I. Am. So. Sorry. I cannot believe it's been so long! Apart from finishing school, working, and planning my wedding, I have not forgot about this story! I've been trying to finish this chapter since I finished chapter 8 hahaha updates should be faster as I am now graduated :), have a full time job in my discipline (yay), and am now happily married ;D so please forgive me! My plan is to have a new chapter every month...sooooooooo let's see how far I get with this one ;D hahaha

Thanks to the new reviewers :) I know this must be frustrating to come into a story later on into it and there's no updates for several months hahaha sorry!

Damaged Forest Spirit: Oh yes there's so much more going to happen ;D

Gadget Boy: Yay! I'm glad to have a new follower join this group :) Her mother appeared soooooooo all signs point to: probably ;D hahahaha

Sn0wK1tty: sooooooo sorry for the long update! . but hopefully this helps the almost year void! Eeeep! ;D

Well ENJOY!

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The Magic Stone

Chapter 9

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Syaoran awoke fitfully. When his vision cleared, he realized he was alone in the damp stable, his cloak discarded beside him. Sakura was nowhere to be seen. He searched outside, quickly growing more frightened by the second. Where had she gone?

Syaoran entered the woods on the other side of the road, thinking that if she had gone anywhere, it would have been out of sight. He was a couple feet past the trees before he noticed the charred trunks of some of the trees. He picked up his pace. The area ahead of him was bare; several of the trees and shrubs that lined the path were nothing more than black, burned stems. In the center of it all was Sakura, lying motionless on the ground.

Syaoran rushed to her, cradling her in his arms. Her forehead was wet with sweat and her brows were furrowed.

A twig snapped from behind him and Syaoran stood, whipping around and unsheathing his sword. The man before him held his hands up in defeat, backing away slowly.

"Put that thing away before you poke someone's eye out with it!" the old man scolded.

Syaoran apologized, sheathing his sword and turning his attention back to Sakura. He lifted her light body effortlessly into his arms. He started toward the main road, but the old man blocked his way.

"Is there something that you need?" Syaoran asked him, slightly annoyed.

"Actually, I need to have a little chat with you and the girl. It's very important," the man told him. He stepped closer to them, leaning into his cane.

"What is it, old man? I have business I need to attend to."

"Well whatever 'business' you have, I'm sure it can wait. What business could possibly be more important than saving your life and hers?" the man retorted. Syaoran looked taken aback. What the hell was this old man going on about?

"I'll take my chances." Syaoran said, stepping around him.

"It has to do with her father."

Syaoran stopped suddenly and spun around to meet the man's eyes.

"You know who she is." It wasn't a question.

"I do. I know you, too." Syaoran proceeded with caution, stepping closer to the unknown man.

"Who are you?"

Just then, Sakura began to fidget. She opened her emerald eyes and stared unfocused into Syaoran's brown gaze.

"W-what's…" she breathed, "what's…going on?"

Syaoran gently lowered her back to the ground and held her hand as she righted herself and stood up slowly. She ran her fingers through her hair and wiped her face with the end of her dress.

"I think...I just had... the weirdest dream." she managed out.

The old man stepped forward, looking anxious. "What did you see? Tell me explicitly."

Sakura looked up toward the unknown voice and gasped, backing away from the old man and maneuvering behind Syaoran. She gripped his arm, hiding her face behind his broad shoulders.

"Sakura?" Syaoran turned his head towards her with a look of concern.

"T-that man... Syaoran, why are you with him?!" Sakura asked urgently. She felt her mind spinning, and she massaged the rapidly forming headache that was throbbing in her forehead.

"He appeared when I found you unconscious in the forest," Syaoran explained. "He's annoying, but looks to be harmless." The old man chuckled derisively, a dark grin spreading across his face.

"You must have a horrible memory, boy," the old man chided, hobbling to where he could see Sakura's partially buried face. She squeaked, spinning Syaoran in front of her.

"Syaoran... His eyes... That man is..." Sakura shuddered. Her headache worsened just thinking about it. How could Syaoran not recognize him?

"Why don't we just stop the runaround? Just tell me who you are old man!" Syaoran demanded, keeping Sakura behind him.

