Author's note: Sorry for the very late update. A lot of things had been going on in my life so I barely had the time to write anything. Sorry again to all my readers.

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS or any of its original characters.

Chapter 21: Blossoming Victor

Syaoran and Ming stayed ready to begin their battle any moment. Sakura stood at a little distance tightly clutching her staff and racing her mind to figure out the clue hidden in their costumes. She felt Michal behind her but something told her that he was not worried at all and busy filming the three of them for Tomoyo's video collection. The two fighters stood still staring into each other's eyes as if waiting for the opponent to make a mistake. None moved a muscle for a while.

Suddenly Sakura felt Syaoran fill his sword with his magic. He was planning something and Sakura anticipated him to attack first. Ming was cautious. Neither knew whether he felt it or not but they had to win it. Syaoran used a little magic in his legs and dashed at Ming at full speed. Ming watched him approach before swinging his staff in a way to deflect Syaoran's sword effectively. Sakura was surprised that he managed it at that speed and power. She knew in an instant that he was skilled. At least as skilful, as Syaoran was since Syaoran did not look surprised at all. He just rotated his body to aim the sword at Ming from behind in his blind spot. Ming seemed to expect it as he skilfully stepped out of the way.

The two boys stopped at a distance again in caution. Sakura watched carefully as the boys circled each other cautiously. Half her mind was still running to figure out the clue hidden with their costume. The other half was busy worrying about Syaoran and concentrating on the duel. Ming charged forward and Syaoran charged as well. Sword met spear and sparks flew. The sound of the metal clashing echoed in the park. Wind picked up slightly since both had used strengthening magic to increase the power of the slash. Sakura clutched her staff tighter as she held her ground.

Syaoran managed to push Ming back and slashed at his stomach with great speed. Mind defended with the metallic handle but the impact still threw him backwards. He skidded back refusing to topple against his opponent. Syaoran gave him no time as he charged again with his sword aimed at his opponent. He kept his sword close to his body for increased defence. Ming place the spear vertically on the ground next to his body and defended with the handle again as it slid along the inside blade. This opened the opening for him as he aimed a punch at Syaoran's face. Nevertheless, it did not catch him off-guard as he simply ducked, rotated his body to bring the sword back and slashed at his feet. Ming jumped up with the support of his spear. The sword struck the spear base and Ming used its force to spin it one-eighty degrees aiming the blade at Syaoran's head vertically downwards.

Sakura felt her breath caught in her throat as she saw Ming's attack. Syaoran used his speed magic efficiently once again to jump away as fast as possible. The spear hit the ground and created a small crater. Syaoran got to his feet and readied his stance again. Ming pulled out his spear from the ground and took his stance. They held the ground in extreme caution. The battle had been a stalemate so far. None managed to land a blow on the opponent. Syaoran was not using his regular magic either. He only used speed and power inducing magic as much as Ming did. They stood silently without moving a muscle for a short while.

The duo charged again at full speed. Not being able to use magic had lessened their skills and yet, they seemed better compared to any normal warrior. Ming was not used to battling with such restrictions on magic. He was using all the magic he could under the seal on the city. Syaoran could use many magic and yet, he held back to only speed and strengthening magic to keep the battle fair. As a result, the situation became a stalemate for them. Sakura could not enter because Syaoran wanted to take him alone. She had to stay back and figure out her role in the battle. She had to do something to help Syaoran win it.

Tomoyo sat in her room working on another costume. Meiling sat by the window staring outside at the sky. She stared at the birds in the sky. They were still as everything else was under the time magic. The trees, the breeze, the people and the cars; everything was at a standstill. Meiling sighed as she turned to Tomoyo. They both held a red glow to their bodies. It was the magic that Michal placed in them so that they are not bound by the time magic. Tomoyo looked worried as well as she worked on the costume.

"I know you are worried Meiling." Tomoyo spoke without looking at her. "Just have faith in them. They will emerge victorious from this battle as well."

Meiling sighed, "That is not the thing worrying me. I am wondering what he is planning."

Tomoyo peeked at her, "He is someone everyone trusts a lot. If it was not for him, those two would have been in too much trouble at the beginning of this war."

"I know that Miss Daidouji. It is just that... could there not have been another way to ready them? Without handicapping them so much."

