ahhhh, someone brought it to my intention that it might be a LIIITTLE helpful for me to include the story thus far. too true. GOMEN! LOL just think of this as a permanent development in the story from here on. might as well be, eh?
Recap!
Characters-
Syaoran: Guardian of Fire and Seeker (formerly known as Pyro in his other life as a God of Fire), has totally got it bad for Sakura.
Eriol: Guardian of Sky (Once called Ciel), seems to like Tomoyo.
Tomoyo: Guardian of Water (AKA Lady Cordelia in her former life). Might like Eriol.
Sakura: Guardian of Earth (Whose name was always Sakura) Just transferred to Tomoeda. She collects the Clow Cards and rescued the other Guardians in Ch11. Has been certified to be blind but her overwhelmingly keen senses allows her to see the auras of those around her in accordance to magic and mood. Is said to have a special power that none
Hiiragizawa Gabriel: Eriol's future son. Looks just like his father. Came to Tomoeda for a specific reason he refuses to discuss. Who is his mother? Not much is known about him.
Ryou: A henchman of Chaos. Sicced four evil creatures on the Guardians in Ch11. Definitely evil.
Kotoko: Another henchman of Chaos. She tried to kill Tomoyo, but failed. Has the power of earth and water.
Takana Emma: A goth girl that has a crush on Syaoran and wants to crush Sakura. Sakura "crushed" her instead in Ch11, lol.
Babysitter/ Chips: Messenger sent by the Prophet that is really annoying and seemed useless until he helped rescue Tomoyo. He actually has a serious, deadly side to him. Has not been seen or heard from for some time.
the Prophet: The Chief Messenger of god, in charge of guiding the Guardians. Whether the Prophet is a male or female is yet to be seen. He/She usually sits in the dark on an eerie looking throne.
the Spirits/Sprites: Four mischievous beings, each made of their own element, that only those with magic can see. Fire: Pyro. Sky: Skye, Water: Aquia, Earth: Gaia.
The Story Thus Far:
Syaoran definitely had just work cut out for him when the divine being known as the Prophet ordered him to find the 4 Guardians who were destined to save the world from the power of Chaos. But even after finding the Guardians and even Hiiragizawa's son from the future, Gabriel, things weren't getting any better. Chaos's henchmen Kotoko and Ryou were on their backs at every chance and even Syaoran's steadfast admirer Takana Emma was pressuring Syaoran into going to the school dance with her! Luckily, Syaoran went to the dance with hiscrush Kinomoto Sakura (the blind Guardian of Earth and Cardcaptor). However at the last minute, Ryou crashed the dance sending the students running and screaming in a panic. It was outside that the Guardians met up with the Parfai--Prophet in person, who looked like a young man around the age of 10 or so. The Prophet informed them that as the Gaurdian of Earth, Sakura was the only one who had the power to call on Salvation...bringer of peace.
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well, we've pretty much reached the climax of the story right here. we're moving right along! read and enjoy!
--------------------------------Hidden Power: Chapter 14...Game Start
"Sakura!" Syaoran gasped for air and ran faster, the soles of his boots trampling over various dead leaves and sticks as he made his way along.
Somewhere in the darkness, a girl whimpered. Else where a voice he did not recognize whispered, his voice echoing off the trees around him.
'And then…when night and day…'
"Sakura!"
Then behind him a stick cracked and he twisted around. The moon shone brilliantly in the forest clearing, but tonight the moon was far from beautiful. Tonight it glared down on the forest, casting an eerie glow on all that it touched.
'…become one…
Syaoran turned this way and that trying to calculate his chances of making it there in time. He shouldn't have left that damn map with Gabriel. He had to help her! Where was she?
'…shall Salvation come…'
Suddenly a bloodcurdling scream ripped through the silence making Syaoran's heart throb painfully. He whipped around and started running towards the sound of her scream as it went on and on and then there was silence…
"SAKURA!"
Syaoran jolted up in bed gasping for air, his heart racing. Sweat ran down his forehead. Trickled down the muscular contours of his chest and abdomen. Soaked his sheets. His bed reeked of fear and of the nightmare that had been haunting him since the night of the dance with Sakura. Warily he turned to the clock by his table. The digital red numbers told his aching body that it was 3 in the morning.
Syaoran groaned. What was happening to him?
