Chapter 14

Sakura gave a shriek when Kero flew right into her face. They had all gone to Meilin, who didn't seem so scared, and now Kero, who was obviously very worried for Sakura. After he realized that he had bumped into her face, he gave a yelp and hugged her with his small paws.

'Sakura, thank god you're okay!' A smile grew on his face, while he hovered around her, making sure she really was okay. 'And the rest to. Even the two brats.'

Syaoran choose not to argue this time, but Meilin didn't had such a plan, realizing she was one of those 'brats'. 'You have now reason to say that, cotton ball, you don't even know me.'

'Of course I do, it's not like I haven't seen you around before.' Meilin looked puzzled at this, and Syaoran was so nice to explain.

'He has seen you before, Meilin, when you where here with me for the Clowcards. Though we were just small kids back then. His name is Keroberos, Guardian of the sun, you know him too.'

Meilin stared and then pointed a finger at Kero. 'Wha! You! But you were much larger back then! Have you shrunk?'

A vein grew on Kero's head. 'You were just much, much smaller back then, kiddo.' He joked. It wasn't entirely true, for Kero had lost his larger – and more dangerous – form when the cards had escaped.

'Yeah, right.' Meilin retorted. She gave her attention to Eriol, who was still scanning their surroundings for more people and an exit. 'Why are you here, Eriol-kun? Were you at the festival too, or has that nothing to with being here?'

Eriol gave her a look, not happy that she disturbed him. 'I have come to the festival, because I needed to be here. I can't let you go trough this all alone, can I?' He answered, not to satisfaction of the rest of the group. 'There are more people here. I think it's your brother, Sakura-chan.'

Sakura looked at him, and then motioned the rest to concentrate, so they could go there. They appeared next to Touya, and to their surprise – except for Eriol – Yukito was there as well.

'Oniisan! Yukito!' Sakura shouted happily, as she run at them. The older boys were shocked at the sight of the little group, but remembering what had happened, Touya hugged his little sister silently, checking if she was alright.

'Let me guess! You both had to work at the festival!' Sakura asked, smiling happily, almost forgetting what had happened in the past hour.

Touya glared at her. It was obvious he had to work. He always had to work, and during work, he often bumped into Sakura and her friends. 'What's with the smile, squirt? It's a bit out of place here.'

Sakura smile didn't fade. 'Not anymore. We're all here, so why be sad? Relaxing will only help us get out of here.' She looked at her brother, who she knew agreed with her, though he didn't want to say so, and then at Yukito. Seeing his eternal smile, she realized something.

It's not him I cried for when I needed someone. It's not him I love at all. I just like him very much. That's all…

She turned to the others, and realized Touya glared at Syaoran now, who just glared back. She sweat dropped, it had been like this since they had met, or actually, since Touya knew he had a little sister. She supposed it would never end. Syaoran looked kind of cute, even when he glared at her brother. She smiled a bit more, looking at him.

I wonder if he likes me too.

The thought was almost immediately forgotten, as was her happiness, for the whiteness vanished, turned into darkness, pitch black. Sakura wanted to scream, but only a weak sound came from her lips. The pain was back, but this time, it weren't a thousand knives, more like a million, if it would make any difference. She thought for sure she would die if it continued.

But it didn't. It stopped as soon as it had come. When she opened her eyes, the darkness took place for something that looked like a dungeon. She lay on a hard, cold floor, hugging her knees. She relaxed a bit, her body felt okay now, but the remembrance of the pain was still fresh. She sat up, and saw her friends around her. Most lay on the ground, but Syaoran tried to get up to.

She looked him in the eyes, where she saw pain and worry. She crawled to him, but before she was there, something made him fly to the walls that surrounded her. He hung at the wall, where invisible chains held him. 'Syaoran!' she screamed.

Sakura turned to the others, and found them in the same position as Syaoran, on different walls. Except for her and… Meilin. Meilin stood up from the cold floor, shaking a little, embracing herself.

