Note to people: I personally do not have anything against Sakura. I just had to have SOMEONE be sort of bad.
She's actually my second favorite character. Li's my favorite, of course.

The Freeing

A girl stood on a overhanging cliff, looking across the ocean. Dressing in long, white, flowing robes, she held a
slender sword on her hand. Her face was serious.

"Lai!"

"Huh?"

She spun around. A boy her age came running over to her. The boy had chestnut-colored hair, amber eyes, and
was wearing green robes. The girl called Lai smiled happily for one brief moment before hiding her happiness.

"Hey, Li." she said quietly, "I wasn't sure if you'd come."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." he answered seriously, smiling slightly.

Lai smiled. Li gently stretched out a hand and touched the silver streak in her hair. Lai blushed.

"The last sign that you're the Guardian Card." Li said softly, "Which now you're going to get rid of."

Lai shook her head somewhat irritably.

"Maybe, but it's not as if it makes me look any better." she retorted. Li considered her, his head tilted slightly to the
side.

"It's not as if you need to look any better." he said impishly, grinning. Lai blushed and glared at him. Li laughed.
Lai smiled, unable to stay mad at him for long.

"Not fair," she complained, stamping her foot, "You always make me laugh."

"And is that a bad thing?" he asked, mischievously.

"I guess not." she sighed.

"Good." Li said smugly, "I hate it when you're mad at me."

He walked next to her and smiled. She blushed slightly. Lai smiled. Li stepped back.

"Come on," he encouraged, "Putting it off isn't going to make it any better."

"Ok."

Lai faced the ocean and prepared to hold up the sword.

"Waaaaaiiiittt!"

Lai's arm spasmed with surprise and she fell over suddenly. Li caught her. They both looked up to see two people
heading for them.

"You're late." Li said brusquely to the brown-haired girl with green eyes.

"Sor-ry." she said sheepishly, "Madison had to find her camera."

"Camera?" Lai said blankly.

"Of course she wants to tape you being freed!" Sakura exclaimed.

Madison waved happily at Lai from behind Sakura.

Lai said plaintively, "Can we get on with this, or are we waiting for the entire school to show up?"

"Go on," Li laughed.

Lai's eyes and face went serious and she faced the ocean again. Raising the sword so it was pointing to the sky,
she called out in a loud voice.

"Clow Reed!" she yelled, "You once promised me that freedom would be granted whenever I wished. I wish for
mortality now! Clow Reed, I take you upon your honor, free me from my imprisonment and my immortality!"

Thunder crashed overhead, and clouds formed rapidly.

"Clow Reed!" Lai shouted over the sound of savage wind and crashing waves and thunder, "Release thy
Guardian to mortality...now!"

A bolt of lightning struck Lai's upraised sword. Li made a move as if to go to her, but Sakura held him back. Lai
gave a gasp of pain. As if wiped away by an invisible hand, the silver streak in her hair disappeared. Her Clow
Card rose into the air, and, with an audible sound, was ripped in half. Lai gave a scream of pain that faded away.
The storm dissapated, and she fell to the ground.

"Lai!" Li yelled, running over to her. He gently turned her on her back. She opened her eyes slowly and looked up
at Li. He smiled tearily.

"You're free now..." he whispered.

She nodded.

New Life

Lai walked to school, with Li.

"You're still so nice." Li said softly. Lai blushed.

"Aiya!" she exclaimed, "You've already told me that about five million times!"

Li laughed softly.

"And it's true five million times."

Lai gave him her famous Darn-you-even-though-you're-right glare. Li returned her glare with his famous
Ha-ha-I've-got-you-there smile. Lai hmphed and stuck her nose in the air. Li smiled a bit and they continued to
walk on.

Even though Li pretended to be looking ahead, he was really looking at Lai out of the corner of his eye. Lai... they
had met only months before, and now they were closer than anyone else they knew. They had kissed only once,
and had virtually hidden their feelings since then, with the exception of the previous day. Li was enraptured with
Lai. She had beautiful black hair with matching eyes. Her hair was done up in a ponytail, and she had Sakura's
bangs. Her eyes were the key to her emotions. Those flashing eyes could display happiness, anger, or any other
emotion, or could brim with the emotion Li hated to see in her eyes, sadness. He hated to see tears in her eyes.

