Well, we've reached the end of this particular tale. I hope everyone has enjoyed the story and I want to thank all of you for the amazing feedback, the kind words, and the support you have sent. You are truly the greatest readers in the world and it has been my honor and privilege to write for you.

This will almost certainly not be my last CCS story, though it could be awhile before I do another. Until then, I hope to see you all around other fandoms!

Enjoy!


Yue felt the Seal release like a tug on his very soul. Without even realizing, he returned to his true form, dropping the startled Touya's arm. But Touya and his surprise, the Prince, Kaho – none of it mattered.

Yue's new master was finally calling for him.

He took to the air and flew with a speed he had never known before towards the source of that power and the person for whom he had spent centuries waiting.

-==OOO==-

Sakura looked at the Wand in her hands, no longer a Key but a proper Wand with the head of a swan.

"I did it!" she cried out happily.

Suddenly she sensed a creeping cold and spun just in time to see Madoushi leaping at her, water surrounding her like a torrent.

"That is Clow's own magic! I will have it all!"

And Sakura could feel something in the Wand, something like an affinity for Madoushi. She looked up in surprise and with a strange sort of insight.

"You...did Clow create you, too?"

Madoushi reached the glowing magic in a wide arc surrounding Sakura and coiled her waters around it, trying to break through. "No, he did far worse! He cursed me!"

"But how?" Sakura asked.

"I discovered some of his magic long ago, before he even came to this land to found his kingdom. And it poisoned me! For a thousand years, it has torn at me and caused unending suffering! Now, give me his powers! Give them to me so I may have my revenge!"

Sakura took a step back, holding the Wand before her with both hands.

"I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt you," she said. "I'm sure his power was never meant to be used that way."

"It does not matter! That Wand is of the Dark as I am of the Dark and it will be mine!"

To her horror, Sakura realized that Madoushi was breaking through the magic. Not by overpowering it, but because, as she said, they were similar. Too similar. And Madoushi's water was seeping in on all sides.

"Sakura!" Keroberos shouted, struggling to push himself up from the ground. "You can't fight her with the power of Clow Reed! You need a new power!"

"A new power?" Sakura looked at the wand.

The stars guide us through the dark to the light. Remember it, Sakura. When you are lost, trust the Stars to guide you and put your faith in their power.

"Mother." Sakura closed her eyes. "Can I do it?"

"You have to believe in yourself as we believe in you!" Syaoran called.

And Sakura remembered. "I will definitely be all right."

She took a deep breath and held the Wand high.

Beneath Sakura, the magic circle changed. What had been the circle of Clow Reed was remade as golden lines inscribed new symbols in a new design. Sakura stood in the center of a five-pointed star, with the sun at her right hand and the moon at her left.

"The Wand which hides the power of the Dark. I forge a contract with you! Abandon your old form and reincarnate under the power of the Stars!"

The Wand flashed incandescently with light, too bright for even Syaoran to watch for a moment. But as the light faded, the Wand settled into a new shape. No longer the head of a swan, now it bore a bright star flanked by wings.

"You! You have destroyed Clow's power!" Madoushi raged.

She lunged for Sakura, only for Sakura to lower the Wand and point it at her. There was a blast of magic which flung the evil queen across the clearing.

But Syaoran did not feel any relief, for he could see that Sakura's eyes were blank and unseeing. Though her power remained and her body had responded with more potent magic than ever, her soul was...absent. His heart froze. Was this the price of releasing the Seal? Would Sakura be lost now that she had just found herself?

"No," he gasped aloud. "I choose...to trust in her. I am sure, somehow...Sakura will be all right."

-==OOO==-

"Where am I?"

Sakura looked around in confusion. Only a moment ago, she had been in the forest with Syaoran and Keroberos and her friends, all trying their best to stop Madoushi. But now she stood on a path of gossamer and tiny winking lights amidst an endless deep blue emptiness dotted with dancing, shining forms too far away to distinguish.

"Let's see. I released the Seal on the Key...and I changed it into a Wand of the Stars!"

Sakura glanced down in alarm, but the Star Wand was still in her hands just as it had been a moment ago. She studied it, feeling the strange way it thrummed against her skin as though it were singing to her. It was odd how such a simple thing – no more than a wand with a crest at the top – could be so powerful.

"Not quite. It is not the Wand that is powerful, but you."

Sakura's head came up and she held the wand out protectively on pure instinct. Standing before her was a tall man with long black hair. His robes were familiar to her from every picture and tapestry and even some preserved artefacts in the castle, but she would have known him even if he had looked entirely different. She could feel his presence in everything around her.

"Are you really...Clow Reed?" she asked.

"I am a part of Clow Reed left behind for you. My true self died long ago, but I left a memory so that I could speak to you when you fulfilled my greatest wish."

"Your greatest wish...Your Majesty?" Sakura belatedly remembered that Clow Reed had been, in fact, the ruler of the land.

At that, Clow Reed smiled faintly. "Between us, you may refer to me more casually, as do all my other most cherished ones. Certainly Keroberos would laugh himself sick were he to hear you refer to me so formally."

Sakura nodded, but she was not sure she would ever be able to call the legendary sorcerer by his bare name to his face.

"I lived a long and very interesting life, but death comes to us all someday. When mine arrived, the only unfulfilled wish left in my heart was that those I had created and loved would be protected and cared for and would be able to continue to live happily. Just as a father wants his children to be safe and content after he is gone, my only wish at the time of my death was for my own creations to continue to live and thrive in my absence."

"Do you mean Yue and Keroberos?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, but not only them. I can see that you have been through much heartache and your mind and magic have been tampered with more than once. Tell me, do you know of any others of my creations that remain?"

Sakura considered. "I...remember something. They were called the...Six Keepers? But I've never seen them."

Clow Reed dipped his head. "They have been weakened greatly in the time between my death and your release of the Seal on my Key. They have been beside you, but they scarcely remember themselves. When I return you to yourself, you must quickly restore them to their own true selves by remaking them under your own name and power as their new master. But do not be surprised – there are many more of them than you think."

Sakura blinked, but nodded.

"You already know Yue and Keroberos. Do you like them?"

