HTML1DocumentEncodingwindows-1252GeneratorMicrosoft Works 4.0RECAP: Okay not a whole lot happened in the last one. Uncle Guan died for sure, Syaoran quits his job...Sakura moves back to her old house, umm...They go to Mark’s party and sabotage, Tomoyo acts very weird around Syaoran and he suspects something is going on. Sakura accidentally ate some of the caffine stuff they put in the punch, so that’s where we take off at.

Chapter 16

Sakura rubbed her temples. Her head was still pounding from the after effects of the caffine she had drinken, and she was trying to do her mountain of neglected winter break homework. So far she had gotten a surprising amount of stuff done, but she had math and a literature report left to do. As of right now she was trying to concentrate on an algebra problem, but she wasn’t having much luck.

She had given up asking Kero for help, he wasn’t exactly a mathmetician. No, insteand Kero was trying to play Zelda, with the same amount of knowledge for the game as Sakura had for math. She looked over at the screen. "No, Kero, get the sword first, then you can chop stuff to get money for the shield."

"Ahhh." Kero said, not taking his eyes away.

Sakura sighed and sat with her legs crossed in the chair she was sitting in. "This isn’t fair. I have to do all this stuff with a horrible headache, while you can sit there and play games."

"Hey what’s the main bad guy in this one?" Kero asked.

"Ganandorf I think. Are you listening to me? Why should I have to do all this crap when I am being chased by some psycho and-" She stopped squeezing her eyes shut and pressing on the sides of her head to try and numb the pounding pain. "Ow!" She said.

"Have you beat him yet?" Kero continued.

"What? No. Gosh don’t you care about this stuff Kero?"

Kero paused the game and looked up. "Listen, I think we are going to have to learn not to complain so much, I mean, maybe you should take a nap, I don’t know. Either way, we’ve got to work up some endurance."

"Easy for you to say. The last few times we have fought off cards you have either been laying down or at home playing video games." Sakura said, walking over to her bed and carefully laying down with her dizzy head.

Kero was back to playing. "Mhmm." He said, obviously back in his trance.

Sakura stared up at her ceiling. Man, this sucks. At least I am almost done. We still have tommorrow off before school starts again, and I can leave this stuff until then. I can just go to sleep now. That sounds good. Sleep. Sakura peacefully shut her eyes, when Kero’s shreik made her jerk up, causing further pounds in her head.

"AHHH! A big boulder just crushed me! I died, I died!" Kero wailed.

Sakura was about to screech at him until her face would go blue, but Touya peered in the door. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just had a game over. Very vivid death." Sakura said, trying to sit near the controller.

"Whatever you say." Touya said.

Sakura couldn’t help but notice he left out his usual ‘squirt’ or ‘monster’ nickname. He was still distant, there was uncertainty between them. Sakura couldn’t beleive Touya would actually think such thoughts as he had told her, but it seemed that that was so. Sakura waited for him to shut the door, then she picked up her shoe from next to her bed and threw it at Kero.

Kero barely dodged it and looked up with hurt. "What are you trying to do?"

Sakura layed back down. "Just shut up, I need to sleep."

_______________________________________________________________________

Syaoran was horribly ecstatic when he first walked into work. It was a new month, Moondust was payed for, and he finally had boughtten something worth buying. Now, however, since the old woman’s return, he was having difficulty keeping the positive attitude.

"No, I’m sure it was his hair! AGAIN! I am never coming back, wait, let me talk to your manager."

The older blonde haired girl smiled weakly. "No, please, ma’am I’m sure it’s not necessary. We’ll give you a refund, plus a free pizza if you would just calm-"

"I DEMAND A WORD WITH YOUR MANAGER!" The old woman shouted with a surprising amount of volume.

"No, no, please ma’am, there’s no need for-"

"What’s going on here?" Came the booming voice of the manager, the supreme boss, the writer of all pay checks.

The blonde girl tried to keep her composure. "Well, sir, this woman was telling us of a hair she found in her pizza and-"

"Another hair?" The manager asked.

"Yes, sir, but it wasn’t-"

"Was it this boy’s?" He asked the woman, pointing at Syaoran, who had stayed irritably quiet through the whole scene.

"Yes, that boy, that filthly little boy, didn’t I tell you to cut your hair-"

"Excuse me, but my hair is plainly not yellow, as you can tell-" Syaoran started.

The manager was looking furious. "Don’t you back talk a customer! She’s paying your pay check, that money that somehow manages to feed you and put clothes on your back. I am going to suspend your liscense to work if this keeps up-"

"Are you people blind? I’m just stating a fact, my hair wouldn’t just magically turn HER hair’s color in the oven, it would-"

The blonde girl was outraged and ready to defend herself. "So now you’re blaming me!?"

The manager slammed his fist on the counter, causing all of them, including the woman, to jump. "ENOUGH! Li Syaoran I have HAD IT with you! No respect for your elders, no respect for-"

"No! You listen to me! I have had it with your little pep talks about beating the business of the italian place across the way, all those little rallies to try and get us inspirated, when it’s very clear to everyone that this little place is about to run down. I can’t stand it-"

"HOW DARE YOU!" The manager shreiked. "HOW DARE YOU associate us with O’mally’s! I hearby am firing-"

"I QUIT! I have wanted to quit ever since I got here. Why I endured this only God knows why, but I don’t need the money any more. I QUIT!" Syaoran turned to the woman, who was watching with tight lips. He ruthlessly yanked out a few peices of hair and pushed them into the pizza in front of her. She stared at him with shock. "Never again will I listen to your insignificant complaints. You know it’s people like you that make us food workers put stuff in your food, and I am not talking about hair." Satisfied with the look of horror and repulsion on her face, Syaoran spun around and stomped out of the room. He threw the hat he had somewhere behind him, and didn’t stop storming until he was outside.

Outside he felt like he could burst with excitement. He was free again! Free, free! If Syaoran was the skipping kind of person, he would have skipped, or even done a cartwheel, but instead he refrained to walking energetically with a satisfied look on his face. He looked around at the snow and wondered what he wanted to do? See Moondust of course, I finally have bought her. Syaoran sat at the nearest bus stop and waited for the bus to come in.

Slowly his happiness faded away as he remembered Tomoyo’s whole double act the previous night. He still hadn’t talked to Sakura, but that was alright. I can talk to her tommorrow maybe, or if nothing else, I can talk to her in school. But Tomoyo’s around then...I don’t know. She needs to know, or does she? If it’s a clow card, Sakura definitely should be let in on this, but if it is just Tomoyo’s real feelings...It can’t be! But then again, I don’t really know her. Everyone holds some kind of feelings inside. But that’s ridiculous, Tomoyo never showed a hint of, uh, those kinds of feelings to me, ...This is really confusing. I wish Sakura hadn’t been so blitzo during the party, I would of talked to her then. I hope she was alright through the rest of the party...Syaoran stood up as the bus drove up. He hopped up the stairs and sat in the front seat. Now where should I take Moondust?

_____________________________________________________________________

Sakura pounded her fists down on the table. After a nap, she had no more headache, but she found herself alone in the house even Chindra was gone. As of right now, she was trying to do her book report as Kero was loudly commenting on Zelda.

"KERO! SHUT UP! Can’t you see I am trying to work!? Just SHUT UP!" Sakura looked down with stress at the beginnings of her report.

Kero was looking at Sakura with surprise. "Sorry, Sakura, geez, really! You need to take a break from your homework."

Sakura sighed and raked her hand through her hair. "I guess. Sorry, you’re right. I really didn’t mean to snap."

Kero fluttered over to Sakura’s shoulder. "Go play." He said, smiling.

Sakura jumped up enthusiastically. "You’re right!" She walked over to the TV and picked up the controller. She restarted the game.

Kero tried to hide the horror in his face. "I haven’t saved it yet!" He said in almost a whisper.

Sakura looked over, though there wasn’t much sympathy in her face. "Sorry. You actually like this game? I thought all you liked to play was ‘Space Destroyers’."

Kero slumped and flew over to sit in front of the TV. "Whatever." He mumbled.

Sakura opened her file and started playing. She had gotten quite far, because she had played it alot during the time she was bored at home during christmas break. She played long and hard, finally reaching a boss she had been working hard to get to. "Look Kero! I am about to play her! Look, look!"

Kero was into watching her game now, and was hopping up and down excitedly. "Come on Sakura! You can beat her, peice o cake!" Kero looked down at a book in front of him and flipped through a few pages. "Says here that her main attack is electricity. You have to dodge the lightening and move in with your sword every time she stops to recharge."

Sakura looked momentarily down at the book in front of Kero. "You use that thing!? That’s cheating!"

Kero smiled warily. "Guiding, as I like to call it. This game is way too hard to play without a book!"

Sakura hushed him, as she was entering the boss’s lair. "Oh my gosh, O my gosh!" She quickly paused it and saved it before continuing.

As she entered, the picture started to fuzz. At first she thought it was just a part of the game, but she soon realized that it was the television. "Oh no! It can’t mess up now!" The picture blacked in and out.

The volume was still fine and played the noises of the game, and a loud roaring made her get up and starting hitting the TV, trying vainly to get the picture back. The roar got louder on its own, and soon the whole room was filled with the roaring noise.

Sakura too slow realized that it wasn’t the television that was the source of these noises, something was happening. "Kero!" She shouted.

Kero quickly transformed into Keroberus, who was immediatly in fighting position. The light on her nintendo started to blink, and the whole room was filled with two contrasting lights. One, bright white, filled a half of the room, while a luminescent darkness cloaked the other. Sakura and Kero looked wildly around to see what to fight, but there was nothing physical to hit.

The lights suddenly went dead. Sakura sighed in releif, thinking it was over, but something solid toppled her over. Sakura turned over just in time to see a sword meet her throat, pinning her down. She trembled with fear and slowly brought her eyes up, which were still partially blinded from the bright lights. She could see something yellow, something green, something peach...was that skin? She couldn’t tell.

"Are you a Gerudo?" Came a voice Sakura didn’t recognize.

She tried to keep some amount of mind control despite the sword at her throat. "uh, uh, A what?"

The sword was lifted from her neck, and she heard it put back in its sheath. Sakura sat up fully and rubbed the unscathed part of her neck. True, it had not been harmed, but the intention still stuck around. She looked up to see her attacker.

Green hat, green shirt, blonde hair, blue eyes, pointy ears, and a green skirt? Sakura stared wide eyed at the boy in front of her for a while before daring to speak. "L-L-Link?"

The boy was scratching his head apologetically. "Sorry about that, I didn’t mean to scare you but I was warped here or something..." He looked around at his surroundings. "What in the Hyrule, where am I!?"

Sakura could only stare and gawk and mutter a few hardly intelligible words. "L-Link? From...from Zelda? No- you can’t really...I am dreaming."

Keroberus stumbled to her side, staring as well, and tapped her with his claw. "I don’t think you’re dreaming, else I’ve invaded your dream."

Link was looked about himself curiously, then he looked to Sakura and Keroberus. "Where am I?"

Sakura was still awestruck. She walked up to him (he watches her unsurely) and reached out, her fingers just barely grazing his arm, before she tumbled back. "Holy- ! You- you- you’re real?"

Link frowned. "Umm..."

"I can’t beleive it! How in the world, I didn’t think this was possible, I mean, is it Keroberus?" Sakura looked at him, but he looked tranced as he gaped at Link. "Right, Keroberus?"

