*The same guidelines of disclaimers still follow

She suddenly snapped them open as she realized something. ‘The Clow card! Now’s my chance; I can capture it so we can ALL go back to swimming again,’ she thought. She dressed back into her normal school uniform and made sure the key was around her neck. The other Clow cards were in her pocket tightly protected, and she put on her shoes. Sakura tiptoed to the door and squealed it open, then quickly shutting it.

Outside, the night breeze was cool, and the stars were up high. The moon was full, and it shined like a huge night lantern. Stealthily walking, she made sure that Mr. Torada was in his cabin, and her other classmates’ cabins were secured. Then, she stepped halfway down the stone stairway, a good distance away from both Mr. Torada and the other cabins. "Time to go to work," she softly replied. She held out her key and commanded,

The key transformed into the wand, and Sakura grabbed it. She held it close to her and closed her eyes, focusing. Her senses followed, and she sensed it, the Clow card. "It’s capture time," she addressed.

Meanwhile, Li was also lying in bed, thinking about earlier. His thoughts were interrupted when he thought he heard, "Release!" from outside. Alarmed, he started to sweat. Quickly, he got out of bed and quietly got out his Daoism robe and sword. He swiftly slipped it on and strapped the sword around his back. The cards and everything he needed was with him. "Sakura...hang on," he whispered. "Don’t worry; I’m coming to help...and hopefully tell you."

Silently, he opened the door and slid outside. He closed the door firmly and took out his Lasin board. Softly, he ordered,

A blue beam from the board shot out and aimed towards the stairway, then moving past the stairs and to the edge of the forest. Li shut and shoved the board back into his robe and started running towards that direction. The boys’ cabins were a lot farther from the stairway, so he took the trees for a shortcut. Mentally, he crossed his fingers. "I hope I’m not too late; ooh, I should’ve listened to myself and came out earlier to watch over her!" he scolded himself.

Back with Sakura, she took out a card and cried, "Jump card!" Wings appeared on her shoes as she leaped into the air, taking quick glances at the nearby surroundings. She sailed back down and tried again. A flash of blue light gleamed from the edge of the forest, just like last time in the cave. Sakura soared up again and started darting towards the flash.

Li finally got to the stairs where Sakura was and saw her take off. He jumped to the trees again after her, hollering, "Sakura! Wait up!"

She thought she heard Li calling her name from behind. At a quick glance, she turned around, but she didn’t catch sight of him. ‘Must be my imagination,’ she thought, ignoring it.

Sakura landed silently in the forest and looked around. "All right Clow card, show yourself! It’s time to put you away!" she hollered. "No more draining, no more hurting my friends! It’s time to face off!"

Just then, the card jumped out in front of her. Its eyes were pale, and it glowed blue. Sakura freaked, "Wait...you were the one who ‘controlled’ the octopus who almost got me under! And you’re the one responsible for pulling others under!"

The Clow card whipped out its sash-arms at her again. But this time, Sakura jumped high into the air, causing it to miss. "Is that your best shot?" she dared.

It dove after Sakura again, and she jumped higher into the trees. The card slashed around, but it missed again; Sakura jumped all the way to the ground. "Jump card, return! (pulled out another) Sword card, transform from this wand!" she cried. Instantly, the wand changed into the sword, and Sakura held it firmly in her hands. She focused her eyes and tried to pinpoint the Clow card’s power. "A Clow card who has the power to control other things AND has the power to drain energy from living beings..."

She held up the sword in her hands. The card started lashing and slashing at her, with Sakura cutting some of the ribbon-sashes off. "It’s a good thing that this acts so graceful," she commented.

But the card kicked her back. "Or not," she groaned. "Sword card, return!" Her wand was back to normal. "Fight card! Meld into this wand!"

Fight was in her, Sakura began to throw her moves. Punches, kicks, and blocks...they did no harm. Only Sakura was the one being harmed. She landed face front on the ground, unable to move fast enough out of the card’s way. The sashes were speeding towards her. "No, not again...the card that does this...which one is it?" Luck faded, and all was lost, it seemed...

...Until something miraculous happened, that is.

"HAIIIII-YAAAA!"

Once again, Li from the trees above leaped down and kicked the card away. He made sure that it was a distance away, then he came over. "Sakura, you okay?" He placed a hand on her shoulder and helped her up.

She exploded with relief and happiness. "Li! Am I glad to see you!" she cried. She was about to cuddle him, when she saw the card zooming towards them. "Jump card!" she shrieked. Before Li could say "huh?", Sakura hopped up and dragged him into the air. The card crashed in a tree, injured.

"WHOA!" they cried.

She and Li landed on their feet, exhausted. "The Influence card," Li stated.

Sakura looked at him. "The what?"

"Influence card," he repeated. "That’s it. It has the power to drain—"

"And the power to control," Sakura finished. "The octopus earlier. No wonder it didn’t make sense."

Li smiled. ‘Not only is she getting prettier, but she’s getting to be a better cardcaptor,’ he cheerfully thought. ‘But...I still have to tell her...’ "Sakura..." he started. "About this card...you can’t capture it."

Sakura was surprised, but at the same time, she was a bit irritated. "What do you mean?" she asked, trying to keep her cool.

Li fumbled, "The card—remember how you were drained last time? This card is a strikeout kind of deal. One time you’re still okay, the next time...you’re done. I know I know; you think I want the card for myself, but I’m telling you this for your own good. (‘oh great; smooth talking, Xiao-Lang’, he thought) You just can’t catch it."

