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 Thirteen; When Even Memories Fade
"Aaaah! I'm late again!" Sakura shrieked as she woke up and looked at her clock. Missing breakfast, she strapped her roller blades on and took off down the street, desperately trying to speed up.
"Made it!" She breathed, skating into school just as the bell rang.
"Hey Sakura, did you hear the good news?" Madison called as soon as Sakura entered the classroom.
"No, what?" She asked. Madison smiled broadly.
"Hunter made an almost complete recovery last night! The doctors are wondering whether he has some kind of special cell in him." Sakura sighed in relief, glad that their friend was ok.
"That's great, Madison." She said sincerely.
"Did I just hear you say that Hunter's going to be alright?" Eli leaned over his desk, interrupting the two girls in a way that only he could get away with. Sakura didn't fail to notice the small blush that appeared on Madison's cheek as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Yep. They're calling it a miracle. I think…Natalie! Hunter's going to be fine!" Sakura looked up at Madison's cry to see Natalie hurrying into the classroom, trying to balance a huge box in her arms.
"What have you got there, Natalie? A baby elephant?" Joked Eli. Natalie shook her head, grinning broadly.
"Of course not, silly. It's all the sheet music I have." Madison's face lit up, and she began delving through the sheets of paper.
"Why did you bring them in?" Sakura queried in confusion. Natalie just winked knowingly, before passing Madison another booklet.
"You know Madison filmed you when you were fighting the Clow Cards? And when you were facing Eli's magic?" She began.
"Yeeeaah…"Sakura said noncommittally.
"Well, I'm going to record some background music for it! Isn't that great?" Natalie beamed, ignoring Sakura's groan.
"Oh no, now there's two of them!"
To Sakura's relief, Natalie wasn't quite as enthusiastic as Madison was when it came to Cardcaptor business – which meant that Sakura didn't have to suffer through hours of detail about Madison's movies' new look.
However, it did mean that she'd have to skate home by herself. Madison and Natalie were going to stay back for a little while so that they could use the school's media suite.
>Well at least I don't have to try on any more costumes for a while.> She smiled at the thought, wondering how Madison managed to strike such fear into her heart with nothing more than a couple of dresses.
"Hey, Sakura!" At the sound of someone calling her, Sakura spun so that she could face them.
"Eli? I thought your house was in the opposite direction?" Sakura frowned, not quite understanding.
"Actually, I was hoping I could talk to you about something." Eli said.
"Oh. What about?"
Eli blushed slightly, and began to fiddle with his hands.
"Madison." He mumbled, clearly embarrassed. Sakura hid a grin, and skated towards him.
"What about her?" She prompted.
"About…you see…whether…I-wanted-to-know-if-you-think-Madison's-interested-in-me!" He finally forced out nervously.
Sakura really wanted to laugh. Eli had his eyes squeezed shut tight, and he looked like he expected to be struck down on the spot for even thinking such things about a 'friend' of his.
"You mean boyfriend/girlfriend interested, I assume?" Sakura asked. If anything, Eli blushed even redder as he nodded.
"Y…yeah. What do you think?"
"I think that she does like you in that way, even if she doesn't really know it yet. Haven't you seen the way she blushes when you touch her? Come to think of it, she looks kinda like you do now."
Eli looked up, hardly daring to hope.
"You mean…you think she'd say yes if I asked her out?" He gasped. Sakura finally gave in, and laughed at the disbelieving look on Eli's face.
"Of course. Who wouldn't want to go out with you anyway?"
"Thanks Sakura. I…" He froze, his mouth working soundlessly as a chill went down his spine. Beside him, Sakura had also stiffened, looking around frantically.
"You sensed it too?" Eli asked. Sakura nodded, already summoning her staff.
"Release! Fly!" This time, Sakura didn't grow wings like she usually did now. Instead, her staff sprouted wings like it had used to before the whole giant teddy bear fiasco. Jumping on, Sakura looked at Eli and offered her hand.
"Come on, Eli!" Eli stepped back, not quite getting the message.
"Huh?"
"Climb on! How did you think we were going to get there?" This time Eli responded, and he took her hand firmly.
Swinging onto the staff behind her, Eli held Sakura round her waist as they took off.
"Be careful, Sakura! Don't let anyone see us!" He yelled against the wind. Sakura just turned to look over her shoulder and smiled.
"Don't worry! I used Illusion to conceal us – people will only see what they expect to see up here!"
Slightly startled, Eli blinked in surprise, before grinning back.
"My, Sakura…you really have grown up."
The pair landed at the site of the dark magic, smoothly dismounting to stand in front of the huge arch in front of them.
"The Shrine…why is it I always end up fighting people here?" Sakura asked in faint annoyance. Coughing quietly, Eli looked away, remembering that he was one of those 'people'.
