Disclaimer:

I have no affiliation with Cardcaptor Sakura or any other of CLAMP's works. Also any similarities to real life events or people are unintentional unless explicitly stated.


Syaoran might be unable to reveal what Tsukishiro and Akizuki were, but that didn't mean he had to do nothing. He was going to figure out the secret behind the mysterious disappearance and restore balance to the isle.

The spike in the number of spirit related incidents, disappearances and Ko attacks recently all indicated that there has been a disturbance in the flow of energy. And he couldn't forget the implications of inter-world travellers such as his Other Self. To travel between different worlds requires a large amount of energy to create a portal that would continue to let large amounts of energy flow through unless it was closed. That is why all the interdimensional gates are closed soon after they are discovered, except for the Gateway.

But this time he wasn't going to be left behind while others put their lives in danger. This is what he trained for. He was member of the Heung Gong High Fong Seoi Committee and a son of the Li clan.

Syaoran and the others slowed down once the darkening sky was blocked from view by branches overhead.

"What do you think is here?" Flowright asked.

"Quiet," said Kurogane.

"You're right," said Yamazaki, "it is- ouch."

Kurogane hit both Flowright and Yamazaki to silence them. Syaoran, Kurogane and Doumeki released their weapons.

There rainforest was quiet. He heard no birds, no small animals scuttling. Even the sound of the wind through the trees and the distant waves was muffled. The only sound was of the wind rustling the leaves.

Syaoran slowed his breathing and allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness. The others must have too because their presences dimmed.

The surrounding energy felt as if it was being pulled away from the shore. With Syaoran in the lead, they followed the direction of the flow single file, as quickly as they could without making much noise. He spotted the mouth of the cave but failed to notice the two identical girls until it was too late. The twins saw them. They let out splintering screech and launched themselves at them, morphing into demonic felines, claws and teeth bared. Syaoran sliced one in two and the other also dissolved into dust, Doumeki's divine arrow protruding from its heart.

Yamazaki and Kurogane shouted behind him. They were struggling against something Syaoran couldn't see. The spell Flowright was writing in the air flickered out, with the caster's arm suspended in position.

Syaoran cried out. He tried to pull his arm away from the sharp coldness but found he couldn't move his arm. He couldn't feel his arm. A sensation like pins and needles crept up along his body rapidly. This was bad. His vision began to go black. The last thing he saw were countless glowing eyes peering out of cave's mouth.


"That is seven yuan change," said Toya, handing the customer the change. "Thank you."

He then turned to shout the order the Yukito, but he was leaning on the counter with his head in his hands and muttering to himself. His aura was off.

"Hey Yuki, are you okay?" It was most likely Akizuki's fault. She was always pestering Yukito but he was too nice to tell her to go away.

"It's nothing," he dismissed, smiling. "I get these headaches from time to time."

Suddenly, his face contorted. "I will not-, stop-, you must accept-"

Toya grabbed Yukito's wrist. Something odd and sharp flashed in his eyes.

"Boss, is there a place Yuki can rest?" asked Toya, searching Yukito's face. If his suspicions were correct, this wasn't good. There wasn't much time left for him.

"I'm fine."

"Yeah, the office is upstairs, second door to the left."

"Thanks." He pulled Yukito along by the wrist.

Akizuki pounce on him. "I'll come too!"

Toya shook her off. He didn't have the patience for her attention seeking ways.

"I said I'm fine-"

"I'll look after him-"

Toya ignored him and said to Akizuki when she tried to follow them into the office. "You stay here. Man the counter."

"But-"

"I have something I need to talk to Yuki about. Don't get in my way." With that, he shut the door in her face and raised a barrier, locking it.

He turned around. Yukito was in the chair Toya left him in, arms wrapping tightly around himself.

"Yuki," said Toya, kneeling next to him, "at this rate you'll disappear, I don't ever want to see that happen."

He pulled away. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Toya emphasized his words. "I know, Yuki. I know that you're a goeng-si. You don't have to hide it from me."

Yukito's eyes narrowed into slits. "How did you find out?"

"A dream."

"I see." He let out a shaky laugh. "You must hate me, fear me."

"I don't. I used to fear geong-si," he admitted. Geong-si, vampires, or whatever you called those magical creatures survived by feeding off the life force of living beings. One of the ways they have been known to feed was by sucking blood of their victims. Their reputation was used to scare him into obeying as a child. "By the time by then you were my friend."

"And why are you telling me this? If you really know the truth then you wouldn't be-"

"You didn't choose to be what you are." In the dream, Toya saw Yukito forced into turning into one many, many years ago.

