Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ The New Cousin ❯ Explantions ( Chapter 8 )

Eriol sits in his chair, just staring into the fire, deep in thought about everything that has happened and all he has planned. He doesn't notice Spinal watching him with a curious expression on his face.

"Is something bothering you, Eriol?" Spinal asks from where he's laying on a nearby couch with an open book in front of him. The guardian watches his master, partly worried.

"In a way, Spinal, I had originally planned on testing Sakura and getting her to transform the cards into her own. But when Dina Li showed up, I was forced to adjust my plans. Then when Raiden came for Sakura, and once again, my plans were due for adjustment. I was also glad in a way that Dina showed up for she could teach Sakura spells to use with the cards but now that she's in the hospital in a coma, my plans have to be changed again." He doesn't look away from the fire, as if it is telling him secrets.

"What are your plans now?" The sun guardian asks, floating over to his master and perches on his shoulder gently. "With Dina out of the picture, you must hope that Syaoran and Sakura can defeat Raiden?"

"Yes. Dina is…..was strong but not as strong as Sakura but still strong in her own right. Now that Raiden has her magic added with his own, it might make him able to defeat both of them. I just have to hope that they can do it." Eriol says softly. "I don't know yet how my plans will change but I will in a few days. Now that Raiden has Dina's magic, Sakura is going to have to trust herself to defeat him. I just hope that what I think might need to happen won't for I doubt either Sakura or Syaoran could do this."

"You're going to help them aren't you?" Spinal asks again, knowing full well his master will. As the cat guardian sits there he looks at his master again. "Is there something else?" He pauses then speaks again. "What do you wish not to happen, Eriol? It sounds bad."

"It is, Spinal. Unless they find out another way, Dina Li shall have to die for Raiden to be defeated." He looks at his guardian and a faint smile comes to his face. "Yes I am going to help them but not directly. I still have plans for Sakura and the cards. I am just trying to figure something out. Dina is a natural healer; we've all seen how strong that skill is for her so I'm wondering why she just hasn't healed herself. That should have been second nature to her as a healer."

"Maybe she was too badly hurt and couldn't do it." Spinal replies slowly, thinking of what his master just said. "After all it does take conscious thought to heal does it not?"

"Normally yes. But there are people who possess the same healing ability as Dina who can heal without thinking about it. I kept up on the Li Clan and found out that she was the strongest healer in the Clan in over eight decades." He rises and turns towards the door. "But I will think about it more later. There is things to be done now."

Spinal goes after his master. "What things? And where is Ruby?" He catches up to Eriol and lands on his shoulder again. "I have never seen you so concerned, Eriol. You must not really believe them to be strong enough to defeat Raiden."

He enters his study and sits down, looking at his sun guardian. "I honestly don't know, Spinal. All I can do is plan and help them. Sakura has about half the cards transformed. She will need more of them transformed so we will be pushing her harder as much as I dislike saying it. She is trying so hard as it is to over come my challenges." Spinal nods, perched on the desk and stays silent to let his master work on his plans and to offer any help if needed.

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Syaoran sits by his cousin's bed, holding one of her hands in his own, trying to keep from crying. "Dina…please fight, I know you can. You're strong enough to beat this." His eyes start to close and he falls forward, asleep, having stayed up all night to talk with her in an attempt to get her to wake up but knowing it was all in vain. As he sleeps, Dina's hand flexes slightly in his, stirring a bit as her eyes open slowly only to close again just as fast as she slips back into her coma. He never knew that his cousin woke up briefly.

A small, yellow bear floats in from the open window to land on the bed and stands there, looking at Dina for a moment. "So you are the one Sakura keeps telling me about. Too bad I was never there to meet you before this for from what Sakura told me, you're pretty decent." Kero glows briefly as does Dina, but her normally bright blue/green aura is very weak and flickers faintly. "You're strong, even weakened like this. I'm wondering why you're still in a coma though if you're such a strong healer. Healing yourself should be second-nature." He sits next to her head and looks at Syaoran in sympathy. "She also told me you two are as opposite as day and night yet are very close. I can't believe the gaki has a cousin that isn't like Meiling."

