Introduction
A year has passed since Li fell prey to the Evil Card, and he's trying to cope with the effects. With his dark side closer to the surface, he can get angry very quickly – a fact that everyone notices.
Since he moved back to Readington, Sakura has been the rock in his life, the only person able to keep him balanced. But when an argument gets out of hand, Li makes a drastic decision…to walk out of her life forever.
Another year passes, and Sakura is once again under threat from evil forces. But without Li to protect her, is this the end for the 16 year old Card Mistress?
The scars of the past come back to haunt them…Chapter Five; Dark Revelations
Sakura spun, and looked around her. Hadn't she just been at the park with Madison…?
"You were taking too long, Cherry Blossom. We needed you asleep."
Sakura jumped, and turned around again to see the school beside her. >Oh no, it's the dream again!> The two figures that had already revealed themselves stood there, confidently sneering down at her.
"We'll get you Cherry Blossom. Your time is up."
"A new age is dawning, Cherry Blossom. We come for the cards…whether you give them up willingly or not!"
"Nothing can stand in our way. No guardian or magician will stop us this time!"
Sakura stared up at the new speaker. She was actually quite pretty, with wavy black hair and a stylish crimson dress. Yet her eyes glowed scarlet like the others, and her smile was cold and hard.
"And when do I meet your other member?" Sakura shouted boldly. Now that she knew who she was facing, she was able to find the courage she needed to face it.
"You won't until he's ready for you to! The cards of destiny are turning, Cardcaptor Sakura!" As the newly revealed magicianess cackled with laughter, Sakura caught a flash of green from the corner of her eye.
She whirled in time to see several green cards appearing out of nowhere. They then flew up onto the roof, floating round the fourth figure – the one who remained in shadow.
"Who are you?" Sakura cried, starting to get freaked out by the secrecy.
"Sakura."
"What?"
"Sakura!"
"But I'm Sakura. That's not who you are!"
"Sakura!"
Sakura bolted awake, trembling. As her eyes adjusted to the sunlight, she saw Madison was standing there, concern in her eyes.
"Madison?"
"Sakura! You're alright!"
With a small start, Sakura realised that she was half on and half off the swing, with Madison supporting her. She quickly pulled herself up.
"How long was I out?"
"Not long, but don't ever do that again!" Madison snapped angrily. Then, with tears in her amethyst eyes, she pulled Sakura close and hugged her.
"You scared me. You just…fell back…" Sakura squeezed Madison, and smiled.
"I'm really ok, Madison. The 'Big Four' just got tired of waiting for me to fall asleep."
"So they just sent you to sleep magically?" Madison said indignantly.
"That's not very nice!"
Sakura giggled, and began to walk shakily home.
"I don't think they care about being 'nice', Madison. But at least I know what the third looks like now."
"And the fourth?" Sakura stopped, and looked back over her shoulder.
"I don't think I'll ever know what that one looks like, Madison. It's their leader, and I don't think he or she will show themselves until they're ready."
Sakura ran to class, groaning as she looked at her watch. Almost 16 years old now, and she still couldn't get up on time. Panting, she flung open the door and rushed inside, skidding to a stop as she saw the person sitting in the seat behind her's.
"Natalie!" The girl turned, and broke into a smile as she saw Sakura.
"Well well! My first new friend finally turns up for class!" Sakura blushed slightly as she dropped into her seat. >I'm her first new friend…wow…>
"I didn't know you were in this class, Natalie!" Sakura gasped. Madison leaned over, and grinned one of her knowing smiles.
"I would have told you when I came to meet you, but Natalie asked me to keep it a secret." She paused, and looked furtively around. Natalie had gone over to talk to Chelsea and the others, and there was no-one else nearby…
"How are you today? Did Kero have anything to say?" Sakura glanced about, then edged closer to Madison.
"I'm fine. Kero got a bit freaked over the whole 'enchanted sleep' thing, but that was it really."
"So what are you going to do about it? You can't just wait around until they attack you." Sakura smiled ruefully, and sighed.
"Unfortunately Madison, that's all I can do, according to Kero and Yue. You see, we've got a slight handicap when it comes to fighting them…"
Madison nodded understandingly, then raised an eyebrow.
"What handicap? You're a powerful Cardcaptor with her own guardians and magical cards. Go kick their butts!"
Sakura let her head droop, and began to fiddle with her fingers.
"Well, we still don't know where they are…" Madison groaned and crashed to the floor in an anime-style fall.
"Huh?" Everyone looked up, and Natalie called over uncertainly.
"Hey, are you alright Madison?" She was about to come over and check, when the raven-haired girl popped back onto her seat, smiling.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Really."
"Well, ok then…" Still looking a little confused, Natalie turned back to where Chelsea was now throttling Zachary. She sweatdropped, and muttered to herself.
"And I thought my last school was weird…"
The bell rang, and everyone flooded out of school.
"Alright! It's the weekend!" Sakura smiled and clapped her hands happily.
"I can finally work on my new skating moves!"
