The Final Test

"Clow-sama, you did it!" Kero calls out, his voice a combination of relief and amazement.

"She's gone." Torika stands up, out of energy, and leans against a tree. "No more Natsume."

"We can worry about that later, Torika. Now you have to seal the card, before it escapes its frozen entity!" Yue reminds her, picking up her staff from the ground. "Here."

"Right," she responds, dizzily standing up to her full height. She puts her staff before her, as if she is about to whack something on the head. "Reseal to your true form confined! WATERY!" she calls, and a glowing shape appears before her staff. The frozen WATERY begins to break apart into tiny shards, entering the rectangle in front of the staff. Maddy and Kerberos are released as well, as the last pieces of ice are captured. The multi-colored rectangle then flies over to Torika.

"Are you okay, Ms. Torika?" Hana asks, jumping down from the tree she is in to Torika's side. "It seems as if you are magically drained."

"Yeah, I guess so. It's just that, if Natsume hadn't been here, like right now, I wouldn't have been able to defeat WATERY. I can't keep going on like this," Torika says, but she is soon distracted by a strange feeling in her hand.

"WATERY. It's disappearing," Maddy states, as the Heart Card fades.

"It's just going along with the rest of the deck," Kerberos informs them, flying to Torika's side, "I should know, I've seen this once before."

"You've seen this once before?" Torika asks. "Why did you act like you didn't know what was going on?"

Yue glares at Kerberos, who sits down as if tired. "I can't tell you. I'm not allowed." His gruff voice is melancholy, as if he feels guilty about this.

Torika simply nods, for she has heard this many times before, and pants. "I'm really tired. I don't think I'll be able to do this."

"Sure you can, Ms. Torika. You are the most amazing person I have ever met. I strive to be as magically adept as you," Hana comforts her friend, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"But without the Heart Cards, I'm useless. All my power depends on those cards. Without them, I can't do anything, not even use a wisp of magic. I can barely defeat three elementals with the cards, let alone without them." Torika looks to the ground and fiddles her hands around.

"You used my spell without even practice, twice today," Hana responds, looking into Torika's eyes, "That's magic. That's amazing. It took me years of practice to get that spell down, but you got it on your first try. I would call that a wisp of magic, Ms. Torika."

"Besides," Maddy points out, joining the argument, "we have to save Natsume. If you don't capture the rest of the cards, who knows what will happen?"

"I don't know, guys. I'm tired. Can we rest?" The girl looks hopefully toward Kerberos, who shrugs.

"Yue, Kerberos, I have a question," Hana states, looking over to the two guardians.

"Don't keep us waiting too long," the yellow winged guardian says, shrinking back into his normal pint-sized version. "Are you going to change back to Tai too? The magic we're using is draining, and besides, it will be easier for a card to spot us in our big forms. You can feed him answers through his mind."

Yue nods and wings surround him, releasing Tai. "Hey guys. I saw the whole thing. It's too bad Natsume disappeared." Tai looks down, his face red.

"Okay. I have heard many legends from my grandmother, you know, about the Heart Cards and such. Well, actually, she told me about Clow Cards, but that's not the point. She once told me of a special ability that Clow thought of, one that was thought impossible and scoffed upon by other magicians. Is it true that it is possible for Torika to use the cards' power without a staff or the cards present?"

"This is going to take a bit of explaining. Since I took the last one, why doesn't Kero answer this time." Tai is speaking in Yue's voice, and his eyes are glossed blue.

Kero shoots Tai a look, and then sighs. "Well, I'm not really supposed to tell you this, but, I have a little story for you all."

Hana, Tai (who is not possessed by Yue), Torika and Maddy gather in a circle around Kero. It is like old times and new times, for Kero seems to be telling many stories lately. "There was a time in which Clow doubted himself. It was right after his wife died, and he was left to contemplate many things about life and death and magic. Other than being a really bad widower and fooling around, he tried to make himself stronger and strengthen his bond between himself and his magical items, mostly the Clow Cards."

"So is this just a strengthening exercise?" Tai asks, bewildered.

"No. Clow created a series of tests for himself, just so he could strengthen this magical bond. He wanted to be able to connect himself with the cards, mostly because they resembled his wife and her personality. He felt that if he had a strong bond with the cards, he would still hold a few ties with his wife. Torika is undergoing the hardest test that Clow ever made," Kero says, turning away from the group for a second. He looks down to the ground and mumbles to himself. "It was so hard that not even Clow himself passed…"

"So, this will strengthen my bond with the Heart Cards? I think I'm too tired to go on. I'll need a few days rest after that battle," Torika remarks, still breathing hard.