"Then who will?" Sakura demanded, mad. "YOU? Is that it?"

He tried his best to hold his impatience. Unexpectedly, he looked frantic.

"Li, maybe you SHOULD capture the card, since I’m not always the BEST like YOU," she retorted.

"No, Sakura! Please (worried look)—whoever captures the card has a price to pay," he stated. "A price of their own."

Sakura was silent, as she looked into his saddened, puppy-dog eyes. ‘He IS serious,’ she thought. ‘He really is trying to help me. Oh Li...’ A chilled wind brushed by her. She saw it coming. "LI!" she screamed, grabbing his sleeve.

Too late. Influence sent both cardcaptors flying to the trunk of a tree, sliding painfully and knocking right against it. "Ow," Sakura complained, toppling on Li.

"You okay?" Li asked, massaging his neck. "That really stung."

"No...I hit my head," she whimpered.

Li crawled up and examined her. With a little hesitance, he quickly gave a little kiss on it. "It’s fine," he assured, smiling.

Sakura blushed, not knowing what to say. ‘Madison’s right,’ she thought. ‘Li does have some smooth moves.’ She glanced over at the side. "Influence...look out, Li!" she cried.

Li turned, extremely angry. He stood up and swiped out his sword. "All right, come on! Let’s go! We never finished what YOU started last time!" He held it up, ready to do whatever he had to do. "You mess with Sakura, you’re messing with me! When comes to her, she’s MY business!" he yelled.

Influence looked quite interested. It stood across from Li, ready to battle. Gentle breezes swept by everyone. Li was intent with the sword in his hands. Sakura carefully watched while secretly getting closer to him. Influence had its sashes ready on arm. The ultimate battle has now begun.

Influence was the first to make a move. It lashed out with its sashes at Li, but he slashed them away easily. "YA!" he cried. He repeatedly jumped and slashed away the sashes. More were lashed out at him, and he leaped as several of them trailed for his legs. Too busy watching for the next move, Li tripped and fell. Influence decided this as its advantage and leaped into the air, preparing to do its toll.

"LI! Behind you!" Sakura cried. "Use your Dash card!"

He pushed himself up and looked. Sakura didn’t want to wait. She snatched out a card and commanded, "Power card! Grant your power to my wand!" Red encircled her, and she was ready. She jumped up and slammed the Influence at its chest, hurling it to a tree, once again.

Li stood up and held his sword close. "Force, know my plight; release the light! ...Lightning!" Flashes of lightning enveloped the Influence, as it shook with the shock going through its body. Li grinned, "Thanks Sakura."

She just winked at him while she returned the card and took out another. "Let’s try—"

"HEY! It’s gone!" Li yelled.

She paused and pocketed the card again. "What? Really?" she asked, looking around.

Not a trace of the card was around. There wasn’t any blue glow to show itself, nor was there any sign of it. Or so they thought.

"Li, watch out! It’s behind us!" Sakura shouted, with Li gasping.

Out came the card again, throwing all its sashes out at them. "Jump!" Sakura cried (not the card). They dodged the first few, but the next ones...not good. Li saw more coming and jumped in front of Sakura, holding out his arm to protect her. "Look out!" he cried.

These sashes seemed to have the impact of fists, because it smacked Li to a tree. He hit it with a thud. "AHH!" he yelled. He wasn’t moving.

"LI!" Sakura cried. She ran over and shook him. "Are you all right?"

He opened his eyes and smiled up at her. "Don’t worry; I’m okay. I deserve this—after being so mean to you," he stammered.

She shook her head. "That has nothing to do with anything, Li!" she yelped, teary-eyed.

Li chuckled as he patted her hands on his shoulder. "Hey—this card-capture is turning out to be a lot like the time when Mei-Lin made her arrival, and you captured the Fight card. Remember? What a tough battle that was."

Sakura nodded, remembering that time. She hugged him, with several tears staining onto his robe. Li heard several soft sniffles, so he in turn wrapped his arms around her. "Sakura, really...it’s fine," he soothed.

"Xiao-Lang..." she whispered.

Li stopped. ‘She said my real name...’ he thought. ‘She’s never said it before...’

Sakura suddenly broke free and stared into his eyes, determined. "This card is gonna me mine," she vowed.

Li hysterically shook his head. "No...you can’t! The card...you can’t risk getting hurt for the second time!"

"It’s either gonna be ME, or the world," she mumbled, standing up. She gripped her wand and faced the card, which was standing there watching them. "No more playing around," she affirmed. "You’re mine!" Sakura took out the Fight card again and commanded, "Fight card, bond your power with my own! (hit it) Fight! Release and dispel!"

Now it’s Sakura’s turn to glow a blue, only it’s lighter. Fight was ready within her, ready to move her moves.

"Sakura! You can’t!" Li begged. "Don’t!" ‘If Fight’s going to be helping her fight, then that’s take even more energy out of her,’ he fearfully thought. Li pushed himself up, his right arm holding on to his left and his sword. ‘Please...please Sakura, be careful,’ he pleaded.

"You’re yesterday’s news!" Sakura guaranteed. She and Fight swung some powerful punches and kicks at Influence, and it took most of the blows. For the whole time, Li tried walking over to help, but he could only limp. He staggered closer and made sure his sword is in his hands, but he put it away; his arms hurt enough without something else in his hands.

