Darkness in the Midst

Thanks for all the reviews, glad to see people are actually reading and enjoying this . Enjoy Chapter 2 as we see Sakura's first experience with the Darkness. Read and Review and Clamp don't sue.

Chapter 2: Aura of the Enemy

A peaceful spring night ushered the sleepy residence of Tomoeda into their beds, all save for one Guardian Beast of the Seal who lay awake with an eerie feeling, unable to pin point exactly what it was he simply lay down in his small bed tossing and turning while trying to concentrate on these strange feelings he was getting. He knew it was some sort of aura, a powerful one at that but he just couldn't put a finger to it or its purpose, it seemed jumbled like there were many powerful auras that were mixing together, some good some evil, there was something he could tell though who ever or what ever it was is angry, really angry. Just as Kero felt sleep taking a hold of him and the silent peace of the night lulling him to sleep something hit him, he felt as if the aura he was feeling screamed out in pain as if something had awoken and consumed it in one large gulp. Kero could tell this was no ambivalent being or beings it was one solid angry evil. He shot up out of his tiny bed realizing what had happened; it was something he hadn't felt for many years, it was the same feeling he got at the beginning of the war of darkness.

"Sakura!"

Kero yelled as he leaped out of his little room in the desk to find the mistress of the Cards already awake, it seemed she had felt the same thing he did.

"Kero did you feel that?"

She asked frightened as she leaped out of bed, Kero simply nodded and flew up to the window and gazed out on the city. He sighed as he looked out upon the sleepy city, 'Sakura can't do this by herself, but I can't sense those Angels any more…'

Kero's thoughts were interrupted as Sakura opened the window with her wand already in hand and began slipping out of the room.

"Let's go Kero-Chan; we need to find out what that is."

Kero shook his head, "No Sakura, it's too dangerous, I already know what it is and we alone can't defeat it we need help,"

Sakura smiled down at the protector of the cards and said

"You used to tell me it was my job to protect the city, as a Card Captor my Job is to stop chaos where ever it is, if it is as bad as you say we need to at least try and stop it…"

Kero was shocked at the display of selflessness Sakura was showing,

"That's the Card Mistress I chose!" Exclaimed Kero as he prepared to fly off. "…Besides I was having a good dream about me and Syao-kun and that thing made me wake up from it!" Kero fell to the ground in embarrassment 'kids!' Kero thought as he lay on the ground.

"Fly!" Sakura exclaimed as she leaped out of her window and flew off into the night. "Ah, Sakura wait for me!" Kero yelled as he leaped out after her changing into his True form. As they flew over the city they noticed a strange green glow coming from the old Penguin Park.

"Sakura, down there!" She gave a nod as they flew down to the park. They landed and looked around seeing the entire park engulfed in a green glow and a large crater in the concrete near the large penguin.

"Kero-Chan what did this?" Kero looked around with a menacing expression,

"The Darkness did, I've seen this before, they come back to life this way." Sakura looked at Kero with a quizzical expression "Darkness?"

Just as she finished speaking a large gust of wind rose up causing Sakura to raise an arm in front of her face to shield it from the piercing wind. Once the wind had subsided Sakura Opened her eyes and noticed the glow was gone but above the crater floated a black hooded figure with his arms across his chest. This figure slowly looked up at Sakura while extending its hands far out to its side,

"Cerberus, Protector of the Cards of Clow, and…what…who is this?"

Sakura felt a chill travel down her spine as the dark figures deep bass voice rang out. "What is this Kero-Chan?"

Kero stepped in front of Sakura and answered the figure,

"This is the new mistress of the cards; now go back to where you came from evil monster."

The figure quirked a smile as it pulled its hood back to reveal a green faced thing, with a pointed nose and short white hair which seemed to flow around the top of his head.

"Monster is correct; I am Shadow, a Lieutenant of the high lord of Darkness Seine and I have come to kill you, all of you."

Sakura shivered at the cold tone this thing gave to her as she took a step back.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!"

Exclaimed Kero as he reared back and shot out a fiery ball towards the Dark Lieutenant. Shadow smirked and simply extended his hand towards the ball as it neared its target. As the ball hurdled into Shadow's hand it impacted with a large explosion then vanished into thin air.

"Impossible!" Exclaimed Kero, Shadow laughed in victory exclaiming

"We have gained power since last we met Cerberus, your silly magic tricks can do nothing to me. Now let me return the favor you so graciously gave me."

Shadow pointed a finger at the large Kero as he rose off the ground. "Kero-Chan!"

Sakura Exclaimed as Kero was hurdled back against a tree with enough force to snap the tree in half. The Beast lay broken under the remains of the tree trunk.

"Now for you young mistress of the Cards…"

Sakura turned to see Shadow pointing at her, but instead of being levitated a dark mass shot from his finger directly at the Young Card Captor, "Jump!" Exclaimed Sakura as she leaped up into the sky avoiding the black mass that shot towards her.

"Ha-ha, I like a little sport in my kills!"

