Card Captor Sakura
Hidden Within the Heart
by Hikaru-chan

Chapter 5
Memories
. . . . . . . . . . . .

It's a lie...

No, it's a lie...

Sakura backed away from the Li shaking her head slowly. "Li... why is your reflection the MIRROR CLOW?"

Li turned towards Sakura and smiled. "Good evening Card Captor Sakura."

Sakura jumped back, she hadn't been expecting a reaction like that. "What's going on here?! Where's Li-kun?!"

The smile on Li's face grew wider. "He's here, somewhere. What's wrong Sakura? Why don't you come hug me and tell me how much you love me and how you would die without me! Huh? Where's all your love love crap NOW?!" The Li shouted as he stepped towards Sakura.

"Get away from me. You're not Li-kun..."

"Hmmm it seems as you DO have some wit you still." Li said as his figure faded, and the MIRROR card appeared in his place.

"MIRROR?"

"Tsk tsk, Shujin." MIRROR said as she waved her finger at Sakura. "I'm surprised that you didn't figure it out sooner."

"Where's Li-kun?" Sakura's tone was now flat and demanding. MIRROR knew that she didn't have much time to chat before Sakura would get extremely angry.

"What's wrong Shujin?" MIRROR held her hand up against Sakura's face, "I can't be your Li? Very well then.."

A bright radiant light emitted from MIRROR as her form changed once more. She now had the shape of Sakura, when she was younger.

Before Li had left, before the depression began.....

Sakura slowly backed away, turning her head to her left and right to see if there was an escape. "I... I don't understand..."

The smaller Sakura smiled, "Do you miss it Sakura? When you were sweet and innocent like this?" The younger Sakura ran around in a circle and waved her hands around. She laughed like a small girl, the sound began to ring in the real Sakura's ears.

The ringing grew and grew, so much that Sakura began to bend over. She was now face to face with her younger self.

"Ne Sakura, what if Li-kun never died?"

Sakura's eyes grew wide. "What?!"

The younger Sakura giggled and closed her eyes, as if laughing at a joke. "You're so silly Sakura. It's a simple idea. What if Li-kun had never died?" The younger Sakura now looked directly into the real Sakura's eyes. "What if his whole death was just a simple illusion?"

Sakura stood and looked down to her former self. "Stop playing games. Tell me where Li-kun is"

Sighing, the younger Sakura shook her head. "Jeez, you've become rude." she said as she snapped her fingers.

In the mirror behind the young Sakura, Li appeared. He quickly gained consciousness and began to pound against the glass. It appeared as if he were yelling something, but it couldn't be made out.

"Li-kun!" Sakura rushed to the glass. Slowly raising her hand up to Li's. Li mimicked her, so it appeared that their hands were touching.

So close....

Yet so far....

Sakura could fear the tears begin to form in her eyes. Li...

"MIRROR.." Sakura's hands balled into fists. "As your master..." She turned and began to yell, "I DEMAND YOU TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON!"

The young Sakura smirked, "That shall be revealed at another time, Shujin." The MIRROR's laugh, evilly cracking, rang in Sakura's ears as her eyes grew wide. MIRROR, or the young Sakura as she was formed now, slowly disappeared, as did the Li in the mirror.

"MIRROR!!" She cried out.

No reply.

No... I have to be strong...

Why?

Why has MIRROR turned against me?

The world began to grow fuzzy, and Sakura could feel her knees becoming weak. She could feel herself falling to the ground. Suddenly, she was surrounded by warmth.

Yukito...

"Sakura-chan, daijobu?" Yukito wrapped his arms around Sakura and made her sit up.

"Yukito-niisan..." Sakura buried her face in Yukito's chest. "Li-kun he was here.. but-"

"What?" He shifted his weight so Sakura could look up to his face, and he could watch hers. Yukito's face... it had aged, yet he was still so beautiful. Sakura would have lost herself within looking at him, if Yukito hadn't spoken again. "What are you talking about Sakura?" Yukito blinked.

Sakura looked up to her brother-in-law, "Wh-what do you mean?"

"We found him." A smile crept across Yukito's face. "We found Li-kun."

"On a bench?" Sakura blinked as she looked up to Yukito's face.

Yukito smiled, as always. "Yes. Touya is with him now." The two walked along the sidewalk, heading towards Touya. Sakura was being carried by Yukito. Sakura looked down to the ground; it never ceased to amaze her on how strong Yukito was. She looked back to Yukito's smiling face. Yukito gave her so much support. His smiling face could make her do anything. But...

She already missed Li's smiling face...

SHe missed his voice...

His touch....

"You're so silly Sakura. It's a simple idea. What if Li-kun had never died?"

"What if his whole death was just a simple illusion?"

Sakura shook her head to get the voices out. What was that all about? Why did MIRROR not heed to Sakura's wishes. And what did she mean?