The door to Dina's private room opens, revealing Sakura standing there. "Syaoran?" She whispers as she enters the room, looking around and spots Kero. "Kero? What are you doing here? I thought you were at home."

"I overheard you talking to Tomoyo and saying that you were coming here so I decided to come too. Besides I wanted to see her and find out if she was really as strong as you said." He answers, watching his mistress. "And I thought you might need me if that man comes back after you."

She crosses over to them and looks down at Syaoran and notices he's sleeping and turns to get him a blanket and a pillow on a nearby chair that was left by a nurse. "Thanks Kero." She comes back over and places the pillow down then shakes Syaoran lightly. "Syaoran, wake up."

He blinks up sleepily, slowly waking up and mumbles. "Sakura..?" He sits up, rubbing at his eyes and looks at her again as if he realizes she's really there. "Sakura? What are you doing here?" He notices the blanket she's holding and frowns. "You're cold?" He tries not to blush as he looks at her.

"No, but you looked cold and you would have been uncomfortable sleeping hunched over like that." She holds the blanket out to him. "Have you ate today?" He shakes his head causing a small frown to appear on her face. "Syaoran, you're going to make yourself get sick from doing that."

He just looks at her but stays nothing, shaking his head causing her frown to deepen. She sighs after a few minutes of just staring at him, knowing something else is wrong with him despite his cousin being in a coma. She glances away only to look back and their eyes lock together. They both look away, blushing only to glance at each other again.

"Sakura, you don't have to come to the hospital to make sure I'm alright, I'll be fine. Really." He says, unable to look at her without blushing madly. A gentle hand touches his shoulder causing him to look up at the girl he loves.

"I come here to be with you, Syaoran, you need a friend right now and we are friends aren't we?" She looks down at him, her green eyes locked on his amber ones. "At least I hope we're friends. Even if you don't consider me your friend, you're mine." She gives him a smile causing him to blush again.

"Thank you Sakura and we are friends despite how I act." He says softly as he looks at her, his blush starting to fade. "It means a lot to me that you're here. Really." He looks away, unable to meet her eyes any longer and they come to rest on his unconscious cousin and his spirit falls as he takes her hand.

Sakura notices his sudden mood change and gives his shoulder a squeeze. "Don't lose hope, Syaoran. She'll wake up just have faith in her. I'll also be here with you. You won't be alone. Not while we're friends." He nods, not speaking nor looking away from Dina, both of his hands wrapped around her's, his head bowed forward. She sits next to him and wraps her arms around him in a tight hug.

He starts to cry, unable to hold it in any longer as Sakura hugs him. "I just want her to wake up Sakura…why won't she wake up..?" He sobs, struggling to stop but unable. She keeps her arms around him, trying to comfort him. They sit there for hours, neither noticing the rain that is starting to come out, beating at the windows, both taking comfort from the other.

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Meanwhile on the other side of the town, unknown to Eriol, Syaoran or Sakura, the man they are all thinking about on some level is making his own plans. And neither Eriol nor Sakura knowing of the plans that Syaoran has made himself.

Raiden paces the living room of the apartment he is renting for his stay in Japan, deep in thought about when to and if to try to get the rest of Dina's magic or if he should just go after Sakura to get her magic and cards. "I should do this soon, the Card Mistress is young but powerful and she's growing even stronger each day." He pauses by the window and stares out of it, looking down at the ground below, not paying attention to the rain that's coming down hard. "Soon I will have her magic and cards and I will be the most powerful sorcerer ever, even more powerful then Clow Reed." He goes back and sits down in a chair, now thinking about that boy who stopped him. "Who was that? He was very young but…no it isn't the future leader of the Li Clan..but then who was it?"