Kero looked up. "Hmm? What? Oh, uh, I am not sure, let’s see, a first class magician might be able to...but..."

Sakura closed her eyes for a second. "Do you sense all that magic? It wasn’t here a few minutes ago." She opened her eyes. "She is getting quicker."

Link was shuffling his feet. " ‘scuse me." Once he had their attention, he continued. "Exactly where am I?"

"You are in Tomeoda, Japan." With his blank look, she added, "Planet Earth." Link continued to stare blankly. "That’s right, you wouldn’t know..." Sakura said to herself.

Link pulled at one of his high boots. "Is that like a parallel universe or something?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, you are in....well how do I explain this...We play you- like a game- you know what a game is, right?" Link nodded, though he looked awfully confused. "Well it’s like a story thing, you’re the main character, and the object is to get you to win the game. But see, our world made up the whole story about your world, you’re not a real person."

Link looked even more confused. "Lemme get this straight, I am the main player of a game you earth people made up?"

Sakura nodded. "Exactly!" She said, smiling.

Link shook his head. "umm, alright..."

Sakura had gotten over some of the shock, and was now more interested in what exactly Link’s personality was like. "Well, here, do you want to eat? We can try and explain everything over some food."

Link was looking a bit more hopeful. "So you eat food in this world too?"

Sakura nodded. "You bet!" She looked to Keroberus, who kept his steady dumbstruck stare. "You watch him Keroberus, I’ll be right back with some food." Sakura jogged out of her room, turned and looked in at him one more time, then hurried down the stairs. This was about the weirdest thing that had ever happened to her, she wanted to savor the excitement.

____________________________________________________________________

Syaoran pulled Moondust to a stop and looked up with nervousness. That’s definitely magic! Tons of it! Syaoran looked around, trying to see anything unusual. Nothing here, but his bet was the magic was around Sakura. Syaoran pulled out his lasin board. The beam shot out in front of him, straight in to town. That doesn’t give me much to go by. He spurred Moon into a fast gallop, heading straight along the light’s path.

Syaoran took her along the dirt road, then ran her along the rarely used paved road. He hit a sidewalk, which he had to go a little more slowly and cautiously on, then he stopped Moondust at a corner. No one was around, so he quietly took the lasin board out for one last check on where the magic’s source was.

No doubt about it, that’s definitely coming from Sakura’s house! Syaoran put Moondust back into a gallop, despite the law about wreckless horse riding ( =) ) and pushed her hard down the last road. Last time I sensed magic like this, Sakura was trapped under ice when I got to her. Who knows if I am going to be too late, I can’t let her get hurt again. Syaoran deftly jumped Moondust over Sakura’s backyard fence, then pulled her to a halt. She was breathing hard, but he didn’t have time to take care of her. He hopped off as she was still slowing down and landed running. Moon will be fine in here, it’s all fenced in, anyway. Syaoran ran in the back door and headed up the stairs.

Syaoran saw the end of a blade go by in the hallway, shining sharply, an obvious fatal weapon. Syaoran drew out his sword and flattened himself to the wall, walking evasively towards the room he had seen the blade go into. Syaoran crept into a room and too quickly found himself face to face with another boy his age, who he dimly recognized. Syaoran gripped his sword and swung it at him, but the boy was quick also, and quickly blocked Syaoran’s attack with his own sword.

Now they knew each other had skills in swordplay, so it was a game. Syaoran brought his sword down in a jump attack, but it was easily block and counter attacked by the other boy. Syaoran brought his sword horizontally at him. "Who are you?" He asked as their swords clashed together.

The boy jabbed low at Syaoran, who spun around easily and swung down. "You obviously don’t really care who I am- (clash) or you wouldn’t keep trying to kill me. (clash)"

Syaoran lobbed his sword at him again, but their skills were evenly matched. "Anyone who’s carrying a sword around is a little suspicious." Syaoran prepared himself to start using his ‘reserve’ moves, he had a few risky attacks that could hardly be blocked if they were executed properly. "What are you doing in Sakura’s house?" He asked.

"I could ask you the same question." The boy said, ducking under an attack and lunging forward, adding a foot swipe that sent Syaoran to his stomach.

Syaoran had much experience with falling and getting right back up, and almost in one motion with his fall he snapped back up, hardly caught off gaurd. Syaoran had had it. He brought his sword high over his head, leaving his stomach temporarily open, and brought it crashing down.

The boy, who hadn’t been expecting Syaoran to snap up as quickly as he had, only managed to put one hand on his blade and one on the hilt, and pushed hard against Syaoran’s powerful attack. Now the attack was useless for Syaoran, and it was a test of strength. Syaoran put his other hand on his blade and pushed against the opposing blade. "If you weren’t an enemy, you’d quit fighting back." Syaoran said, gritting his teeth and pushing hard against his blade.

"It’s kind of hard when you keep lobbing your sword at my head." The other boy said. "Are you trying to kill Sakura also?"

Syaoran would have frowned if he could, but all his strength was being put into pushing against his sword. "Also? You are trying to kill her?" He got a bit of inspiration to push harder with his sword.

"Why would I want to? She is too nice. I was only implying-" He stopped talking for a second, the muscles being strained screamed for oxygen- "That you were allied with Aruka."

Syaoran was pushing even harder now, a sweat starting to come across his brow. "How do you know about her?"

Sakura had went to get refills on drinks as she had chatted with Link, and when she had returned he was out of the room. Kero had told her he was looking for the bathroom, but he hadn’t been in there, either. Sakura had only just started looking when she heard swords clashing. Bob the bug was going wild in his jar ever since Link’s arrival, and so Sakura had been carrying his jar with her around as she got the foor, just in case he managed to break free. He bobbed and tinked against the jar as Sakura hurried down the hall.

Sakura quickly ran down the hallway. She immediatly recognized Syaoran’s back, and quickly got an idea of the situation as she saw their swords being pushed against each other. She set the tray down quickly. Sakura hurried to him with horror as he managed to get his sword free and was preparing to bring it down on Link. She grabbed his arms from behind and tried with all her might to surpress his strength as he brought his sword down. Syaoran felt Sakura behind him and abruptly stopped his attack, about to turn and greet her, when Link, who had noticed just a little to late that Sakura was in the room, tried vainly to stop his already in motion attack. He tried to swing the sword out of the way, but his fist that was on the hilt nailed Syaoran in the chest.

Syaoran fell backwards, and Sakura, who had unfortunately been behind him, fell further back, her elbow nailing into something hard and sharp. The momemtum of her arm forced the hard substance, whatever it was, to shatter apart. Sakura sat up and cradled her elbow, snaring at the bleeding cut that went across the back of her arm. She looked behind herself to see what she had hit, and Bob was flying free, sprinkling dust galore everywhere. He was shining with an interesting light, and he flew over to Link’s side, bobbing around crazily.

Syaoran had gotten up, glaring at Link and a little stiff from the blow, but had immediatly taken notice to Sakura. "Are you alright?" He asked, already trying to see her arm.

Sakura smiled meakly and tried to hide her arm from his veiw. "Yeah, I’m fine, it’s nothing."

Syaoran still insisted on seeing her arm, and he handled it carefully. "Well you don’t have any glass stuck in it, at least." Syaoran shot an annoyed glance at Link, who wasn’t paying the least attention to Sakura’s wound, but was more intently watching Bob the bug.

Sakura shrugged and took her arm back. I’ve got to get out of the babying stage. I am more independent then this, right? I think I can stand a small little cut. She smiled. "Don’t worry about it, it’s you who should be concerned about how you’ll feel tommorrow, see if you can breath with your sore chest." She started carefully picking the few peices of glass that had fallen onto the floor and set them on the tray.

Keroberus had heard the commotion, and now was in the room. "What are YOU doing here!?" Kero asked, snarling at Syaoran.

Syaoran glared at him. "Doing a better job keeping gaurd then you."

Sakura had gotten up and was looking at Bob’s odd behavior around Link, who was accepting it casually. "Do you two....know each other?" She asked Link.

Link smiled and looked up from the bug that had landed on his shoulder. "Yes, in a matter of speaking, I suppose. This must be one of Navi’s cousins."

"Navi!" Sakura asked, awestruck again. "You mean Navi, your little fairy’s cousin? Who ever would’ve thought..."

Syaoran was completly standing up now. "Okay, will someone tell me what’s going on here? I mean some magic is going around, but you (he refers to Sakura) obviously don’t seemed too bother by it."

Sakura looked from Link back to Syaoran. "Syaoran this is Link- like from the game Zelda?"

Syaoran looked over the boy and slowly noticed his odd clothing. "This kid in a skirt is from a video game- and he’s here?" Syaoran asked scrutinizingly.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, that’s him-he’s-"

"What’s wrong with my clothing?" Link asked Syaoran, obvious perplexion in his face.

Syaoran looked at him hesitantly. "Nothing I guess, for your video game place. Wearing skirts around like this isn’t exactly usual in modern day Japan."

"What do you mean, skirt?" Link asked.

Sakura sighed. "Enough, guys, listen, Syaoran, this isn’t a bad guy. He’s on our side, he’s just trying to save princess Zelda, somehow magic warped him here, so now we have got to get him back."

Syaoran was a little bit annoyed that she told him that Link wasn’t a bad guy, instead of the other way around, but he didn’t linger on that. "Right. Then we’ll help him save princess Zelda and help his fairy friend home, then we’ll all buy skirts to match....You let him know who Aruka is?"

Sakura was annoyed with Syaoran’s short temper. "Yes I did, it’s obvious he’s not on her side, she’s probably the reason he’s stuck here anyway. Can’t you have an open mind for a change?"

Syaoran rolled his eyes. "Right, silly me. I should be welcoming skirt boy here with open arms." He turned to Link. "Welcome to Tomeoda." He said mockingly.

Sakura was getting very irritated. "Listen, I didn’t ask you to come over here. Next time you want to come and make fun of Zelda, call first.(Syaoran flushes, realizing he did come in a bit uninvitedly -author’s note: uninvitedly-probably not a word, but it was the only way to fit that word into the sentence without changing it all around.) If you want to be useful, then I could use a little guidance." She turns to Kero. "You haven’t been a whole lot of help either, Keroberus."

Kero crossed his large paws. "Excuse me? I have been thinking nonstop of a solution." He said.

Syaoran just crossed his arms and glared at Link, who looked back curiously. Sakura picked up the tray, making sure not to drop any glass. "Maybe we’ll all talk better over something to drink?"

Link nodded enthusiastically, Bob went up and down, and Keroberus was looking excited. Sakura led them out into the hall and back into her own room. She looked bahind herself to see that everyone was in the room. Syaoran was immediatly behind her, followed hand and hand by Kero and Link. Keroberus was giving a horrible glare at Syaoran, while Link continued to watch him with a wary curiosity, his anger much slower to light. Syaoran glared at the both of them the best he could. Bob was flying in a wide range of circles, spreading happy blue dust about the room.

Sakura sighed from the whole situation. "Okay, guys, I am going to get drinks. No fighting, okay?" Link nodded quickly, while Syaoran was more hesitant to yield. "’kay. I’ll be right back, then."

Sakura hurried out of the room, not sure exactly how long they could hold to their word. She rushed down the stairs, barely keeping the glass from slipping off the side of the tray onto the floor. She dumped the glass into the trash can, then set another glass on the tray, filled it, and hurried back over to the stairs.

