Notes: This is a work of fan-fiction based on previously written stories and characters. No monetary profit is being made from this work, and all intellectual property rights regarding character names/locales/and other identifying features belong to CLAMP, Kodansha, and other parties whose legal rights to the original works far exceed my own. Please don't sue me - not that anyone would get particularly far, seeing as how I don't have a job and I recently got married. (Read: I'm very, *very* broke at the moment).
This is a crossover fiction between X/1999 and CardCaptor Sakura, and is a bit on the AU side. I apologize for any inadvertent character bastardization – I haven't watched or read either of these series in... probably half a decade, and I just recently got to start re-watching the X OVA's on DVD, because my friends love me and loaned them to me to watch. (Which... is what lead to the "what-if's" circling through my head and me writing out this particular brainchild).
Note: This will *not* be a longer work. I've come to the working conclusion that this is a standalone piece and it won't tie into any other future works. Consider it a one-shot with room for future creepiness.
Kinomoto Touya peered into the darkness, his cobalt-blue eyes fixated on the large, ancient-looking tree looming over the deserted path - its almost garish sprays of delicate cherry blossoms dimly lit by the waxing moon overhead, which cast the monolithic thing in a sickly pink haze. He had never particularly liked this place in Ueno park – it had always imparted upon him a sense of dread that he couldn't quite shake off, no matter how stupid or unfounded he thought it to be; it was a sort of nameless, description-less warning that seemed intended to cause people to subconsciously avoid this place, even if you didn't know what it was or how to describe it. He certainly would oblige that urge to stay away from here any other time, however, there were other circumstances drawing him to this park, to this tree tonight.
He watched with a small amount of horror as his younger sister neared the ancient thing, and then paused, gawking at the grandiose Sakura. A strange, almost sickening combination of awe and fear passed through her expression as she stared at the tree, not comprehending what, exactly, she was encountering. He wondered if she were merely entranced by the floral display or put off by the malignant aura that this place generated; while she couldn't necessarily see spirits, Touya knew full well that she could sense them, which made the place even more unnerving. He couldn't see them here either, which was an oddity that did not go unnoticed, but he could feel them- their presence was muted, deliberately obscured by something beyond his ability to comprehend. The place simply felt wrong, in a way that gave him pause - the air here was thick and heady with the cloying reek of Sakura blossoms tinged with something metallic and far less benign. He fought the bile rising in the back of his throat. Every ounce of common sense screamed at him to run far away as quickly as possible in the opposite direction. He squashed that urge, overriding it with a rough, scathing self-reminder that he was trying to retrieve his sibling- and no matter how freaked out he was, his sister was the priority.
Touya stiffened slightly as a dark haired man, clad in an expensive business-suit, walked into view from behind the large tree and approached the auburn-haired girl. His face was partially obscured by shadows cast by the unnerving Sakura, but the smile on the man's face (which was probably intended to be disarming) seemed utterly predatory, and he instinctively knew that he did not want this man near his sister. He saw his sister's expression shift from confusion to alarm, and forced the lead from his feet, breaking into a brisk run.
"Oi! Sakura-chan!" He yelled, running to meet them, deliberately startling the man and his sibling from whatever conversation the man was having with her. He jogged to meet them, waving, forcing an obnoxious smile. "I've been looking for you, Kaijuu! 'Tou-san is ready to go and you're off bothering random strangers!"
His sister jumped, startled, "'Nii-chan!" her facial expression darkened, "I am NOT a monster!" The younger girl glowered at her brother, but the effort was lost, as he was no longer looking at her. His face had settled into a grim, protective expression, and she did not protest as he maneuvered himself between herself and the older man.
The man in the suit looked up at the teen, who had placed a hand on his sister's shoulder and had managed to maneuver himself in front of her in a protective gesture. The smile remained on the older man's face, shifting into something less predatory, however, the smile did not reach his eyes, which bored through the Kinomoto siblings in a calculating fashion that made Touya uncomfortable. Sakura shrank back slightly - and Touya did not break his gaze from the older man.
"Sorry if my sister bothered you. We're going to be going now – our father's waiting for us." He watched as the boy turned to his sister, noticing that he was also being careful to not turn his back or his gaze entirely away from him.
The man in the suit hid his amusement beneath a calm veneer he had practiced for many, many years. So, the boy does see me for what I am. Good instinct, Kinomoto-kun. Hopefully it'll spare you in kind for what is to come.
Touya narrowed his gaze as the man reached forward and brushed a stray petal from his sister's hair.
"Keep a better eye on your sister, Kinomoto-kun. You wouldn't want her getting... lost here."
Touya startled, "How did you know my-"
But the man had gone, as quickly as he appeared. Touya looked around, then decided that it would certainly be a much better idea to leave than to test fate by sticking around. Touya shot one last glance at the tree before shuddering and ushering his sister away from the place, distracting her from the encounter. The young man, for all of his perceptive ability, couldn't explain what had just happened, and most of all, he was frightened by what he had encountered, and he knew that they needed to go away from this place, now. Touya grabbed his sister's wrist, and jerked, giving her no quarter other than to follow his movement, and they ran to catch up with their father.
Sakurazuka Seishirou watched as the two disappeared into the night, the glow from the end of his cigarette the only real evidence of his presence near the Sakura.
Indeed, Touya-kun- do keep an eye on that dear sister of yours. After all… the end of the world is coming.
With a wry smile, he exhaled, and disappeared in a swirl of flower petals and smoke.