Tomoyo returned to her work, "I am sure Mrs. Yelan must have considered the situation already. If she found another way, she would have discussed it with him already. The fact that she is letting him continue all this with such a handicap proves there was no other way."

Meiling sighed and nodded, "You are right. What do we know of magic anyway? Eriol and Aunt Yelan are supporting him on this."

Tomoyo nodded, "By the way, Meiling." Meiling looked at Tomoyo as she stopped her work to look at Meiling. "Why are you still calling me Miss Daidouji? I told you to call me Tomoyo."

Meiling grinned apologetically, "Sorry Tomoyo. It slips sometimes. I have always called you that so it slips."

Tomoyo smiled, "Do not worry. You will get used to it."

Tomoyo resumed her work and Meiling returned to stare outside the window. However, she was lost in her thoughts. She still had to figure out her own role in all this. She had no magic. She could not help them train. She did not have the skills of a designer so she could only suggest a thing or two to Tomoyo. What was she doing here then?

Sakura could not help but worry about Syaoran as the battle continued. She could tell it was more about who makes the first mistake. They have been equal so far as they parried each attack and countered instantly. The worry was distracting her from concentrating on her current objective. She needed to figure out the clue hidden in their costumes even they wanted to grab victory. She knew Michal would not joke about such things. He knew more about this war than he let out so he would be careful about this stuff. If he said there was a clue, neither Sakura nor Syaoran doubted his words. They trusted him that much.

Syaoran evaded another fatal blow and stepped back to catch some breath. Ming stepped back as well. He was panting just as hard. Possessing magic automatically gave them increased stamina. Greater than a normal human to possess. Being warriors with fine tuning training escalated the stamina further. However, when two of a kind met, it was difficult to tell who would win. Syaoran knew that Ming could hold his own in a fight with him if it concerned only weapon fighting. Magic was the only department where he could beat Ming. Otherwise, it was a stalemate case.

Michal left the clue for this very reason. Syaoran figured that Michal must have known in advance that he would not use his magic in this fight to keep it fair. Therefore, he left a clue that could help with his victory. However, he was too engrossed in the fight where he cannot afford to make a mistake or he would lose. Therefore, he could not ponder over the clue. He had faith in Sakura. She always figured out the clues in the past. He was sure she would do the same this time as well. He simply needed to hold out until she did.

Sakura could see that Syaoran was getting tired. He might not last long. He was relying on her to figure it out for both of them. Sakura shut her eyes to block the fight and concentrate on the task at hand. However, it was still difficult as she kept hearing the metal clashing. She grew more worried with each clash. She felt a hand on her shoulder and knew it was Michal trying to calm her. She opened her eyes and breathed deep. Then she smiled softly and returned to the fight. Both breathed hard. Syaoran was sweating and Ming was probably too behind his mask.

Syaoran and Ming dashed towards each other at the same time. The sword and the spear clashed as they deflected each other. Syaoran used the force of deflection to spin his body around with the sword to increase its momentum and power of the attack. Ming did the same as he spun the spear over his head. The two weapons struck again with enough force for Sakura to feel the impact as well. Syaoran slid his sword over the steel handle and Ming let go of it to avoid losing his fingers. He ducked under the spear and avoided his sword as he gracefully caught his spear again before rolling away. Syaoran turned to face Ming that was already on his feet. They thrust their weapons towards each other and the blades struck with much force again.

The impact pushed them back. Syaoran returned to his stance. Ming did the same as well. Normal methods proved useless. It was stalemate. Syaoran needed to put pressure on Ming so that Sakura could relax enough to think. He knew she was too worried about him due to the stalemate situation. He concentrated his magic into the sword. It glowed silver and lost its weight. Ming's eyes narrowed behind the mask. He did not know what Syaoran did but it was some magic. Syaoran charged at him at an incredible speed to surprise Ming and attacked with his sword. Ming barely managed to defend and the impact threw him off his feet. He fell back.

Syaoran did not give him the time to recover and attacked again. With the sword weighing nothing and his speed enhanced as much as before, the results were in his favour. He had a hunch that Ming might not be able to sense magic as well as he could yet. Nor could he use his magic to lighten his weapon either. Syaoran himself had learned it only a few days back with the new form of magic. He knew for certain that Ming did not know that magic yet or else they would have been fighting using magic as well. Ming was shocked with the amount of power Syaoran had in the swing. He swung and moved as if the sword weighed nothing.

