| Chapter Six: Syaoran opened his eyes and blinked. He was dizzy and his head hurt like hell. He tried to focus but it only made his headache bigger and so he shut his eyes, wincing. "Meilin." He heard someone shuffle close by and then two cool hands touched his face, smoothed back his hair. "Xiao Lang? Are you awake?" came a feminine voice from above, sounding worried. He nodded, not wanting to open his eyes. "Just barely," he responded and he lifted one of his own hands to his forehead, rubbing at the pain wearily. "What happened? How long have I been out?" Another voice came from above, a soft masculine voice. Eriol's voice. "You've been out for a few hours," he answered. Syaoran frowned upon recognizing Eriol's voice. "Eriol?" he questioned and he peeked his eyes open as if uncertain he had actually heard the voice. "What are you doing here?" There was a small pause from the two people above him. Then came a third voice and he was beginning to lose track of who was where and what they could all possibly be doing there. "Syaoran, do you remember what happened? At the party?" came Tomoyo's sweet voice, sounding every bit as worried as Meilin. Party? Syaoran inhaled, his breath catching as he grimaced. And he slowly remembered. Yes, there had been a party. His mother had invited other Clan Heads without his permission. Perhaps he had taken in a bit too much alcohol to be facing this headache now. Or maybe… Or maybe he had fought the man who had killed Sakura and was now Master of the Cards. His eyes flew open and he suddenly sat up, inhaling frantically. All around the world swam and spun and he saw several blurry forms before his headache attacked angrily. With a groan he fell back to the bed, hand grasping his temple. "Syaoran! Be careful!" Meilin cried, hands pressing down on his shoulders. "You can't be getting up like that-" "Yue-san! Keroberos…" Syaoran uttered through clenched teeth. "Where are they?" There was a small pause and then came a low masculine voice, smooth but hesitant. "We're here." And it was Keroberos who had spoken. Syaoran opened his eyes, sitting up once more and he glared at the Guardian, seeing two of him. "Where's Sakura?" he growled, shaking his head to clear the images. Behind the cat-like creature stood Yue, arms crossed over his chest, long white wings nearly touching the floor. Keroberos didn't blink at the question. "Sakura-chan is dead," he answered and while there might have been remorse he did damn good covering it up. Syaoran stared at him for another moment, his jaw clenching. And then, very slowly he lowered his gaze and managed to sit up fully. Meilin was at his side, looking worried and Tomoyo was on the other side of his bed, hands clasped before her chest. Eriol had drawn back to stand with Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun. Now both sets of Guardians seemed to face off, one pair on one side of the bed, the other pair opposite them. Keroberos came forth, tail swinging lazily behind him. And he paused beside Syaoran, looking up at him. "Sakura-chan died a long time ago," he said softly, sorrow slowly crossing his face. Syaoran looked at him, turning his head in his direction. And his lips parted, trembling the slightest bit. "Did she suffer?" Keroberos looked like he didn't know how to answer the question. Meilin reached towards her husband, hands clasping his shoulders but he persisted, face slowly turning frantic. "Did she suffer?" he demanded. Yue came forth then, his presence ominous. "She did suffer," he replied blankly. Syaoran stared at him, pain crossing his face. And then he bowed his head, lifting his hands to his face. "But," Yue continued, "towards the end she was no longer aware of anything. She went away quietly one day." He looked toward Keroberos and the Guardian had turned away to face the window. "Cherry blossoms," the feline-looking Guardian murmured, gazing at the trees outside. "It has been a long time since we've seen them-" "Why didn't you help her?" Syaoran cried, lifting a murderous glare at them both. His brown eyes flew to Keroberos and there were tears there, blurring the soft irises. "Why didn't you save her?" "She was no longer our master!" Keroberos answered angrily, voice rising. His frame stiffened, rage making him tremble suddenly. "We are to follow the one who owns the cards, he who becomes worthy! She was no longer Mistress of the Cards!" Syaoran stared at him in disbelief, and he began to shake his head slowly. Keroberos backed away from his new Master, looking away. "In the end it was better she passed. We had a new master and we followed the new master. That's why we're here, why we were made." "Listen to yourself," Tomoyo suddenly whispered and everyone in the room turned to look at her. Tears had risen in her eyes as well and now she stared at all of them, blinking incredulously. "Just listen! This was Sakura-chan!" she shook her head. "Even if she wasn't the Mistress anymore, didn't you feel anything towards her?" Eriol came forth, standing between the two groups as they stared at each other. "This is getting us nowhere," he said quietly, ever the voice of reason. He looked from one set of Guardians to the other. Nakuru and Spinel Sun sat silently, not having said a word since the beginning. "No matter what we say now, or what brings it up, Sakura-san is dead," he said and he didn't even want to look at Tomoyo but he did catch her turning away, hands lifting to her face. He hesitated, eyes coming to rest on Xiao Lang. "It's over," he said softly, and in his eyes was all the sadness he had lived with for the passed five years. Xiao Lang stared at him, attention focused on him and only him. "There's a bigger problem now and it's not even a problem, really," Eriol continued. "You are Master of the Cards now. You have