Sakura grasped her head in pain. Did that even happen or was it a dream?

The realm of reality and the realm of dreams was starting to become had to determine which is which. Maybe I do need help...

"Sakura-chan?"

"Hoe?" Sakura snapped back into reality, staring at Yukito's face.

Yukito slowly let Sakura down, placing her standing up on the sidewalk. Sakura looked up to Yukito's face as he smiled at her. "Here he is."

Facing to her front, she saw Touya leaning over Li, who was laying on a bench. Sakura raced towards the bench and fell to her knees. She wrapped her arms around Li. Her eyes grew misty, but she forced herself not to cry. She was so relieved to see him alive.

"He's unconscious so anything you do to him, Sakura, he's not going to remember." Touya said with almost a tone of hurt in his voice.

Sakura looked to her brother, "How did he get like this?"

"We don't know." Yukito interrupted, "But he appears to be un-hurt."

A burst of wind blew as Sakura turned to Li. She slowly brushed his bangs off of his face and smiled.

"Come on."

Sakura looked to Touya and blinked. "Niisan?"

"Our house is only a few blocks from here." Touya slowly bent down and picked up Li, swinging him over his left shoulder.

"Oh, okay." Sakura said as she slowly stood up.

"Shall I carry you again Sakura-chan?" Yukito said, smiling as he always does.

"Don't give her too much pleasure at one time Yukito. She's caused a lot of trouble today, she shouldn't be rewarded for it."

Sakura flushed as Yukito laughed nervously. "I had forgotten Sakura-chan. You're older now, so me carrying you around like that would give people the wrong idea."

Looking down to the ground, the braid in her hair, now non-existent, fell over she shoulder. Sakura glanced at it. How long it had grown... She held her hands up to her face. How her hands had changed.

You're older now.

Was she still Sakura?

"Shall we?" Yukito said as he started to walk.

Keeping her distance from Touya and Yukito, Sakura slowly followed. Her eyes were locked on Li, and his face.

Li, what's happen to me?

What's happened to you?

Upon opening the door, Fujitaka raced to the door. His face was pale and tired, yet the anger in his spirit could still be felt. Sakura had forgotten she had left earlier that night. He must have been upset.

"Sakura, thank god you're all right." Fujitaka wrapped his arms around his daughter. It still took adjusting that she was almost as tall as he now. "Where on earth were you?"

"We took care of her," Touya interrupted.

Fujitaka looked directly at his son's eyes. "I appreciate it." Touya looked away and muttered something that couldn't be made out.

You could feel the anger in-between Touya and his father. These had been the first words the two had said to one and other for three years, when Touya moved out.

Sakura looked at her father's face, then her brother's. She could still remember that night. It was a few weeks after Li had died, and she was deep in depression. Touya could not bear to see Sakura in that state, and he had to get away. Yukito had offered for him to move in over at his house. Fujitaka refused. It was then that Touya admitted that he loved Yukito and left. Touya had never forgiven his father.

"Come on Sakura, you must get to bed. It's four in the morning." Fujitaka pushed Sakura down the hall.

"M-mate!" Sakura called out. "What about Li-kun?"

"Li-san?"

Sakura turned to Touya and Yukito. They both nodded. She then turned to her father and grabbed his hand. "We have found Syaoran Li-kun. He's alive. Isn't that wonderful `to-san?"

Fujitaka's face turned an even whiter shade then it already was. "Please don't joke Sakura, you're already in enough trouble tonight."

"But she's telling the truth," Touya said as he brought Li in over his back.

His eyes growing wide, Fujitaka stumbled on his words, "So she is." Fujitaka scratched his head for a moment, examining Li with his eyes. Finally he sighed and shook his head. "Oh I give up. I don't understand this at all."

"You're not the only one." Touya flatly replied.

"Put him up in your old room Touya, at least then he won't have to sleep on the couch."

Touya blinked and looked at his father. "Sir?"

"Just go do it." As directed, Touya took Li and disappeared up the stairs. Fujitaka walked over to Yukito and put his arm around his back. "I can't thank you two enough for taking care of Sakura."

"Well, it is in a brother's duty sir."

"I suppose your right." Fujitaka paused, then looked to Sakura. "Sakura, you should go to bed too. We'll try and figure this all out tomorrow when Li-san is at least conscious and we can hear his story."

Sakura nodded and walked up the stairs. She felt as if she was lighter than air. As she walked up, Touya passed her. "You still make noise like a kaiju."

Sakura glared back at him, but said nothing. She then turned her attention back to the stairs and quickly raced up them. She had to tell Kero-chan what had happened. Hopefully he was still at Tomoyo's.

"I'm sorry that you have to take Li in... Oto-san... I mean, we could have taken him to our house." Touya said, with his hand behind his head.

