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

A/N: I hope you all like this part.

Chapter 26: Impact

Sakura and Syaoran landed on the roof opposite Michal and Nadeshiko. Michal shut the camera in his hand and gave Syaoran a critical eye. Syaoran gulped in nervousness.

"You need to be more careful Syaoran." He pointed at his exposed wrist. "The armour saved your wrist from damage but the impact must have shaken the bones in your wrist. It could have been broken."

Syaoran looked at the ground, "I am sorry. I was just desperate to protect her."

Michal softened up, "It is fine. The armour is good but it has its limits. Keep that in mind. It cannot protect you from everything."

Then he grinned, "On the other hand, I am very proud of both of you. Your training is showing results. You were able to successfully anticipate your opponent's movements and planned ahead. I was impressed with your back up plan in case he got past you. It could not stop him but it slowed him down. Nice job. Could have been better though."

The duo smiled happily at the praise. They were glad he was impressed.

"Sakura. It is okay you used that laser but next time you are in a battle where you two can hold your own against your opponent, draw the fight out instead of trying to end it soon." Michal spoke softly to his goddaughter.

Nadeshiko nodded, "You are not able to use large scale magic as easily as your opponents can. You are not as fast as they are. You are not as strong either. Nevertheless, you two have one advantage over them. You have much more magic in you than any of them. At least, it will be so for a long while. By the time you lose this advantage, both of you will be powerful enough to pull of magic like that laser at the drop of a hat."

Sakura nodded, "Yes mom."

Syaoran turned to Michal, "By the way, how did he heal up so suddenly?"

Michal laughed and even Nadeshiko giggled elegantly.

Michal spoke, "That was the two of you. Both of you wished the same thing. Neither of you wished to hurt him. Both felt sorry and both wished to fix things. Both wanted to be treated as friends are and treated fairly. At that time, Syaoran was supplying Sakura's armour with his magic to relieve her of the burden. So both your magic mixed together like two halves of a whole and created a miracle. Your wishes full of your positive thoughts and pure hearts mixed with that miracle and reached him through her tears that fell on his arm. That healed him up and cleared his heart as well."

Syaoran and Sakura stared at him with shock. They were amazed something like that happened without them knowing anything. They knew that their magic mixed well together but they never thought it could something like that.

Michal spoke, "Well any way, we need to leave now. School cannot wait forever. We will have to up your training now. There is so much that you two need to learn. You two fought well but you could have done better."

The duo nodded in determination. The four of them flew towards the school. Everything was calm there. It was exactly as they had left. They reached the class and opened the door. The scene inside was confusing as well as amusing. Eriol and Meiling were in a corner with terrified looks. Eriol was holding a chair in front of him and fending off a sparkling person. Jet lay tied and gagged next to Eriol.

"Back off foul beast!" Eriol shouted with fear evident in his voice as he pushed the glittering person with the chair.

On a closer look, they could see the sparkling person holding a pen and notepad in one hand and a measuring tape in another. On a closer look, this person had long black hair and wore a girl's uniform.

"Come on guys. Let me take the measurements." On even closer look, they recognised that voice instantly.

It belonged to none other than Tomoyo Daidouji. Only she could pull off a sparkling person persona that scared everyone. Sakura gave her infamous '!HOE!' squeak that only her companions heard.

Michal asked, "What did we miss?"

Meiling replied, "Jet suggested her to make clothes for him. Now she wants to doll all of us up."

Syaoran smirked, "So what is the problem. Let her do what she wants."

Both Eriol and Meiling glared daggers at him but he did not lose his smirk.

Eriol spoke, "Thank you very much but I am perfectly happy with what I wear."

Michal said, "You could have used your barriers to contain her."

Eriol replied, "I did. She broke through all of them like paper. This chair is all that I have left. Back off I say!"

Michal, Nadeshiko and Syaoran laughed while Sakura was pink with embarrassment over her best friend's antics.

Eriol glared at them, "Do not just stand and laugh. Help us."

Michal chuckled, "Beware of the infamous 'Tomoeda seamstress'. She will rip through all obstacles to get what she wants."

Michal stepped forward and pulled Tomoyo back. She broke out of her shining persona and she would have scolded him for stopping her had she not recognised his mischievous smile.

