Syaoran stepped cautiously down the staircase, flipping through a book, trying to find this strange symbol, or something similar, as the one the other excavators told him of. Suddenly, hasty footsteps interrupted his thoughts. "Syaoran!" He turned slightly, and princess Sakura was bounding down the steps towards him, basket on arm.
"Princess! How'd you get in here?"
She smiled, "I asked somebody outside, and they said you were in here!"
Syaoran continued down the steps and Sakura followed, "You shouldn't be here, princess. It's too dangerous! The ceiling could fall and the King would be worried."
"It's okay, Toya's here too. And I brought us lunch!" Syaoran could hear the slight pout in her voice.
"I can't, princess, I'm sorry. I need to investigate this area below."
"Can I help?" Sakura insisted, smiling. They finally finished their walk down the steps and came upon flat ground. Sakura stared at the center with awe. It was a large circle, with what looked like incredible wings in it. She had never seen anything so amazing and unique. "Wow! Syaoran, isn't this incredible! And you're so lucky, you get to work with this scenery every day!" Although they were stuck in a room with nothing but plain, sandy walls and the symbol on the floor, Sakura thought it was pretty fantastic. She heard a thump beside her, along with the flapping of pages. She turned to Syaoran, with eyes glazed over in direction of the wings.
He mumbled, almost so quietly that Sakura could not hear, "I've seen this before..."
Sakura looked at him, surprise in her voice, "Eh?"
Syaoran walked slowly, carefully, until he was standing directly in the center of the symbol, then dropped to his knees and placed his hands on the ground. The symbol shined brightly beneath him, and the area began to shake as if an earthquake had began to strike. "What's going on?" Sakura shouted, panicked. She turned towards the staircase, then back to Syaoran. He was now floating slowly into a circular opening where the symbol once was. Sakura braced herself from the eerie wind that rushed from the entrance, as well as small rocks tumbling down from the ceiling, and threw out her hand, "Syaoran!", which could not reach him.
At the sound of her voice, he turned his head to her slightly, with the same glazed expression.
***
Meanwhile, outside the ruins, King Toya, Priest Yukito, and the other workers were trying to fight off strange men that seemed to appear from thin air. "There's something going on below!" Yukito exclaimed.
The king kept fighting off the intruders, "Where did these men come from?"
***
Inside, Sakura had fled the previous room, searching frantically for Syaoran, screaming, "Syaoran! Syaoran, where are you?" She ran to multiple different locations inside the ruins, when she finally came upon a room with the same symbol she saw before, except it was on the wall now, and Syaoran was floating in the center of it. "What the-"
She noticed a large peice of the crew's equipment was close to him, so she began climbing it, slowly, struggling to get to the top. "Syaoran! Syaoran!" She shouted. He never moved or turned his gaze. He looked lifeless, or like a puppet. "What's going-?" Wings suddenly sprouted from Syaoran's back. The same wings in the symbol behind him. Syaoran finally budged, moving his body as if he were about to become enclosed within the wings, and the wings swayed towards him, then away, as if contemplating.
***
A mysterious monocled man watches the scene with a satisfied smile on his face, "The power to pass through space and time. And that which points the way are the wings, the "Tsubasa"! He points a finger, motioning for something to occur, "And now, that power is reborn!"
***
As Sakura finally struggled to the top of the excavation equipment, the wall behind Syaoran liquified, grabbing hold of him and sucking him into it. Syaoran stared ahead blankly, not at all affected by this strange phenomena. Sakura leaped towards him, throwing her arms around his neck and squeezing her eyes shut, "Syaoran, No!"
Luckily, inertia, along with Sakura's weight, brought Syaoran out of the goo and they tumbled to the ground. Sakura winced slightly from the drop, looking to Syaoran to see if he was alright. Instead of seeing the smiling Syaoran she wanted to, she saw his wings shattering to peices and flying off rapidly to the sky, scattering.
The ceiling crumbled further, increasing the shaking. "Syaoran! Syaoran!" Sakura shook Syaoran, careful not to do it wildly, trying to wake him. He placed her hands on his cheeks, gasping, "His body...it's getting colder and colder!" She struggled to pick him up and carry him, having to move slowly with the added weight on her back. "I have to get him outside!"