The old man laughed, poking his head around Syaoran. Syaoran raised his arm and blocked him. The man cackled.

"Who am I, dear princess? Were my storms powerful? My grip, strong?"

Then it dawned on him. No way... He felt Sakura shudder behind him.

"I'll have you know that my locator spell is the only one of its kind," the man said smartly, his eyes closed, face contorted into an evil sneer. Lightning quick, Syaoran unsheathed his sword placing it at the man's neck.

"I should kill you for what you've done you evil son of a bitch!" Syaoran growled.

The wizard stared at the sword and laughed. He waved his hand as if bored with the conversation.

"I have a name, you know."

Almost as if it was possessed, Syaoran's sword flew from his steady grip, landing unceremoniously several feet away from him. Syaoran raised his arm once more, protecting Sakura.

"Just what do you want? To kill her? I won't let you get away with that!"

Syaoran skillfully maneuvered himself and Sakura over to where his sword lay, not once taking his eyes off the old man. When he reached down to pick it up, it scalded his fingers. He yelped.

"Quite the contrary, boy," the wizard told him. He approached them. "Her father has become too powerful. He has given the stone fresh blood, which has rapidly increased its power. He cannot contain it and neither can I." He focused his gaze upon Sakura. "That is where you come in. I need you to destroy the stone."

"Firs, you want to kill her, and now you want her to help you? You're seriously senile if you think for one second she's going to do anything for you!" Syaoran yelled, breathing heavily he was so enraged.

Sakura placed a placating hand on his arm, which instantly calmed him down. He chanced a glance at her, and saw her worried expression.

"He knows how to destroy it," she whispered. "Let's get the information we need and do it without him."

Syaoran paused for a moment, considering. He could take a chance with this crazy old bat, like Sakura was suggesting, or he could go with his original plan. The wizards in his country had to know something about the stone.

"They don't," the wizard said, as if reading his thoughts. "Well...maybe one of them does, but I don't know if he'll help you…" he continued.

"Listen here, old man. If there is a wizard that knows how to destroy the stone that is not you, I'll take my chances with him," Syaoran said, grabbing his sword, which had cooled off back to air temperature. With his other hand, he grasped Sakura's still trembling one.

"We need to make our presence known at the castle," he said to her. She nodded.

"That wizard won't help you if you leave now," the old man told them as they started moving away from him.

"How would you know that?" Syaoran asked, a bit annoyed.

"Because," the wizard said with a grin, "He's me."

\\/

Syaoran and Sakura followed the wizard at a distance.

Sakura didn't dare get any closer. It had only been a handful of days since the wizard had last exercised his power to hurt her. So why would they risk being in any kind of striking distance from him? The way he had stared at her reminded her of the fateful incident before her and Syaoran had landed on the Island Kingdom.

The days before that incident proved he didn't care one bit for their welfare, so who was to say that the wizard wouldn't use her to destroy the stone and then kill them to continue some other ill will toward the human race? Her heart screamed at her to run away and figure out some other plan, but in her mind she knew that if there was one person that knew how to destroy the magic stone, it would be its creator.

The wizard led them through the marketplace that encompassed the palace walls. Syaoran felt the butterflies rise in his stomach as they neared the entrance. Will all that had happened, he doubted that the elders would see this recent turn of events as some sort of victory, especially now with the king rampaging his way through the Island Kingdom and no doubt heading straight for the Li Kingdom.

"I am a wizard not known well in these parts. I am but an old man and you will need to address me as such," the wizard explained, turning abruptly into a narrow alleyway.

"My name is Clow Reed," he said.

They had reached the end of the alley and he stopped walking, turning around face them. Syaoran balked.

"Wait, what? How can that be? You look nothing like him."

Clow Reed scoffed.

"Brat, I'll explain that in a moment. But if you were worried about your lineage, the answer is yes, you are indeed a descendant of mine," he chuckled, opening a previously unseen large wooden door behind him.

The room was dark and musty and smelled of inactivity. Dust particles flew through the air, causing Sakura to sneeze cutely. Clow gestured Syaoran through ahead of him, and shut the door quickly, checking first to make sure they had not been followed.

