"No!" She couldn't see her brother anymore.

"Aww, now it's time," the thing said all around her. Sakura had tears coming down her face from the pain and all the emotions that were flying around her. She could hardly even hold her head up. She had no energy left to fight him.

"Kill me if you must, but leave them out of this," she whispered.

He sent a lightning bolt in her direction.......... - - - -

Sofia- I think that is the best compliment that anyone could have ever given me!

Daughter of the Forest- Don't worry there will be a lot more to this story possibly than I even imagined. It'll be a long story! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

L.P.B.- Glad you like it! I personally couldn't believe that I wrote it by the time I finished with it.

Charmed Sakura- Thanks for the support and encouragement that you have given me.

To-ya- If you're reading this then I can't thank you enough for editing my chapters and helping me with my corrections on the story! Arigato!

Chapter 12

He sent a lightning bolt in Sakura's direction. Sakura waited for it to hit her but it never happened.

"What's going on?" She looked around, confused.

The place had gone from dark to light. It looked like she was suspended in time.

"Hello, Cardmistress," a melodic voice said as something began to appear in front of her.

"What are you?" she wondered curiously. She didn't feel in pain at the moment. It was odd, because she had been in unbearable pain just a moment ago.

"What I am doesn't matter." The strange looking creature said.

"What happened? Am I dead?" Sakura asked.

"No; you're alive," The thing said.

"My friends–they're in danger. Is there any way to fight him?"

"Your friends are safe; however, you aren't."

"What do you mean?"

"Your friends are mere images. They are capable of more than you even know. He's only used what he has seen and felt about them." It paused for just a moment. "He can kill you. You aren't dreaming; he appeared to you in your sleep."

"What are you doing here? Can't he hurt you?" Sakura asked.

"He can. I was sent down here to help you, but I had to fight off several..." she paused for the right word. "...nightmares."

"How do I fight him?" Sakura said.

"You have to fight him with your own magic. Oh, and one more thing–if he destroys you, then he gets out of this world." The creature began to disappear, taking the light with her.

Sakura cleared her head of everything that had been going on. Her shield went up just in time.

"How did you do that?" His harsh voice said. Sakura had shivers going down her spine; she didn't have to think about the difference in the two voices.

"I may not be at full strength, but I have enough to fight you," Sakura informed him before her star appeared underneath her.

"You have no cards to fight with," he laughed, taunting her to attack.

"Who said that I'm fighting with the cards?" Sakura asked. She felt the voice in the room follow her as she went up in the air. There also seemed to be a soft rustling all around her.

"You're fighting me with your magic? You're not that powerful."

"You want to bet?" Sakura sent the fireball that had formed in her hand in the direction of the voice. She wasn't surprised that it had missed. She sent a series of them in different directions.

It was only then that he realized what she was doing.

"Trying to light the place up are you?"

He tried to send water to the fireballs that had been strategically placed. It bounced back to him.

Sakura smirked. She could see where he was, now that she had lit the room. The water that he had been trying to send out showed where he was as it went in concentric circle from one place. I have to hurry. I don't have much energy left.

It was then that she felt more energy seeping into her body somehow. She took advantage of it. She sent a fireball to the center of the room where she now had the dark abyss fully lit.

"Noooooooo!" He screamed as he felt the fiery light above his head.

"Are you scared?" Sakura taunted now.

The figure that was trying to hide from the light was now cowering in a little huddle. He held a haunted look in his hollow red eyes. The thing was something she had never seen before and would hopefully never see again.

"You're never going to get out of this realm. You will never torment another person in their sleep," she said to him before she let the fireball that she had been holding into place fall on him, leaving the room dark. She passed out.

-Fuutie and Shaoran-

Fuutie placed her hand on Sakura's chest. "She's going to be all right, Xiao-Lang."

She was worn out and pale. Shaoran stopped his pacing.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

"I'll be fine, Xiao-Lang. You'd better propose to her soon. We need her." Fuutie tried to stand up but found out that she couldn't.

"I guess I used more energy than I thought," she whispered as she took her brother's hand.

"You know, you didn't have to do that." He helped her to a chair.

"If I didn't, then I would never forgive myself." She said to him.

"Why?" Shaoran asked her.

"You love her. I see it when you two train together. I see it when you look at her." She paused before she continued. "I see also the look that you give to Likaun when she is here. You don't look at Sakura like that."

"What do you mean?" he asked his sister.

"Do you remember yesterday when she was here and she was talking about her father merging with Daidouji toys?" his sister asked once again.

Shaoran shook his head. He did remember. He had never seen Tomoyo so angry before. She hadn't ever threatened anyone before that, either. "I remember."