Minutes passed. Sakura was still attacking the lights out of the Influence card, but now, Influence finally got itself on her. The sashes firmed up into impacted fists, and started attacking her. Sakura was shocked. "The Fight card...it’s losing!" she cried, taking a blow to the hip. She landed on the ground, but she pushed herself up. A sash was flying towards her again, but she rolled away just in time.

Li kept on watching, his emotions crashing into each other. ‘It’s great that Sakura’s will to be a cardcaptor is up, but if it’s in exchange for her...life, then no way! She should stop! I—I have to do SOMETHING!’ he raged.

Sakura took another extreme blow.

Li clenched his left fist. (*this is Cantonese Romanization) "Nguo meing haih giu Léi Siu Lohng; nguo mdaagt bei niguo waaih yeh da keuih...Ying Fa Neui... (My name is Xiao-Lang Li; I can’t let this vile thing hurt her...Sakura...)" he stammered. He gritted his teeth and yelled, "Mdaagt a! Ying Fa! Ying Fa Neui! Da faan neiguo yeh a! (it can’t! Sakura! Sakura! Attack that thing back!)"

She hadn’t any idea of what he was saying; she could barely even hear him! Strength was flowing out of her fast, and giving up wasn’t such a bad idea to her. "Li—I need help! This card’s too strong!"

Li staggered closer to her. "Sakura—hang on! Don’t give in!" ‘At least...not yet,’ he thought. ‘But Sakura’s strong enough, right? She’s proved it so many times before.’

The Influence slammed Sakura violently, and she fell to the floor. She could hardly move; she was so tired. The card saw it took its advantage and shot out its sashes towards her. This was the final round.

Li, despite how hurt he was, couldn’t let this happen. He was absolutely terrified, and a block rose to his throat. ‘No...’ he struggled. Everything seemed to slow down to slow motion, as if the Time card’s interfering. He forced his arms free, no matter how painful it was, and swiped out his sword. Pulling the sword to him, he strained to look at Sakura, to make sure she was okay. Her eyes were still determined, and she was trying to push herself back up. Li shouted, "Force, know my plight; release the light! ...LIGHTNING!!"

A bolt of lightning ejected from his powers and shocked the card fiercely. Li took his chance; he ran over and dragged Sakura to her feet, out of harm’s way. She took a deep breath and made a final glance at Li, then taking out another Clow card. "Shadow card! Trap this force within your own! (whacked) Shadow! Release and dispel!"

The Shadow card appeared and as she commanded, it wrapped Influence within itself. Sakura quickly raised her wand, and Li fearfully gasped. ‘Please...please be all right!’ he begged. She ran closer to Influence and cried, "Return to your power confined...Influence card!"

Her wand struck above the two forces, and once again, Li anxiously watched. ‘She’s doing it...it won’t happen!’ he thought. Shadow was the first to sail back into Sakura’s pocket, and she caught her newly captured card in her hand, staring at it. "I did it..." she sighed, gripping her wand. "And I’m okay! Oh Xiao-Lang..."

Li didn’t even look back at her; he watched the card sealed, and he was still looking at the place it originally was. "You did it, Sakura! You did it! I knew you could! There’s no price to pay afterall!" he yelled, cheering.

His jumping around was cut when he didn’t hear any response at all, from Sakura. Li froze, not able to breathe. "Oh no..." he said, turning around.

A sudden blue light enveloped Sakura, as if it were flowing through her. She seemed to close her eyes, to feel the light pass in. But, it was all for the worst; Sakura wobbled on her legs and opened her eyes again. Slowly, gracefully, she stumbled forward and finally crumpled to the ground. Li gasped, horrified. "Ying Fa? Sakura!" he cried, rushing over. He shook her all around, constantly hoping. "Come on Avalon, it’s time to get up!"

She was still holding the Influence card in her hands, but her wand rolled out of her right hand and onto the ground. Li frowned his eyebrows. "I refuse to give in," he vowed. "I refuse to show tears...even though it’s really hard NOT to." He tucked his sword back into its case and the wand into his robe, will-hidden. He raised Sakura up and shook her again. "Sakura? Avalon? Come on, wake up. It’s time to open your eyes; you still have other Clow cards to capture! And...I need you..."

Holding her in one arm, he took out his sword again and took out one of her Clow cards. "I’ve never this card so much, but...Power card; release!"

The Power card bonded with him again, and he leaped into all the way back to the stairway. "Mr. Torada...I’ll get HIM to help!" Li easily sailed down the whole stairway in two jumps. Quickly, he laid her down. "I’m sorry Sakura...I know this is being selfish, but I can’t risk yours OR mine." He recalled the Power card and took it, along with the Influence card still in her hand (*no, it’s not what you think). Next, he threw off his sword and practically jumped out of his robe, tossing his whole outfit behind the cabin. ‘I’m glad I wore my school clothes underneath,’ he silently thought.

Finally, he went back over to Sakura and tried lifting her up. "Golly, it’s so much harder without the Power card!" he strained. "Sakura—I’m so sorry!" He forced himself to pull, no matter how painful it was for him. Li turned his head and cried, "Mr. Torada! Help! You’ve got to help me! Mr. Torada!"

The door of the cabin opened, and Mr. Torada dashed out. "Li? What’s wrong?"

Li pulled Sakura closer to the doorway, but he eventually stopped. He cradled her in his arms in exhaustion and cried, "It’s Sakura—you’ve got to help her!"

