Sorry about the long deal but here it is the next chapter of Syaoran's Angels.

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Syaoran's Angels

Chapter 16: Rite of Passage

Sakura opened her eyes and was immediately blinded by the bright morning sun glaring down on her. Groaning and trying to ignore the throbbing pain inside her head, she struggled to get up her whole body screaming at her to stop.

"Ugh..." she groaned rubbing her eyes, "What ha..."

She froze remembering what happened.

The horsemen!

"Meiling? Tomoyo?" she yelled looking around frantically, "Mei..."

"I'm here," Meiling croaked as she scrambled to her feet as she tenderly rubbed her temple.

"You okay?" Sakura asked worriedly running across the rocky ground to her friend.

Meiling sat down hurriedly as her vision blurred, groaning in pain she stretched her muscles protesting against her movements. After a few more moments of gingerly poking her body, she nodded.

"I'm fine... I think."

Sakura looked around and suddenly turned back to Meiling.

"Where's Tomoyo?"

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

The sound of someone speaking Mongolian rapidly jolted Tomoyo from her sleep. Shaking off her fatigue she looked around trying to figure out where she was.

"Hush," a soft voice murmured in English, "She's wake."

Tomoyo could hear the sound of boots against wood as somebody walked away. A soft hand touched her face as the woman had had spoken before began humming under her breath.

"Open your eyes," she said gently, "I know you're awake."

With a deep sigh, Tomoyo opened her eyes and stared into a pair of amused hazel eyes. As the woman staring down at her moved, the light glanced off her eyes revealing flecks of emerald green in her hazel pupils.

"Good morning," she said cheerfully with a bright grin.

Tomoyo blinked in confusion.

"Whe... wher... where..." she began stammering in astonishment trying to get up.

Grabbing her shoulder in a surprisingly strong grip, the woman pushed her back onto the bed.

"Calm down," the woman advised, "As for your stammering question, you're in the Temple of Shaolin in the Altai Mountain wilderness."

Tomoyo stared at her shocked. Suddenly she remembered the events of the night before.

"The horsemen!" she yelled, "You sent them! Where are my friends? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THEM?! I WANT TO SEE THEM RIGHT NOW!"

The woman smiled at her, amused as though Tomoyo was a young kid who had just done something really stupid.

"Dear, when you are held captive its not good to yell and curse at your captors," she advised with a small smile, "It doesn't help your cause and it could lead to a lot of pain. And your friends were left behind so they should be fine. They just got knocked out and should be awake by now."

Tomoyo took a deep steadying breath and stared up at this strange woman, who seemed more like a friend than enemy.

"Who are you?"

"Let me introduce myself," the woman smiled, "My name is Nivaline Sarah Thomas."

"Okay..." Tomoyo muttered, "Is that name supposed to mean something?"

"I'm a member of the Elders that rule this temple," Nivaline continued ignoring Tomoyo's comment, "I was born in America to an African-American mother and I'm forty although I don't really like to think about my age. I like kids and I had a... very interesting and extremely peculiar occupation back when I was living in America. I migrated to Mongolia a few years ago and stumbled upon this temple whilst trekking these mountains and after a few short months here I was given the position of an Elder."

Tomoyo stared at her.

"I'm taking a really wild guess but you're not like normal kidnappers," she noted, "You're too nice. I mean even normal people don't tell me so much about themselves when we first meet."

Nivaline laughed.

"I'm not like a 'normal' people," she said cryptically her eyes flashing.

"So what was that interesting occupation you had?" Tomoyo asked genuinely curiously.

The woman stared at the Japanese Angel carefully studying her with her hazel-green eyes. Suddenly she gave Tomoyo a small smile as if the younger woman had passed some kind of silent evaluation. In turn the Angel watched her carefully as Nivaline sighed and toyed with her long strawberry blonde hair.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she said shortly.

"I'm held captive in a ancient Mongolian Temple set out in the wilderness of the Altai Mountains after being kidnapped by horsemen in the middle of the night," Tomoyo said dryly, "I think I'll believe anything."

Nivaline gave her a small mysterious smile.

"I was an Angel."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Hurriedly pulling on a thick black jumper, Sakura completed changing into fresh clothes and turned to Meiling who was waiting for her.

"What do we do?" Sakura asked asking the question that was on both of their minds.

Meiling answered without blinking.

"We track them."

"How?" Sakura asked curiously as Meiling began searching their campsite.

"This is how," the Asian Angel said triumphantly pointing at a small shrub poking out from a crack in the hard rocks.

Sakura stared at Meiling and wondered briefly if the knock Meiling had received from the horse hadn't damaged her head as well.

"Excuse me?" Sakura stared at her friend worriedly, "Are you okay? Did you knock you head or something?"

