"Three Jewels Enchanted: Redemption"
by: Seventh Faythes
Seventh Faythes boys: (snoring loudly)
Xiu Ying: (covering her ears) Darn! Can't you make them stop?
Jezareth: Sorry, Ying. I'm turning deaf here too!
Xiu Ying: Aargh! Why do we have to keep having sleepovers at OUR place! Can't we go to yours?
Disclaimer: Seventh Faythes do not own any CCS characters that all belong to marvelous CLAMP ladies. Though Jeza and I agree that owning Syaoran would be quite a dream….This fic is also based on the uber-cool tele-fantasya (television Fantasy show) here in the Philippines, Encantadia, which, by the way, is sweeping us by storm.
Jezareth: Sorry, again, girl. Either we do it here or we do it out on the streets.
Jezareth & Xiu Ying: (sigh) On with the fic!
+Redemption+
"Sakura! What are you doing!"
Sakura looked up and saw Yukito. They were already in front of Mizuki's apartment. She found that she had stared into space. She could not help it. She suddenly had a sinking feeling in the gut.
"Sakura! We're here!"
Sakura nodded and jumped off, leaving Yukito with the scooter. She raced up the stair to Miss Mizuki's door. When she got there, she rapped wildly on the door. Mizuki opened the door.
"Oh, Kinomoto! It's-"
"I've got no time to explain! I've got to see Faythe!" Sakura stormed into the apartment and rushed to the door at the end of the hall. Time was running out.
Five…
'I've got to return! I've got to!'
Four…
Sakura tripped on an umbrella left scattered around. She bruised her knee, but bolted up and continued.
Three…
'No…Let me get there in time! Please, God!'
Two…
"Faythe! Open the door!" Sakura grabbed the knob and turned it.
One.
Sakura pushed the door open. But there was no one there. Sakura dropped to her knees and stared in disbelief. The room was deserted. Faythe was not there. The shades were down and the small chandelier hanging from the ceiling was not giving off light either.
"No…"
Tears strolled down her cheeks. Her chance was gone. She had a whole day to go there and tell Faythe that she wanted to go back. How stupid was she! She was too much of a coward that she could not even admit that she loved Syaoran. She was too much of a coward to try her best to be with him forever, no matter how different they were.
She was too much of a coward to fall in love.
She bent down and pressed her forehead against the cold floor.
"No…Please…I want to go back…I love him…I LOVE SYAORAN!"
"I am pleased to see that you have finally given in to the truth."
Sakura snapped up and turned around. She saw Mizuki standing behind her, her arms crossed over her chest.
"M-miss M-Mizuki…?"
Mizuki unlocked her arms and walked toward her. "It takes more courage to admit the truth than to tell a lie. And you, Sakura, have discovered the true courage within. And for that, you have proven yourself worthy of being the savior of Fantasya."
A bronze aura surrounded Mizuki and hid her from view. When the aura had broken off, the one who stood in her place was Faythe, wearing her long gown and tiara again.
"F-Faythe…? B-but, W-where's-"
"Mizuki is asleep. I cannot allow her to stop me from leaving."
"Hoe?"
Faythe rolled her eyes sadly. "I have confessed everything to her. She said she would not let me leave. That I was putting myself in danger. And that I was still her little sister. But none of that was ever true. I am only Faythe Reed, and not Faythe Mizuki."
"Then…why are you going to leave her?"
Somehow, Faythe found the smile within her. "Because there is a certain girl that is yearning to see the king of Fantasya and no matter what, I must take her to him."
Sakura's jaw dropped and she slowly stood up. "Y-you will t-take me…"
"To Fantasya. And to Syaoran."
Faythe raised her hands and a gust of bronze swept into the room. It covered the two girls and took them through dimensions, and through the threshold.
Sakura closed her eyes as her surroundings swirled around her. It was like falling down a pit. Her stomach did a few somersaults and she really felt like vomiting. But then, in a split second, all was over.
Sakura blinked. She found herself in the garden once again, but it was extremely dark. She could not see anything. But she did see something blinking in the distance. She squinted hard to get a better view of it. And then she heard someone cackling. She made out a standing figure in the darkness. It was a man. Sakura saw another figure lying at the man's feet. It appeared to be lifeless. And a silver cloth was fluttering in the breeze near the second figure.
Chestnut brown hair…
Silver cloth…
"No…Syaoran!"
Sakura stood up and ran to the fallen king. She knelt down beside him and lifted his head up. She tried to feel for a pulse but it was not there.
"Syaoran! Wake up! Don't leave me yet! Not now! Syaoran!" She gave up and cried. She gently wrapped her arms around him and cradled his corpse as her body wracked with sobs.