"But-"

"It doesn't matter what you did in the past. You did what you needed to do to survive. You're still good and you're still my friend."

Yukito shut his eyes and turn away. "You should leave."

"I won't."

"I can't control my other self anymore."

"That's exactly why I'm not leaving." Toya braced himself and made a small cut across his palm with the knife he carried in his pocket. "Take my blood."

Yukito pushed Toya's hand away with more force than expected. "No! I don't want it!"

"You need it! I don't want you to disappear. You need energy to keep your other self in check."

They struggled for a bit, but he managed to get the blood to touch Yukito's lips. He then latched on to the cut and drank the blood heavily. Toya felt slightly light headed, but it was a small sacrifice he was willing to pay.

Yukito slowed down and looked up at Toya.

"You all right?"

In response his pupils flashed into feline slits and his nails extend into claws.

Toya jumped backwards. "Yuki, get a hold of yourself."

Yukito stood up with an easy grace and grinned widely revealing his pointed fangs.


"Where is Big Brother?" Kohane asked. The sparkler snuffed out in her hand.

"He and his friends just went to check something over there," replied Sakura, twirling a red sparkler in the general direction. "They said that they'll be back soon."

"And don't believe anything they say," muttered Mihara, stoking the small fire. "It's all lies."

A faint crease appeared between the youngest Hanato's eyebrows.

Tomoyo from behind her camera said, "Do not worry. They will be all right."

"Don't worry Little Sister," said Meiling, taking out her chronophone. "I'll contact them and tell them to come back now."

Cousin Kotori attempted to distract her. "Are you excited for the chrysanthemum and peony flower fire, Honey?"

"They're your favourite," added Kobato.

Kohane made a non-committal sound.

"Huh," exclaimed Meiling. "Wan-Wan isn't picking up. I'll try again. "

"Where did you say they went again?" asked Kobato.

"They went to the path at the north end of the beach," said Meiling tossing an extra log.

"Isn't that where the caves are rumoured to be?"

"I had a dream the other night about a cave," commented Tomoyo.

Cousin Kotori jumped up too. "I did too!"

Everyone looked at her.

"I thought that I've been dreaming about caves because I'm graduating- OH! Did you have a dream about two felines?"

"Yes," she said slowly. "May I ask why?"

Her cousin's eyes went wide. "They're in trouble!"

She then went on to explain rapidly about her recurring dream of this cave filled with spirits and demons.

"If they went to that cave, then they're in trouble," she concluded.

"Then we need to save them!" said Sakura.

"Will these spirits pose a threat to those living on Pokliu Isle?" asked Tomoyo. "If so, then we need to evacuate them immediately. How many people can fit on a junk?"

"I don't think we can use them right now," said Mihara. She was pointing to the ocean. "The tides are too low."

"Are there any butterfly horses on this isle that we can use?"

"No. Everyone here gets just walks."

"Are you receiving my connection, Lady?" asked Sakura, holding up her chronophone.

Tomoyo looked at her however there was nothing. The display indicated that she wasn't receiving a signal. There must be something preventing the chronophones from transmitting or receiving a signal to the connectors in the sky.

Meiling swore. "Are you kidding me? Are you saying that we're stuck on this isle with no form of communication or transport?"


Syaoran could hear. He could feel the cool, dampness of the cave. He could see that it was bigger on the inside and filled with spirts and demons of all forms. There were other people beside himself and his friends lying on the floor. Probably they were the ones who have disappeared recently.

But his eyes were the only part that he could move.

The spirts were squabbling amongst themselves about what they should do with their new prisoners.

"We can't send out spirit doubles. That didn't work last time!" said a spirit with a canine's body and monkey's head.

"Then you should've killed them!" said one of the squat spirits dressed in leaves.

"That would only bring unwanted attention!"

"So what do you suggest you do?"

Syaoran concentrated his energy on his little finger. It wiggled and felt their hold over the rest of his body weaken.

"What are you doing here?" he managed to ask before they tightened their bonds again.

The canine-monkey jumped up and down nervously. "What do we do now? Surely he must be from a powerful lineage to be able break free."

"He broke free because you're weak," retorted a blue spirit with pointed white horns and incisors.

"Then why don't you try holding him?"

"Quiet."

Silence hushed over the spirits and they began to kneel as a man in suit came into his field of view. Pulses of oppressive energy rolled off him. He wasn't a man. He was a demon, an extremely powerful one if he was able to hold that shape for so long."

Syaoran was able to move again.

