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 Fifteen; Facing Fear
Struggling to breathe, Sakura ran faster than she'd had ever run in her life, trying desperately to escape the terrifying creatures that were following her. Looking back over her shoulder, Sakura gasped as she saw yet another figure appear from the shadows, beginning to give chase.
Sobbing in fear, she sped up, trying to ignore the way that a stitch was forming in her left side. After all, she had no other choice…
But to run.
"Keroberos, you are nothing but a glutton!"
"All I did was mention how nice pudding was!"
"We're meant to be helping Sakura, and all you can think about is food!"
Tori's deep brown eyes widened at the low growl that answered Yue's accusation, and wondered what exactly the serene angel was getting himself into. Silently creeping through the hallway, he paused at the entrance to the kitchen, gasping at the scene before him.
Yue was in a glaring match with a huge winged lion, pearly white wings bristling angrily. Neither of them looked willing to back down.
Suddenly, the lion's expression changed, and he began to smirk. Grinning wickedly, he stepped forward, careful not to break eye contact with the silver eyed Moon Guardian.
"And I suppose you're weakness free, hmm?" He said in a sugar coated voice. Yue's glare faltered, the angel growing apprehensive despite himself.
"You could say that, Keroberos." He managed to get out.
"Really? Gee, I thought you had issues with friendship and love. Must have been my mistake." The lion was laughing silently now, ducking his head to hide his look of absolute victory from the other guardian.
Which meant he completely missed the look of hurt that washed across Yue's face. Tori didn't though, and he felt his heart go out to Julian's True Form.
"Wh…what do you mean?" Yue stammered.
"Oh come on, Yue! You're always trying to hide your emotions away, and when you do let them show, you try to cover up by acting extra tough afterwards! You've only just managed to admit to yourself that you've accepted Sakura – and you've been her guardian for nearly six years!"
"That's enough!" Unable to stand any more, Tori strode angrily into the kitchen, standing protectively in front of Yue. Kero stared up at him in shocked surprise.
"You! You're Sakura's brother!"
Tori faltered for a moment, wondering exactly how the lion knew that. Sensing his hesitation, the Sun Guardian began to smirk again.
"Remember a certain teddy bear that you were always suspicious of? A cute little yellow one with wings, that Sakura took everywhere?" He grinned.
Tori's jaw dropped open.
"I knew it! I always knew there was something strange about that toy!" He gasped. Kero transformed back into his false form, still silently laughing at the way he'd managed to fool Tori. >Although the boy's loss of magic may have had something to do with it…>
"So you're just like Julian and Yue…except you're the same person…" Tori's eyes widened once more, as he remembered why he'd chosen to reveal himself to the two magical creatures.
"Which reminds me…apologise to Yue right now!" He demanded. Kero raised an eyebrow.
"Why? I was only playing around!" He protested. Tori glared daggers at him, moving aside to let Kero have a good look at the Moon Guardian.
"Well perhaps you'd like to see for yourself how much you hurt him!" Tori retorted. Kero stared at the angel, swallowing as guilt suddenly bubbled up inside of him.
Yue's head was bowed, and he was gazing intently at the floor. Kero had known him for centuries, and knew that this was the closest Yue ever got to breaking down and crying…not a good sign.
"Yue? I...I didn't mean to hurt you like that…" He began hesitantly. Yue didn't move, continuing to stare down at the tiled floor.
Kero closed his eyes, cursing under his breath. Moving forward, he grabbed Yue's chin in both paws, forcing the angel to look at him.
"Don't you dare hide inside yourself again! You do this every time!" He barked, tightening his grip on the Yue's pale skin.
Tori watched with uncertain eyes, wondering just what was going on. As if he could sense Tori's questions. Kero spoke without turning round.
"In case you haven't guessed, Yue's nowhere near as emotional as any human. Or even that annoying Ruby Moon."
"So?" Tori asked in confusion.
"Yue was kinda…expressive when Clow Reed first created him. He actually let people see him, understand how he felt. He wasn't ashamed to cry, or laugh…but then we were attacked by a group of evil magicians – the Big Three."
"After the battle, Yue began to get more and more worried that he was going to somehow fail Clow…that he would succumb to his emotions in the middle of a fight or something. So he begged Clow to change him." Kero continued to shake the Moon Guardian's head, trying to slow the down the speed with which the silvery eyes were rapidly glazing over.
"You mean…Clow took his emotions away?" Tori breathed. Kero shook his head.
"Not quite. He subdued them, making it harder for them to come out. But Yue continued to plead with him, until Clow eventually gave in, and cast another spell."
Crying out in frustration as Yue's eyes completely clouded over, Kero turned to Tori in panic.
"Catch him! He's gonna fall!" True to his word, Yue's knees buckled, and he collapsed forward. Tori reached out just in time, managing to catch the unconscious angel.
"What's wrong with him! Does he need more magic?" Tori cried frantically.
"No. Clow's spell allowed Yue to conceal his emotions whenever he wanted…to hide away from the pain a heart can give you."
"When Yue feels that he's unable to cope with his emotions, he seals them away…and like a fool, I pushed him too hard again." Kero hovered in the air, fiddling with his paws.