He sat down before her and whispered something in her ears. Tomoyo became happy immediately and noted something down in her notepad. She giggled crazily and somehow Eriol and Meiling did not like it. Tomoyo wordlessly returned to her seat and began to read her book as if nothing happened. Syaoran spotted Michal's camera in her lap and it was running their fight scene on mute.

Nadeshiko spoke, "Now fix everything up. Class needs to resume."

Eriol and Meiling fixed the chairs and tables and then Eriol freed Jet. Jet timidly sat in his place and giving terrified looks to Tomoyo. Syaoran smirked as he realised that another person had joined the club of people that knew how terrifying Tomoyo could be when she is in the mood. Time started flowing again and everyone acted as if nothing had happened at all.

Yelan sipped her tea elegantly and the servants stood in their places respectfully. Wei stood next to her. To an ordinary person, the scene was a usual occurrence in the Li mansion. Yelan drank her tea everyday at this time. She drank with an air of royalty. Anyone would feel nervous in her presence. Her presence was over-powering. The servants did not dare move a muscle without her permission.

However, Wei was no ordinary man. He had lived and served the woman for his entire life. He knew her too well to miss the different glow on her face from usual. He knew her too well to miss the satisfying look on her face whose source lay elsewhere instead of the tea. He stood silently next to her with a straight face. But Yelan knew him too well to miss his amused smile behind his moustache without even looking at him.

"You are not going to shut up are you Wei." Yelan spoke softly without any visible change in her demeanour.

Wei bowed slightly, "I am merely curious my lady."

Yelan smiled slightly, "Fine. It is Xiao Lang and Sakura. The battle today was excellent. They have made me proud with their skills. They are learning and growing up into excellent people."

Wei bowed again, "Then perhaps I should have the chef prepare something special tonight. On account of a small celebration for them."

Yelan spoke, "I do not want it to get to Xiao Lang's head."

Wei smiled, "I will keep it a secret from him. A celebration just for you."

Yelan chuckled, "You sure know how to spoil a girl Wei."

Wei bowed again, "It is my job to spoil you my lady."

Yelan continued to sip her tea with the man she considered as an irreplaceable part of the family and the man she could let lose around without the worries of her secrets being exposed. She could just be herself and not put up the queen facade around him. She felt content in the pride she felt for her son and her student in Sakura.

Lian stared at several fire and water human figures before her with her fan pointed between them. She was sweating and her brows creased into intense concentration. The figures stood still in a neat line with slight fluctuation every now and then. The water figures were on her left and the fire on her right. Another fire figure slowly formed next to her fan. This was very small and highly deformed. She looked at it and her brows knitted further. The figure began to take better shape and her sweat increased. It almost took a small doll's size before all the figures exploded simultaneously. The fire vanished and the water fell on the wooden floor.

Lian panted and sat on the floor. The water receded under the wooden floor and Lian caught her breath. She stared at the roof as she fell on her back and rested on the floor. Her fan lay over her stomach now. She had a pleased look in her eyes. She lay in a large hall with stone walls and wooden roof and floor. The walls were lined with various weapons and scrolls. After a while, she sat straight and assumed her regal air.

"What is it?" She questioned in a commanding tone.

The door behind her slid open to reveal a kneeling man, "The battle has finished my lady."

Lian looked up, "The victor?"

"Cardmistress and the Li heir." He replied politely.

"As expected. Anything else I should know?"

"Neymar Kiosi returned without a scratch." He spoke with slight discomfort.

Lian raised an eyebrow, "He was unhurt! How did he lose then?"

He entered the hall and placed a scroll next to her without looking up. He immediately retreated outside the door and waited for her. Lian picked the scroll and began to read it. She smiled through most of it but the last part made her frown. She read it again.

"She healed him. And apparently she did not intend to or knew how she it. Is this correct?" Lian asked aloud.

"Yes my lady. Neymar said that the cardmistress looked shocked as well and asked Li heir whether he knew something. However, he was equally clueless. She mentioned that both their magic was involved and Neymar said that most of it was her magic."