Fujitaka smiled, and put his free hand around Touya with his other around Yukito. "I thank you two. And I hope... you can forgive the past." Fujitaka looked down to the ground. "I think we've both said things we regret Touya." Touya remained silent. "And I offer," Fujitaka continued, "That you two stay here tonight. You can have the guest bedroom."

Touya looked at his father and smiled. "All you ever had to say was sorry."

"And all you ever had to do was listen." Fujitaka replied.

All three of the men laughed. Fujitaka patted Yukito and Touya on their backs, and headed to the kitchen.

Slowly, Yukito's hand found it's way into Touya's. He looked over to Yukito and smiled.

Sakura quickly raced against the THUNDER card. He had began to gain speed, but not for long. She threw out the JUMP card and released it. Jumping from building top to building top, she finally caught up with it. She sprang up from a rooftop and landed in the street, where the THUNDER had stopped.

THUNDER was waiting for her.

I've seen this before...

This was when-

This was when-

Li was killed...

A figure quickly dashed to Sakura's side, "Sakura! Daijobu?!"

That's not Li-kun... that's...

"Li-kun!?" Sakura's eyes widened. "What are you doing here?! You.. you went back to Hong Kong!!"

The figure was no longer un-noticeable. The pattern of ILLUSION was now clear to see.

ILLUSION!

"Li-kun! Don't worry about me! Just go back home, where it's safe." Sakura cried.

Why is the ILLUSION card in Li's place? What is this dream trying to tell me?

"Ah! Sakura! Abunai!!" Tomoyo shouted from behind her camera.

A sudden lighting blast making crackling sounds as it headed towards Sakura.

Sakura froze in terror. She couldn't move a muscle in her body.

Stepping in front of Sakura, ILLUSION stretched its arm and legs out to block the attack.

"Li-kun don't! You'll be killed!"

The lightning spread across the sidewalk, lighting it and making thundering noises. The energy blast passed directly through ILLUSION, and headed directly for Sakura. Her eyes clasped down tight as the bright light approached. She screamed in terror.

With a jolt, Sakura awoke.

A dream.

It was all a dream.

A figure loomed above Sakura, leaning over her bed. Sakura paused for a moment, thinking it was her imagination.

Swoosh!

Sakura moved her head over to the right. Landing in her pillow, where her head had been, was a knife. Sakura looked up to the figure, now revealed in the moonlight to be Li.

"Li-kun! What are you doing?" Sakura tumbled out of her bed, and landed on the floor in a cat stance.

Li's eyes looked heavily drugged, and glazed. He took the knife out of the pillow and again tried to strike Sakura, jabbing in the area of her abdomen.

"Li! Wake up! It's me Sakura! Li, why don't you answer?"

The air screamed as Li attempted to slice Sakura down the center, she jumped out of the way just in time.

"Li!"

Kero-chan flew quickly through the air, with Tomoyo trailing not far behind. As soon as Tomoyo had received Sakura's call and let the two of them know what was happening, Kero-chan knew something was up. He could feel the ripples that were being made in the forces of magic. Something was not right, he could feel it.

He glanced back to Tomoyo. The poor girl. He should have never even attempted to give the power to capture cards. He should have known better that it would not have worked. Tomoyo had no magical powers, so even with a baton she was useless. Tomoyo knew this of course, but she wanted to protect Sakura. Yet after the incident tonight, with Sakura, Tomoyo gave back the baton and asked to not have any part of it. She knew she had made Sakura even more upset, and that was something she did not need. Kero-chan's wings began to tier from the speed at they were traveling.

The rain wasn't helping either.

We're almost there. Please Sakura, be okay.

The Kinomoto house began to fade into sight. In front of the gate the two stopped to catch their breath. Yet, there was a figure wearing a black mantle.

Tomoyo pointed to the figure and spoke in-between breaths, "Kero-chan, look!"

"I see it Tomoyo. We have to be careful."

"And quiet-" Tomoyo added.

"Shhh!" Kero-chan warned as he began to slowly fly towards the figure.

The mysterious person must have heard the two approach, because it turned to face the two. Kero-chan and Tomoyo froze. As the figure pulled down the hood, the color drained from Tomoyo's face.

"Kimitachi-"

"Li-kun! Please wake up! Tell me what's wrong!!"

Li swung again. Sakura's face was covered in tears, as she cried out, again and again, for Li to answer her. On this swing, the knife flew into the floor, and was now stuck. Li bent over to pull it out, as Sakura leaned over him. "Please Li..."

The floor released the knife and Li stood tall again. Sakura backed away in fear. Yet, Li's figure...

It blurred.

It was only for a moment, but Sakura had noticed it. At first she thought it was just her imagination but it happened again. The whole figure blurred, and for a moment-

Only for a moment-

Sakura saw the pattern of the ILLUSION.

