A/N: This is a continuation of my completed work, Blood and Duty. I'm considering finishing my other works but I need a little time to recall what my ideas were for those, so stay tuned, I guess. This one's a light work, nothing serious, just written for fun. I am incorporating some TRC elements, but I don't know the original story very well. Will try to make it familiar, anyhow; this is semi-AU anyway. If you haven't read Blood and Duty, basically this takes place in a semi-AU CCS universe where Yue did not seal away into the Clow Book like Kero and Syaoran's clan had been massacred by vengeful sorcerers when he was very young. Yue thus raised Syaoran as his son.

Since this is semi-AU, there are no feathers in this story, nor are there clones. The Syaoran in this fic is the Syaoran from Blood and Duty, ie the CCS Syaoran.


Syaoran and Dimension-Hopping

Chapter One

"How is school?"

"Stressful," Syaoran replied, tucking the phone between his shoulder and his ear. The soup was boiling, so he turned down the flame to keep it from spilling. "I mean, it's manageable, but not particularly fun.

"I imagine not. Are you applying for colleges yet?" Eriol asked.

"Not yet. Next year. They're starting to step up the prep. One guy in our class tried to kill himself last week, police got to him just in time, but people are already starting to lose it."

Eriol made a dismayed sound. "Tch. Honestly, what's the big deal? It's just school."

"I know. Dad had a talk with me after that, but seriously, why would I want to kill myself after spending so much effort staying alive? And I'm doing alright in school." He did not want to say he was doing well, since doing well was an uphill battle, but he felt safe stating that he was not doing poorly. "Not to mention, if I develop suicidal tendencies because of academics, that kind of bruises the pride, you know. Actual murder attempts didn't make me want to drop the ball, but a couple of grades do?"

Eriol chuckled. "Healthy perspective, Xiaolang."

"More like sane. How is it on your side?"

"Alright. Been getting drenched here. You know how the weather is in the UK. Watching the US elections."

Syaoran grunted. "Watch as they elect Bush again. They call him Bu Si in Mandarin."

Eriol laughed more openly at this. "Might be a good thing. He needs to beat the zero curse."

"What zero curse?"

"The Americans have had a long stream of presidents who died before their term was over whenever they took office during a year that ended with zero. Think Reagan was the first to break the curse, but by a few centimeters or something."

"Huh. Coincidence?"

"If it isn't, it's a design that is beyond my perceptive abilities."

Syaoran glanced at the soup again, lifting the lid to stir it. "That's interesting."

"Mm. In magical news, any disturbances lately?"

"Depends on how you define 'disturbance'," Syaoran muttered, "Sakura's been fine. I guess Clow Reed didn't make as many enemies as the Li clan did."

"I would not say that. Clow Reed was Roman. He merely took care of them more completely than the Li clan did. What did you mean by define 'disturbance'?"

"Well, I did get jumped on recently." On his way to school, no less. He had been late for the first time since…the Clow Cards.

"You seem alright," Eriol said kindly.

"Not hurt, anyway. Just want this to end already. Whole vengeance thing on the Li clan is…truly dragging on far longer than I think I should tolerate. I have enough to worry about without magic."

"Will they come back?"

"I hope not."

"Xiaolang," Eriol sounded chastising.

"I turned them into squirrels for two hours and then let them go."

Eriol burst out laughing again, but when he spoke, he was serious. "Xiaolang, if you keep letting them go, they will take advantage of your mercy. Word gets around."

Syaoran scowled. "I know, but…"

"You really should consider getting more involved in the magical communityI know you try to stay away, and hai, the politics are a total nightmare, but you can't expect to fend these people off by yourself forever. You've incorporated Clow's powers well, and you have Yue, you have Sakura, you have Touya, even, but it would be nice to have other allies. The Kinomotos aren't the only honest folks around."

Syaoran worried his lip. He knew Eriol was right, but that childhood fear of anyone magical was still deeply ingrained. He trusted the Kinomotos and he trusted Yue and he also trusted Eriol and Kaho…and that was about it.

"I'll think about it."

"Do."


"I think you have a cold."

One somewhat inconvenient thing about being linked to Yue was how the guardian was now attuned to his health, often more so than Syaoran himself.

"For real?" He whined, as Yue felt his forehead, "Please tell me it's mild."

"Let's try to keep it so," Yue ushered Syaoran to bed.

"I don't even feel anything!"

"Well I do," Yue's tones allowed no argument, "So let's try and tackle this before it blossoms to full-blown pneumonia."

"You don't get pneumonia from colds," The teen grumbled.

"Who says you don't?"


Despite everything, Syaoran still fell ill.