The little leaf wearing spirits hissed at him. "Kneel before-"

The demon put his hand up.

"Tell me," it said, "what is your name?"

Syaoran clenched his jaw and gave him the most venomous look he could muster. The next thing he knew, he was on the ground, cheek throbbing.

The demon lifted him up by the jaw. "Speak when I tell you to."

But Syaoran refused to speak and this time kept his eyes closed. He was thrown down on the ground.

"He's a tough kid, I'll give him that."

Pain shot up through his body and Syaoran yelled out in anguish.

The pain left him breathless, spluttering, and with bright spots behind his eyes.

He stood up and yelled, "In heaven's name I command you-"

The demon yanked on Syaoran's hair to shut him up and looked at him with blood red eyes. "Don't talk about things you don't understand."

At the snap of fingers, Kurogane was pulled to his feet by a two headed demon, while another with disproportionate forearms twisted his left arm twisted into grotesque angles.

Syaoran tried to stop them but was powerless to do so.

"Maybe you'd cooperate in exchange for one of your friends, but then again my soldiers need energy…"

Suddenly the world exploded into light and sound.


The four guards outside the cave dissolved into smoke and Meiling and Miss Kinomoto ran through the shower of flower-fire sparks. Their presence masking garments were soaked in sea salt and protected them slightly from the heat.

Meiling threw an exploding bamboo into the cave mouth and covered her hands over her ears to try and muffle the crackles and pops.

She saw Syaoran and the others inside the cave. There were spirits and demons as the eldest Hanato said, still writhing from the sound and light. Meiling threw a smaller flower-fire to clear the area and created a circle of fire around them, hoping that Miss Kinomoto could get everyone moving quickly. The flower-fire should have released their bonds. She could only sustain this much fire for so long. Smoke from the flames and flower-fire filled her lungs. She felt the magical strain lessen as Syaoran channelled his energy into the flames.

Miss Kinomoto tapped her on the shoulder three times; the ready signal they agreed upon when they were making their hasty plans. The explosions numbed their hearing despite using ear plugs.

Meiling nodded and lowered the flames towards the exit. Miss Kinomoto pointed the others towards the exit. She then lit the exploding bamboo with her sparking glove and threw it towards the back of the cave. Meiling and Syaoran let go of the flames and they ran. She felt the impact of the explosion behind her and it made her stumble. Rubble began to loosen and fall from the ceiling, nearly hitting her.

She was the last one to cross the threshold. The spirits howled, unable to cross the salt line that Mihara had spread while Meiling and Miss Kinomoto freed the prisoners.

Miss Daidouji, up in the air lit the last of the flower-fire they brought with them. The rest of the batch were with the Hanato Sisters by the beach who were gathering the people in the vicinity around the bonfires.

Streaks of sparks shot across their heads and into the cave. The sheen of Miss Daidouji's barrier covered the entrance, enclosing the explosion. When Miss Daidouji released the barrier, all there were left of the cave were boulders, rocks and dust.


Sakura and the others trudged back. Kurogane's arm was in a make-shift sling. Meiling said that it was fortunately an easy fix. The other prisoners were in various states of wellness. There was one with dark circles under her eyes, and another that hadn't spoken a word but flinched at every sound. She herself managed only had a small burn from the flower-fire.

The small village was empty. Everyone was probably at the beach, except that man slumped against the shaved ice building, surrounded by shards of glass, and looked like…

"Brother?" cried Sakura. She ran towards him and held his hand. It was cold to the touch and the was something sticky… and red? Blood.

His skin was pale even in the darkness. His clothes were stained with more blood and were two puncture wounds on his neck.

Meiling was beside, rummaging through her bag and firing a series of questions. "Can you hear me? Open your eyes. What's your name? Someone call for help!"

"Please be all right," Sakura prayed. "Please be all right. Please be all right…"


Author's Notes:

And now this story has become a vampire story... oops. I blame that image CLAMP drew where Sakura, Syaoran and Yue are dressed in halloween costumes and Yue is dressed as a vampire. Geong-si/jiangshi, according to Wikipedia, has the literal translation of "stiff corpse" and has been translated as "Chinese hopping vampire". Technically they suck chi, not blood (the blood sucking aspect has roots in western mythology)... but for artistic purposes I made it interchangeable with vampires.

Also, I feel as if I'm glossing over some things still... but right now with work and hayfever (bleurgh, it's dreadful) I can't think of a quick solution to it, so please bear with it for the time being.

Lighting fireworks from your hands is dangerous (albeit fun). Don't do it. Seriously.