Lian pondered over it, "Instant healing is next to impossible magic. Even the highest-class healers cannot perform it. It is almost a myth. But this proves its existence. Yet it is in their hands and they performed it without knowing how. It is almost as if they performed a miracle."

The man spoke, "My lady."

Lian responded, "Yes?"

"Elder Bei is asking if you will still go through with your plans."

Lian nodded, "My plans will not change. However, tell the elders for a meeting. We need to discuss these new events and make some decisions. Tell Elder Liu to find out how the others in the community are taking this news. We have to be several steps ahead."

The man bowed further, "Right away my lady."

"Da Huang." Lian spoke softly. The man stopped midway in closing the door. He waited for her to speak. Lian took her time with her thoughts. "Things might get much more serious after this. Tell everyone to sharpen up his or her skills and be ready in best condition by their turn in this battle. I do not want anyone saying that he or she was not at their best while fighting the cardmistress or the Li heir. I will not tolerate any slacking off. Even from my husband."

Da Huang bowed again, "As you command my lady. I will convey your orders."

Lian nodded, "Keep the training grounds ready 24x7 for anyone's usage. I want this clan to shine the brightest even in its lose against those two."

"Do you believe that we will lose my lady?" Da Huang asked with slight surprise.

Lian smiled, "Yelan seems to think so."

"She is from the Li clan. She will think we are weak. She is mocking us." He spoke with slight contempt for Lis.

"She thinks that her clan will lose to them. She is not a fool. Her intelligence is one of things I respect about her. She must have seen something in them to believe against her own clan."

"That does not mean we will lose as well my lady. Young master was at a great disadvantage in his battle. He was yet untrained for that situation."

Lian sighed, "Is that what everyone in the clan thinks?"

Da Huang was confused, "That is the truth my lady."

"No. I watched that battle. It was a fair fight. Li heir made sure it was. My son did not lose due to the place, the time or the difference in experience. He lost because he battled half-heartedly with fear of losing the first true friend he ever made. A friend that he knew was his opponent and yet could help becoming her friend. However, she did not do anything until close to the end of his fight. I saw the conflict on her face when his identity was revealed. When asked to take a side, she did not know which she should take. She did not want to lose her new friend either. My son did not lose to any disadvantage. My son lost because he had to fight his very first true friend. Thankfully, they stayed good friends even after the battle."

Da Huang was silent with a conflicted expression, "I...I will convey this true story to everyone."

Lian nodded and he shut the door. She again lay on her back and stared at the roof. She was lost in her thoughts. Much needed to done now for the clan's future. The burdens of a clan matriarch were great indeed. That was another thing she shared with Yelan and respected about her. She had her husband but Yelan had no one.

Behind the Penguin park, there was a very vast forest of Tomoeda. Many people in the town believed that ghosts haunted that forest so no one ever tried going there especially in the night. However, people were not scared of these ghosts. No one had seen one actually. They had experienced the same weird phenomenon as they had heard of from the others. People had seen their own doppelgangers often in the past that would emerge from the forest and then return to the forest after causing small trouble in their name around the town. People had seen things disappear out of sight in the forest and all of them would reappear in their homes later. Nothing was ever lost for long. Everyone believed that the ghosts that loved there were actually very gentle souls that simply wanted attention. They never entered the forest so that they do not disturb those souls.

Sakura, Syaoran, Michal, Eriol and Jet were in the depths of the same forest and the cause of all those events. That was Michal's way of keeping people away when they would train. It started during Sakura and Syaoran's card captor days with 'Mirror' causing the doppelganger event. Michal just continued it with the help of some of her cards and even made people magically more aware of these that people had ignored earlier as a trick of the eye. He implanted the gentle ghost theory in all the minds. He remembered Eriol's evil cackle when he had asked from Eriol's help on that. Perhaps, Eriol enjoyed messing with people's minds as he had done with Sakura and Syaoran long ago.