"I was just talking to Eriol about how school is starting to become even more intense. Stupid bug. I need to raid his mansion and see if there's any spell that can just block all illnesses."

"Right, because spells never have consequences," His guardian read his temperature. "My goodness, thirty-nine point five. You are one sick kid."

"I'm fifteen years old!"

"Your point?"

Syaoran folded his arms and pouted.

"Bedrest until the fever clears at the very least. Would you like Sakura's teddy bear?"

"Go away, Dad."

"Listen to that," Yue pointed, "I take care of you, and this is the thanks I get."

"I'm not ten years old, and I hate this."

Yue ignored him, turning around to step out. "You should stay home tomorrow and sleep in."

"Bah."

"It's for your own good, you know," His father pointed out, "And besides, what if you sneeze and then you release your magic and turn everyone into squirrels?"

"I have better control than that!"

"You never know," Yue called from the hall, "I'll get you some medicine."

"Yue…" Syaoran scowled again.

"Do I hear a kid whining?"

"I'm not whining."

"No homework for today."

"…What—I'll get so behind—"

"It's just school."

"Oh, it's just school, as if school doesn't totally decide your whole way of life around here…"

Yue's footsteps went down the stairs. Syaoran huffed out a breath of exasperation.


He dreamed he was little again. Yue was holding him close, as he usually did back then. Usually, people did not remember the times when they felt the safest, because it is such a passive state of being, but Syaoran remembered the very first time he felt the complete contrast between the hell that had been his life and the turn it had taken.

I am Yue, Guardian of Clow.

He had crawled out of the water, frozen to the bone, and the guardian looked no warmer, with his pale coloring and icy gaze. It had been nighttime, the darkness contrasting to the guardian's glowing form, and the only thing Syaoran could think was I am dead, I cannot go on, no further.

Sometimes he could still feel the sheer sense of failure, so deep and profound, when he realized he had been caught and there was no way for him to escape now. He was exhausted, cold, and on the last vestiges of consciousness. When he closed his eyes, he thought he would never open them again.

For the first flight, Syaoran had been unconscious. Yue had heard sorcerers approaching and carried the boy away. Syaoran had later asked him why he bothered to save him, and the guardian had been dismayed by the question. Is that not something any proper being would do?

It was not until after the Clow Cards were released and Syaoran met Sakura that he understood what Yue had meant. After a year on the run, being chased and taunted and tortured, his mental state was in a craze. He often wondered why Yue chose to put up with him back then. He had been unconscious a lot, he knew. Things could have happened then, without his knowledge. He had a feeling Yue might have been halfway crazed himself, after centuries of loneliness, and wanted any companion at all, but that did not seem entirely true. Either way, the guardian chose to keep him, and the first time Syaoran finally trusted him was on the first flight, after Yue had assembled a home and welcomed Syaoran into it. The guardian had been upset and at a loss. Syaoran had been testing Yue's intentions and temper. They used the flight to feel better, and Syaoran felt, for the very first time, the thrill of being above the world and the fear of falling from such heights.

Through it all, Yue's arms were tight and secure around him, and they sailed over the buildings of Hong Kong, under the wispy night clouds, for hours and hours and hours. It was the first time Syaoran finally accepted that he was going to be alright, that Yue was trustworthy. When they landed, his guard had plummeted enough that the stress of the past year could finally well forth. Yue had hugged him as he wept, letting him take however long he had needed. Drained from the episode, Syaoran had relaxed into the guardian's embrace, and slept easily for the first time in over a year.

And from then on, the two were inseparable. Yue was not naturally affectionate, but for the five-year-old he had allowed the repeated intrusions into his personal space. Syaoran had also needed a lot of reassurance: that he was alive, that he was being taken care of, that someone was there for him. It was not long before such gestures became natural. Being apart…simply did not make sense.

But the first time was such a transformation, even though now things have normalized and being in a safe home with someone who cared for him seemed like the most natural thing in the world, sometimes his mind would go back to that moment, or the nightmare before. Lately, it had been the former, usually consisting of him being small and young again, Yue much bigger and mysterious, but with a true, transparent love that Syaoran trusted. Sometimes he would wake up and be disoriented.

This time, though, the dream changed.


There was some figure…or figures…immersed in a pool. A man, fair of skin and hair, stood at the edge. There was some girl with him, and they spoke in a language Syaoran did not understand. The man had magic though, and with a surge of magic, the girl transformed into a net-like barrier over the pool. Then, with a solemn glance at his creation, the man cast another spell and disappeared.