"So you'll have to go through everything to get him to open up again, right?" Tori guessed quietly. Kero looked up in surprise, caught off guard by the boy's intuitiveness. >Then again, Tori's always had some sort of bond with Yue that the angel would never admit to…and it's not just because of his connection with Julian.>
"Yue…wake up. Come on, damn you." Tori muttered, giving the Moon Guardian a gentle shake. Yue's eyes flickered open, and Tori sighed mentally. All emotion had disappeared, leaving only cold, unfeeling silver.
"Thankyou for catching me, Tori. I am sorry to have bothered you." Yue said calmly, getting up and brushing himself off. But Tori refused to let go, and instead stared deep into Yue's eyes.
"You're not getting off that easily. You may have been able to subdue your emotions again, but they're still there." He smiled.
Yue's mouth tightened into a thin line, and he glared daggers at the teenager who dared to know him. Despite himself, he could feel a warm rush spreading through his veins, and he cursed as his emotions returned, full strength.
"How is it that I have no defences when it comes to you…" He groaned, stepping away from the smirking Tori. Kero's face lit up in a smile.
"Yes! Tori stopped it working!" He cheered. Yue turned to look at him, elegant eyebrow raised, and the Sun Guardian blushed.
"Not that I was worried or anything…"
"No, you're more concerned about eating, even when we're meant to be researching dark forces!" Yue sniped. Kero began to glare again, and he opened his mouth to deliver another cutting remark.
"Whoa, guys! Isn't this where I came in?" Tori interrupted, stopping the argument before it could really begin. To their credit, both guardians flushed, looking ashamed of themselves.
"That's better. Now what exactly are you helping my sister with?"
Kero bit his lip again, wondering just how much they could reveal to this boy. Sure, he was Sakura's big brother, and he had some knowledge of the magical world…but he also knew just how protective Tori could be.
"You…you may have noticed that Sakura's been acting a little strangely lately…like she did when she first became a Cardcaptor…" He began hesitantly, not wanting to go too fast.
"Yeah? So?" Tori demanded.
"Well, what she's facing now is more…dangerous than when she was facing the Clow Cards and Eli." Kero finished lamely. Yue rolled his eyes, and shook his head in disbelief.
"Centuries old, Keroberos, and you still can't tell when it's time to tell the truth."
"An old enemy of Clow's, the Big Three, have broken free of their dimensional prison, and are trying to claim the Sakura Cards from Sakura. What makes things worse is that they've gained a new member…one who Sakura is almost powerless against…."
Yue's voice trailed away as a loud scream suddenly spilt the night air. A scream that all of them recognized.
"Squirt!"
"Sakura!"
"Sakura!"
Sakura collapsed onto the ground, unable to run any more. Her sides ached from various stitches, and she could feel blisters already forming on the sensitive balls of her feet.
A slight hissing came from behind her, and Sakura turned to see what it was. To her horror, three more creatures were emerging from the darkness, making their way towards her.
The tallest, a pale vampire with long black hair, reached out for her, and she screamed again, scrambling away. Sobbing, she retreated, only to back into the arms of a decaying zombie.
Wailing, Sakura fought to get free, fighting tooth and nail. But the arms held her too tightly.
Yue watched with confused eyes as Sakura screamed and shied away from his outstretched hand. Crying hard, she continued to move away, not seeing her brother moving behind her.
As his arms tightened around her, she cried out, trying desperately to escape. Yue was sure that he heard her wail out 'zombie'…although that didn't make any sense.
"Yue! Lion! What the hell's wrong with my sister!" Tori gasped, struggling to keep a tight grip on his beloved sibling.
"I don't know, Tori...it's like she can't see that it's us!" Yue replied.
"It must be one of those Brat's Li Cards! It's affecting the way she's perceiving everything!" Kero bellowed.
Tori's eyes widened as everything clicked into place.
"An old enemy of Clow's, the Big Three, have broken free of their dimensional prison, and are trying to claim the Sakura Cards from Sakura. What makes things worse is that they've gained a new member…one who Sakura is almost powerless against…."
>Li Cards? It couldn't be…could it?>
Sakura bucked in the zombie's tight grasp, trying to ignore the way that the vampire and werewolf were coming closer and closer. >This is it…it's the end…> An icy pain clawed at her chest, and she began to hyperventilate, too scared to breathe.
She felt the zombie's hold on her slacken as it whirled her around to face it, and she was dimly aware that it was trying to say something…but the decaying flesh around its mouth was useless for talking.
As she struggled for precious oxygen, Sakura continued to cry, unable to take this anymore.
"No! She's having a panic attack!" Tori exclaimed, his eyes wide and terrified. Spinning his sister round to face him, he began to call out her name, trying desperately to knock some sense into her.
"Sakura! Sakura! Please…don't give up like this…don't do this to me…" Tori begged, tears springing to his brown eyes. Feeling Sakura still struggling against him, he let her go, praying that she wouldn't run away.
"You're safe, Sakura. I'm your big brother…and I won't let anything hurt you." He quietly pleaded.