"Bad dream?" Pyro floated around his room, pulsing softly with a fiery glow.
He flopped back into his bed with a groan. Why did he keep having this dream? Syaoran grumbled and turned over in bed. Damn nightmares. He couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. He couldn't get her screams out of head. Screams that chilled him to the bone and made his heart stop in his chest.
They even plagued him during the daytime, turning him into some sort of zombie.
"SYAORAN!" a voice cried. Startled, Syaoran staggered backwards into the set of lockers nearby. BANG! The group of girls who had been standing there shrieked as he fell into them. Girls and boy went down like a set of bowling pins and papers flew into the air.
"Damnit! What the hell?" Syaoran roared, enraged with his behavior. The girls flinched, thinking that he was talking about them and he waved them off, rolling his eyes. Eriol flew over to help them up.
With Eriol's help the girls staggered to their feet and Syaoran rose as well, grabbing the first thing that he could find to steady himself. It just so happened to be a stuffed cow keychain hanging from the girl's bag. There was a loud MOOO and then the owner of the keychain Syaoran had grabbed brought everyone else down with her like dominoes.
"Someone's getting clumsy," Aquia sang, hovering over the head of a girl with pink pigtails.
"As an OX," Pyro sniggered.
Sakura burst out laughing, holding onto the door of her locker for support. Tomoyo had an odd look on her face as if she was trying not to laugh as well. Syaoran shot Sakura a dirty look, as red as a drunk.
When he had finally managed to make it to his feet Sakura put her hands on his shoulder to steady him. She was still laughing. "Syaoran, what's wrong with you today?"
Syaoran scratched the back of his head, blushing, "Nothin's wrong with me, dammit. It's just…just that time of week for me." He said referring to those times of the week where things just weren't going right.
Eriol's eyes twinkled wickedly, "That time of the week? Having female problems? Are you PMSing, Syaoran?" he asked slyly.
Syaoran grinned horribly, "Har de har har. Are you BS-ing, Eriol? Though I do feel a little bit like hitting something, I'm so stressed out. Care to volunteer?" It seemed with all the stress he was going through he'd slipped back into his bully frame of mind.
Eriol scooched away, being wary of the lockers this time, "That's okay."
Syaoran sighed and twisted his neck around, getting rid of the cricks in his neck, "What I meant was that I'm a little stressed out this week. I haven't been getting too much sleep these days." He was just worried about how things were going, he explained. Then he tripped over a trash bag someone had left in the hall.
"WHO THE HELL LEFT THIS DAMN TRASHBAG IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FREAKING FLOOR?" he snarled and slammed a fist against the locker.
Emma poked her head out from behind a door, a grin on her face, "SO THAT'S where my bag went!" she muttered to herself. Syaoran gave a strangled cry and started to run after her. All hell had truly broken loose, it seemed.
He and Pyro had even started something of a food fight during lunch. So when he had gotten home he'd had banana pudding streaked over the front of his shirt. Pyro had gotten him with the spoon and created something like a catapult filled with pudding. It had pretty much only taken one foot the size of a thumbtack to launch his ammo into Syaoran before the guardian had a chance to realize what was going on. Talk about a wake-up call.
It went on like this for the rest of the day and when he finally made it home, he had never felt so happy to go to bed. As soon as his head hit the pillow, unconsciousness pulled him under.
The dream, this time had become more vivid.
"Sakura!" Syaoran gasped for air and ran faster, the soles of his boots trampling over various dead leaves and sticks as he made his way along. Then behind him a stick cracked and he twisted around. The moon shone brilliantly in the forest clearing, but tonight the moon was far from beautiful. Tonight it glared down on the forest, casting an eerie glow on all that it touched.
Syaoran looked around him, searching desperately for some sign of where she could be. In the distance a hill loomed ominously. Immediately, Syaoran recognized the hill as Yanagihara Hill. He had camped in the park when his father had taken him to Japan as a child for a family trip. However, before he could do anything further the dream ended as abruptly as it had begun.
Syaoran sat up slowly and leaned back against the bedpost, his mind spinning. Man, something was seriously wrong. He couldn't stop dreaming. He couldn't escape from that nightmare. Then he realized that he was agonizing over this again and launched himself out of his bed like a rocket. He had to do something to take his mind off of this. Maybe talking to someone would help. He needed to get out and take his mind off of things.