Midway in her walk, she froze, hearing the door open. "Geez it smells out there." Came Touya’s voice.

"Cow pasture smell." Came another familiar voice, which Sakura regrettably recognized as Yukito’s.

Sakura rushed up the stairs, hardly acknowledging the greetings they gave her. Touya looked solemnly at Yukito. "I am telling you, she’s avoiding me."

Sakura didn’t have time to worry about what they thought, she only saw the task ahead of her. She rushed into the room and closed the door abruptly behind her. "Okay guys, talk time is over here. My brother’s home."

Link walked over to the door. "I’d like to meet him if-"

"Oh God, I left Moon outside!"

Sakura ran to her window. "You rode here!?" While part of her recognized that as hopelessly heroic and romantic, the other side of her brain was amazed at Syaoran’s lack of thinking his plan all the way through. "Quick, we’ve got to move her before Touya notices!"

Link was walking curiously to the window. "A horse? I wonder if it’s anything like Epona..."

Keroberus had his ear to the door. "Quick, they are coming up the stairs!"

Sakura ran to her window and pulled on it for a while, then, realizing it didn’t open, quickly looked for a plan B. "In the closet, you three, go!"

Link was following orders, but Syaoran looked distraught. Sakura helped him by pushing him along, then lightly kicking Keroberus on the butt with her foot. She took no time at all to close the large door, at which point Touya just was opening the door.

"Not a very good greeting we got." He said, looking around.

"Perhaps Sakura-chan is having a bad day?" Yukito said, smiling (Sakura tries not to melt into the floor.)

"No, no, sorry Onnichan, I was hurrying up to clean up a mess I had made, spilling a drink, that’s all."

"A little bit thirsty, huh?" Touya eyed the four tall glasses of lemonade.

Sakura smiled weakly. "Well I am doing homework, I don’t want to have to take breaks and lose my train of thought." She said.

Touya grunted in response.

"We are going to the movies in a little bit, Sakura-chan, if you’d like to come along." Yukito said. Touya glared at him.

Sakura smiled. "I’d love to, but I really have to do this homework. Maybe some other time."

Yukito smiled. "We’ll take a raincheck."

Touya was backing out of the doorway. "Homework over movies, that’s not normal. Honestly Yukito, you don’t have to invite my little sister everywhere we go..." Touya grumbled as he shut the door.

Sakura sighed with releif as it clicked shut. She walked over to the closet and slid the door open. Syaoran and Link were engaged in an intense arm wrestling match, while Keroberus was watching with high interest. Neither of them could push each other’s arms down an inch, they continued to grit their teeth and hold out, hoping the other would tire first. Link was the first to notice the door had opened, and Syaoran slammed his arm down abruptly. "I win again!" Syaoran said triumphantly.

Link pulled his hand back and frowned. "That’s not fair! The first time I didn’t even understand how to play the game."

Keroberus sighed and clambered out of the closet. "Dissapointing, to say the least. Someone’s going to have to beat the brat, darn these paws of mine!"

Sakura shook her head and looked to Syaoran. "Link can’t stay here, I could never explain this to my family. Can we go to your apartment and talk? Would Meilin mind?"

Syaoran didn’t even take Meilin into his decision, he was too busy deciding for himself. If we go there, does that mean I am stuck with skirt boy for who knows how long? I mean, I understand, he can’t stay here, but he’s from a video game where he’s outside all the time. Couldn’t he just make camp? Or do I want to help Sakura out? "I guess. But if we go, I have to take Moon back first."

Sakura nodded. She pulled out her cards. "We’ll meet you there, then. Through card! Let Syaoran pass to the other side of this wall!" Through whirled around Syaoran, and immediatly he was set on the limb of the tree closest to Sakura’s window.

Syaoran was only slightly aware that they continued to watch him through the window as he agilely hopped down off the tree and then continued to vault up onto Moondust’s high back. His thoughts were currently: ‘we’ll meet you there. WE’LL. Why couldn’t Link be a girl? Syaoran gathered up his ‘reins’ which were makeshift rope tied to a halter, then clicked at her. Moondust immediatly broke into a canter and headed straight to the fence. Syaoran rode her jump easily, then started the path back to her barn.

Sakura watched in awe as Syaoran jumped so effortlessly over their high back fence. It was at least as tall as she was, if not a little higher. Link was watching as well. "That looks like a really nice horse, he rides her well."

Sakura found it very refreshing to hear someone pay someone else a compliment, even after that someone was mean to them. Link was seeming out to be a pretty good person. "Yeah, they’re good together. Well we better mover, we can talk more on the way there...." She stopped, looking at Link’s clothing attire. Definitely not something to walk around in, Syaoran was right about that.

"Listen, I don’t see anything wrong with it, but we probably should put you in some pants and stuff, and we’ll have to leave the sword, or hide it somehow. People here are different, you’ll understand when you see them."

Link looked at his sword. "I can’t leave it behind, I’d be defenseless."

Sakura nodded, though a bit impatiently. "I’ll be right back. Kero, make sure no one tries to come in."

Sakura quietly slipped out of the room and jogged down stairs. Disguise. No problem. Nooo problem... Sakura got a thought and looked through their coat closet. Perfect! She hurried up the stairs and slipped back into her room, where Link was still standing patiently.

"Okay, I think this will work. We don’t have any boy clothes your size, so we’ll have to make do until you can borrow some of Syaoran’s clothes. Put this on." She tossed him the heavy long trench coat.

Link put it on, though he had a hard time getting it over his shield and sword. "This is heavy. Do you really think it looks any better than if I don’t wear the coat at all?"

Sakura nodded. "Beleive me, this should work for now. It’s not that far of a walk, I am sorry you have to put up with all this. I don’t suppose you can lose the hat for now?"

Link stared blankly at her for a second, then realized what she meant. He roughly pulled off his green hat, revealing his thick head of blonde hair. Sakura was surprised his hair was in as good shape as it was, considering he had had a hat on for such a long time. "Cool. Alright, I am gonna use this magic to land us on the tree like it did with Syaoran."

"Magic, like Din’s fire spells and such?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, I suppose, kinda like that. It’ll feel windy and strange for a second, don’t worry." She pulled the Through card out again. "Through! Help both of us to pass through the wall!" They were whilrled around and then softly set on the lawn below, not the tree it had set Syaoran on. Sakura took one last look at Link, who looked awfully strange in his bulking coat, then started walking.

"This has got to really stink for you, huh?" She said.

Link shrugged and looked around. "I’m used to strange places by now."

"Don’t you hate never having a home?" Sakura asked.

"Well, it’s alright. I can’t see living any other way. I just have to help my world, you know?"

More than you could understand. I have to get this boy’s mindset, maybe I wouldn’t mind all this Clow card business. "Do you like princess Zelda?" Sakura asked.

Link glanced at her with surprise before returning his eyes in front of him. "She’s not for me to like. I am just trying to get her back to power before Ganondorf takes over everything."

"Oh. Well we’ll try to get you back as soon as we can. I am really sorry, but we have a person similar to Ganondorf here, and she uses magic against us, she must have done something to my nintendo."

"Your what?"

"My nintendo- the thing I was playing the game you were in on." Sakura said. "So have you met Ganondorf before?"

"Well, yes, when I was little. Now I am trying to find a stone in a mountain." Link said.

Oh right, that’s where I am at right now in that game. I wonder- is he only as far as I got him? That’s where I am at right now in the game. I wonder if he’s only as far as I’ve gotten in the game myself? "Don’t you hate running other people’s errands? I mean, I’m not trying to be a downer or anything, but it just seems so unfair to you. You never have a choice."

Link shrugged. "Someone has to do it. I should be honored to be challenged."

Sakura melted away. Nintendo people are so perfect. Link is so easy to talk to, unlike mean, annoying Syaoran. Why does he have to have such a short temper? "You are a very admirable person, did you know that? In our world, you would probably get a bunch of awards or something."

Link smiled, though she could tell he didn’t really understand what she had said. "Umm- thank you." He almost blushed, Sakura noticed. He turned more serious. "Do you think this Ganondorf person is going to try and harm us?"

Sakura frowned, all her worries coming back. "Probably." She said finally. "But with you around, we’re sure to beat her! As long as Syaoran can keep his temper down."

"Are you two together?" Link asked.

Sakura laughed weakly. "Why would you say that?"

"He was at your house, he seems very protective of you." Link said.

"Oh, hehehe, no, he’s just helping me-fight this Ganondorf type person." Sakura said.

"Oh. I don’t think he likes me very much." Link said.

Sakura shrugged. "Don’t take it personally. He’s like that to everyone."

"Well not everyone."

"What?"

"Nevermind. What type of magic powers does this person have?"

"Uh..well alot. See I have these cards that work on magic, and she’s releasing their powers to use for herself. She is channeling Syaoran’s magic to herself, so Syaoran runs out of power quickly."

"I can try and help you as we’re here." Link said.

"You are a very good person." Sakura looked up and saw that the apartment building was very closeby. "We’re almost there. It’s that building."

They walked across the parking lot and entered the door. Sakura turned to go along the steps, but a sign was across them. Link looked at it curiously. "What does that mean?"

"The steps are being repaired, I’m not sure why. We can use the elevator, it’s not a problem."

"What’s an elevator?" Link asked as Sakura pressed the button and waited for the elevator to come down.

"It’s an electric thing. Umm- kind of like fake magic-that’s what electricity is. It brings this box thing up, so you don’t have to walk up stairs." The door opened, and Sakura stepped inside. Link stepped forward nervously, looking with suspicion at the light that had just made a dinging noise. He jumped as the door closed behind him.

Sakura put a hand on his tense shoulder. "Relax, it’s not trying to hurt you."

Link tried to relax, but his face went rather pale as it started to move up. The door opened, and Sakura stepped out. and looked to Link. He hopped out, glancing behind him worriedly before turning around and following Sakura.

Sakura hadn’t been to his apartment very many times, but she thought she knew the right number of his room, so she knocked on the door. She heard Meilin’s voice shout ‘come in’. Sakura opened the door and saw Meilin and Syaoran sitting on the couch, both looking serious.

Sakura and Link both walked hesitantly in, noticing the awkward situation. Meilin got up lightly from her seat on the couch. "Do you guys want anything to drink?" She asked.

Sakura shook her head. "I’m fine, thanks." She walked with Link following her over to the couch next to Syaoran and sat down. Like all times when he was in thought, he didn’t heed any attention to their entrance. Sakura and Link looked at him uncomfortably, waiting for his eyes to come out of the clouds they were in.

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Sakura had enough. "Syaoran, are you alright?"

Syaoran looked up from his daze, a bit startled. "Oh, uh, yeah. I was just thinking- nevermind." He looked away again, but at least his eyes were still in the room.

"So how exactly are we going to send him back?" Sakura asked.

"Reversing the spell." Syaoran said simply.

"And how exactly are we going to do that? I mean, you don’t know the spell off the top of your head do you?"

"No- forget that for a minute- how exactly did he come here?"

Sakura sighed and tried to think, she knew Syaoran would want a precise story. "Well I was saving my game or something- I don’t remember exactly, but the nintendo started blinking and then the screen went black. Then this light filled the room, it was really bright. There was like a black light on one side of the room too. But they both disappeared, and the next thing I knew, he was in the room. It took me a couple seconds to even notice him because my eyes were like half blinded the light had been so bright."

