We're Moving
Chapter Twelve: Fading
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She couldn't believe it, he was here… how could he be? And that look in his eyes… it wasn't the same as it was the last time she saw before she and her family had moved away to Hong Kong. Before she moved away, Yukito was warm and always happy to see anyone… but now, he looked guarded, his eyes cold and unmoved by seeing Sakura here, of all places. The initial shock of seeing Yukto down here in the dungeon of the Readington University wearing off, Sakura stood up brushing the imaginary dust off of the outfit Tomoyo had made for her.
"I'll ask you again Yukito; why are you here!"
Still the grey haired boy didn't answer, just merely looked at her as if Sakura hadn't said anything at all. Gritting her teeth, Sakura clenched her hands into fists, bravely stepping forward. "Answer me Yukito!"
Sakura stopped when she saw that Yukito was starting to move, as his hand came up from his side, and disappeared into his pants pocket. Sakura, following the motion of his hand into his pant pockets, saw that there was something in there, it looked big and bulky. What the heck was it? And how the heck did it look like it wasn't even weighing his pants down any? However, she didn't have to wait long for an answer, as his hand soon came out of his pocket holding –
Sakura gasped.
How could he have come across that!
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Fox Forest was normally a loud place as birds chirped, animals ran this way and that and the rustle of water could be heard from any location in the park. All that still was happening; just not in the heart of the forest. Four pre-teens were in the opening, leaning against trees and sprawled out on the ground of the forests' clearing. Syaoran and the others sat around the area, as Eriol recounted his vision of Sakura and that she was getting closer to the Clow Book as he could feel the closeness of the Book.
"That's good then; she'll be back here soon." Tomoyo grinned, clasping her hands together.
"Leave it to Kinomoto to leave everything to the very end," Meiling huffed, shifting her position on the rock. "Just wants to make us worry for her well being."
Syaoran cast a glance over at Meiling, before sighing and shaking his head. "I doubt that Sakura would do that… I mean, when she was about to leave, didn't she look a little scared? I bet she'd want to get out of there quickly."
"Syaoran!" Meiling screeched, jumping off her rock and making her way over to him, clasping a hand around his arm. "Why do you always talk about Kinomoto like that?"
"Like what?" Syaoran asked, eyebrows raising at the question.
"Like that! You talk about her so fondly like you care for her!"
Syaoran sighed, untangling his arm from her grip. "I do care for her," Before Meiling could start off on a tangent, Syaoran quickly continued. "I also care about Tomoyo and Eriol."
"Augh!" Meiling yelled, throwing her hands up and falling backwards. "Not like that! I mean, actually care for her, like your supposed to care about me! I am for fiancée!"
"It's an arranged marriage, Meiling! We don't have to go through with our parents wishes!" Syaoran yelled back, standing up and turning his back on her.
"Arranged Marriage! Is that all I am to you, some verbal agreement between our parents!" Meiling yelled, rolling her sleeves up as she balled her hands into fists. "I'll beat that Kinomoto to a pulp when she gets back! She put magic on you, didn't she?"
"Magic on me!" Syaoran yelled, whirling around on his heel. "I'm just like her! Only I have stronger powers then her, her magic would be nothing more an itch on me!"
"Ha!" Meiling yelled, her face brightening up. "You think of Kinomoto as just an itch! Wait till she comes back… I'll tell her what she said, and then she'll go back to her backwater town of Readington!" Meiling, still smiling, latched onto Syaoran's arms. "Then it'll just be me and you again."
Syaoran tensed under Meiling's words and touch. "Don't you dare," He muttered, pushing Meiling away from him and out of her grasp.
"What?" Meiling asked, not hearing what Syaoran had muttered.
"I said don't you dare say that! It's not Sakura that's like that to me, it's her magic. It would have no effect." He shouted, glaring at Meiling.
"It's all the same, it's still her! Why do you make such a big deal about it? It's not like she's special or anything!"
"Yes she is." Syaoran said, his emotions calm once again, as if nothing had happened between the two.
"She's special! Why!" Meiling demanded, stomping her foot.
"Because! Because… I… think I love her." Syaoran replied, staring up at the sky.