Lai was walking with her face slightly down, her face peaceful. Li understood. For the first time in hundreds of
years, she was free. Last night she had told him exuberantly how happy she was, proving it by dancing around in
circles; had Lai not been Lai, Li probably would have been annoyed to death by her, but Li was always making
exceptions for Lai. He loved her. He had admitted it to himself after they had kissed that one time, a few days
before.

"Hey, Lai!" someone called when they reached school, "You've changed your hair, cool!"

Many similar calls came out, mingled with asks for dates by many boys. Li glared about him dangerously.

"Geez, calm down, Li!" Lai laughed, "It's not as if I'm actually wanting to date anybody!"

"Ppht." was all he would say.

Lai glanced at him quickly, seeing that familiar look of grumpyness. She sighed and shook her head. They hurried
into class.

New Enemy!

A shadowy figure stood upon the school roof, looking at the children playing on the playground. One girl in
particular. Her black hair shone in the sunlight, and she laughed a lot. A boy stayed with her, as did two other girls.
The light changed so that the figure's face was shone. It was a young man, about 17, with fiery red hair and orange
eyes. His lip curled sneeringly.

"Play while you can, ex-Guardian Card." he muttered quietly, "Soon you'll have nothing to smile, laugh, or play
about."

He laughed evilly and disappeared from the roof top. Below, on the playground, Lai's eyes snapped to where he
had previously stood and she clenched her fist. She had heard every word, even though they were hundreds of
yards apart. She gritted her teeth.

"So he's back." Lai whispered to herself.

Fit of Jealously

Lai stood in a hallway of the shcool, clenching her fist angrily. She was angry. How could she?! was the thought
running through her mind continuously.

Again and again, the image flashed through her mind.

Li holding Sakura in his arms.

Li and Sakura kissing.

Li's expression of confusion and need to explain when he saw Lai.

Sakura looking at Lai with a look of something like smugness on her face.

Tears of rage and confusion ran down her face as she stood in the hallway. Nearby, a door opened.

"Lai?" a tentative voice asked, "Can I talk to you?"

That voice. That voice that once sent thrills through her very bones. That voice that she now hated.

Li came out of the room. Lai had her back to him. Her fists were clenched angrily at her sides.

"Listen, Lai." Li said urgently, "It was an accident! She did it so suddenly, I didn't know what to do! I didn't mean..."

"No need to explain, Li!" Lai yelled suddenly, spinning around. Tears were pouring freely from her eyes. Li was
hurt.

"Listen," Li cried, "Please, Lai...!"

"Go be with her!" Lai cried angrily, "Go join Sakura! I should have seen it before! Just go away!"

Li was taken aback. He stepped back a step. Before he could stop her, Lai spun around and ran. Li stepped
forward and reached towards her with one hand.

"Lai..." he whispered.

This is all Sakura's fault! was the thought running through Li's mind.

She had heard Lai coming.

Sakura had grabbed Li before he knew what was happening.

And she had kissed him.

Li saw Lai's confused and hurt face over Sakura's head.

He had tried to break away and explain, but Sakura hadn't let him.

DAMN THAT SAKURA!

Li ran in the direction that Lai had fled, his teeth gritted with determination.

He WOULD explain.

He would stop those tears from flowing from those beautiful eyes.

Everything would be alright...

...he hoped.

Tears of Heartache

Lai ran blindly away from the school, sobbing heartbreakingly. She ran into nearby woods and only stopped when
she tripped and fell. Slowly, Lai sat up, her head bowed, her body racked with sobs. Sitting with her back against
the tree, Lai let the tears fall.

'I should have known how he felt about Sakura.' she thought, 'After all, they've been together for so much longer.
I'm such an idiot!'

"Poor little girl. Got dumped by your boyfriend?"

Lai looked up sharply. Her eyes were red with crying, but they were narrowed with hatred, and her teeth were
clenched. The red-headed man was standing over her. In a flash, Lai was standing with her sword in hand. The
red-headed man laughed, and a sword appeared in his hand, too.

"I should have know you were around, Fiero." she snarled. "You're always trying to kill me and make me unhappy."

"Ah, but your ex-boyfriend and your friend Sakura were not under my control this time." Fiero smirked, "They did it
all by their lonesome little selves."

Lai gave a snarl of rage and leapt at him, her sword out. He easily parried. A furious sword duel followed. Lai
sliced him on the arm. He snarled with pain. With a movement too fast to follow, he stabbed with his sword.