He walked over to the phone by his door and dialed Sakura's number.
"Moshi moshi Kinomoto Sakura," Sakura's voice answered on the 2nd ring. Syaoran's stomach flipped and he knew that it was a good thing he'd called her.
"Sakura! This is Syaoran," he said and she gave a cry of joy.
"Syaoran! It's good to hear from you," she told him and he grinned.
"Sooooo, I was just wondering," he bit his lip. "Would you like to go…hang out with us tonight? The Hiiragizawas (father and his annoying son), Tomoyo, and me? Maybe we can go see a movie or something. End of the World," there was an indignant cry from somewhere above his head and Syaoran rolled his eyes. "And the maggots?"
Sakura burst out laughing, "That's kind of ironic, Syaoran seeing as we're trying to prevent the End from coming," Her laugh sounded something like tinkling bells, he observed with a surge of pleasure.
"That's kind of ironic, Syaoran seeing as we're trying to prevent the End from coming! Actually, I can't tonight. My family and I are taking a camping trip tonight!"
As soon as she had set it, Syaoran was drenched with cold fear and froze.
"What? Where!" he croaked.
"Oh, Yanagihara Park!" she trilled. "This is our second time here and it feels so good to be back again." The moment Syaoran heard this he dropped the phone, picked up his jacket and ran for the garage as fast as his feet could carry him.
"Syaoran? Syaoran?"
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"So tell me again where we are going and why did we steal your mom's car?"
"Isn't Aunt Yelan going to get mad if we do this?" Gabriel's voice trembled anxiously from the back seat and Syaoran shot him an incredulous look.
"You know my mom?" he asked and Gabriel nodded.
"You're going to be my uncle!" the boy said as if it were obvious.
Syaoran looked at the road and then back at his future nephew, "Really? Oh my god…are you one of my sisters' kids?"
"ARGH! KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD!" Eriol wailed when a squirrel scampered across their path. "We're in the freaking WOODS at NIGHT and you're DRIVING!"
On the dashboard Aquia wandered around looking at the little lever that climbed higher and higher. Then she turned to Eriol and asked, "What's that?" The little meter now pointed 89.
"HOLY COW SYAORAN SLOW DOWN! YOU'RE GONNA TURN US INTO A MERCEDES PRETZEL WRAPPED AROUND A TREE!" Eriol pounded his fists on dashboard in front of the passenger seat. WHY did he have to sit in the front?
"Hey!" Syaoran snapped returning his gaze back to the road, "No backseat driving, now shut the hell up and sit back!"
"We're gonna die...We're gonna die.." Eriol muttered with his nose pressed up against the glass, eyes clenched shut.
"Actually I'm quite surprised," Tomoyo said and leaned forward from the back. "You drive really well, Syaoran. How long have you had your license?"
Gabriel turned to look at her, a little surprised, "Uncle Syaoran used to have a license? He told me he never HAD one..." he said, his voice trailing off suggestively.
For a moment the silence in the car was deafening as Gabriel's words sank in. Syaoran sweatdropped.
Hehe, oh well.
Eriol started yelling, "I WANT OUT! LEMME OUT! You don't have a license! Let me out!"
Gaia started laughing hysterically and swung around on the pair of fuzzy dice that hung near the rearview mirror.
"No really, Uncle Syaoran. Where ARE we going?" Gabriel asked as Eriol began to hyperventilate.
"Yanagihara Park. I-I had a bad dream. About Sakura. I mean, didn't really think anything of it until she said she said that she was going camping. My dream had to do with her in the forest. And it's not he first dream that I've ever had about her, either," he added.
Tomoyo frowned and didn't stop patting Skye belly. He'd had a stomachache since the dance after sucking the punchbowl dry. (BURP).
"So Sakura could be in trouble?" she whispered.
Syaoran's grip on the steering wheel tightened visibly, his knuckles white, "I think so," he said, his voice low.
Eriol used the flashlight he held in his mouth to scan the large map. "Jhe pak shood be righbou…DER!" he pointed to a trail to the right and Syaoran obeyed.
(Pyro went up close to the flashlight in Eriol's mouth, causing it to light up in his mouth and Aquia burst out laughing to the point she fell into the dashboard compartment. Eriol spit the flashlight out of his mouth in bewilderment. Then threw the map in the compartment over Aquia's head and closed it with a sharp snap.)