to revive the cards under your name and you have to sustain Keroberos and Yue. Nothing else should matter above that." Silence fell over the group, awkwardness also clouding the room. Syaoran looked to the side, passed Meilin's figure, and he saw the Dark Cards on the small night table beside the bed. He reached passed her, taking them into his hands and staring at them. The Clow Cards. The Sakura Cards. His, now. He flipped one over and it was Time, the old figure's form cloaked in his robe. "Tell me about the mage," he said softly. Keroberos paused, having started pacing sometime in the silence. And slowly he looked at Yue, the Judge in turn looking right back at the Guardian. "What do you want to know?" Keroberos asked. Syaoran rubbed his fingers over the glossy card, tips stroking Time's robes. "A name, maybe?" he murmured. "How do I get to him?" Yue lifted his head, stubbornness seeming to make a home on his face. "We don't know his name," he replied. "We actually don't know anything about him." Syaoran lifted his head quickly, glaring. "You're kidding me," he stated flatly. Yue's expression held firm. Eriol cocked his head thoughtfully. "You're both hiding something," he whispered, looking from Yue to Keroberos. "You're…protecting him?" And it came out sounding like a confused question. He studied the two Guardians, baffled. "We aren't," Keroberos corrected. "What one Master does has nothing to do with the new Master." "It does if Sakura died by his hand," Syaoran growled. Keroberos growled right back, the sound rumbling in the room. "Our former Master didn't know anything about Sakura-chan. We told him nothing. The only reason Sakura knew about Clow Reed was because we had to explain to her what she had done in setting loose the cards and what she had to do to get them back. You filled her in the rest of the way because of your lineage. Sakura never knew anything about Clow Reed's personal life, nothing as to how powerful he truly was. She didn't need to know. Our former Master didn't need to know about Sakura-chan and so he didn't." Keroberos broke off, eyes glittering. "We've preserved her memory in us." Syaoran stared at him wordlessly, not knowing what to say to that. "But we do have a problem," Yue said, causing everyone to look at him. His gaze was blank, as usual. "Our former Master knows how to find you and he'll want us back. He won't stop until he comes back for us and the Cards. And if he retrieves the Cards, he'll have us." "Why did he come back?" Tomoyo asked quietly and she turned to face them again, wiping tears tracks from her face. "If he had the Cards already and we didn't know the first thing to finding him, why did he come back? He had what he wanted." Yue looked at her. "Did he?" he questioned. "What else could he have wanted?" Meilin asked angrily. The entire group slowly turned to face Syaoran as he said very softly, "He wants me." He was still touching the card but now he was thoughtful, gaze distant. "He wants me to suffer, it was the first thing he made known when he arrived at the party." "Why?" Meilin asked and she looked at Yue and Keroberos once more. "Why is he doing this?" When no one answered Syaoran pushed away the covers, slowly rising from the bed. "Where are you going?" Meilin demanded, lifting her hands to stop him. Syaoran side-stepped, circling around the group. They watched him, backing away even, as he paused close to the door. With a soft inhalation he held forth his hand, clutching the cards in the other. Light slowly streaked outward, a small display at first but then it exploded from his palm and he took hold of something in his hand. His sword. "What are you doing?" Meilin asked, voice shrill. "Xiao Lang!" "I'm going to get rid of that damn staff," he muttered and he held up his sword, staring at it closely. "Release." Black light burst as well from in front of him, slowly taking the shape of the cursed staff. He pointed his blade at it, frame stiff. No more of this. No more wanting the mage dead. No more of his crap. He was going to get rid of any reminder of the man. The staff blinked, light flashing and it suddenly shrank, folding in on itself. Syaoran glared coldly, feeling the power in him and feeling the immense energy it took. He had always respected Sakura but now, as he forced himself to merge the two weapons, he suddenly respected her all the more. You surprise me even now… An orb of light surrounded the object the staff had become, a key just like Sakura had owned but black, twisted with hate. What a cold heart he must have had to deform the key to such an extent, Syaoran reflected. He pulled the key toward him, straining, and his sword clashed with the key, orbs of power flashing, light streaking. With a clenching of his jaw he forced the two together, ignoring the energies that collided and ricocheted. "Be reborn under my power," he whispered as the light grew. "I am your new Master." The key continued to emit bursts of power but now the orb protecting it faded away, the key phasing into the hilt of the sword. They merged, glowing and radiating warmth. And Syaoran suddenly felt something, a strange shiver in his stomach. And he could only describe it as Sakura. It was as if he heard her laugh, heard her speak softly, felt her compassion. And with it came a strong silence, a simple patience. Sparks of intelligence. The presence of Clow Reed, he knew. And unexpected rage. Hate. Dark anger and a coldness. The mage. "I feel…the passed Masters," Syaoran uttered, no longer aware of the flickering of light before him. He blinked, wanting to hold onto it all, especially the warmth that was Sakura. But it slipped away, coalescing into one mass and exploding outward, consuming him. He grimaced, feeling something slam into him and when he woke again he was on the