"So, this is the famous savior of the king, but his infamous beloved." Sakura looked up and came face to face with the man who was standing up. He looked familiar.
Clow Reed.
Only, his hair was a bit graying, and his face was not as peaceful and calming as Clow's.
"C-Clow R-Reed?"
"Fei Wong!" Sakura looked behind her and saw Faythe, her face contorting with anger. Her fists were clenched tightly, and her once calm eyes turned into foreboding glares.
The man called Fei Wong let his hands fall to his side, still holding the stone of the Moon and Darkness. He stopped cackling as well and smirked. "Why Faythe! It has been years, my dear little sister! I see you have finally found a way to return! This girl…is she the savior you and Clow Reed have been waiting for all these years? How pathetic! The savior? Only a mere mortal?"
"Still your tongue! You have done the worst possible act for a royal! It is disgraceful and pure evil for someone your caliber to commit a heinous crime such as killing your own kind!"
"This man…is related to Syaoran?" Sakura turned to the man who was still smirking. "How could you do such a thing! Syaoran is also a part of your family! Why!"
Fei Wong walked away from her. "That boy has never been part of our family. He is only a son of Yelan, not Clow Reed. Furthermore, he only has the blood of a warrior. While I am of true royal blood!"
"That does not alter the fact that you allowed greed to overcome you! Kuda Clow was much more suitable as a king! Even if he was only half-blood!" Faythe spat out.
"F-father…was a h-half b-b-lood?"
Faythe and Sakura turned to see Eriol emerging from the castle. He was badly bruised, and was supporting himself by leaning his full body against the door. Faythe placed her fist on her chest and looked away.
"Y-yes…"
+Faythe's story+
There were three of us before you. Long before the goblins attacked Talla and Adlaw, the three of us ruled under only the power of the stone of the Moon. Clow, the eldest, held the power of the Full Moon. Fei Wong, the second son and heir to the throne, held the power of the New Moon. And I, the youngest and only daughter, held the power of the Crescent Moon.
All had been going well. Even the goblins were peaceful, and did not attack us. Long ago they were only peaceful beings. All changed when the heir to the throne became greedy.
Fei Wong yearned to have more power. It was because Clow was much more powerful than he is even if Fei Wong was the heir. Many people praised Clow, and were even wishing that he was the chosen heir instead.
One day Fei Wong had done the unexpected. He tried to use the stone of Darkness. He searched for it high and low. He found it within the caves of Dellius. He then used it against Clow and me.
But thankfully, Clow defeated him. And he was banished from the kingdom. But before he left, he managed to tear open a hole in the threshold and threw me in it, and I ended up in the land of the mortals. Clow Reed managed to keep our contact. And it was he who told me to search for the girl who would be the savior of all Fantasya.
+End of Story+
"At first I thought it was Nadesico…but then I heard that she bore a daughter."
"But it was too late, my dear little sister! Now! All of Fantasya is mine!" Fei Wong clasped her hands over the two stones and he shone with incredibly strong energy. His power whipped through the air, pushing Faythe and Eriol back. Sakura held on tightly to Syaoran as they too were pushed back. Sakura hit one of the huge trees and yelped in pain. She probably broke a few bones, but she was too numb to feel.
"Syaoran…" she whispered, gently caressing his cold face. She could feel her strength slowly leaving her. That was not a good sign. She still had enough strength to look up and see Fei Wong approaching her. She embraced Syaoran protectively.
"Wac mu ci-lyan arlpitan (Get away from them)!" A blast of bronze, vermillion and pink force came from behind Fei Wong and hit him squarely on the back. But it did not even seem to hurt him.
Fei Wong turned around and spotted Faythe, Eriol, and a very weak Jenith, with their hands aimed at him. They had all shot at the same time, though Jenith still was quite drained. Their eyes were all aflame with rage. Faythe pulled her fists back and summoned more bronze spheres for another attack.
Fei Wong only laughed at them. "Do you all seriously think that you can defeat me? Even if you join forces, it will still not be enough!" Fei Wong unleashed a single energy beam at them. Faythe tried to counter with her own force, but she was slowly overwhelmed. Eriol tried to catch her, and they both fell down.
Fei Wong turned back to Sakura, who was gasping for air. He raised his fist, which was glowing in a black and blue aura. "Well, then, shall we gat back to where we left off?" He pointed his glowing finger at her and a strong electric charge swept through her body, causing her to scream. He scream echoed through the silent night, and the sound only pleased Fei Wong.
When he had pulled back on the attack, Sakura was covered with bruises. Her body was gradually going limp and numb. She fell over Syaoran, their hands touching. She could already feel all her strength leaving her. Sakura mustered all of her remaining strength to raise her head and looked at Syaoran. With her other hand, she wiped away the stray locks of hair that covered his serene face.
