Chapter 22
Endgame
The magical branches all disappeared, and the two halves of the magician fell separately, hitting the ground with a nasty splatting noise.
Silence - perfect, pristine, virgin silence fell in the wake of that final impact. Everyone stood stunned, numb at the sight of glistening, exposed spine, of trailing intestines, of shining blood, of the twisted and gnarled wreck of a figure that had once been a human being. Had once been their friend.
Kurogane bellowed; feral, enraged, anguished. And he charged, charged right through the magical letters that pierced his body, exiting in a small spray of blood, slicing through the lightning spell, not even bothering to pause at the surge of electricity that seized his muscles.
"Kurogane-san stop!" The princess begged. "Stop, or you'll die as well!"
Syaoran couldn't move, couldn't hear anything around him but the pulsing of his own heart in his ears, and at the one phrase that screamed through his mind.
I failed...
"Syaoran-kun! Stop him!"
He continued to stare, as though fascinated by the expanding sanguine puddle.
I... failed...
Two streams of letters caught the ninja, piercing through his shoulders, lifting him off the ground and suspending him there, motionless, as a trio of lance-shaped spells lanced through Kurogane's torso, fading, only to do it again.
"Syaoran-kun, please! Save him!" The princess was sobbing now, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"I... failed..." He mumbled out loud.
"Syaoran-kun!"
"I failed!"
Kurogane struggled against the bounds, eyes blazing red, grunting and growling and cursing like a madman.
"You haven't failed anything yet!"
He blinked and looked to the princess.
"Giving up is failing!" She called to him. "Please, help! Don't let anyone else die!"
"Failing... would be to give up..." He looked to Kurogane, who was quickly losing his hold on consciousness, and finally to Fai's body, prone and unmoving, to the key he still held in his hand, cold and lifeless, magic oozing from it like a frozen miasma. "You're right. I should do what I teach."
One final bout of lightning, and Kurogane was sent flying, limp through the air. He landed next to Sakura, who quickly rushed over to his side, checking for vital signs.
Fei Wong turned back to Syaoran, blue eyes narrowed coldly. "There is but one left."
Syaoran raised his sword, standing his ground firmly.
"You think you could win this battle alone, Xiao Lang?" the sorcerer asked, and the teenager glared.
"This dream must come to an end, Fei Wong Reed," the young swordsman stated in reply.
The sorcerer's eyes narrowed, and he launched an attack. Syaoran jumped to the side, again, and again, before being cut off by another attack. This time he jumped up and rolled into a backflip in midair, landing on the ground only to continue dodging and running, all the while his mind raced for a plan to get inside the sorcerer's powerful defenses. An attack caught him, slamming into his stomach, his face, and sent him flying across the room until he rolled to a stop near Sakura.
He heard her whisper his name, but he was on his feet and running again before she could do or say anything else. This time, he actually attempted a charge, but the sorcerer caught him again, beat him soundly with magic, and tossed him away.
On his feet again, squinting against the blood that tried to run into his eye. He'd need both of them for this battle. Another charge, which ended the same way.
"Three of you were bothersome," Fei Wong stated simply. "But just the one? This battle is simple. Alone you are nothing, Xiao Lang."
The teenager just glared in return, wiping blood and sweat from his forehead, drawing his split and bleeding lip into his mouth and tasting his own blood. Off again for another attempt, sending spells and physical attacks after the sorcerer. Again he was repelled, painfully, forced to retreat behind his wind shield to avoid taking further damage.
This was hopeless... and yet he had to try again.
The fourth time he was tossed back over to the princess, and as he stood up, he felt a weight bowl into him from behind, a pair of slender arms wrap around his torso.
"Stop it, Syaoran! You're trying to fight him alone," She whispered fiercely into his back.
"Who else is here that can fight? Kurogane is dying, Fai is dead," he spat out the last words like they tasted bad. "What other choice do I have?"
"You could let us help you... let all of us help you. Yours isn't the only fate hanging in the balance here... and..." She squeezed him tighter. "You're not alone! Everyone... everyone's trying to help you... so... let them help!"