Sakura and Syaoran battled each other without holding back. They could not something of great significance yet in short amount of time and they were too far into the forest for anyone in the town to notice their activities. Thus, they could give it their all. Michal watched them with sharp eyes. He could no longer afford to be lenient with them now. They had good control over their magic and use it efficiently. In addition, they had come some way into the battle and their opponent will now no longer take them as unskilled kids. The difficulty of the battles will be upped now. Eriol was teaching and training Jet at a little distance from them. He was doing it to gain better control over his magic that stood on shaky grounds now since he had not fought any battles in decades now. He had not fought since before his reincarnation from Clow Reed to Eriol. He needed to up his control, as he too will soon become target to the enemy.

With one last push, Sakura and Syaoran stopped far apart and out of breath. Michal raised his hand to signal a short break and they both fell on the ground panting. The training was rigorous and their bodies felt as if it were on fire with all the muscle pain. Eriol and Jet continued though.

Michal spoke, "Ten minutes rest and then we will start again. You two are progressing at a steady pace. Good job."

Sakura smiled slightly, "Thanks Uncle Michal."

Syaoran nodded, "Teacher. Can I ask you something?"

Michal replied, "What do you have on your mind?"

"The armour we wore yesterday was very useful. Can we not continue to wear that for our future fights as well instead of Tomoyo's costumes? I do not think all of them will have those armours."

Michal sighed, "I know and that was exactly what I wanted. But two voices shot my suggestion down. Nadeshiko was no help either since she took a neutral approach. So you two are stuck modelling Tomoyo's costume."

Sakura looked confused, "Two voices?"

"Eva and another person I cannot tell you about just yet. Those two want you two to continue with the modelling. They probably have something in their minds since they would not jeopardise your safety for just fun. They will come up with some alternative soon. At least I hope so. Otherwise, I will have to teach you two some armour magic. But it would not much sturdy with your current magic control. You will need to far better than today for that and it will take months before you can stop a bullet."

Syaoran spoke, "We can use the air wall or the rock wall for that if those two people take time. Either of those walls could stop bullets."

Michal nodded, "It would work but only for attacks that are far and the attacks you have noticed. If the attack is too close to you or some sneak attack that you have not noticed, it could prove fatal. That is where armour magic comes in. You cannot form those walls in a close combat and a thin wall around your body will restrict your movements as well as prove too weak to provide a decent defence."

Syaoran and Sakura nodded understanding his logic. It made sense to them. They just might have to wait for Eva and the other person to come up with something for them. They looked at each other and smiled. They both felt lucky to have people on their side and helping them so much. Otherwise, they knew they would not stand a chance in this war of survival.

Sakura spoke, "Syaoran. Can I come over for dinner at your place?"

Syaoran nodded, "Sure. You do not need to ask me that."

Sakura smiled her usual brilliant smile, "Thanks. I have not met Mrs Yelan since Jet's fight."

Michal spoke, "Enjoy yourself then Sakura. I will inform at your home about your plans. Touya will definitely try and stop you."

Sakura did not lose her smile, "Dad will stop him. Miss Emi is there too. She can just bind him with her magic."

Michal smiled, "True. By the way, how is Emi doing? I have not had the time to come see her for a while now."

Sakura replied, "She has made a full recovery. That poison held onto her health for a very long time and her recovery was very slow. But steadily she recovered and now she uses small magic as well. She should be at full strength soon."

Michal nodded as he thought, "That is good. Her clan people have been trying to locate her in the town but I cannot make exception for them unless I can fully trust them. The only time I let them see anything is when you have a battle and the only place they can see is where you battle. Everything else is hidden in the entire town. I still have to fix a place for her in the town. She cannot free load forever at your place."

Sakura began to think back, "I cannot say that she is freeloading at our place."

Michal raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"She helps with the entire chorus around the house every day. She even takes care of the garden and she does all the shopping for us. Kero tells me that she is even keeping an isolation barrier around the house so that no one outside can find where we live and attack us. She is very helpful."

Michal smiled, "She is a good girl and seems to want to earn her stay. I ask her if she wants to leave or stay there. If she leaves, I will arrange a place for her. I have to fix some apartments soon so adding another to the list will not hurt anyone."

Eriol and Jet arrived at this time.

Eriol asked, "Why are you fixing apartments? Who will live in them?"

Michal smirked, "You people did not think that Eva and I were the only living allies you had in the world, did you?"

This surprised everyone else. Michal just watched them all with his mocking smirk. Nadeshiko floated next to him with an amused smile.

