"He's not there, Sakura," said Madison from behind me. I turned around, pretending to
be confused. I'm not sure how well that came off. "Uh, who's not where, Madison?"
She saw right through me. "Meiling told me that Li went home because he wasn't feeling
well." She paused, then added casually, "She was lying."

I eyed her warily. "Madison, what are you talking about?" I demanded. "Number 1, I wasn't
looking for Li. Why would I? Number 2, if Meiling thinks that he's sick, then he probably
is. She wouldn't lie."

Rita broke in then, considering. "Well, I'd say he is feeling sick, just not by the simplest
terms."
Chelsea looked at me. "You 2 have got to stop this. You're really hurting each other,"
she said.
Now I was confused. What did she mean by 'we were hurting each other'? Well, of course
I was feeling really bad about it, but it was simple to see that Li didn't give a care one
way or another. With the cold look he was always giving me, the blank stares, the
heavy silence, the anger in his voice whenever he talked to me, I didn't see how anyone
could miss it.
But it hurt. More than anything. And I just hated the whole thing.

I felt Chelsea's gaze on me. "It's not the way you think it is, Sakura," she said quietly.
I glanced at the others, but they were talking to the other girls on the squad. "What
do you mean?" I asked nervously. Chelsea glanced away. "I've just got this feeling. Li
seemed pretty normal on the bus today, well, as normal as he could be with everything
going on. But Zachery told me that Li was definetly not okay. It's all just a mask, he's
hiding it all inside him. And if that's the case...well, he can't hold out much longer. He's
going to break. No one can hold out through something like this, especially considering..."
she broke off.

I blinked at Chelsea, trying to register her words. Then I just shrugged. "Well, if it's just
an act, it's a pretty good one. And anyway, he deserves to be hurt too." I almost
covered my mouth, realizing I'd let slip that this was hurting me. I quickly went over to
Madison and got the 2 of us out of there, before Chelsea discovered the meaning behind
my words.

I know Madison was studying me the whole time we were walking down the street, but
I didn't really care anymore. I'd already been studied enough that day. It was like I was
some kind of lab specimen. Why couldn't everyone just leave me alone?

But inside, I knew I didn't want to be left alone. At least when I was with the others, I
didn't have to spend too much time thinking about this thing. And I'd rather have them
all questioning me nonstop about what had happened than be alone with my thoughts.

Madison finally turned her gaze away, looking up the street. "Oh hey, look, it's Meiling,"
she exclaimed, waving. I glanced up at Meiling. "I thought she went home with Li," I
murmured.
"Hi Meiling," Madison greeted when Meiling stopped in front of us. I gave a weak wave to
her. "How's Li?" Madison continued. "Will he be okay for the drama club meeting this
evening?"
Meiling was quiet for a second, she seemed to be considering how she should answer the
question, while looking uneasily at us. Well, I wouldn't say it was uneasiness, but I wasn't
sure what it was.

"He'll be okay...I hope," she murmured. Madison looked at her. "Well, that's great. Except
he's not really sick, is he?" she demanded. Meiling nodded slowly. "Not exactly sick, but
I know he'd rather be facing any virus than feeling what he's feeling right now."

I didn't even need to ask her what she meant. I knew. And I felt the anger start to rise.
"I wish you would quit putting the blame on me," I said angrily. "It's not like I was the
only one who had something to do with it!"
Meiling blinked, stunned, and stared at me. "I didn't say that, Sakura," she snapped in
annoyance.
"It's what you implied," I replied. "Everyone seems to think that it's my fault that he
won't even talk to me, that he keeps giving me all these cold looks-"
"Sakura, would you get over yourself?" Meiling cried. "You're not the only one who's hurt
by this! Li feels just as bad as you! And this is all over some stupid argument? You know
what, I think he's thinking of-" She cut off abruptly.
I could feel the tears threatening to show themselves, and I knew I had to get out of
there fast. "No," I muttered bitterly. "He said he hated me. And I...said it back." Choking
on the tears, I pushed my way past both of them and ran.

Meiling glanced at Madison. "I don't think I handled that very well," she murmured. All the
annoyance was gone, in it's place was sympathy and worry. Madison nodded slowly.
"Let's give her a few minutes to work it out, then we'll follow her."