floor, rear sore from his hard fall. "Xiao Lang!" Meilin cried. And she was at his side, grasping him. "Are you ok?" But Syaoran was looking at his sword, eyes shining. "I did it," he whispered and he glanced at her, a smile forming on his face. In his hand, in the hilt of his blade was the key, engraved into the heirloom. And it shown gold and white, the black metal gone from its face. He looked at it again, feeling utterly drained but so very much alive. "You're too weak to revive the cards," Yue advised him, not having moved a bit from his spot. Syaoran shook his head, eyes still caught on the sword. "No," he said softly. "I feel strong enough to take on the world." "You're not," Yue disagreed. "I feel the strain. It's already hard for you to support yourself much less us." He glanced at Keroberos who nodded. "We should take on our false forms. At least in doing so we can support ourselves for the time being." Syaoran frowned at them, suddenly realizing. "False forms?" Yue folded his wings in on himself, figure hidden from them. Light shimmered behind the confines of the wings, flashing upward across the ceiling and across the walls. From his side Keroberos did the same, sitting on his rear and hiding his form behind his wings. The group stared as the light slowly flickered out, wings vanishing to leave behind two very familiar and sorely missed figures. "Y-Yukito-san!" Syaoran uttered, eyes wide. He slowly stood, grimacing, with Meilin's help and faced the pale-haired young man who was at the moment blinking and looking disoriented. Beside him, a small stuffed animal-looking creature took to the air, circling the room with a happy yell. "This feels so good!" Kero-chan cried, touching down on Tomoyo's shoulder and smiling at her cheerfully. Tomoyo smiled right back and took him into her hands, hugging him tightly. Tsukishiro Yukito looked around, expression one of confusion. "Yukito-san! Are you ok?" Tomoyo asked, hands still clasping Kero-chan. He looked at her slowly, hand lifting to scratch the back of his neck. "I think so…" he said uncertainly. And then he nodded, to himself no doubt. "It happened again, didn't it?" Tomoyo came forth, looking sad. "Yukito-san. You were away for a while," she said carefully. "For a really long while." He gazed at her, silent for a moment. And as if somehow aware that things were not as they had been he asked quietly, "Touya is gone, isn't he?" His eyes shifted from her to Syaoran and whoever else he seemed to recognize. "Touya and…Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo nodded after a moment's hesitation. He inhaled, hand dropping from his neck and then he forced a cheerful smile nonetheless. "I don't know how I knew but I knew. And I'm sure they went away for a good reason," he nodded also, head bowing. Tears rose in Tomoyo's eyes again and she floated forth, taking one of his hands with hers. "You'll see Touya-kun again, Yukito-san. I know you will," she soothed him quietly. He looked at her. "I know I will, too," he said, squeezing her hand. And he laughed, breaking the awkwardness. "But maybe after I eat. I am hungrier than ever." Syaoran came forward a step, letting his arm fall at his side with the sword in his grasp still. "How about you all go get something to eat while I speak with Eriol for a moment?" he suggested. Eriol looked at him with a frown but agreed with a glance. Syaoran turned to Meilin. "Help them with dinner downstairs," he asked of her softly. She gazed at him, obviously wanting to be part of the talk he would have with Eriol but a moment later her eyes widened. "Help them with dinner?" she echoed. "Meaning, I'm allowed to set foot in the kitchen?" Syaoran paused to rethink it quickly. But she was already skipping out. "Come on, everyone! I get to cook!" she cried and she motioned happily as she left the room. "Way to go," Nakuru groaned, following her out. Syaoran shrugged helplessly and then motioned toward Kero-chan. "Wait, Kero-san. I need to talk to you as well." Tomoyo handed him over, dragging Yukito with her as she left the room. "We're just going to get you something to eat and tell you everything that's happened…" she said as she led him out. Syaoran closed the door behind Spinel Sun who was the last to leave. And then he turned to face Eriol and Kero. "What's this about?" Eriol asked. With a nod, Syaoran came close and pulled forth a black-backed card. Turning it to face Eriol he said in a quiet tone, "Can I modify this?" Eriol looked at the Lock Card that faced him and then back at Xiao Lang's face in confusion. "Modify?" "Change it a bit. Make it stronger," Xiao Lang explained. "I'm going to face him again, I know I am. And next time I don't want him escaping. I'm going to take care of him then and there or die trying. So I want to know if I can modify this. Not only allow it to work as Lock but as a magical Lock as well. Like a trap," he said. "The next time I see him he's not going to use that spell to get away." Eriol nodded in understanding. "When I originally made the Cards they were simple things. A past time, almost. But they can be modified," he hesitated, eyes on the card once more. "You just have to be strong, magically powerful, to change it." "Into a Trap Card, maybe?" Eriol nodded again. "It can be done." "Why am I here again?" Kero-chan asked, flying up to Syaoran and inquiring. Syaoran looked at him and smiled mischievously. "You're going to help me make this a Trap Card by telling me the extent of the mage's power," he answered simply. Kero-chan paused, looking from Syaoran to Eriol. And then he nodded. "All right," he said quietly. And then he puffed his chest up, "After dinner!" |
| All images and works done/altered by ShiNoFuriko and TasogareBan. Please do not steal and always give credit to where it is due. |