"Sakura's been like this for a couple of days," Keroberos said in a worried tone. He and Yue stood on opposite sides of the door that led to Sakura and Syaoran's room, both concerned for the well-being of their master. Sakura lay in the large canopy bed; her fever had only gotten worse. Syaoran sat by her side, silent since the first Star Card had vanished.
Finally, when Sakura seemed to be resting easier, he stood up and walked out of the room, where the Guardians waited.
"How many more Star Cards have vanished?" Syaoran asked, his tone low and dangerous.
"Master Syaoran.. don't worry about that. We need to take care of Sakura and then worry about the Cards!" Keroberos argued.
"How many?" he demanded.
"Two more Li-sama," Yue said, bowing his head. "The Flower, and the Illusion. With them makes three, and the previously vanished Jump."
Syaoran nodded. "I'll have to get them back, I'm sure this is the reason Sakura is sick." Syaoran looked up, facing Yue. He was now nearly as tall as Yue; the angelic Guardian had always seemed to look down on him, but now they faced each other as equals.
Yue bowed his head slightly. "I will do all in my power to help." Keroberos bowed his head as well, agreeing with Yue's statement. Although Syaoran's magic could not match Sakura's, not anymore, he was not powerless. "Though you do not have his appearance; you are very much Clow Reed's descendant," Yue remarked, looking at Syaoran in the clothes of his Clan.
Syaoran turned to look at the door briefly, but suddenly the door vanished, along with the mansion. Yue and Keroberos went to Syaoran's side, as Syaoran took a fighting stance. The place around them changed, they were not standing in Syaoran's mansion, but a forest.
"Well, it seems the pretty magician is not feeling well. I must have come at the perfect time." The man who greeted them had red, untidy hair and stormy eyes, and he smiled at them with a smile that was less than friendly. One hand was tucked inside the pocket in the front of his jeans, the other was folded at the elbow, carrying something strange, yet oddly familiar.
Syaoran gasped. "That's-"
"The Book of Clow," Keroberos finished.
The man chuckled. "Not exactly, though I applaud you. No, this," he raised the book up high so everyone present could see, "Is not the Book of Clow; nor is it Sakura's Book of the Star. This is my own creation. It took me quite a long time, a lifetime, in fact, to complete it. It is the Nova Book. If Clow's book was a book of light, mine is created to counter that light; black magic, so to speak."
The book was black and blue, with a silver clasp on the edge. On the front, where a likeness of Keroberos was supposed to be, was a black monster; a panther of sorts, instead. The words across the top read "The Nova" and a new moon was on the cover where the sun would be on the Clow Book.
"Black Magic? You obviously do not know Clow Reed very well," Yue said, stepping forward. "Everything Clow Reed did was balanced; he created nothing without its equal. As I am the dark aspect of the Moon, there is another, who is the light. Keroberos, who is the light aspect of the sun, also has a counterpart."
"Counterpart, you say?" The man asked, slightly amused. "You are referring to Ruby Moon, and Spinel Sun, are you not?"
The man took pleasure in seeing the three companion's confused and concerned faces. "You have not been paying much attention. I, too, balance the light and dark. But darkness always prevails."
"You talk too much!" Syaoran shouted, running towards the man, but he stopped short when a magic circle appeared beneath him.
"And you rush into things without thinking," the man said. Finally, the hand in his pocket came out, and he opened it. Without a word, the object he held glowed and transformed, creating the dark and twisted staff. "Nova Card!" he shouted, pulling out a black Star Card. Summoning its power, black wings appeared on the man's shoes, and he Jumped high above them.
"It's the Jump! But how can he summon the Star Cards?" Keroberos shouted, his voice growling.
Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, they heard Sakura's voice. "Erase!" she shouted. Though they could not see her, they could sense her. The forest around them dissolved, and Sakura appeared. She turned The Erase on the man, but he jumped before the card could reach him.
"I would very much enjoy staying and continuing our little chat, but I have somewhere I have to be!" Sakura glared up at him, her green eyes full of anger that was so unlike her. In her hand was the Star Wand. The man saluted, then disappeared out of the window.
"Sakura!" Syaoran shouted, running to her. "That was the Illusion, wasn't it?" he asked.
"Yes," Yue replied. "I am concerned. This has never happened before; not when there was a current Master. The only time more than one person could command the Cards is during the capture, when the competitors oppose each other for the power to be called Master. Much like what yourself and Sakura went through. Never has anyone other than the Master of the Cards been able to summon their power."
Keroberos looked up at Yue. "You're quite talkative today," he remarked.
Yue closed his eyes and walked away. "I merely am thinking out loud." When he left, Kero turned to Syaoran. Sakura had not said anything, and looking at her, it was obvious why. Her face was still pale, and she was covered in sweat. Suddenly, she swayed on her feet. Syaoran caught her.
"Sakura!" She had already passed out, and the Erase returned to its card form, floating down beside her. "Using just one card did that much damage to her?
"She was already weak, and obviously this man's Cards are the real deal. It also bothers me that he knew of Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun. They live with Eriol, in England." Syaoran nodded, his brows furrowed. Unlike Yue, he was obviously not in a talkative mood.
"We need to find out who he is, and how he is doing this. Sakura's power is being drained, and he must be the one behind it."
AN: Alright, second chapter. I'm on a roll with this one! I've got some ideas for the story, so I'm looking forward to finishing it! As usual, shooting for 16 chapters!
Also, please excuse the lame name for the dark cards. "Dark Cards" just seemed bad, and I could not think of anything else. "Nova" seemed interesting, but not what I was looking for. In the long run, I stuck with Nova!