Meiling rolled her eyes and sighed in frustration.

"Look!" she commanded.

Sakura glanced down at the plant and studied it closely this time, expertly she noticed that most of its branches and thin needle-like leaves had been trampled into the rocky ground.

"It's been trampled," she said slowly.

Meiling nodded eagerly.

"It proves that at least one horse had stood here. We look around and I bet you we can locate more clues like this," she said confidently.

Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes towards the bright azure skies.

"This is going to take a long, long time," Sakura warned as her emerald eyes expertly swept the surrounding area.

Meiling stared at her, cocking an eyebrow as she crossed her elbows.

"You have a better idea?"

Sakura shook her head and with a final sigh began searching.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Tomoyo blinked at Nivaline stunned to silence. The woman stared back at her calmly, a mysterious smile dancing across her lips. The Japanese Angel took a deep breath.

"What kind of Angel do you mean?" she asked hiding her surprise carefully, "A god-sent-me-here-from-the-heavens Angel or a I-work-for-a-guy-I've-never-seen-before-but-sends-missions-to-me-and-my-friends-through-a-voice-box Angel?"

"The I-work-for-a-guy one," Nivaline said calmly her eyes alert and weary.

Before Tomoyo could open her mouth to speak, the woman's hands shot out and in one liquid movement grabbed her throat and slammed her back into the bed. Tomoyo let out a strangled gasp as Nivaline tightened her grip on her neck. Even though she was choking the breath out of her, Tomoyo couldn't help but admire the older woman's speed. She hadn't even seen Nivaline move.

"How do you know about Angels?" Nivaline growled dangerously, her once soft and gentle hazel eyes turning into cold, hard chips of brown rock.

Tomoyo winced in pain as Nivaline wrenched her up into a sitting position and glared into her eyes.

"Who sent you?" she snarled, "It was Lara wasn't it?"

Tomoyo finally managed to grab the other woman's grip and tried to wrench her hand away but Nivaline easily shook her hands off. Instead she released her iron-grip slightly allowing Tomoyo to suck in grateful gulps of air.

"I... I... I'm... an An... Angel a... a... as... well," Tomoyo managed to explain hoarsely between breaths.

Nivaline's eyes widened.

"Elder!" a man yelled in Mongolian as he charged into the room.

"Yes?" Nivaline asked briskly back in the same language as she swivelled around to look at the dishevelled man.

"There are intruders in the valley!"

Nivaline shot one last look at Tomoyo before turning back to the man.

"Guard her," she commanded as she stood up, "I'll see to this."

With that Nivaline rose gracefully and left the room leaving Tomoyo with one wary Mongolian guard.

"Are you sure about this?" Sakura asked her voice echoing around the deep walls of the rocky ravine they had descended down into.

"Hush," Meiling growled at her, her own voice barely above a whisper, "They might hear us."

Sakura sighed.

"Who's they?" she wanted to know.

Meiling ignored her and continued picking her way through the boulders and broken shale that littered the ravine floor, her senses on high alert. Although Sakura seemed to be disinterested and bored, her own senses were sweeping the area ready to pick up the slightest trail of disturbance amongst the rocky round.
"Meiling," Sakura hissed suddenly.

"Shut up," Meiling snapped back without even bothering to turn around.

Suddenly the American Angel grabbed her friend's arm, Meiling whirled around and glared at her shaking off her hand as she opened her mouth to deliver a stinging remark.

"Can't you hear it?" Sakura whispered.

Meiling stared at her strangely.

"Hear what?" she asked looking around wearily.

Without any warning, the sound of horses neighing and hard hooves striking rock echoed through the whole ravine as both Angels tensed.

"That's what," Sakura muttered wryly to her friend as a platoon of mounted horsemen burst from a hidden opening in the rocky walls.

The horsemen tugged hard on the horses' reins wheeling them around until they faced the two girls. For one eternal second, the two sides looked at each other: waiting, watching, wary. The horses pawed the rocky ground restlessly as their riders studied their two seemingly helpless opponents, spears clutched tightly in their hands. The Angels in turn studied them as their eyes flicked from side to side studying their battlefield their minds hard at work formulating plans.

"Would it be to late to say we come in peace?" Meiling wondered aloud suddenly sending the men a devilish grin.

Her voice was instantly drowned out by the thundering noise of charging horses and excited yells of their riders as the horsemen leapt at them.

The two Angels immediately leapt into action and the battle began.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Nivaline smiled receiving the first word of the intruders.

"Our warriors have attacked," the messenger reported bowing respectfully before her.

"Good," Nivaline dismissed him with a single flick of her finger, "Make sure they are brought in for questioning."