Mr. Torada gently pried Li’s arms away and carefully took Avalon into his arms. "We’ve got to get her inside...Li, clear away the bed inside. I’ll go get the nurse!"

He nodded and scrambled to his feet. In a flash, Li got everything ready, and Torada set her down, covering her with blankets. "I’m getting the nurse—wait, I have to call Sakura’s dad first—"

"No! YOU go get the nurse! I’LL call!" Li argued. "And please, hurry!"

Mr. Torada, surprised, didn’t reduce back down to his teacher-like mood. He ran out to get the nurse and left Li alone. Li made sure Sakura was fine, almost not wanting to let go of her. He grabbed the phone and dialed her number.

* * *

At the Avalon house, Tori and Julian were studying when the phone rang. Both boys dropped their pens and yawned, saved by the bell for a break. "I’ll get it," Tori volunteered, picking it up. "Hello?"

"Mr. Avalon—"

Tori halted. "Who’s this? And he’s not home right now," he answered.

Li, on the other side of the line, swallowed hard. "Tori? Listen, I need you to come to the beach right now. It’s Sakura!"

He couldn’t be fooled. "Hey...you’re that kid who hassled my sister! Listen you; it’s late at night and I don’t have time for your stupid jokes! Don’t you EVER hurt my sister again! If you’re trying to pick on my sister by calling me, you’re out of your mind! I--"

"TORI!!! I’m NOT hassling Sakura! It’s HER! She’s hurt really badly, and I’m RIGHT HERE next to her! Mr. Torada’s out getting a nurse, and I don’t know how long it’s gonna take! She needs you HERE!" Li screamed, into the receiver. He was pained, now that he realized something. ‘All my screaming isn’t waking her up? Please no...please no, Sakura...’ he begged. He choked up a sob, and he responded more calmly, yet serious. "Just...Tori, please...just come," Li sobbed, hanging up and falling back into his chair.

Tori slowly hung up. "He’s serious," he mumbled.

"Was that Li?" Julian asked.

He turned. "Yeah...Julian, I have to go," Tori said, putting on his jacket and grabbing his keys. "It’s Sakura; she’s hurt, and I need to go to see if she’s okay."

Julian also grabbed his coat. "Wait; I’m coming," he declared. "I want to know if she’s okay, too."

Both boys didn’t get to argue. They cleaned up, locked up, and jumped into Tori’s car, driving off to the beach.

Meanwhile, Li sat forward in his chair, his face in his hands. "What can I do? Sakura...(showed his teary eyes and sniffled) what if everyone else finds out? I don’t care; I don’t care anymore. I don’t care if my whole family will be mad at me for not getting back the cards. I don’t care if the whole world finds out about the Clow cards...I don’t care! When will Mr. Torada get back? Sakura needs help!" he cried.

‘But wait...if she paid the price, why is she here? Why did I still bring her here?’ he suddenly thought. Li sat up straight. ‘Yeah...if she had a price to pay...’ "She’s going to be all right! She’s gonna be fine!" he cheered, wiping his eyes. He punched his fists in the air. "She’s gonna be fine!" he repeated.

Once again, he placed his finger under her nose and tried to feel for any breathing. He didn’t really get to do; Mr. Torada came back with the nurse. "How is she?" she asked Li.

Mr. Torada answered for him. "Please examine her first, to see what’s wrong," he requested. "Li, is she doing okay?"

"Uh..." he stammered, unable to find anything to say.

Mr. Torada didn’t really let him answer; he turned to the nurse to watch what she’s doing.

Li reluctantly walked away to the other side of the little cabin and sulked. ‘Yeah, what can I do? Cause more trouble? When Ying Fa was about to collapse...she looked like when she was in my vision earlier...in a pink outfit,’ he thought. ‘Ironic—is that the word? A beautiful vision that foretells something sad and incredibly gray. Then—she won’t make it? No, I won’t think that. My name is Xiao-Lang, and I can’t think that; I won’t think it.’ Li slumped back over to Sakura and stood on the opposite side. He too watched the nurse just like Mr. Torada was, placing a hand on her forehead. "All cool..." he blurted.

Several minutes later, the cabin door flew open, showing Tori and Julian. Li perked up, but he was still standing in the same position as he was. "Where’s my sister? Is Sakura okay?" he rushed, panting for breath. He paused when he saw Li, and Tori glared at him. Li (unable to resume his usual fighting mood with Tori) didn’t know if he should move. Tori strutted over, obviously mad. "What do you think you’re doing, kid? I suggest you get your hand off my sister, before you regret it."

Li was also irritated, frowning his eyebrows. But while he did that, several tears slid down his face. He swiftly wiped them off. "I was the one who brought her here, so you don’t have to worry; I didn’t hurt her," he steadily responded.

"Then how did she get this way?" Tori testified.

"She FELL, that’s what," Li asserted, crossing his fingers in his pocket. "That thing that others spotted near the beach and cabins...it attacked, but she dodged and fell." ‘Hopefully he’ll buy that,’ he thought.

Tori wasn’t finished. "Look you—"

"Mr. Avalon, she did get attacked and fall; Li tried his best to carry her here," Mr. Torada interrupted. "I saw him outside, and I tried helping. Now please, no more, for now. Let your sister rest."

Tori went to where Li was and bent down, brushing Sakura’s face. "Hey Squirt," he whispered, "you okay? Can you hear me?"