***
The man with the monocle watched his failure with an evil smile plastered upon his face. A woman next to him watched as well, "It didn't work, did it?"
"Perhaps," He replied, "but this is the beginning. And when it's done, I will have a power that spans universes!"
***
Sakura panted heavily, exhausted of the event that just occured, and Syaoran's weight pushing her to the ground. She glanced around the surrounding area in horror, dead men and their blood scattered about. Toya stood in front of her, not wanting to show weakness to his dear little sister, "You're late, Sakura. Did you get hurt?" Toya dropped to the ground, wincing in pain.
"Your Majesty!" Yukito shouted as he ran to his side. "He was hit with the poisoned tip of an enemy arrow!" He explained.
Sakura panicked, "Will he be alright?"
Yukito gritted his teeth,"I will never allow him to die!" He whipped his head up to Sakura and Syaoran, "What's wrong with Syaoran?"
Sakura lowered Syaoran to the ground, trying to explain what happened to the priest, "There was a strange relief below the ruins..." She now held him as his body rested on her lap.
The priest touched Sakura's forehead gently, hesitating, then stating, "I've read your memory. Syaoran's wings have taken flight." Sakura could see him starting to sweat.
"What?"
Yukito closed his eyes as if trying to calm himself, "The wings and Syaoran's hearts are one."
"His...heart? I don't understand..."
Yukito continued, "All of Syaoran's memories from the moment of his birth to now have vanished. And, his heart is nowhere to be found on this world!"
"How can that-"
"Without his heart, his body is nothing more than an empty shell. He can't stay this way, or he'll..."
Sakura held back the urge to cry, "Is there something, anything, I can do for him? Anything?
Yukito glanced back to his king, clenching his fists, then turning back to the princess and Syaoran. He knew Sakura would want to save Syaoran, no matter how much the king disliked him. He held out his hand, a staff magically appearing, "There isn't a moment to lose! And I'll take responsibility for what happens!" He began to perform his magic, "I will send you to see someone in another world. Someone who, like me, carries the power of the moon."
Sakura rushed her response, "Who is that person? What should I do when we meet?"
Yukito stated, as a circle of magic appeared under the princess and Syaoran, "She is called the Time-Space Witch! You will tell her everything, and you will beg her to help Syaoran!" A glob of goo came from the magic circle then, surrounding Syaoran and Sakura, and they began racing through dimensions to find the Witch. Sakura tightened her arms around Syaoran's neck as his body floated lifelessly backwards. Syaoran! She looked forward with a determined look in her eyes. What were you going to tell me before this happened?
***
Himawari glanced up at the sky, noticing that there was a lump in it, then it stretched out until it hit the grass below, a young boy and girl emerging from it. The girl glanced around quickly, then focused her gaze on Yuuko. She looked like she had been damaged, and was in a panic. "Are you...are you the Space-Time Witch?" She shouted, although the heavy rain muffled it slightly.
Yuuko calmly replied, "I have been called that."
The girl then raised her voice more, sounding desperate and frightened, "Would you please...I need to save Syaoran!"
***
In the country of Japan, A blond, highly skilled ninja fights of intruders, keeping them at a distance from the castle. He laughed with satisfaction, "Ha ha ha! Aw, how boring! You're all so weak!" Surrounding him were dozens of dead assassins. "Sorry, gentlemen. But, you weren't strong enough to defeat me!" He smiled joyfully, "Why can't they send someone I can fight against?"
"Once again, you didn't do what I asked, did you, Fay?" A young girl's voice emerged from behind him.
"Princess?" He smiled brighter as he backflipped off the roof of a building, twisting in midair, and landing to face his princess. He began to cross a bridge to her as he spoke, "Well, every weakling that tried to sneak inside Shirasaki Castle has been taken care of. Why are you complaining?"
"I asked you to avoid unnecessary death, weren't those my words?"
"Yes, but one of the first rules for ninja is to cut down those who attack you, Princess Tomoyo." Fay replied, his smile not waining as he strolled across the bridge.