The blonde-haired woman settled back and waited, confident that the intruders would be defeated.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Sakura ducked the thin, razor-sharp blade of the spear as it shot past overhead. Jumping up she had to immediately spring to the side as a snorting horse charged straight past her, its rider trying to impale her in the chest with his spear.

Across the narrow rocky path, Meiling leapt backwards barely dodging her attacker's wild thrust with his spear. Before the man could yank his weapon back, Meiling grabbed the wooden staff and slammed the round, hard butt straight into the man's chest sending him sprawling off his horse as Meiling laughed snatching the spear from his hands.

"Now this is a more level playing-field," she crowed as another horsemen charged straight for her.

Meiling swung the spear around and dug the metal tip into the ground. Using the whole weapon as a lever, she leapt into the air gripping the spear tightly in both hands. With a fierce yell, she kicked out both her legs slamming into the man's chest, his momentum and the force of her kick sending him flying backwards. Meiling winced as he smashed into the rocky wall with considerable force.
"Ouch," she muttered sympathetically.

Sprinting over to the fallen horseman, she grabbed his spear and whirled around.

"SAKURA!"

"WHAT?" her teammate yelled as she nimbly dodged a spear thrust.

"CATCH!" Meiling hurled the spear across the narrow ravine as Sakura whirled around and caught it deftly.

"Come on boys," Sakura smirked, "It's playtime!"

She twirled the staff around expertly in her hands as one horse leapt straight for her. Sakura whirled around and ran, the horse hot in pursuit. Seeing the craggy wall of the ravine she smirked as she leapt forwards and whirled around in midair. Her left foot hit the rock as she pushed with all her might propelling herself forwards straight back at the horse. Sakura grinned sadistically as the man's eyes widened.

"CRACK!" the hard wood of the spear handle smashed into his face as Sakura sailed straight over the horse's head and swung the spear around.

The man was sent sprawling over the horse's back as Sakura landed neatly straight on top of the horse's back. The American Angel's eyes widened as she realised what she was sitting on.

"Oh..." she began as the horse suddenly let out a loud whinny and began bucking and pawing the air with its hard hooves.

Sakura had two problems:

One, the horse was beginning to panic with this unfamiliar rider on its back and was now thrashing around the ravine in a frantic state.

Two, she was sitting on the horse... backwards.

"AHHHHH!!" she yelled as her hands scrambled helplessly along the horse's broad back trying to find a purchase to hold on to as the horse continued to charge recklessly through the fray.

Meiling knocked another horseman from his perch with a powerful whack to the chest and whirled around gasping in horror and amazement as Sakura continued to cling on for dear life as horse rose onto its two hind legs and jab the air with its two forelegs.

"SAKURA! GET DOWN!" Meiling roared.

"I WOULD LOVE TO!" her friend snapped back as she fought to stay on.

Meiling almost earned a gaping wound in her shoulder for her few seconds of inattention. Expertly deflecting the thrust with her spear handle, she let the horse charge past her whacking its hind legs with a sound blow as it raced past and smiled in satisfaction as the horse panicked and reared into the air dumping the horseman unceremoniously onto his back.

"Awww... poor baby make a boo-boo?" Meiling smirked as she landed a painful blow to his head and smiled as he slumped to the ground unconscious.

"MEILING!!" Sakura yelled desperately as her horse buckled widely and began racing away from the fight.

As Meiling watched on in horror, the horse charged straight back into hidden crevice that the horsemen had originally sprung from. Sakura held on doggedly as the horse sprinted through some sort of small cave. Rocks scraped her bare legs leaving behind long raw scratches as the horse continued on down the cramp cave, her woollen jumper was now in tatters thanks to the many protruding rocks and roots sticking out from the cave walls.

"Oh great," Sakura still managed to gripe as she clung onto the horse's back, "I just got this jumper."

Suddenly the cave ended abruptly and Sakura was thrust straight into the bright sunlight. Her eyes, accustomed to the darkness of the cave were immediately blinded. Blinking furiously trying desperately to clear her vision, she realised with horror that her grip on the horse's saddle was slipping.

"NO!" she yelled scrambling for purchase.

The horse gave on last wild buck and Sakura was sent flying.

"OW!" The wind was knocked straight out of her lungs as she hit the hard ground with a loud thud.

"That wasn't fun," Sakura managed to gasp as she staggered to her feet swaying unsteadily.

For a few seconds her vision blurred and the world around her spun but after a few seconds of standing there blinking dazedly she managed to regain her balance and perception.

"Where am..." Sakura trailed off as her emerald eyes widened in shock.

Standing before her was a temple. Her jaws practically dropped to the ground as her eyes ran over the massive building studying the intricate stone and wooden carvings that decorated the walls of the building and the roof. A stone dragon glared down at her from its perch on top of a small pillar as its twin sitting on the other side of a stone path reared up into the air, a snarl of menace captured on its stone façade.