Meiling's mouth dropped, had he just said that! Silence erupted in the clearing of Fox Forest at the sound of Syaoran's confession, even the animals and the river seemed to have run silent. The silence seemed to go on for an eternity, until Eriol cleared his throat to cut the silence, and cast a glance over at Tomoyo, who, like Meiling, was shocked at Syaoran's confession.
"Er… Tomoyo… care to go for a walk?"
Snapping out of her thoughts, Tomoyo cast a glance over at Eriol and nodded. "Yes… that may be a good idea."
Standing up from her position under one of the older oak trees, she made her way over to Eriol, and linking arms with him, made their way down to the path that would lead out of the forest, and out of Syaoran and Meiling's way as the tension was enough to cut with a knife, which would lead to them most likely lunging at one another. As Meiling watched the two disappear down the path and out of her line of vision, she turned it back to Syaoran, who was still staring up at the sky.
"Did you say you loved her! What the heck's so special about a wide-eyed, innocent, annoying Kinomoto!" She screeched.
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"The Clow Book!"
Sakura was surprised that Yukito had found the Clow Book… that it was sitting right there in his hands. If only she could get her feet to work – they seemed frozen to the ground with that shock. Shaking her head, sending her brown locks flying, she moved her feet, intent on getting that Book. Wasn't it nice that Yukito had known she would be here to get the book… but how, how did he know? Within reaching distance of the Book, Sakura brought her hand up to reach the book, and return to the future. The voice from the darkness was right; she was near the end of her journey. She could jump for joy, but she had a mission to complete.
"You found the Clow Book… how did you do it?" Sakura asked, reaching out to grab the book.
However, she had just grabbed thin air.
Yukito had jerked the Clow Book out of her reach.
Stumbling, Sakura caught herself, raising her eyebrows as she turned to look at Yukito.
"Why did you do that? I need that Book. The Cards – oh you don't know what they are! – are in dire need of it! Their losing their magic! I need that, or – or else our world will be doomed!" Sakura yelled, not sure what was going on here.
Yukito just grinned at her; Foolish Girl! She thought it was all fun and games coming to the past… boy was she wrong. Yukito just grinned wickedly at Sakura, who stood there, dumbstruck at what was going on around her. "If you want the Clow Book, you'll have to fight me for it."
"How – How do you know about the Clow Book?" Sakura asked, scrunching her features together as she thought about it. "Wait a minute – fight you! Yukito, I can't – I won't – fight you!"
Yukito still grinned wickedly at her, it slowly turning into a smirk. "Yukito isn't presently available."
"What?" Sakura asked, confused even more now.
Sakura's confusion grew more, as white wings appeared on Yukito's back as his eyes seemed to glaze over, the wings encircling him. Sakura had to shield her eyes at the white light that formed when Yukito's wings conversed together.
"What's going on!" Sakura yelled into the brightness. Once the brightness died down, she opened her eyes to see the spot where Yukito once stood, and there stood a male clad in all white and the wings folded on his back. "Who are you!" Sakura yelled, surprised. "You're not Yukito! What did you do to him? BRING him BACK!" She yelled, grabbing her pendant and calling forth her staff.
"Will you fight me now?" This new figure calmly asked, flickering his gaze to Sakura's staff.
"No! You – whoever you are – bring back Yukito!"
The figure just grinned once again. "Foolish Girl, I am Yukito. It was a guise, to keep myself close to the Clow Book – the one you took away with you. With you in the past, no one can help you now. The only way to get back to your world is to defeat me as I hold the Book. And, if I'm correct, you have no more then half an hour."
Half an hour! Sakura groaned, she had wasted half an hour with this… person, and now, she only did have half an hour left. Boy, would Syaoran and the others kill her when she got back there. That is… if she ever got back to her time again.
"So I will ask the question again, will you fight? Or die a piercing death?"
Sakura closed her eyes, defeated. "I will fight you. If you tell me who you are."
The figure closed his eyes, his grey hair moving in an un-seeable wind. "My name is Yue; guardian of the Clow Book and challenger of those who wish to be Mistress of the Cards."
Mistress! Whoa, this was going too far! Sakura thought, all she wanted to do was get the Book and return home. Syaoran should be Clow Master; he knew more about this then she did! But yet… here she was.