I raced down the street, taking the familiar roads back to my place. It was a good thing
I could get there if I was sleepwalking, because I might as well have been doing so. The
whole way there, I was trying furiously to swallow my tears, refusing to let any of my
emotions show through.

I shot through the front door of my house, slamming it behind me. By this time, I'd calmed
down as much as I possibly could. Immediately, I sensed that something was wrong.
First off, the eerie silence in the house gave me a hint. Where was Kero? I couldn't hear
the TV on upstairs. 2nd, I just felt that something wasn't right. Just my Card Captor 6th
sense, I guess.

I slowly walked up the stairs and quietly made my way down the hall to my room.
Cautiously, I pushed open the door. "Kero?" I asked quietly. Then I gasped.

Kero was there, all right. But he was in his Guardian Beast form, Cerberus. And standing
next to him was Yue.
"Yue?" I asked, shocked. "Guys, what's going on?"
Cerberus glanced at Yue, then turned back to me. "Well Sakura, it turns out that we
haven't exactly captured all the Clow Cards," he told me hesitantly.
I cocked my head in confusion. "What are you talking about?" I wanted to know. "I
thought there were 53 cards."
Yue shook his head. "There are 55. The other 2 made themselves known just today."
"Haven't you sensed anything?" Cereberus asked. I thought for a moment. "Well, I did
get this wierd feeling just now..."
Cereberus nodded. "We've sensed it for a while now. So has the kid, apparently. He called
a few minutes before you got here."

I stiffened at the mention of Li, but right now I had bigger problems. "Okay, so which
cards are they?" I demanded. "We can run out right now and capture them, so that way,
I can make it to drama club tonight."
Again, Cereberus and Yue hesitated and glanced at each other before responding.
"Sakura," began Yue slowly. "This is one of the most dangerous cards of them all. The
Doom Card."
I felt a wave of uneasiness. "Doom Card?" I echoed.
"Clow Reed made a type of error when he created it," explained Yue. "It was created in
evil, while it was created with an angelic counterpart. The Angel Card."
"The Doom Card is extremely dangerous," Cereberus continued. "While the other Clow
Cards won't intentionally harm you severly, this one plays for keeps. And it takes pleasure
in that as well. This is going to be your toughest battle, Sakura."
I nodded slowly, actually feeling glad that Li was going to be there too. This Clow Card
was starting to scare me a little, and I hadn't even met it yet.
"So...has the counterpart--the Angel card--been found yet?" I asked. Cereberus shook
his head. "The Angel Card has always been the hardest card to sense. And it's always
been a mystery, even I don't know anything about it."

The doorbell rang, and we all turned in surprise. "It can't be Dad or Tori, they wouldn't
bother to ring the bell," I reassured the other 2 as I headed downstairs. I swung open
the door to find Madison and Meiling.
"Hey Sakura, we came over to see how you were--are you alright?" Madison demanded.
I guess she saw the worry etched in my face.
"Well, I wouldn't exactly use those words," I muttered. "Here. Kero can explain to you,"
I told them, leading them up to my room. I know they were both really shocked to see
Cereberus and Yue in the middle of the room. I let Cereberus explain things to them.

"Does Li know?" asked Meiling in alarm.
"Yes, he sensed it," Cereberus told her. "He's meeting us at the park."
"We'd better go," I said, grabbing the Clow key from inside my drawer. "Wait," Madison
cried, grabbing the phone. "Can I just call my van over here, so you can get a costume?"
I groaned, as Cereberus sighed. "Madison, does this really seem like the time to do this?"
Meiling demanded in annoyance.

Madison had already finished the phone call. "They'll be over here in less than a minute,
I swear," she told us.
Yue got ready to leave out of my window. "This is a test you'll have to do on your own,"
he told me carefully, looking pointedly at Cereberus. Cereberus sighed, then transformed
back into his teddy-bear form.

Madison glanced out the window that Yue had just disappeared out of. "The van's here,
Sakura," she told me. "Let's go!" She, Meiling, Kero and I flew down the stairs and out the
front door.

"Come on, Madison!" Kero called impatiently as Madison searched through the outfits in
the van. "Got it!" she cried, pulling me into the van and closed the door. She directed
me as I got dressed in it. I didn't really look at it, which was out of the ordinary for me,
but the way Yue and Kero had put it, this was going to be really hard. I wasn't exactly
worrying about what I would wear.

