Chapter 5.- End of First Round.
The battle between Shaoran and Daeron started, and both were pretty good. Daeron's attacks were mainly with water, ice, or wind; while Shaoran's were with fire and thunder mainly. The battle lasted longer than the first two, but finally there had to be a winner.
"And the winner is Sorcerer Xiao." The announcer called.
Meiling was dancing, she was really happy for her cousin. And Yelan Li was also proud of her son; although she had noticed the strength in Mage Dae.
.---.
~In the benches.~
"Damn it!" Daeron murmured to himself as he headed to where his two friends where sitting.
"Are you alright?" Tomoyo asked when he sat next to her.
"Fine, just a little mad." Daeron said.
"Well, there's no reason." Tomoyo told him. "You really did a good job."
"But I lost." Daeron replied. "My power wasn't enough."
"You can't measure your power by the battles you win." Sakura said looking at him. "You must measure your power by the times you fell and got up again."
Daeron nodded. He was really surprised, no matter how bad things may look, Sakura could always turn them just the right way.
"So, who do think will win next Sakura?" Tomoyo asked to her friend.
There was no answer.
Sakura was looking straight at where Shaoran was, talking to Meiling, Eriol and Nakuru, all of them seemed happy with his victory. Sakura sighed.
"You really miss him, don't you?" Tomoyo asked.
"Yes I do." Sakura said. "I'm dying to go to him, hug him and tell him I love him as much as I did that day in the park, after we captured the Void, when I thought I would lose him."
"And why don't you go?" Tomoyo asked.
"I can't." Sakura said, with watery eyes. "It's just that, it hurts too much." Tears started falling from her beautiful eyes. "It's been seven years, seven long years without him, and there wasn't a call, a visit, not even a single letter. I don't know if he feels like me, if he loves me, I don't know if he at least remembers me. And I'm afraid to find out."
"Do you prefer to keep wondering?" Tomoyo asked.
"I don't know what I want anymore." Sakura answered. "I'm really confused, since I arrived, and since I…" she cut herself, as she remembered something that had happened just an hour ago, just before her battle, something not even Tomoyo knew about…
***Flashback***
"Card created by Clow, abandon your old form, and rebirth, by the name of Sakura. ¡Seer!" she chanted.
The Seer Card shone brightly and turned pink. Sakura smiled with satisfaction and took the Card in her hands, just then, she had vision.
She was standing in a dark place, and she was afraid, really afraid. Then she felt a familiar presence. Someone took her hands. When she turned around she saw a Chinese young man she knew too well, since she was in love with him. He smiled and her. Sakura felt like she could drown in his amber eyes. And then, he pulled her to him and kissed her, and she let go to that kiss.
She opened her eyes, she was at the beach, in Almaren, and she had the Seer Card in her hands.
'Was it all a dream?' Sakura asked herself.
"You'll decide your own destiny Mistress Sakura." A voice told her.
Sakura turned to look at the Card, the little girl was smiling happily at Sakura, as if she knew something Sakura didn't.
Sakura just shook her head and put the Seer Card in her pocket, with the rest of the Sakura Cards, then she converted her staff back to the star key and hung it to her neck.
"It's done." She said out loud.
***End of Flashback***
Sakura still seemed to be looking to nowhere.
"What's happening?" Daeron asked, he felt left out from the conversation.
"She wants something so badly she won't accept it." Tomoyo replied looking at Sakura sadly.
.---.
~In the other side of the benches.~
Shaoran kept calm while the rest celebrated his triumph; it looked like he didn't care much about it. Suddenly he felt it, the sensation that someone was staring at him. He turned to look around, and he stopped to look at Sorceress Cherry, it looked like she was looking straight back at him, but he couldn't be sure with the mask she was wearing. There was a short light and he noticed something in her: green eyes.
"Shaoran!" Meiling called him just in that moment.
"Eh?" He asked turning to look at her cousin. "What's going on?"
"I was going to ask you just the same." Meiling replied.
"You look a little distracted son, are you alright?" Yelan asked.
"Yes mother." Shaoran nodded. "I'm perfectly fine."
Eriol shook his head but stood silent, he knew Shaoran was lying, he was thinking about her, again.
Eriol turned around, looking for what or who might have distracted his friend; something, or rather someone, caught his attention. It was a beautiful girl, with long black-gray hair tied in a braid, she was wearing a light blue dress, and her eyes were lavender.