"No, you really don't," Kero says, turning back to the group of kids. "You are stronger than you realize, Torika. Do you remember that day you transformed ten Star Cards? Yue did a magical read on you, and you had barely used any magic at all. And you've grown since then. Remember, your feelings and confidence have a lot to do with your magical ability. If you believe in yourself, I'm sure you'll regain some energy."

Torika nods and proceeds to close her eyes and think. Within a few minutes, she rises, still a little fatigued, but ready for battle nonetheless. "You were right Kero. We need to get to the next card, before it gets to us."

Kero grunts and changes back into Kerberos. "Get on. Tai, you should change into Yue." But Maddy's twin is already the angel-like guardian.

Yue grabs Hana, and Torika and Maddy ride on Kerberos' back, as they glide under the pink skies of the setting sun. "It's getting late," Torika sighs, looking back toward the east side of town. No doubt Sakura is worried about her, it has been her nature since she came out of the coma.

"Well, the cards don't care what time it is," Kerberos replies sarcastically, even though he knows what Torika means. He remembers when Sakura was a girl, and when she went out to capture the Clow Cards. Her brother, Tori, was always worried about her, and he had the slightest idea of what was going on. Now Sakura, in full light, is extremely worried. She doesn't even know the full extent of the test in front of Torika. If she were to know, Torika would be safe at home.

They search the skies for about ten minutes, but Torika can't detect anything. It seems like the presence of the three Heart Cards in hiding keeps evading them, dodging them barely in a game of tag. Torika is beginning to become frustrated, but she tries as hard as she can. Try as she might, nothing seems to appear like it did so long ago. A lot has changed since then, she thinks. Things have become more and less complicated. It was so much easier back then, so little on her mind. But yet there was a lot on her mind, and there is a lot on her mind. Maybe that's why she's having so much trouble, there's too much burdening her, encumbering her until she can no longer think straight.

"Hey Torika, you've been eating too much lately," Kerberos complains out of the blue. "I don't remember you being this heavy before."

"Yes, Hana seems heavier too. It's like she just gained a few pounds out of nowhere," Yue states, lowering a little bit.

And then she senses it, the slight but immanent presence of a Heart Card, swirling around her like never before. "It's here," she whispers ominously, looking around her for any signs of it.

"It seems to be raising the air pressure or something. It's getting much harder to fly up here," Kerberos says, trying desperately to stay a safe height in the air.

"I'll just use…FLY…" Torika mumbles, referring to the Heart Card she once had, she should have in her hand.

"It's definitely WINDY. But why would it want to lower us instead of attack us straight off in the air? We were in its turf. It was prime time to kill us dead, right there and then." Yue eventually lowers to the ground and lets Hana down, folding his wings back. They are on the edge of the forest again, and they wander in, hoping to be concealed and covered by the density of the trees.

Torika thinks back to the face-off with the WATERY card, when the hands that grabbed them should have had enough force to kill them all together. Something strange is going on with the cards, although she can't tell what.

A harsh wind blows suddenly, pushing Torika back into a tree. "Ouch!" she can hear Yue's deep voice yelp. She glances over to find him changed back into the form of Tai.

"Master Torika, please do not be offended by my actions. Although they may hurt, I must perform them, no matter how hard it is for me, or you." WINDY's voice is breathy, almost a laugh on a breezy summer day. "Please forgive me."

The howling wind now encompasses the area forming a barrier. "There's no escape," Tai mumbles, a line from a clichéd movie.

"I have to stop this, I know I do, and no matter how I do it, no matter what it takes, I'll save you all. Heart Cards. Natsume. Father. You're all very dear to me, and no matter what happens, I want you to know that I love you, and that I want to save you, even if I don't make it through this. Always remember me if I die, not as the one who failed, but as the one who tried!" Torika screams, emotion filling her voice and drowning out the doubt in her heart.

"But you won't die." Torika whirls around to find Hana standing next to her, brandishing the staff of her own.

"Of course you won't die. We're right beside you." To Torika's other side are Maddy and Tai, both standing and awaiting WINDY's attack.

"We're in this together," Kerberos says, floating above Torika's head.

"I know we are. Not a second goes by when I doubt it." She looks at this, the last time all of them may be together for a while.

"Thank you."

To be continued…

As Clow begins to lift his head off the dirty ground, a rumbling starts to shake part of the town. Yue and Kerberos fly up at the sound of it, trying to take Clow with them instinctively. People look around worried, and some look back at the robed sorcerer with a sense of hope, that he can stop whatever comes.

The barrier lets up, and all is silent now. They could escape if they want to, but they know they have to face WINDY, no matter what the stakes. Each of them wait, hearts pumping and sweat dripping.

And then it happens. This way and that, columns of wind twirl in disarray, unseen but not unheard. They are impossible to dodge, and each of them take a few hits, trying desperately to find a way out of the chaos and have a chance to do something. "I don't know where they're coming from. It's too hard to block or dodge!" Torika calls wincing as a block of wind slams into her right arm.