Ming barely managed to avoid another fatal slash. The spear weighed him down so he could not move as fast as he could without it. He had no choice but to stay on his toes and defend even though he could tell that Syaoran was gaining the upper hand. Sakura relaxed to see that Syaoran was doing better now. The situation had shifted in his favour. She smiled gladly to see that. Michal recorded everything with a smirk. He patiently waited for the moment she would figure out her role. He had an extra camera floating at a distance, focussed on her just to record her actions at that time. He enjoyed everything, as he stayed invisible from everyone. He smirked as he looked up and noticed two spheres floating in the sky. They stayed well hidden from the trio but he was too good to not notice it. He was sure though that they could not sense him present there. It would fun to scare at least one of them considering the other will know that he is present somewhere.

Syaoran slashed vertically and Ming was not fast enough to completely avoid it. It grazed his mask and Ming jumped back immediately. Syaoran was surprised. He was positive that Ming would attack him in that instant when his defence was down. He knew he could defend against it with his speed but Ming's sudden retreat surprised him. Was the graze on the mask that surprising to him? Warriors often ignored any damage to mask or clothes if it gave them a chance to attack. Why would Ming retreat then?

Suddenly it clicked to Syaoran. He did not think of it before but now it struck him. Why was Ming wearing the mask in the first place? It was no use hiding his identity since Syaoran knew already. Ming was no fool either so it cannot be on a whim. There has to be a reason. Could the mask be a weak spot for Ming at the moment? Was he hiding something? Syaoran decided to gamble on it. He knew it was risky. Maybe Ming wanted him to think of it as a weak spot. It would open his defence for him a bit but he would not know until he tried it at least once.

Syaoran charged again focussing his attacks at the mask. Ming was still a bit surprised from the earlier attack and he could not defend properly. Syaoran managed to crack the side of his mask. Ming jumped back once more as he adjusted his mask. Syaoran noticed his eyes dart to Sakura for a moment. Was he planning to attack Sakura instead? No. He knew Ming well enough to know that he would not resort to such tricks. Ming watched Syaoran for a moment with intense eyes before he took his stance.

They charged together. Syaoran was faster and had more power. However, Ming was a trained fighter. He managed to counter and defend every attack though with slight difficulty. Syaoran noticed that his defences focussed the mask now. He was more ruthless with his attacks as well. Syaoran continued to avoid his attacks and pushed in a scratch or two on his mask. The mask was cracking and Ming continued to defend it to the best of his abilities. However, Syaoran was faster and more powerful. Ming knew that Syaoran had managed to make the sword weightless for himself. Logically, that should cut his attack strength without the weight of the sword. However, his attacks were more powerful instead. It did not make sense. They were heavier than ever for him.

Ming thrust his spear at Syaoran's stomach but he sidestepped. In the time Ming took to withdraw his spear for defence, Syaoran landed a powerful blow on his mask. It did not hurt him but his mask shattered with that. Ming stumbled back and Syaoran jumped away as well. He waited to see why Ming hid his face. What was the weak spot that he had been defending all this time? Ming stood up as his face became visible to everyone. Syaoran spotted nothing amiss. He sensed no magical weak points either. Ming seemed uncomfortable now.

Syaoran was confused until he heard Sakura's gasp behind him. He turned to look at her and saw her shocked as she stared at Ming. He winced at her gasped knowing that she recognised him. Syaoran was confused at her reaction.

"Jet! What are you doing here?" Sakura spoke worriedly.

Syaoran was surprised that she knew him. Jet looked to the ground with discomfort. He did not want his identity exposed to her. However, it was out now.

Syaoran asked, "How do you know him Sakura?"

Sakura replied, "He is the new friend I told you about. He was new in town and showed him around."

Syaoran was shocked, "It was him! You spent an entire day with him. Did you not sense his magic?"

Jet replied in a low tone, "She could not sense it. Mom hid it before we arrived."

That made sense. Syaoran knew that Sakura would not spend the day with an unknown person if he or she had magic. She knew it could prove risky.

Sakura asked with teary eyes, "Why Jet? I thought we became friends. Why are you the enemy?"

Jet replied, "I do not have a choice Sakura. If I do not fight, my clan will pay the price for it."

Syaoran asked, "Did you know of her identity when you spend the day with her?"

