited.

And waited...

Until, suddenly, it just striked... straight at Syaoran, but the boy used his sword and called the winds to keep the opponent away from him, giving time for Sakura to use the The Watery to push it farther away, as Suuki and Yami charging directly at the mass, jumping for impulse, showering it with strong combined kicks and punches in a rhythmic dance. Although it was weird to be charging with full power at something that not even had a fixed shape, they still just kept going, after all, even if it was "only" a mass with energy, it was still after their "master", and Syaoran wasn't in conditions to fight alone; and even if the latter had recovered all of his life energy, along with all of his magic force, he'd still be unable to face Kurotsuki's power by himself; protecting their creator's life was always the Li Guardians' number one priority.

It had seemed like they'd been winning, since the shapeless black thing was taking all the blows and flowing backwards., but suddenly, it stopped in mid-air again, motionless, no matter how much the Guardians attacked it, and then it just sent out a bit of magic energy, sending both flying back away a good deal of meters. At that moment, Sakura called The Sword and advanced with Syaoran right up to it, but that didn't do much either, for, as they slashed with their swords, the shadow-like thing just floated where it was, then sending a little of its magic energy at the girl, making her land at the same spot the Li Guardians still laid, and another spur hit the boy's chest in a perfect bull's-eye.

Syaoran fell back, a long breath escaping his lips as his back forcefully met the floor and, in the blink of an eye, he was once more surrounded by the darkness and the lightings that were somehow capable of stealing life energy... it didn't take much time for the pain to come either. The boy gave a loud scream... and fell...

Differently from the last time, no one on the outside could see a thing of what was happening inside the black sphere that now trapped the Li heir. Sakura once more called The Sword, immediately slashing at it as her staff transformed... and Syaoran came to view as the sphere became two halves. The Li Guardians quickly took him out of the way, Sakura maintaining her position, ready to strike again when it recovered.

Behind the Sakura cards "wielder", Suuki looked at Yami with a doubtful look. "Should I give him life energy again? He's almost out of it!" She asked him mentally. Yami, despite knowing that she probably had already recovered most of hers, shook his head in disapproval, for he also knew that, right then, their creator's body was too weak to receive any sort of energy; and if the body was too weak, it would have to recover before receiving any kind of energy of power. Suuki just nodded and looked back at the unconscious boy on hers and Yami's lap.

"Syaoran-sama, shikari shite kudasai! Me o akete kudasai! (Syaoran-sama, hang in there! Open your eyes!)" She whispered pleadingly.

As if he had heard her, his eyes blinked a bit, and then opened. "Suu... ki... Yami..." He tried out. When he tried to abruptly get up, though, the Li Guardians' master fell back down with a low yell of pain. Yami and Suuki immediately held him in place, afraid he'd do something like that once more, the girl on one side, the boy on the other.

Worried as he was about his "master", the male Li Guardian decided to check on the other girl and their enemy. Slightly turning his head a bit, he saw the mass was still trying to pull itself back together, Sakura ready to split it again.

Unexpectedly, though, the darkness decided to attack her the way it was, but she was prepared for it, readying her stance. When it was at striking range, she plunged at it... and another unexpected thing happened: instead of being sliced once more, it reopened the part of the cut it had already healed, making Sakura miss it completely. "Oh, no! Look out!" She yelled as she turned around the moment it passed by her, the first half of it by her left, the second by her right, quickly advancing towards its wide open target. "Syaoran-kun, abunai (watch out)!"

Yami didn't even think; throwing Syaoran completely into Suuki's arms, surprising the both of them, he stood up facing his partner and his "master", arms spread out, smiling for the first time since he arrived at Japan... his last smile... as he whispered a goodbye at the same time that he, now in the very spot Syaoran had been three seconds earlier, was completely trapped inside the black sphere, waving a final goodbye, his first... and only... tear rolled down his right cheek.

They all watched horrified as a great wave of lightening, much bigger than the previous ones had been, struck once at the Li Guardian's body... and he fell, the gentle smile still imprinted on his face while he disappeared in sparkles... sparkles that were his energy, or better, Syaoran's...