The world rippled. He was in some kind of castle. A warrior, tall and lithe, with eyes as cold as steel, swept his blade, spraying blood everywhere. Syaoran was momentarily struck with the memory of the massacre of the Li clan, seeing all his relatives desperately casting spells, but being struck down methodically by the tide of sorcerers. The dream's lull dulled his panic, however, and he was able to remain asleep, watching this man slaughter the last of his enemies. Blood pooled along the ground, sloshing around his feet.

There was a soft rustle of silk. Syaoran looked up.

Wait a second, is that Tomoyo-chan? What the—


Yue moved his hand away. "Sorry, Xiaolang," He said in Cantonese, "I didn't mean to wake you."

"I was having the weirdest dream," Syaoran blinked. "Wait, not the weirdest, but definitely up there in 'disturbing'."

"You didn't seem distressed when I came in." The shutters were still closed, and Yue was sitting on the side of the bed. His long hair spilled over his shoulders as he leaned forward to feel Syaoran's forehead again.

"Probably because I was thinking 'what the heck?' I was seeing these people, and it's like I was a nonexistent bystander, none of them knew I was there. Which is good, because one of them was on a murder spree, and Tomoyo was there, and she was dressed like some Japanese princess."

"One can argue that she is a Japanese princess."

"She doesn't wear that kind of kimono though, nor does she wear her hair in…that. Good grief, maybe we should warn her to do a background check on her future boyfriend, in case he's a serial killer."

Yue frowned. "Do you think we should?"

"I don't know. It was weird. It seemed so…real. The blood, and everything. I almost woke up, just from that." Syaoran lowered his eyes. "But something kept me calm, and I just watched as the ninja-samurai murdered everyone. Then Tomoyo showed up, dressed like that, and I was just like 'what the—' and then I woke up and you were taking my temperature."

"Sorry."

"No, I didn't want to see much more of that." Syaoran shuddered. "Do I have a fever still? Maybe it's giving me weird dreams."

"You're not very hot. I wouldn't expect you to be delusional, anyhow, but it's possible that your illness is making your dreams dramatic, yes."

"Man, is there something wrong with me? Do other sick kids dream about people on killing sprees?"

They both ignored the other obvious possibility: that what Syaoran had seen was real, in some time or realm.

"I've heard some tales in my lifetime," Yue reassured him with a smile of subtle amusement. Syaoran remembered the first time Kero had seen that smile; the sun guardian looked like his jaw was about to dislocate. "The human mind is a curious thing. I wouldn't worry overly much about it. Not right now, anyway. If it's something we should relate to Tomoyo we can do it later on."

"Will ask Sakura if she's found a new crush, though," Syaoran murmured thoughtfully. "You never know." The dream was starting to fade from his mind. He could no longer quite remember what the man looked like—either man. Or even what happened, other than what he had told Yue, and only because he had said it out loud.

Yue stood. "Medicine and tea," He declared, "I already called the school, told them you were staying home. After you take those, if you want you can go back to sleep, or I can make some miso soup. Would you like that?"

"Sure," Syaoran replied, "I think I can stomach soup."


"…because Oni-chan has a new stalker," Sakura pushed at her rollerblades as they went home from school. Syaoran was on his bike, but instead of sitting properly on it, he was standing on one pedal and pushing with his other leg. Sakura gave him an odd look when she saw he was not going to ride it, but did not comment on it. "It's because he's tall. It's really annoying."

"He is really tall for a Japanese man," Syaoran agreed, "I think he's as tall as a white man."

"Still really annoying. And he doesn't like her, says she reminds him too much of Nakuru."

Syaoran shuddered. He had never liked Nakuru. Even when Eriol revealed himself to Syaoran for the benefit of his healing abdominal wounds, Nakuru had been insufferable. She kept calling Syaoran all sorts of nicknames and making fun of him for being a child. She had no sense of what was off-limits; one time she even made fun of the Li clan massacre, to Syaoran's speechless shock. Eriol had put a sharp end to that, but Syaoran still ended up having a nightmare about that awful event the following night. Compared to even Kero, she was intolerably immature and tactless.

"How come Touya-san still hasn't found anyone? I find that very strange."

"Hoe?"

"I mean, his sister's seven years younger than him and we're dating. Don't you find that kind of bizarre?"

Sakura shrugged. "I don't know. He's so busy with life stuff. Job, and everything. And frankly, I'm not that eager for him to find someone. I'd have to put up with whatever sister-in-law he chooses. I want him to be happy, and I want him to find someone eventually, but if he's not in a hurry, why should I be?"

"Good point," Syaoran chuckled. "I just find that odd. Yue and I were talking about that the other day."

"Giving you the talk?" Sakura teased.

"Kami-sama," Syaoran groaned. "You're not letting that one go are you?"