"Ah well. Better go in and foil whatever evil scheme the Dark Monarchs are planning this time." Sighed Sakura. After waiting a moment so that Eli could summon his own staff, they crept through the entrance, cautious of traps or guards. However, they met no obstacles.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Li?" Yuri softly asked as she handed Li a talisman on a chain. Looping it round his neck, Li nodded, and reverently picked up one of the spell books.
Yuri watched, her expression troubled. There were very few things in the world that the Dark Monarchs were afraid of, and most of those phobias were small, meaningless things. Vega, for example, didn't like spiders. And Kuro wasn't that fond of flying.
But these spell books were an entirely different matter all together. Full of dark magic and complicated spells, they messed around with the very fibres of a human being's soul, and had the power to change a person for better…or worse.
The slightest slip, the tiniest mistake, and it would all be over. At the very least, the subject of the spell could end up horribly disfigured, or disabled. More often, the victim ended up brain dead…or just plain dead.
These were the forces that Li had decided to call on to help him in their fight against Sakura, and Yuri would support his decision. But the moment that things looked bad, she had vowed to put a stop to things.
After anointing himself with the water from the shrine's well, Li allowed Kuro to draw the symbol of a full moon on his forehead in coloured dye. As the spell worked, the symbol would fade – it would show whether the ritual had succeeded or not.
"I always thought you were wrong in the head, but I never knew that you were totally stupid." Kuro hissed as he finished his work. Li raised a contemptuous eyebrow, mocking Kuro's worries.
"Exactly why am I stupid, Kuro?"
Kuro looked like he wanted to throttle his leader right then.
"Do you have any idea what kind of power you're messing around with! It is far greater than my strength, yours, or even all of us combined. It's a 87 percent chance that you won't survive!"
Li looked at him expressionlessly, waiting for Kuro to finish his tirade.
"But that also means that there's a 13 percent chance that this will work." He said dryly. Kuro stared at him in disbelief, before backing away.
"Don't say I didn't warn you, man. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Vega had been standing by the cherry blossom tree, focusing on drawing its inner power to the surface. Finished, she now turned back to the others.
"I'm all done here. You should be able to use its own magic to help you in the ritual, Li."
Her leader nodded his thanks, before walking slowly up to the tree and fingering its bark.
"In the past, this has been a focus point for magic, such as travelling between times, and manipulating the sun and moon. It should be sufficient for my needs."
Taking his place in front of the tree, facing towards the shrine entrance, Li opened the spell book to the right page, and began to chant.
"Hear me, ancient ones of darkness. Heed my call! I command you to unlock the mystic power of the cosmos, and bend it to my will! Hear me, ancient ones of darkness. Heed my…"
As Li repeated the words, a strong wind blew up, causing petals to blow everywhere, and nearly knocking the Dark Monarchs off their feet. The only things unaffected were Li and the cherry blossom tree – they both stood straight and unmoving as though nothing was happening at all.
"I command you to unlock the mystic power of the cosmos, and bend it to my will! I, Li, leader of these Dark Monarchs, order you to release the binds of Mercury, and let its magic flow! Release the binds of Neptune, and let its strength rush through my veins! Release the binds of Mars, and let its spirit soar! Release…what!"
Halfway through his incantation, the spell book vanished from Li's grip, and he looked around wildly for it.
"Vega! Kuro! Yuri! Find the spell book! That was not part of the ritual!"
Trembling, Sakura held onto the book tightly, afraid that the wind was going to blow it away. Beside her, Eli placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as he worked on a concealment spell.
"Good use of the Move, Sakura." He whispered. Sakura flashed him a weak smile.
"Well I can't let him complete that chant, can I? It's got to mean trouble!"
Eli gravely nodded, glancing down at the book's cover.
"You're right. This book pulses with dark magic. Its only purpose is to meddle with the natural laws of the universe!" Sakura gulped, suddenly afraid to hold it.
"It…it won't infect me, will it?" She asked.
"No. As long as your heart remains pure, the book can do nothing to you unless in the hands of someone evil. We should move now, before they find us."
Keeping low to the ground, the pair turned to escape…but were forced to hurry back as Yuri advanced on them.
"So you're the ones who took my precious Li's book. I should have guessed." She snarled.
"Vega! Kuro! Look who I've found!" She crowed. The other Monarchs came running at her cry, and sneered down at their two captives.
"Well, it sure was nice of you to drop by." Kuro coldly laughed.
"Perhaps we should see if Li needs any sacrifices for his ritual." Vega threatened cruelly.
Bound by magic, Eli and Sakura were dragged to the cherry blossom tree, where Li was waiting.
"Why am I plagued by you two idiots?" Li groaned as he saw who their guests were.
"Ah well, I'm feeling generous today. Give me the book, and I might leave you alone." Li extended his hand, but Sakura jerked away, glaring at him.
"We'll never help you work this spell, whatever it's for!" She spat.
Sighing in exasperation, Li leaned over and snatched the book from her grasp, ignoring her startled cry.
"See, I tried to be nice for once, and you just throw it back in my face! I don't think I'll bother next time." He smirked, resuming his original position.