"Actually, I was wondering whether you'd like to go down the park with me." Sakura turned to Madison, confused.
"But why?" Madison winked, and Sakura stepped back slightly as her best friend began to go starry eyed.
"I need something new for my homepage, and you'll be perfect! A shot of you standing by the cherry blossom trees, petals falling down around you…" >It actually sounds quite nice. And for once, I won't have to do anything embarrassing!> thought Sakura.
"Alright, Madison. Just for you."
"Oh, that was perfect! It'll look great on the homepage!" Madison squealed, holding her camcorder close to her. Sakura yawned, and trudged across to her.
"Ohhhh…I had no idea that standing around could be so exhausting! You made me stand in at least a hundred positions!" Madison began to laugh at the way Sakura was pulling faces, and she patted her friend on the back.
"Never mind, I'm all finished now. Do you want to go for a burger now? Sakura…?" She stopped as she noticed the way Sakura had stiffened. Allowing her auburn hair to blow across her face in the breeze, she seemed to be focused on something. And when she turned to Madison, her emerald eyes, usually happy and excited, were deadly serious.
"I'm sensing magic. Very strong magic…" She paused, and looked around, as if expecting to see a magician standing right there.
"Well, is it Kero or Yue?" Madison asked.
"Definitely not. They have this aura, you know? Like…something glowing. But this magic, it just…feels wrong."
"So what is it?"
"I don't know Madison. But I'm going to find out!"
Sakura took off in the direction of the magic she was sensing, leaving Madison to try and catch her up.
"Sakura, wait! What if it's those magicians that are after you? Wait!"
Sakura pulled to a stop, and looked desperately around her as she tried to work out where the magic was coming from. She could hear Madison in the distance, and was about to wait for her, when she sensed the power stronger than ever.
"It's over there!"
Madison groaned as Sakura started running again. Madison liked to think of herself as fairly fit, but when Sakura was in speed-mode, no-one could catch up with her. Well, maybe Li could have, but he'd been gone for ages now. >He left exactly a year ago today> Madison thought with sudden sadness. >Just when everything was going so well…>
Shaking herself, Madison climbed out of her thoughts, and began to hurry after Sakura again. >That's all in the past now. And Sakura will be history if it really is those evil magicians!>
Kero pressed the buttons on the console frantically as he manoeuvred his warrior around the screen.
"Yes! No…wait a sec…yes! Yes! Yes! I did it! I did…hey, that's not meant to happen! Noooooo! I…" Kero suddenly stopped his tantrum, and froze as his nose began to twitch.
"I'm definitely sensing something…evil. I've gotta warn Sakura!" He flew straight through the open window, not even bothering to save his game.
Julian walked back to his house, already dipping into the huge bag of groceries he was carrying. Glancing up at the drop by the edge of the woods, he couldn't help remembering that night when he'd caught the falling Sakura as she fell prey to Illusion. >Of course, I didn't know she'd been fighting a Clow Card at the time…> he thought with a small smile.
Without warning, he halted, and looked around as he began to feel slightly strange.
I need to take over now. I'm sensing some strong magic. Julian nodded as he heard the voice of his other self in his head, and waited for the glowing wings that, like always, would surround him.
The wings unfolded to reveal Yue, and the guardian scanned the area to make sure that no-one else was around. Then, with a massive sweep of his pearly wings, he took off, heading for the source of the power.
"It's here!" Sakura stopped running, and gazed up at the building in front of her. >Oh no, it's the Elementary School! Just like in my dream!> Suddenly frightened, she began to back away, only to have Madison bump into her from behind.
"Umph! Sorry Sakura, I couldn't stop, I…the Elementary School!" Shivering, Sakura grabbed Madison's hand, and started to pull her away.
"You were right, Madison. It has to be them. Let's get out of he..."
"Going so soon, Cherry Blossom?" She gasped at the icy voice that spoke from the darkness, and ran for the school gates. With a terrible clang, they swung shut, locking both girls in.
"No!" Sakura urgently battered at the iron bars, before drawing out a Star Card.
"Sword Card! Release and dis…uhhh!" Madison yanked the Card Mistress aside as a bolt of power slammed into the ground where she would have been standing.
"Ah, ah, ah…no cards, Cherry Blossom. Where would the fun be in that?" Sakura searched the darkness, trying not to show how scared she was. >It's alright, Sakura. You can cope. They're only magicians. Very powerful magicians, but you can do it.> She was just realising that her pep talk wasn't working, when she heard her real name being called.
"Sakura!"
"Mistress!" The two girls looked up to see Yue and Keroberos soaring down, before landing gracefully next to them.
"We sensed the magic. Is it them?" Kero asked. Sakura nodded.
"Yeah, it's them alright. They locked the gates on us, and I'll say this…they definitely don't like me using Star Cards." Yue stepped forward, flexing his pale fingers, ready to summon his diamond crystals.
"So they haven't revealed themselves yet…"
"Don't be so impatient Yue! The fun's just beginning!" The same person spoke, and the darkness parted to reveal one of the people from her dream.