"Reed!" he called into the darkness. "Come here, you stupid-"

"I'm here," a soft mellow voice spoke from the darkness. There was some fidgeting and then, the room filled with a flickering yellow light as a lantern was lit. The dim light faintly made out the features of a young, bespectacled man wearing dark robes the exact same color as Clow's. Coming further into the light, Syaoran could tell he was very tall, and had flowing black hair that nearly touched the ground.

"Meet my other half, Reed," the old man said proudly as he approached Reed. They were completely different in stature and mannerisms, but from the structures of the face, body, and eye color, Syaoran could tell they were at least related.

"You mean to tell me you split yourself into two different people?" Syaoran asked disbelieving.

"There are a lot of things you cannot accomplish with a conscience. I had to break away from my rational thought and heart if I was to succeed."

"I'm assuming you're talking about the creation of the stone...?"

Clow nodded. He turned to Sakura.

"Your ancestor was a terrible, frivolous, lazy man and after watching him let his country deteriorate, I decided to put a plan in action. I was living in the Tomoeda Kingdom at the time and I knew the young prince was the backbone of the prosperity of the city, so I decided to use him to kill his father and ultimately activate the stone's power. The stone allows the bearer immense power and skill. I had meant it only as an aid in ruling, but over the generations, it has definitely increased its power. In truth, my consciousness only wanted to keep Tomoeda in its prosperity; I wanted it to be incredibly powerful. The king didn't want to kill anyone and refused to take action."

"So you separated from your rational self in order to carry out a plan that apparently has been working so-so for a couple hundred years."

"Yes."

"But now it's turning out to be way more than you could handle."

"I first thought that the stone was working perfectly, although I had noticed the level of destruction increasing steadily. It didn't sink in until the King killed that soldier and let the magic stone taste blood for the first time in a very long time. Now, the stone is using the King as its puppet for that very purpose. Every day the death toll grows and soon it'll be out of control. That's why we need to destroy the stone now, before it gets so powerful that even you, princess, can't control it," Clow explained grimly.

"So after all that has happened, and everything that you've done, you want us to trust you," Syaoran summarized.

"Yes. You have my word that I won't try to kill you."

"Unfortunately, that's not enough."

"Change back," Sakura's small voice spoke up from beside Syaoran. "Change back to your original self and I'll do whatever you say." Syaoran whipped around to stare incredulously at her. She didn't meet his eyes, but stood firm, eyes fixated on the old man and his meek second self.

"Sakura, you can't be this trusting! Don't you remember what happened not too long ago? This wizard is nothing but trouble."

"Quite the opposite, boy. I'm the mean half. If I mold back into my conscience counterpart, I will not be as callous as I am now."

"Syaoran, of course, I know what happened just days ago!" Sakura exclaimed, her head whipping around to face his. "I lived it, remember? As for the wizard Clow, we need him just as much as he needs us. He knows he cannot beat my father, and I know that we alone don't have the skills to try either. At least if he's back to his original self, he'll be less of a threat." Sakura ended quietly.

Their eyes met in a silent battle. Syaoran's eyes held defiance, but just as Sakura was about to open her mouth to protest more, he cut her off.

"She's right. We need each other to stop the king. So if you want us to help, then merge your two halves back into your original self."

Syaoran expected the man to protest, but he agreed quickly without much thought.

"You're not opposed to this decision?" Syaoran asked, baffled by the wizard's quick choice.

"My body is growing steadily weaker as time wears on. I may be stronger in this form, but I'm more fragile. Not only that, but keeping this guy fed," Clow motioned to his carefree double, happily fidgeting with small objects on the table, "is becoming quite difficult." he joked.

Sakura and Syaoran's expressions didn't change and Clow coughed, breaking the awkward silence.

"I'll do the ritual tonight and by tomorrow morning I'll be one man again."

Sakura smiled nervously, sticking close to Syaoran. While she was happy that he would be less of a threat, she couldn't bring herself to trust him after what he had done to her. They were taking a huge risk, relying on him to keep his word. What if he was even more powerful in his original form? They had no way of knowing what would happen. For all they knew, the scheme was part of a more elaborate one for her to extract the stone making it readily available for the wizard to acquire it and increase his power.