Madison pulled me back out of the van and looked at me, along with Kero and Meiling.
"What do you think?" she asked. I glanced down at the costume. It looked like something
an Arabian dancer would wear, but it was black-coloured. It seemed appropriate, anyway.

Meiling looked me over with a strange expression on her face. "Well, at least it isn't as
wierd as some of the others," she supplied.
"Oh thanks," replied Madison sarcastically.
"Um, you know girls, sometime this year would be very much appreciated," said Kero, his
impatience growing.
Taking the hint, we all sped down toward the park.

~Normal POV~

They were coming. It could sense them, and see them. They were almost there.
It looked at the auburn haired girl. The Clow Mistress. That was it's goal. If it could
eliminate her, it would be truly free.

Simple, no? It knew better. It knew about the Mistress's powers. It knew that it had
to handle this carefully.

But for more reason's than one. It gave a sort of sigh, as it took a look at itself. Doom.
That was it all over. Condemned for eternity to darkness. Destined to cause pain and
suffering to all others, in order to somewhat quench its own.

And that was life, from its perspective. Pain and suffering, and then you died or were
captured. That's it. And nothing else mattered, or cared. Always, it was on its own.

It had become accustomed to the meaning of life. There was no denying it. It was evil.
Plain facts. What else was there to be in a life like this one?

It was said that it's counterpart was it's complete opposite, and lived in a world much
different. For that, it resented it's counterpart, although it had never met it. The Angel.
That's what it was. Clow Reed must have made some serious mistake for a creature like
it to have the Angel as a counterpart, or so it always thought.

Well, there was no time to think about that. They all were here, including that dark-
haired boy from earlier in the day. It was time to let the usual torture drills begin.

~Li's POV~

The Card was in the park. The Doom Card. Kero had already pretty much informed me
all about it. I knew it had been the result of a miscalculation on Clow Reed's part.
Kero flew over to the bushes, gesturing for Madison and Meiling to follow him. "You guys
better hide," he told them, then looked at us. "You know you guys have to do this on
your own, right?"

"We know, Kero," Sakura told him in a strained voice. I glanced over at her. She looked
more than just a little nervous. I wasn't entirely sure if it all had to do with the Clow
Card. When she glanced at me, I just scowled and looked away, forbidding myself to
show any of my emotions except anger.

"Let's just capture this thing and get out of here," I muttered, heading in the direction
that I was sensing the Clow Card. Behind me, I could hear Kero reassuring Sakura that
he would be right in the bushes, and that he and the other 2 girls would be able to see
everything.

We walked to a clearing. The feeling was getting stronger. "Can you feel it?" I asked
Sakura, for the moment forgetting that we were on nonspeaking terms. Apparently, she
forgot too. "Definetly," she replied. "It's super strong now." She raised her voice. "Okay
Clow Card, we know you're here. So show yourself."

A strong gust of wind swept past us. I had to shield my eyes against it. There was
darkness, complete darkness, for a moment. It felt so cold. Then everything cleared up.
I blinked, and looked ahead to a figure which was completely cloaked in darkness.

And it wasn't just because it was wearing total black, either. It was evident in the lines
of the creature's face, the empty deep darkness of its eyes, and its general manner. Not
to mention the cold chill I'd gotten when it swept past me. It was a thing of darkness.
There was no doubt in my mind what it was.

"The Doom Card...?" Sakura whispered hesitantly from next to me.
The Clow Card looked at us 2 for a minute, as if it was sizing us up. It seemed to study
me closely, it's cold eyes boring into my own. I instantly tensed up, on guard.

Then it spoke. "You are the Clow Mistress, I presume?"
It was addressing Sakura. I glanced over at her. Her eyes were wide, and this time I
could clearly read the expressions in them. Curiousity and fear.
The card was reading her too, and then it gave a scornful type of smile. It chuckled.
The sound was far from happy.

"You certainly don't appear to be anything special," it said quietly. Sakura frowned in
anger. The Clow Card went on. "You're still an innocent child. The weight of the cruel,
cold world has not graced you yet. You will be no match."
Sakura glared at it. "What do you think you know anyway?" she demanded, pulling out
a card. "I'm going to capture you."