"When dinner started you were in hog heaven. At the time that dinner ended you were a little more than irritated–when she took the place that Sakura had been sitting in, remember?" Fuutie reminded him.

"She laughed yesterday," he whispered. He didn't want to wake up his sleeping princess. 'I wonder.........'

His sister smiled at his comment. "Did she? It seems that she is hiding more than she lets on."

"I know she is. She just won't open up."

"When are you proposing to her?" Fuutie was finally able to get up.

-Tomoyo-

Tomoyo gave a relieved sigh that Sakura was going to be all right.

"Sakura-chan, what happened in there?" She whispered aloud. She looked at the dress that she had been working on for two days for her best friend. "You'd better say yes to him."

Tomoyo pulled out her state-of-the-art sewing machine. Sewing always seemed to calm her nerves. She supposed that was why she started in the first place, before the time Sakura began to capture the cards.

She carefully finished the seam that she had been working on. The dress was just about finished. All she had to do now was to hem the bottom. There was a knock at her door. "Come in."

"Hey, Daidouji, how are you holding up?" Li's voice reached her ears.

"Well, I'm okay, I guess. I don't understand why bad things keep happening to her." Li observed the worried friend. He also noticed the sewing machine that she had brought with her.

"That is one nice sewing machine." He ran his hand across the gleaming top.

"Thanks." Tomoyo wasn't paying any attention to him.

"Is that what you're making for her to wear?" He touched the seemingly- sheer material.

"Get your hands off of it!" She slapped his hand away. "Don't you know that it is bad luck to see the dress until it is worn?"

Li chuckled. "Um, I believe the saying is that it is bad luck to see the bride on the day of the wedding."

Tomoyo gave him an exasperated look. "Li-kun, if you want me to have this dress ready by tonight you better leave the room. We wouldn't want your future bride to not be properly dressed now would we?"

She shooed him out of the room.

Of course as soon as she shooed him out of the room, Eriol was there standing outside the door.

"Hiiragizawa-kun, I'm working right now. I'll train later." She shut the door on them.

Li looked at his mother, who was chuckling behind them. "You'd better get used to that, Xiao-Lang."

Li shook his head before he headed back to Sakura's room.

Eriol followed in close proximity. "So, my cute little descendant, when are you proposing to her?"

Li scowled at Eriol before saying, "Tonight, I hope."

He stopped a few feet from her door. "Why does everyone keep asking?"

"Well, I wish you luck." Eriol kept going straight, knowing that Li wanted to be alone with Sakura.

The Chinese boy didn't knock before he entered, which was a mistake. He saw Sakura changing her night gown.

"G-gomen nasai!" He closed the door quickly, his cheeks turning red as beets.

-Sakura-

She just about had her nightgown over her head when she heard the door open. She turned her head in that direction only to see Li, beet-red. She could barely hear him muttering, "Gomen nasai."

Sakura quickly changed to the clothes that she was fully intending to train in. "You can come in now, Shaoran-kun."

Sakura started chuckling when he entered the room all red from his neck up. It wasn't that she was embarrassed, because she was. She had just had enough time to get composed once again.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"You," she answered before she was stopped. Li had her against the wall in moments.

She tried to move but Li was in a position he didn't let her.

"Shaoran-kun, what are you doing?" she asked mentally.

"Nothing," he answered the same way before he pecked her cheek.

He saw surprise register in her eyes. She knew he was holding back.

"What do you want, Shaoran-kun?" She kept the silent conversation going.

"I want to ask you out to dinner tonight." He didn't move. He knew that if she really wanted to, she could very easily push him away with her aura.

"Mizuki-sensei will be coming today, Shaoran-kun." She tried to think up excuses for them not to go out to dinner.

"She'll be here for lunch, Sakura."

"Well, I still have to train today." She tried another excuse.

"You won't be training all day. You promised to go with Touya to pick up her up this morning," he answered her, waiting for the next excuse.

"I'm supposed to meet Tomoyo-chan tonight about something."

"She'll understand."

"We're supposed to eat dinner with your mother."

"My mother won't kill us if we eat without all of them."

Sakura tried to think of another excuse. She couldn't think of any. Shaoran being that close to her made it really hard to think, and she didn't understand why. He definitely hadn't changed position in the last few seconds. She gave up with a sigh of resignation. "Fine, what time?"

"Seven tonight." He started to lean toward her. They didn't hear the bedroom door open...........

- - - - I was able to leave you guys with another cliffhanger! I can't believe it! I thought the last cliffie was good! Who will be walking into her room? Anyways, you know the drill. You must give me an honest review.