"I have never heard such a rule." The princess placed her hands on her cheeks in disappointment.
"Aaaaaw! Can't you just thank me, Tomoyo?" Fay placed a hand out beside him.
"Fay! How can you be so rude to her-highness?" Chii sighed.
Tomoyo smiled down at Chii, kneeling beside her, "No, don't bother Chii." Tomoyo sighed as well, "With such loyal, good ninja as Chii, why are there also such ninja as you, Fay?"
Fay rested his sword on his shoulder, "Guess there have to be good ones and bad ones." He glanced at his princess, stating, "Look, I want to be better than I am! I want to be the best! That's why I fight for you. And if my enemy lives or dies in the process, it's none of my concern!"
"True." Tomoyo lowered her gaze, "There are none in the Country of Japan who are stronger than you." She now lifted her hands, attaching them, and began to perform her magic, "So...we have no choice left."
"Eh?" A symbol formed in front of Tomoyo, starting to blow Fay back. His smiled faded slightly as he shouted, "What's going on?" The princess moved her hands in a different position and some type of goo-like substance pushed Fay back, "Whooa!", then started engulfing him.
"In the old days, they always said that the bad ones must journey to get better." Tomoyo giggled.
"They never said that!" Fay smiled with glee.
"So now I'll send you flying to another world."
"What if I don't want to fly?"
Tomoyo closed her eyes, remaining calm, "You will meet a great many new people. It is those experiences that will help you learn the true meaning of strength." Tomoyo began to fake tear, clasping her hands together, "And to that end, although it pains me greatly, I will see you off."
"You're not seeing me off, you're forcing me off!" Fay kept a jolly tone and matching smile.
"Ah, I nearly forgot." Tomoyo moved her hands once more, a different symbol appearing and engraving itself in Fay's head.
Fay exclaimed, "Now, what's this!"
"A curse. From this moment on, unnecessary death will be forbidden to you. For each person you kill, your strength will lessen. I suggest you take care." The princess flashed him a satisfied smile.
"Isn't that just a little rude, Tomoyo?" Fay's mirthful smile turned, slowly, into a smug grin.
Tomoyo giggled, "Farewell. And if fate allows it, we'll meet again."
Behind her, Chii shouted, "How dare you address her-highness that way!"
The goo engulfed his head, going after his remaining arm next. "Please be well on your journey, Fay!" Tomoyo finished.
"Just don't forget, I will return one day!" With that, Fay was gone, and traveling through space-time.
Chii glanced at Princess Tomoyo nervously, "You highness...umm...Fay..."
She answered simply, "I sent him to "that person." I'm sure a good future will be arranged for him. His journey has just begun."
***
In the country of Seresu, all is silent. Wind blows through spires freely, causing them to moan. All over the country lay dead men, women, and children. Although, inside the castle, a hand comes out of water, girpping the solid edges, then the body of a black-haired man shoots out, a strange crest upon his back. He gets out of the pool, pulling his shirt on. As he pulled on a coat lined with fur, a girl next to him asks, "Did you sleep? My king?"
"Yes. This is the only way I can." He replied, scornfully.
"What will you do know, Kurogane?"
He smiled at her, then said, "I can't stay in this country any longer." He looked up, "Maybe not even this world, huh?" He mumbled "What a pain." while closing his eyes and flashing an annoyed expression.
The girl asked, "World? Which world?"
"I've got a pretty good idea." The girl hesitated, understanding and not. Kurogane put a hand on her head to humor her, "Don't think anything of it, Soma." He frowned. "Crap. I'm almost out of time already." He slipped on yet another coat, "I have to go now."
"To where?" Soma thought she knew, but wasn't certain.
"Someplace that's real far away from here. As far as I can go." They looked into the pool, and inside, sunk at the very bottom, there was a man sleeping in what looked like a crystalline coffin, "Some place with no King Ashura." He scowled down at him. "But I need a favor done, Soma." Kurogane summoned with his hand, a tall, magic staff.
"What is it?" She sounded curious.
"I want you to warn me if the king awakens. So I'm going to change you for that matter." Kurogane told her, not taking no for an answer.