The Doom Card raised a finger. Sakura and I were blown back by an unseen force.
"I'm afraid I can't allow you to do that," it said calmly, as expressionlessly as before.
I shot a look at Sakura. "This isn't the greatest time to lose your temper," I told her in
annoyance. "Don't you know that you have to handle this one carefully? It's only one of
the strongest Clow Cards."

"Shut up, Li!" she snapped back, her eyes flaring. "I've already been getting enough of
this from you as it is, I don't need it now. I'll do it my own way, got a problem?"
"Fine, if you're feeling suicidal tonight," I retorted angrily. "It'll be a great way to kill
yourself. Though I don't see why-" I cut myself off.
Her eyes narrowed into poisonous darts as she stared at me, livid. "Why you should care?"
she finished. "Yes, that is what you want to say, isn't it? I don't see why you would
care, either."

We stared at each other. The fury was coursing through my veins. I hated her right then.
How could she even imply something like that? That I didn't care? I hated her..and loved
her, the emotions mixing together wildly, a medicine more powerful than any other drug
in creation. I guess that was my only explanation for what I said next. "Well, maybe I
don't," I told her in a quiet voice.

There was no betrayal of what she felt except a slight widening of her eyes. I couldn't
look at her, and turned away, the aftershock of the words hanging over us like a thick
coating of smoke. I knew that in the bushes, the other 3 had heard every word, and
were probably even more annoyed and exasperated, but I still didn't believe what had
been said. The previous emotion had slipped away, leaving behind coldness.

Then I noticed the Doom Card watching us intensely. Sakura noticed it too.
"Hurt..anger..pain..despair," it murmured, it's cold eyes suddenly sad. Staring into them,
I could suddenly feel the weariness that it carried around.
"You..know?" Sakura whispered in amazement.

The clow card looked at us. "How can I not?" it asked. "That is all the world is made up
of. Those 4 primary emotions. The universe is run by them. You are experiencing it too."
Sakura was silent for a moment, then shook her head slowly. "No," she murmured. "That
isn't it at all. There is joy, triumph, love..."
The card shook its head as well. "The joy always comes before pain. Triumph is usually
caused at the expense of someone else's suffering." It looked at me knowingly. "The love
eventually turns into hate."

I stared up at it in shock. Was it feeling what I was feeling now? No. I knew that I didn't
hate Sakura, I never could. Was its view of life really so twisted?
"You are just like me," the card said softly, addressing me. My eyes widened as I realized
it was reading my mind.
"I'm...not like you," I said. The Doom Card smirked. "You feel everything I listed. You are
all cold inside."
I simply shook my head. "Believe me. I am nothing like you."
The card glanced away. "Perhaps," it murmured. "After all, I am a creature of the
darkness. That is what the world is."

~Sakura's POV~

The Doom Card looked at me. "Well, if you hold still, I'll try not to make this too painful.
I don't want to do this, really. But you are my nemesis."
I didn't even try to resist. I think it was hypnotizing me. All I know is that I was being
pulled, it's eyes like magnets to mine. I moved closer to it.

Then something somewhat unexpected happened. Li immediatly jumped in front of me,
his back blocking my view of the Doom Card, and stopping the spell. I snapped back to
reality and blinked. Huh? I thought.

Li remained in front of me, holding his sword drawn and ready. "You're not going to hurt
her," he told the card angrily.
I guess the Doom Card was almost as surprised as I was. It actually blinked. "The
descendant of Clow Reed," it murmured. Then it spoke directly to Li. "Just move aside.
It's not really you I'm worried about too much, not yet. I only want the Clow Mistress,
she's the main obstacle."

"Li, what are you doing?" I demanded, somewhat confused. Okay, that wasn't the real
question I wanted to ask. I could easily see what he was doing. I wanted to know why
he was doing it. He'd said that.....he hated me.....that he didn't care.....

Li glared up at the card. "I won't let you hurt her," he told it firmly.
The Doom Card stared at him for a moment, something slowly dawning in it's pain-filled
eyes. "Why do you care about what happens to her?" it wanted to know.

Uncertainty spread across Li's expression as he remained speechless. I stared at him,
wide eyed. I wanted to know the same thing.
"I don't think you would understand," he murmured. The card of doom glanced away.
"Maybe I wouldn't," it said quietly. Then it turned back to Li and approached him, pulling
him a few feet away.