"A black light?" Syaoran asked.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah- like it was some dark stuff, kind of glowing. It kind of had a denser center, purplish-"

"Well if I am right, it seems logical enough, that if the white light was Link, the dark light would be the bad character in the game. Did you see where the light went?"

"Umm- not really, it just kind of ran wild out of the room. I didn’t see where it went." Sakura said.

"Do you at least have an idea of who it could be?"

Sakura looked to Link. "Do you think it is possible that Ganandorf escaped with you?"

Link nodded. "Yes, it’s highly likely. If this is true, we should be on our most extreme guard."

Sakura nodded. She got up and walked over to the window, overveiwing a small part of Tomeoda. Everything seemed to be going about as it always did. it seemed strange to think that a bad guy from a video game could be out reaking havoc. The high snow seemed to have dicipated through the week, and now it was plowed in most public areas. Sakura turned back around. "Well how are we going to catch him before he does any damage? I mean, we want to catch him before he catches us, right?"

"Yes, but I am afraid he is probably already after me. He is always searching for me." Link said.

Sakura turned and looked out the window again. For a split second she thought she met two eyes, two cruel eyes, but after looking for those eyes again, she blamed the illusion as tricks of the sun. But something else caught her attention. A tingling in the back of her mind, a sense of alarm creeping into her thoughts. "Do you sense this?" Sakura asked Syaoran.

Syaoran closed his eyes and concentrated. "Maybe, I cannot tell."

Sakura paced worriedly and then sat down on the couch again. "Something’s coming again. What should I do?"

"Put a Shield up." Syaoran said.

Sakura pulled out her shield card. Meilin noticed the commotion and sat down next to Syaoran, watching curiously. "Shield card! Produce a Shield around this room!"

The Shield came out of its card, and spun around several times. "A shield around this room! I, Sakura, command you!"

The Shield spun around and abruptly shot through the window, shattering glass throughout the room. Sakura sat back and gaurded her face with her arms, then looked up when everything was calm. Syaoran was already looking out the window. "Another one escaped." He said.

Sakura nodded and walked over to the window, looking outside into the cold as a draft of the winter’s wind blew into the room. "We are not going to be able to fight it if it takes away all my cards." She said.

Link walked over to the window, looking out of the last open space not blocked by Syaoran, Sakura or Meilin. "We’ve got to fight Ganandorf, he’ll ruin both of our worlds."

Sakura was about to answer, when a strange rushing feeling tickled the backs of her ankles. Sakura was a little slow to turn around, and as she did, her eyes met the figure of a man whom she had only seen in a book. Syaoran glanced over at Sakura, who was completly turned around and was staring at something with a pale face. He turned to see, and his eyes met a tall mad, oddly dressed, but heavily armed. He was about to draw his sword when Sakura was swept off her feet as the Windy made cords around her ankles. Syaoran quickly grabbed her hands and yanked her up. Both Link and Meilin were staring at him now.

The man laughed evilly, much the same way he did in the game. He held his hands up as if he was holding something, and slowly a black ball of light started to form in between his palms, growing and filling the room with its electrifying intensity. Syaoran drew his sword and stepped in front of Sakura. Meilin was standing with him, her fists in fighting position. "Meilin, you know you cannot fight this." Syaoran said as he watched the energy grow into a black mass.

Meilin said nothing, but only held her fists firmly. Link was holding his sword worriedly. "We can’t fight him yet! We must flee!" Link said, though the volume of his voice was distorted by the ever growing energy.

Sakura stood helpless, not having her cards for help. She turned and looked at the window behind her. It wasn’t that awfully far down to the ground, and she would choose this way rather then stand and wait for the blackness to overtake her. Sakura pushed the peices of glass that were left on the sides out, then put one foot over. I can do this. No problem. Nooo problem. Urgency took her actions, and she threw herself out. Sakura’s stomach felt sick for the few seconds she was in the air, but came back to her with the sickening pound of her feet on the pavement. Sakura’s knees ached, but she had managed to land alright. I have got to learn how to do those attack rolls when I land. She looked up to the window. "Syaoran, Link! Come on!"

Syaoran and Link, both bravely holding their swords, glanced over their shoulders at Sakura’s distant voice. Syaoran quickly jumped out, landing solidly. Link landed in an attack roll, making Sakura glare at him. Meilin hopped out and landed just as well as Syaoran. They started running across the parking lot. Sakura took out a card as she ran, holding it up with an unsteady hand. "Dash! Please help us!" Sakura felt the same fimiliar light footed feeling, everything seemed to blur around her. She was aware of where she was, and in perfect control of her speed, but she couldn’t stop to see anything around her. She ran and ran until the feeling of magic had left her. Sakura slowed down, and everything around her slowly returned to its original color. Sakura looked at the card with admiration. "Thanks, Dash." She said, putting it back in her pocket.

Sakura turned and saw happily that Syaoran, Link, and Meilin had all kept up. Meiiln was looking wildly at her feet. "What in the world just happened?" She asked.

Sakura shook her head. "Nevermind." She looked around and saw unfimiliar territory around her. "Where are we now?"

Link was looking at a distant factory type building. "Ganandorf has already established a castle here." He said quietly.

Sakura turned and looked towards it. "Well then we should run the other way, right?"

Link shook his head. "Not necessarily. His castle may hold the key to his defeat."

Sakura sighed. "You aren’t suggesting we go in there, are you?"

Meilin shook her head. "Who is this guy? Why is he wearing this weirdo trench coat? I tried hard not to ask, but now that he seems to be holding our fate, I would like to know some of his backround."

"He’s on our side, that’s all you need to know." Syaoran said.

Meilin crossed her arms and chomped on her peice of gum indignantly.

Sakura looked to Link. "Are you sure?"

Link nodded. "Positive. But it will be horribly dangerous- I have never been here, he probably has numerous allies."

Sakura nodded. "Let’s go, then." She said, walking forward.

They walked across a relatively flat field and slowly approached the factory. As they came closer, the factory revealed it’s run down appearance. Many windows were broken, and it held a sort of darkness, and it seemed to have eyes in its walls, watching them. When they were almost to the front of the factory, Sakura spotted some little dog like things. "Look! What’s that?"

Link looked at them, startled. "They only see by motion. Bombachu dogs. We’ll be fine if we stay out of their way."

They followed Link around the wall and followed him through a hole in the wall into the dark dingy factory.

It held an eerieness that all abandoned things hold. The floor had accumulated puddles in some spots, and the walls were stained with age. Link walked boldly forward, carefully placing each step on the old stone floor. "Stay exactly behind me." He said.

Sakura obeyed his orders, walking only where he stepped. She couldn’t help looking around, it’s walls seemed to snare at her with the ghost’s eyes. For a moment she thought she noticed a white dress, red stained, in the distance for a moment, but it quickly dissapeared. Link suddely lurched forward, just as he did a white masked spider came crashing down from the ceiling. Sakura jumped sideways with surprise, but her feet did not land solidly. Instead, she found herself falling through the floor, landing hard on a darker level of the factory.

"Can you guys hear me?" Sakura called out. Nothing answered. "Syaoran? Link? Meilin? Hello?" Sakura stopped speaking abruptly, realizing that making noise might not be the best thing to do. She looked nervously around the seemingly endless room. A conveyer belt ran through the room, then went through a dark black box of some sort, a huge block that several peopled could stand in. The lights in the room flicker on dimly for a second. Sakura jumped to her feet and looked around nervously. In the brown light the room held even more fightening shapes, but the light went out before she could study the room carefully.

The lights flickered on again. This time they stayed on a little longer, making a fuzzing sound as they sparked into life. Sakura gripped her cards and called out her staff. "Star staff!" She gripped it tightly, though it wasn’t going to do her much good. Wind whipped around her ankles suddenly, and Sakura felt gravity leave her aid. Instead, she was floating up and slammed down onto the stained conveyer belt. Lights flickered on, this time holding their dim yellow hold. Sakura pulled wildly and struggled to get free, but the wind corded her down, just as she had seen people in old western movies being tied to the train tracks. Sakura stopped pulling after a while, a sweat overtaking her and seeing that she had no effect on the tight hold the Windy had.

Another thing started to roar into life. Sakura looked around, then realized what was happening. The conveyer belt was slowly moving into operation. Sakura tried to bend her neck to see what she was moving into. She saw the black box behind her. Something was making grinding noises in that box, she didn’t like them at all. It sounded a little too much like clashing metal. Sakura’s brain slowly came to a frantic realization: this was a meat factory!

Syaoran pulled his arm angrily out of Link’s grasp. He glared at the floor when Sakura had just fallen.

"You would most likely not go to the same place she had fallen. We can search for her now, just don’t follow her." Link said.

Syaoran sighed loudly. "Lead the way." He said irritably.

Meilin was clinging to the back of Syaoran’s shirt, obviously not ready to deal with the same fate Sakura had. She was determined that, if Syaoran was to fall into a fake floor, she would fall in there with him. "She’ll handle herself, oh cardmistress that she is."

"Just because you don’t have any magic doesn’t mean you should show your jealousy so openly." Syaoran grumbled at her as they followed Link through a hall.

Meilin made a sour face. "You are a mean person." She said.

The lights overhead dimly flickered, and they stopped momentarily. Something in the factory was being turned on, Syaoran could feel it in the vibrations under his feet. He pulled out of Meilin’s hold and stepped out in front quickly. Sakura, where are you? Syaoran thought painfully, starting to jog away from Link and Meilin.

"Don’t run, it is not safe." Link called at him.

Syaoran only glanced over his shoulder, annoyed. "I am going to find her. You two go look for Gannonarf or whoever." Syaoran broke into a run, trying his best to concentrate. Sakura, Sakura, where are you? A picture flashed in his mind, making Syaoran stop abruptly. He had just seen a room, or at least that had been what he thought he had seen. Syaoran concentrated again. A picture flashed across his mind, this time holding longer. Down the stairs. It’s a big room- something runs through the middle. And there is something dark at the end. Syaoran began running as hard as his legs would take him. His eyes spotted stairs after a few passages of halls. Syaoran spun into a turn and took the stairs four at a time. He quickly reached the bottom and kicked open a wooden door that was blocking his way.

Syaoran found himself in a long hall, and he felt a presence at the end of it, which he could not see because of the darkness of this level, it didn’t receive any of the sun’s light. Sakura! You are close, I can feel it! Syaoran sprinted down the hall despite his aching muscles. He almost ran flatly into a door, because of its abrupt appearance in the dark. Syaoran pushed at the door with his weight, but it held solidly against him. Syaoran searched it quickly for a knob or handle, but there was none. He pounded it with his fist then quickly retracted his hand, realizing he was punching metal. Syaoran put both hands on his sword and swung it mightily at the door, but nothing happened except the reverberation of power back up Syaoran’s arms.

Since when did old factories have steel doors? Syaoran continued relentlessly to pound the door with his sword and fist, determination overtaking his actions.

Link, only a few halls down, opened the door in front of himself and stepped into a dimly lit room. It’s length seemed limitless, and his eyes could barely make out the distant walls on the opposite side of the room.

Link immediatly noticed the moving ‘snake’ thing that crept down through the center of the room. He spotted a figure laying across that belt, and he ran over to it. "Oh, Sakura! What are you doing on this?" Link asked.

Sakura looked up at the impending doom of the black box. "There’s cords around my wrists- they’re not visible- it’s cords made out of wind. I’ve got to get off this thing before it goes in there." She said quickly.