Jet nodded, "Yes. Everyone does. You all are very famous. You, her, her two guardians, Clow's incarnation and his assistant; every one of you known to all the sorcerers in the world from your pictures."

Syaoran grumbled at it but he half expected it that way. Sakura was depressed that they had to battle her new friend. She did not want to lose a new friend so early.

Syaoran asked, "Why did you hide behind the mask?"

Jet sighed, "I...I did not want her to know that it is me. I finally had a friend that did not look at me in the light everyone else back in China did. I did not want to lose that friend. Behind the mask, I would be the opponent but without it, I would be a friend. After spending the day with her, I lost my will to fight her as well. That is why I was glad it would a one-on-one match against you."

Syaoran sighed at his word. He was not surprised that Sakura had such an impact on Jet. In fact, he would have been surprised if Sakura did not have such an impact on him. She won everyone over with her pure and gentle heart.

"Let us continue this and finish fast. Even I have lost my will to fight now." Syaoran sighed.

They both took their stance and continued battling. Sakura watched them with depressed looks. Why did the world have to be so cruel? She had made a new friend. She liked him as a person. They had only just become friends and she hoped they would stay friends for a long time. However, they were on opposite sides. He was after their lives as all of them before him. Even she knew that a friendship is not possible in such a case. She did not want to lose a friend.

Michal placed a hand on her shoulder knowing her heart very well. Sakura glanced towards him for a second. He bent to her ears and whispered, "What does a cheerleader do for her players during a soccer match?"

Sakura was surprised as she looked at the fight. The answer was obvious. She wore a cheerleader uniform and Syaoran wore a soccer uniform. It was very obvious. Why did it not click to her before? However, her heart stayed in turmoil. Should she support Syaoran? Would that not mean that 'she' turned her back to her friendship with Jet? Did she want to do that? Sakura did not want to betray her new friend. The struggle in her heart intensified now.

The match was a stalemate once again. Both of them seemed to have lost the fire. They both seemed too tired to continue but still fought for the sake of deciding a victor. Both seemed ready to give up but could not do so since that was not an option available to either of them. It had now become a match to determine who lost strength first and fell. Neither was in the mood to battle. Jet was depressed that Sakura knew about him and he would lose an important friend. Syaoran had a lot in his head and he needed to sort it out first. The battle had lost colour. He could tell that Jet did not wish to fight at all now.

Michal whispered in her ears, "It is your choice my dear. We all will accept your choice. Be quick though."

Sakura nodded slightly and then she wiped her tears. She looked at the fight and made a quick decision. She knew what she had to do next. Michal activated the second camera he had focussed at her. He smirked as the moment he had been waiting had finally arrived. Sakura took a deep breath.

She twirled her staff like a baton, "Go Syaoran! Go Syaoran! Go go go!"

Syaoran and Jet halted in mid battle with shocked eyes at her cheering voice. They looked at her with shock and noticed her smiling for Syaoran as she cheered him.

"Win Syaoran! Win Syaoran! Win win win!" She chanted as she twirled her baton and danced the cheerleader dance.

While Jet was confused why she was doing that and his morale lowered that she was cheering for Syaoran; Syaoran suddenly realised the meaning behind their costumes. It made sense to him. Suddenly he felt more confident and fired up to win it. Sakura cheered for him and while he was slightly embarrassed at it, he was floating happily too.

Jet barely had the time to block as Syaoran charged at him with renewed strength. The reluctance to fight from earlier had vanished and he was now determined to win with Sakura cheering for him. Jet was barely able to defend but most slashes connected with his cloth. He was losing this fight undoubtedly. A powerful blow against his spear sent him back. Syaoran did not give him the chance to correct his stance as he dashed for the finishing blow to disarm him.

Someone larger than him appeared in a flash before Jet and deflected Syaoran's sword effectively while he was surprised. Syaoran jumped back and came to halt with his sword ready for the new enemy. Sakura was by his side with her staff ready to support him for the next battle. A beautiful woman in Chinese robe stood before Jet with a fan charged with her magic and silver dragon design. Jet looked at the woman with shock.

"Mom! What are you doing here?" Jet spoke aloud.

Syaoran and Sakura were surprised as they relaxed. They both had a hunch that she was not here to battle them. A moment later, they felt Yelan's magic from above them. The trio looked up to see that Yelan was present as well. The woman did not look surprised that Yelan was there. The trio was shocked that the two women had come so close and they had not felt their presence at all until revealed themselves. Were they just that good with magic or did the trio had a long way to go with magic sensing?