"Syaoran…I…love you…"
Sakura bent down and lightly pressed her lips against his cold ones. And she finally fell unconscious.
"What a touching scene! Too bad it has to end in tragedy!" Fei Wong raised his fist for another attack. He brought it down, aiming at the two people before him, but suddenly his energy disappeared.
"W-What is the meaning of this! My energy!"
Suddenly, he felt like something was being pulled from him. Silver light came from his hand and the stone of the Moon forces itself out of his grasp. Fei Wong let go of the stone and shook his hand as if it was burned by it. The stone floated before him in a strong aura.
"What the-?"
Eriol also felt something being taken from him. His Celestial stone came out of his chest. The same happened to Jenith. The two other stones flew over to the stone of the Moon and formed a triangle. They flew above Syaoran and Sakura.
"I see! That is the decision of the Celestial stones! Then I shall be the one to destroy the stones. That way I shall truly be the strongest!" Fei Wong unleashed another powerful beam. This time aimed at the stones. However the stones only absorbed the force and returned it at a much stronger scale, throwing Fei Wong off his feet. The man dropped to the ground and struggled to get up, wiping the dirt away from his face.
"I will not give up! Fantasya shall be mine!"
The three gems shone and three voices chorused, "Fantasya shall never belong to a person with a dark heart. And as punishment, you will forever be banished from Fantasya and shall be imprisoned for the rest of your life!"
"You can never defeat me! I am the one chosen by the stone of Darkness!"
"No. The stone of Darkness is not a real Celestial stone. It is merely an embodiment of darkness. And now it shall leave you, and be with us."
"Nooooo!"
The black Celestial stone detached itself from Fei Wong and flew to the three other stones, forming a diamond.
Then, the four stones surrounded Fei Wong and encircled him, releasing different colored lightning bolts to connect the four stones. A bright light came from under Fei Wong and burned him. Fei Wong yelled in agony and slowly succumbed to death. His body disappeared into ashes.
Faythe, Eriol and Jenith watched in awe as the four stones rose high above them and glowed brightly. Like a miracle, everything returned to its splendid state. The blasted window of the ballroom, the clouded skies, the ruined castle, even everyone's wounds were taken care of. Jenith slowly regained her strength and soon was able to stand up. So did Eriol and Faythe.
"Sei'sa!" They all turned around and saw Yue, leading the soldiers and the other people who escaped, along with Candifor, Cherrypink, Agate and the goblins.
"Yue!" With tears in her eyes, Jenith ran to her guardian and embraced him, locking him in a tight kiss. Yue was of course surprised and blushing to the roots of his hair. Jenith was also blushing when she broke away but she was smiling. "Thank Bathala you are alright!"
Tomoyo also ran to embrace Eriol who returned the gesture. However, he turned to Agate and the others. He noticed that Agate had returned to Meilin's form and was looking quite confused. But that did not stop him from drawing his sword and pointing it at her throat. "What are you doing here, traitor!"
Candifor stopped him and pushed away his sword. "No, your highness. Agate was only a product of Fei Wong's treachery. She never existed on her own. Fei Wong created her by fusing the stone of Darkness with Meilin."
"So, her real name is Meilin…and that is her true appearance?"
Meilin bowed and so did the goblins. "Forgive me for causing you such trouble. I was not aware of my actions. I am only yearning to return to my home in Adlaw."
"The goblins are innocent as well. It was Fei Wong who controlled their minds in the first place," Cherrypink added.
Yue broke away from Jenith and looked around. "Where is Sei'rih Syaoran?"
Everyone turned to the two figures lying on the green grass. Most of the women gasped, and some guards had the instinct of approaching them if Eriol had not stretched out his hand to stop them.
Sakura slowly opened her green eyes and straightened up. She rubbed her eyes and looked around. Everything was back to how it was before. Her bruises were gone and her clothes were fine again. Then she looked at the king lying before her. She gently lifted his hand to her face and felt it.
It was still cold.
His clothes were restored, and all his wounds disappeared. He only looked like he was sleeping, but his skin was still pale and there was no sign of life.
"Syaoran?" she muttered, her tears flowing and dropping to his hand. Jenith placed her hands over her mouth and began crying as well. Yue comforted her sadly. Everyone bowed down in lamentation.
"Why?" Eriol asked, "Everyone was restored, even the dead! Why is Syaoran not well?"
"Perhaps the stones themselves could provide and explanation," Faythe replied, pointing to the descending stones.
The stones separated and lined up. Then, specters appeared behind each stone. The one behind the stone of the Moon was Luna, and the one behind the stone of Darkness was Agate, wearing a black gown. She no longer looked fearsome, but looked kind and elegant instead.