Link walked quickly along side, trying to keep up. "What do I have to do?"

Sakura shook her head- or tried to anyway, her neck was somewhat restrained. "I dunno. Turn it off, keep this thing from moving, something!"

Link nodded and looked ahead, his baby blue eyes trying to formulate a plan.

"Your sword attack- use your magic- cut this thing apart!" Sakura said.

Link nodded and ran ahead of her. He held out his sword and it slowly began collecting energy. It surged until the sword seemed about to burst with the energy it held. He released the sword, swinging it down into the belt. The sword sliced through the thick vinyl belt, then continued down through the wiring, into the metal, until it stopped at the stone floor. Link looked up triumphantly. Sakura was still tied to the belt, but the gap in the conveyer would provide safety from the black box. She fell through the belt into Link’s readied arms, who caught her easily.

Sakura smiled widely at him. "Thanks a whole lot!" She said happily.

Link grinned at her. "Not a problem."

Meilin came running up, unperturbed that Link was holding Sakura-it wasn’t Syaoran, so she didn’t really mind. "Have you guys seen Syaoran anywhere?" She asked.

Link gently set Sakura on her feet and put his sword back in it’s sheath. "No, I haven’t." He said, then looked to Sakura for her answer.

"I haven’t seen him either." Sakura said.

Meilin sighed. "I am going to go look for him-"

"Don’t, you will be lost as well. We should stay together, that way none of us are left behind." Link said.

Meilin sighed and crossed her arms. "You’re probably right." She said reluctantly.

Sakura looked around the room. She couldn’t help but feel the slightest disapointment at the identity of her rescuer. "Well what are we going to do now?"

Syaoran concentrated all of his remaining magic into his sword as it seemed to melt away the metal door. Satisfied with the amount he had gotten through, Syaoran pulled back his sword and kicked the door the rest of the way open. He looked into an emensely large room, dimly light with pale yellow light. Syaoran spotted two figures in the distant part of the room. His eyes narrowed as he recognized who they were. Sakura was tied to the conveyer belt, and Link was trying to save her. Syaoran was about to run over to them, but Link had just cut through the belt with his sword alone. Syaoran watched with narrow eyes as Link caught Sakura in his arms, and held her tight.

Syaoran turned his eyes away, whether shame or furious embaressment, and leaned against the wall behind him. I have failed. I would have never had made it in time. If- if he hadn’t been here... Burning anger was sparking in his mind. He could not admit to himself that Link had defeated him, but that was the reality, whether he chose to accept it or not. Syaoran glanced up again and saw that Sakura and Link were now apart, and were looking at another figure, whose long dark straight hair laid behind her. Syaoran was preparing himself to storm over there, he tried to supress his jealous thoughts and tried to concentrate on the positive side of things, but his overwhelming temper took hold of him.

Syaoran was about to place his foot in front of himself when a moaning sound behind him in the hall. It wasn’t human like, but rather in between human and post human. Syaoran carefully turned around, touching his finger tips together to ready himself to draw his sword. The dirging sound filled the hall, but Syaoran could not see anything, for the hall was long and dark.

He cautiously stepped forward, unsheathing his sword and holding it in front of him. It was silent for a moment, but Syaoran heard several quiet footsteps seeming to march in slow motion. They were far enough away, and seemed to be walking away from him at the time. Syaoran continued forward, his feet not making a sound as they hit the floor. He advanced cautiously and always ready, stopping every few seconds.

Syaoran reached the corner of the hall where he had kicked a door down and it was sitting on the floor. Syaoran stepped carefully on it, but it was impossible to completly keep any sound from the unbalanced board to echo. The board made the slightest tapping sound as it tilted to the floor. Syaoran froze in his place. Two beads of dimly reflected light met his eyes. Syaoran stared into the beaded eyes for a short second before they started to advance on him. Syaoran stepped over the board quickly and jumped sideways, out of the slowly advancing path of the eyes.

A screech beside him made Syaoran quickly divert his attention. Dim light that had an indefinite source outlined a horrible figure. It was human, at least part human, but the worst part. The lining of a person- nerves, fibers and red muscles, all visible. Syaoran looked at it carefully, gripping his sword nervously. He had faced many things, but that didn’t mean things didn’t appear at least a bit scary to him. The thing jumped at him with lightening speed, unlike it’s relative that had advanced with such indolence. Syaoran just barely jumped out of it’s path and swung his sword around, slashing it into the flesh of the enemy. The thing got up slowly, still unscathed despite the deep sword blow Syaoran had put into him. Syaoran slashed his sword into him again and again, until it fell to his knees and did not get up.

A chorus of moaning came again, and it was surrounding him. Syaoran backed up into a wall, and he flattened himself to it. The beaded eyes started to surround him. Syaoran looked around himself with an unfamiliar feeling of hopelessness. I can take them on. No problem. Nooo problem. Syaoran gripped his sword again, fixing his hands to a better part on the sheath. The eyes were enclosing around him, only the dead corpse seperating them. Syaoran was about to charge forward hopelessly, when the figures all knelt down around the corpse, oblivious to Syaoran’s presence. Syaoran continued to hold his sword, not sure if this was a trap or not. After a few moments, he realized what they were doing. They eat their own dead? Syaoran didn’t think about it for very long, because this little corpse wouldn’t last them all very long, and he needed to get out before they saw him as another source of food.

Syaoran quickly ran through a gap in the group, running and running until he found it safe to slow to a jog, and he jogged until his legs couldn’t carry him any longer. Syaoran looked around, and, not recognizing the territory, he walked forward cautiously. He was in no hurry to get anywhere; Sakura was safe and fine, he wasn’t needed anywhere.

Sakura looked around, followed timidly behind Link. She didn’t want to get caught alone again. Meilin was walking along poutily beside her, angry that Syaoran wasn’t with them. They were walking through a hallway and were searching for stairs, they wanted to get upstairs where they could have a good veiw of the factory so they could find out whatever it was they were searching for. Maybe this isn’t a good idea. I mean, I know we have to figure out how to send them back, but why should we go looking for trouble? It finds us easily enough.

A fluttering sound behind them made them jump. Sakura looked behind her and studied the high ceiling and narrow walls of the factory. The fluttering sound continued, but it was still faint. Sakura slowly returned her eyes to Link’s back, who proceeded persistently. "Did you hear that, Link?" She asked.

Link did not turn his head. "Yes, but they are far away still. They will not come after us unless they see us."

Meilin clenched her fists. "Let them see us, I’ll take ‘em."

The fluttering began to become louder. Sakura walked nervously forward, as slowly the hall echoed unbearibly loud with the flocking sound. Link stopped and turned around, his blue eyes flooded with aprehension. Meilin turned and went into fighting stanse. Link put a hand on her shoulder. "There’s too many of them. We must run!"

Link pulled on both of their arms and led the way, running quickly. Sakura was able to keep up with him, though just barely. Meilin kept up as well, though it was apparent that they were running their hardest. The fluttering continued to get louder. Sakura took one swift glance over her shoulder, and saw a flock of bats, some icy blue, some fiery red, fluttering swiftly towards them. "We’ve got to go faster!" Sakura shouted.

Link sprinted hard ahead. "We have to confuse them! Split up- meet back in this hall intersection! Go!" Link shouted.

Sakura hardly had time to debate as Meilin turned right, Link ran straight, and Sakura was forced through the only other possible passage to her left. Sakura was faced immediatly with an obstacle. The hall ended, but there was piping in front of her. It was large enough she could probably fit in and slide down, but she didn’t know her destination, nor if she would get stuck on the way down in case the piping narrowed.

Bats were coming around the corner, and Sakura didn’t have much choice. She swung into it and pushed herself off, ignoring the dust and dirt that coated the linings of the piping. She slid down, gaining speed continuously, then got worried that she was going too fast. She knew she had lost the bat’s trail, so she gripped the sides with her hands in an effort to slow down. Her hands burned as the pipes chaffed away the skin on her palms, but she ignored it- it was better than flying off the end of some pipe into some rock. Her speed slowed down horribly slow, and her hands began to ache so intensly that it took all her concentration to keep them holding on.

Her worries were quickly relinquished as the pipe ended, and she was thrown to the dirt ground. Sakura was bent over her knees, trying not to inhale the dusty storm that was slowly dissolving around her. She got to her feet and looked around. This room was very dark, and it wasn’t very large. Sakura walked cautiously forward, looking nervously from side to side. Nothing was in this room that she could sense, but that wasn’t saying a whole lot. She walked out of the doorless doorway into a larger hall, one that was sloppily cut through the ground. Sakura walked through, looking with disgust at the spider infested bumpy rock walls that enclosed the halls, and the unsturdy wooden ceiling above her, that had many chained doors across the top, which Sakura had no idea of their use, but she had seen many of their type on Zelda.

Something suddenly hit Sakura from behind. The force was great and concentrated, and it seemed that for a second she couldn’t breath. Sakura fell to her back on the ground, trying not to groan with pain, but to keep her concentration instead. She looked up with blurry eyes and saw from her upsidedown position that there was a skultala hanging from the ceiling, which had so rudely knocked her off her feet. Sakura stayed on her back for a long while, trying to catch her breath, though it seemed like an impossible task. Just as she was starting to feel better, the chained door above her on the ceiling broke open, and a figure swiftly and heavily landed flat on Sakura. She clenched her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore the pain in her stomach again. Weight was pinning her down to the ground, keeping her from breathing easily. Sakura slowly opened her eyes, only seeing Syaoran’s face, directly above hers, but staring ahead of them, alertness in his eyes. Sakura tried to squirm out from under him when he realized/remembered that he was on her. "Don’t move-" He whispered. "Real Bombchus- see movement..." Syaoran said, still staring off in front of them.

Sakura nervously held herself still, though it wasn’t hard to do, because Syaoran had her pinned at every joint. "Sorry." He mouthed, though he didn’t move. Atfer a long drawn out moment, Syaoran sighed and brought his eyes back. He swiftly rolled off of her and got to his feet, lending Sakura a hand up. She took it, though a little bit of pain and effort was apparent in her manner.

"Are you okay?" Syaoran asked.

Sakura nodded and smiled. "Yeah, or at least I was. I got the wind knocked out of me- twice."

Syaoran blushed and looked away. "Sorry, I was running along that level and I guess that door gave underneath me. There seems to be alot of trap doors in the floor. Figures." He concentrated again. "Where’s Link?" He asked, a bit of mockery in his tone.

"We were running from a huge flock of bats and we split up. How about you? Have you found any neat monsters yet?"

"No, not really." Syaoran lied, not wanting to get into the whole cannibal things he had seen.

"We should get going." Sakura said. "I mean, I don’t want to hang around here any longer than I have to, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah." Syaoran said, walking a few inches ahead of her in case anything woud decide to attack. A question that had been bugging the edge of his mind cried to be said. "So where did you fall when you fell through the floor?"

Sakura remembered that Syaoran hadn’t seen that. I wonder if he looked for me? He didn’t seem that concerned about it. At least he is bothering to ask. "Well I fell into this meat packing room- that’s what this factory is; a meat factory- and Windy tied me up to a conveyer belt. It was okay, though, Link got me off-" Sakura glanced at Syaoran, who didn’t look too troubled by her news. "And then we were chased by those bats, so here I am."