"What's that?" Tomoyo pointed to a large shape on the side of the road. As they neared closer they came to realize that it was a car with a person sitting on it. Someone had beaten them to the park.
Then the headlights of the car flashed upon the shadow person and their car. Takana Emma sat on the hood of a black car tapping her flashlight on the hood impatiently. There appeared to be another person in the car.
Unnerved, Syaoran spun the wheel so that the car fishtailed around and then skidded to a halt about a half breath away from Emma's front bumper. Eriol's head fell onto his chest, breathing hard. Gabriel gave a whoop from the back, "That was fricking AWESOME!"
Tomoyo could only smile and agree. Eriol looked ready to puke. The spirits ricocheted around the car excitedly.
Emma rolled her eyes, "Took you long enough to get here," she muttered darkly.
Syaoran got out of the car and slammed the door shut. "What the hell are you doing here in the middle of the night?" it was more of an accusation than a question.
Unperturbed, Emma raised an eyebrow. The tapping on the hood became more insistent. "You got a problem with me sitting on my car in the woods during a weekend, Syaoran?" she drawled.
Syaoran growled in his throat, "Don't play stupid," he hissed. "What are you doing here in here in the middle of nowhere? Did you follow Sakura?"
Emma rolled her eyes as Syaoran walked closer, "I'm not a stalker, if that's what you're trying to imply. I'm simply here for the view. Is that such a crime? Get off my back!"
From inside the car, a male voice called out, "Will you freaking get to the point! We're on your side, damn it." Syaoran craned his head around and saw the boy who had been hanging around with Emma the night when they had first met Ryou, his feet on dashboard and headphones on his head. Emma frowned and sent the boy a very rude gesture.
"Says who?" Syaoran growled. "What the hell are you talking about? Stop playing games before I come over there and..."
"Hey hey! Get in line buddy! I've had dibs on her after the little stunt she pulled," the boy in the passenger's seat got out of the car and put a hand on Emma's shoulder. Syaoran's eyes narrowed.
The young man was very tall and wore a heavy black trench coat over a black t-shirt, and tight black pants with a belt studded with silver stars. Several large and thick metal rings clanked on his belt and on his wrists. The young man's pitch-black hair seemed to have gotten longer, his eyes bluer. His skin was as pale as ever and contrasted a little too well against the black lipstick he wore. His style was very Gothic but the feelings that Tomoyo could sense beneath that exterior were anything but dark.
Emma's eyes didn't waver from Syaoran's though, and she smirked, "You're the Seeker, right?"
There was a pause and suddenly everything seemed to change in a matter of seconds. The atmosphere reeked of confusion and alarm. The situation, more serious.
At this point, Eriol, Tomoyo, and Gabriel got out of the car, "You know about the Seeker?" Tomoyo asked.
Emma grinned, "I know about the Seeker," she agreed. I'm a Protector. It's my job as a member of the TriArch."
"The TriArch?" Syaoran's eyebrows shot up. "Is that like some kinna cult, or gang?"
"No," Gabriel shook his head. "Not Triad, the Chinese mafia, Uncle. The TriArch is the group of protectors employed by the Prophet for the Guardians at the End of Time. They have special abilities specifically for fighting. They're on our side."
"Yeah!" Emma chimed. "You hear that, you hot-headed jackass? YOUR SIDE. Now stop hounding me like I'm gonna jump you or something!"
"Can you blame me? You've been trying to jump me since you first came to the school," he grumbled.
Emma's eyes narrowed and a wide grin crossed her face. She leaned over on the hood, closer to Syaoran, who turned red, "You actually believed that? Well hate to burst your bubble, honey but you're not my type. I have very interesting taste, and you're definitely not it. Be assured. Your innocence is safe from me."
"No kidding," the young man besides Emma shifted uncomfortably and eyed Eriol, something that Tomoyo didn't miss.
"Who are you anyway? I never got around to asking you," Syaoran asked and the young man's icy blue eyes returned to Syaoran's.
"My name is Skye. Sukayo, if you want. I'm a part of the TriArch too," he introduced himself.
"Why are you a TriArch? Doesn't 'tri' mean three? I only see two of you," Tomoyo noticed.