Li burst into the clearing, his sword in hand. What he saw made him freeze in horror, his eyes horrified, his mouth
open in a silent yell.

Fiero stood in front of Lai, his sword arm extended. The sword was stabbed in Lai's abdomen, protruding from
her back. Her head was bent over the sword, her face in an expression of extreme pain. Her hands clutched at the
bloody blade as if trying to pull it out. Fiero contemptuously pulled the sword out of Lai. Lai collapsed on her
knees, then fell on her face. Her eyes were closed. A pool of blood formed around her still form. Fiero stood over
her triumphantly.

"I kill you at last, Guardian Card!" he spat.

An animal-like scream of rage echoed around the clearing. Fiero had time for one startled exclaimation before he
was forced into parrying a flurry of furious blows. Li's eyes were streaming with tears, his teeth clenched with
hatred. The last thing Fiero saw before Li's sword terminated his life was Li's eyes, those intense eyes blazing
with hatred.

An ambulence siren sounded. Sakura and many other students stood by the edge of the woods. Sakura had her
hand up to her mouth in horror. She had seen Lai. Instead of turning away her face when she had seen Sakura,
she had given her a weak smile and whispered something that made Sakura's heart break.

"I forgive you."

Life or Death...or Disappearance

Lai's still body lay on the hospital bed, her head wrapped in bandages, as was her abdomen. Doctors were
whispering nearby, but not so quietly that Li's sharp ears couldn't hear what they were saying.

"They got her here quickly," one doctor says, "But she's lost a lot of blood. I don't know if she'll survive."

"I don't think she will," answered another doctor, "Her internal organs are badly mangled. She'll never survive."

Li's teeth were clenched as was his fist. How dare they give up before Lai was actually dead! How dare they!

The heart monitor beeped slowly, but steadily. Li looked at Lai's pale face. It was hard to believe that only
yesterday that beautiful face had been lively and full of laughter. If only Li could have explained...

For Lai to die without knowing was the final blow.

Lai's eyes fluttered.

"Lai!?"

"Li..."

Her voice was barely a whisper.

"Li...I've got to...talk to you.." she whispered. Li took her hand in his.

"You're going to be all right," he whispered. His eyes were shining with emotion. "I know you will be."

Lai looked at him wearily.

"Just...listen...please." she whispered, "I've got to...ask you...to do something...for me."

"Anything." he said softly. His eyes were locked with hers.

"Forgive Sakura."

Li clenched his teeth. Sakura was the reason Lai had fled out of the school and been stabbed. Lai's other hand
reached up and brushed a strand of hair away from his face. She stroked his forehead lightly, weakly.

"Please..."

"Why should I?" Li growled.

"Because she didn't mean to..." Lai gasped weakly, "She...did...it on ...a dare."

Li's face was stunned.

"Madison...told me...how Nikki dared her...to kiss you."

"I will forgive her." he promised.

"Li..." she gasped. Her hand fell from his face. The heart monitor began to beep unsteadily.

"Lai!" he exclaimed, standing up suddenly. "No! Don't leave me!"

"Li...!" she gasped painfully, "Remember...! I...will...always...love...you...!"

Her head rolled to the side, her eyes closed.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep

The heart monitor showed a steady line.

In his hands, Li felt hers grow cold.

"NO!" he cried, "LAI! NOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

Doctors burst into the room to find that Li had thrown himself across Lai's cold body, yelling hoarsely for Lai not to
leave him, to come back. It took five doctors to get him off Lai's body, and even then he kept struggling, reaching
weakly with one hand for Lai. Before the interns could get the body out of the room, though, a bright light
surrounded it. The light reflected in Li's eyes, and he stopped struggling for a moment. It seemed as if someone
came in the midst of the blinding light, picking up Lai's limp form. A single tear fell from Li's cheek, sparkling in the
unearthly light before shattering on the cold ground.

The light faded.

Lai's body was gone.

Recovery and Discovery

"Poor guy, he's still mourning for Lai." Sakura murmured to Madison. They looked sadly at Li. He had his head
down on his desk, his face buried in his arms. Mr. Terada didn't call on him out of sympathy.

"She forgave me for kissing Li." Sakura muttered, "I feel so guilty."