"Yami/Kage-san!" The three cried out, continually yelling his name. Suddenly, Suuki, realizing how dangerously close to the enemy they were, grabbed her "master" and jumped away with him, out of the classroom, through the broken glass window and down the three floors. Sakura quickly followed, using The Jump, leaving Tomoyo, as she would be safer away from them. The black mass did not hesitate to follow.

When they landed, Suuki helped Syaoran stand up.

"Pathetically weak!" He whispered to himself, but the remaining Li Guardian heard him, understanding he was referring to his current state... to his lack of power... and for not being able to avoid Yami's destiny. A small, almost imperceptible, smile graced her face for a few seconds, as she realized just how much he cared.

Sakura had just reached both, when a bolt of lightning hit the ground close to their spots.

"That was just a warning, I won't miss the next time! Hand over the heir and I'll let anyone else go! It's only the Li family I'm after, and that does not include Li Guardians. I'll take care of the others later. Keeping my business organized has always been one of my virtues." They heard in their heads. The voice was silky, but it had the rough touch of a male's vocal chords.

"Oh, no! With the energy he absorbed from Yami, he's now able to use telepathy! Keep your eyes open, who knows what else he might do!" Suuki warned.

"You've got to be kidding! We've just lost a friend who sacrificed himself to save Syaoran-kun! Don't expect us to throw away his efforts! Forget it!" Sakura replied, cards in hand. "Watery, Fiery, Windy, Wood! Combine your powers and take him down!" She commanded with fierce grief, a determined look on her face.

Syaoran was surprised. "Sakura! Baka na no ka (Are you stupid)?! Do you know how much energy that's going to take from you?! Using 4 cards, even if your energy has grown stronger, it's still going to use a lot of magic! Call them back before it's too late! You'll get exhausted!" He yelled to her.

Sakura just gave him a smile before replying. "Hai, shiteru yo. Demo, Kage-san wa jibun no inochi o kureta, Syaoran-kun o mamoru tame ni... soreto... Kurotsuki wa motto tsuyoku ni natta, dakara... watashi-tachi wa ganbarenainara, muri da yo (Yes, I know. However, Kage-san gave up his own life in order to protect you... and... Kurotsuki became stronger, that's why... if we don't do our best, it'll be useless)!" She answered, tears flowing from her eyes as she rephrased everything.

"If we don't hit him with everything we've got, Kage-san's sacrifice will have been useless!" Sakura shouted ful eyes, yet even more tears falling from her beautiful emerald ones. "One friend is enough for me..." She said between sobs. "I don't want to lose anything more!" The chestnut-haired girl shouted, turning back to face her opponent, checking how her cards were doing.

"Daijoubu." Sakura whispered.

The cards seemed like they were dancing instead of fatally attacking, their synchronization perfect: Windy surrounded everything in a powerful tornado- like form, The Watery and The Fiery rhythmically took turns hitting the enemy, The Wood using its vines to confuse the mass shape; all in perfect rhythm, as if already planned, none missing any of the opportunities the other(s) gave. It all seemed to be working, since the black mass was obviously having problems to deal with all four simultaneously... until they slowed down, that is.

When Syaoran realized the pace of the cards was slowing, he looked at their wielder and saw her breaths were coming in quickly, exiting just as fast. The boy called his own incantations and sent both the elements of lightning and fire to cover up for the others, but that was as much as he could do, given he wasn't at his full health. His knees gave away... and he fell back on the ground, but never losing concentration on the attacks, Sakura's words ringing in his head.

"If we don't hit him with everything we've got, Kage-san's sacrifice will have been useless!"

"Hontou da... ore wa... ganbarukya (That's right... I'll do my best)!" Syaoran encouraged himself, trying with all his strength not to break the concentration on the magic incantations he was trying to keep working.

Eventually, though, they couldn't keep it up any longer, so the assaults died down to a level at which the black mass was able to repel and send them back at their commanders.

Even though she was exhausted, Sakura summoned The Jump and leaped out of the way, with Suuki and Syaoran holding each of her hands, landing on top of one of the school buildings, where they were able to take a quick rest, recovering their breaths, and Sakura called back her five used Cards, thanking them for a good job.

Suuki dropped to her knees by Syaoran's side, grabbing his hand in her own. "Moshi wake arimasen, Syaoran-sama (I'm very sorry, Syaoran-sama). Watashi wa tasukemasen deshita (I wasn't able to aid you). My specialty is fighting, but that's no good against a black mass that you can go right through it! That'd only end up in it catching me, thus obtaining more life and magic energy! Hontou ni... moshi wake arimasen (For real... I'm so sorry)! I feel so useless!" She pleaded, tears of self-pity flowing down her cheeks.