"Oh, there's three of us," Skye assured her, "She's asleep in the back of the car." And he led the rest of the group towards the back of the car where a little girl with long black hair dressed in a large black dress with white lace was fast asleep. Her fingernails had been painted black, like the other two TriArch members and were wrapped securely around a small blue ball that was designed to be a replica of the world.
Tomoyo remarked that the girl was cute and Skye laughed quietly, "Her name's Meredith. If you think she's cute now, wait till you see her awake!" he didn't seem to imply she was cuter when she was awake. It was quite the opposite.
"So, tell us more about the TriArch," Syaoran said as they made their way back to where Emma was lounging on car hood, using a jackknife to clean her fingernails.
"Exactly what the boy said," Emma didn't look up from her nails. "The boy from the future, right?" Speaking to Gabriel who only nodded. "Yeah, well you're right. Skye, Meredith, and myself were chosen specifically by the Prophet to protect the Guardians in any time of need. As the TriArch we were…blessed, if you will, with the power to magically and in some ways physically overcome the cohorts of Chaos. And today is prophecized to be something called the Battle of the End. The day when the end will descend on Earth and destroy all of humanity. We're meant to deal with any cohorts that get in your way so that you can deal with the big cheese himself. Chaos. "
"You haven't been doing your job then becau…" Syaoran's voice trailed off when he saw Emma's eyes flash dangerously. He took a step back just in time to dodged the jackknife she flung into the dirt.
"Because I couldn't stop Ryou from transferring into our school? Didn't see the jerk too much though, did you?" she hissed. She had a point there, Syaoran admitted.
"Look Syaoran, I'm trying my best so why don't you just get the hell off my back! I never was your enemy. It was just an excuse to stay close enough to watch you all and it worked! Whatever happened between us in the cafeteria, or anywhere for that matter, was jus' me doing what I had to in order to keep the situation in control. I'm just a member of the TriArch stationed in the school doing her job and if you have a problem with that you can just shove it up your—"
"Okay y'know what?" Skye interrupted them, sounding annoyed. "You idiots can BOTH shove it because we have better things to talk about! Like the Guardian of Earth. She's in trouble, isn't she? We've got to do something about her. She's the Bringer of Salvation. Only she can summon the one thing powerful enough to push back Chaos forever. She's our only Ace-in-the-hole, so we gotta protect her with all we've got."
Syaoaran's anger towards Emma fizzled out and he nodded. Skye was right.
"I've had a dream about her being attacked in the forest and she just so happens to go camping," Syaoran admitted.
Skye nodded as Emma jumped off the car and began to pace nervously, muttering under her breath. "Yeah, Meredith's been having dreams like that too. Though it was more from your perspective," he said dryly. "The kid's a telepath and dream caster," he added when Tomoyo gave him a questioning look.
"So what should we do?" Gabriel asked nervously.
"We don't do anything. You and the spirits stay in the car and we're going to find Sakura to see that she's okay," Eriol said sternly. Gabriel flushed red in anger.
"NO! I'm supposed to come with you! This isn't right!" he cried.
Emma frowned, "Sorry, sweetie but he's right. You're not goin' nowhere far's we're concerned." Syaoran nodded and Tomoyo grabbed Gabriel in a swift hug.
"We'll come back as soon as we know Sakura-chan is okay," she said softly and stroked the boy's head. Almost hesitantly, Gabriel wrenched himself away from her embrace.
"I-I'll be fine!" he spluttered and then jumped into Emma's car, taking the sprites in their pouch with him.
Then together the others ran into the woods with Emma leading the way.
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Meanwhile, in a cottage not too far away Sakura sighed and fell backwards into the sofa. Outside she could her the sound of her father and brother Touya starting up the car. They were just going for a short drive to pick up some supplies for breakfast tomorrow morning. Sakura felt around around the sofa and found up a small, yellow winged bear beside her.
"Ah, Kero-chan. It's just you and me now, ne?" she smiled and tossed the bear into the air a little. The poor bear flew into the air and into her hands…into the air and into her hands…into the air…
BANG!
Sakura's eyes widened and she sat up quickly. The bear fell to the floor forgotten, as she stood up to find out what had made the noise outside. It was probably just another raccoon-san who'd run face-first into the trashcan again.
Sakura's house slippers echoed loudly throughout the house as shefelt her way into the kitchen.