"But I do know one thing," it continued. "This action, it's a weakness. Weaknesses are
a terrible thing." It's voice was filled with weary knowledge. "Nobody should have any
weaknesses. Perhaps I can help you to get rid of yours." It placed a hand on Li's shoulder.
It might have gripped him hard, or gently, I didn't know. Li flinched.

The dangerous look was back in the Doom Card's eyes, all it's former weariness gone. In
place, it was back to it's normal cold, evil persona.
The card put it's hand around Li's, directing him to point the sword..straight at me.

"Now," it said. "You have a choice. You will kill her for me. You will run your sword straight
through her chest. Or I will kill you."

Li's eyes widened. I gasped and took a step back. In the forest where they were hidden,
I could distinctly hear the others gasp too.
"It's as simple as that," said the Doom Card. "And it shouldn't be hard," it added
soothingly. "She's your rival. So in fact, it should be a pleasure. It's good to get rid of
your weakness now, when you can. Don't make the foolish choice."

I knew he would do it. He did hate me, after all. At first, when he was defending me, he'd
been uncertain, but I knew he wouldn't throw his life away. I squeezed my eyes shut and
took another step back, waiting for the blade to slash through me.

Li finally spoke. "No."
My eyes flew open and I stared at him, unable to believe what he'd just said.
The clow card was just as stunned as I was. "What did you say?" it demanded.
Li lowered his sword and glared up at the Doom Card. "You heard what I said," he told it
furiously. "It's never going to happen. You'll never make me hurt Sakura."

I found my voice. "Li, are you crazy?" I cried in shock, staring at him. He glanced at me.
"Excuse me?" he retorted. "You actually want me to kill you, and you're asking me if I'm
crazy?"
"Why are you doing this?" I gasped. "It's going to..."
"Why are you doing this?" the card repeated, still staring at Li incredulously. He glanced
up at it. "I told you before, I doubt you'd understand."
"You will die, I told you that before," the card replied. He held his gaze steady. "So go
ahead and kill me. I won't hurt her."

Okay, I know that what I did next was a little extreme, but I don't think I had full control
over myself right then. I ran up to Li when he wasn't looking, grabbed the end of his
sword, and pulled it toward me, so that the tip of the blade was pressed against my
chest. He stared at me. "Sakura, what are-"

"Li." I cut him off. "Just do it. It really will kill you, you know that!"
His amber eyes burned into mine, and there was something unreadable in them. "I....
can't...."
"Why?" I demanded.
"Yes, why?" the card echoed, genuine curiousity in it's voice. "With all she's put you
through. I can feel the pain she made you suffer. Why don't you at least want revenge,
if nothing else?"
Li gazed at me, then at the card. "Why?" he repeated softly. "Nothing will make me hurt
her. So kill me. There's no way I'd be able to live after destroying Sakura anyway. I care
about her."

He looked back at me, his eyes were still a mystery. He released his grip on the sword,
letting it fall to the ground. My eyes were wide in disbelief and confusion. Why wouldn't
he do it? I thought. He knew he was going to die if he didn't. The tears threatened to
build up again. "Li..." I murmured.

He looked calmly at me. "It's okay," he said, pushing me back. "Just stay back."
The Doom Card kept staring at Li, eyes wide too. "You...really do care..." it murmured
in amazement. "I don't see why, but I do see that it is very powerful."

I don't think I really got what was going on. Li hated me, he'd said so himself, and he'd
proved it. But now he'd rather die then get rid of me permanently.

The Doom Card shook it's head sadly. "You know you will die," it said
quietly. "I made a promise, even if I would want to take it back, I can't. Destiny is doom,
once I promise something, I cannot recall it." It paused. "I still do not understand why
you would willingly take this choice. It's not too late to change your mind."

Li shook his head firmly. "Never. No way. I'm not like you."
The clow card nodded silently. "So I see."

It placed one hand over his chest and a black energy escaped from it. The energy
swept over Li, completely wrapping itself around him. He collapsed to the ground.

~Madison's POV~

I was frozen, rooted to the spot in the bushes where my eyes and ears took in everything
that was happening. But my brain wasn't registering a thing. I had long since put down
my camcorder in shock, unable to grasp what was going on.