"Very much!" Sakura smiled. "Though I know Yukito better than Yue."

"To know one is to know the other, in a way. They are very close, the two of them, though I suspect they have grown a bit more independent since I last saw them myself. It is good for them. Just as the Moon cannot shine brightly on its own and must reflect the light of another, Yue is made whole when he is not alone to carry his spirit. Keroberos, on the other hand, has enough spirit for anyone."

Sakura laughed. "Even when he was Cakey and had forgotten everything, he was always full of energy."

"It makes me very happy that you like them. They were mine for many, many years. I would hope their new master would love them and care for them as I did."

"Oh, I will!" Sakura promised. But then her face fell a bit.

"Is something wrong?"

"No...yes? It's just that...I didn't know I had any power until now. I was under a spell. So...I don't really know what I'm doing. I'm just a child. I'll try my best, but…"

Clow Reed took a step closer and bent so he was nearer Sakura's height. "Do you regret breaking the Seal on the Key?"

"No! If I hadn't, Syaoran and Keroberos and the others would be in trouble! But...I'm not you. I can't ever be you. We all...the whole kingdom...we've been waiting so long for someone to break your Seal and restore the land and its magic and help rule and protect everyone. But we all thought it would be a powerful magician, someone wise and experienced. I'm...only me."

Sakura felt her eyes grow watery even as her heart ached. And yet...there was an honesty in this worry, a clean uncertainty so different from that which had plagued her for so many years. How strange to discover this was some of the first true, genuine insecurity and fear she had ever known.

Clow Reed gently placed a hand on her head. "Tell me. What was it that allowed you to break the spell that held you? How did you find the courage in yourself to break my Seal?"

"I...decided I would definitely be all right. And decided I would do my best, no matter what."

At her answer, he smiled. "Then if you continue to do so, I too am confident you will definitely be all right. Besides." He waited until her eyes were fully on him before continuing, "If you could not succeed, if you could not surpass all I have hoped for you, the Seal would never have allowed you to release it. The Seal read your heart and what it found there was more than enough to satisfy me."

Sakura looked at the Wand in her hands. "This Wand...read my heart?"

"Not precisely. The Key I left behind did. But that Wand is one you made with your own powers. The light of the Stars may be faint at times, but it is strong and lasting and always present to guide and protect everyone. You have inherited my will and my Kingdom, but you have done it with your own powers. That is a great accomplishment. I am proud of you."

Sakura blushed. "Thank you."

Clow Reed stepped back. "I should return you to your friends. There is a great deal of work yet ahead of you, and some of it will be very difficult."

"I can do it. I know I can." Sakura smiled at him. "I will definitely be all right."

Clow Reed smiled, too. "I know you will be. Please take care of my people and my creations and watch over them. They seem very powerful, but they are all quite fragile. Their hearts are delicate and they gain strength as much from the truth of your feelings as your power. But as long as you trust in your feelings, I know your love will hold them safe."

Sakura felt the strange scene begin to dissolve around her. Suddenly she called, "Wait! What if I have questions? Will I ever see you again?"

Clow Reed's voice came to her from what felt like far away. "I am easily found when you need me. I am in the wind and the trees and the hearts of those I left behind. I am in the land and the water. And I will be with you – particularly when you are dreaming."

And then Sakura remembered her dream and the voice that had spoken – the voice she now knew belonged to Clow Reed. Water is a thing that must flow. Just as time must flow. Just as truth must flow. Listen to your heart. It, too, must flow freely. For when all things flow forward correctly, the light can be reborn anew.

"I still don't understand what that means!"

"You will. Trust yourself. Trust your feelings. They, like your Stars, will always guide you."

-==OOO==-

Sakura's eyes blinked and cleared.

Syaoran managed to push to his knees, bracing himself on his sword though his arms still shook, partly from his exhaustion and partly with relief that Sakura seemed to have returned to herself. With Madoushi slowly pulling herself together across the grass, he had a perfect view of Sakura as magic swelled around her – and around the others.

At the same moment Sakura's eyes returned from their odd blankness, Keroberos vanished behind a wall of golden feathers, a magic circle beneath him. An instant later, he emerged as his true self, no longer bound to the tiny, powerless form. Keroberos stood as a golden lion, his head and chest crested with silver armor and his back flanked by wide, powerful wings.

The six other little creatures – Cat, Goose, Rabbit, Alligator, Penguin, and Bear – also rose into the air, their bodies dissolving each into a shining nimbus with something that danced at the center.

"You...you too? Like Keroberos? It was you all along?" Sakura looked wonderingly at them. Then her heart lifted. "I'm glad. Now I can help my friends as they helped me!"

Sakura did not know exactly what would happen, but she remembered the words of Clow Reed, remembered that she must restore them to their true selves. That she must remake them as she had remade the Wand. With the light and magic still swirling around her, she wrapped both hands around the base of the Star Wand and lifted it again, feeling it come to life with her will.

"Powers created by Clow, reveal your true forms before me!"

The magic circle beneath Sakura spread out to encompass the other six sources of light.

Yue appeared in the air above, winging down to stand beside Keroberos on the grass. "This is…?" he began.

Keroberos gave his counterpart a faint smile. "The beginning of a new era. A new master for us and for the others."

Yue did not smile, but his face softened. "I'm glad. And it is good to see you, Keroberos. It has been too long."

"Far too long," Keroberos agreed. "And it has been worse on them than us."

Yue nodded. "I wondered if they would even survive. There are so many of them."

"They are strong," Keroberos's words echoed with a smile. "As is Sakura."

"So it seems."

Six clusters of light and magic hovered in the air, spinning and dancing, their light growing as they were fed by Sakura's own power and her circle that now glowed beneath them. The six floated until they surrounded Sakura, orbiting her as their fixed star.

And then each of them began to change.

The ball of light that had been Rabbit, eager and loving, began to swirl and turn a pale yellow color. The outline of Rabbit's form elongated and shifted as though stretched and pulled. The ears became long, flowing hair. The short limbs expanded to full arms and a graceful body. She was clearly female, but vaguely inhuman. And she moved with the grace of spring breezes and airy liberation.