"Hello?" she called feeling her way along the walls. If it were daytime, it was unlikely that any sun would be able to make it into the rooms, so everything to Sakura was nothing more than darkness. Most of the timeshe could seetheshadows of objects around her if there was enough light.That wouldn't happen in this cottage. It made her feel vulnerable, and she hated it. The house was very tight and closed in. However the tension that wafted throughout the house seemed to vibrate off the walls. Her body absorbed this tension, the silence making her feel as if a razor were being traced down the length of her spine.
Sakura felt something hard and cold under her fingers and yanked it back in surprise. She had made it to the door. Shivering, not with the cold, she reached out one hand trembling and grasped the handle. Then she was outside.
CRACK!
She jumped swiveled around, her hand flying to the key on the chain around her throat. Sakura held her breath and then searched for a sign of an aura around her. Then she let out a large sigh of breath. Raccoon-san had indeed returned. She smiled in relief at the purple aura on the ground. The color of confusion. But when he looked up at her the purple aura suddenly turned green, the color of fear and sickness and he scampered away.
There was no warning and then next thing she knew, someone had seized her by the shoulders and whipped her around. Sakura let out a bloodcurdling scream.
"So Guardian of Earth, we meet again," a male voice she didn't recognize drawled. Sakura turned pale and struggled to free herself, jerking this way and that in the hopes that the man, who ever he was would let go of her. Like all men, he was much stronger than she had expected and he only gripped her tighter, his hands like an iron vise. The man laughed derisively at her feeble attempts at escape.
Then she had reached out and sent a stinging slap to his face and he abruptly stopped laughing.
"LET ME GO!" she shrieked clawing at his arms and face, anything that she could reach. Instead he held her body away from his. Only once did she hit her mark. When she raked her fingers down his cheek he hissed in fury. Finally he lost his patience and seized her by the throat.
"I don't think so, cherry blossom," the man hissed. "You see, I have a problem. I can't have the Guardian of Earth screwing up everything Chaos has planned for you pathetic humans. I can't have you living…" Sakura's gasped for air as the man lifted her up into the air.
No…no…this can't be happening…I can't reach my Key...no!
Frustration and terror crawled in her body like a swarm of fire ants, licking at her resolve. Tears pooled in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks.
"NO!" Suddenly fire collided with the man's shoulder. Another fireball came his way, but the man managed to catch it in his fist this time. It seemed he also had the power of fire. His face twisted into a mask of fury and Sakura felt a small shred of hope blossom in her heart.
The man turned around agonizingly slowly, his grip on her throat unwavering. Syaoran's aura pulsed with fury as hestood at the mouth of the forest. She could sense that he was absolutely livid with fury. His hands, which were clenched into fists at his side, were on fire.
"Let…her…GO," he said, his low voice cold. Then Eriol, Tomoyo, Emma, and the aura of a young man she didn't recognize emerged from the forest behind Syaoran.
"SAKURA!" Tomoyo cried.
Ryou grinned, "So the knight in shining armor comes to the rescue," he drawled.
"If it isn't the big bad wolf. Y'know what happens to HIM, eh?" Syaoran growled in return, a horrible grin on his face. As if on cue, the aura around him ignited with fire like gas to a flame. Emma fell back with a curse and Skye stepped to the side quickly.
"Still a child," Ryou sighed and his grip tightened on Sakura's neck. Tomoyo shrieked.
"You want her, Guardian? Come and get her. Let's play a little game, you and me. First one to the top of Yanagihara Hill wins!" he declared and then disappeared.
Syaoran wasted no time and burst into motion, headed for the hill. Headed for the End. Tomoyo, Eriol, and the two members of the TriArch followed him without a moment of hesitation.
"Bring it on grandpa," Skye crowed, moving just as fast as everyone else but Syaoran.
Syaoran laughed raucously in agreement. Hell yes. Bring it on! he thought, a fire burning in his eyes.
Inside the car, back in the woods, Gabriel was sulking.
"I don't believe this. Good God, I don't believe this!" he cried in anguish.
"I can't believe that they left me behind! This isn't how it's supposed to go! Dad said that I would go with them. But noooo, I'm stuck here in the car with 4 hyper-active spirits (which cackled with glee), okaa-san did NOTHING to help me out there, and there's a catatonic 10-year old staring at me!" he yelled and shot Meredith (now awake and staring at him from the backseat of the TriArch's car) a dirty look. She didn't take the hint. "STOP it! You're freaking me out."