Of course, she didn’t answer. Li unenthusiastically moved aside, but he knew that a fistfight with Tori wouldn’t be really appropriate now. Then something struck him, making him sit straight up and gasp. ‘Oh no...’ he thought. ‘Here I am sitting right after a card capture, and all this time for these two days I meant to tell her...I definitely failed. I probably won’t be able to speak to her again, and I still haven’t succeeded? I’M the failure as a cardcaptor, not her. I only told her that to deny my own letdowns.’

* * *

"Li? Li, wake up," Mr. Torada whispered, shaking his shoulder.

Li lifted himself from his arms, squinting his teary eyes. "Sakura? Don’t go over there; the Clow card’s about to attack! Sakura, let me help you," he mumbled, still half-asleep. "Source of light with ancient spin, send forth the magic power within. Force, know my plight; release the li—"

Promptly, he woke up completely when he realized that everyone was staring down at him. Tori made a weird face. "What are you jabbering about?" he curtly asked.

Li pushed him up and rubbed his eyes. ‘What a nightmare; a replay of what just happened!’ he thought.

"What’s a—‘Clow card’?" Tori asked.

He quickly answered, "Nothing! Just part of my—nightmare. (looked up at his teacher) What time is it?"

"12:30 in the morning," Mr. Torada responded, yawning. "Li, you should go to bed. Sakura’s brother’s here, and the nurse is here, so you can go. You’ve helped her a lot, and I know you’re tired. Come on, you can visit her in the morning."

Li shook his head. "No, can’t I just stay here? I—I want to watch over her," he reasoned.

Julian crouched down and said, "Li, you should just go to bed. There’s four people here already taking care of her."

"But—"

Tori’s penetrating glare prevented Li from going on. Li uneasily stood up and started walking away. He could feel Tori’s glare burning his back, but he fought it. ‘I don’t care WHAT everyone thinks, not even Tori! I’m gonna do this, and that’s final,’ he thought. Li stood at the head of the bed and glanced at everyone. Slowly, he bent down and gave Sakura one final kiss on her head before walking out. Tori was shocked; he was about to stand up and rage, but Julian pulled him back.

Once Li walked out, Tori (almost yelling) cried, "Who does that kid think he is! Why, I’m gonna go and teach HIM never to—"

"Tori, give it a rest," Mr. Torada replied. "Isn’t it obvious?"

"Yeah, that Li kid really cares about Sakura," Julian explained. "Your little sister has found a boy who really likes her, so shouldn’t you be happy?"

"How would I know if SHE likes him? Maybe she DOESN’T, and he’s trying to hurt her by just showing us—"

"Tori!" Julian yelped. "You’re NOT helping Sakura here!"

Tori just sat back in his chair, watching his sister again. "Just WAIT until I deal with him," he mumbled.

* * *

Outside, Li slouched over to behind the cabin and grabbed his robe and sword. He stood there staring at them. "Why do I even bother anymore?" he asked. "It’s just not the same without Sakura."

He stumbled to the bottom of the flight of stairs was overwhelmed by the number of steps. "Oh!" he sighed, taking out his sword. He gripped it to try and feel its power. "Jump!" He leaped all the way to his cabin, where he creaked open the door. Li made sure his stuff was well hidden, and he hurriedly shoved everything into his bag, except the Influence card. "The Clow card..." he whispered. He changed his mind and put it in with everything else. Silently, he slipped under his covers. ‘I don’t know HOW am I gonna sleep tonight,’ he thought.

* * *

Morning came, and in Sakura’s cabin, Chelsea and Madison woke up.

"Madison, where’s Sakura?"

She got down from bed and searched through Sakura’s bags. ‘The Clow cards are missing...’ she fearfully thought. "I don’t know; maybe she went to the bathroom," she answered, knowing what’s going on. ‘It must be a Clow card, so she and Li must be—’ "Chelsea, I’m going out for a minute," she said, starting to dress.

In the boys’ cabin, Zachary woke up by the sound of thrashing, yelling, and panting. He looked down at the bottom bunk of his bed and jumped down. He took Li’s shoulders and shook them. "Li, wake up! You’re just having a bad dream; wake up!" he shook.

"Sakura—don’t go over there...that’s where the Clow card is! Sakura, look out! You don’t have to worry about me; I’m fine. You can’t capture it—anyone who does has a price to pay...Sakura...please, don’t do it..." Li cried out, thrashing his arms and legs. "After we do...we can get together, like I always wanted, and—no, Sakura...Ying Fa...don’t go over there...please...!"

"LI!! Wake up!" Zachary yelled.

Li’s eyes snapped open, and he gasped for breath. He looked up, relieved. "Zachary...it’s only you."

He patted his shoulder. "Nightmare? About Sakura getting hurt?" he asked.

Li fell back against his pillow. "Oh man, you can say that," he sighed, wiping his sweat. "A nightma—NIGHTMARE?! Oh no! (turned to Zachary) I got to go!" Li jumped out of bed and grabbed his things, running out. But just as he opened his door, Madison was there.

She asked, "Is Sakura—"

Li pulled her hand and slammed the cabin door shut. He dragged Madison all the way to the end of the cabins. "Madison...Sakura’s not good," he blurted out.

"What?"

"Sakura—you’re looking for her right? She’s—in Mr. Torada’s cabin, with the nurse," he started again.

"Li, were you and Sakura out capturing a Clow card last night?" she asked.