"This wasn't in the Lonely Planet guide," Sakura quipped as she studied the stone pillars, which were painted a dark crimson, lining the stone path leading up to the immense wooden doors guarding the doorway.

Before Sakura could do anything else, the doorway burst open and an army of spear-wielder guards surrounded her in a menacing ring.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Meiling swung the spear around and cracked the last horseman across the back of the head. With a muffled groan, the man fell from his horse as Meiling sighed in relief.

"Finally," she muttered.

Looking around she quickly spotted the hidden cave that Sakura and the wild horse had disappeared through. With one last glance behind her to make sure that all the horsemen were indeed knocked out cold she took a deep breath and began sprinting through the cave.

Where it led to, Meiling had no idea.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

"No wonder this isn't a tourist destination," Sakura noted, "You really need to work on the whole warm welcoming thing."

The ring tightened as each guard held his spear out in from of him, the sharp metal blades pointing straight towards the intruder.

"Now, now no need to get angry," Sakura took a cautious step towards one guard, "All I want is a snapshot of the scenery."

Gently she touched the tip of the spear as the guard stiffened.

"Ooooo... Can I get this in a souvenir shop?" Sakura gushed suddenly.

In one swift movement, she yanked the spear out of the guard's startled grip. Before anybody could react, she whipped the weapon around a knee height causing three guards to topple over. With amazing agility, she sprang out of the ring that surrounded her by leaping over the fallen three and landed nimbly on her feet, her spear clutched skilfully in her head its tip pointing outwards.

"Catch me if you can," Sakura smirked.

One a fierce warcry the guards whirled around and charged at her, their spears ready to impale her. Shifting into a stance, Sakura smiled in anticipation. One guard rushed at her holding the spear high above his head, with a loud cry he brought it down. Sakura twirled the spear in her hands until she gripped it horizontally. Deflecting the blow, Sakura kicked at the man's exposed stomach causing him to keel over in pain. Bringing the spear around she cracked the man across the skull and smirked as he toppled over like a sack of cement.

"TING!" Relying on her instincts she whipped her spear to her left just in time for the thin blade of one guard's spear to deflect off hers.

Seeing something move in the corner of her eye, Sakura whirled around and took a neat side-step to her right smiling in glee as one guard charged straight past her carried by his own momentum. He stumbled awkwardly as Sakura took him down with a vicious roundhouse punch to his stomach. He hit the ground moaning in pain as Sakura turned back to the rest of the guards.

They came thick and fast stabbing and slashing the air with their spears. Sakura's own spear was like a brown and silver blur, deflecting attacks and dealing out damage of her own. One guard fell to the ground as Sakura slashed his thigh with her spear drawing a deep narrow cut along his flesh. Another went down as the hard butt of her spear slammed into his face breaking his nose.

Sakura grimaced in pain as one guard landed a lucky hit drawing a thin line of blood across her arm shredding her already badly damaged jumper. Glaring at him she nailed him with a vicious whack across his face.

"Great, now I really have to get a new one," she sighed as she continued to deflect blows.

She let out a yelp of pain as another blade hit her body. Biting her lips and trying to ignore the pain as best as she could she fought on as more and more hits landed.

She was tiring, she realised with a sinking feeling in her stomach and soon one of them would land a hit that would really do some damage.

Smiling grimly Sakura fought on

.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

In a lightning fast move, Tomoyo leapt across the room tackling her guard to the ground slamming his head into the floor in the process. Crouching down, she quickly checked the man's pulse.

He was alive just knocked out cold.

With a sigh of relief, she stood up and brushed off her clothes before slowly opening the room door and stealthily sneaking out into the corridor.

As soon as she was outside her ear picked up the sounds of fighting. She could detect the distinct sound of wood hitting wood and the yells of victory and pain that filtered in through the windows.

She stood still.

"Meiling, Sakura!" she gasped realising who must be fighting.

With that Tomoyo followed the noise sprinting down the hallway, determined to help her friends.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Meiling let out a long sigh of relief as she reached the end of the tunnel. Glancing down at the numerous scratches she had received from protruding rocks and roots she grimaced but her attention was immediately snatched by the fight that was occurring straight in front of her.

"SAKURA!" Meiling yelled.

Without waiting for a reply, Meiling leapt into the fray taking advantage of the guard's surprise. She attacked viciously dealing out painful blows left, right and centre as she charged at their unprotected backs.

Trapped in between two Angels the rest of the guards quickly fell as Sakura let out a small sigh of relief.

"You okay?" Meiling asked picking her way through the fallen guards.

"I'm fine," Sakura gasped.

She turned around and stared at the temple.

"Now all we have to do is get inside and get Tomo..."