"No way, it's too funny!" She giggled uncontrollably, enough that she had to slow down a little. "I mean, my otou-san got so nervous that he had to get Oba-san to talk to me, he was so desperate and you know how he and Oba-san don't get along," Oba-san, of course, referred to Daidouji Sonomi. "But at least I had someone who actually knew how this whole thing worked. I can't believe Yue-san tried to do it himself. Did he have to look stuff up? Kami-sama!"

"I love my otou-san," Syaoran grinned at her mirth, "But this time wasn't the talk, kind of past that at this point. It was just a random comment, I can't even remember how it came up. Speaking of your oba-san, does Tomoyo-san like anyone, or is she dating anyone?"

"You're in the same class!"

"I know, but I was sick for several days."

"Not that I know of. Why?"

"Just something that came to mind."

"Syaoran-kunnn…"

"I had a weird fever-dream, it involved Tomoyo dressed like an ancient princess and some guy. You know with this reincarnation business that nothing is outlandish anymore."

"Ooh!" Sakura exclaimed, but Syaoran spotted a pothole and veered her away before she could continue.

"You think Tomoyo-chan is about to meet her soulmate?" Sakura asked when that was over.

"Kami-sama I hope not." Not wanting to alarm his girlfriend, the teen grumbled, "He looked creepy."

"Well, I'll keep an eye out," Sakura declared, "Who knows? Maybe someone is coming along."

There was a sudden pulse of magic, prompting the two to brake.

"Really?" Syaoran remarked in wry tones, "Am I not behind enough on schoolwork?"

"I can go check this out on my own," Sakura offered.

"Iie…I'll come along, wouldn't be able to focus on my assignments until I knew for sure what's going on. Besides, Yue probably felt that too."

The guardian had, arriving at the site several minutes after the teenagers did. Kero came seconds later. The pulse came from a secluded section of the park. There were children playing around the penguin slide and several old people wandering around, which meant any business needed to be done discreetly.

"It feels like a side-effect of something," Yue noted, "It doesn't carry the character of a magic-user, more like a spell."

Sakura was searching through her cards. "I swear, lately it's like the cards don't want me to pick them or something. Remember when we were capturing the cards, and later when Eriol-kun came? I didn't even have to look at the cards, I just drew and there was the card I needed, but now they're constantly buried in the deck and there are over fifty of them to look through. Ugh."

"You could always get rid of some," Syaoran pointed out, "There are quite a few that are pretty useless. Like the Flower card. Seriously? Flowers? Did Clow Reed run out of useful things to do and just grab any random excuse to make a full poker deck? And the Bubble Card—why exactly couldn't he just have used Watery and added a bit of soap? He had to make a whole card just for washing Kero?"

"I'll have you know," Kero protested, "The Bubble Card is very good at what it does."

"And thank heavens for that," Yue quipped, "Because that meant none of us had to wash you."

"…You've spent too much time with the gaki."

Sakura found the card she wanted, but she started laughing as she pulled it out, making it awkward to cast any spell. They had to wait until she collected herself.

"Alright, Shadow," She declared, "Let's see if we can figure out what our mystery disturbance is without having to venture to look for ourselves, because I am not wandering into those bushes in these rollerblades."

The hooded Shadow spirit slid away at her command. Sakura focused, prompting the others of the group to fall silent. Syaoran kept his senses alert, magic coiled and ready to unleash in their defense.

"There is something…" His girlfriend murmured, sounding a bit distracted, "But…I'm not getting a good sense of what it is."

The Shadow came back, forming into a card and sailing into her hand.

"Maybe there's too much light over there…"

"I'm going to head over," Syaoran said, "If it didn't attack Shadow it probably wouldn't attack."

"Be careful," Kero warned.

"Matte," Sakura sighed as she searched through her deck again. "Seriously, what is going on lately, it's like the cards went on a holiday…"

She finally pulled out the Shield, holding it between her index and third finger to summon it more quickly. The shield generated through this technique was not as strong, but it was faster than using the staff. Syaoran went ahead, and Sakura went behind, senses alert. They went through the bushes behind the building.

A glowing portal, composed of a swirl of different colored auras, hovered in front of them as if it belonged there and nothing were out of the ordinary.

"What is that?" Sakura blinked.

"I have no idea."

"Should we try to close it?"

It was a good thought. Syaoran had a feeling he did not want anything behind the portal to come through. "Let me see if I can close it."

He took all the necessary precautions, testing with his magical senses first, avoiding touching the aura, but as soon as his spell made contact—


The world blurred, and Syaoran felt himself being pulled through space. He did not even hear Sakura's reaction, though he sensed her aura recede from his senses as if pulled by a vacuum.

Mother of— Syaoran thought ungenerously. Stupid magic! God—

To be continued…