But with the terror that was being unleashed upon her kingdom, she knew they had to take that chance.

She just had to be ready.

\\/

The day wore on slowly.

Sakura and Syaoran stayed inside the cramped house and watched the wizard gather supplies. They didn't bother him as he whispered to himself several times, as if checking off a mental to-do list. Sakura giggled, seeing the wizard's other half constantly busying himself with the most simplest of things.

At lunch, both were amazed at the tremendous amount of food Reed consumed. Plates upon plates of meats and fruits and vegetables appeared before him, but in a matter of minutes, the plates were wiped clean.

Just before the sun set, Clow gathered his other half and had Sakura and Syaoran follow him to the back room. The room was filled to the ceiling with books and scrolls and other magical necessities. In the far corner there was room enough for a small bed. Clow motioned for Reed to lie down on the bed, which he did dutifully. Clow handed him a vial with a mysterious blue liquid sloshing around inside it. He then sat down on the edge of the bed and, taking a similar vial, drank its contents. After a moment, Reed drank the contents of his vial as well.

Sakura gasped seeing their skin suddenly radiating blue. Clow hastily grabbed Reed's hand, falling upon the bed as his eyes closed. Sakura unconsciously lunged forward as if to catch his falling body, but she didn't make it. She let her hands fall midair as she righted herself, staring at the two men lying still on the bed. The air almost seemed to get thicker and thicker and Sakura noticed that the blue hue emanating from their bodies appeared to be mixing with the air.

Sakura stepped back. In seconds the room was bright blue. A breeze picked up. Loose pages of notes danced around the room in circles and several piles of books tottered to the floor. Syaoran grabbed Sakura's hand.

"We should leave. It could be dangerous."

Sakura nodded and followed him out of the room as pots began sliding of shelves and shattering to pieces on the hard floor. Sakura closed the door behind her and backed away. Both teens stared at the door, cringing as the door rattled loudly. They heard more crashing from inside. Syaoran shook his head, and wrapped his arm around Sakura's shoulder, holding her for a brief moment.

"He knows what he's doing. Let's try and get some sleep," he told Sakura, letting his arm slide off her.

She merely nodded and hesitantly followed him to the other side of the house. Syaoran bolted the front door. He steered her toward the dusty kitchen and helped her onto one of the tall stools. There was no back so Sakura leaned forward resting her elbows on a stack of old, musty books sitting on the table.

"And now we wait..." Sakura said breathlessly.

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The sound of birds chirping woke Sakura from her stiff slumber. She wiped the drool from the edge of her mouth and sat up. Her arm struck out grabbing the heavy piece of fabric that had slid from her shoulders before it hit the ground. It was Syaoran's jacket. It was then that Sakura noticed Syaoran sleeping up against the table, his arms lazily crossed over his stomach and his breathing even.

Sakura slid off the chair and knelt beside him, admiring how peaceful he looked in sleep. She brushed his bangs from his cheek and smiled cutely. Just as she was about to stand, a hand rested upon her shoulder.

Sakura jumped to her feet, spinning around, trying to grab whatever she could to use as a weapon. Her foot caught the edge of the chair and she slipped. Just as she was about to fall on top of Syaoran, the mysterious hand caught her arm and helped her right herself. Her hand reached up to her heart, and Sakura tried to calm herself by taking large, deep breaths.

When she finally opened her eyes, she gasped, seeing the familiar black robes brushing the floor adorning the person whose hand still lightly held her arm. She looked up into familiar dark blue eyes. The fear settled low in her stomach and she was unsure of what to do next. The wizard let go of her arm, but kept his bright smile and kind stare. He turned and made his way to the front door. He didn't say anything, but Sakura had the feeling he wanted her to follow him. She placed Syaoran's jacket over his arms and with one last look to Syaoran's sleeping face, rushed out of the house to meet the new and improved wizard.

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So? I know a lot was filler, but how was it? Next chapter should be out soon :) Starting it like last week haha ;D

Thanks for reviewing!