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Dodging another attack Yue sent her way, Sakura dug through her pockets looking for the Return Card – it had to help her… somehow? Right! Her fingers finding the edge of the Return Card, she pulled it out of her pockets, holding it close to her with both hands as she rounded a corner. Coming to a stop, Sakura clutched the card to her chest, as she closed her eyes. She didn't hear Yue approaching her, so she should have enough time to try out the plan – it was her only chance…
'Please, grant me a way to come out of this battle alright, without hurting Yukito too bad – I know he's still in there somewhere. Please, help me – Sakura Kinomoto – here in returning the balance to my world, my time is running out.' Hearing the beating of wings, she closed her eyes tighter, repeating the same wish over and over again. The beats of the wings were getting louder – he must have rounded the corner by now – waiting to feel the painless death he had promised her, a tear dropped from her cheek, hitting the surface of the Return Card.
Flexing out his hand, intent on the brown haired, incompetent wannabe Clow Mistress, but never got the chance. A glow erupted around the girl as the Clow symbol came out from under her feet, glowing a bright gold colour, enabling Yue to get anywhere near the girl. Heh, maybe first impressions weren't everything. The girl knew what she was doing, and knew how to call the Clow Cards when she was locked away in a different dimension, away from her reality and, ultimately, the Clow Cards.
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Sakura was surprised by the light that was surrounding her. She had to smile though; Yue couldn't get through the barrier. But, she would think about that later. Right now, she had to concentrate on what was at hand. 'Please, grant me a way to come out of this battle alright, without hurting Yukito too bad – I know he's still in there somewhere. Please, help me – Sakura Kinomoto – here in returning the balance to my world, my time is running out.' She repeated that over and over again, focusing on that alone, and not what was going on around her.
That's when she felt it – fluttering to her feet.
Opening her eyes, Sakura looked down, and there it was.
A card was lying on the ground. She bent down to pick up to see what the wishes had brought her.
The card felt the same as all the other cards, only this one was pink – what happened to this card? Flipping it over, instead of seeing the sun picture there, it was a heart located there instead. Where had that come from? Looking at the name of the card – it wasn't one from the deck she had back in the future.
"Hope." Sakura read. "Hope Card."
She smiled, this could come in handy. What she failed to realize though, was that when she spoke the name of the card, the Clow symbol that was located around her feet started to diminish. Yue grinned from the outside of the Clow Barrier, so the girl had managed to call forth a new card – but she had no clue what to do with the card now that she had. It may have been a good idea, but with no way to deflect what was going, she was still going to die – trapped here in the past for all eternity. The Clow symbol around her feet was getting smaller, now just focused around her feet. Her time was up. Yue flexed his hand again, ready to finish the job he should have finished in the first few seconds of battle.
NO! Sakura thought, seeing the smaller symbol now and that Yue was getting ready to attack her soon. Fumbling with the Hope and Return Card, Sakura managed to hold both card in her hands, faces up, and closed her eyes once again. She had a plan, and she hoped it would work.
'It is I – Sakura Kinomoto – and I hope for a way to defeat Yue, in the form of returning my cards from the future, in a last stand against this force that stands before me. Please grant me that cards for the remaining moments of my life.' Squeezing her eyes shut tight, she hoped for a way to help her to defeat this Yue.
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"Do you think Sakura will be alright?" Tomoyo asked, as her and Eriol reached the main pathway that connected Fox Forest to the outskirts of Hong Kong's main hustle and bustle.
"I think Sakura will be fine, when I contacted her through the darkness, I could feel the pull of the Clow Cards… she was close." Eriol said, trailing off.
Tomoyo could hear the hesitation in his voice, so she cast a glance up at Eriol. "I can hear it in your voice, there's a 'but' isn't there? What's wrong?"
Eriol sighed, but smiled down at the purple haired girl all the same. "You're very perspective Tomoyo. But, yes, there is a 'but' as you put it. I felt a strong presence. It wasn't evil – so don't worry – I think it might be Yue."
"Yue?"