Syaoran nodded. "I see." Syaoran couldn’t hold back his jealous temper. "So Link is a robin hood huh? Too bad he can’t be around all the time."

Sakura frowned unsurely and glanced at him again. He was staring straight ahead, no sign of emotion on his face. She wasn’t sure how to answer, so she laughed nervously. "Um, yeah. He really helps out." She said.

Syaoran sighed to himself and walked on, looking at the gleaming sword hanging on his outside. That truly is admirable, to think I could be entrusted with such a precious thing belonging to the Li clan. "You can’t be too attatched to him Sakura, we’ve got to send him back soon."

Sakura glanced awkwardly at him, who was still staring off in front of them down into the very uneventful hall. She wasn’t enjoying this conversation. What is he trying to get at? "Uh, yeah, I’ll miss him I suppose."

Syaoran grunted in return. Sakura sighed and looked to her feet. Well how did you want me to answer? She looked ahead, seeing that there were several doorways coming from the hall. "Should we try one of those halls?"

"Let’s go left, it’s got stairs, maybe we can get out of this hole in the ground." Syaoran said.

Sakura followed him up the stone steps, through a door, and found them inside a humongous kitchen. Syaoran advance slowly, looking around unsurely. Giant sized stoves decored the walls, along with sinks large enough to be small pools. The room snaked around walls out of sight, having many dark crannies that things could be lurking.

A shuffling noise caused them both to stop abruptly. Syaoran held his sword low in front of him, ready to strike. Sakura hid behind him closely, looking around nervously. "What do you think it is?" Sakura whispered.

"I don’t know." Syaoran whispered back, crossing his fingers that it wouldn’t be another cannibal thing. "Stay close." He whispered.

Sakura was about as close as she could be, peering out around his shoulder. "I hope there’s no re-deads here." She whispered, mostly to herself.

Syaoran tried not to let his attention waver as he felt Sakura so close to him. "What is that?" He asked, carefully taking a step forward into the wild dark.

"A half dead human." Sakura whispered slowly. "They suck people’s blood, eat dead things..."

Syaoran bit his lip. Great. "Come on, we can use our magic against it." Syaoran whispered, sneaking around the corner, Sakura close by his side.

Something cold was surrounding Sakura’s feet. She looked down and then noticed collecting water. "Syaoran!" She said softly, walking carefully on the water.

"Keep walking, pretend like you don’t notice it." Syaoran said, walking on. After a pause he added, "Let it think it’s suprising us, maybe it will sneak up more slowly, we can get away in time."

Sakura figured that was logical enough, so she walked on. The water receded suddenly, and Sakura was walking on dry land. They walked around a few stoves when Sakura noticed the rising temperature. "Do you feel that?" She asked.

Syaoran stopped and turned to Sakura. "We’ve got to leave this room."

Sakura shuddered at the urgency in his eyes and quickly turned, heading back down the path they had walked just seconds ago. A movement in her pocket made her stop, and she felt the card float out and wind in front of her. Sakura stared nervously at the card in front of her. Not the Fiery! Not now, I need its help! "Please, Fiery!" Sakura said, looking desperately at the card.

The card spun in the air quicker and quicker, until red eyes were the only things that were looking at her as the rest of the card spun around, lifeless and angry, preparing to abandon Sakura once more. The card stopped suddenly, and energy burst out, red streaks painting the room. The red dissapeared momentarily, then it came back as all the ovens were set on fire. Sakura jumped back into Syaoran, who was holding his sword unsurely at every oven as it heated up. "There’s too many, we’ve got to get out of here!" He shouted over the flaming roar of fire.

Sakura nodded and shot forward, dodging the wild flames that tried to lick her from their stationary ovens. She jumped her way through, but was stopped by a random wall of flames that was across the floor. Sakura stopped and turned quickly to Syaoran, whose eyes reflected the taunting flames, and was looking quickly for a safe way out.

He guided her by a hand on her shoulder. "This way!" He shouted.

Sakura jogged along with him. "We are going to have to jump this!" Syaoran said.

Sakura looked at him nervously. "But-but..." A flame roared wildly behind her, prompting her decision. "You’ll be okay, come on!"

Sakura squeezed her eyes shut tight and lept across, landing safely on the other side. Syaoran easily hopped across, turning immediatly to make sure they were out of danger. "Are you okay?" Syaoran asked.

Sakura smiled weakly. "I guess." They stood in the hall now, back in the place they had started. She held the dim dull card up. "Fiery. I finally lost her. I can’t loose all of my element cards!"

Syaoran looked sympathetically at her. "We will get them back."

Sakura could only manage a half smile. "I hope." She said longingly.

This was no time to stop and talk. Fire was now rushing through the kitchen, making a quick path to their spot. Water started to pool around their ankles. Sakura looked down at her feet then quickly looked up with alarm, seeing the rising water that was rushing down the hallway down. "We’ve got to go!" Sakura shouted, turning and starting to run. She could hear Syaoran behind her, running fast behind.

Sakura sprinted until she found herself approaching a T in the hall. She turned fast as lightening left, running down the next damp and dark hall. Water was continuing to roar behind them, along side the crackling of the fire. Sakura heard the water splash into the hall behind her as it turned, and Sakura ran all the harder. She stumbled slowly as she almost ran into Link, who was looking at them with surprise. With amazing speed, he realized what was going on. "Keep going!" Link shouted, pulling his metal shield down. Syaoran quickly slowed behind Sakura, looking from Link to Sakura to the surging water and fire behind them, filling the stone hallway.

Link took his shield bravely and crouched into a sturdy stanse behind it, holding it in front of him, preparing himself for the blast the water would have when it hit his shield. Link tilted it just slightly. The water slammed into his shield, nearly pushing him over, but he held it determinedly and forced the water to rebound off his shield into the wall of fire. The Fire started to back away, and was overwhelemed with the rushing water. The Watery receded quickly, and both elements dissapeared, calling it quits for now.

Link almost toppled over from the loss of force pushing on his shield. He got to his feet and saw that Syaoran and Sakura were still standing near him. "Are you two alright?" Link asked, genuine concern in his voice.

Syaoran grunted and turned away, annoyed incredibly at Link’s second act of heroism. Sakura smiled widely. "Thanks alot! You’ve saved my neck twice now!"

Link smiled back. "Just trying to help, but I have lost your friend Meir- Mei...Mei..."

"Meilin. Yeah, we should go look for her, I hope she’s alright!" Sakura said.

Syaoran shuffled his feet irratatedly. "She looks after herself. Let’s go, we shouldn’t stand too long." Syaoran said.

Link met Syaoran’s glare curiously, not quite sure what the boy had against him. Sakura seemed to be ignoring it, and she started leading the way. ___________________________________________________________________________

They walked for a long while quietly, Link in the back, while Syaoran walked angrily in the middle. Sakura was relaxing finally, her brain had finally decided that it could slow down it’s lightening speed thoughts. Syaoran should really try to be nicer to Link, he has helped us so much! Why does he have to think he’s so macho and tough? He should realize that it is wiser to accept help then to wave it away and be defeated just bcause of your own pride. Geez.

A cold draft wafted down the long dark hall, and Sakura paused in her step, looking to Syaoran to see if he found it odd. He was looking slightly apprehensive. "What should I do?" Sakura asked, looking around.

Link jumped up from his spot in the back. "Look out!" He shouted.

Sakura turned and saw just in time the pair of half alive eyes that were approaching her. She shreiked and jumped back into Syaoran, quickly ducking under his protection. "Re-deads!" She squeaked, holding on to Syaoran’s arm tightly.

Syaoran tried not to grimace while Sakura’s nails were practically digging into his skin. "It’s okay!" Syaoran said, trying vainly to pry her hand off his arm.

Link stepped forward, his sword in front of him in a stanse much like the one Syaoran used. Syaoran cast a sideways glare as he pulled his sword out with his free arm.

Sakura let go of Syaoran’s arm. I am not a baby. I can do this, all by myself. And of course I’ll have two magically trained combat guys to back me up in case I fail. "SHOT CARD!" She yelled, trying to put as much energy into this card as she could. "Shoot them down!" Sakura yelled, facing the card to the group of approaching re-deads.

Shot came out and moved like a bullet through the mummy things, passing straight through one and into the other. It returned to the card after all the enemies had been hit once. Sakura frowned. "They’re still alive!" Sakura said, backing back into Syaoran’s arm.

They all started to back up as the large group of seemingly immortals continued to enclose them. "There’s too many!" Sakura said, continuing to back up.

Link stepped forward, his blue eyes blazing. "Din’s Fire!" He did a series of dance-like moves that ended with his fist slamming on the ground. A circle of fire enclouded him, then moved out, completly demloshing everything in it’s path. Sakura watched with horror as the fire passed onto her. The fire went over her like a hot wave of wind, and she felt no pain, no burning. Sakura looked at her hand with amazement as the fire passed over it, but then looked up again, to see all the shriveled remains of the re-deads, littering the floor.

Sakura looked brightly at Link. Good thing I went to the great fairy and got that spell in my last game, we wouldn’t of gotten out of that so easily.

Syaoran would have liked to slam his fist into the wall, or, even better, Link’s bright happy sun washed face with his baby blue eyes and charming smile. Can you say show off? "Great job skirt boy!" Syaoran said brightly, smiling fakely.

Link and Sakura both thought he was being sincere, and did not seem to mind his last rude nickname. Sakura smiled at Link. "I wish we had you around alot more, that was really great!"

Syaoran brushed angrily past them, charging ahead over the re-deads.

"Hey, where are you going?" Sakura called after him, a bit confused.

"I’m going to find Meilin, you guys go look for Ganonarf whatever." Syaoran shouted, not turning his head.

"Are you sure it’s wise to go walking alone in here?" Sakura called worriedly after him.

"I can take care of myself!" Syaoran called, though his voice was almost out of audibility.

Sakura sighed and looked to Link, who was watching Syaoran go with confusion. "Meilin’s his cousin, I guess he wants to find her himself." She said simply.

Link shrugged. "Well it wasn’t a wise choice, but he is skilled with a sword."

It’s so nice to hear a boy be humble enough to willingly give another a compliment. Link doesn’t have any idea how loyal or selfless he is, princess zelda better treat him very well at the end of the game! "So where should we start?" Sakura asked Link.

"Ganondorf seems like one of those people that like to be on top of things, so my best hypothesis would be that he is at the top of the builing. Does that seem logical?"

Sakura nodded, not noticing the choice of words he used. "Yes, very. But even if we find him, what exactly are we looking for?"

Link shook his head. "I’m not exactly positive, but we will know when we find it. Let’s go."

Sakura walked along side him, noticing that there was a much more comfortable air around Link than there was with Syaoran. It is always so uncomfortable with Syaoran, because of our past I suppose- back in the fifth grade days. You would think we’d mature out of that...It seems we always go around in circles.

___________________________________________________________________________

Meilin looked around cautiously. She had just kicked the crap out of some spider like jumping thing, and now she could hear something else rustling in the far part of the dark room she was in. It was open to a hallway, but she could hardly see that hallway now, because the depth of the darkness seemed to wash away all light.

Something grabbed her arm. Meilin reflexivly bent it out of danger and grabbed her foe and went back to back with it, ready to throw it over. Her opposer moved quickly, almost too quickly for her to follow, and put her arm in a lock behind her back.

"Don’t worry, Meilin-chan, it’s only me." Syaoran said, letting go of her arm. He was surprised her fighting training was still as sharp as it was, she seemed to hardly use it anymore. Or so he thought, anyway.