"You're just lucky I don't have to start all over again, or I really would have been angry!"
"Just what do you hope to do with this spell? Is it meant to give you extra magic, or something!" Sakura yelled. Li whirled to face her, calmness forgotten as he gave in to his anger.
"For once in your life, Sakura, stay out of my business! You pushed me to this!" Gaining control of himself again, Li turned back to the shrine's entrance, resuming his chant.
"Release the binds of Pluto, and allow its icy coldness to penetrate mankind's heart! Release the binds of Uranus, and let loose the turbulent waters of despair! Release the binds of Venus, and let its darkness run riot through the minds of the weak! Release the binds of Saturn, and let its power free!"
Sakura swallowed hard, fighting desperately against her bonds. It didn't take an idiot to realise that Li was calling on the powers of the planets, and had already named all but one. He was almost done.
"Release the binds of the last planet, and let me receive your blessings and damnations! Curse my very breath and honour our bargain, for I am your faithful servant! Release the binds of magic's home! Release the binds of Earth!"
As Li uttered those last words, a huge beam of green light sped down from the sky and struck him. But instead of causing harm to him, it simply surrounded Li in a glowing circle, before being drawn into the talisman he was wearing.
"All this trouble, just to get rid of some silly memories." Kuro muttered to Vega. Sakura's eyes widened as she overheard, and she managed to shriek out;
"Li! Exactly whose memories are you messing around with!"
He turned to look at her, and she flinched. There was an odd mix of despair, fear and triumph in his eyes, as though he couldn't quite make up his mind about how he should be feeling.
"Why, my own of course! As soon as my ritual is completed all my good memories of Readington will be gone – like they never existed. I will finally be free of these dratted emotional ties to you!" Li said tiredly.
Sakura froze, unable to comprehend what he was doing to himself. >He can't…he wouldn't…no! >
"Don't be a fool, Showron!" Eli bellowed, straining to get free.
"Your memories make you who you are! They can't just be wiped away!"
Li just ignored him, and began to chant again.
"As it is written, it shall be spoken. As it is spoken, so it shall be! I call upon the powers of the planets, of the Sun, Moon and stars. I command you…release me from my past! Erase my good memories of Readington and its inhabitants!"
Instantly, the symbol on his forehead glowed brighter and brighter, until the light was too strong to look at. Then finally, it began to fade away…taking Li's memories with it.
"Li! Li!" Sakura sobbed, hardly able to watch as the symbol slowly faded from his face.
"Shhhh, it will be alright. Don't worry, Sakura." Eli whispered reassuringly. However, he was not very convincing, due to the fact that he didn't believe it himself.
As the light completely disappeared, and the wind died down, Yuri hurried up to Li, afraid that something had gone wrong.
"Li! Li! Answer me!" She shook him hard, praying for a coherent response. Li blinked, and looked at her, before twisting to look at Sakura and Eli.
Immediately, his mouth twisted into a hard grimace of distaste, and he shrugged free of Yuri's supporting hands.
"Well well, Avalon! Who's the best Cardcaptor now? I always said you were pathetic!" He snarled.
Shaking, Sakura bit her lip to stop a scream of misery from exploding out of her.
"L...Li? Please say you remember…what about when we fought against the Freeze, and you saved me from it? Or when we finally told each other our feelings?"
Li just stared at her blankly, and Sakura felt her heart shatter into a million pieces. All those precious memories they'd shared…and now she was the only one who remembered those magical moments. Giving in to her grief, Sakura began to cry loudly, unable to believe that those times were gone forever.
"Come on, Sakura. You're only as strong as you think you are." Eli murmured. Furious at Li, he glared up at their fallen friend, only to see a strange sight.
Li was watching Sakura uncertainly, the emotions in his eyes warring between concern and disgust. His hand almost reached out to touch her, before jerking back as though burned. Then his eyes hardened, and his lip curled in distaste.
>Pity…it looked like his memories almost revived themselves then.> Eli thought sadly. He waited for Li to order their deaths, but he never did. Uttering a small groan, Li suddenly collapsed to the floor.
"Li!" Yuri cried, dropping down beside him. Cradling his head in her lap, she felt for his pulse, looking around frantically.
"Kuro! Vega! We have to get him back…I think something went wrong!"
Vega hurried to Yuri's side instantly, but Kuro hung back a bit, staring intensely at the two captives.
"Count yourselves extremely lucky…for now. But we'll be back!" At Yuri's desperate cry he joined the group, disappearing into thin air like the rest of them.
"Well that was unexpected…" Eli muttered. A slight nudging caught his attention, and he looked round to see Sakura gazing at him with pleading eyes.
"Um, Eli? Please tell me you know how to get us loose." She said. Eli's eyes widened, and he shot her an apologetic glance.
"Does it matter if I say no?"
Again...sorry for the amount of time it took to update! I'm trying to speed up, but if just isn't working! Thankyou so much to all my reviewers, and I'll be replying to comments in the next chapter!
But until then...read and review!