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Love of War
Chapter Eleven: Help

"Syaoran look at that!" Eriol gasped, pointing to the pink sky in front of them.

"What is it?" Tomoyo asked, gazing at the sun, her hand shielding her eyes.

"It looks like…smoke." Syaoran said, grabbing the hilt of his sword nervously.

"Shit!" Eriol shouted breaking into a run. "Come on!"

"Wait for us!" Tomoyo said, rushing after the blue-haired teenager, Syaoran and the rest of the Li clan on their heels. "What's the rush?"

"That's where Sakura is!" Eriol shouted over his shoulder.

Syaoran gaped and picked up his speed. "No! Who's there?"

"The bandits must have returned," Eriol said, Syaoran was running steadily beside him, both their legs pumping as fast as they could go, trying desperately to get to the village. "Syaoran…did Sakura use her magic?"

"Yes, why?"

"Well, from what I know," Eriol said. "And from what Tomoyo told me, Sakura gets the magic from her own star, the power is her own…it's not limitless."

"She's not fully rested yet!" Tomoyo cried, close on the boy's heals, the rest of the Li clan was catching up with them. "She wont be able to make it for long!"

"What about that guardian of hers?" Eriol asked, his breath ragged.

Tomoyo shook her head. "Kero gets his power from Sakura, so as long as she's awake he will be too."

"But…doesn't that mean?"

Tomoyo nodded. "By Kero being in his true form for so long, her powers will be drained."

"Syaoran, she won't be able to fight!" Eriol said.

Syaoran griped his hands together and ran faster, he had to make it to the village before Sakura blacked out.

XxXxX

"Someone get the girl!" A man shouted, shoving a villager to the ground and plunging his sword into the man's heart. "And restrain that…thing!"

"Yes sir!" One of the younger bandits shouted in reply, ushering for a few men to follow him.

Sakura was fighting the best she could without killing anyone or using to much of her powers. The bandits had come in so quickly, and so many of the villagers were injured from their last attack, many more had died…she couldn't protect them and herself for much longer.

"Kero!" Sakura shouted, jabbing a man in the gut with her staff, sending him flying backwards into the side of a tree. "Change back! I need my powers!"

"But then I can't protect you!" Kero growled, head butting three men a few meters away.

"I have to protect the village!" Sakura said, tossing a card into the air. "I need my magic! Windy!"

Sakura hit the card with her staff, and instantly the spirit of the windy card burst from the small object, wrapping itself around a small ground of men and sending them hurtling into the forest.

Keroberos finally nodded and sighed, covering his body with his wings. When he reappeared, Keroberos was back to being the small little Kero.

"I can't help you very much now Sakura." Kero said from Sakura's shoulder as she sent another card at another group of me.

"That's okay," Sakura said weakly, her vision was beginning to blur and darken. "I just need…a little longer to fight."

"Sakura you can't hold on!" Kero said, picking up a small stone and hurling it at a man. "We have to get out of here!"

"No!" Sakura hissed, doing a back flip to avoid the blade of a bandit, kicking him under the chin on the way. "I can't…abandon the village."

"Sakura look out!" Kero shouted, scrambling to the side as a man jumped off the roof of a small hut, knocking Sakura to the ground as he fell.

"Get off me!" Sakura yelled, trying to push the heavy man off her.

"Hey boss!" He shouted, keeping Sakura pinned. "She's just a teenager!"

A tall, dark looking man, stopped what he was doing and turned to his comrade and Sakura. He was rather bulky and well built, at least twenty-five, with shoulder-length black hair that was tied back. He had angry eyes and his mouth was set in a thin line, as if he never smiled.

"What is it Mike?"

"This girl, the magic user." The man holding Sakura got up, dragging her with him. "She's only a teenager."

The leader of the bandits walked over to the two, an interested look on his face. Sakura noticed, as he got closer, that there was a scar slashed across his left eye, as if a knife had been driven across his face. "What's your name girl?"

"What's it to you?" Sakura snapped to the Japanese man, her features angry.

He glared at her, "A stubborn one?" Sakura gasped as he lashed out and struck her across the face. "Tell me your name!"

Sakura glared at him. "No."

The man sighed and shook his head sadly, he reached out and grabbed her around the neck.

"Ah!" Sakura gasped as his grip tightened, pulling her from the ground. She gripped his wrists, clawing at them, trying to get him to let go.

"Tell me…your name." He hissed.

"Let go." Sakura gasped for air, her feet searching for the ground.

"Sakura!" Kero shouted, flying at the bandit.

The man, Mike, who'd been holding Sakura grabbed Kero before he could attack the leader.

"Sakura is it?" The leader laughed. "Thanks little…thing."

"Guardian beast!" Kero shouted, trying to wriggle free from his captor. "Let go of her!"

The leader nodded and dropped Sakura. She sunk to her knees, gripping at her throat and gasping for air. "B-Bastard."

"We should go Conan." Mike said, turning to the East. "That camp we saw earlier, they will see the smoke and come."