"Syaoran!" Meilin squeaked, throwing her arms around his neck.

Syaoran ducked out of it habitually and looked suspciously around the room. "Come on, we can’t stand around." Syaoran said.

Meilin sighed and walked forward. "You didn’t run into any of those spider things did you?" She asked.

"No, some mummy things, though." Syaoran said.

"Well, my spider things jumped around and stuff, they were probably a little more difficult than your dead mummies that stand in one place." Meilin countered.

"They ate their dead." Syaoran said, and was satisfied that Meilin did not come up with any counter attacks.

"Have you seen Sakura or Link? We found her by the way. About to get chopped into a bunch of fun little peices. Pity." Meilin said.

"Yeah, I was with them for a little bit." Syaoran half grumbled.

"So why aren’t they here now?" Meilin asked.

"Cause I went to look for you, and they went after Gananarf whatever."

"You came after me!?" Meilin asked excitedly. "LI SYAORAN! Oh, you are so loyal and brave, I knew that loving part was still inside you somewhere!" Meilin was truly pleased with Syaoran’s statement. Once she realized he was annoyed with her rantings, she switched back to solemness. "But yes, Ganondorf. Can’t you use your lasin board?"

"Um...I don’t think...I don’t think I have any magic left." Syaoran said, with much hesitation.

"No magic!?" Meilin shreiked. "How’s it feel to be down on the ground with your poor magicless cousin? No one cares about you, you have nothing but some karate training to help you out. Life is rough."

"Meilin this isn’t something to joke about. This ghost thing is using my magic against us!" Syaoran said, his voice raising tone with his anger.

"Sorry." Meilin said, though she took it lightly.

"Well listen, we’re gonna-" Syaoran stopped abruptly, a fimiliar feeling ever so faint in the back of his mind alarmed him. "Something’s coming!" He said, unsheathing his sword.

"Look out!" Meilin screeched, but seeing that Syaoran couldn’t move in time, she did a jump kick into the forming sword and shadow. It disappeared, or at least went out of sight. Meilin looked with fear at Syaoran. "We’ve got to get somewhere where we can see!"

Syaoran nodded. "We’ve got to get outside, we are trapped in here!" Syaoran turned and pulled Meilin’s arm behind him until he was sure she was able to follow him.

He entered the hall that he had come from, then looked from branching hall to branching hall. He ran forward, not taking time to decide, for he could feel the magic forming behind him again. Syaoran kicked down this door with ease, and found himself in a strange metal room. The floor was grated metal, and it had many steps, going up and down, sideways and directionless. Syaoran started climbing up, light from a high window lighting the large stairway.

"Where are we going!?" Meilin called, running hard up the stairs after Syaoran’s large stride.

"The top!" Syaoran said. He ran for what seemed like a full five minutes, before he found the turning and winding stairs had reached a door. He pushed it open with some force, an only by Meilin’s saving grab on his arm did he not fall out the other side. He opened the door to find nothing but the outdoors, the door just completly opened about twelve stories above the ground.

"Syaoran! It’s right behind us!" Meilin said quickly, pulling on his arms.

Syaoran looked down. A single rusty ladder ran the long length down to the ground. He looked to the forming shadow approaching them. The shadow and the sword. We cannot face this magicless! Syaoran quickly climbed out the door and hung down the ladder. He began climbing down it as quickly as his arms could go, but Meilin was seeming to think that that was not fast enough.

"Hurry!" Meilin called, though she was not going any faster than him. Meilin watched with horror as the phatom shadow floated tauntingly in front of her, holding the long sword threateningly at her gripping fingers. After a few fake swipes, the phantom brought the sword across, first slicing into her left pinky. Meilin let go of the ladder, then found herself falling backwards.

Syaoran looked up with shock. Meilin! Syaoran dropped his hands off the ladder, put his knees over a bar in the ladder, and barely caught Meilin’s hands in his own as he hung upsidedown. The force of her falling weight dug the back of his knees into the ladder, but he held on determinedly.

Meilin stared up at him with awed eyes. "Quick Meilin!" Syaoran shouted, seeing that the phantom was coming uncomfortably close to his knees. His back was aching from the arch he had it in, and he could no longer feel the lower parts of his legs.

Meilin quickly set her feet shakily on the ladder, then seperately let go of Syaoran’s hands. Syaoran put his hands below his head and did an awkward flip over, barely landing his feet on the bars of the ladder. The rusty ladder creaked under the sudden weight, but held. They quickly climbed down, the Phantom taking his time in teasing them.

Once they were about six feet off the ground they hopped down into the snow. A plan, I need a plan, a plan....Syaoran looked around. Collosal grain mills loomed in front of them, and the rest of the nearby landscape was urbanized woods. That’s it! what’s a sword when it’s stuck in a pile of grain? Syaoran got to his balanced feet, and Meilin followed, as they both took a glance at the Shadow behind them. It foated stationary for a moment, then split into two halves, and those halves became their own Shadows.

"The Twin card!" Meilin said.

"Come on!" Syaoran shouted, forcing his legs to continue on. Meilin trudged after him in the snow, tripping every once and again from thick snow and uneven ground. Syaoran ran determinedly to the large grain bins, heading for the stairs that wound around the outside of it. Once he reached it, Syaoran jumped onto the stairs that were quite high off the ground, and immediatly began running up it. He knew Meilin was right behind him, she was enjoying this fighting action where she was as even as everyone else.

Syaoran surged up and around the stairs, using the stair railing to help give him extra speed. How am I going to get the Sword into the grain bin, anyway? Wouldn’t it’ve been easier if I had found a door at the bottom? Still Syaoran ran, his cheeks flushing with the bitter wind that blew outside combine with the exhaustion of the chase. He reached the top suddenly, and almost fell onto the even ground. Meilin stopped abruptly behind him, then turned to her side. "He disappeared!"

Syaoran was looking directly ahead of himself. "Not completly." He said, watching the shadow form in front of them. Meiiln frowned deeply at this thing that was causing so much trouble and charged at it, ducking under its sword swing and kicking at it sideways. She hit solidly, though the shadow quickly disappeared and vaporated to her other side.

Syaoran ran in with his sword at the other shadow and clashed metal with it. A few good swipes with his sword and Syaoran managed to disarm him, grabbing its sword away from it. He looked over at Meilin, who was having slight difficulty fighting the sword armed shadow with only her fists and feet. "Meilin, catch!" He shouted, throwing the sword up so she would be able to catch it by the hilt.

Meilin groped out and caught it just in time, managing barely to sloppily block the heart-aimed jab the shadow had just lurched at her. She swung it cleanly across, slicing the shadow into two peices. The shadow disappeared, along with the sword in her hand. Syaoran’s shadow disappeared as well, leaving them comfused.

A blast of wind almost unbalanced Syaoran and Meilin. A wall of water slung across the ground at their feet. They both jumped across the wall of water and looked ahead for the next obstacle. Swords appeared in several places, along with the sword back in Meilin’s hands.

The swords surrounded them in a ring. Syaoran faced back and Meilin faced frontward, and they both held their swords out courageously. "We’ve got to trap them in the grain bin!"

They started fighting with the swords, nothing to jab at, just able to block the sword’s attacks and wait for the next one. Water started to shroud around their feet. "What are we going to do!?" Meiln asked, ducking under a powerfuly attack and straightening up only in time to block another jab.

"Keep....fighting.....I’ll get this...open!" Syaoran said, breaking his sentence only to concentrate.

Syaoran ducked under the swords and ran forward, looking for any switches or doors or anything that looked like an opening. The swords pounded relentlessly around him. A loud bang made him hop, and he watched the ground cave in at one spot under something’s power. The Power! Syaoran dodged around the swords and looked to the approaching power of the invisible force.

The water snaked around his feet, unsteadying him. Syaoran tried desperately to hold his balance and keep on his quest to open the grain bin. It’s not like this thing will have a garage door opener or something.

A powerful surge of wind and water pushed his feet over, sending him sliding across the smooth surface of the mill. Meilin noticed with horror and watched him slide horribly close to the edge of the lofty bin. "Syaoran!" She shreiked, barely ducking under another sword in time to look back up.

A powerful crunch banged into his legs, sending him off with high momemtum, tumbling wildly towards the edge of the mill. Unless something stopped him, he would fall for sure. Meilin tried desperately to get to him, but the sword continued to block her way. With furious clouding eyes she hit them down with her sword and tried to move forward, but they held her back. "Syaoran-kun!" She shouted one last time.

Syaoran tried to stop himself, but his body was sommersaulting wildly out of control. Every few seconds he would catch a glimpse of the ever nearer edge of the grain siloh, where he would fall a good ten stories to the ground. Syaoran tried to put his hands in front of him and push against the momentum, but the water and power pushed his ankles, forcing him to continue over.

Sakura and Link ran almost into the door in front of them. Link quickly pushed it open and they jumped outside into the snow, their eyes on the rooftop fight above. They had seen Meilin and Syaoran fighting through the window, and then seen Syaoran falling close to his death. Sakura had wasted no time, and taken off, hoping to use one of her cards to stop Syaoran from falling. She quickly pulled out a card. This will have to do.

"WOODY!" She called. Woody flew gently out then branched towards the siloh. Syaoran’s feet flung off the edge, followed by the rest of his body. Like a bad movie, the wood seemed to be coming just short of Syaoran’s rescue. Sakura unconsciously dug her nails into her palms as she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to force every ounce of magic out of her, trying to speed the Woody’s progression.

Two magic powers were intertwining now, and the Woody and the Dash were within Syaoran’s reach. Syaoran didn’t fall on them, he didn’t even land, rather he caught a branch with his fingers, used all his momentmum in reverse, and flipped back over to the siloh, his feet never once touching the wood’s long slide.

Sakura watched with awe and releif, amazed at Syaoran’s fighting ability, and thankful that he hadn’t fallen to the ground. Link quickly tugged on her shoulder. "Come on! We should go help!"

Sakura nodded and they ran up Woody’s straight and sturdy wooden stairway. Once at the top, Sakura could now see their opponents, swords and phantoms, now outnumbering them. Meilin was looking with teary eyes at Syaoran as she fought. Sakura smiled sympathetically and pulled out her staff. "Power- wait, no...Um.." She looked at the now scarce number of cards in her possession. "Um...Light card! Blind the ghosts away!"

Light spread out of the card, flying over the Shadows, making the swords lose their operators. The swords disappeared within seconds, leaving the rooftop uncannily quiet. Sakura waited a moment before she spoke. "Close call." She said.

Syaoran nodded. Meilin was half between glaring at Sakura and hugging Syaoran. Link just looked around from the top of the grain siloh. "Look, over there." He said after a while.

Sakura walked over to his side and followed the direction of his eyes. A dim light was flashing in a far dark window of the factory. Link took his bow in arrow, which he had been keeping safe behind the shield on his back, and aimed it cautiously at the window. Sakura’s eyes drifted to another window, far from that, where the broken glass allowed a few rays of sun to enter the dark factory room. Sunlight was reflecting off a pair of eyes, bulging and ugly, ones that Sakura knew all too well. She stepped back, fear enclosing her, and accidently stepped on Syaoran’s toe in the process.

"Sorry." She said, stepping aside. Syaoran looked after her eyes, but didn’t see anything in the window, so he shrugged it away.