"Close your eyes. You'll hear better." Hana nods as she closes her own eyes, deflecting a blast of wind with her staff.

"Hear better? Wouldn't I need to see better?" Torika asks, feeling wind pass by her face. But then she understands, recalling the basic principles of the senses. When one sense is disabled, the others become slightly stronger, a natural compensating method. So, if the attacks are impossible to see, why not try to hear them?

Soon all of them are closing their eyes and dodging the wind fairly easily. Torika smiles. Maybe this won't be so hard after all.

Suddenly a harsh gale comes from out of nowhere, knocking all of them backwards. Torika opens her eyes suddenly, just as she skids across the grassy ground. She can see WINDY, holding up its frail hands, concentrated on its newest strategy. She looks around to find the others closer to her than she originally thought. They all open their eyes too, and behold what there is to behold.

"You think WINDY's going to try the same thing as WATERY? You know, to trap us all and watch us squirm?" Maddy asks, slowly getting to her feet. The others do the same, cautiously eyeing WINDY in hopes of predicting its next move before it actually happens.

"I have no idea." Kerberos is careful not to float up in the air like he normally would, or else he would be more vulnerable to WINDY's power.

"But I thought you said you went through this before!" Tai exclaims, leaning on a tree for support as he tries to stand. He was hit hard, taking the full force of the strong gust while the others were partially shielded by the trees surrounding them.

"It's very possible that with each new opponent, the cards will change their strategy," Kerberos comments. WINDY smiles at Tai, and Kerberos shoots a ball of fire at the foe. It passes through, just like Maddy's needles had done with WATERY.

"Shoot. WINDY's even less solid than WATERY. Physical stuff will do nothing against it," Hana realizes, holding up her staff. "Well then, if not fire, wind."

Torika looks at Hana curiously. The black-haired girl pulls out a thin sheet of white paper with Chinese writing on it, and puts it out in front of her. She raises her staff, and lets the piece of paper go. "Release the wind magic within you!" she shouts, putting her staff sideways and knocking it into the strange paper.

A blast of wind emits forth from it, blowing the thin paper backwards in reaction. It speeds toward WINDY, a dog-eat-dog showdown, started off with the first move. It blows through, but the Heart Card shows little signs of struggle. Instead, it flows with the magical wind rather than fighting it. Finally Hana's magic wears out, leaving WINDY unharmed.

"I am smart, and will not fall for your little tricks like WATERY. I know well not to attack you Master. Not physically anyway." WINDY smiles and flies up into the air. She flies around for a few minutes, looking particularly carefree, and then she is above Torika, her long strings of hair barely touching down on the girl's shoulders. "You must be dealt with differently. You have become strong physically, but I understand your power comes from your emotions. If I can toy with them, it shall be your uprising or your downfall."

"Why are you telling me these things?" Torika demands, trying for once to get an answer.

"I'm trying to help you as best I can, Master," WINDY replies. "Now, let's get this on with, shall we?"

"Help me? You're just the same as WATERY. You want me to beat you, don't you? But you won't even try to rid yourself of the possession. You're conflicted," Torika hisses in disgust, backing away from WINDY and looking it in the eye.

"You will understand. I don't know when it will come to you, but it will, just like all things do."

"I don't like that answer. I don't want that answer. I want to know what's going on, and I want to know right now!" Torika bangs her fist against the ground, acting like a spoiled toddler. She believes she has the right to know.

"Two words for you, Master. Too bad." WINDY giggles at its joke.

"Torika, don't get distracted. Remember what WINDY said! It's just trying to toy with your emotions and change your type of magic and power. You've got to snap out of it and focus on your task!" Kerberos calls.

"Be quiet, fool." WINDY shoots a blast of air straight at the golden guardian, knocking the wind out of him.

"I thought WINDY was a gentle card," Maddy mumbles, rubbing the back of her head.

"I guess certain situations call for certain personalities. Maybe WINDY has to act like this for the test," Hana suggests. "Either way, we have to stop it somehow."

"You won't stop me!" WINDY raises its hands and winds start to blow again. Everyone braces themselves, but they know it won't be enough. With the flick of a wrist, they could all be unconscious.

All of a sudden they are all in the air, being lifted by the soft hands of the current. It is an amazing feeling, flying without the flapping of wings. It is so carefree, but Torika knows that it is dangerous. As soon as the thought of falling seeps into her mind, she looks down at the ground, which is rapidly pulling away from her vision.