Yelan descended gracefully, "Lian Ming. Why did you interfere?"

Lian replied, "Yelan Li. My son has lost. The card mistress defeated him fairly easily."

Yelan's fan appeared in her hand as she hid her lips behind it, "But our sons were battling a duel. How could she defeat him without using her magic?"

Lian grumbled slightly, "Quit it Yelan. I still have no idea how you knew this would happen."

Yelan giggled elegantly. Sakura and Syaoran backed away from her out of instinct. Jet was confused at his mother's irritation as he got up.

Yelan spoke, "Since I won the bet, you will have to do as I told you to."

Lian grumbled, "Fine. Why do you want that done anyway?"

Yelan's eyes sparkled, "You would be happy if I tell you the reason. Should we talk at your place or mine?"

Lian was confused, "Here is good enough a place."

Yelan chuckled, "I am afraid I cannot disclose this to these children or it could ruin my plans. Come closer then."

Lian went closer and Yelan whispered something in her ears. The short conversation shocked Lian for a moment before her eyes sparkled similar to Yelan's. Her fan appeared as well as she hid her lips behind it. The three kids sweat-dropped at this. What was with clan leader women and fans? Lian chuckled similar to Yelan and it made chills run down the kids' spine.

Jet asked, "M-mom. What bet? What is going on?"

Lian looked at her son and her shiny eyes sparkled like crazy, "Oh nothing big. Yelan contacted me earlier today for a bet on today's battle. I knew you would lose even in a one-on-one battle since you would be unable to use most of your magic and Xiao Lang is accustomed to it inside this area. I knew Syaoran would defeat you. Yelan did not think so."

The two boys were shocked as well as dejected. Their own moms thought that they would lose.

Sakura asked innocently, "Why did Mrs Yelan think that Syaoran would lose?"

Lian and Yelan chuckled together at her words. Syaoran had already coloured at her innocence and Jet could not help but smile. She never said anything wrong. She just said it with so much innocence that only Sakura could display.

Lian spoke, "I see now why my son lost to you so easily card mistress. And no. Yelan did not say that her son would lose. She said that my son would fight her son but lose to the card mistress."

Syaoran asked, "What do you mean? I defeated him honestly. She never took a part in this battle."

Michal appeared at that moment, still recording Sakura and Syaoran. Lian and Jet were alarmed but the rest stayed relaxed. This confused the mother-son duo.

Michal spoke, "I believe she cheered you on and gave you the strength to defeat him which in turn lowered his morale slightly and caused his defeat. She defeated him while you fought him. That was the purpose of your uniforms."

Lian asked with caution, "Who are you and how long have you been watching us?"

Yelan smiled, "He has been here since the beginning Lian. He was here even before the two of us arrived. He placed this elaborated seal on the town that prevents anyone from using a medium for magic. He is their current teacher and camera man."

Jet asked, "Camera man?"

Sakura and Syaoran grumbled slightly while Michal and Yelan chuckled.

Michal replied, "Sakura has a cousin. She loves recording these two but these battles can take dangerous turns so I record in her place. By the way, I am the one that gave Yelan the idea for the bet Lian."

Lian was surprised, "You came up with it! I mean, it is good but...what would you get from it?"

Michal smirked, "Oh I love playing around with people. Manipulating them for my purposes. Do you really think that Jet got chosen for such a disadvantageous battle due to some bad luck?"

Lian and Jet were shocked while Yelan just smiled knowing he must have been involved all along. Michal continued to smirk mockingly at the duo.

"Oh no. I had this entire match-up set up for that bet. Including their costumes." Michal laughed his evil laughter while the duo was stunned.

The three kids did not know of the bet but Lian did and she was soon lost in thoughts. Michal shut the camera and turned to Syaoran.

"Take Sakura to your home. Yelan and I will come later." He ordered Syaoran with a serious tone.

Syaoran nodded and immediately turned to leave. Sakura turned to Jet with a smile.

"Are you alright Jet?" She asked softly.

Jet nodded with a smile, "I am fine. Thanks for asking."

Sakura asked, "Can we stay friends even after this? I mean..."