"Class, Recess!" Mr. Terada called. Li remained in the same position, though he raised his head and looked at
Lai's empty desk momentarily. His face was expressionless.

Sakura and Madison paused at the door, looking at him. He was looking at a book in his hands. They walked over
to him quietly. It was a photo album. Every page was filled of pictures of Lai, Li, Sakura, Madison, and the others,
smiling and waving, though often Li had a squiggly line for a mouth and looked rather stressed. Lai peered from
every page, smiling and laughing.

"Hey..." Sakura said softly, "Are you O.K?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Li said roughly, slamming the album shut and standing up abruptly. "I'm going down to the
playground. Coming?"

"Sure." Sakura said, exchanging worried glances with Madison.

Li sat in a swing, swinging a tiny bit. He was looking at the ground. Images ran through his mind in a confused
jumble.

Lai waving happily at him after getting a hundred on a test.

Lai clinging on him tightly as they went down a steep hill on a roller coaster.

Lai looking annoyed when he took her diary and held it out of reach.

Lai's angry face as she gazed at Fiero, that cursed jerk.

And lastly...

Lai's special smile for him, full of happiness and softness, kind and warm.

Involuntarily, a tear slid down his cheek, which he angrily rubbed away.

"Lai wouldn't want to see you sad," he declared aloud to himself, "Cheer up! At least she died knowing..."

Died.

The word sounded empty to him. It made him realize the true meaning of the word everytime he said it.

Gone.

Forever.

Never would he be able to hold her again.

Never would he feel her soft lips pressed against his.

Never would he see her loving smile.

Never

Ever

Again.

Mr. Terada then called the class in. Li joined the end of the line, slouching, his hands in his pockets. As they
trooped in, Li saw Mr. Terada look at him worriedly out of the corner of his eye, but he ignored it.

The thing he hated the most other than the fact that Lai was gone, was the fact that people kept treating him as an
invalid.

Yes, he certainly mourned Lai was gone, but no, he wasn't dead, and he certainly wasn't dying!

Why couldn't they do as Lai would have wanted them to, and treated him normally?

Why?

Why?

WHY?

Sakura looked at him, concerned. She could feel his anger, his confusing, his guilt, his hurt. And, as a friend, she
had to cheer him up. But how?

Recovery and Discovery PT. II

Li looked around the room in his house. Sakura and the remainder of the gang were sitting around. They were all
smiling cheerfully, sitting around a table.

"Happy Birthday, Li!" Sakura cheered, and placed a frosted cake before him. He took a deep breath.

'I wish Lai was here.' he thought, and blew out the candles.

Sakura and the others did their best to cheer him up all afternoon, and he was grateful, but not a smile appeared
on his lips.

Li opened his presents. A cup, a green outfit (from Madison, duh), some other stuff... Everytime, Li thanked the
sender with a nod and a murmured 'Thanks'.

He pretended to have fun playing Pictionary, but Sakura caught him looking elsewhere.

Sakura followed Li's gaze.

Li was looking at a picture on the mantle. It was a picture of Lai and Li. It looked as if Lai had jumped Li from
behind, flinging her arms around his neck. Li's face had his lips parted, teeth gritted nervously, but Lai's face was
happy, eyes closed, mouth opened in a cheery laugh.

Sakura glanced at Li sympathetically. He had returned his attention to the game.

"Bye everybody." Li waved good-bye to the gang as they left. "Thanks."

Sakura glanced at him worriedly as she left. The party didn't seem to have done much good.

Li closed the door and leaned his back against it. His head was bowed.

"Lai..." he whispered, "You promised we would celebrate my birthday together."

Li trudged slowly to his room, glancing at the picture on the mantle for a moment. Then he turned slowly to his
room and closed the door. A ray of moonlight fell on Lai's face in the picture.

Recovery and Discovery, Pt. II

"Where am I?"

"Who am I?"

White walls surrounded the girl. She sat up in the bed slowly.

"White robes..." she murmured to herself, "White everything."

A man entered the room. He had white hair, blue eyes and wings.

"You're awake." he said quietly, "Stay still; you're still weak."

She lay down obediantly. He came over and placed a comforting hand on her forehead.

"Your fever has gone down." The man said, "That's good."

"Who are you?" the girl asked. The man, on his way out, paused in the doorway, his hand on the doorframe.

"My name is Yue." he said gently, "Stay calm. You're in a safe place."

