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Please, Don't Forget
Chapter Thirteen: Fall Into Darkness
Syaoran opened his eyes slowly, expecting to hear the sound of waves lapping against stone.
But all he heard was silence and the soft breathing of Sakura, lying next to him.
He sat up, his head throbbed. Where are we?
They were in a large room, stoned walls and floor, candles were lit all around them, on the floor and in spaces in the walls. It looked as if they were in a castle, without the furniture.
Syaoran turned to Sakura, motionless on the floor, her auburn hair strewn around her like a light cloud. He nudged her shoulder lightly. "Sakura, wake up"
She sighed and tried to swat Syaoran's hand away. She obviously didn't like to be woken. "No..."
Syaoran laughed and kissed her neck lightly, watching, satisfied, as her skin suddenly rose with goose bumps. Her eyes snapped open. "Unfair!"
Syaoran smirked and brushed from hair away from her face. "Are you alright?"
Sakura nodded, sitting up slowly. "I remember water…what happened?"
"We fell into this dark…hole." Syaoran shrugged. "I woke up and we were here. I don't know where Atashi is"
Sakura frowned. "Atashi…I can't believe I was so stupid…I couldn't see it"
Syaoran smiled. "Don't worry about it, none of us could see it either"
"Except for Meilin." Sakura pointed out.
Syaoran laughed faintly, but his eyes were frowning. "Yeah…she always could see the darkness in people"
Sakura smiled and got to her feet, Syaoran after her. "So…how do we get out of here?"
Syaoran shrugged and got to his feet, pulling Sakura up with him. There was only one way out of the room…a small opening in the side of the wall.
"Come on." Syaoran said, grabbing Sakura's hand, pulling her along behind him as he walked through the opening.
"I'm scared Syaoran…this place creeps me out." Sakura said softly, gripping his hand tightly. "I can't see anything"
"I can see a light ahead of us." Syaoran answered. "Don't be afraid, I won't let anything happen to you. I promise"
He heard Sakura sigh as they pressed on, their feet scuffing on the stone floor quietly.
Finally, they came out of the dark tunnel, into a much large room that they had been in before.
Except…half the room was gone, a huge dark crevice in the center of it.
"Oh my God…" Sakura breathed. "It's huge! The walkway's so small…how are we to get across?"
"Very carefully." Syaoran said, pulling her behind him as he slowly walked along the narrow ledge along the crevice.
Just a little beyond the ledge, Syaoran could see a door.
If we could just get through that…
He continued to walk, Sakura following nervously after him, when suddenly there was a snap in the air, as if someone had cracked a whip.
"What was that?" Sakura gasped as Syaoran stopped walking, hugging against him.
"I don't…know." Syaoran said, staring down into the dark hole below them.
Who knew where that led, or if it even ended.
"Come on, let's-" Syaoran said, but was cut off when something wrapped itself around his ankles, pulling his feet from under him.
"Syaoran!" Sakura gasped when he fell, quickly getting to her knees to pull him up.
"No stay back!" Syaoran said, not allowing her to touch him. "It's vines…they'll pull you too!"
"But-"
The vines tugged of Syaoran's ankles, jerking him off the edge of the ledge.
"Syaoran no!" Sakura cried, lashing out, grabbing his hands just before he fell into the dark abyss.
"Sakura, don't!" Syaoran begged. "It'll pull you off too!"
"I won't let you go." Sakura said acidly, her eyes closed as she tried to pull him back onto the ledge.
The vines slowly snaked their way up Syaoran's shins and thighs, wrapping tightly around him, pulling him closer into the darkness.
"Sakura please, I don't want you to fall!" Syaoran said.
"And I don't want you to fall!" Sakura cried, when she opened her eyes, Syaoran could see fresh tears. "I don't want to loose you again"
"S-Sakura..."
"I won't let you go Syaoran." Sakura whispered harshly through her tears, her hands gripping Syaoran's more firmly. "I won't!"
Syaoran smiled faintly at her, kicking his feet against the vines.
But it was no use, they were too strong…and still pulling at him.
Syaoran saw Sakura's small frame beginning to slide dangerously towards the edge, but she didn't seem to notice or care.
"Sakura you're going to fall!" Syaoran gasped.
"Then I'll fall with you." Sakura breathed. "Syaoran…please…just hold onto me."
Who knows what will happen to me if I fall? If Sakura fell with me…then maybe…Atashi will get her. I won't let that happen…He won't have her, not again.
"Sakura please…go through the door over there." Syaoran said, nodding towards the door beyond the crevice. "I promise I'll find you"
"N-No. Syaoran don't say that!" Sakura sobbed. "Syaoran please!"
Syaoran smiled up at her, his almond eyes sad. "Sakura I love you…I don't want to see you get hurt"
With that he let go of her hands and the vines gave one last tug, pulling him down into the darkness.
"Syaoran no!" Sakura shrieked, reaching down for him, wishing she could still grab a hold of him. But she couldn't. He was gone.
"Syaoran!" Sakura cried, shimmering tears rolling down her cheeks. "Syao-ran!"
He didn't answer. He couldn't hear here.
Where did he fall? Is he…alive? Sakura thought breathlessly, her eyes shut tightly to keep her tears from falling.