"Yes, Yue. I created him and Kero in my last life… they were the protectors of the Clow Cards. Kero was the guardian of the Cards and the male or female who released them. Yue, he is the overseer… he tests all the Clow Masters of Mistresses to see if they are fit to wield the Cards under their own magic. If they can defeat Yue, they will rightfully become the Clow Master or Mistress, but it isn't easy. He commands the cards that are powered by the moon, and is hard to outsmart… and since Sakura doesn't have the cards with her… he will go extra hard on her. He will kill her. He'll defeat her and leave her stranded there until she fades."
Tomoyo froze, staring wide-eyed at Eriol. "You created that! Something that will kill!" With each statement, Tomoyo kept stepping back farther away from Eriol. What else could he create that could kill?
"He won't kill her Tomoyo, he'll just strand her there… that's what will kill her. How was I to know that this would happen, that someone I know would fight Yue in the past? I didn't know – couldn't know."
Tomoyo smiled at this, he sounded so defeated. "We sound like Meiling and Syaoran." Tomoyo laughed, coming back to Eriol, latching arms with him. "Sakura will be fine, she has a strong will. As if she would just give up!"
Eriol laughed, it was true. As if Sakura would give up when she knew what the consequences would be. Suddenly, Eriol stopped, he had felt it – Sakura was calling out to him, she needed the cards. A hand went quickly to his pockets; Sakura's cards were still in his pockets. Perhaps, he could send them to her. Tomoyo, who was linked in arms with Eriol, looked up at him confused.
"What is it Eriol? Are you feeling something again?"
Eriol nodded. "Sakura needs the cards, just one minute Tomoyo."
Tomoyo nodded, stepping back from Eriol, who pulled out his key and transformed it into a staff. He fished the cards out of his pocket, and holding them in one hand, muttered a few words as the Clow symbol appeared under his feet, and with a few more choice words, the cards disappeared in his hands, the symbol retreating into nothingness and returning his staff to its normal size.
"Is everything alright now?" Tomoyo asked, walking up to him again.
Eriol nodded. "It should be, she has the cards now. At least, now we'll know whether or not Sakura passes out not. If she defeats Yue in the next twenty minutes, the cards won't return as they will come back with her. However, if Yue wins and traps Sakura there, the cards will return here, as they aren't tangible there as they didn't go with her, so they can't stay there, and they will wreck havoc on our world, unless we find a way to bring Sakura back," Tomoyo's face looked like horror at the thought of Sakura trapped forever there and the cards destroying their world. "Don't worry though," Eriol said, sensing what Tomoyo was thinking. "Sakura will be fine, I know it."
Tomoyo nodded. "So what do you think will happen between Meiling and Syaoran? That was really intense!"
"I know, that was surprising." Eriol replied, nodding his head.
"I bet that their back there killing each other!" Tomoyo laughed, staring up at the sky.
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Sakura grinned, as she felt the weight in her hands. She had the cards, Eriol had heard her. Smiling, Sakura watched as the Clox symbol vanished underneath her feet, as Yue waited outside, ready to attack. Sakura was ready though. Clutching her staff under her arm, she shuffled through her cards, looking for the right card. Finding it, she smirked, Fly! Holding the card with one card, and her staff in the other hand.
"FLY!" She shouted, calling forth the being.
Finding the wings on her staff expanding, Sakura quickly jumped up on it, flying out of Yue grasp as he lunged at her now vacant spot as the barrier disappeared around her. Flying up and unto a small ledge, Sakura took the staff back out – the wings shrinking in the process – and flipped through her cards once again. Finding the card she needed to bind the mystical being, she grinned, throwing the card up and bringing her staff down on it.
"WOOD!"
"Foolish Girl!" Yue sneered, bringing his hand and brushing it across in an almost boredom. The branches of the wood card leaned away from him, coming full speed back at a surprised Sakura, who only had time to say "what!" before the branches wrapped around her, unable to move to summon any cards.
One question nagged at her mind though.
Why did the Wood Card betray her?
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A/N: We're near the end! The next chapter should be the last one! I have a question for everyone know, what were the cards Sakura used to defeat Yue? I don't remember, or else I would have done it here. All ideas on how Sakura should beat him, and the cards used to defeat him, would be greatly appreciated. I'll update again soon, I promise!
Happy New Year everyone!