Syaoran was speechless, he just didn't know what to say. Looking at his girlfriend for help, all she did was shake her head in a negative gesture and, except for Suuki's cries, they were silent, for the sadness of losing a friend and for the agony of not knowing what to do in order to win.

The Li heir was trying to control his breathing, which still was a bit ragged,, as it was becoming harder by the minute, at the same time he was keeping an eye on his girlfriend, a worried expression on his face. The reason for that was because he knew she was having trouble staying awake, for she kept involuntarily closing her eyes, only to open them abruptly seconds later. Syaoran was not surprised by that, after all, she had used four cards at once and then used another to save them; that had undoutedly taken a lot of the cards' wielder, making her tired. Suuki was, at present, the only one with modest conditions to fight.

"Kurotsuki", however, wasn't going to wait forever; he wanted his body, and his life, back. No sooner had it fused back its pieces, previously messed up thanks to Sakura's and Syaoran's magic attacks, the darkness went right up to the school building top on which the three were, losing no time to run after the brown-haired boy, surprising the trio, although only a little, that it was able to recover so fast.

Sakura could barely move; it took a lot of strength just to shout, "Syaoran- kun, behind you! Look out!"

Syaoran was warned just in time to jump out of the way, but some of the black mass' shock wave was still able to reach him and, although it did not steal more life energy, it did some harm, violently throwing the chocolate-eyed boy a few meters away.

Puffing, he tried to get up, the corner of his eyes slightly acknowledging that the enemy was coming towards him very fast, but his attempts were almost worthless, since he could hardly keep standing for long... fighting was out of question.

"Syaoran-kun!" Sakura shouted, hating herself for her incapability to do a thing as the dark mass came closer and closer to the one she loved most. "Dame (No)!" She yelled.

Just when he thought it would finally get him, Suuki's body came to view, putting itself between hunt and hunter, arms wide open, intent on protecting her creator.

"I won't let Yami's efforts go to waste! And I definitely won't let Syaoran-sama's life be taken you!" She shouted.

Syaoran, although touched once more by their dedication, suddenly had a replay of Yami's sacrifice clearly displayed in his head... and satisfying it wasn't. So when the black shadow did not stop advancing towards Suuki, even though she shouted to her "master" to run away, even though he wanted to be with Sakura always, and even though he had a family to lead, the image of Yami replaying in his mind told the Li heir not to permit anyone else to ruin their lives for his sake.

Syaoran, summoning the last ounce of energy he could, suddenly leaped and pushed her far from the dangerous place, where he stood, silently apologizing.

"Suuki, suman na (sorry). I don't want you or anyone else sacrificing themselves for me... Yami was enough. Arigatou na (Thanks)." He said to her, in a low and sorrowful voice.

Turning to Sakura, the person he cared for the most, he offered her a sad, but gentle, smile, as he whispered a few more words to her:

"I'll always love you, Sakura. I promised we would always be together... and we will... I'll never leave your side... no matter what happens to me..."

She cried in despair, watching helplessly as he was caught, once more, by the well-known black sphere, his final words escaping his lips soundlessly, but she understood, and reflexively replied, "I love you too, Syaoran," as the boy disappeared inside it.

The Li heir smiled... and soon it was only pain he felt... and then... nothing more.

Sakura and Suuki both screamed as his body came out, as if in slow motion, of the black darkness that had only seconds earlier caught him, a peaceful smile imprinted on his face, his sword turning back to its bell-like shape as it landed beside him.

The black sphere floated away from the body to a corner and remained there, quiet and still, as the girls crawled towards the fallen boy.

Sakura laid her ear on his chest... and paled. Taking his shoulders in her hands, she gently shook him, tears running even more from the green orbs, as the amber-haired girl began to shake him more and more violently, desperately screaming.

"Me o akete! Syaoran-kun, onegai, watashi hitori ni shinaide! Ikanaide yo! Syaoran-kun! (Open your eyes! Syaoran-kun, please, don't leave me alone! Don't go! Syaoran-kun!)"