The light that had been Alligator deepened and turned a dark red. The lizard's snout, locked in a permanent sneer, retreated into a pug nose and a different kind of haughtiness. The claws and tail became whirling sparks crowned with a pair of bright wings. This one was male, but young, an impish-looking creature whose face was bent in a superior smirk. His eyes glowed like hot coals.

The whirling magic that had been Penguin roiled joyously in every shade of blue and blue-green. Penguin's wings became proper arms with webbed hands, and its flippers stretched into a powerful, scaly tail and a set of long fins. The beaked face that had so often been split with mischievous glee now retreated into a fiercely playful countenance. She, like Rabbit, was female, but more inhuman in form. She undulated and her energies echoed the sound of the tides.

The light that had been Bear transformed much more slowly and steadily, shifting little in color from Bear's brown fur. The arms lengthened and became much more human, and the body and face clearly showed her to be female. The sands of energy swirled to form an elaborate headdress, almost a crown. There was something unbreakable, yet crystalline, in her essence.

The six ceased their whirling around Sakura for the last two, those who had been Cat and Goose, to hang in the air before her. Syaoran could see Sakura's face shift as she closed her eyes in concentration.

The light that had been Cat shone brightly, purely white; beside it, the one that had been Goose shone darkly black. Together, moving in unison, the pair slowly extended arms that became human-like, bodies that settled into stately gowns of opposite colors but otherwise altogether alike. Their faces became beautiful and serene as long hair spilled down their backs – white and curly for Cat and black and straight for Goose. They each wore crowns that were distinct, and yet similar.

"The Six Keepers," Syaoran whispered. "They were hidden just like Keroberos. I didn't sense them at all."

"That," Keroberos looked over at him with a raised eye-ridge, "is not all you didn't sense."

For Sakura was still working magic as she followed what her heart and her instincts told her was needed. As the Six around her stabilized in their true forms, each began to glow in the area of their respective midsections. The glows became more distinct as well until each of the Keepers bore seven or eight separate gleaming spots.

Sakura twirled the Star Wand once in a circle and again held it high. "Powers created by Clow! Return to the guise you were meant to be in!"

And each of the glowing points burst from the Six Keepers to become distinct forms of their own.

There were too many for Syaoran to see them all at once. Some were humanoid in shape, like the girl with long hair holding a mirror who emerged from the Keeper of Earth. Others were more like animals, such as the cat-like creature who was born of the Keeper of Wind. A few were inanimate, like the sword that arose from the Keeper of Fire. Dozens of them, all nearly as powerful to Syaoran's senses as the original Six.

Sakura's eyes opened.

"Powers created by Clow, abandon your old forms and reincarnate under the name of Sakura, your new master!"

And each of the magical beings surrounding Sakura flashed with bright light before fading. As Syaoran watched, each of the Keepers and whatever other powers they had contained faded into thin, rectangular forms. One by one, these slid from the air to land in Sakura's outstretched hand.

Yue noticed the Syaoran's confusion and said, "It is easier for them to exist bound to some other shape so they can rest. They are also easier to control that way – and to hide. It is why very few ever remembered them over time. Clow also made them Cards, so he could keep them with him and only call upon them when needed. He only released them from their Card forms to keep them alive after he was gone."

"But they aren't Clow's Cards now, are they?" Keroberos asked. "They are Sakura's Cards."

At last, the light around Sakura began to fade. She lowered the Star Wand to hold it limply in one hand, staring at the pile of Cards gathered in the other.

"I...how did I…?"

A new voice spoke in calm, ringing tones. "Because this was the path you were always meant to take, for you alone have the pure strength to restore all of Clow's creations to their true selves. You are their master now. You can invoke them by will alone or by using the Wand. But they are now wholly yours, forged of your magic and love."

Sakura turned to see her brother along with two individuals she did not recognize float into the clearing. They landed to one side of the Guardians.

"Big Brother!" Then Sakura blinked at the person who had answered her. "And...are you...connected to Clow Reed?"

"Yes. I am Prince Hiiragizawa, brother of Clow Reed." He smiled slightly. "I expected no less of one worthy to break the Seal and revive those whom Clow loved most."

"Brother! Clow had a brother? Impossible!" Keroberos roared.

"I know," Yue told him quietly. "That's what I said. But it is true nonetheless."

Sakura was just opening her mouth to ask one of her countless questions, but a laugh from the other side of the clearing drew all attention.

"It matters not if Clow had a brother! All that was his will be mine!"

There was a great crack and a jagged split ran up the center of the cherry tree. A dark rush of power flowed along the grasses as the noble tree wilted. From the heart of that power, Madoushi rose and loomed larger than ever, half as tall as the nearest trees. Water and wind danced around her, and the forest behind her was also blackened and dead.

"You have forgotten me at your peril, child! Now we will see whose power is truly greater!"

Touya started to move, only to find his way blocked by the outstretched staff of the Prince.

"Don't interfere. This is Sakura's battle alone, as inheritor of Clow's legacy." He glanced at Touya. "But do not fear. She is more well-guarded than you can imagine, and she has the power to succeed where even I might fail."

Sakura held her wand up before her. "Don't be scared, Big Brother," she said in an even voice. "I'm not afraid. I'll protect you. I'll protect everyone!"

"And we'll protect you!" Keroberos declared, taking to the air just long enough to set himself at Sakura's side. Yue followed, landing lightly across from him on her other side.

"You must fight her with all your strength," Yue said. "For the sake of the whole Kingdom and all the Cards who love you and now depend upon your power to live."

"I know." Sakura nodded. "But I won't fail. I won't give up. And if we all work together, I know we'll be all right!"

"Foolish words!" Madoushi shouted.

And she attacked.

Sakura braced herself, her Wand up, but before Madoushi could reach her, Yue scooped her up into his arms and took to the air while Keroberos opened his mouth and roared a potent wave of fire to cover their retreat.

Sakura blinked at Yue. "Why?"

"We are your Guardians. It is our duty to protect you," he answered, never taking his eyes from where Keroberos and Madoushi traded blasts of power.

"Thank you. But can't I help, too?"