Suddenly the door swung open as Meiling and Sakura hefted their weapons, their senses and reflexes on high alert.

"Tomoyo?" Meiling gasped in surprise seeing who shot out from the temple.

"Meiling!" Tomoyo cried happily, "Sakura! Thank god, you're here!"

The Japanese Angel shot across the courtyard and as soon as she reached her startled friends she wrapped them in a warm hug.

"Tomoyo, what is this place?" Sakura asked as her friend let go of her and stepped back.

"According to this woman I met this is the Temple of Shaolin," Tomoyo told them, "I've lost the book and I don't know where it is."

"Don't worry," Meiling said grimly, "We'll get it back."

"I don't think so," a voice called from the doorway.

All the Angels whirled around to face the tall woman standing in the doorway. Meiling and Sakura studied the blonde-haired woman as they slowly shifted into a stance.

"Nivaline," Tomoyo muttered.

"I'm guessing these are your friends?" Nivaline said with an easy grin.

"We want the book," Sakura called.

Nivaline's hazel eyes narrowed as she studied the girl.

"It is not yours to have. You better leave now if you want to be unharmed," Nivaline warned.

"Oh yeah and like you're going to stop us," Meiling growled back, "You and what army?"

Nivaline smiled at her as at least thirty guards, dressed in the same fashion as the man Meiling had fought the night before in the archaeological dig compound, trickled out from the doorway and took up defensive stances each of them wary, alert and ready to fight.

"This army," Nivaline smirked.

She gestured with her hands and the guards charged at them.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

"You just had to open your big mouth didn't you?" Sakura demanded.

Meiling shrugged.

"Sue me."

Tomoyo sighed in exasperation.

"Can you please argue some other time?" she demanded, "When we are not surrounded and about to get thrashed?"

"We're not going to get thrashed," Meiling said confidently hefting her spear.

A fierce warcry erupted from her throat causing both Tomoyo and Sakura to jump in the air and with that Meiling pounced at the guards.

"Always the crazy one," Sakura sighed as she leapt into the fray after her friend.

It was impossible trying to fight this many people, Sakura let out a gasp of pain as one fighter landed a solid kick to her ribs. Tomoyo was sent toppling as a vicious kick landed on her left knee. Meiling was holding her own but barely as she tried to fight off four fighters at once.

"OW!" Sakura was sent flying by a spinning kick to her chest, her spear flying out of her hands and landing in the dirt metres away.

Meiling crashed into the ground beside her as Tomoyo desperately sought to fight the rest off trying to buy time for her friends to recover.

A swift kick in the shoulder followed by a painful punch to her stomach ended her plans.

"NO!" Sakura yelled as she saw one fighter pull out a knife from the folds of his clothing.

Before her horrified eyes, the fighter grip the knife expertly in his hands and hurled it straight at Tomoyo the knife flying through the air like chain lightning.

"NO!!" Sakura screamed again her voice still full of fear but there was something else now.

Power.

From her vantage point of the temple doorway, Nivaline's eyes widened as Sakura's voice roared through the courtyard, bouncing of the massive canyon walls that protected the temple echoing through the cave until it seemed the whole area was full of wrathful voices.

Lying on the ground beside Sakura, Meiling blinked in confusion as Sakura stood up her whole body moving smoothly as though she hadn't been injured at all.

"STOP!" she commanded waving her hands in front of her.

Her emerald eyes flashed a brilliant gold and to Tomoyo's shock a sparkling golden dome of energy burst into existence around her. The knife that had been thrown at her slammed into the barrier and exploded into twisted smoking shrapnel.

"Wha... what?!" Tomoyo gasped afraid to touch the barrier surrounding her.

The fighters, to their credit, recovered from their shock and several of them leapt at Sakura. Sakura laughed gleefully her voice filled with mirth and scorn.

"I don't think so," she snarled her emerald eyes turning into a brilliant gold, "FLY!"

Light flashed from her eyes as the fighters that had leapt at her was sent flying backwards through the air as though an invisible force had shoved them aside.

Nivaline gasped in surprise and shock.

"No, it can't be!"

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Dimly in her mind, Sakura knew the key was at work again. The key she had stolen from Ryan Trong's mansion, the key that was hanging around her neck right now. The key that had saved her from her fatal bullet wounds just several days before.

With a feral laugh, Sakura's hand flew to her neck and gripped the now glowing key tightly. With a powerful tug the gold clasp holding the chain together loosened and she held the key and chain aloft.

Gold light bathed the area as Sakura snarled at the remaining fighters.

"Fly, my pretties fly," she yelled an evil smirk dancing across her lips.

Each fighter find himself being picked up by an invisible force as Sakura laughed in glee. She left them there suspended in the air helpless in the face of her awesome power.

"Fly," she whispered with a flick of her hand.