She left it hanging and Jet was surprised. He did not expect her to consider that. He thought she would hate him already. Sakura waited for his answer. Lian smiled to see Sakura's kindness. Others knew she would do that. Syaoran did not mind either. Sakura was just like that.

"I...I would love that. Thanks Sakura. I really appreciate it." Jet replied gladly.

Sakura beamed with her bright smile, "Great. See you soon then."

She went and stopped next to Syaoran before waving at everyone. He left with Sakura. Jet watched them leave carelessly talking to each other and he smiled at it. Michal suddenly touched his forehead and he fell asleep. Lian was alarmed.

"What did you do to my son?"

"Relax. He is just sleeping. He needs it anyway after that fight."

Lian double checked her son and found him simply asleep each time. It was a simple spell that she knew as well.

Lian turned to Yelan, "Yelan. Who is this man?"

Michal replied instead, "You do not need to know yet. Anyway, you will need to report to the queen after this. Do you mind giving her a message from my side?"

Lian was still alert, "What message?"

"Tell her that black rose and green thorn will sting the colourful cream." Michal spoke with a smile. Queen(eva's shadow so black) and Michal need to meet at ice-cream cafe

Lian made an 'are-you-ridiculous' face, "What? What does it mean?"

Michal spoke, "Just tell her that. She will understand perfectly."

Yelan asked, "Can you not tell us what it means? We will not force you if you do not want to but..."

Lian shouted, "Well I am going to force him. What does it mean? How can I be sure that Queen will not kill me after hearing that?"

Yelan spoke, "I can assure you of that Lian. He would not put you in any danger for a joke. Michal."

Michal sighed, "Fine. You are such a spoilsport. I use a code every time I have to tell her that we need to meet. The colourful cream is ice-cream so we will meet in the usual cafe. Normally Nako takes the message to her but she would be slightly busy this time with a few things so I asked Lian to do it instead."

The two women were surprised. Yelan was less surprised since she already knew that he met that woman. Lian was utterly shocked that he met her and they had a code language for it.

Lian asked, "Why would she come to meet you? She never does that. She will kill you if... wait a minute! Are you asking her to come in this town to meet you?"

Michal nodded innocently, "Yes. Why?"

Lian was horrified, "Are you out of your mind? If she gets angry, she will blow off this entire town."

Michal smirked, "No. She will not do that. She cannot risk upsetting me. The last time she tried that, she did not come out of it unscathed. She still has the scars to remember that time."

Lian's jaw was on the floor hearing his words. Even Yelan was shocked now.

Michal clicked his fingers and the scene changed around them. They saw a barren land with many scars on the ground and marks of destruction everywhere. They saw another Michal standing between them and he was looking up in the sky with a serious face. They followed his eyes and looked up. The next moment, they were shocked to see Queen floating in the sky holding a ball of magic, the size of a mountain, in her hands above her head.

"DIE!" She shouted as she threw the ball at the second Michal.

The first Michal spoke, "This is just a memory. She lost this battle."

Yelan asked in disbelief, "She lost even with that!"

Michal scoffed, "That! That was the most pathetic attack I have ever seen. She was desperate to kill me." The massive ball came down and hit the fake Michal. Immediately the scene changed and they all stood high in the air very far away from the original place. They saw the ball far away hit the ground and instantly the land shook from the impact. It was several times more powerful than nuclear explosions. The entire area was blown to smithereens. Queen floated high in the air out of breath. The next instant, fake Michal had teleported again and stabbed her with a sword in her shoulder. She cried in pain but he did not stop and stabbed her again. Queen flew away but Michal was faster as he reached her in no time and stabbed her stomach this time. He punched her under her neck next and she hit the ground like a meteor. Fake Michal appeared over her and held another sword at her throat.

"If you ever, ever try to blow up a village, town or city again; I will kill you. Do you understand?"

The woman nodded. The fake queen of memories had her face unclear but Yelan and Lian could tell that she was terrified now. Michal just chuckled. The memory dispelled and they were back in the park.

Michal smiled, "Now you know why she would never do anything stupid while I am around."

Lian was still in a shock. Queen was the most powerful mage in the world. So powerful that even the biggest of clans would not dare to go against her. She was merciless and brutal. She did everything her way. None ever thought that anyone would ever be able to defeat her. Yet here stands a man that had not only defeated her but frightened her as well. A man even stronger than Queen yet none had heard of him.

Lian asked, "If you are more powerful than Queen, why are you not known?"