'Meilin! Are you okay?' Sakura asked dumbly as she hugged the girl. Of course she wasn't okay. None of them was really okay.

'What's happening? It hurt like hell! Why are they at the walls?' Meilin growled. She hugged Sakura back, knowing that she was scared too.

There was no time to answer, for a voice was heard in the dungeon.

'Sakura, prepare yourself. You are in my power, there is no way to run to. If you obey me now, your friends wont die.'

She remembered the voice. When she had run in the whiteness, she had heard the voice. But back then, she was to scared to pay any attention to it. Looking at Meilin, Sakura realized she had also heard the voice before.

'What do you want!' Sakura tried to sound confident, but she failed miserably.

'Your power, I want it all. And don't worry, if you just do as I say, it wont be to painful.'

'Who are you? What power!'

'The cards, Sakura, the cards. They have your name, and we're going to change that.'

'That's not possible! Ones they have my name, it can't be reversed. Let my friends go!' She nearly screamed. That stupid voice didn't help to calm her down, and seeing her friends, hanging on the wall, some unconscious, made it impossible.

A door opened, and a man entered. 'Let me tell you how we can make it possible.' His voice was the same as the one in her head, but the owner didn't match it. He was tall and skinny, with grey long hair, though he didn't look so old. His voice on the other hand, was deep en low.

'You can only give me the remaining cards with the help of your friends. As you can see, they are all here. Your family members with magic, to give the last bit of magic that's not in you. The guardians of the sun and moon, although they are both supposed to look different.' At this, he hesitated a bit, and looked sharply at Kero and Yukito.

Sakura listened to the words, not getting the idea here. He really must be stupid…Why is he telling us this? Isn't the reason supposed to be a trump card of some kind? You're not supposed to tell your motives to the enemy! Her surprise grew with every word of him. None of my friends seem to be who they really are…

'These two must obey the you, the card mistress, and to make sure all succeeded, they have to obey me, the new card master instead of you.' He continued, returning his eyes to Sakura. 'And then we have Clow reeds descendant, to complete the magic circle with the others, so that all their power can be transmitted to you. And through you, to me.'

He eyed her suspiciously, but she looked at him like he was quite stupid, so he quickly continued his story. 'And last, but certainly important, the reason for you all to obey me. Your good friend, Tomoyo.' He waved with his hands, and Tomoyo began to scream, though she was still unconscious. Sakura cringed, but couldn't do anything yet.

'Oh, and then there is the matter of the Li-family. The head of the clan is supposed the be the owners of the cards, until the card mistress or master has taken over. He and his wife are here to see with own eyes who the new card master is, so all can hear at first hand.'

Sakura linked the words together, and figured out Meilin was Syaoran's fiancée. Her face fell instantly, wondering absentmindedly how she could think about that, at a time like this. Syaoran didn't see Sakura's face and tried to break free, though he wasn't even able to move at all. 'You have the wrong person, I'm not the head of my clan! Not yet, anyway.'

The man turned around to look at him. 'Didn't you think I have thought of that? The spell says the head of the clan, together with his wife, but because none of those exist, I have brought you here as the future head, and Meilin as your future bride. One of these moments, you will be the head of the Li-clan, for the present leader wont be alive much longer.'

He turned to look at Meilin and his eyes grew big. 'Why aren't you at the wall?' He asked dumbly. Meilin on the other hand was first shocked, and then furious. She did hear his last words, though, and jumped in his direction for a frontal attack.

'Don't you dare to hurt Yelen!' She yelled as her target backed away from her attack. He was surprisingly fast, and Meilin couldn't hit him at all. 'And I'm not at the wall, because I'm not the future wife of Syaoran, you moron!'

At these words, it was quiet for a moment.

Syaoran looked at her in a mix of hurt and relief. 'You aren't?'