Now Yue glanced at her. "You may have inherited the powers of Clow Reed, but you do not know how to use them. The Cards will help you, but their magics will only be usable if you summon them. Otherwise they will wait in their Card forms. You do not know most of their names to call them."

Sakura looked at the stack of cards in her hand. The one on the top of the deck was the Card that had been Cat. At the bottom it read, "The Light."

"Later, we will introduce you to all of the Cards so you can get to know them and understand their powers," Yue continued. "For now, you will have to trust in us."

Sakura nodded. "I understand." For an instant, she held the deck of Cards to her heart, certain that they could hear her even if she did not know them all. "Please be patient with me. I will do my best to be a good master, I promise!"

The tiniest of smiles graced Yue's face. He was pleased to have a master with magic strong enough to support all the creatures under his care, but he was far more grateful it was someone who already loved them without even knowing anything about them.

However, a roar from below drew their attention back to the battle. Keroberos was on his side on the grass, breathing heavily.

"Quickly," Yue said. "Summon Fiery."

Sakura blinked. She glanced at the deck, not sure if she could find one Card among the many. But then she remembered that she was not afraid and that she had to believe in herself.

So Sakura trusted that everything would be all right. She held the Wand out. "Fiery!"

From the deck, a Card flipped out, growing into Fiery who had once been Alligator. Sakura smiled at him. "Please go help Keroberos!"

The Fiery Keeper gave Sakura a smirk and a wink before diving down into the clearing. Fiery intercepted the next blast of water from Madoushi with a lance of its own flame, coiling up a ball of fire like a comet and sailing it against the evil queen. Madoushi caught the attack with streamers of water that immediately began to transform into steam, obscuring the area.

"Do you understand now?" Yue asked.

Sakura nodded. "Yes. I will do my best to help."

Yue began to fly lower. "Then I will also. If you find yourself in danger, call on Shield. It will protect you."

Yue set Sakura on the ground to one side from where Keroberos and Fiery were battling Madoushi. When his hands were free, he created a bow of pure light and an arrow with a thought. When he released the arrow, firing it straight into the whirling storm that was Madoushi, it penetrated many of her defenses and left disrupted magic in its wake.

Madoushi snarled and turned her attention to Yue beside her, providing an opening for Keroberos and Fiery to strike. When Madoushi was hit by their combined fire, she screamed in pain.

Something about that sound caught Sakura's attention.

While Yue took to the air to draw Madoushi away from where he had set Sakura, and Keroberos and Fiery kept up their own assault, Sakura watched Madoushi more closely.

"I don't really remember seeing her fight when she first came to the Kingdom," she said to herself, "but I wonder if she looked as sad then as she does now. She said that Clow Reed's powers had cursed her, but I wonder if that's really true."

Sakura looked to the Cards in her hand. "I want to ask her. But I need to stop her first."

A trickle of magic wound through her heart and Sakura made an intuitive decision as she lifted the Star Wand. "Windy! Watery! Create a binding chain to hold her!"

The Windy Keeper emerged as a gust of air trailing beside her Watery sister. The pair swept forward and attempted to encircle Madoushi.

"Now!" Keroberos called to Fiery, seeing how Madoushi was distracted fending off Sakura's own attack.

"Don't!" Sakura called. Her order halted the Guardians and Fiery as though she had stopped time. Fiery even winked out of existence at the order ringing in Sakura's heart, returning to a Card and floating back to the deck.

"Sakura, we need to end this now while she's distracted!" Keroberos shouted.

But Sakura shook her head, eyes on where Madoushi's own winds were fighting Windy and the waves of the Watery Card were beginning to penetrate the walls of water around her. "Not like that. I don't want to kill her."

"I don't think that holding back is wise," Yue said from above.

"It isn't! And your pitiful power cannot touch me! I have surpassed far more than this much of Clow's magic!"

Sakura felt a burning as Madoushi's power overcame Windy and Watery, sending them both retreating into their Card forms to avoid being destroyed in the sudden hurricane that swept them away from the evil queen. Sakura received the pair of Cards and could sense their exhaustion, though they would be well again if she needed them – they would draw new strength from her.

"I'm sorry," she told them. "Thank you for trying."

Sakura wasn't looking up, but the others were. "Sakura!" came Touya's cry. "Watch out!"

Sakura raised her head in time to see a thin wave of water spreading across the grass in every direction. Keroberos was in the air beside Yue, so she was the only one in its direct path. Sakura brought up the Star Wand, but the water reached her feet before she could otherwise react.

And she fell.

"Sakura!" Keroberos bellowed as his friend and new master dropped out of sight as though she had been standing above a deep pool. He dove for the water.

"Stop, Keroberos!" came the voice of Prince Hiiragizawa. "A Guardian created by Clow Reed cannot resist what waits there."

"And Sakura can?" Touya turned to the prince, radiating fury.

"I think so, yes."

Keroberos snarled and turned to where Madoushi had been, only to see her vanish down into the pool of water as well.

But then Yue and Kaho saw Syaoran push to his feet, gasping against his own exhaustion but his face set and focused. He had been a short distance away from the fight; his tiredness had left him helpless to prevent Madoushi from taking Sakura.

However, he would not let her take Sakura alone.

"Hey! Kid!" Keroberos had been spinning to speak to the Prince only to catch sight of Syaoran's movements. "What are you doing?"

Syaoran drew himself up, sword tight in one hand. "I'm going after her."

Yue dove close but did not prevent him. "You are weakened. You may be a burden to her."

"Maybe," Syaoran said, meeting his eyes. "But I won't leave her alone anyway."

"Let him go," the Prince commanded. "It is good for her not to be alone."

Touya balled his hands into fists, barely keeping himself from lashing out. "Then you go after her! You're more powerful than him! Or I'll go myself!"

"Your magic still lies within Yue. You would be helpless there." The Prince did not even turn his head to address Touya. "The boy has enough power to endure, but not so much that Madoushi will regard him as a threat. Yes, I think he can do it."

"I won't fail," Syaoran vowed, his eyes trailing from Yue to Keroberos to Touya and finally landing on the Prince. "I'll bring her back."

"You better or I'll make you sorry you ever came here," Touya growled.