Gold light burst from the Angel as Sakura let out a long laugh that was filled with malice and joy. Suddenly each fighter was flung backwards with immense force into the canyon walls the same strange force that threw them backwards pinned them to the wall crushing their bodies against the hard surface of the rock.

"Stop!" Nivaline yelled beginning to move towards her.

Sakura turned and stared at her with her now golden eyes. A small smile of scorn appeared on her lips as Sakura delicately arched an eyebrow.

"You?" she laughed, "Even your 'army' couldn't defeat me. You honestly think you have the power to stop me?"

Nivaline gritted her teeth.

"Let them go," she barked her eyes becoming chips of brown ice.

Sakura laughed.

"If you say so," Sakura casually gestured with her hands and the fighters was free of her power.

They fell to the ground each landing heavily and awkwardly as Sakura continued to regard Nivaline.

"Let the girl go," Nivaline growled.

Sakura laughed.

"I think this vessel serves me well," Sakura replied gesturing towards her own body, "The body of Nadeshiko's daughter is very, very suitable."

"Nadeshiko?!" Nivaline's eyes widened, "But how?"

"Let's just say little daughter follows in her mother's footsteps," Sakura smirked.

Nivaline took a dangerous step towards Sakura.

"Let. Her. Go," she growled each word filled with a deadly threat.

Sakura laughed.

"I don't think so Elder dear," Sakura hissed back at her.

"She has nothing to do with you, Fei Lao Shi," Nivaline demanded.

"I can't," Sakura snarled back, "She is the Flower."

Nivaline's eyes widened in shock as she let out a small gasp.

"They shall possess the three: One the sun and the key," she whispered almost to herself.

"Another the earth and the sword, the third the moon and the mirror," Tomoyo finished her voice barely above a whisper.

"Oh goody," Sakura laughed, "You've heard of it as well."

Meiling's eyes warily flickered in between Sakura and Tomoyo's face as her mind worked furiously to figure out what was going on.

"They..." Sakura paused, "We. We are after the earth: the Book of the Hong Bao Shi Hu Die. Give it to us."

Nivaline sighed deep in thought.

"I can't give it to you just like that," Nivaline took a deep breath, "The other Elders will not agree. However I propose this. If you girls pass the same test our acolytes pass to get warrior status I will give you the book."

Sakura laughed.

"Deal."

With that her eyes flashed once more before the gold light vanished and the key stopped glowing. Sakura looked around blinking in confusion, her eyes back to their normal brilliant emerald.

"What ha..." she began before giving a small sigh and fainting.

Nivaline stared intently at her.

"Come," she gestured towards Tomoyo and Meiling, "The tests begin."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Nivaline sat serenely upon a mahogany stool as Tomoyo and Meiling studied the room they were in. It too big to call it just a mere room, it was more like a hall. The walls and ceiling was decorated with skilfully done paintings of snarling tigers, screeching eagles and all manner of creatures both real and mythical all of them fixed in fierce poses. Six long round red pillars helped held the roof up and in the centre of the hall was a large square pit, which was filled with hard solid ground. The earthy texture of the ground contrasted against the smooth, gleaming surface of the floorboards that covered the rest of the floor.

"This is the Warrior's Hall," Nivaline explained calmly, "This is where acolytes come to be tested to determine if they are good enough to be warriors of our temple. A rite of passage some may say. This rite of passage consists of three tests, each one testing a specific skill: weapons, horse and balance. Normally an acolyte will have to pass all three on his own but because of your unique situation, each of you will complete a separate part of the overall test."

"But what about Sakura?" Meiling asked shooting a look at her friend, which was lay out on a woven mat on the ground behind them.

"When the time comes for her to be tested I will awaken her," Nivaline gestured towards the pit, "Who will be the first to go?"

Tomoyo and Meiling stared at each other.

"I'm going," Meiling said calmly.

"Why?" Tomoyo asked confused by Meiling's confidence

"The first part is weapons and out of the three of us I'm the best with them," Meiling explain.

Tomoyo nodded understandingly as Meiling strolled calmly up to the pit.

"Very well," Nivaline gestured with her hands and a door to her left banged open.

A man dressed in the same fashion as the fighters that Sakura had defeated with ease earlier came out holding two spears in his hands.

He reached the pit and stood legs apart in a pose that Meiling knew was perfect for one-on-one combat. He threw one of his spears at Meiling as the Asian Angel deftly caught it and moved into a stance of her own.

"The point of this test is to test your skill with spear-fighting," Nivaline explained, "First one to draw blood wins and you are bound within the confines of the pit. Very well, begin."

With no warning at all the man leapt for her, Meiling moved quickly to block his spear thrust with her own spear. The man leapt back now wary of Meiling's skill, both fighters circled one another their senses alert, reflexes ready to act.