Li hurriedly explained everything that’s happened to her. At the end, his eyes filled with tears again, almost wanting to pour them out. Madison gasped. "Oh my gosh—are you serious? Is she OK?" she panicked.

Li paused. "I—I don’t know," he responded. "Like I told you and her, whoever captures the card has a price of their own to pay, so—I don’t know if everything’s okay."

"How did you get this by Tori?" she questioned.

"I called him, and he came over," he said. "He thought I was the one who did that to Sakura, but he eventually bought it off. Do me a favor Madison; tell Sakura’s other friends that she’s just recovering from a fall from that ‘creature’ sighted. I don’t want anyone probe deeper into everything than it already is."

She nodded, and Li ran off to Torada’s cabin. Silently, he opened the door. "Mr. Torada?" he whispered.

Tori immediately woke up from resting his head on his hand. He turned around and scowled at him. "What are you doing here? Cause more trouble after everything that’s happened?" he fiercely whispered.

Li gulped heavily, his face almost turning as white as a sheet. "Everything’s that’s—happened?" he asked. "What are you talking about? Is Sakura okay?"

"What’s it to YOU?" Tori demanded, waking everyone up except Sakura.

"I—just wanted to see if she’s okay," he stammered. "Is she?"

The nurse yawned. "Li, you’ll have to go back out for a moment. Just wait outside, okay?" she requested.

He went back outside again, plopping down on the cabin steps. "She has to be okay," he analyzed. "Otherwise, why hold her back? Yeah, that’s right. Sakura knows she can’t leave...me, yet. Just wait, Xiao-Lang; and when you and her are alone, you can tell her."

The door opened, and Li jumped to his feet. "How’s Sakura? Is she okay?" he hurried.

The nurse looked down at her feet, then back up. She brightly smiled, and Li’s heart overflowed with happiness. "She’s okay? She’s okay! Yes! (Cantonese) Keui hou fan le (she’s all better!)! Thank you! (kicked around) Sakura’s gonna be fine! This is the best—"

He stopped again and found his classmates scattered around, Tori, Julian, and everyone staring at him. ‘Not again,’ he thought. ‘But it’s a good thing! I don’t care! She’s okay!’

Inside the cabin, Sakura dizzily woke up and rubbed her eyes. Slowly sitting up, she glanced around. "Where am I?" she asked.

Tori smiled and patted her head. "Hey Squirt, how are you doing?"

She looked puzzled. "Tori? What are you doing here?"

Mr. Torada came over and sat down. "Sakura, you’re in my cabin," he explained. "You were hurt, so you were brought here."

‘Last night...the Influence card! I DID pay the price! Then, how come I’m awake now? Looks like it’s the wrong prediction!’ she cheerfully thought. "Who brought me here?" she asked.

"Li, by carrying you," her teacher responded.

Sakura’s heart leaped. ‘Li? XIAO-LANG Li?’ she pondered. "Where’s Li now? Can he come in?"

Tori shook his head. "No way; he’s not gonna be allowed in here as long as I’M here," he retorted.

Li outside heard everything and slowly backed away. "Maybe it isn’t such a good idea to see her right now," he said. "Maybe...I’ll find something else to do." He walked away to the forest.

Around an hour later, Madison with Rita, Chelsea, and Nikki walked into the cabin and paid Sakura a visit. "Hey Sakura!" they all greeted.

Each of them pulled up a chair and sat. "Are you okay now?" Rita asked.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, umm...I feel better, after almost umm...drowning in the ocean by falling in," she stammered.

Chelsea was confused. "I thought Mr. Torada said that you were attacked by that thing that was spotted around here, and then you dodged and fell."

Sakura shrank back, glancing at Madison for help. "Well—that’s what I meant!" Sakura struggled. "I mean, the thing attacked, so I dodged and tripped, near the beach."

Nikki slyly smiled. "And WHO brought you back here?" she asked, knowing the answer.

She started blushing and looked down. "Umm...you see, it was—(purposely pretend to cough and sneeze) Li," she finally mumbled.

Her friends perked themselves closer. "WHO?" they asked, smiling.

"Li," she softly answered.

All of her friends (except Madison) giggled. "You see! I KNEW Li cared about you!" Chelsea fussed.

"And I bet he CARRIED you here, too!" Rita chuckled.

"He DID," Madison added, before Sakura could react.

"Madison!" Sakura cried. "Don’t tell them EVERYTHING!"

"Oh dear, it looks like our dear Sakura Avalon has fallen in love, with a boy who’s fallen madly in love with her ever since the first day he arrived!" Nikki teased.

"You guys!" Sakura complained, redder.

Tori came over. "Hey girls, I don’t think you should get your hopes up about that Li kid; I bet he’s trying to pull something," he warned.

"Oh come on, Tori! You can stop babying me, you know! Xiao-La—I mean Li IS a nice boy," Sakura admitted, glowing red.

"XIAO-LANG?" the girls asked.

"Pet name?" Nikki asked, grinning.

Sakura lay back down, then she got back up. "That IS his real name."

"Yeah, but no one calls him that," Rita pointed out.

"I guess," Sakura said.

Madison patted her back. "Sakura, you should go up to him and tell him about how you feel," she encouraged. "I mean, you both love each other."

"LOVE!" Sakura yelped, embarrassed. "Oh boy...(under her breath) Xiao-Lang..."

