Li-ChAnime: FullMetal Anime

Hey, Minna-San! I want to dedicate this next chapter of Mastery to Clueless, my first ever reviewer! Arigato, Clueless-Chan! Well, here�s chapter 6 of Mastery! I know I said I had figured out how to end this fic, but I forgot what I was going to do. Anyway, I�ll come up with something. Now, onto the fic!
I don�t own CCS. That honor if CLAMP�s.

Mastery: Chapter 6.

�Syaoran, I have everything sorted out. It�s safe for you to be operational again. You can return to school tomorrow morning.� Eriol said as Syaoran sat up. He was on the same table where he had first been activated.
�Yes, Master. I am sorry I have caused such trouble.� Syaoran bowed his head in shame.
�It was no problem at all, Syaoran. Sakura is very gullible. She�ll believe anything you tell her. You could tell her you loved her and she�d run into your arms and kiss you-�
Syaoran blushed at this thought. He hoped Eriol didn�t notice.
�-Not that you can. I�ve told you many times that you are not allowed to do that. You can say it and not mean it, but you are still forbidden to truly love her.�
�Yes, Master. Sakura is the one person I may not love, regardless of what I want, she can never be the one.�
�Good.� Eriol smiled. �Now, get back to your apartment and try not to get the communicator and the cell phone mixed up again.�
�Yes, Master.� Syaoran left Eriol�s house and proceeded to his own. He fell asleep around midnight, even though he didn�t feel remotely tired after his 36-hour shut-down. He dreamt that Sakura was in love with him. In that dream, he was human, and was free to love whomever he wanted. The dream, he thought, was his definition of heaven.
Scholl the next day went on without a hitch. Sakura didn�t say anything about what he had accidentally said on the phone. In fact, she said nothing to him at all. Syaoran got his chance to ask Eriol why as the boys changed for gym class.
�Eriol, what did you tell Sakura yesterday? She won�t talk to me at all.�
�I just said that you were a little nuts two nights ago. You know, mentally disturbed?�
�You told her I was insane?� Syaoran hissed, not wanting anyone else to hear. �Well, that destroys any trust she had in me before! Now she�ll think I�m a mental patient and she won�t want my help in transforming the Cards anymore!�
Eriol�s face fell. �I never thought of that. I could shut you down and sort that out too, if you want.�
�No, thanks. I think I can handle it.� Syaoran said quickly as he pulled on his shoe and tied it. No matter what, Syaoran vowed never to be shut down again. He didn�t exactly like the experience.
�Suit yourself.� Eriol said, leaving the locker room. The two boys didn�t speak at all the rest of the day.
�Syaoran?� Sakura asked as Syaoran walked home after school. �How are you? I missed you yesterday.�
She missed him? Syaoran tried to fight down the blush that was slowly creeping onto his face, but failed. �Yeah. 24-hour bug. I�m okay now.�
�Good!� Sakura smiled. Syaoran�s blush deepened. �I�m glad!�
�Thanks.� Syaoran tried to smile without blushing ever more, but once again, he failed.
�Hey, Eriol said something yesterday about you. I didn�t think it was very nice of him to talk about you behind your back, though.�
�What�d he say?� Syaoran asked, already knowing what was said the day of his absence.
�He said that you were slightly�not right in the head�and that what you told me on the phone was one of your occasional periods of insanity.�
�That�s not true. As far as I know, I�ve got everything I need upstairs. It�s just that I have a friend that I sometimes role-play with. I accidentally dialed your number instead of his.� Syaoran gave himself a mental pat on the back for his quick lie.
�Oh. I didn�t believe Eriol anyway. He lies as much as Yamazaki.� They both laughed.
�That�s true.� Syaoran laughed. �Well, I�d better go. I�ve got to get my homework done.�
�Oh, Syaoran? Could you help me? You know I�m not that good at math, and I don�t understand the homework at all.�
�Sure.� His face was burning. He loved her, he wasn�t afraid to admit it to himself. However, if Eriol ever found out�
He didn�t want to think about that. He led Sakura to his apartment and they sat on the couch studying.
�Okay. I think I understand it now.� Sakura said, filling in an answer on her homework paper. Syaoran glanced over her shoulder at the paper and looked at is own answer.