Li slashed again, this time striking Sakura in the arm as she tried to dodge. Blood dripped down her arm, staining her pajamas a dark red. Ignoring the pain, Sakura grabbed the CLOW key around her neck and chanted the ancient RELEASE spell, "O key that hides the power of dark, reveal thy true form to me. I, Sakura, command you....RELEASE!!!"

Taking a step back, Li let the knife fall to the ground.

"Okay, ILLUSION. I have found you, now return quietly!" The baton swung in between her fingers with ease as Sakura brought the wand to her middle. "Return to thy true form! CLOW CARD!!!"

ILLUSION formed back to it's card form and landed in Sakura's open palm. "If this was not Li... then..."

"SAKURA!" Kero-chan burst through the door.

Sakura turned to her door, "Kero-chan!" Her face was still stained with tears, and the wound on her arm was getting substantially worse. Pain filled Sakura's body once more. She fell to the ground, cradling her injured arm.

"Sakura!" Kero-chan flew down to Sakura's face, "Sakura, are you okay?"

"Kero-chan, Li..." She gasped in pain, "It wasn't him. It was the ILLUSION."

"ILLUSION?" Kero-chan repeated.

As if to prove herself telling the truth, Sakura lifted the card up to Kero-chan and let him take it. Kero-chan examined the card closely and gasped. "Sakura!"

Sakura was too busy coping with her pain to respond.

"Sakura, yer name's on this nya. Look." He flipped the card so Sakura could see it.

For a moment, fear took over Sakura's body, allowing the pain to disappear. She prayed that Kero-chan was mistaken. She slowly lifted her head up to face the card. It was plainly written:

SAKURA

What does this mean? I didn't unseal it!

Tomoyo appeared in the doorway. She had gone to make sure all the others in the house remained asleep. Especially Yukito. "Sakura-chan? Is everything okay?"

Struggling to stand, Sakura's lips curved. "I'm okay Tomoyo-chan."

Quickly, Tomoyo went to attend to her friend's needs. She placed Sakura's arm around herself, and held her up. An exhausting job for as someone as weak as Tomoyo was.

"Kero-chan," Sakura looked over to him. Her eyes were still misty and full of tears. It pained Kero-chan to see Sakura, the Mistress of the CLOW, like this. "Why-why is my name on the card?"

"It seems to me, that you have lifted the seal on the CLOW cards. Remember what CLOW had said about you deciding how much magic affected your life. It appears that after Li died, you began not to care that you were the mistress and therefore the seal on the CLOW was lifted some what. Yet from what I see-" Kero-chan floated over to Sakura's desk and took the CLOW book out of her drawer. "That only a few have escaped. Only the very stubborn ones."

"But-before... when Li was killed, we were attacked by THUNDER."

"This is true..." Kero-chan pondered in mid air for a moment. "There is no time for this now Sakura. You have a visitor downstairs."

"A visitor?" Sakura looked to Kero-chan with confusion written all over her face. "Who?"

"This visitor may help bring light to this situation Sakura." Kero-chan replied, in a serious tone.

"I"ll help you get down the stairs." Tomoyo said has she lifted Sakura a bit off the ground.

Sakura smiled, "It's okay Tomoyo, I only injured my arm. I can walk."

"But-"

"Don't worry, it doesn't hurt that much anymore." Sakura said as she released herself from Tomoyo's grip.

Both Tomoyo and Sakura slowly walked down the stairs, With Kero-chan flying in front of them. The front door was wide open, the rain pouring extremely hard now. Standing there, still outside was the figure in a black mantle. "Kinomoto Sakura."

Sakura finally reached the bottom of the stairs. Her focus laid on the figure standing in her front door. "Who-"

The figure reached for the hood and pulled it down, revealing the face of a young Chinese woman.

"Mei Lin!"

"Yes it is I, Kinomoto Sakura." She moved a step forward, as lightning struck in the background. "I have come all the way from Hong Kong for Li." She stuck her hand out of her black mantle, "Give him to me."

Dictonary -

• Kimitachi - You two

   

Author's Notes:

*runs away from the angry mob of fans* Well I finished it didn't I? ^^; I sacrificed studying for my AS I map test on America after the Louisiana purchase (gee, I wonder why?) Anywho, this chapter was very difficult to write at times, due to me not knowing exactly how to write what I saw in my mind. I attempted, and hopefully I succeeded. So who wants my head on a plate now? o_O Oh come on, I'm not THAT evil!

Mei Lin is here demanding me to give her Li, but... Li is still missing isn't he?

Or is he truly dead?

MIRROR, please tell me what's going on! As your master I command you! What do you mean you don't have to listen to me anymore? I am the mistress of the CLOW! ... Aren't I?

Amnesia? Do you mean-

Next Time on Card Captor Sakura: Hidden Within the Heart, Truths.