* * *

In the middle of the forest, Li was in the meadow and watching the flowers flow with the wind. "They’re so pretty...just like Ying Fa," he said, to himself. He strolled over and bent down, beginning to pick the flowers. "But what about Tori? He’s still so mad at me for the first time he’s seen me. I didn’t mean to hurt Sakura—I didn’t even know WHY I exactly wanted the cards so bad. How can I tell her, with Tori around?"

"Ying Fa sounds like a pretty name, Li," a voice replied.

He looked up, startled. "Sneaking up seems to be your thing, isn’t it Zachary?"

Zachary grinned. "I heard you talking, and I heard about what happened to you and Sakura last night," he acknowledged.

"You—did?" Li asked, uncertain.

Zachary grabbed a bunch of blossoms and handed them over to Li. "Sure; Chelsea told me everything this morning," he said. "Sounds like that creature spotted was REALLY spotted, so lucky you were there to carry your Sakura back. How were you able to do that, anyway?"

Li let out a huge sigh of relief, happy that what REALLY happened wasn’t made known. "Well—I kind of wanted to tell her something, so I found her getting attacked," he uneasily explained, totally red. "But—I DO practice karate, so I can lift her up to a certain level."

"Li, Sakura’s awake in the cabin now, so you can tell her everything," Zachary suggested. "You have to do that eventually."

"But...I don’t know, what if she laughs if off?" Li implied, scared at that thought.

Zachary slyly grinned. "Oh, I wouldn’t be too sure about THAT," he hinted, leaving. "I wouldn’t be too surprised if she says just the opposite."

Li was left alone, with a whole bunch of different blossoms in his hands. He pulled out the Influence card and held it. "You almost took her away," he scowled, clenching it. "But...you also brought her back. The prediction was wrong, and that’s a good thing." He pocketed it and thought about it. ‘Zachary’s right; I should tell her,’ he finally thought. ‘And when someone does, there’s usually a little gift involved. And I know just the thing to give her, while I’m at it.’ Li stood up and sniffed the blossoms in his hand, walking to his cabin.

* * *

"I’m telling you Squirt, that kid is nothing but bad news," Tori said, walking out.

Rita turned to Sakura and assured, "Don’t listen to your brother; we all know that Li can get pretty tough, but he’s being pretty good to you!"

Sakura sighed, "Tori just has a bad first impression on Li, that’s all. He’s really protective to me, sometimes TOO protective."

"It doesn’t really matter; just make sure you tell Li soon," Chelsea encouraged.

Suddenly, a knock was heard at the door. It opened, and Li walked in, with his hands behind his back. "Sakura?" he asked.

All of her friends stood up, including Mr. Torada and the nurse. "We’d better leave you two alone," Nikki replied, leaving.

After they left, Sakura smiled at Li. "I was wondering when you’d come," she said, stretching.

He released one of his hands to place it behind his head, not looking directly into her eyes. "Uhh...yeah," he started, blushing. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, that’s all," she answered.

Li brought his other hand forward to her, with a bouquet of flowers tied with a ribbon and a long box. "Here’s something to cheer you up," he lamely stated.

She still smiled at him. "Thanks Li," she replied, taking them. "Blossoms?"

"Yeah, from the forest," he answered. He hesitantly took her hand as he sat on the bed. "Sakura...there’s something I need to finish telling you...something I started yesterday night, but never got to finish."

Her heart was starting to get really hopeful. "Xiao-Lang?" she prepared.

The pronunciation of his name was calmed his nervousness down. "Sakura...I’m sorry that I ever hurt you, in all the times I did. (sad) Especially the first day we met, that still plagues me sometimes when I think about it. I—was really selfish, so that’s why I wanted the cards for my own, and...I didn’t stop to think about...you. All the times I called you ‘hopeless’ and ‘pathetic’ were when I didn’t think; I was too busy with myself. But—I don’t care about the cards anymore, at least—I don’t care WHO captures them."

"Xiao-Lang..."

"Right now, the only thing I care about is...(turns to her, smiling)...you, Sakura," he stated. "Ying Fa Neui."

Sakura felt as if her world has brightened, and cherry blossoms were everywhere. She could picture it already. She hugged Li, and he hugged her back. "Xiao-Lang...me too; I’ve always had hope for you, Xiao-Lang," she sighed, releasing him.

"But—I don’t understand; why don’t you despise me? I’ve—always been so mean to you, and you still care about me? Why?" Li asked.

She beamed. "Because deep down—even though I didn’t think so at first—I really DO care about you, like you, and...really love you," she confessed.

Li’s eyes lit up, and his heart overflowed with happiness. "Sakura...so do I; I—love you too," he admitted, cuddling her in his arms. "Madison brought up a good point several days ago. Why was I mad at you, when I actually LOVE you? You treat everyone--even me and Mei-Lin-- so nicely, and that’s was attracted me to you. I couldn’t help falling for you by how you cared for others. And, not only that...(blushing and faced her)...how can I say this—you’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen."

Sakura ultimately blushed and pulled him closer, kissing him on the cheek. "Oh Xiao-Lang...I really realize...I love you so much," she sighed. "Besides, who can avoid ‘little wolf’?"

"I guess I lived up to my name," he said. "But I need to show you something."

"And what’s that?" she flirted.

Li pulled out a whole bunch of photos from his shirt and showed them to her. Her eyes grew wide.

"Xiao-Lang? Where did you—get all these pictures of me?" she asked.

"Madison," he simply answered, "and whenever I could. I collected from the school articles, took some pictures when you’re not looking, but I mostly got them from Madison."