With a small cry, Meiling darted forward trying to catch the man unaware but he was too fast skilfully deflecting her blow. Meiling jumped back as his spear sliced through the air the metal blade almost touching her body.

"You're good," Meiling panted.

The man didn't answer.

Meiling wiped the sweat from her face with the back of her hand and in that moment of distraction the man surged forwards the spear coming down in an overhead swing. Meiling leapt backwards trying to avoid the spear and was rewarded with a painful whack across the ribs. She sighed in relief as she fought for breath; only the wood had hit her the blade of the spear had missed.

"Thank god for small favours," she muttered as she grabbed the staff of the man's spear before he could yank it away and whipped her spear around at her head height at the same time.

The man ducked and Meiling's foot snaked out landing a before kick to the ribs. She let go of his spear and fell back until she stood at the edge of the pit her spear held ready to attack.

Hurriedly she brought her spear up to protect her hand as the man sprung forwards the wood of his spear clacking loudly with the wood of hers. He landed nimbly and whirled around bringing his spear around with him as Meiling thrust her spear down quickly blocking the second attack. She tried a thrust of her own but the man deflected the attack.

It went like that for a few minutes both of them sparring, attacking and defending with neither breaking the deadlock. Suddenly Meiling's and the man's spears smashed together as the two pushed at each other with all their strength trying to overpower the other.

It was another stalemate as both of them neither of them could defeat the other. Meiling sent a sudden smirk at the man and grinned.

"I win," she whispered.

The man's eyes widened as Meiling broke away from the tangle and darted around him as he suddenly found himself pushing nothing and almost toppled over as Meiling's spear flashed through the air and the tip of the blade just nicked his arm dropping a single bead of blood.

Meiling grinned as the man recovered his balance and whirled around. Meiling tensed expecting some kind of retaliation but the man merely bowed at her and left the pit.

"The challenge wins," Nivaline murmured, "Now for the second test."

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"I hate this," Tomoyo muttered as she sat on top of a black horse who was nervously pawing the ground.

"The second test is aimed at testing your horsemanship. The horse you are sitting on has been fed a type of plant that induced seizure like symptoms. It will last only for a minute but your objective is to stay on as the horse bucks around," Nivaline allowed a small smile to appear on her face, "After the minutes if you're still on than you have passed the second phase of the test. Your minute starts... now."

Tomoyo paled as the horse began neighing shrilly and her movements became more violent as she stomped the ground and began shaking her head. Tomoyo gripped the rein tightly as the horse suddenly reared slashing the air with her hard hooves.

"Ahhhhhh!!" Tomoyo cried as the convulsions really began.

The horse charged wildly towards the edge of the pit before suddenly wheeling around and almost sending Tomoyo flying through the air.

"Good horsey," Tomoyo cooed nervously, "Please stay still for me. Please."

The horse bucked wildly its whole body shaking and moving as her cries became shriller and more panicked.

So were Tomoyo's cries.

"Hang in there!" Meiling cried encouragingly.

"WAAAHHHH!!" Tomoyo yelled as horse reared again.

The rein slipped out of her hands as Tomoyo immediately slid down horse's back but just at the last moment she managed to grab the edge of the saddle and hung on for dear life as the horse began prancing around the pit.

"AHHHH!!" Tomoyo was bumped against the horse's back as she desperately tried to get a better grip.

Mentally inside her head she had been counting the seconds and now sensing the end of this ordeal she began counting down.

Twenty...

Nineteen...

All thought of numbers was thrown out of her head as the horse bucked wildly throwing Tomoyo into the air and making her land with a painful thud against the horse's back.

Grimly she clung on.

Ten...

Nine...

Eight...

Her grip on the saddle slipped again and she find herself slipping down the horse's side. Desperately her hand shot out and grabbed the stirrups, the horse panicked feeling something tug against her side and almost toppled over crushing Tomoyo but she managed to correct her balance and continued to thrash around. Tomoyo had to twist out of the way to avoid getting crushed by hard hooves.

Suddenly with no warning at all the horse stopped bucking and stood completely still as Tomoyo let out a long sigh of relief and let out of the stirrups falling the last few centimetres to the ground.

"You have completed the second test," Nivaline murmured, "Time for the third."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Meiling crushed the small green leaf Nivaline had given her and held the green mush near her friend's nose. Sakura's eyelids flickered as she sucked in a long breath and began coughing wildly.

"Wha... what?!" Sakura sat up suddenly blinking in confusion, "Where."

"Short version?" Meiling asked, "You went psycho on us and did some weird psychic thing on the fighters. You fainted and Nivaline agreed to give us the book if we pass three tests. We already pass three and now it's your turn."

Sakura nodded still slightly dazed and stood up shakily.