�Good job. That�s right.� He looked at the next answer as she wrote it down. �That one isn�t. I�ll show you what you did wrong.� He went over the process for the third time, and this time, Sakura got it completely. She got the rest of the answers right.
�Thank you so much, Syaoran! I don�t know what I would have done about this if you had gone back to Hong Kong when you first said you would.
�Well, I might have to leave soon. I stayed back to help you with the Cards, and now that most of them are transformed into Sakura Cards, there�s not much left to do. You�re getting better at transforming the Cards, too. You haven�t even fainted lately!�
�You�re right. But I couldn�t have gotten this far without your help, Syaoran.�
The familiar blush was creeping back onto Syaoran�s face. Now was as good a time as ever, he thought.
�Sakura, there�s something I need to tell you.�
�What is it, Syaoran?�
�I�I love you.�
�HOE?� Sakura screamed. �You love me?�
�Yes. Even though I�m not allowed to.�
�Why not?�
�because-�
CRASH
The window shattered and the unmistakable aura of Clow Reed flooded in along with the evening breeze.
�I�m afraid he can�t tell you that.� A deep voice said through the window.
�Oh, no! Not now! She�s not ready! Don�t!� Syaoran yelled. �I know there�s only two left, but she�s still too weak to do it alone! She�ll need help! And all you want to do is cause her pain!�
�Syaoran, what are you talking about?� Sakura looked at the boy with a puzzled expression.
�It�s time. You must now transform the last two Cards.� The deep voice of Eriol answered before Syaoran had the chance. The darkening sky became black. No moon or stars shone through the deepening darkness. �And it is time to see the true face of the one who has helped you throughout your entire ordeal. The real Syaoran Li from Hong Kong died 3 years ago at the age of 8. I fixed him and changed his appearance to appear to be ten. He is an android. Allow me to show you.�
Sakura screamed. Syaoran looked at the mirror that hung on the wall. His face had melted away, and there was nothing there but metal. Gears worked his mouth into a shocked expression.
�That�s right. Not even Syaoran himself knew what he truly looked like until now. He shall stay like this, as part of his punishment for breaking my rules. I am his master. I created him. And as a rule, I forbade him from loving you. He broke my rule, and now he must suffer.� A ball of blue light soared through the window and hit Syaoran in the back. He fell to the floor with a yell of pain.
�Syaoran!� Sakura ran over to him. �Syaoran! Are you okay?�
There was a familiar feeling sweeping over Syaoran. The feeling he had hoped never to feel again. His mouth opened and once again, the robotic voice came, instead of his own. �Total system failure. Beginning Death Experience After Termination Happens process. (okay, so I couldn�t think of anything!!! Leave me alone!) DEATH process begun. Command abortion conditions: Will of master to cease and/or final Card transformation. Abortion must occur within: 1800 seconds. Countdown begins�now.� Syaoran eyes closed, and his breathing slowed.
�Syaoran!� Sakura cried. Tears began to well up in her eyes.
�You must transform the last Cards in order to save him. And they must be transformed at the same time, or else it will not work. 1800 seconds. Do you know how long that is, Sakura? It is only 30 minutes. You�d best get started, since you now only have 28 minutes left.�
�Sakura!� Cerbereus flew in through the window. �How can I help?�
�I�I don�t know. I can�t transform the first Cards and under you and Yue by myself! Even Syaoran knew I wasn�t strong enough.
Cerbereus looked down at Syaoran�s body. The metal in his face was motionless, as was the rest of him. �It�s about time he showed who he really was. I�ve known for months that he wasn�t human.�
�You knew?�
�Yes. But I�ll explain that later. Right now, we have the light and Dark Cards to transform.
Yue flew in through the window and joined his mistress and fellow Guardian.
�This is going to be one rough half hour.� Sakura sighed, preparing to make the hardest transformation of her life.

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Wow. This is getting good. One more chapter, just so you know. I might to an epilogue, but it depends on how long the next chapter is. Well, that�s pretty much all, Minna-San! Ja ne!