He blinked and looked around, to find Kurogane approaching from his side, slapping him heavily on the shoulder with his real arm, using his mechanical one to keep his stomach in place. "They're trying to help...?" He looked back over toward where Fai lay, and had to squint against the ethereal light he saw. There was the magician, standing over his own dead body, watching Fei Wong with his two-colored eyes. Next to the magician stood what appeared to be an exact copy of him, though this one looked younger, and had both his piercing blue eyes- the real Fai.
"Hyuu... Syaoran-kuunnn. You've got yourself into something of a dilemma this time," Fai... Yuui stated, and his brother continued to stare at the man. "I'm just glad you can see beyond the realm of the living. We'd like to move on, but we've got something we have to do."
"Will you help us?" the real Fai stated and Yuui laughed.
"Of course he will, as long as we help him, right? Go get 'im, Syaoran-kun. Everyone's rootin' for you!" Yuui continued. "Everyone! Can't you feel them? Try it, reach out."
Syaoran closed his eyes, his senses expanding outward, and immediately he felt himself pulled in several directions at once.
Mother...
Sitting alone in a large room, eyes closed, head bowed. She was meditating.
Yuuko...
Standing in her own room, surrounded by her magical circle. She looked right up at him, eyes red and as impassive as they always were. "About time you figured this whole thing out." Then lowered her own head.
Kero and Yue...
Alone together in Penguin Park in their true forms. Above them, the evening sky stretched- the setting sun next to a midday full moon.
Eriol...
In his mansion somewhere in the England of Syaoran's home world, sitting in the large chair; the only thing besides the books he'd brought from his mansion in Tomoeda. Before him, a fire roared, and fog swirled thick beyond the large window of his study. He too kept his eyes closed, and his magic circle glowed beneath him.
Sakura...
The warmth at his back, and even the cold magic he felt in his hand from the key merged together, until the power wasn't as cold any more, in fact, it tingled in his palm.
"What is this power...?" Fei Wong Reed queried, watching, unable to move as Syaoran's magic circle spread around the teenager's feet, lifting him from the ground. Growling, he tried to attack, but his spell was deflected easily. The sorcerer frowned. "As I thought..."
The princess' grip around his middle loosened as she and Kurogane stepped behind him as the different segments separated from each other, from the Yin-Yang under him, and suddenly snapped upright into the air around him, slowly rotating. In the place of each of the circles bearing the character for an element, each circle held its own magic circle- the magic circles of all those who could and would help.
Syaoran slowly cracked his eyes open, watching as the different panels slid across his vision.
A sun with a smaller moon in a circle... Eriol... or was it Clow Reed?
The same symbol but with a large moon in place of the sun... Yukito the priest's power. His mother's power. Odd, he realized, the fact they used the same symbol.
A strange set of letters, less a magical circle than a written spell... Fai.
A pair of stylized wings... Princess Sakura.
A large star with a sun and moon on either side... Sakura Kinomoto.
The other three... His eyes narrowed slightly. He didn't know what the other three were, and, he noted, Yuuko's symbol was missing.
"That would be beyond the limits of my interfering. I can merely watch, and assist with words and prayers for good fortune."
Syaoran closed his eyes and nodded. "And the rest?"
"Bonds forged that cannot be broken, with people whose magic power is not enough to warrant their own symbol."
"You see and understand now."
"Don't fight alone, Syaoran-kun. That's not the way to win."
"He's not alone. He'll never be alone."
"Not as long as we can help it!"
"So kid, now that you know this... do you believe it yet?"
"Believe...?"
"The Invincible Spell!"
His vision snapped open, his sword held out in front of him, feeling more magic coursing through him than he'd ever felt before- ever known himself to be able to possess. His voice was calm and confident, completely sure of the words it uttered. "Everything will be alright."
"What?" Fei Wong asked, stepping back, flinching at the power which crackled in the air around the young man before him.
"And why's that?"