Syaoran pretended not to hear him.

"Remain calm and focus only on your task. You have little strength left to you, so you must use it wisely," the Prince said.

Syaoran nodded and took the remaining step into the water, where he promptly sank and did not reemerge.

"What happens now?" Kaho asked quietly from her place beside the Prince.

"It depends largely on Sakura," the Prince replied. "If she is able to defeat Madoushi, she and the boy will return safely. If she cannot, I will seal this opening between worlds to prevent Madoushi from ever returning."

"If you do that, Sakura will be trapped! She won't be able to come back!" Keroberos hovered over the Prince and bristled with anger.

"If I have no choice but to do that," the Prince replied, and his face was grave, "then Sakura would never be able to come back anyway. If she loses to Madoushi now, she will die, and all of Clow's power and hope with her."

-==OOO==-

Sakura found herself immersed in water. She had learned to swim many years before when Yukito had taught her; Touya kept tossing her into a nearby lake when they would take trips to it, and Yukito thought perhaps she ought to know how to get back to shore on her own. It had been several years, but Sakura kicked her feet and found she moved through the water easily. The water was very, very still around her – and rather cold.

When her head broke the surface, she took in a deep breath. "Now where am I?"

"This is my domain."

Sakura turned in the water, taking in the area as she did so. It was a strange, barren room larger even than the greatest ballroom at the castle, but it was half-flooded. Sticking up in various places throughout the room were columns, some cracked, some broken off like round pedestals rising from the water. The ceiling was hazy and indistinct, but it seemed dark and empty and oddly oppressive.

At the far end of the room, Madoushi hung in the air surrounded by streamers of water.

Sakura grabbed onto the nearest pedestal and climbed up onto it so she could stand and face the evil queen.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"I built this place deep within myself for Clow Reed. I built it so that I could trap him here for all time to repay him for cursing me."

Sakura still had the Star Wand in her hands, though she had tucked the Cards into a pocket in order to swim, and she held it out. "I'm not going to let you trap me here."

"You won't have a choice!" At Madoushi's shout, a column of icy water rose before Sakura and dove at her.

"Shield!"

The Wand flashed with power and a dome of magic deflected the attack before it could reach Sakura.

Madoushi's face twisted with anger, but there was something in the expression Sakura had never seen in the evil queen before. Something far more human. "You horrible, horrible girl! How could you have taken Clow's own powers? How could you dare remake them?"

"I had to!" Sakura yelled. "I had to save them and I had to fight to protect my friends. But Clow Reed told me it was okay."

"Clow Reed told you?"

The waters all around Sakura rose up and roiled in streamers and suspended whirlpools, echoing Madoushi's own obvious fury and distress. But none approached Sakura and she watched them and their mistress carefully. There was something…

"Sakura!"

"Syaoran?" She turned.

Syaoran stood on a nearby pillar. He was still pale and his hands shook slightly, but his eyes were bright and he did not falter where he stood. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine! Why are you here?"

"I came to help you! To protect you!" Syaoran's amber-brown eyes were clear. "I came because I won't let you do this alone!"

"Alone!" Madoushi roared, and the word echoed over and over and over again in the cavernous room.

Sakura touched the pocket where her Cards waited. "Hold still, Syaoran. I'll bring you over here and then we can work together!"

"No!" Madoushi emerged from the tempest of the room with her face wilder than ever, her eyes all too human but her mouth open in the scream of a gale on the ocean. "No! Forever alone!"

The water surged and caught Syaoran up as it had that day in the castle gardens, as it had in the clearing before Sakura had broken her own Seal. His body lashed back and forth inside the torrent, but he was clearly too exhausted to resist.

"Syaoran!" Sakura cried out.

Madoushi's voice went low and almost hauntingly soft. "I will tear out his heart. I will tear it out and leave him empty as Clow Reed left me. And when your tears have drained you dry, you horrible mortal child, then I will tear yours out as well. And neither of you will know love. You will both be empty inside forever!"

The water constricting Syaoran fell away but Madoushi caught him in streamers that were made neither of wind nor water but something else. She strung him up like a marionette, his arms and legs held fast. Then she moved right behind him and put her arms around his chest to rest her hands over his heart.

"S...Sakura…" Syaoran coughed weakly. "I...I love you."

"Not for long, foolish mortal boy," Madoushi hissed in his ear. "I will empty your heart forever."

Sakura squeezed the Star Wand against her chest and could not help the tears that filled her eyes.

"Syaoran…" she whimpered. She was not afraid for herself, but she was afraid for him and she did not know how to help him without endangering him. Sakura felt in her heart that there was something she must do, but she did not know what.

"S...Sakura…"

And Madoushi plunged her long fingers into Syaoran's chest.

Sakura felt the pain as if it had been her own. She screamed. "Syaoran!"

And her tears fell.

Water is a thing that must flow.

When Sakura's tears struck the broken column beneath her feet, the magic circle she had created with her own power of the Stars sprang from her, bright and merry. The whole room glowed with the golden light of Sakura's magic. And though Sakura wanted to fix her eyes on Syaoran, she was drawn to a form that slowly appeared before her.

A new Card.

With fingers that shook and tears that did not stop running, Sakura grasped the Card and turned it so she could see its face.

It had no name, but it bore a winged heart.

The instant Sakura understood the Card, understood what it meant, understood that it had come from her own feelings, she also understood Madoushi.

The light vanished and Sakura looked up to where the evil queen, the nightmare of the Kingdom of Clow, still hung in the air with her hands deep in Syaoran's chest. And Sakura was not completely surprised to see that Madoushi's own eyes were wet.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Sakura whispered, but her words were loud in the suddenly silent space. "It hurts to lose someone you love."

Madoushi's answer was not the voice of the imperial queen who had killed High Priestess Nadeshiko. It was a rather small voice, not unlike Sakura's own.

"It does hurt."

"Clow Reed...told me that water and truth and time have to flow freely. Like the heart does. You...you've been denying your feelings all this time."

"All I feel is emptiness!"

The cry was ragged and savage and Madoushi dug her hands into Syaoran's chest even more. Syaoran's eyes were open and blank and he did not even twitch at the intrusion or the blood that rained down the front of his ceremonial robe.