Laughed Shadow as he gracefully raised his finger at the air born Sakura and let loose another bolt of darkness at her. "Shield!" Yelled Sakura as the mass closed with her, the mass impacted her shield bubble and was deflected away with ease as she gracefully landed on the ground near the fallen Kero.

"I may have underestimated you young one, no matter, that was a mere taste of my power."

Sakura bent down next to the Guardian Beast "Kero-Chan, Kero-Chan are you ok?" Kero groaned as he looked up at Sakura,

"Sakura, look for his weakness."

"Weakness?" Asked a beleaguered Sakura.

"A spot in his aura that is weaker then the rest, it will be small so you're going to have to concentrate…" Kero winced in pain as he spoke.

Sakura laid a hand on her friend before rising back to her feet and staring at Shadow with a serious glare. "Who ever you are and what ever your really here for I'm not going to let you push my friends around or harm anything in my city, I am Sakura, Mistress of the Cards and I'm going to stop you!" She closed her eyes as she finished concentrating on his aura.

An ear shot away a dark figure dressed in a green cloak rushed through the woods, "Damn it, I knew those uglies were here for a reason." It deftly and silently ran as fast as it could leaping on to the top of a nearby tree too the action.

"Oh crap that's Lt. Shadow, they are already awakening. This isn't going to be good."

The figure said in a light feminine voice as it produced a pair of binoculars and zoomed in on Shadow, a beeping noise was produced as the binoculars scanned Shadow for weaknesses. "Hurry it up, those two need help!"

Sakura felt shadows aura and was immediately drawn to a specific area of his body, a small spec on his right shoulder seemed to gleam like a star. She smiled as she produced a Card tossed it into the air and twirled her wand,

"Card of Shot whose aim is unparalleled aim for Shadows right shoulder, Shot!"

With that she came down on the spinning card with her Wand releasing a beam of light that flew straight and true impacting the right shoulder of Shadow. Shadow winced and fell to the ground clutching his shoulder, "how…did…you little bitch!" With that Shadow raised his left hand pointing at Sakura. "I thought you said that would stop him Kero-Chan!" Sakura screamed in fright as she took a step backwards. "He must have more then one weak point..." Kero Said but was interrupted as a screeching shot rang out.

Sakura closed her eyes expecting to be vaporized by Shadow, but after a few seconds opened them and looked around her body to see she was unharmed. She then took a look up towards Shadow who lay face down on the ground another gash in his left shoulder and a Green cloaked figure standing over him holding what looked like a pistol in its left hand. The figure twirled its gun and slipped it with ease into its holster.

"You were always the cocky one Shadow." The figure said in its melodic feminine voice.

"Who…are you?" Asked a timid Sakura as she slowly approached the figure, as she felt a soothing cool aura around this new figure.

"She is an Angel…" Kero said with some effort but interrupted by the figure as it completed Kero's Sentence with "…of Death." Sakura was taken aback by the last part of that sentence quickly falling back to where Kero lay broken.

"No need to fear me Mistress of the Sakura Cards Kinomoto, Sakura. Now I must go, but I will see you again." Before Sakura could ask any questions a blinding light flashed around the figure and both Shadow and the figure disappeared.

Sakura ran to the aid of her Guardian and helped the tree off of him with aid of the power card, Kero turned back into his false form, broken and battered as Sakura picked him up and flew him back with her to the house. "What was that about Kero-Chan?" Sakura asked as they flew back home. "An ancient evil is awakening; I helped defeat it long ago with my Master Clow Reed. They called themselves 'the Darkness' and promised death to all who opposed their goals. They were a powerful force, and we alone could not stop them, it took many powerful magicians along with the aid of a group that called themselves the 'Angels of death.' This group was created long before I was created, a group that has been fighting this evil since its inception. In the end the only way to defeat these monsters was to put them into a deep sleep and seal them away in all the corners of the world." Sakura looked down at Kero as he continued his explanation, "The Angels warned us that the seals would not remain for ever and they would reawaken and would need to be defeated again, they signed a contract with all the magicians present, one of alliance if the 'Darkness' should ever reawaken. They told us that they would always be present and watching for the return of the evil, no matter how long it took."

"So that's why it knew my real name?" Asked Sakura as they reached her window. Kero gave an affirmative nod as Sakura began to place bandages around the injured Beast. "They have scouts every where, they probably knew you had the cards from before you opened the book. Ouch watch it that's a sensitive area." Sakura chuckled as Kero whined at his medical attention. "Sakura, I think you need to tell that brat…err Syaoran Li about this, as much as I hate to admit it we will need his help." Sakura smiled a little and gave a short nod, 'that means my Syaoran-Kun will be coming back to me! Its been too long Syaoran-Kun.' she thought as she tucked in her little guardian and crawled into bed herself.

The plot thickens! But wait it gets even deeper as we go into Chapter 3! Also any suggestions please IM me on AIMSN: Bzerkvi, thanks!