Michal replied, "That is because Sakura and Syaoran would be in greater danger if I was a known figure. I never revealed myself to anyone so that those two would stay safer."

Lian spoke, "You could take control of this war any time you wish. Why have not done so yet?"

Michal smirked, "Why do you think it is going so conveniently for those two? Why do you think those two are still alive after having shown so much power and potential so far? Why do you think your son is here? Eva and I are controlling this war in their favour from the shadows."

Lian was shocked again, "Eva! Did she not disappear back then Yelan?"

Yelan smiled, "Meet Michal again Lian. Eva's fiancé."

Lian's jaw was on the floor again while Michal chuckled.

"F-fiancé! You are joking! Where is Eva? I will not believe it until she says so herself."

Michal replied, "Fine. When you meet the Queen for your report, Eva will be there to hear it from you. Just do not tell anyone that you know her. Queen listens to her and if she found out that I know Eva, it would troublesome."

Lian nodded understandingly. She had nothing against Sakura or Syaoran so she did not mind keeping those secrets. Besides, her son Jet had found a cherishing friend in Sakura and she did not want to dampen his chances of retaining that friend.

Yelan turned to Michal, "Why did you make them wear that costume?"

Michal replied, "That is because I wanted Sakura to make the choice. Would she support her boyfriend or would she support her new friend? I did not think Jet and Sakura would meet before the fight but I was wondering how to go about with my plans. When they met, it opened a path for me and I placed that bet. Then I found out that Jet would use a mask to hide his identity from Sakura in the attempt to not lose a good friend to a stupid battle. I figured this was the perfect moment to record Sakura cheerlead for someone."

Yelan and Ming exchanged confused glances, "That is still very confusing."

"Once his identity was revealed to her, he lost his will to fight because he thought he lost his only good friend. Even if he won, it would still be his loss. Syaoran felt awkward in that situation. He felt out of place so he lost his will to fight. However, neither could just stop fighting. They did not have the freedom. Sakura became the key factor with that. Whomever she chose would win the battle while the other would lose morale. Syaoran is her boyfriend so he is the obvious choice. Ming knew that but he would still lose his fire. If she chose Ming, Syaoran would understand the reason but his morale would be lowered anyway. She made her choice with her boyfriend battling for her."

Lian asked, "Okay. That makes some sense but some is still confusing. Why the cheerleading uniform?"

Michal smirked, "I wanted to see their faces when Sakura would dance. You must have seen them. They forgot all about the battle and wondered if Sakura had lost her mind. Syaoran resembled a ripened tomato to see her cheer for him. I made sure I recorded all of that very carefully."

Yelan chuckled, "I would like to borrow that tape sometime."

Lian sighed, "Wow Yelan. You have got yourself one powerful future daughter. I never thought I would ever see a person defeat someone with just a cheering dance. I think both our sons lost to her and she won today."

Yelan nodded proudly, "My thoughts are exactly the same."

Lian grimaced, "You should know that you will have to battle them some day as well."

Yelan became serious, "As much as I do not like that situation, I have told them about it. We mutually agreed to not hold back during that battle."

Lian was shocked, "You will not? Why?"

Yelan replied, "That would be disrespecting all the hard work they put into it. I want them to defeat me fair and square, not because I gave them the chance to. I am positive they will win and make me very proud."

Michal spoke, "That they will. Lian. Take your son and go home. Remember the bet. Yelan. You should return home as well. My sources tell me that both your clans will ask for complete details about the battle."

Lian took her son and flew away. Yelan watched her leave before she turned to Michal.

"Are you not coming? They will have questions for you." Yelan asked gracefully.

"No. I am going to check the seals around the town. People keep trying to infiltrate through clairvoyance and I want to make sure all the seals are undamaged. It will take time. You can answer their queries."

Yelan nodded and flew away as well. Michal watched her and then shut his eyes. He concentrated as a magical circle appeared under his feet. It glowed brightly in blue before it enlarged to cover the entire town. Several spots around the town glowed red. Michal glided high in the air with a frowning face.

"Those sneaky sorcerers. Putting spying seals in town while we were busy with this battle." He grumbled angrily.

He concentrated again as one by one, all the red spots began to disappear. After that, he flew away.

End of chapter 21.

Read and Review guys. They are exactly what keeps me motivated to write more. Forgive me for any mistakes.