"Alright, that's fine. Since Kurogane made Soma."
The center of the ornaments on the staff glowed with blinding light, and Soma's body was stretched out in order to cover the pool. Kurogane stood on a ledge over the pool, "At least, while you're asleep, get some good rest in." He didn't smile. His scowl didn't budge.
He put the bottom end of his staff up, then wrote a spell in his coutry's language in a circle around him. As the magic turn into slurpy goo, engulfing him and sending him through dimensions, he said, "Alright. Time to go, to see the witch!" Then he was gone, leaving not a thing stirring in the freezing country, and leaving a changed Soma behind to guard the pool to give an alert when the King Ashura awakens.
***
Back at Yuuko's shop, the rain is still pouring heavily. Yuuko began talking to Sakura about the event that just occured with her and Syaoran. "This child's name is Syaoran, isn't it?"
"Yes!" Sakura replied.
"And you?"
"I am Princess Sakura, of the Kingdom of Clow." Sakura answered maturely.
Yuuko lightly touched the tip of her fingers to Syaoran's forehead, kneeling to the ground, "This child, has lost something very precious."
"...Yes."
"And that something has been scattered to many different worlds." The witch's eyebrows created a slight inwards slope, giving the impression that she cared for these two children. "If nothing is done, this child will die."
Sakura wrapped her arms tightly around Syaoran's head, fighting tears that threaten to gush down her cheeks. She lightened her grip as Yuuko turned to Himawari, and Sakura turned to her as well, "Himawari?"
"Yes?" She replied with cheer.
"Go to our treasure room, there is something I need you to bring back." To girls, one with short pink hair, and another with long blue hair, took Himawari's hands and they walked off, out of sight, to retrieve what Yuuko desired.
Yuuko and Sakura turned back to each other, "You wish to save this child?"
"Yes!" Sakura shouted.
Yuuko's eyes lowered, "There is a price. Are you still willing?"
Sakura looked to her with desperation in her eyes, "I will pay any price I can!"
Yuuko calmly raised her gaze to the sky, and Sakura gasped, whipping her head up. "Here they come." Yuuko smiled. Sakura tightened her grip on Syaoran protectively, and beside her, the sky and ground stretched out, as when Sakura and Syaoran arrived, and out came two very different-looking men. Sakura looked to them both with surprised eyes. To her left, there was a blond holding a sword on his shoulder. He was dressed in all black, with some red, and in a position that made him look ninja like.
To her right, there was a black-haired man holding a long, beautifully crafted staff. It almost looked magical to her. He wore black boots, and two coats with faux fur lining them. With the intriguing patterns all over his clothes, he looked like a wizard.
The wizard spoke first, then the ninja imediately after, "Are you the dimension which?"
"Um, who are you?" He said with a bright smile. The wizard threw him a glare, and the ninja stood, looking up at him, then he began looking around.
Yuuko put out her hand in a gesture, "Please give me your names first."
"The ninja, Fay. I mean...what is this place?" He took a bow, then muttered after, "Such strange buildings in this place..."
"It's called Japan." Yuuko answered.
Fay gave Yuuko a confused look, "Eh? My country's called Japan, too."
Yuuko grinned, "Yes. A different Japan."
Fay smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, but I'm not getting any of this! Not one bit!"
"And you?" Yuuko turned to the grumpy wizard.
"Me? I'm Kurogane, Wizard of Seresu."
Yuuko no longer smiled, "Do you know where you are?"
Kurogane answered matter-of-factly, "Yes, a place where any wish can be granted if a suitable price is paid."
"That's exactly it." Yuuko turned her attention to the whole group now, "And so, the reason why all of you are here is because each of you has a wish."
Kurogane and Fay spoke together, a very similar wish, "My home world,"
"Is where I want to be!"
"Is where I do not want to be!" Kurogane spoke of never returning. He scowled at Fay, who looked at him curiously.