Eriol asked, "There are more! How many?"

"There are a few people. They will make their presence known only when the time is right. They will stay hidden until then. They will just slip in the town and be ready for their role at the right time."

"I will have to be on a lookout then. I would like to catch them all." Eriol smirked at Michal.

Michal shrugged, "I have no problems with you finding them. And before I forget, tell Kaho to practice magic usage as well. You will need her sooner or later."

Eriol raised his eyebrow, "Her magic is not exactly strong or battle oriented."

Michal nodded, "I have already remedied that. She just needs to be ready for a good fight with strong magic. Her body has to be able to handle the pressure. Eva has some people working on the kinks in the plan. We want it to be perfect without endangering Kaho."

Eriol glared at him, "I do not want to get her involved in this."

Michal nodded, "We do not want to either but we have little choice. They know of her connection to you so after they defeat you, she will be next on the list. Unlike Sakura and Syaoran, you, Eriol, are very experienced so they will not hold back or take the easy way. You and your guardians will not last long without Kaho. With her, you both will have far better chances of survival. Eva and I cannot manipulate people too much in your case. Everyone knows you very well."

Eriol grimaced since his words were perfectly true. He himself doubted if he would survive his battles.

"You'd better make sure your plan is a success and Kaho is in no danger." He warned Michal.

Michal nodded, "Do not worry. Once everything is ready, we will tell you both what we will do and how before doing anything. Only after both of you agree to it, that we will implement it. It will affect many things about her. Probably even, halt her aging process for around a decade or two but it will restart after that. We will not take too high risks with her body."

Eriol glared at him, "Halt her aging process?"

Michal chuckled, "We will call it fate."

Eriol blushed badly for the first time in Sakura and Syaoran's memory. He walked away while Jet watched him in confusion. Syaoran seemed to have understood and Sakura presented a perfect picture of her confusion at what happened just now. That made Syaoran blush as well.

Michal clapped his hands, "Break is over. Let us get back to training."

The duo got up from the ground and cleared their minds of everything to train. Michal watched them with proud eyes and Nadeshiko watched them lovingly. Much was uncertain for the future and they were pulling all strings they could to make it a happy one from everyone they cared for.

Lian entered the grand meeting hall. A circular bejewelled table stood in the centre with large exquisite chairs around them. Each chair was identical save two. Those two were larger and seemed like thrones. They were placed opposite to each other. Middle-aged to old men occupied those chairs, while the two thrones were empty. Lian went and sat on one. She looked at the other opposite her with longing eyes as well as slight frustration.

Lian mumbled audibly, "Seeing Zhuge's seat empty makes me go and pound him into the ground for his stupidity."

The people smiled at her words. They knew how much she loved her husband.

Elder Bei spoke, "Lord Zhuge misses you just as much whenever you are absent from these meetings."

Lian turned pink, "I know he does. Good for him. Now let us start the meeting."

Elder Liu spoke, "The last battle has had a powerful impact on the magic community."

Lian nodded, "I expected that. I asked you to investigate what they were. My guess is that instant healing incident."

He nodded, "Yes but that is not the only one. Two events have triggered the impact."

Lian spoke, "Please elaborate."

"What was considered as a myth so far has been proved to exist. Instant healing was a dream of the healers all over the world but none ever accomplished it. Several healers are calling for halting this war that we have waged on those two. None have voiced to stop but halt it either out of fear of queen or indifference to what happens with those two as long as these people get what they want. They want to study and figure out how those two performed instant healing as a fluke. Some look at it as a prospect of saving lives. Some see glory and name in achieving the task."

Lian growled, "They are fools. They will get little name and glory for that. The world knows that those kids were the ones to perform it before anyone else."

Elder Bei spoke, "Our healers wish it if you would help them get an audience with the cardmistress and the Li heir to learn the method. They believe they could recreate it somehow what they performed as a fluke."

Lian shook her head, "Denied. Knowing those kids, they will willingly cooperate to recreate the method but that would make our clan indebted to them and affect our performance in future battles. At the end of the war, if they have defeated us, we will ask for their help. Nothing before that."