The girl settled in the bed, turning on her side and prepared to sleep.

"Who am I?"

The question echoed in her mind.

Images flashed through her mind. A brown-haired girl with green eyes; the thought "Sakura, friend, CardCaptor"
came with the image. Other faces and images flashed through her mind, along with their names and other
thoughts. She had memories of fighting strange creatures, watching the girl Sakura turn them into cards...she
could remember everything but two things.

Who was she?

And who was the chestnut-haired, amber-eyed boy who kept passing through her mind?

Recovery and Discovery, Pt. III

Li was on the road to recovery, or at least, he hoped he was. Now he participated in class and talked to people.

But he never, ever smiled.

Not once.

He never laughed.

Often at recess, he could be seen staring through the photo albums.

At night, he had nightmares of Lai's death.

One night, Li had a strange dream.

He was standing in a white room, and someone was sitting with their back to him. A girl in white robes, with shiny
black hair. He walked slowly to the girl. She leapt to her feet, facing him. Li knew her. Li knew those beautiful black
eyes, those soft red lips, that soft hair all too well.

"Lai?" he whispered, reaching for her slowly with one hand. She drew back in fear.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

Li stopped, looking at her in bewilderment. She looked frightened.

"Lai, it's me!" he said urgently, "Li!"

"Li?" the girl said, shaking her head slowly, "I don't know anyone named Li. Only Yue. He's the only one here. What
are you doing here?"

Li drew back a few steps.

"Lai..." he whispered, "You...you really don't...remember me?"

"NO!" she yelled.

-------

Li woke with a start, her yell echoing in his mind. He was sweating, panting for breath. He sat up slowly. Li stared
at his bedcover. The dream was so real! He bowed his head.

"Lai..." he whispered.

-------

The girl stared. Where a boy had stood moments before, there was nothing. He looked so familiar! That
hair...those intense eyes...that face...

Just then, Yue came into the room. He looked at her, concerned.

"Are you alright?" he asked, a look of mild concern on his face. "I heard you yell."

"A boy was here." the girl told him. "With chestnut-hair and amber eyes. He called me Lai and said his name was
Li. He's the boy I can't remember!"

Yue looked at her gravely.

"Your name is Lai." he told her. She gulped. "He is Li. You were mortally wounded, but by bringing you here, I
managed to save your life. You have forgotten the two most important things of your life; your identity, and the key
to your identity. I have brought you to this dream world so that you could recover both mentally and physically.
Without realizing who that boy is, and what he means to you, I cannot let you back to the real world. Rest now."

The girl named Lai crawled in the bed. Yue gently smoothed the hair on her head. She smiled sleepily at him. He
gazed down at her with a gentle smile on his face.

"Sleep now, little one." he said gently, "You have learned a lot in one night."

When Yue left a few minutes later, Lai lay in bed, thinking.

What did Yue mean, the key to her identity?

She then remembered something odd.

She had seen the look in the boy's eyes when she told him she didn't remember him. That look of deep hurt, and
the pain it had caused in her heart when she saw it.

Why?

She decided to think of the problem later.

Soon after, the girl with a name fell into a sleep full of images of that boy, laughing with him, that seemingly familiar
look of grumpiness and nervousness, and that repeating image of hurt in his eyes, causing tears to slide down her
cheeks while she slept.

Rebirth

Li was walking through the woods, remembering her yell of "No!" and her look of fear.

He looked at the ground, not even knowing where he was headed, until he reached a clearing.

It was the clearing where Lai had fought and lost to Fiero. A large dark patch of stained soil was in the middle of
the clearing. Li fell to his knees in the middle of the dark patch.

He picked up a handful of the dark earth, looking at it.

"Lai..." he whispered. Weeks of pent-up grief finally got to him. Tears began to roll down his cheeks. Li bent his
head, dropped the bloodied soil. Sobs racked his body as he pounded the earth with his fist, whispering Lai's
name over and over again.

For the first time in his life, Li Showron cried.

-----

Lai was running around her room. Yue was sitting in a chair, watching her with a smile on his face.

Lai completed ten laps with an aerial flip, landing lightly before Yue. He clapped and she bowed.

"See?" she cried triumphantly, "I'm in great physical condition!"

Yue merely nodded. Lai fidgeted.

"Am I dead?" she blurted. She looked at him with a look of desperation.