Sakura sat up, leaning her back against the ledge, closing her eyes, trying to hold back the sobs. She was alone.
She finally opened her eyes, breathing evenly, searching for a way out. "I have to save him"
The door that they had been trying to reach…it loomed not far away.
Sakura clenched her fists tightly together, getting to her feet, running towards the door.
Something, however, blocked her way.
"Atashi!" Sakura growled. "Where is Syaoran? What did you do with him?"
"Me? Oh Sakura, don't you know me? I'd never hurt a soul!" Atashi said, looking genuinely hurt.
"That's a lie!" Sakura shouted at him. "I saw what you did to Meilin, I know you've been lying to me! I know you were the one who attacked me on the roof of the tower a year ago. You erased my memory!"
Atashi grinned. "Wow, clever girl. I applaud you Sakura"
Sakura just glared at him, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. "Where is he?"
"He's with the others." Atashi smirked down at her. "He won't bother us now"
Sakura's eyed widened. It had been a trap…a trap to get her alone.
Atashi had known that Syaoran would have rather fallen into the darkness then drag Sakura with him.
He'd known what Syaoran would do…
"Bastard!" Sakura shouted, hitting her fists against his chest.
Atashi grabbed her wrists, not allowing her to move more than a few inches from him.
"Let me go!" Sakura cried, fighting against his strong grip.
It was just like before…on the roof. When he'd grabbed her wrists…just before he'd erased her memory. "I don't think so Sakura." He smiled. "I want the power of the Star Cards, more than anything"
Sakura glared up at him. "You'll never get away with this. I'll kill you before I'd ever give you the power"
"Well, I don't need you alive to get the power, so I don't have to worry about that." He smirked.
XxXxX
"Let us out!" Syaoran shouted, pounding on the door that he and the others were trapped in. "Atashi you bastard!"
"Give it up Syaoran." Meilin mumbled. "I've tried, for the longest time I've tried. The door won't budge"
Syaoran sighed and sunk to the ground, running his hands through his hair.
When he'd fallen, he thought that he would be the one to go to Atashi, but he was wrong. He'd ended up here, in a small dungeon, with the others. Sakura was alone.
Or, with Atashi.
He'd been quite shocked to find Meilin, almost perfectly all right, along with the others in the cell.
"But we have to get to Sakura." Tomoyo said, leaning against Eriol. "She's out there alone…who knows where Atashi is"
"Probably with her." Meilin sighed. "Who knows, maybe she's dead already"
"Don't say that!" Syaoran growled.
"She isn't." Yue said, leaning against the wall, his arms folded across his chest. "If she were dead, Keroberos and I would be gone. So she's still alive, for now"
Syaoran frowned. Yue was right. Yue and Keroberos' lives were tied to Sakura's, so if she died, they would disappear and the power of the Star Cards would be unleashed.
And Atashi would get it. Somehow, he would get it.
"I wonder how to defeat Atashi…" Eriol said, almost to himself.
"What are you talking about?" Keroberos asked, lying on the floor in his true form, looking rather bored. "Defeat him? Use a Star Card, it's simple"
"No." Eriol said. "Sakura tried to use a Star Card before, remember? When she fell in the water…they wouldn't work. Sakura's magic can't defeat him"
"W-What?" Tomoyo gasped. "But it has to be able to! I mean, so many years ago, the Cardcaptors defeated him"
"Yes, but there were two." Eriol said. "And thought the Star Cards are Sakura's now…her power wont be strong enough"
"What are you saying?" Yue asked.
Eriol shook his head. "I don't know…I guess that there has to be two masters of the cards in order to defeat Atashi"
At that moment, everyone turned and looked at Syaoran.
"What?" He said. "I failed my judgment, remember? I can't possess the cards again"
"Maybe…" Eriol said. "I'm not sure. You still have the power in you Syaoran, you just don't have the cards"
"Wait." Meilin said, getting to her feet. "Are you saying that, if Syaoran and Sakura were to somehow…I don't know, join forces, or powers, that they both would be the Card Masters?"
"Yes." Eriol smiled faintly, looking at Syaoran, his blue gazed interested. "That's exactly what I'm saying"
"But…how?" Syaoran breathed.
"I can't say." Eriol shrugged. "I mean, I don't know"
"Look in your heart." Tomoyo breathed. "Syaoran, that's what you said to Sakura, right?"
"I told her to think." Syaoran said. "She said herself to look in her heart"
"Maybe that wasn't for just her." Yue said. "Maybe…Sakura knows something, or she doesn't realize that she knows it"
"Are you saying…all I have to do is think of an incantation and we'll be able to kill Atashi"
"Maybe." Yue said. "I get what you guys are saying. But…what incantation? I've never heard of such a thing. Once you fail judgment, you can't return to the cards"
"Unless the cards want you." Eriol said. "With the two of you together…the impossible, would be possible"
Keroberos suddenly stood, a deep growl emitting from his throat.
"What's wrong Kero?" Tomoyo asked.
Yue winced. "S-Sakura…she's in trouble"
Syaoran gasped and turned to the door. "No!"
Okay! Sorry it's a bit shorter. REVIEW WHILE YOU STILL CAN!