Sakura held onto the Card she had made. "You...you wanted to be close to Clow Reed. So you took something of his. Something very strong. But...it didn't make you feel better. It made you feel worse."

"It cursed me!"

Sakura fought a sob. "Then let me fix it. Please. I'll fix it. Just...let Syaoran go."

"No! If I cannot reach Clow, I will have everything that was his! If I must be empty, then I will empty the world!"

Sakura touched the Nameless Card to her heart. "Please. Please help me."

The Card started to cast a shining light. And against its light, a shadow grew behind Madoushi – a shadow that reflected something quite different from the evil queen herself.

Sakura looked up at Syaoran, his blank eyes growing dim. "Syaoran. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I love you, too."

And Sakura lifted her Star Wand and put all her feelings and her hope and her fear and her love into her magic to summon the Nameless Card.

Madoushi tore her hands out of Syaoran's chest as she let out a tremendous, guttural cry. But the light that surrounded her seemed to shine right through her, illuminating the cast shadow more clearly.

And then with a burst that shook the very foundations of the space itself, the shadow broke free from Madoushi and formed up beside her as an entirely separate being.

"No! Give it back! It was Clow's!" Madoushi cried, her arms around Syaoran's shoulders seemingly the only thing holding her up.

The shape that had been torn from Madoushi was a little girl with long, shaggy hair and eyes as blank as Syaoran's. She moved slowly until she was facing Sakura.

"You're a Card," Sakura said. "A Card like the others."

"No," the Card replied. "I am Nothing. I am Emptiness. I am Void."

"You don't have to be," Sakura told it. "I can change you, too."

"If you do that, you will lose everything you love," the Void Card said. "You cannot become my master unless you let me fill your heart."

"That's what you did." Sakura's eyes shifted back to Madoushi, whose body seemed to be shrinking and her face looked more and more wretchedly human. "You stole this Card and made it your own. And it took away your heart."

Madoushi's eyes closed. "I couldn't wait for Clow anymore. I wanted him to come back to me. I waited for so long. But he had Sealed this Card, long ago. I broke the Seal on it. I thought it would bring me to him."

Sakura gulped. "But it only made everything worse."

"It made me powerful. And empty. I searched the whole world for Clow."

"And you found our Kingdom. But Clow was already dead." Sakura blinked away more tears. "And there was no one who could help you."

"I was inside her heart," the Void Card said. "Nothing is stronger than nothingness."

Sakura shook her head. "I don't believe that. I think there is something stronger than nothingness. I'm sure of it!"

She held up the Star Wand. "Card created by Clow. Abandon your old form and reincarnate under the name of Sakura, your new master!"

Magic burst from Sakura to encompass the Void Card. But as soon as the Card began to change, Sakura cried out in sudden pain as an icy chill sliced into her body.

"I will take your heart," the Void Card said distantly. "And you will be my master forever."

"No! I don't want that!" Sakura felt hot tears running down her cheeks. "I promised I would definitely be all right and I won't give up!"

She looked up through the torrent of magic to Syaoran's slack face. "I won't let you take away my feelings for Syaoran!"

And the Nameless Card, still hovering in the air, exploded with light.

When Sakura blinked open her eyes after the sudden brightness, she found a Card floating towards her. It bore the face of the Void Card, but now her arms were tucked around the heart and wings of the Nameless Card. And it was not nameless anymore.

"The Hope?"

Then Sakura realized her heart was still her own, for its fear for Syaoran came crashing back.

Madoushi had fallen from the air, and the evil queen was lying on a pedestal beside Syaoran who still was not moving and whose eyes were sightless.

"Syaoran!" Sakura cried. She tucked the Hope Card with the others and looked for a way to get to them.

Madoushi's head came up and her face looked both young and impossibly old and weary.

"I would have waited for Clow...forever."

"Please!" Sakura's tears flowed. "Please let Syaoran go."

Madoushi made a trembling attempt at a smile. "Don't cry. It is over now."

The evil queen lowered her head and the waters rose and darkness fell.

-==OOO==-

The Prince looked up. "Look. They are coming."

The pool of water rippled for a moment before three figures emerged from it. Sakura was on her feet, her Star Wand before her, but her face was red and she was crying. Syaoran was prone in the water, unmoving and bloody, his eyes closed.

And Madoushi hung in the air above them, but her form was growing more and more indistinct. She began to disappear, dripping to nothingness as the dew evaporates in the light of the sun.

"I am sorry for the pain I have caused," she said. "I cannot undo it. But I will give the last of my power so that one more heart will not know my sorrow."

A single tear fell from Madoushi's own eyes to land on Syaoran's chest and then she was gone.

Sakura was moving, splashing through the wet grass beneath her feet. The Wand fell from nerveless fingers, but rather than separate from her, it returned to the shape of a Key that hung around her neck from the cord she had worn for so long.

"Syaoran! Syaoran!"

She flung her arms around Syaoran's unmoving form and sobbed, burying her face against his shoulder.

The Prince bowed his head slightly and spoke more to himself than to anyone else. "When all things flow forward correctly, the light can be reborn anew." He smiled. "You would be pleased to see it, Clow."

The remaining water on the grass flowed outward, and all the damaged trees and growth it touched began to recover, new leaves emerging and unfolding and new flowers opening. The cherry tree itself began to mend.

"S...Sakura?"

Sakura froze. She drew back slightly, eyes wide and wet, as the still, cold body began to move in her embrace. The blood that had stained his front was gone and the cruel tears into his chest were mended. She could not breathe, could not blink, could barely tell if her heart was beating.

Syaoran opened his eyes. "Sakura?"

Sakura wanted to laugh and cry all at the same time – so she did. She clung to him tightly, her body shaking with the release of her emotions. Syaoran sat up and put his arms around her, holding her as though he would never let go.

"Syaoran," Sakura managed around her hysteria. "I was so scared."

"I was scared, too," he whispered. "But I knew you could do it. I knew you would find a way." He ducked his head so he could rest her cheek against his own. "I love you."

Sakura pulled back from his arms and fixed her eyes on him. "I love you, too, Syaoran."