Elder Bei nodded, "I figured you would say that after your message to everyone through Da Huang reached my ears. I agree with your reasoning. We all agree to it."

Lian smiled, "That is good to know. Thank you. We will discuss it further later. What of the second impact?"

Elder Liu spoke, "This one is a much greater issue now. Neymar Kiosi had a short conversation with them and the cardmistress' words triggered the debate. The community is split into two at the moment."

Lian nodded, "It was mentioned in the report that they exchanged some words. I never got to hear what they were."

"Cardmistress said rather angrily that if we incorrect about them becoming a threat to us in the future due to their alarming magic growth and succeed in killing them, then we would be murdering innocent kids."

Lian nodded, "She is correct in her words. That is exactly what our future generation will brand us with whether we succeed or fail. They will call us cowards. Thus my plans are important. It will save our face and honour."

"The magic community is now split in two groups. One side wants to give them a chance. The other does not want to take the risk. Some even call the instant healing event as proof that they will be great threat."

"What did the queen say?"

"Queen said that this war will reveal everything so we will continue it. If they show obvious signs of becoming threat, then we are on the right track. Otherwise, something good might come out of it just like the instant healing. Even she agrees that it is an opportunity for healing magic and its secrets must be discovered. She is ruthless but very intelligent. Everyone saw the logic and officially closed the debate."

"But unofficially it is still being debated."

Elder Liu nodded, "Behind closed doors, yes. After his defeat, Neymar asked them to kill him and spare him the dishonour. But Li heir's declaration about them not being murderers and cardmistress' tearful and heartfelt apology for hurt him has shocked everyone. True. None so far has died against those two. Defeated, but alive. It had further divided the people's opinion."

"It could have been an act. They know that the world carefully scrutinises their battles."

"Most believe that was no act. They are convinced it is the truth. Some, of course, doubt it."

Lian nodded, "Well I for one do not doubt it. Those two are not the bad sort. They spoke their hearts."

A middle-aged man spoke, "I see. If you have confidence in them, we will too."

Lian nodded with a smile, "We will discuss these events in detail later. Clan business takes priority."

They got busy with other discussions. The gears had begun to move and all experienced people knew they had to keep a broad mind at all times.

Yelan sat in the hall surrounded by holograms of cloaked people around her. She sat with dignity and her eyes shut.

"My lady." The speaker broke the silence. "Please try to understand. We must discover the secrets of instant healing. We have such a great opportunity and mean to get that. Our clan could gain so much respect and prestige with it. Think of the benefits and impact this could have for us."

Yelan replied in a stern voice, "I can see that. But that will also mean that the Li clan has switched sides to gain this one miracle for themselves, betraying the community. I will not have people look down on this clan. My decision is firm. Li clan will not make any contact with either the cardmistress or its own heir, outside the battle. You can learn all you want from them after this stupid war has ended."

They all sighed together, "Yes my lady. It seems there is no way to convince you. You will need to return though. Certain matters have come and you are needed here."

Yelan nodded, "Alright. Arrange for the flight tomorrow. Prepare my four daughters to come here as well. They will be taking my place to watch over Xiao Lang and Meiling. Also prepare Xeimei Li for her battle in two weeks."

"It is our turn already. Xeimei may lose though. She is as strong as Neymar was and he lost."

Yelan spoke, "Perhaps. However, luck had played its part in Neymar's battle in their favour. It may not be as favourable next time. Xeimei Li must make us proud. She is extremely devoted to Xiao Lang but for this battle, she has to try and kill him."

"You are talking about killing him my lady!" The voice was shocked.

Yelan smiled proudly, "My son will not go down that easily. He is Yuan's son after all. Xeimei will have to try and kill him if she wants to win against that couple. They are strongest when they work together. How else do you think they have been winning so far?"

The people chuckled, "We expect no less from our future leader and his chosen one. Xeimei will ready."

Yelan got up, "Good. I need to leave now. It seems I will receive and unexpected guest tonight for dinner."

Yelan spoke very fondly as she sensed Sakura's magic approach her mansion with Syaoran. They both seemed very tired but definitely happy.

End of Chapter 26.

Read and review everyone. I love all your reviews. They encourage me to write better each time.