"No, little one." Yue assured her, smoothing her hair with one hand.

"Then can I return to everybody?" she asked eagerly. Yue looked at her sadly.

"I am afraid not." he said softly. Lai bit her lip. "You don't remember why Li is important to you yet."

"But...but can I spy on them?" she asked, 'Please say yes,' she thought, 'I want to see Li again, for some strange
reason.'

Yue considered Lai's hopeful face for a moment and smiled.

"Yes, you may." he said. Lai gave a yip of joy and hugged Yue joyfully. Yue laughed and patted her head fondly.

"But stay out of sight," he warned her, "Remember, they all think you're dead. Only help them if absolutely
necessary, and even then, disappear immediately. Do you understand?"

"Yeah!" Lai exclaimed, nodding eagerly.

"Good."

Lai suddenly was wearing white robes and holding her sword. She smiled at Yue happily. Unexpectedly, she
reached up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. He smiled.

"Go then, sweet child."

Lai disappeared.

------

Sakura was walking with Yukito and Madison as they passed through the woods when they heard Li's sobs.

"Huh?" said Yukito, "Isn't that Li?"

Li was kneeling on the ground, crying.

"Oh, Li!" Sakura exclaimed, running to his side.

Li didn't answer. Yukito looked around.

"Hey, isn't this where...?"

Sakura cut him off with a shake of her head. Li's sobs died down and he looked up suddenly.

"Where is she?" he demanded, staring at Sakura.

"Huh?" Sakura stammered. Li jumped to his feet, one fist clenched, looking around.

"I sense Lai! She must still be alive! But where is she?"

Sakura exchanged worried glances with Madison and Yukito. There was a flash of light and Yue stood in Yukito's
place. Sakura stifled a shriek of surprise. Yue motioned to Sakura.

"Listen, Lai is alive, but she cannot reveal herself yet." he murmured in Sakura's ear. "She's watching everyone."

Sakura looked around. There was no clue that Lai was around.

"Where is she then?" she whispered.

Yue glanced at a nearby tree top quickly. Sakura glanced there quickly and saw a flash of white. Her eyes
widened and she smiled.

------

From her perch high up in a tree, Lai watched the group below.

"Yue?" she murmured to herself, frowning slightly, "What's he doing here?"

Lai watched Li searching for her frantically below and felt a pang in her heart.

"How does he know I'm here?" she wondered, "Is there some kind of connection between us?"

------

Li paused at the foot of Lai's tree, gritting his teeth in frustration. Where was Lai? And why wouldn't she reveal
herself to him? He looked up in frustration.

------

Lai watched Li pause at the foot of her tree. Suddenly, Li, looked up. Just in time, Lai hid.

------

Moments later, Lai was leaping quietly from branch to branch, away from Li and the others.

So I have to hide, she thought. That's what Yue told me to do, and that's what I'll do.

But for once, she wished she didn't have an obligation to listen to Yue.

Attack and Revelation

"Sakura!"

"Wha...! Where's the fire?" Sakura yelled sleepily. She sat bolt upright in bed. Kero was yelling in her ear.

"What is it, Kero?" she complained, rubbing her eyes.

"There seems to be one Clow Card you didn't catch." Kero said, his eyes closed and his arms crossed. "It's the
Attack Card. Very powerful. Let's get a move on, Sakura!"

Minutes later, Sakura was standing in her battle costume in front of her house, wielding the Clow Wand. Li was
already there in his green Chinese robes, holding his sword.

"Let's go, Sakura!" he said with his old tone of impatience. Sakura smiled.

Soon, Sakura and Li were dashing along the edge of the woods, Kero hanging on Sakura's shoulder.
Unbeknownst to them, a white robed-figure followed them in the trees.

Suddenly, there was a shoom. A dozen razor-sharp daggers zoomed towards Sakura.

Li pushed her out of the way.

"Watch it!" he yelled. Sakura drew out a card.

"Windy!" Sakura yelled, "Release and Dispel!"

She tapped the card with her wand.

Windy blew in the opposite direction of them, deflecting a barrage of weapons.

"Return to your power confined, Windy!" Sakura yelled.

Suddenly, three long ropes came out of nowhere, wrapping around Sakura, Li, and Kero, trapping their arms to
their sides.

The Attack Card then showed itself. It was a tall women, laden with weapons. She smiled wickedly and began to
pull them in.