Meredith raised an eyebrow, "I'm twelve, you moron," she said flatly, speaking for the first time since she woke up about an hour and a half ago. Gabriel gave a shriek of frustration and burrowed himself backwards into the passenger seat.
"This is not happening," he moaned, combing his fingers through navy locks.
"Someone has to talk to you," Meredith whispered from the back seat. Gabriel perked up. Really? He didn't hesitate to believe her as his mother had told him that the TriArch was to be trusted and had amazing abilities.
Sure enough, there was a faint chime and Gabriel hastily opened the jeweled little communication compact that acted as his means of communication between his family in the future.
In it, an older man in his middle thirties with spectacles stared back at him, panic and confusion clearly written on his face.
"Gabriel! What's happening over there? The sun has died out over here! What are you all doing? Is your mother okay?"
Gabriel sighed and quickly explained the situation. As he spoke, his father's face hardened.
"So your moment of truth is here."
"Er...hate to burst your bubble dad, but okaa-san and the others weren't exactly pleased with the idea of me joining them," he pointed out.
"I know! That was how it happened. Get your arse out there anyway! The Spirits have to do what they were created to do," Hiiragizawa Eriol snapped, his patience wavering under the stress being placed on his son,"The End is coming for us here and if you don't make it to the top of that hill and do what YOU came to do, the End will be resurrected!"
Gabriel went pale and his heart rate sped up for fear of what was to come. Now? It was time...now? It had come much faster than he'd thought.
Meredith lay a white hand on his shoulder comfortingly, "You'll be okay," she said quietly. "You know what has to be done and your sacrifice will not go unnoticed."
The boy's hand tightened on the communication device in his hands and his father looked at him, tears twinkling in his eyes. Suddenly Eriol looked very old. From behind a woman with her dark hair twisted into an elegant bun at the back of her head came to stand by her husband. She was crying too.
"We love you, Gabriel. D-Do what you have to do," Hiiragizawa Tomoyo whispered, her voice trembling. Then the image of his parents faded and Gabriel closed the communication device with a snap.
"It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay," he whispered under his breath. He was trying not to hyperventilate but it was kind of hard, considering. He took out the sack that held the four spirits, quiet for once.
"You keep telling yourself that," Meredith told him. There was no sarcasm in her voice.
Gabriel nodded and his face set into a grim, but determined one. He, Meredith, and the sack of spirits set out for the notorious Battle of the End. He had a job to do. Sacrifices were to be made. Lives were to be saved. And one way or another he was going to be a part of it. Come what may…
Meanwhile the other Guardians were trying their best to make it up the hill. Things were much more easier since the terrain was very dry and many of them seemed to have the hang of it but the journey was still strenuous. Eriol gasped for air and pulled Tomoyo up with him.
"Syaoran! Remember when you said this was Yanagihara Hill? YOU HILL! NOT MOUNTAIN!" Eriol yelled from below the Guardian of fire.
Syaoran turned and grinned. There was no humor in his smile, "Learn to deal, Hiiragizawa," he retorted and continued to climb.
"Sukayo!" Emma called to her friend. "How much further?"
Sukayo, or Skye, grunted and pulled himself up on a ledge, right behind Syaoran, "We're here. Now we can run."
Eriol gasped and lifted himself up, the muscles in his legs screaming. "Here." He looked up to see Skye holding out a hand to help him up. When they had finally made it to the ledge Eriol saw that they still had quite a way to go. However instead of countless ledges to climb up, there was only land to run on. Only a hill. Behind him was a drop the size of at least 3 houses. Eriol set his jaw. Sakura was up there.
Skye was busy unhooking two metal rings that hung from his belt and took one in each hand. Emma took a deep breath.
"So the Battle of the End is starting, huh?"
A scream echoed in the air around them and no one dared to move.
Syaoran looked up quickly to see flashes of green, pink, and blueflashing at the top of the mountain above them.
"RELEASE!" Sakura cried.
Suddenly the earth began to shake and Tomoyo gasped, "No! Another earthquake?"
"And nowhere to hide," Skye echoed blankly.
"No," Emma whispered. "Not an earthquake."
Eriol's eyes widened, "Earth…slide." As soon as he finished the sentence a loud crack filled the air and rocks began to fall towards them at all angle.