"We'll get you Cherry Blossom. Your time is up." >This isn't a dream anymore. It's real.> As if he could read her thoughts, the pale man smirked, and brushed his dark hair back from his face.
"This isn't a dream, Cherry Blossom. Not anymore." >He's the one who spoke to us before Yue and Kero turned up.> thought Sakura.
"Another one's being revealed!" Madison gasped, and they watched as the second, a strange young girl who was obviously older than she looked, stepped into the moonlight.
"A new age is dawning, Cherry Blossom. We come for the cards…whether you give them up willingly or not!" She sneered down at them, then looked to her right, as another figure showed itself.
It was the last who'd been revealed in Sakura's dreams, the one who might have been pretty if it wasn't for the cruel smile and scarlet eyes.
"Nothing can stand in our way. No guardian or magician will stop us this time!" She laughed as she spoke, and even the guardians shuddered at the evil in her voice.
"Who is your fourth member? Reveal yourself!" Kero bellowed up at the remaining figure. It shifted slightly in the darkness, but made no attempt to reveal itself.
"Show yourself! Or are you a coward?" This time, Kero's words were not ignored. Without warning, the weather grew stormy. The clouds became dark, and thunder and lightning could be heard in the distance.
"What is this?" Madison gasped.
"It's a display of power, meant to scare us." Yue answered, his eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"Well I think it's working!" she gulped.
Suddenly, they became aware of voices floating down to them. The echoes grew louder and louder, until the group was surrounded by them.
"It's a lasin board. It knows all."
"You're no Cardcaptor."
"I knew you couldn't do this!"
"Pathetic, Avalon."
"Force know my plight, release the light!"
"Stuffed animal!"
"Clow Reed's our ancestor. The cards are important to us."
Sakura, Madison and the guardians looked around themselves, caught off guard by these whispers from the past.
"Um…is it me, or do these voices sound familiar?" Madison asked nervously.
The voices continued to blend in with each other, still murmuring those memorable words.
"Let's do this together."
"How can you be so careless! What if something had happened to you?"
"You deserve to keep it."
"Be…be careful."
"I can't just stand here and watch her get hurt!"
"It sounded like you could use a hand."
"Sakuraaaaa!"
"I love you!"
Sakura gazed around herself in confusion. >That voice…it sounds so familiar…and those words…no. No, no, no!> She ran forward, and screamed up at the concealed figure.
"Enough games! Show yourself!"
There was a cruel laugh from the shadows, and they watched as the last magician moved forward into the moonlight. A beam illuminated his face, and the group down below recoiled in horror at what they saw.
"So, Sakura. We finally meet again."
It was Li, but not as they remembered him. His floppy hair was now pure black, his amber eyes glowed a blood red, and his skin was so pale it looked white. His usual clothes were also gone, replaced with a dark, sombre outfit. He sneered down at them, an evil smirk on his face.
Sakura shrank back, trying to deny what she saw. All her worst suspicions…all her most terrible fears, were staring her in the face. Li had turned back to the darkness. But this time, it was willingly.
"What, no warm welcome? No cry of joy? I'm surprised at you, Sakura." Li laughed, his voice icy cold. Kero glared up at him, and growled under his breath.
"I should have known it was you. A Kid like you…you were always heading for trouble."
"Cool it, Keroberos. Stuffed animals shouldn't talk back!" He shot a bolt of lightning down, which Kero barely managed to shield himself from in time.
"He didn't use his sword! He just pulled it out of thin air!" Madison stared in disbelief, eyes wide.
"But I thought he had to use his sword and ofuda to summon the elements!" Sakura gasped.
"Unlike some people, I practised my skills whilst I was away. I have no need of my sword in magic, now. It is only a weapon." Li's ruby eyes glinted, and he turned to his fellow magicians.
"Now, introductions! Let's see, the man you see over there is Kuro Junan, a Japanese. Roughly translated, his name means 'Dark Passion". I have to say, it suits him. I've never met anyone who was more of a ladies man."
"That fine girl over there is Vega Dante. Interesting, that one. She's half Arabic, half Italian, so her name is too. It means 'Lasting Fallen Star'. Like a falling star, she descended rapidly into darkness."
"And finally, that beauty you see over there is Yuri Naito, my sparkling 'Lily of the Night'. She too, is Japanese. And, my second in command."
Sickened by this turn of events, Sakura had hardly been concentrating. But when she heard these last words, she looked up in shock.
"Second in command?" Li smirked, and pulled Yuri closer to him.
"Of course. When they discovered me, they also found that I was much stronger than them. My training had paid off. So they made me their leader."
"And you became a member of the 'Big Four'." Finished Yue. Li shook his head, and waved a finger at the Moon Guardian.
"Now, now Yue. We prefer to be called 'Dark Monarchs'. It has a little more class."
"Whatever you're called, you're still the same thing – trouble!" Kero roared up at them. Li's face shifted into an evil grin, and he drew something out of his pocket.
"Is that so, Keroberos? Well, then let's see how much trouble we can be!"