'She's Violet.' Eriol told himself. 'Sorceress Cherry's assistant.'
Just then Violet (Tomoyo) turned around and their eyes locked.
'She's so beautiful.' Eriol thought to himself. 'And she must be my age.'
Eriol noticed Violet's (Tomoyo) look seemed like sad, or more likely, disappointed; he wondered what might have gotten her that way. If he just knew…
.---.
"The fourth and last duel of the first round is about to start." The announcer called just then. "Competitors: Wizards Juel and Mier please get to your places. Your duel starts…Now!"
Wizard Juel got to a defensive position, and just as he was chanting something, Wizard Mier attacked. The attack hit Wizard Juel completely. All the stadium filled with the scream.
And at the same time Sakura, Shaoran, Eriol and Yelan felt something that froze their blood. It was dark magic, pure evil. The four guardians felt it through their masters. And it seemed that Tomoyo and Meiling felt it too because they started trembling. The rest of the people seemed more worried about Wizard Juel's situation.
"He's alive, but in a really bad state." Geo told one of the doctors. "He needs a hospital. Now."
The doctors nodded and took him away.
"And the Winner is Wizard Mier." The announcer called.
This must have been a record. The duel had barely begun when it was already finished.
.---.
~In one side of the benches.~
"You felt that Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked still trembling a little.
Sakura nodded as she said. "Something is really wrong here."
.---.
~And across the grounds.~
"This is too much evil." Eriol told his friends. "But it seems that not everyone noticed."
"How couldn't they notice it?!" Meiling shouted. "Even I could feel something was wrong."
"I don't know Meiling but calm down." Shaoran said.
"You want me to investigate Master?" Nakuru asked.
"I don't know if someone here might know. Better stay here." Eriol said.
"Yes master." Nakuru nodded.
"The next round starts in an hour." The announcer called.
"We have one hour to get ready." Eriol said. "I'll go first against Sorceress Cherry…"
"And then Shaoran against that thing!" Meiling said, she seemed really concerned.
"Don't worry Meiling, I'll be fine." Shaoran said.
"He's really strong, you have nothing to worry about." Yelan interfered.
"And of course Master Eriol will defeat that Sorceress." Suppy said from Nakuru's bag.
"I have really a big interest in that Sorceress." Eriol said
"Why?" All of his friends asked.
"Because with her power and that mask, she seems to be a true mystery." Eriol answer. "A mystery I want to find out."
"This remembers me of someone." Shaoran said.
"Whom?" Eriol asked.
"You!" Shaoran replied. "You were always hiding and with all that mystery."
"Especially when not even you could remember about that Sealed Card!" Meiling added. "Shaoran and Sakura had to do everything on their own."
These brought back memories to everyone, especially to certain Chinese amber-eyed boy.
Meiling noticed and shut up, but she knew it was already too late.
"If you don't care I want to go take a walk on the beach." Shaoran said going outside.
His friends nodded and looked at him as he left. It was obvious everything that was going on affected him in one way or another, but they didn't know how to help him.
.---.
~In the other side of the benches.~
"Excuse me." Sakura said suddenly. "I wanna go take a walk."
"Don't forget you're first in the next round." Tomoyo called to her.
"I won't forget, I'll be back in time, I promise." Sakura said as she left.
Tomoyo sighed but said nothing.
Daeron stood there, just watching as Sakura left; he knew something was wrong with her, but as he knew nothing about it. There was no way for him to help, and it was really annoying him.
.---.
Shaoran was walking calmly, trying to clear his thoughts.
"I wish I could fly away. Fly away up in the sky, and somehow reach you, my angel, my Cherry blossom, my Sakura." Shaoran said to himself. "But I'm not sure if you even remember me. But after all it's been seven years. If it hadn't been for the elders I would have been back to her a week after I left. But they forbid it to me. They said I had to concentrate on my training, I had to bring honor to the Li Clan, and so I couldn't get distracted with anything. So I left her, I couldn't even send her a good bye note, nothing. All is the Elders fault!" he sighed. "What am I saying? I know that's not true. It's all my fault, I could have been strong enough to go against them, to put my beloved Sakura before all their plans, but I was a coward, I didn't dare to go against their orders. And for being so stupid I lost her, I know I lost her. I wonder if she feels something for me, probably she hates me for leaving her without saying a word; well, at least that would mean she remembers me."