Li's teeth were clenched. He tried to break free, but an electrical charge zapped up Li's line. He yelled with pain.

------

Lai was watching from the trees. She made a move to help them when they were tied up, but restrained herself,
remembering Yue's words. She saw Li struggling in his bonds, heard him yell in pain as he was electrocuted.

Something snapped in Lai's mind.

Next second, Lai was leaping from the tree, sword drawn. She slashed at the lines holding Li, Sakura, and Kero.
Li started to collapse on the ground, but Lai quickly caught him and sank down carefully, cradling his head in her
lap.

As she gazed down at Li, memories flooded back.

"I remember!" she whispered, "Oh, Li, please wake up!"

A tear fell from her cheek.

Plip!

The tear landed on Li's cheek. He moaned and stirred. Opening his eyes, Li saw Lai's face. She smiled tearily.

"Didja miss me?" Lai asked impishly. Li's eyes widened.

"Lai!"

"I'mm so sorry for leaving you, Li!" Lai cried. Li scrambled to a sitting position. "I...I blacked out or something! Oh,
Li, I'm so sorry for making you so unhappy!"

Tears were pouring from her eyes.

Gently, Li took her in his arms, hodling her tight. He pressed his lips against her soft hair, murmuring words of
reassurance. Lai clutched at his robes. He held her back at an arm's distance. Li gazed in her eyes, a look of total
seriousness on his face. With one hand, he wiped her tears away. Lai was looking at him with love in her eyes.

"Yo, you two lovebirds!" Kero yelled, breaking into their attention as he dodged a swipe from the Attack Card's
Sword. A vein was throbbing on his forehead. "I hate to break this little romantic scene up...but we're A LITTLE
BUSY HERE!"

In an instant, both L's were on their feet, swords in hands (they had dropped them).

"Diversionary Tactics!" Li yelled. Lai nodded.

They began to dash around, nipping in at the Attack Card. Perfectly in syncopation, they confused the Attack Card
(it got swirly eyes).

"Freeze Card! Freeze the Attack! Release and Dispel!" Lai yelled, tapping the Freeze Card with her sword tip.
Silver mist shoomed out of the card, surrounding the Attack Card. It stopped moving.

"Your turn, Sakura!" Li yelled. Sakura nodded and twirled her Clow wand.

"Return to your power confined...Attack Card!" Sakura shouted. She swung the wand down overhead. Within
seconds, she held the Attack Card.

Li and Lai grinned at each other. Kero was doing loop-de-loops in the air.

"Whoo-hoo!" he yelled triumphantly, "Welcome back, Lai!"

Sakura hugged Lai. There were tears of relief in Sakura's eyes, and tears of joy in Lai's.

"Thank goodness you're ok, Lai!"

"Sakura, my friend!"

Li stood by silently. Lai turned to him. Tears stood in her eyes. With a cry, she ran into Li's arms. Two tears fell
silently from Li's eyes. Tears brimmed in Lai's eyes.

"Oh, I couldn't remember you, Li." she whispered, "I had so many memories of you, but I couldn't remember who
you were, and what you meant to me. There was such a gap in my heart. I always felt as if something was
missing!"

"Then that dream was real!" Li exclaimed, stepping back a bit. His eyes were dry, but soft.

"I guess so." Lai said.

"But we thought you were dead." Sakura blurted, "How did you survive?"

"Because of Yue. He took me to what he called the 'dream world' and healed me."

"Weird."

'I'll have to ask Yue next time.' Sakura thought.

When she looked back at Li and Lai, she blushed.

Lai was in Li's arms, and they were kissing. Li's lips pressed warmly against Lai's. Their eyes were closed, and
Lai had wrapped her arms around Li's neck. Li's arms were around her waist.

Kero deliberately looked away, as did Sakura, their eyes tiny dots and their mouths squiggly lines.

Silhouetted against the rising sun, the two stayed together until Sakura yelled nervously that they were going to be
late for school.

------

"Class, please welcome back someone dear to us all!" Mr. Terada exclaimed happily, "Lai Kayori!"

Lai enetered the classroom to a stunned silence with Li and Sakura.

Seconds later, there was thunderous applause.

Lai was back.

---------------------------------------------------------

Phew! Finally! Li's Heartbreak is done! Have any comments or suggestions? Send them to Sailor Pikachu! Hope
you liked it!