The skinny man, couldn't find his own words, and simply repeated those words. 'You aren't?'

Sakura, on the other hand, didn't know if she could believe that. Relief was written all over her face, but so was doubt. And more then ever, she realized Syaoran didn't fell the same for her, as she did for him. Why didn't he tell me he had a fiancée? Maybe he didn't care for me to know…

Meilin looked very guilty. She had ceased her attack and looked at her – former – fiancée. 'Gomen, Syaoran-kun. I was planning to talk to you about this, but I didn't have a chance to do so.'

Syaoran managed to show a weak smile on his face. 'So… you have found someone else.'

'Hai.'

'Enough!' the man shouted. 'This is not a reunion, this is a serious matter! No matter what you say, you have promised each other, and you can't break that. You are a clan of honor, right?' He looked furious, but not defeated. Making sure he was not anywhere near Meilin, he waited for reply.

Syaoran smile grew a bit. 'Of course, we don't break our promises. But we have made another promise, just so that we can break this one.'

Meilin still looked Syaoran in the eyes, knowing what he meant. 'Syaoran… so that's why you have changed so much in these few months. It's settled then, right?' I wonder who it is…

'Right.'

'What is settled?' Sakura asked, not getting the hang of the conversation. I don't get it. This is supposed to be life threatening, right? Why are they just talking? Why does the freaky man explains everything? It's not making any sense.

'The engagement is off.' Syaoran and Meilin beamed at the same time.

'It's no problem, anyway. The future leader can enlighten his people on his own. There is no need for his wife to say so.' The skinny figure said, showing a victorious smile. 'And with all my trump cards at hand, there is no way you can win this one.'

'Why don't you show them then,' a irritated voice said.

All eyes turned to see Touya, still hanging at the wall, awake and with a murderous look on his face. 'because you are outnumbered at this moment.'

The man sniggered. 'I'm not stupid, you know…'

'Oh, it's a good thing you say so, for I was really doubting that for a moment.' Touya retorted sarcastically. 'Besides, you better not hurt my sister, I don't have her for that long yet.'

Touya didn't get an answer, but instead another door appeared, showing a human and something that looked kind of familiar. 'Let me introduce to you all, two of my many slaves, Ruby and Spinel.'

Sakura eyed the newcomers skeptically. One of them was girl with long hair, looking quite defeated and mad, though you could see she had accepted her life as it was. The other was like a copy of Kero, but blue. He looked kind of bored. Both didn't looked dangerous at all.

'I think you'll get to know their worse side soon enough. Why don't you show them, Ruby, Spinel…'

But Ruby and Spinel didn't listen to him, they stared at one of the figures at the wall. Suddenly, Ruby changed into something else, with wings growing out of her bag. Both rushed forwards, very fast and Sakura and Meilin tried to avoid the coming attacks.

But it didn't come.

Instead, they flew over the frightened girls in the middle, to Eriol in the back, who finally opened his eyes. Sakura wondered if he had been unconscious at all.

'So there you are…took you long enough.' Eriol spoke. Ruby hugged him, or tried, because he was still hanging on the wall. Spinel sat on his shoulder, searching for a comfortable spot to rest.

'Hey, you're the one that disappeared! You left us behind, remember? It took you long enough to get here!' Ruby answered.

Eriol didn't answer that one. He looked at the man at the other side of large room. 'It's been a while, Ywdoranc. Hope you don't mind taking my friends back again? They need me more then you need them. Ruby, if you would be so kind?'

'Oh, sure!' Ruby answered, and with a quick move of her hand, the invisible chains fell of, and Eriol fell down, landing straight on his feet's. 'And the others.' He said, and Ruby flew of to the others hanging on the wall.

Eriol took a quick glance around. Only Tomoyo was still unconscious, but he thought that it would eventually be better for her, if she couldn't remember this event, nor the pain she must have felt. Kero, seeing his long lost friend/rival Spinel, remembered he could free himself from the chains, and flew to Sakura's shoulders, hugging her.