He sighed, when suddenly something caught his attention.
.---.
~Meanwhile in the other side of the beach.~
"What are you doing now my love?" she asked out loud. "Are you walking the same as me, remembering old happy times, imagining what would have happened if you had never left, and wondering if we will ever be able to be together again."
Just then she noticed a familiar green aura, in the other side of the beach.
"Shaoran!" she mentally yelled.
And in her happiness she let a part of her true aura release, just for a second, but that was enough.
.---.
~Back with Shaoran.~
"This aura!" he yelled. "I know it! It's hers! Sakura!!"
But just then the aura disappeared as fast as it had appeared.
"What's this?" he asked. "Is it that I'm just imagining things?" he sighed sadly.
.---.
~Back in the fighting arena.~
"You felt that Master?" Spinel asked Eriol.
"I told you, she's here." Eriol answered with a calmed smile in his lips.
"Now see who wants to keep the secret." Both heard a voice murmur.
Eriol and Suppy turned around and saw Violet (Tomoyo) walking next to Dae.
Suddenly she slipped and almost fell down. Eriol reacted fast enough and caught her.
"Thank you sir." She said trying to hide the shock of seeing him again face to face.
"It's a pleasure to help a beautiful young lady." Eriol said flirting with her.
Tomoyo noticed this and blushed a bit.
'He's flirting with Violet, not with you fool!' she mentally scolded herself.
Her sigh could be heard by Eriol.
"Have I done something wrong?" he asked her.
"No, nothing sir." Tomoyo replied.
"Since I caught sight of you a while ago I've noticed you always seem to look sad, may I know why?" Eriol asked.
"I'm afraid sir that the reasons are highly personal and out of your reach." Tomoyo lied, although she knew the second half of her statement was a complete lie.
Daeron just looked at both of them as they talked. It was obvious that this young man was one of the ones Sakura and Tomoyo said they knew and hadn't seen in years.
"You know, you look very much alike to a person I knew some time ago." Eriol commented just then.
"Who can this person be?" Tomoyo asked trying to appear calm.
"Someone very important to me, and who I unfortunately couldn't contact in the last years." Eriol explained, he sighed loudly. "Although I was expecting to see her here."
"You were expecting that person to be in the Tournament?" Tomoyo asked trying to keep neutral.
"No exactly, just accompanying someone I'm not at all sure is here or not." Eriol explained.
'So he felt Sakura too!' Tomoyo mentally yelled.
Eriol noticed she had stayed silence and was wondering the reason.
"Excuse me, is there something wrong?" Eriol asked respectfully.
"No sir, nothing." Tomoyo lied. Then she mentally added. 'Just the fact that you're referring so highly about someone, talking so freely with me, without even imagining who I really am.'
Daeron stayed there, in silence. Wishing he could do something to help, but at the same time knowing this situation was out of his reach.
.---.
~Back to the side of the beach where Sakura is.~
Sakura was walking calmly when she suddenly felt something was wrong. She jumped to the left and threw herself to the sand, just a second before a black spear passed zooming right through the spot she had been standing just a second ago.
"What's happening?!" she yelled standing up in a jump and raising her right hand to the key at her neck.
"I'm gonna kill you for dishonoring me in the Tournament!" the woman yelled.
Just then Sakura saw in front of her, the woman she had defeated in her duel.
'Witch Mel.' She thought, but she could feel something more. 'But this aura, is different, like a darker shade, almost like…evil.'
"The duel was fair, and I won." Sakura said calmly, lowering her hand, but staying in alert.
"That's a lie." Mel said. "I should have won, and I'll prove it by killing you!"
"If we could talk things out…" Sakura started.
"No!!" Mel yelled and attacked her. "I'll kill you Sorceress Cherry!"
And she made her nails grow like the claws she had used in the duel and attacked.
So Mel is truly a bitch...and I can tell you know you've seen nothing yet, there's still much to come, much I hope you'll enjoy.I know I made the last two matches of the first round really short, but I didn't consider them that important, I mean, did anyone ever doubt that Shaoran would be the winner in that one? And the last, well I'm just preparing ground for what is to come, something I can assure you you won't be expecting.
In the next chapter we'll see the first match of the second round: Cherry vs. Leed, Sakura vs. Eriol. I swer I had so much fun writing that one...because it's already written people, and the update will come with the same speed your reviews do so... See ya!