Amber eyes narrowed, directing all of his hate, his sorrow, every negative emotion he'd ever experienced during his capture, travels, and trials at the sorcerer ahead of him. Then he blinked and it was all gone- back to a calm, assertive, and serious facade. "Because this dream will end."
Fei Wong grimaced, holding his sword firmly before him, and stood his ground. Magic lashed out, but the symbols circling Syaoran suddenly sped until they stopped on the star between the sun and moon- and suddenly wind swirled to life about not only Syaoran but his two companions as well, shielding them easily from the powerful attack.
Power flared, the Yin-Yang disappeared, and he dropped to the ground running, his sword drawn, ready for an attack. The stylized wings aligned directly in front of him and suddenly he seemed lighter, quicker, much like he did the few times he'd utilized the Dash card. Fei Wong continued to viciously strike with attack after brutal attack, but each was deflected by the wind shield effortlessly.
Then he leaped, bouncing once and finally up into the air, much higher than he'd ever known he could jump. Clow's symbol flashed before him, before turning red and twining scarlet flame around the blade of his sword. He brought it above his head then swung down, hard. The sword caught on the shield, and sparks flew as the two magics warred violently against each other.
A sound like nearby thunder, and Fei Wong's shield cracked. Then again. Then again. Until finally he was able to repel his attacker. Syaoran flipped neatly in midair, and landed easily on his feet, completely unphased by being tossed through the air. Another attack from Fei Wong Reed, another easy deflection by the wind that swirled around the teenager, rustling his hair.
"His shield is weak. Finish it."
"Finish him."
"Finish this."
Syaoran slammed the point of his sword into the ground, and held his right hand before him, palm forward, fingers splayed- his left clutched the Key. The Yin-Yang appeared, centered on his palm, and suddenly the panels surrounding him aligned back to their center point, but remained separate, and remained rotating. Lightning sparked between the panels and the Yin-Yang.
Fei Wong tried another attack, but it swirled, absorbed into the Yin-Yang and made the circle with two moons glow a deep purple-blue. "What's going on here?!" The sorcerer looked shocked and for the first time, afraid.
"He'll never get it, will he? That old fool."
One after the other, the remaining circles glowed separate colors, brighter and brighter until their original shapes faded and all that was left was a circle of pure color.
"RAITEI!"
Fei Wong Reed raised his sword, trying to repair the cracks in his shield, fortifying his defenses against the attack Syaoran was going to hit him with.
"SHOURAI!"
The panels suddenly converged on the central Yin-Yang, while white light filled the entire arena, forcing all but Syaoran to avert their eyes against the painful glare, while sound like a sonic implosion beat against their eardrums in a wave of deafening static.
When finally their eyes had cleared, the ninja and the princess found Syaoran, bent over, panting in exhaustion, hand still up though the magic circle had faded, a mixture of blood and sweat dripping from his nose and chin; and Fei Wong, leaning heavily against the wall, his sword little more than charred and twisted metal, his monocle broken, his clothing in tatters, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth. Unfortunately, the sorcerer was still alive.
"I... didn't think your power had grown this much, Xiao Lang," the older man panted raggedly, trying and failing to stand on his own power, finally resulting to something that a few moments ago would have seemed beneath his dignity- climbing up the wall, leaving bloody hand prints as he finally brought himself to his feet.
Syaoran stood straight, and wiped his forehead with his left hand, trying to ignore the painful surging in his veins that signified the exhaustion of his magic.
"Though... you were being helped, were you not?" He looked over to the body of Fai, and narrowed his eyes. "I knew... you wouldn't be able to win under your own power... you are... just that weak."
The teenager narrowed his eyes in annoyance, face drawing into a displeased look.
"It's a pity, had Fai been a good little puppet, this wouldn't have happened..." He waved his hand, and symbols swirled into a cocoon shape. When they dissipated, a body floated, mangled and bloody. If it hadn't been for the few patches of honey-brown hair peeking through the rest of the matted, blood-soaked mess, Syaoran wouldn't have recognized the figure before him.