It happened in slow motion, but I saw every movement clearly. The Doom Card placing a
hand over Li's chest, the dark energy, Li crumpling to the ground, Sakura's eyes going
even wider in terror.

I still couldn't believe it. Li was dead. One of my closest friends, gone forever.

I felt Kero tremble next to me. I could hear Sakura screaming Li's name over and over.
The card of doom just stood and watched the whole scene with an unreadable expression.
And I was crying. I could feel the tears coursing down my face as I whimpered.

Meiling was already sobbing, and she flew out of the bushes toward Li and Sakura, crying
his name. I followed close on her heels. Our hiding spot was already blown anyway. I
suppose Kero figured that too, because he was right behind me. The thing was, the
Doom Card didn't seem the least bit surprised to see us, as if it knew we'd been there
the whole time.

I knelt next to my best friend, who had Li's head cradled in her lap while her hand clasped
his limp one tightly. She was sobbing uncontrollably. I placed an arm around her heaving
shoulders. Meiling was also kneeling next to Li's body, shaking him in an attempt to wake
him up. My tears flowed faster as I realized that Li probably would never wake up again.

"Li...please..." Sakura whispered between her sobs. Kero patted her shoulder gently. I
never thought it was possible to see a stuffed animal cry, but what could I deny when
it was happening in front of me? I pressed 2 of my fingers against Li's other wrist, though
there was probably no point in doing so. It was obvious what I would find, or rather,
would not find.

Meiling stifled her crying and jumped to her feet, glaring at the card with tears still racing
down her face. "You killed him!" she wailed. "How could you?"
The Clow card looked back at her. "You all...care deeply about him?"

Sakura suddenly stiffened beneath my arm. Then she leaped to her feet as well, grabbing
her wand. We gasped as she ran up to a few feet away from the Doom Card. "Sakura!
Don't get too close!" Kero cried warningly.

I don't think Sakura heard a word. She stared intensely at the card, and even I could
practically see her fury. It was radiating from her the way heat radiates from fire. And
it was just as intense.
"I care about him," she said, her voice very low. "So much. And you....took him away.
Something like you doesn't deserve to wander the universe. A creature with no heart.
I'm going to put you away once and for all." She grasped her wand tightly before her.
Her voice even terrified me, and I could see Meiling shudder. It was so..icy.

The Clow card came closer to her. I held my breath, but it didn't do anything. They stared
at each other, nearly face to face.
"A heart?" asked the Doom Card. "What is that?"
"It's where emotions come from," Sakura told it quietly. "It's where your feelings start
racing when you feel love, where they start churning when you're nervous, where they
begin to soar when you are happy. It's where your very soul lives. But yours has gone
all cold and stone. And then you do something like this."

"Mine?" the card almost laughed. "I do not have one. Something like me cannot have one.
He is not the first one I've ever dealt with this way. Definetly not."
"Everyone has a heart," said Sakura. "Yours has become all stony. But that happens some-
times. I know you have one. I could feel it when you were talking to Li about emotions.
You're curious about them. But the very fact that you want to know about them proves
that you do have them. Or else you wouldn't care."

"How does she know all this?" Meiling hissed at Kero and I. I shrugged; it wasn't as if I
could give much of an answer, since I was wondering the exact same thing. But I
wasn't worried. Sakura knew what she was doing, and I believed in her. She just had
that kind of personality.

"But....I..." the clow card muttered. Sakura's eyes filled with tears. "Emotions are real.
I don't know what more proof you need."
It caught her meaning as its eyes drifted to Li. It glanced away.
"It doesn't have to be this way," she continued.
The Doom card looked at her. "You cannot capture me. I don't want to be captured."

Sakura was about to say something else when suddenly, another strong gust of wind
brushed past us. But this one was different. It felt warm and caressing, not like the
harsh, cold one the Doom Card had given off when it made it's appearance. There was
a bright, white light, so bright I had to close my eyes.

They flew open when I suddenly heard a wild scream. I looked up. The Doom Card was
being bound by a white, glowing being with huge feathery wings, nymph-like eyes, and
something above its shining white head that resembled a halo. And its aura was so calming
and gentle. The Doom Card looked up into its eyes. "You." it muttered.
I glanced at Kero. "Whose that?" I wanted to know. Kero's eyes were wide. "It's the
Doom card's counterpart. The Angel card."