"Move towards the pit," Nivaline commanded softly.

Sakura's body steadied itself as she took a deep breath and walked slowly towards the pit in the centre of the ground. Her emerald eyes studied her new battleground and noticed the small bamboo poles that stuck out from the sandy earth of the pit. They were only thirty centimetres on some tall as Sakura frowned in confusion.

"The last test is balance," Nivaline explained, "You will stand on these poles and fight an opponent who will be doing the same. The first person to fall loses. Begin."

Sakura stepped cautiously on one pole and glanced at the rest. They were set out in nine rows with nine poles in each, eight-one in all. Her body used to hard balancing tricks after many years of gymnastics easily steadied itself as Sakura waited.

The door to Nivaline's left where Meiling's opponent had come out from opened again and this time a different man still dressed in the same ninja-like style as the other appeared. He bowed respectfully to Nivaline before leaping onto one of the poles.

Sakura and the man eyed each other carefully as their foot moved to find better purchase on the poles.

"Hiya!" Sakura leapt forwards her right foot landing on another poles as she sped across at the man.

She stopped neatly on the poles just in front of him and launched a battery of lightning fast punches at him. The man expertly blocked each one before retaliating with a series of his own. Sakura leapt back landing expertly on top of another poles as the man leapt forwards.

Sakura winced as the man landed a painful punch to her ribs but she recovered quickly grabbing his arm and hurling him over her shoulders. He sailed through the air and twisted his body around before landing expertly on another pole.

"Oh damn," Sakura sighed as she leapt across the poles engaging the man in another skirmish.

Blows were blocked and landed as both fighters attacked with vicious power. Sakura kicked the man's stomach and followed up on her attack with another kick to his thigh. He groaned in pain and darted to another pole to avoid her attacks as Sakura lunged after him.

He sent her sailing with a flying kick that landed directly on her chest. Sakura twisted through the air and landed on another pole her arms held out beside her to help her gain her balance back.

"This is getting nowhere," she snarled.

The man leapt for her again leaping from pole to pole as Sakura tensed. He landed neatly in front of her and with a move to fast to see, he landed a painful uppercut to her chin. Her head snapped back as she fell backwards her arms scrambling widely trying to find something to grab onto.

The man laughed as he sprung forwards eager for the kill. Sakura dimly saw what he was doing and reached behind her smiling as her hands gripped the top of another pole. With a triumphant yell she kicked her legs up performing a perfect handstand on top of the pole. She launched herself into the air with her hands and performed a perfect flip in mid-air landing on her feet as she hit the pole again.

The man's eyes widened as she grabbed his fist with her left blocking his punch and nailed him in the chest with her right.

"Game over," Sakura smirked as she leapt forwards.

Meiling and Tomoyo cheered widely as she launched a flying kick at him, both of her feet hitting his chest. The man was sent flying as Sakura landed on top of a pole with ease. Her opponent hit the sandy ground heavily sending up a puff of dust as Sakura jumped down.

"I win," she murmured as she weaved in out of the pole backward toward her friend.

"Very well," Nivaline stood up and clapped her hands.

Another man walked out from the door holding a rectangular object wrapped in dark velvet in his hands. Nivaline took the object from him and unwrapped the velvet revealing the gem and precious metal-studded cover of the second book.

The book of Hong Bao Shi Hu Die.

"This is yours," Nivaline murmured walking towards them.

She walked around the pit and once she reached the three Angels she bowed deeply before handing the book to Meiling who took it with a small bow of her own.

"And now," Nivaline turned to Sakura, "I've got something to tell you."

"What about?" Sakura asked surprised.

"It's about your mother."

Sakura gasped and stared at Nivaline with shocked eyes as Nivaline stared back at her calmly but beneath her serene façade Sakura knew instinctively she was fighting back tears of both sadness and fury.

"I will tell you how she really died."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Dun, dun, dun! Nadeshiko's death is about to be revealed but how will Sakura handle it? And what is the whole prophecy thing anyway? You'll just have to read on and find out!

Next chapter:

Sakura is stunned at Nivaline's revelations about her mother's death but she is about have a nasty surprise waiting for her back home in America. The Angels' friendships begin to fall apart as Meiling and Tomoyo accuses Sakura of not trusting them leaving Sakura emotionally vulnerable. Prepare yourself for more shocks, twists and revelations in... Truths break hearts.

A/Notes: Nivaline was a character created by a winner of the Syaoran's Angels competition so whoever invented her (sorry, I can't remember) please, please review and comment on her!

And just out of curiosity, I want to know what has been your favourite chapter so far. Please include your favourite chapter name in your review and give a short reason.
Thanks!

And a big thank you for all my wonderful readers! PLEASE KEEP REVIEWING!