Around then, Suuki finally came closer to them, given she was thrown to a spot farther from him then the one Sakura had been on, and, kneeling besides the body just like Sakura, on the opposite side, the Li Guardian reached out her hand and let it hang above her "master's" heart, closing her eyes... opening them brief seconds later, a pained and shocked expression resting on her features.

"He's... he's... his life energy was completely taken! There's no way I can restore it now! He's...he's... dead!" She cried out, the last word spoken in an almost mute voice.

Sakura looked at the other girl, as Suuki also looked at the one oppposite her, and each realized their looks matched: looks of despair, sadness and mostly... a look of loss.

At a silent corner, a slight glow came from the black mass and slowly... a human shape began to appear.

END of CHAPTER EIGHT – THE SACRIFICES

-Author ducks from Unidentifed Virtual Flying Objects Sent From Readers aka UVFOSFR-

A.N.: OH, NO! I KILLED MY SYAORAN! NOOOOOOOO! Please don't be too mad at me, I'm mad enough at myself! You have NO idea how much time I spent sulking when this was written around July 2003!

Syaoran: 3 weeks, no kidding; it WAS vacation, after all... ¬¬

Kai: You readers haven't heard her excuse for it yet... ¬¬

Loki: What was it? I wasn't here at that time, so I don't know!

Kouichi: Same here.

--' Please, don't tell them!

Kai smirks a sly grin

Syaoran pokes a terrified KLKL aka me

No, please...

Kai: She said, and I quote, "I did it because I LOVE him too much!" -snickers-

Loki/Kouichi OO

Syaoran ¬¬'

KLKL cries non-stop

I'm sorry! I really am! But the story asked for it!

Loki ¬¬ Oh, I'm a God! Please let me have mercy on myself! Don't let her love me even more!

Kouichi: That's it! I'm leaving! Bye-bye!

-KLKL cries harder-

-Syaoran pats her back-

Koucihi -hands raised-: Alright, alright! I'll stay! Stop that racket!

KLKL stops a bit I'm SOOOOO sorry! cries again

Kai: Well, she WAS going to wish you all a happy xmas, but since readers'll definitely not be very ... ehr... joyful... we'll do it. ¬¬

Syaoran/Kai/Loki/Kouichi: "Merry Christmas to you all!"

-KLKL faints-

Syaoran/Kai/Loki/Kouichi: KLKL!

Loki: Uh, sorry, we're experiencing technical problems... ¬¬

Kouichi:... so we're signing out!

Loki: Wait! She didn't do the preview! We'll have to do it! -gets script-

Kai ¬¬ -looking at script too-

Kouichi: Uh-oh... oO

Syaoran OO

-tragic piano and strings music pops out of nowhere-

Kouichi: Hey!

-OK, KOUICHI puts the tragic music- ¬¬

Kai clears throat: "Next, on The Li Guardians, chapter 9 - The Truth: Kurotsuki's finally come back to life, and with him, the truth behind the Li family and their Li Guardians. The true story behind the dark secret thought to be revealed when Suuki and Yami released 'Kurotsuki' from his prison..."

-KOUICHI ends tragic song-

Syaoran oO: That was good, how'd you do it?

Kai: Heard her practicing to do it yesterday... ¬¬

Syaoran ¬¬

Loki -still looking at script-: You know, this next chapter is preeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeety big! She'll take forever!

Syaoran: Not really... most probable KLKL will divide the chapter in two and upload them separately... ¬¬

Loki: Oh.

Kouichi: Still'll take [A.N.: Like the sound that makes and the way it twists your tongue ] forever, though...

Kai ¬¬'

Syaoran --'''': Uh... ja, mata ato na (so, 'till next time).

Kai -smirks-: IF she ever wakes up! She could have died here, for all we know!

Syaoran: Hey, say that some other day! Right now, I want to LIVE!

Loki: Uh, Syaoran-kun, who gave you the idea you're gonna live?

Kouichi: If she actually killed YOU, something we'd never thought she could...

Kai:... and neither did SHE think she could either... ¬¬

Kouichi: ... then she might as well keep you dead...

Syaoran -pale- OO

Kai: Syaoran? -pokes said character-

Syaoran -shocked-

Loki: Great. ¬¬

Kouichi: Uh, review o shite kudasai (leave a review please)... please?