Then, all at once, she is falling, a foreign object plummeting through the air. She braces herself, expecting to land on the ground, but she settles for where she actually does land, the fluffy back of Kerberos, right alongside Hana. Maddy and Tai still linger in the air, at the same height, looking down at them worriedly. "These two. I'll kill them if you make another move against me," WINDY threatens, flying over to the twins.

"If you drop them, Kerberos will catch them!" Hana says, trying her best to keep in fighting spirit.

"Who said anything about dropping them?" WINDY dissipates into the air, almost as if infiltrating it, and now it is everywhere, everything, every breath that Torika takes. The air feels a little strange, as if it is moving, heading towards one central point. Slowly, the ground cracks, and a tree lifts into the air, roots and all, just ripped out from the solid ground. WINDY appears again and holds the tree menacingly close to Maddy and Tai, smiling maliciously. "Like I said, make another move against me and WHAM! They're gone."

"Don't listen to WINDY! All you need to worry about is passing this test!" Maddy shouts, struggling against WINDY's grasp.

"Silence!" WINDY raises a free hand and a razor sharp wind blows through the air. Maddy and Tai moan in pain as they are cut all over, shirts torn and magic worn. Soon they can take no more and fall unconscious in the air, unable to move or speak.

"I don't know what to do. I mean, I know I have to beat WINDY, but how? If I attack it one more time, my friends will die."

"I can't tell you," Kerberos responds, scowling at the Heart Card.

"Why not? My friends are in mortal danger here! Answers would be nice!" Torika screams in frustration.

"I don't know what to do either." Kerberos flashes an innocent smile and Torika looks away in anger. He doesn't seem to take this seriously.

"So, do you have a plan, Ms. Torika? Or will you just wing it?" Hana appears beside her, staff raised and ready for action. She has a burning fire in her eyes, one of determination to help out her friends.

"I guess I'm just going to wing it. You distract WINDY, and I'll try and free Maddy and Tai. That sound like a plan?" Torika and Hana nod at each other, and salute with their staves.

"So, WINDY, you'll never guess what Torika and I have in mind." Hana pulls another paper from out of her back pocket, holding it up into the air. "Release the light magic within you!"

A bright light filters through the forest, and WINDY immediately shields its eyes. "Blasted mortal! Blinding me! That's a cheap trick!"

"Hey, as long as it works." Hana smiles at her quick wit, and looks over to see Torika's progress.

She doesn't seem to be doing so well, not knowing how to free two children from air. They are just levitating. They have no chains binding them, they're just stuck, and they can't move or be moved. "It's not working," she whispers to herself, searching for a solid thing she can rip apart.

Soon the light dies, and WINDY whirls around to find Torika trying to free the twins. "You have moved against me!" it screams, its voice loosing the calm and carefree tone it once held. "Your friends shall now perish!"

The tree wrenches out of its still place in the air and swings toward the twins. Torika quickly jumps out of the way, and whimpers, for she thinks she can only watch as her friend face their terrible fate. "No! You can't do this! I won't let my friends die!" Tears stream down her face as she looks down at her staff. "Useless! I can't do anything without my cards! Nothing!"

The tears blur her vision, but Torika can barely make out the moving object suddenly lurch to a stop, surprising even WINDY. "What in the world…" Kerberos whispers to himself, gaping in awe at the amazing sight.

New roots have grown, and the tree is kept in place, bound by the newfound roots. They have just appeared, reattaching the tree to the solid ground. Nothing could have caused this but magic. "Is that-is that the WOOD card?" Hana asks, looking over at Torika.

"But how? It can't be, because I don't have it with me!" Torika looks around, searching for WINDY, and her eyes behold an even more fantastic sight.

"The WOOD card, it's got the WINDY in a full nelson!"

Kerberos speaks true. Struggle as it might, WINDY is captured by the WOOD card, which laughs wholeheartedly. "Reseal to your true form confined! WINDY!" Torika calls out, still dazed, and the elemental returns to its rightful place, in Torika's hand. After a few seconds, it fades, as does WOOD.

"How did that happen?" Torika asks, totally dumbfounded.

"Well, like I said, your powers are fueled by your emotions. So, because you were so angry and frustrated that your friends were about to die, you summoned WOOD subconsciously." Kerberos transforms back into Kero, floating just above Torika's head.

"Me? I released WOOD? That's impossible. Even I'm smart enough to know that," Torika replies. But, the conversation stops for a second as Kero starts to fade.

"I'm going to disappear too. I really think you've created a bond with the Heart Cards, and you were able to use WOOD without it actually being with you," Kero states, smiling as a wind starts up around him.

"No. You must be hiding something from me. There must be some other answer." She turns away from her guardian, putting her head in her hands.

Torika can hear the wind become stronger, and what sounds like the rustling of dead leaves. "If you're so smart, you figure it out."

But when she turns around, he is gone.

To be continued…