His jaw fell open, his eyes widened, his skin drained of color dramatically as the realization suddenly sank in.
"...Sa... ku... ra..." His voice was but a hoarse whisper in the spacious room.
Fei Wong smirked, and flicked his wrist. The body flew through the air, and Syaoran dove forward, catching it around the shoulders and holding it, hugging the girl's head against his chest.
"No, no... this can't be happening..." He clenched her tighter, pressing his nose into her blood-matted hair. The blood hadn't even finished drying, it was still somewhat wet and sticky as it had been on the staff, even the full chill of death hadn't taken over. "Come on... wake up..." He moved one of his hands up to her neck, gently pressing his first two fingers against her pulse point.
Nothing.
A choked sob escaped him. "Come on Sakura... you... you can't die like this... you're the Master of the Clow Cards... you're a stronger sorcerer than I am! Y... you've got the invincible spell! Everything's going to be alright, right? Right?!" Another sob escaped him, a tear glimmering in the air as it fell from his chin and landed in the hair of the girl he held. He laid her down on the ground, looked into her battered face. The one eye not covered in a long, nasty slash was open just enough for him to see the dull, glassy emerald iris within it. There was no spark of life, just a dark, lifeless glimmer from the dim lighting of the room.
Another tear dripped from his nose, landing on her forehead. His stomach clenched so tightly, he felt as though he was going to be sick, every inch of the inside of his chest hurt, and each heartbeat made the pain more acute. He wished, for a moment, that his heart would stop beating, just so the pain would stop with it.
In the distance, he could vaguely make out Fei Wong Reed chuckling.
"And what's so funny...?" Syaoran growled through clenched teeth.
Fei Wong simply watched the teenager, a smirk tugging up the side of his lips. "You wasted so much time, you know you didn't have a lot to give in the first place. And see where it got you? You're just an hour, maybe, too late to save her. A fool, Xiao Lang. That is what you are."
The teenager gently placed the body he held on the ground, and stepped over it, facing the sorcerer leaning against the wall before him. He didn't even try to hide the rage and pain in his eyes. "No more foolish than you, who chases an impossible dream."
"But now you know the thing which drives me to do it, now that you have lost your precious girlfriend. Can you really call me so foolish?"
"Of course you can."
Syaoran tensed at the sound of the voice, then nodded. "I can. Because I know that her death will not be in vain. And because I know..." He looked over to where Fai and Yuui stood, now joined by a third figure, who watched them with confused green eyes, then to the princess who stared at the trio, openly shocked. "Because I know everything will be alright, even if she's not with me." He raised his sword, and leveled it at the sorcerer, eyes still narrowed. "Can you say the same of whoever it is you are trying to bring back?"
Fei Wong frowned deeply.
"Of course not," Syaoran replied. "Because, Fei Wong Reed, if you could, then you wouldn't feel the need to try to bring them back." He tested his grip on his sword, shifting and adjusting until he was in position, and then he charged.
The sorcerer fought back well, Syaoran noted, watching as strike after strike was somehow averted, but still he continued to press - he had Fei Wong pinned against the wall, there would be no escape for the man, and with the favorable positioning it was only a matter of time before the sorcerer's defenses would crumble and the fight would end for good. From behind him, he heard heavy footsteps, and the presence, he knew, was Kurogane.
He shifted position, ducking beneath Fei Wong's counterattack, and drove forward mercilessly, knocking the sword away, remaining crouched. Another sword streaked through the air over his head, slamming into the sorcerer's wrist, pinning it against the wall.
Fei Wong cried out, his hand losing its grip on the sword.
"That was for the mage," Kurogane's gruff voice sounded.
"And this..." Syaoran said, settling his palm against the pommel of his sword. "Is for everyone else." He drove forward, slamming the tip of the sword into the sorcerer's chest. Blood exploded from the man's mouth, and he slouched forward. Kurogane pulled his sword from the man's arm, readjust his position, and in one smooth motion sent the old sorcerer's head flying, trailing sanguine through the air.