And they both smiled with a brightness that could outshine the rising sun, and Sakura crashed herself into Syaoran's arms and held on and managed to get almost her whole self into his embrace so she could say it over and over again. "I love you. I love you, Syaoran."

It was well they were so caught up in one another, as neither would have appreciated the redness of Touya's face. A new kind of anger took hold and he started to stalk towards the pair.

"Touya." Yue dropped from the air and faced him. "Don't. She is my master and I will not let you make her cry."

"I am not losing Sakura to that kid!"

Yue's face bent as though smiling, though it wasn't really. "You cannot stop her. And you should not try. You have something far more important to do."

Touya raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Yue nodded. "Yes." And he promptly transformed.

Yukito blinked. Yue? What are you doing?

Distracting Touya from upsetting our master.

And how exactly am I supposed to do that? Yukito asked.

Yue's words were wolfish in their smugness. Tell him that if I can deal with losing my other half to him, he can learn to live with allowing our master to be with the person she loves.

Yukito was so startled he spoke aloud. "What do you mean you're losing me to Touya?"

Before him, Touya huffed a laugh. "You really are dense, Yuki."

Really, Yue added.

Yukito blinked at Touya and felt a blush creep over his face. "But...I'm…"

Touya took a step closer, a step much closer to Yukito. "Do you dislike me, Yuki?"

"No! But I'm...I've lived so long and…"

"And you're human now even if Yue isn't," Touya said. He took another step, so close the two were practically breathing the same air. "Tell me your heart doesn't feel what mine does."

Don't you dare, Yue warned. Because it does and I know it and so do you.

Yukito swallowed against a throat suddenly dry. "My feelings...are similar."

"Good." And Touya closed the distance between them and took Yukito into his arms.

And Yukito forgot that he had been alive for centuries, that he had seen Touya born. That he was a disguise for a magical creature. Because right then in that instant, he was only Yukito, and he was only Touya's. Maybe he had only ever been Touya's, even from the day he had been created. And would only be Touya's long after all magic faded from the world.

"But don't think I'm forgetting that Yue is trying to distract me," Touya muttered, his mouth altogether deliciously close to Yukito's ear. "I'll just deal with that later."

Yukito was too lost to bother with Yue's silent triumph.

"So." Keroberos looked to where Prince Hiiragizawa and Kaho were watching the whole affair with small smiles. "What happens now?"

"Now, we return to the castle and begin to rebuild the Kingdom," the Prince said. "Sakura is a little young yet to rule, but I'm sure her father and brother will help her. And I will also assist in any way that I can. In a sense, Sakura is the nearest thing I have to Clow as well, and I intend to cherish that connection."

"There will be a great deal of work to do to fix the Kingdom," Kaho said gently. "But I'm sure Sakura can do it."

Prince Hiiragizawa looked across to where Sakura and Syaoran were still closely holding one another, beatific smiles on their faces. But he perceived not only her outward happiness, but the brilliant glow of magic that swelled within her, a power that was still not yet at its peak, but which had been enough to fulfill and exceed even Clow Reed's expectations.

"Yes," he said. "I would expect nothing else from her."

When Sakura was at last calm again and could separate herself from Syaoran, she darted in turn to her brother and her new Guardians, hugging each tightly and crying just a little bit more at the relief that they were well and that the worst was over.

When she approached the Prince at last, she did it at the head of rather an entourage. Syaoran stood at her shoulder, and she was flanked by Yukito and Keroberos. Touya stood to one side, but his expression warned that he would not take kindly to the Prince being anything but polite to his sister.

It was Mizuki Kaho who made the introductions. "Please allow me to present Hiiragizawa Eriol, Prince of the White Jade Throne."

Sakura blinked, then started to drop to one knee to bow properly before one of higher rank.

But the Prince held out a hand. "Stop."

And he bent his own knee, not lowering it to the ground as he would only for the Emperor, but in a courtly bow, his extended hand reaching out to catch Sakura's frozen fingers. Then he drew her upward to face him evenly.

"You owe me no obeisance, Kinomoto Sakura. Never to me. You are my brother's one true inheritor, the heir he chose, the heir fate selected so well." He paused and his deep eyes grew soft and almost sad. "He would have been pleased to stand here beside us if only to see in you what is so clear to myself."

Sakura blushed. "Um...thank you?"

Eriol smiled. "You need not be so hesitant. The instant you broke the Seal on the Key of Clow, you inherited his Kingdom, so in a sense, we are now equals. You may speak to me however you wish – we are within your own lands."

At that, Sakura blushed even more. "I know that's true, but...I'm not sure I can...that is…" she glanced to Syaoran.

He took the hand the Prince was not holding. "It's all right. I know you can do it."

"More importantly," the Prince said, "I intend to offer an alliance with your Kingdom, a full partnership. I will use my own powers to help restore what you have lost and to shore up the Kingdom's protections to prevent such an incursion from happening ever again."

Here, Touya stepped forward. "Earlier, we were told there would be a cost for this help. A promise and an act of mercy. What does that mean, exactly?"

The Prince nodded. "You are wise to recall it, but you need not be troubled. The promise is one that has already been made, a promise for the heir of Clow's powers to restore them in full and to love and care for them."

"I can definitely keep that promise." Sakura smiled.

"And the act of mercy?" Yukito asked.

The Prince faced Sakura directly. "I implore you, Kinomoto Sakura, heir of Clow Reed...to call me by my name."

When Sakura rocked back on her heels in surprise, the Prince held fast to her hand between his own and tightened his grip.

"I have been the Prince of the White Jade Throne for longer than you can guess. And since the death of my brother, rare has it been for anyone to know me as anything but that. I have had no equal, no kindred soul of magic. I have been lucky to find one companion," and he tipped his head ever so slightly towards Kaho, "but I confess that a part of myself was lost with the death of my brother Clow."

Sakura felt a lump rise in her throat. "You would help me take care of the whole Kingdom just for...for calling you by name?" When he nodded, she tightened her own fingers in his. "But what if I wanted more than that?"

Only Yukito had the angle to see the sudden flash of panic in Syaoran's face, but he did not laugh.

