Eriol paced the enclosed space where he was being kept. His eyes were focused and his jaw set firmly as many different thoughts on how to escape crossed his mind. He was nowhere near as powerful as he once was, in this life or in his former life; Sakura and Darian were on a whole new level. He had retained enough power to keep Ruby Moon and Spinnel Sun, though. Or so he thought.

Now both guardians were under Darian's control. Eriol was certain they were not with him of their own free will. Darian had simply found away to erase his existence from their minds and replace it with his own. If Eriol could rescue them from Darian's grasp, perhaps he might have a chance to help Sakura.

This thought caused him to stop pacing. Help Sakura? No, he could no longer help her. He had promised himself, and it was not fair to her. Eriol and Clow Reed needed to be out of Sakura's life, so that she could live it herself. But then again, this was not merely war on Sakura and the Cards. It was war on him, as well, and his creations.

Eriol held out his hand and tried to summon his staff. Once again, it failed. Darian's sphere of influence was unimaginably powerful. The young man sighed and sat down in one of the chairs of the small room. "What am I going to do?" he asked himself. If he could not use his magic, he could not escape. If he could not escape, he could not help Sakura.

The magician smiled grimly, resting his chin on his hands. "I guess I'll just have to rely on you to rescue me, Sakura… Just this once."

"You said you knew where he would be!"

"I said I might know where he would be! I know he's in Tomoeda, but I can't pinpoint his location!"

"You are useless, aren't you?"

"Why you little punk…"

The only thing that stopped the oncoming fight was Yukito. He placed himself between Syaoran and Toya, smiling and holding up his hands. "Come now, you two. There's no need for that. I'm sure we'll be able to find him." Yukito stole a worried glance towards Sakura. "Besides, your fighting isn't helping Sakura at all!" he whispered sternly.

Toya and Syaoran had nothing in common. Nothing except their love for Sakura. For her, either one of them would give up anything, even putting aside their argument when both of them wanted nothing more than to knock the other one out.

"Sakura? Are you okay?" Tomoyo asked, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. Sakura nodded.

"This has to end," the young woman said. She clenched her fists. "It has to end, one way or the other."

"You can't let anymore Cards fall into this guy's hands, Sakura, I don't care who he is! I picked you to be the new Master, and Yue confirmed that! You are the only one in this lifetime meant to hold the Cards." Kero had flown over to Sakura and hovered near her shoulder.

Sakura smiled at Kero. "Thanks, Kero-chan," she said cheerfully.

"That's my girl," the guardian said. "Now, let's go kick some thieving butt!"

Eriol did not know much about what was going on outside of his room, but he did notice when Darian returned, obviously weakened, but still with a feeling of triumph.

"What are you doing, Sakura? Hurry up and get rid of this guy," Eriol muttered to the darkness. He stood in the center of his room, trying once more to summon his circle, but his concentration was interrupted by a knock at the door. He made no move to answer it.

Instead, it opened anyways, revealing Ruby Moon carrying a tray of food. Her eyes were glazed over, almost black, as she walked in. There was no recognition in them when she looked at Eriol. She set the tray down on the table, and turned to face him. Behind her, Darian appeared, his long dark red hair draped over his shoulder in a ponytail, as it usually was.

In one hand he carried the Staff of the Nova, and in the other he carried the Book of the Nova, within it all the cards he had captured. He smirked when he looked at Eriol. "I do apologize, Clow Reed, for such small accommodations. I assure you, once I have all nineteen cards, I will move you to a more… appropriate location."

Eriol narrowed his eyes and smiled grimly. "I'm sure that I'm much more comfortable here than anywhere you would send me once you've gotten a hold of all of Sakura's remaining power."

Darian chuckled. "You're probably right. Unfortunately I don't have enough power to lock you away in a dimensional prison. But as long as I keep you out of the way until I gain Sakura's last few Star Cards, then I won't have a problem. Once that's done, Sakura will be no threat to me, unless you're still here. Once I have all the Cards, the Guardian Beast and the Judge will be mine as well. The only thing standing in my way after that is you.. You who could possibly tell Sakura how to take back the Cards."

"You think you have this all planned out, don't you?" Eriol asked.

"I do. Rather ingenious, don't you think?"

"You're missing one key element." Darian raised his eyebrows in question. Eriol continued: "Sakura won't lose anymore Cards."

The red-haired man laughed out loud. "That no longer matters, Clow. Her power over them is weakening." Darian turned to leave, waving as he did so. "I only have to call forth the Judge, and he will test us. And I'll be the one to pass, this time around." Ruby Moon turned to follow him out of the room, shutting the door behind her, and leaving Eriol alone to his thoughts.

Sakura stood in the middle of Penguin Park. Syaoran, Tomoyo, and Toya stood a good bit away, so as not to interrupt her. Only Kero and Yukito stood nearby. Sakura opened her arms and closed her eyes, concentrating hard. After a few minutes, a wind seemed to swirl around her, lifting her off the ground just slightly. The ground beneath her began to glow, and her circle appeared.

"He is close," Sakura said. "I can sense him. But… his essence is obscured by something else. Like a barrier of sorts. I'm getting closer, though," she added. In her mind's eye, it seemed she was following a path. A path that led to Eriol. But the magic flowing through her began to dwindle as a black magic circle appeared over her own golden one, as if suppressing it.

"I do apologize," said a voice, "but I cannot allow you to see Eriol just yet." Darian walked towards them, causing the group to tense up. "Please relax, I have come to extend an invitation, not a challenge." The man thought for a moment, then smiled. "Well, it is a challenge. A fair fight, to settle things once and for all between us, Sakura Li."

"That sounds good," she replied with a grim smile. "I feel the need to settle this as well."

Darian clapped his hands together. "Well then, I'm glad we agree!" Behind him appeared Ruby Moon and Spinnel Sun. "Meet me tomorrow night at the top of Tokyo Tower. Don't be late," he said. Then, without another word, he and the two guardians disappeared.

Toya raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Tokyo Tower? Why there?" Sakura, Syaoran, and the others, however, were silent. "Guys? What's at Tokyo Tower?"

Syaoran said gloomily, "It was where the Final Judgment took place sixteen years ago, when Sakura was named Master of the Cards." He stole a glance at Yukito. "No doubt.. He's going to try and recreate that, with himself and Sakura as the candidates instead of her and myself, like it was the first time."

"But how is that possible?" Tomoyo asked. "Yue is the Judge, and he cannot sustain his form. Plus, he's already named Sakura as Master, hasn't he? Won't he just do it again?"

"It's not so simple," Kero chimed in. "The Judge is obligated to test each candidate. Anyone who holds at least a single card under their control can take the test. This means, even a Master of the Cards can be challenged. When the time comes for the test, Yue will appear, for better or for worse."

Yukito smiled and placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Don't worry, Sakura. I'm sure Yue will recognize you, he won't forget about you so easily, I know."

Even though no one believed his words, not even Yukito himself, Sakura felt much better. Perhaps there would be a way to reach Yue, if he truly did come back as her enemy.