The sound of the head cracking against the ground was the only noise audible other than Syaoran's heavy breathing, and the teenager stood, stiffly, his sword and arm falling limp.
"It's all over now?"
He whirled around, only to find himself face-to-face with the radiating visage of the former Card Captor. He fought hard to not step back, to step away in fear of the image he now saw, but his upper body was already compromising his balance, and he did so anyway.
Green eyes darted down toward the motion of his leg, then back up to his face as Sakura smiled, leaning forward until she was staring up his chin into his eyes. "Afraid of ghosts, Syaoran-kun?"
And for the first time on the trip, the travelers witnessed Syaoran turning bright pink as he began stammering. "I-eh... uh... th-that was your phobia!"
"Key word, 'was'," the girl stated and then laughed. "Hard to be afraid of something you are."
"And yet so easy at the same time," He replied, the blush fading from his cheeks as he averted his gaze. "So very... very easy..."
The Card Captor blinked at him. "Hey, don't be sad. You didn't do anything wrong."
He sighed and slumped in place. "No. I did a lot of things wrong."
"Heeey, Syaoran-kuunn," Yuui stated, appearing in the teenager's peripheral vision. "Just be glad we're the only ones who had to die. It could've ended up much, much worse. So now, I want you to promise me something."
Syaoran looked up suddenly, cocking an eyebrow at the mage.
Yuui grinned and placed a hand on Kinomoto's head. She blinked, surprised, and squeaked out a "Hoe...?" as she turned to look at him.
"I will take care of this one if you..." he turned around, pointing to the princess, who was carefully supporting Kurogane, watching the spectacle silently, expression unreadable. "Take care of that one. Deal?"
Syaoran could only nod dumbly.
"And don't forget to smile every once in a while!" The Card Captor said, smiling herself, warmly. "You were always the most handsome when you smiled. And just remember; no matter what happens - Everything will definitely be alright! We'll see each other again some day..." And then she seemed to remember something, and her look narrowed. "But that some day better not be a day before it's supposed to happen!"
"Ah eh... but I can't..." He tried to retort. "But... but everything is not alright!" He slammed his fist into the ground, not caring as one of his knuckles popped."What... what the hell am I supposed to do now?!"
"The rest of the feathers are in a room behind the throne," Sakura began, pointing to a point directly to the now-empty chair. "After that... well... it's all up to you. No one else can tell you how to live your life." She kneeled down, trying to peek beneath his bangs and meet his eyes. "So that's all I can tell you. Live."
She turned around, and Yuui nodded, turning back and walking away, his figure slowly fading as his brother joined him.
"Well, we've gotta go - our time's up. I know you'll learn to be yourself again. Your heart's already began to attach itself to someone else," Syaoran's head snapped up at her words and she laughed. "I can see it in your eyes, don't try to hide it." She stood then, turned back to the princess, and smiled, tilting her head. "Take good care of him! He may act like it, but he's not invincible; especially his heart. I think it's been broken enough times, it's about time it finally got put back together."
The princess nodded firmly, keeping eye contact with her counterpart. She knew it would be the least she could do, if the pained look in the other girl's eyes was any indication of how hard the goodbye was, especially if Kinomoto was anything like herself and kept the majority of the pain hidden. "You're not jealous...?"
The Card Captor shrugged. "Well, you're me, right? Thinking that way... there's really nothing to feel that way about! And you too, princess: Smile. You don't seem to do it nearly enough either." She smiled at her other self, and the light began to fade from the room, her image fading into nothing.
And just like that Sakura Kinomoto, Fai, and Yuui were gone.
The silence that descended upon the room following their departure was deafening.
-
A/N: Now watch as the final battle fades, leaving ruin and heartache in its wake, hiding hope away from the world.
Clamp says: The easiest way to solve a love triangle is to kill someone. So how do you solve a love square? Kill two someones! Thank you, precious readers. There is but one chapter left. And then maybe a surprise!