Affirmation
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Koneko-chan Says!
Teehee. Thanks for the reviews, support and ideas. It's so pleasing to get feedback. well, I'll try to write some more, but I can't really promise with exams and projects worth fifteen percent of my mark... well, wish me good luck and happy reading!
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Sakura's arms flew in front of her and through her thinly-veiled attempt to strategically defend herself, the motion did nothing to prevent the Erase from easily penetrating her protective barrier and seeping straight into her memories. Instantly, she felt her vision blur from the invader and she grabbed at her head, giving out a cry.
All of a sudden, she couldn't even remember what was going on. Already had the powerful dosage begun to work its magic. It took her frantic searching, but she once again fell upon what was happening to her, relieved that it hadn't completely affected her just yet. "Don't do it, Ashen!" Sakura pleaded, doubling over from the intrusion. "I don't want this—I don't want to forget you!"
"It's not an option, Sakura. I really do like you. But you're fighting the inevitable. You're facing my strongest talisman with your will alone. Unprotected, you stand no chance. Just forget, and Gwen and I will return to China. You will carry on your life with Syoaran here, in Japan."
A fuzzy gray haze was taking over Sakura's field of vision now. She couldn't remember what it was Gwen did to have made her so upset. She looked up, and could only see Ashen standing there in front of her with Gwen crumpled at his legs. Suddenly, anger seemed to dominate any other emotion in her body—both hurt and betrayal churning deep in her gut.
How in the world was it her fault that she knew Gwen's life story, when Ashen had willingly told her that on his own account? It wasn't her fault that Gwen possessed those cards and tried to use them. And it most definitely wasn't her fault that the two of them had decided to reveal their powers to her. So what right did this boy have, in all his good intentions, to erase her precious memories like this? Did she try to erase his memories? No!
Standing up straight, suddenly feeling far more indomitable and confident, Sakura's fists clenched at her sides. "I said stop it!"
A bright jolt of white energy snapped viciously at Ashen, and he jumped back in surprise, causing him to break contact with his talisman for just a moment. His eyes widened in awe as he watched the Erase spell unwind its magic. Could this girl's will have done such a—no, it was near possible. A will may be strong, but its potency lies within mental strength. It could not do physical damage upon the Erase to have…
But there was no other way of looking at it. Did this mean that Sakura's mental strength was beyond Erase's power? How could something so overlooked affect the Caster of the Talisman?
"Ashen!"
Ashen turned temporarily to gaze at the door behind him when it burst open. A short, Chinese girl stood there in a readied fighting stance he recognized from Syoaran's own sparring training. "Meiling!"
"You promised you that you wouldn't use those, Ash. If you insist on doing any more, I'm going to have to break mine. Honestly, I can't leave any of you guys alone without having you get involved in something big and potentially apocalyptic."
"Meiling- stop. We just want to go back to Hong Kong. It's our secrets we're dealing with, and we should be able to dispose of them from other people as we wish. We have the power to."
Meiling scowled at Ashen. "Don't be ridiculous! It's your fault for letting your guard down and telling them to begin with. You have no right to fool around with the free will and memory of other people!"
"I'm no going to stop. Quit trying to act so mature about this when you know just as well as we do that this for the better."
"Don't be stupid! Gwen was out of control just now with those guards. They poison the mind of their manipulator. If you're not going to stop, I'm just going to have to make you."
"Martial arts won't work on him, Meiling. He's got a barrier." Syoaran warned, limping to the wall for support.
"Think what you will." Meiling grinned, putting two fingers up in-between her eyes.
"Meiling, stop it!" Ashen yelled, but he was still holding up his Erase talismsn. And that was enough of an invitation for her.
Pulling her hand away from her eyes, a long, white ribbon seemed to withdraw from absolutely nowhere with a string of silver bells. Closing her eyes, Meiling closed her eyes and formed a seal of her own, her fingers intertwining around the folds of the ribbon. She began chanting something completely incomprehensible.
"You know you're not doing the right thing for them. What if this dark power takes over you, like it did me, once? Saku can't fight an enemy she doesn't know she has. Fight!"
The glowing goddess shot up from the light in her hands, and sprang towards Kei, piercing his barrier in a second and knocking him to the ground. "You know that my seals are stronger than yoursi! Why did you break your promise? You know I can sense when you cast a spell. You know that I know about Gwen's cards. I'm the one you stole your powers from, Kei. Twelve years ago. And now you're using them as if you're superior to me! What's with that, I told you to stop—and you don't?"
Kei coughed from the blow, gripping his stomach. But when he focused his eyesight upwards to look at Meiling, the light from the hospital room cast her entire body into a shadow. He couldn't see her features. The only things he saw, were the piercing bright, purple eyes, that were mixing in with Meiling's original red ones.
The toll the seals take on her...
It could cost her life.