The two other spirits were a woman with long blonde hair wearing a pink gown and a man with red hair wearing vermillion robes.
"Stella?" Jenith asked. The blonde woman nodded.
"Apollo?" Eriol called. The red-haired man nodded.
Faythe stepped up and cleared her throat. "Why is Syaoran-"
Luna held up her hand to silence her. "We know. You wish to ask why we were not able to restore Syaoran's life. He willingly gave up his life by denouncing the stone of the Moon. By doing so, he has banned himself from receiving our gift of regeneration. He has lost the will to live. Our powers will not be enough to restore him back to life."
"Not enough? You mean…there is a way?" Jenith looked up hopefully.
"Yes. But we ourselves do not know if that force can exist here. It is the force of his most important feeling."
"What?"
"You heard me right, princess. His most important feeling is what caused all of this. And if we could find a way to channel that energy back to him, we may be able to revive him."
"Well, do you know what is his most important feeling? You MUST know! You have been with him all the time!"
"I wish I could recall myself. But since he denounced me, he took away most of my memories of him, Sakura. I could not recall what it is…"
Sakura looked at the king. The breeze was playfully toying with his hair. He looked like he was only sleeping. It tore her heart to know that there was no way she could see him again. His eyes, his voice in her head, his smile…
All of that was gone forever.
"Goodbye…Syaoran…I love you…even if you can't really hear what I'm saying…"
Sakura bent down to kiss him one last time…
When their lips touched, Syaoran's body began to glow. Sakura backed away in confusion and surprise. Everyone's jaws dropped in shock too. They could only watch as Syaoran's body was lifted up from the ground and floated high above. The Celestial spirits disappeared back into the stones. The stones flew up to the sky and encircled Syaoran's body. Then they closed in and fused with him. They disappeared in a bright light that caused everyone to cover their eyes.
When the light subsided, everyone looked around. The only one left on the garden was Sakura. Then they all looked up and saw the bright light subsiding. The light slowly descended. The light formed a vague shape of a human. It went down to the ground on its "feet". They were not really sure where the figure was facing, but Jenith and Eriol had a nagging intuition it was facing Sakura.
The light fully subsided and everyone held their breath.
Standing before them was…
Syaoran.
At first he looked confused, looking around and scratching his head. Then he saw Sakura and did something that brought even more surprise.
"S-Sakura? I-is t-that you? Is that really you?"
Sakura's forlorn face slowly lit up when she heard that. Eight. Eight words. Syaoran had spoken eight words! The curse was broken!
"Syaoran!" Sakura stood up and ran up to him, embracing him tightly. They twirled around for a while, Syaoran holding onto her so that she would not fall. When they stopped, Syaoran looked at her bewilderedly. "W-what is happening, Sakura?"
"The curse! Your curse! It's broken, Syaoran!"
Syaoran counted the words he had said throughout the day. Then his puzzled face suddenly turned into a happy one. Then, wonder of all wonders, Syaoran laughed. He laughed and twirled Sakura around.
"Kuda!"
"Syaoran!"
His two siblings ran up to him and rejoiced with the two as well while the people crowded around them, cheering triumphantly.
"It is over! Finally! The war and my curse!" Syaoran exclaimed. Jenith nodded and hugged him tightly.
"Oh, finally, kuda! I have always wished to hear your voice! And my wish is finally granted!"
"Syaoran, I-"
"Sakura, I-"
Sakura and Syaoran looked at each other and stopped. They had been holding hands for quite a long time. They both broke off and looked away.
Everyone smiled. "Well, I guess that solves one of the mysteries. I believe we now know what feeling he held most precious," Eriol whispered to his grinning sister.
"Sakura."
The one addressed turned around. It was Faythe. Her face still looked sad, and she was holding a hand to her chest.
"Yes, Faythe?"
"I…hate to be the bearer of shadows during such a happy moment but…you must choose. My power will not last long."
Sakura gulped and turned to Syaoran, fear in her green eyes. He gripped her hand worriedly. "Sakura, what is the matter?"
Faythe stepped up. "Sakura must choose…to stay here or return to the world of mortals."
+Wakas+
Xiu Ying: Uh-oh! The dreaded question!
Jezareth: What about it folks? Do you think we have to make a poll?
(Xiu Ying & Jezareth looked at each other)
Xiu Ying & Jezareth: NAH!
Jezareth: The story's still not over folks!
SF boys: (snoring)
Jezareth: (sweatdrop) Err…their snoring isn't over yet either.
Preview:
The long war may be over, but another war is only beginning. And this war only contains two people, and two hearts. Can Sakura truly make the right decision? Will she be with Syaoran…or with her family?
R & R