Sakura was standing in shock, still grabbing her wand, when the Angel looked straight
at her. It mouthed one word: "Now."
Sakura nodded, understanding. She held up her wand. "Doom Card, I command you to
return to your power confined!"
The Doom Card was sucked into the shape of a card. The impact sent Sakura stumbling
back, and it forced Meiling and I to shut our eyes again.

When I reopened them, the Doom card was nothing more than a harmless Clow Card in
Sakura's hand. I watched her stare at it for a minute, then turn her gaze back at Li as
she knelt next to him again, tears glimmering on her face.

Meiling started sobbing again as she remembered what had just happened to her best
friend. I felt the sadness well up inside me. We had won, Sakura had beaten her biggest
challenge, just the same as always. But this time, the price had been way too high.

I suddenly became aware of the Angel card's presence as it moved closer to us. Its eyes
caught mine, and I gasped. Its eyes were amazing. It was like looking directly through
a telescope into a whirling nebula of galaxy stars.
Then it turned to the rest of us. It didn't really speak, but it gestured to Li, wanting to
know what had happened.
"He was...attacked by the Doom card," Meiling murmured. Next to me, I saw Sakura
clench her eyes shut as she began to shake. "Because of me," she whispered. "The
Doom Card told him to kill me, but he wouldn't do it....I don't know why."

"It's not your fault, Sakura," I told her. I noticed the Angel card
eyeing her strangely, first in confusion, then realization, and then understanding. It
touched Sakura on the shoulder, and she stared up at it in surprise. Then it finally spoke,
in a silky, faraway voice.
"The reason he did it is clear, at least to me," it told her. Then it pointed to her chest.
"Does it hurt?" it asked softly.

Sakura raised an eyebrow in confusion, glancing down at her chest until she realized what
the clow card meant: her heart. She nodded, tears spilling down. "Yes," she admitted
quietly. "It hurts. I never knew anything could hurt as much. I never realized..." She
trailed off.

The Angel looked at her, smiling. "You will find out exactly why it hurts so much
soon," it told her. Then it paused. "I can bring him back. But only if your feelings remain
true to form."
Sakura's eyes went wide, as did the rest of ours. "You can...bring him back?" I whispered
in awe. The card nodded. "But it is up to the Clow Mistress."

"Please," Sakura whispered. "Just bring him back. I promise, my feelings will remain the
same."
The card nodded in satsisfaction. Then it placed a hand on top of Li's chest, just as the
Doom Card had done. A white, soothing light enveloped him, and then it slowly vanished.
I pressed my fingers against his wrist again, and I felt it..his pulse. I gasped in happiness,
and I guess my expression gave it away. Meiling burst into tears and clutched Kero
tightly, jumping around in happiness and crying, "He's okay, he's okay!" Sakura just sat
motionless as she stared down at Li, eyes wide. There was a mixed flood of emotion on
her face.

Then the Angel card stood back, gesturing toward herself. Sakura understood, and she
reached for her wand. "Angel Card, return to your power confined!" she called. As the
Angel was being sucked into the card, Sakura whispered, "Thank you." The card smiled
and shook her head, mouthing something. I think it was, "It was your love that brought
him back, it is so strong." I suppose that would have made sense, to everyone except
Sakura that is, but I'm not 100 percent sure that was what the Angel said.

The Angel card landed in Sakura's hand, and she stared at it. I kneeled next to Li with
Meiling, Sakura coming over after a while. Li was still unconscious.
"We need to get him home," said Kero. "But he'll be okay. He probably won't even need
to sleep it off for long."
"I'll take him home," Sakura volunteered, pulling out the Float Card. I eyed her. "Are you
sure?" I demanded.
"It'll be okay," Sakura answered, not looking directly at me. Meiling looked at her watch.
"I would take him home, but I promised the drama teacher that I'd be early tonight," she
said, glancing back in the direction of the school. I nodded; I'd made the same promise.
"Okay, take him home, and then come back to the drama club," Meiling continued.
Sakura nodded, and she pulled out the Float Card. Meiling and I walked back through the
park as Sakura and Li went in the opposite direction.