"What do you mean?" the Prince asked.

"What if I wanted to be your friend?" Sakura took a breath and smiled radiantly. "My name is Sakura. I would like you to call me that, too, please. Eriol."

Eriol's own unexpected smile was bright and clearly deeply moved. "Thank you, Sakura. I would very much like to be your friend."

It is entirely possible Sakura might have stood in the clearing forever, smiling at her new friends, her brother, her Guardians, and Syaoran, except that there was so much more healing needed for so many others throughout the land.

It was Syaoran who gave a slight tug to her hand in his. "We need to get back to the castle. Your father will be very worried, and there will be lots of people we need to help."

"Oh!" Sakura gasped. "You're right! And there's the curse Madoushi left behind, and the guards and...we have to get back as quickly as we can."

Eriol smiled privately, but said nothing.

Keroberos nudged Sakura. "Release your wand. We'll introduce you to two more of your Cards."

And so, at his direction, Sakura gathered everyone together and invoked the power of Float, which easily lifted the group into the air encased in a stable bubble of magic. Then, when Float had carried them above the tree-tops, Sakura called out another Card called Dash, which sent them skipping through the air faster even than either of the Guardians could fly. A trip that had taken Sakura more than an hour and Syaoran more than two days was ended in a matter of minutes when Dash retreated and Float carefully lowered the assembled group to the castle grounds.

But what none could have expected was the huge crowd of people gathered outside the castle; indeed, it appeared many from the castle and the surrounding towns and estates had converged together and they were cheering as Sakura brought her group to the ground.

But one cry stood out from them all. "Sakura! Syaoran! Touya!"

Kinomoto Fujitaka raced through the throng of people to his children. While Keroberos's true form and the sternly serene gaze of Prince Hiiragizawa kept the crowd at bay, Fujitaka dropped to a knee and pulled Sakura into his arms.

"Are you all right, Sakura?"

She held him back. "I'm fine, Father. Everything is fine now!"

He drew apart from her enough to see her face. "I know. Everyone's memories have returned. They know us again." He turned to where Syaoran stood. "Thank you for protecting her."

And Syaoran did not resist when he was drawn into the embrace alongside Sakura.

A moment later, Fujitaka stood, but kept one hand each on their shoulders as he looked to his son. "Touya. I see you brought help after all."

"He did," the Prince interjected, "but it was not needed. Sakura has released the Seal on the Key of Clow. She defeated Madoushi herself."

Fujitaka could only look down to her in wonder. But then he smiled. "Your Mother told me she thought you might be the one. She would be proud of you now. As I am proud of you, Sakura."

Sakura's eyes filled with tears again and his did as well. And he pulled her against him, tucking Syaoran close, and reached for Touya and Yukito – to Yukito's great surprise, but apparently not anyone else's, including Yue – to initiate a hug for them all.

And if Touya found a way to get his arms around everyone in the hug but Syaoran, well, Sakura didn't notice it and that was all that mattered.

But they broke the hug only after a few joy-filled moments, for there was so much to do. Those who had once been closest to the Steward and his family and who had fled with him were coming forth, bursting with questions and longing to apologize for slights or outright unkindness they had shown in the years under Madoushi's curse. Right at the head of them was Daidoji Tomoyo, whose eyes were wet and who wanted to hug Sakura and beg to be her friend again.

But there were still many who had been paralyzed who needed to be restored and the magical barrier locking the Kingdom from the outside world needed to be dispelled and the whole Kingdom would want to hear the story of Sakura who had found within herself a hidden power strong enough to break the Seal of Clow, strong enough to defeat Madoushi, and strong enough to restore more of Clow's legacy than anyone had even remembered.

But when Fujitaka released his children – and those who were his children if not by blood than by another kind of love – and made his proper greetings to the Prince of the White Jade Throne; while Touya and Yukito began to help Keroberos clear a path to the castle so they could address everyone from one of the balconies where the crowd would be able to see without crushing their new ruler; while Mizuki Kaho began giving orders for the guards who had been spared to help the crowd assemble in the castle courtyard and also to bring any individuals still cursed into the throne room so she could begin to restore them – while all this was happening around them, Syaoran took both of Sakura's hands.

"You're going to be Queen now," he said softly.

"Will I?" she asked, tipping her head. "I don't know. I'm not ready to rule the Kingdom. I'll have to have Father and Touya and you and everyone else help me out for a long time."

Syaoran shook his head. "Even so, they'll make you Queen. As they should."

Sakura saw uncertainty in Syaoran's eyes. "What is it?"

Syaoran could never have looked away from her even if it meant his death. "I...would like to stay with you. If you will let me. I'm not a Prince like he is." He raised a shoulder towards Prince Hiiragizawa. "And I can't even be heir to the Li Clan anymore, so I don't have anything to make me worthy of you…"

"You've got that right, you twerp," Touya muttered where only Yukito could hear, who promptly elbowed him sharply.

Syaoran drew Sakura's hands together between them and clasped to his chest. "But I love you, Sakura. I loved you long ago and I will always love you. And I gave a vow on my honor and all my magic to protect you that I intend to keep for the rest of my life. So...I would like to stay at your side. If you will have me."

Sakura closed her eyes. "When I thought Madoushi had killed you, I was more scared than I had ever been in my whole life. And when you were alive in the forest, I was never happier."

She opened her eyes. "Why do you think being Queen would make me forget how important you are to me? How important my feelings for you are? Unless it changes your feelings towards me?"

"Never!" Then Syaoran swallowed. "But…"

Sakura smiled. "It was you who saved me so many times, Syaoran. And it's you who are more important to me than anyone else in the world. If you couldn't stay here, I would go wherever you went. But if you're right and they do make me Queen, it will be easier on everyone if we stay here together. Forever. Right?"

Sakura pulled her hands from his so she could fling herself once again into his arms – and she never wanted to be anyplace else.

"Whether I'm the heir of Clow Reed or the Queen or just Sakura, I love you, Syaoran. And as long as we hold onto this feeling, I'm sure we'll be able to protect our Kingdom and we'll be together forever. I'm sure of it."

And Sakura was right.

-==OOO==-

The End