After a few minutes of watching the window, Link lowered his bow. "I vote we go check it out."

Meilin was rubbing her arm, which had gotten bruised from one thing or another. She looked at Syaoran, whose eyes had dimmed slightly, he looked tired, though he was fighting it. She longed desperately to talk to him, because she had just been rescued by him, and he had said he was actually looking for her and not Sakura. He had also almost fallen to his death, which she glared relentlessly at Sakura for rescuing him, but what annoyed her the most was that she actually should be thankful to Sakura for saving him. Why couldn’t I have been born with magic? Why am I this way? Syaoran says everyone has a purpose, but I am not so sure. Is my purpose only to be in the way?

"Can we just figure out what we’ve got to do without having to face Ganondorf? I am really not in the mood to fight some all powerful evil. Isn’t there some spell we can use to send Ganondorf back?" Sakura asked, looking to Syaoran, their magic expert.

"If there is, I don’t know it." Syaoran said.

"I guess that’s the only way then, look for the answer and risk fighting Ganondorf." Sakura said, sighing.

Meilin sighed. She knew she was very out of place. She looked to the blonde haired boy, who she still hadn’t exactly figured out where he came from. Maybe he doesn’t have magic either. Someone to finally fit in with.

"I can put a spell here, so if we are in trouble, we can just warp back." Link said.

Sakura smiled. She remembered getting that spell from a fairy on the game. "That’s a really good idea- can all of use use it?"

"Yes, we all have magic, right?" Link said.

Meilin couldn’t have been more irritated. Sakura looked to Meilin with uncertainty, afraid to make her angry. "Well...Meilin doesn’t, but she could borrow some or something, right?" Sakura said optimistically.

"You can’t just borrow magic." Syaoran said.

"Well, you’ve borrowed it from me." Sakura said back simply, then bit her tongue as Meilin was now watching both of them with suspicion.

"Yes, well, that’s different. Meilin has never used magic and she never will, it’s as simple as that." Syaoran said.

Meilin frowned down at her feet. Syaoran was so insensitive sometimes. "Fine, if you want me to leave, just say so." She said, turning on her heel and heading for the metal stairs, not the wooden ones Woody had provided.

"Meilin, be reasonable!" Syaoran shouted after her. "You need to face the truth sometime!"

Meilin continued to stalk off, not turning her head. She stormed down the long stairs until it was low enough for her to jump down, and then she stalked through the snow, not stopping until she was on the other side of the factory.They’ll see. I can do ten times more than Sakura, without magic! If I find the answer to whatever they’re looking for, what’ll they think then? Meilin looked determinedly at the doors around the factory for a good entrance. This’ll be a peice of cake.

___________________________________________________________________________

Sakura wandered down the last part of Woody’s stairs, then looked around at the snow. Syaoran was walking stiffly ahead of her, she couldn’t tell if he was in pain or not, and it was impossible to figure out what variables were having the greatest affect on his mood.

They walked silently across the snow and headed back into the miserable factory, this time with much caution and respect for the evil it held inside. Syaoran opened the first door they came across, and they stepped in.

The first thing that they noticed was the air. It seemed more urgent, more impatient, more excited. Link and Syaoran were both walking with their swords unsheathed, looking around carefully.

The long hallway was metallic smelling, it’s floors were coated with dust, but there was no enemies lurking, only the impatient air unsettling their minds. They walked silently, all concentrating on something or another, ready for anything that might lurk in the darkest corners of the halls.

They reached a hallway that expanded further than Sakura’s eye could see. It’s windows had stonework windows that reminded Sakura breifly of her Uncle Guan’s house, but she ignored the fimiliarities. The faintest sound of an organ playing was wafting through the hall, though Sakura could not tell if that was just her own imagination being affected by the air of that place or if it was actually playing.

They slowly reached the end of that hall, and now the music seemed louder. Sakura looked to Syaoran, who didn’t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. Must just be me and my overactive imagination. Link stepped forward and hesitantly reached out to open the door. He turned to them. "He’s in there. You know that, don’t you?"

Sakura and Syaoran both nodded simontaneously. So I was really sensing something. Maybe my powers are getting better Sakura thought. Link opened the door and stepped in, his shield in front of him with his sword ready beneath it. He turned and looked back to Syaoran and Sakura. "It’s safe." Link said, stepping further in.

Sakura walked in, looking widely around the room. It was about as large as the one with the conveyer belt, only this one had a darkness to it, the air seemed thick and hard to breath in. Sakura stepped out timidly from behind Link to have a better look. She was curious to see the rest of the room, she was drawn to the center. In the game you have to defeat evil with Light, like Light arrows. So it would make sense that I could defeat Ganondorf with Light as well, wouldn’t it?

She turned to Link and Syaoran. "I think I know how to beat Ganondorf, make sure nothing attacks me from behind." With that, she ran away from them.

Syaoran didn’t like Sakura going off on her own, but he couldn’t say anything now. He and Link jogged a ways behind her, giving her her room.

Sakura approached the denser dark of the center of the room a little too freely, and she scolded herself as she slowed down to be more cautious. Sakura held her staff and cards readily, ready for the slightest movement from the dark cloud she was approaching. The air around her had currents of darkness pulsing through, and it disagreed with her lungs as she breathed it in, but she didn’t waver her course, but continued on, ignoring it.

Black electricity was biting out from the clouds now, and Sakura watched her step to be sure she didn’t step into one. She wasn’t quite sure if it would harm her if she touched it or not, but it looked dangerous, so she stayed away. The black cloud seemed to be engulfing her as she progressed, and though she was afraid, she refused to yeild with fear and turn away.

Ganondolf appeared in front of her, his orange eyes and thick armor gleaming in its best environment. Sakura unconsciously stepped back unconsciously, gazing up with fear at Ganondorf’s gleaming eyes. Nothing to be scared of Sakura, you have the Light card. use it! Concentrate! Sakura took her card and staff in front of her. "Light Card-"

She was interrupted by Ganondorf, who launched a ball of black electricity out of seemingly no where. Sakura had to lay to the ground to miss getting hit. She got back up and held the Light card tightly. "LIGHT CARD!" She shouted with forced confidence.

Two more black things whizzed by her ear. Sakura dived to the side to dodge a pure electric wad of normal light, which Ganondorf sent at her. Sakura frowned.

He can make normal light? Then...then...will the Light card have any effect? Sakura stopped and concentrated. She could hear a voice shouting something in a language she couldn’t understand, but it was not Ganondorf, it was a different voice, very powerful and authoritive, but slightly high pitched. Ganondorf stopped with throwing one more black electric ball at Sakura and listened, his evil face holding perplexion, maybe even slight fear.

_________________________________________________________________________

Meilin stared at the surging power in front of her. Ganondorf’s contained energy was in two electrical containments in front of her. One was light, a vibrant white that glowed and reflected in Meilin’s red eyes. The other was black, consuming black, the darkness that covered the whole room. I could cut Ganondorf’s power off. Meilin looked at the surging power as it swiftly went through branches of invisible currents.

No, I’ve got to do something big...something that they won’t forget...Meilin’s hand was drawn to the bright white light, the surging power that was tempting her. I wonder....I wonder could this....could I get magic from this...I shouldn’t touch it....But...but what if I could help them? I am doing this to help Syaoran, why am I hesitating? ....Because I know it’s wrong. I am not meant to have this... Meilin’s fingers continued to come closer to the white light. For Syaoran not me.... The space between her fingers and the light was becoming thin. For Syaoran...

Meilin’s hand contacted the light. Vibrations ran up her spine and throughout her body, and warm electricty ran down her fingertips. Meilin shivered and stumbled back. She felt like she was glowing, though she knew that wasn’t the truth. Urgency was running through her mind suddenly. What is this? Is this what magic feels like? Why do I feel so rushed? am I sensing something? Meilin walked, trying to see if her walking and other motor skills were affected by the magic. She heard a loud crashing sound from the dark dense center of the room. It’s Ganondorf!

Meilin ran to the wall she had been studying earlier. It had strange characters on it, ones from a language she had never seen. It slightly resembled an arabic language, but she doubted it was that. It’s probably Ganondorf’s language. Now as she looked on the engraved wall with new eyes, she understood. This is Hylian language! Meilin’s eyes skimmed over the writing. How am I able to read this?

To break a spell of unplacing, one who is able must read this spell that upon lives are waging:

Meilin stopped and pondered this quickly with her logical mind. Break a spell of unplacing- that’s the spell that unplaced Ganondorf and the blonde kid-Link. One who is able- that’s probably one who can use magic. Lives are waging- does that mean if I do this wrong I will kill Link and Ganondorf? That’s not good.

Urgency and impatience clouded Meilin’s mind. I need to hurry and read this! "Magic of light or dark, send forth these people to their origin! Hyrule! Transport them by my authority! I, Meilin, command you!" Meiiln shouted, amazed at her fluent tongue, which words were unfimiliar to her mind though she could understand.

Meilin’s eyes grazed the bottom writings, then slowed to read them more carefully. Beware...specify the people of transport or else all in a radius will be taken. signed -ganondorf. Meilin frowned. Does this mean anyone in this room aside from me will be taken with this spell?

"What!?" She said outloud. "Specify! Okay- magic of light or dark send Link and Ganondorf to their origin! Hyrule! Transport them by my authorit-" Meilin stopped her spell, as the black cloud in the middle of the room was starting to dicipate. "No!" She shouted, running through the dark to the other side of the room, where no one but herself was standing. "No, no, no!" Meilin cried, pounding her palms on the wall. She ran to the place where she had taken some of Ganondorf’s magic, but the elctricty was gone. Tears welled at the edges of her eyes, though she kept them from releasing. Even with magic, I just screw everything out. Meilin flipped her hair behind her and ran through the halls of the factory until she was outside, and then she ran all the way through the snow to their apartment, where she didn’t want to stop running. Meilin turned and left her house, running until she couldn’t run anymore. I have just erased Syaoran’s existance. I have sent to some video game world. I have never failed more horribly. Meilin sat in the snow and gazed up at the overcast sky. I was never meant to be anything. I have no purpose.

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Yay i finally finished this. Gosh it took me forever, at least that’s what it felt like. Anyway, I am trying to keep the actionmeter on high for a while, you know. Well I am in the car right now writing this- I plugged my laptop into the cigarrette lighter (we finally found a use for that) but it’s really uncomfortable sitting in this seat typing cause I’ve got the handle of the door digging into my back and the sun is blinding me as I write. I can’t even see my screen, there’s such a glare. I am too lazy to go over this for typos, I am really not as stupid as my spelling indicates! heheh anyway I’m going to attempt to start the next chapter, I dunno this sun is pretty annoying. Well anyway, I need some uplifting comments! [email protected] if you have any good ideas to put into my story, I’ll try and get them in somewhere. I might even name a character after you ;) haha okay anyway, I am slightly hyper. Sorry.

Visit my site if you’re not already there at geocities.com/Keanushorsechic

I am gonna put up some pics I drew of ccs soon. OH! news for ccs fans, volume 8 and the subbed first movie come out very soon, The Cardcaptors movie hits america in March or May...I am not sure, maybe in theatres. Of course, the story will be mauled by Nelvana, it might be worth it to buy the subtitled one instead. Cardcaptors 3rd season will be on WB on June 14 or something like that. Just some info I read at cardcaptors.net

K, really gotta go.

-Your favorite author- Syaoran Fan 4 Life