"RUN!" Syaoran cried and then everyone was charging up the length of the hill struggling to avoid the rocks tumbled down the hill.
Emma cursed at the air and Skye slid to a halt on the grave sending up dusk in his wake, "NO!"
Syaoran's head whipped to the side to see the goth girl had stumbled on the loose gravel, one foot sprawled forth. A large boulder fell towards Emma just as she got up. Her shrieks of terror ripped through their hearts. There was a loud clap as the boulder collided with her and took her down the hill with it, smoke trailing behind it as it went over the ledge they had just come back to.
Tomoyo screamed and made to run after her. Skye grabbed Tomoyo around the waist firmly and hauled her back. "NO! Just keep running!" he cried, his voice cracking with emotion. "Don't worry about her!"
Syaoran's eyes widened as he continued to climb. Emma was dead…Emma had to be. She had gone over the edge. Unless the members of the TriArch weren't human she could not have possibly survived that fall. People were dying. People were getting hurt.
As if in reminder he looked up above him.
"DAMMIT GIRL GIVE UP!" Ryou's voice rang out as he battled Sakura.
They were getting closer Syaoran could already see Sakura had projected a shield in front of her using the wand that she used to control or use the Clow Cards. Good for her, he grinned in smug satisfaction. Let's see that bastard get past that. It didn't seem as thought Ryou's efforts were very successful either. His face was tight with rage while he hit Sakura's shield with his power over and over again, seeking entrance. Seeking to kill her. Syaoran would never let that happen.
Then, about 50 feet from the niche at the top of the mountain where Sakura and Ryou were fighting, Syaoran noticed something lurking in the darkness behind Sakura. A trickle of fear went down his spine. Someone was creeping up on Sakura from behind and she was too enthralled, too concentrated on keeping up her shield to sense it.
"NO!" he gasped.
Upon sensing his fear Sakura turned to face him, startled. For that one moment he looked into her eyes and saw fear reflecting in blank pools of emerald. It only took that one moment for her to lose her concentration. Sakura's shield melted away before her. Sensing this, Ryou gave a cry of triumph and then with his power pushed with all his might.
The wave of power flowed over and filled the little cave with a bright blue light. Syaoran watched in horror as Ryou's power collided with and overpowered Sakura's. She flew backwards into the air with a scream, over the edge of the hill. A bright blue light exploded in the sky, making everyone fall to his or her knees, overwhelmed with the immense power. When that light faded, Sakura was nowhere to be seen.
"SAKURAAAAAAAAA!" Syaoran cried out her name in anguish and slammed his fists on the ground, his heart torn apart, overcome with grief.
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Well, yes…a cliffhanger. So sorry…okay not really. But I will be sure to continue posting. This story's goin till the END people! I made it THIS far so there's NOOOO way im giving up. Just please review. I need em. It's my encouragement. Mother's milk, I guess. Whatever.
But you can see why this thing took me so freaking long. This last one was pretty long! I'd if it's as long as my Winter Love Story chapters that im putting together (E+T! yay!) but it's pretty damn long for 10 pages, I'll tell you that much.
Also pretty evident was Syaoran's attitude in this one. I felt that ive been softening him up too much. Like his personality is pretty different from chapter one, so I needed to bring the gangster back. Well, I tried. Does that happen to a lot of other writers too? Eh, I don't know.
Anyway im not going to be putting anymore shout outs. Don't worry I still love you all dearly but ive suddenly discovered the beauty of REPLY button. I cant believe I couldn't find it before. Stupid me.
Syaoranlol had a point when she reminded me that Sakura was supposed to be blind so I had to go back and edit a little here and there in places where I made it seem like she could see things. I'm sorry about that. Thanks syaoranlol for reminding me! your reviews are always very much appreciated. I woulda told you in person but...er...there's no reply button XD.
as for sakura's sight, it's kinna like she can only see the dark. she can make out a sofa like it's a dark shadow, for example. but if it's something that's living, it'll look like the profile of a person a certain color, depending on their current mood. Purple if they're confused, green if they're sick or scared, blue if they're calm and so on. some auras are just so powerful she can feel it without looking. that's pretty much only people with magic, tho. emma and the TriArch are a different story. their aura doesnt show itself for protective purposes.
Well that's all for now! I hope this chapter was to your liking! Review review review and let me know. Flames are always welcome too!