Sakura collapsed to the floor as the zombie released her. Drawing in a shuddering breath, she looked up. The zombie made no move to grab her again, and just stared down at her, rotted mouth moving in an effort to talk.
Glancing to her left, she saw that the vampire and werewolf had also stopped moving towards her, and were just watching her silently. A roar sounded in the distance, and Sakura realised that the other beasts had arrived, that they were ready to catch her.
>But why aren't these three doing anything?> She wondered. The werewolf suddenly moved forward slightly, breaking off Sakura's train of thought, and she jerked back with a little cry.
It was then she heard the laughter.
It was faint, but full of cruelty, and she realised that it was somehow familiar.
"That's it, Avalon. Give in to your terror. You always were a nervous little girl."
Recognition flooded through her, and she got to her feet, trembling. But this time with anger. >It's Li…all this is Li!> Gazing round at the surrounding creatures again, Sakura's eyes focused on the zombie. It was still trying to talk to her, and she found that she could now understand it.
"You're safe, Sakura. I'm your big brother…and I won't let anything hurt you."
"Tori…?" Sakura felt courage flow through her at her brother's words, and she pulled her key from around her neck.
"Release! I know what's happening now! And I won't let some cruel fantasy beat me! Li Card! Return to your power confined!"
A strong wind blew up, and Sakura watched as the terrifying illusions faded away, leaving nothing but an empty street. Looking back over her shoulder, she smiled in relief as the zombie, werewolf and vampire shifted into Tori, Kero and Yue.
A high pitched keening filled the air drew Sakura's attention, and she noticed that the vampire woman – the one who'd started it all – disappeared into smoke, before being sucked into a green card.
"The Fear…" Sakura stared at its design, not caring when the card vanished back to its master. Exhausted, she collapsed into her brother's waiting arms.
"Oh Sakura…" Tori gazed down at his sleeping sister, feeling the sight tugging at his heartstrings. The winged teddy bear hovered nearby, a sad glint in his beady eye.
"She did well, tonight." He murmured softly.
Tori nodded, then looked up at the guardians.
"Tell me who he is."
"Who who is?" Yue asked warily. Tori's eyes flashed in rage.
"The new member of those magicians' evil gang…the Big Three."
"They're calling themselves the Dark Monarchs now…" Kero whispered.
"I don't give a damn about that! Tell me who the new member is!" Tori demanded. Yue and Kero looked away, unable to tell him.
"It's that Kid, isn't it…the Chinese boy." Tori murmured. Yue nodded sadly.
"Yes. It's Li."
"Why?" Tori's voice cracked, and he glanced back down at Sakura. >I never trusted him…I always knew that he was bad news for Sakura. But I thought that he cared for her...he'd promised to protect her…>
"Two years ago, Li was possessed by the Evil Card, and was consumed by his inner darkness. Sakura went to Hong Kong, and saved him, but the damage was already done. He became violent, moody…it was really only a matter of time before he completely gave in to his dark impulses." Yue answered softly.
"I don't care if he has magic, or if he's dangerous." Tori growled, holding Sakura close to him.
"But the next time I see him…he's dead."
Author's Note
Why is it that every time I update now, I feel like I should apologise for the time it took to update? Maybe because I take entirely too long? Hmm...sorry everybody!
I'm not sure I liked how this chapter went - especially the bit about Yue and his emotions. But still, I wanted something to link the Big Three and Yue, other than their previous attack on his old Master. Next chapter will mark the halfway point in Dark Potential - at this rate I'll be an old lady before I finish! Read and review please!
BeyMistress05 - Aww, you had a virus? Know how you feel - wish there was a way to spray those little bugs...
Dragon Star16 - Sorry, I couldn't update soon, but I'm glad you love the story!
Samantha Patanne - I know, Li is so stupid, right? And he really is being horrible to Sakura...even to the point that she thinks he's gone past the point of no return. Her saying 'Everything will be alright' seems to have deserted her...but good news for Li fans - Eli has a few tricks up his sleeve when it comes to the memory thing - keep your eyes peeled!
liling - I'm not going to tell you whether he comes back or not...all I can say is that this fic will end on a cliff hanger, and everything will be resolved in the third installment...
Keetra - You've read all of it! Wow! Thankyou! And yes, poor Sakura...I figured that after so long putting up with Sakura wailing about ghosts, etc, Li would have a pretty good idea about how to exploit her fears, so...and does Sakura have a chance? It depends on what happens in the next few chapters...and whether Eli's plan works...
Marin - Sorry I couldn't update soon. But I'm glad you love reading it!
Bloodcherry - It was your first one? I'm honoured! I'm glad that you like my trilogy so much! I always wnated to write something different than the usual 'Cold Li becomes warm and nice' or 'Sakura and Li fight evil together', so I wrote this! The first story actually came originally from a cartoon I used to play in my head in bed, where I made up new adventures for the CCs gang...so sue me, I'm weird!
Anime Flower - Once again, I'm sure that you're the most active reviewer of my fic, so thankyou! Homework...bane of my life. It stops me from updating as much as I'd like, so I know how you feel! And good guess about the illusion theory!