The man Eriol called Ywdoranc, stood at the other side if the dungeon, fear written all over his face. He clutched his hands at the wall, maybe for support. He doesn't even get the point…Reed should have finished him off earlier, when he had the chance. This is going to be a long day…

Sakura still stood in the middle, a puzzled look on her face. Can't blame her, it is a strange threatening-kidnapping-but-I-tell-you-anyway-thing. She hugged Kero back, seeking a bit comfort.

Meilin ran to Syaoran, trying to explain why she hadn't told him before. He, on the other hand, hugged her quickly and thanked her, before he dragged her over to the center of the room, where Sakura and Kero stood, now accompanied by Touya, hugging his little sister, and Yukito, who's smile was weaker then normal.

Eriol walked to Tomoyo, and gathering her in his arms, he walked to the others. Sakura immediately checked up on her unconscious friend, and figured she wasn't that hurt.

Though Eriol was warned a long time ago for this man, he failed to notice his next trap on time. A barrier was set around the group, making it impossible for them to go anywhere. There wasn't even enough space to walk. It's not a Clowcard.

Ywdoranc walked up to them, the smile plastered on his face once more. 'You had me scared there for a moment. But I suppose you aren't that great at all. Now tell me. You have all the time in the world, for you can't go anywhere.' He laughed at his own little joke, but no one else did.

'Why do my two slaves disobey me?' He emphasized every word.

No one wanted to answer, to give answers to their enemy. Eriol spoke to his friends calmly. 'It's better to talk, to keep him friendly. He can't do anything with the answers, so give it to him.' As thanks for his wise words, he received a murderous look from Ywdoranc. He asked his question again, and this time, he got an answer, from Ruby.

'We only have been your slaves during the time that Eriol-sama has ordered us to. You have enslaved us, as was planned. But the lives of Suppy and me are connected to Eriol-sama for a long time now, and the bond is much stronger. No curse can change that.'

Sakura looked a bit puzzled, as usual, and Syaoran, who had chosen a spot next to her, whispered in her ear that Suppy was the same one as Spinel.

'So you have tricked me? That's not so nice… Maybe I must punish you for that, but first… some more questions! I just love to have a nice conversation.'

Eriol sweat dropped. Duh, that's his worst weakness…

'How do you know me, Eriol? I know all of you, for I have followed you for years now, waiting for you to all be together. But I never showed myself, so tell me.'

'You have said so yourself, you know.' Eriol said casually. 'If I am the descendant of Clow Reed, aren't I supposed to know what he's been trough? I have his memory, his thoughts, everything. Just a different body.' The mischievous smile had returned on Eriols face.

Ywdoranc looked rather shocked, so Eriol continued. 'And yes, that means I do know what makes you do this, and I do know how long you have worked on this, and I do know what you have done in the past and all your old tricks, and I do know that means you have surpassed time, for Reed has died centuries ago. How did you do that, Ywdoranc?'

'That… this isn't possible… I'm supposed to be unknown here.' He eyed Eriol suspiciously but then calmed down. 'But that's okay, I'll tell you. We have all the time….'

At this point, Sakura sighed. This will take like forever…so she sat down on the ground, trying to relax a bit.

Syaoran looked at her and smiled. Great idea, Sakura…no need to stand, this could take a while…

AN: Oeh! What the hell happens? What does Eriol know? And why hasn't Syaoran saved Sakura in some heroic way? And this Ywdoranc…is he just dumb, or is it something else? (yeah yeah, I know what will happen, just trying to make it a bit more exiting) :D Please RR, it was a really hard chapter!

Wheeelp! I'm REALLY sorry for the spelling mistakes! When I write, it's hard to keep track at the spelling...sorry sorry sorry! I'll change it as soon as I have time..! btw, 'that' mistake was in chapter one! just started back then...;)