"Let them come." Conan smirked. "They can join the fun."

"Leave them alone." Sakura said acidly, getting slowly to her feet, determined.

Conan watched her carefully. "You are stubborn. How old are you Sakura?"

"Sixteen." Sakura hissed. "Leave the camp alone."

"Are you from there?" Conan asked.

Sakura shook her head. "No. I was just passing by this village-"

"And let me guess," Conan said. "You saw that they needed help, so you were the one to help them. And you just happened to have magic to defend them?"

Sakura nodded. "Something like that."

"What's this?" Mike asked, grabbing Sakura's staff from her hand.

"Hey!" Sakura snapped, reaching for her staff. "Give that back!"

"Maybe I'll keep it." Mike smirked, he was much younger than Conan, at least nineteen or twenty. "Give it to my girl back home."

"The only girl who would ever love you is your mother." Sakura retorted. "Now give it back."

"No." Mike growled.

Sakura raised the palm of her hand at Mike, her eyes angry. "Fine."

Mike was sent flying backwards, slamming, hard, into what was left of a house.

Sakura smirked triumphantly and picked up her staff from where Mike had dropped it.

No sooner had she done that, Conan grabbed her hair and pulled her back, sprawling onto the ground. "What are you?"

Sakura coughed, getting to her hands and knees. Where was Kero? She didn't answer Conan's question.

"What are you?" He asked again, grabbing her by the throat, and again pulling her off the ground. This time, however, he showed no mercy as he gripped her neck in an iron grasp.

Sakura didn't answer, she couldn't, the auburn-haired girl was too focused on trying to breathe. She dropped her staff.

"You are not a regular human." Conan growled. "Where did you get the magic? Who are you?"

"S-Sakura…" Sakura whispered, her sight growing fuzzy. She'd almost had full power when she'd sent Mike flying into the house, Kero wasn't using her for power anymore…if she could hold on for a little longer, she could kill Conan and get away. The village was lost, no one remained alive…not even the woman who had offered to help her. From the corner of her eye, Sakura could see her lying lifeless on the ground, her eyes opened wide in shock.

"I know your name." Conan hissed, gripping her neck more tightly, causing Sakura to gasp in pain. "What is your family name? What…are…you?"

"S-Syaoran." Sakura whispered, tears stinging at her eyes.

"Syaoran Sakura?" Conan said. "Your family name is Syaoran?"

"No, that's my name." A voice said from behind the large man.

Sakura watched as Conan's eyes grew wide with shock as Syaoran's blade sunk into his back.

Conan didn't even get a chance to see who his attacker had been, all he felt was the sharp blade, and heard the voice.

He let go of Sakura and fell to the ground.

Sakura lay there, shivering and gasping for breath, Conan lay dead beside her.

"Sakura, are you all right?" Syaoran whispered, kneeling beside her and pulling her into his arms.

Sakura buried her face in his chest, why was she always the one to get into trouble and have to be saved?

"Sakura!" Tomoyo cried, falling to her knees beside her friend and throwing her arms around her, making Syaoran reluctantly let go of the Card Mistress. "I was so afraid! Are you okay?"

Sakura didn't answer her friend, she just knelt with her friend, letting herself be held, staring at the woman who she'd talked to only a few short minuets ago.

She was dead. Sakura had said she'd protect her, the village…but she didn't. She couldn't save her.

"Sakura what's wrong?" Tomoyo asked softly, staring into her friend's emerald eyes. Their blankness scared her. "Sakura?"

"I…I couldn't stop them." Sakura whispered, tears spilling from her eyes. "I couldn't save them. I promised her…I couldn't do it."

"Hey, don't worry about it Sakura." Kero said, appearing at her side. He'd gone to find Syaoran, knowing he was the only one who could save Sakura. "You couldn't do anything."

"That's just it." Sakura said flatly. "I was too weak."

"You tried Sakura," Tomoyo said. "You tried, that's all that matters."

Syaoran sighed and gently got in between Sakura and Tomoyo, picking up the emerald-eyed girl. "Come on, Eriol and the others have started a shelter, you need to rest."

Sakura didn't answer, she rested her head against Syaoran's shoulder and closed her eyes, taking a breath. He smelt good.

She was happy to be alive, she wouldn't deny that, but she still couldn't shake the thought of letting the village down.

"I was worried about you." Syaoran said. Tomoyo had run ahead to tell Eriol that Sakura was okay, so they were alone. "I didn't think we'd make it in time."

"What?" Sakura breathed, staring up at him.

Syaoran went on as if he hadn't heard her. "When that fuzzy thing came and told me that you were in trouble…I don't think I've ever run so fast in my life." He looked down at her, gazing into her eyes. "And when I saw you with that man…he was choking you. I saw your face, it was white, I thought you were already dead. But then I heard you say my name..."

Sakura smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest. "Thank you Syaoran."

Okay! I know this was a shorter chapter, but whatever! Review!