"She spent a lot of time doing some of these on the computer," Sakura said, a bit mad. She quickly shook it off. "When did you start collecting?"

Now THIS made him blush harder. "Well...you see—around two or three weeks I settled here in Readington," he answered, rubbing his neck. "But Sakura... do you—have any of me?"

She giggled and hugged him again. " ‘You’d be surprised’, quote," she remarked, hearing him chuckle. "I have a little album...that Madison also made for me."

"I guess Madison is like our matchmaker or somethin’," Li joked. He released her and took out the lengthy box. "You’re not gonna open this, yet?"

She beamed and took it, carefully removing the cover. Her eyes grew wide. "Li! Oh, I forgot about this! Thank you, thank you so much!" she embraced him once again. "I guess THIS started the whole thing afterall."

"Yeah, but you forgot something," he smiled.

"What?"

"Look what’s tied onto it," he suggested.

"The—Influence card! I forgot!" she yelped. "I’m glad that the prediction is wrong."

"Me too; I can’t imagine what I’d do if you were REALLY gone," he said, solemn.

"But I’m not; I’m right here!" she pointed out.

Li stood up. "You wanna go outside? And enjoy the last day here?"

She took his hand and slowly got up. "All right," she replied, transforming the wand back to key form first. Sakura grabbed the flowers into her hands and took Li’s hand again, walking side by side with him outside.

"It’s too bad that there was ANOTHER Clow card here," Sakura mentioned. "And, my brother had to show up and ruin half the stay."

"Hey, he’s here to look after YOU, Ying Fa," he said, swinging her arm.

"Ying Fa?" she asked, curious.

"That’s Chinese for your name, Sakura," he explained. " ‘Cherry Blossoms’."

Sakura hugged him again, sighing, "Xiao-Lang Li and Ying Fa..."

"That would be us..."

"And how great is that?"

"The best thing in my life," Li finished, embracing her back. "And that’s the love of my life."

* * *

"That Li kid had better not THINK about going to see my sister!" Tori retorted, packing up Sakura’s things in her cabin. "And if he even TOUCHES her, I’m gonna beat him up!"

"Geez Tori, Li seems to have changed from the last time you’ve seen him," Julian replied. "Well, from the last time you saw him with Sakura. And I’ve seen him with Sakura, and he’s a lot nicer. He helped her a lot."

"Yeah, but—oh, forget it! If I ask Sakura later and she says she doesn’t like Li, I’m gonna PERSONALLY make him regret he’s ever met her!" Tori cried, stomping out with Sakura’s bags in hand.

"Whatever," Julian replied. "Anyway, it’s almost time to leave for them."

Tori didn’t answer. He hurriedly walked down the stairs to meet up with Sakura, hoping to give her an early ride home.

Meanwhile with Sakura and Li, they were still hand in hand and arm in arm with each other. They walked to the beach and stood watching the waves serenely pound against the cliffs and wash up on the sand. Li brought her closer and faced her. "Hey Sakura, you know back at that nature walk we had? Before I came?"

"Yeah, I was looking for you," Sakura said. "What were you doing?"

"I was getting back my sword, but I WAS there," he explained. "You know when Madison asked about that watery stuff on your lip?"

She nodded.

"Well, I—kind of used my sword and the Time card to freeze time, just so—I could jump down from the tree and give you a kiss, before I came," he confessed. "But I’m not a great kisser, that’s why."

Sakura’s cheeks turned fiery red. ‘Xiao-Lang KISSED me?’ she thought, wondrous. ‘My friends WERE right after all!’

"AND, about that little package I gave you at first? I STILL forgot something," he admitted. "Here it is, to make it up." Li wrapped his arms lovingly around Sakura and kissed her right on the lips. Sakura was surprised, but she immediately went along with it. After several long moments several quick flashes interrupted them. Li and Sakura both broke loose, startled, but they still had their arms around each other. Another flash blazed them.

"HEY!" both cardcaptors cried.

"Gotcha!" Madison cried, laughing with her camera at hand. Rita, Chelsea, Nikki, and Zachary were there in front of them too, giggling.

"Those were some great shots!" Nikki cried.

"So Sakura, are you and XIAO-LANG gonna hand out your wedding invitations? I hope you invited us!" Rita teased.

Sakura looked overwhelmed, so Li came to her rescue. "You guys..." he started, feeling her strain.

"Hey, GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY SISTER!" Tori stormed, charging up. "I don’t ever want to catch you kissing her again!"

Li didn’t do anything. He glanced down at Sakura, and mentally asked her. She nodded, and they kissed again, right in front of everyone. Their classmates cheered, but Tori didn’t. They let go, and Sakura asked, "Tori, you’re giving me a ride home instead of the bus, right?"

He calmed down and looked at her weird. "Yeah..."

"So, Xiao-Lang here is coming with me too," she stated. "Same car, back to school, and we’ll walk home from there."

"But—"

"Hey Li, Sakura; you each want a 4x6 or 8x10 copy for your ‘love’ albums?" Madison interrupted, on purpose.

Li and Sakura smiled. "Both!" they cried, laughing. They stared into each other’s eyes, and then, they kissed...once again.

Well, how was it? I really liked this S+S fanfic, even though it’s my first one. I know the ending is pretty lame, but please...don’t flame me; it IS my first one. If you want, send any questions, comments, or concerns to Ccsakurali@aol.com.