Yuuko put a finger to her chin, in thought, "That is a tall order for both of you. No, for all three of you perhaps." Kurogane and Fay lowered their gaze, and Sakura kept her eyes locked on Yuuko, her eyes looking disappointed. "Even if you offered the most precious things you own, none of you has enough to pay," Sakura looked at Syaoran and fought more tears, "but, if all three paid together, you may just be able to afford it." Sakura shot her head up at Yuko with a shocked expression.
Fay smiled, "I'm still not following any of this." He turned to Kurogane, "Care to explain, ?"
Kurogane roared back, "I'm not ' '! I'm Kurogane!" Fay looked away innocently.
"All three of your wishes are the same." Yuuko began. She looked to Sakura, "You want to go to many worlds in order to restore the memory of this child." She turned to Fay, "You want to return to your own world." And last, Kurogane, "You want to go to different worlds to avoid returning to your own." She looked over them all, "You have different reasons, but the method is the same. Travel to different dimensions...that is what you need."
Yuuko placed a hand on her hip, "Each of you individually cannot make that wish happen. However, if the three of you combine payment for one wish, then you can afford it."
Fay spoke up first, "What might my payment be?"
"Your sword."
"Umm...I don't suppose something else will do?"
"I told you, the price is the thing you value the most."
Fay placed the sword in his sheath, surrendering, "I guess I have no choice." He handed it to the witch, which kept it floating to her right.
She turned to Kurogane, "You're price is you're marking."
Kurogane glared at her, "I'd never give away that marking! I'll give you the staff, how's that?"
"If you want to travel dimensions to escape from your home world, then that is your price."
"I would do it!" Fay intervened, grinning.
Kurogane let his head fall, leaning forward slightly as the marking was magically coming off of him, floating to Yuko's left. "Dammit! Just remember, I'll be coming back for it!."
Yuko looked down to Sakura, "What about you? Now is the time to hand over your item of highest value." Sakura looked to an unconcious Syaoran, carressing his cheek, and letting a few strands of his hair fall on her fingers. "And you will be able to travel the worlds."
Sakura looked up, "Fine!"
Yuko didn't falter, "You realize that I haven't named the price yet."
"Yes!" Sakura's eyes lowered.
"The only thing I can do is send you to other worlds. Finding the child's memories is something you have to do." Syaoran lay in Sakura's lap, unconcious, his eyes closed, his breathing frozen, his life slowly slipping away.
"...Fine!" Sakura shot her a ready gaze. Her grip tightened slightly.
Yuko smirked, "I like your attitude."
"Hm? There's more of you?" Himawari strolled down the steps next to Yuko, holding a white and a black creature in her hands. The blue haired girl held the sword, and the pink held the tattoo.
Yuko retrieved the white creature from Himawari, smiling, "The name of this young one is Mokona Modoki." The black Mokona perked up and waved to it, as if saying, "Goodbye!", "Mokona will lead you through the worlds."
Fay put a hand out to Himawari, "You seem to have an extra. May I have it? I can use it to go home."
"No. That's how we keep in contact. See how useful?" Yuko pointed to the Mokona's back and forth, "The only power this one has is to stay in communication with Mokona." Fai looked slightly unhappy.
Yuko's tone reverted back to serious, "Mokona will take you to different dimensions, but there is no way to control which dimension. For that reason, only fate will decide when your wishes will be granted." She held Mokona out a little further, transferring it slowly to her right hand, "However, there is no coincidence in this world. What is there is "Hitsuzen."
As the group stared at Mokona, it seemed to glimmer with a magical aura around it. Altough, they remained attentive to Yuko's words, "And what brought you together, was also "Hitsuzen."
Yuko turned her attention to Sakura, "Sakura, your price is your relationship." She motioned her left hand at Syaoran, "The thing you value the most is you relationship with him. So that is your price."
"My price?" Sakura looked astonished, "But how-"
"Even if this child's memories are completely restored," Yuko interrupted, "your relationship with him will never be the same again." An image of the unconcious Syaoran surrounded by a few of his memory feathers entered Sakura's mind for a split second. "So what is he, to you?"
Sakura looked down at Syaoran's wet face, thinking, images of Syaoran filling her head. Then closed her eyes, "A childhood friend, and a wonderful archeologist, and...and a boy who is precious to me!" Her hands squeezed his shoulder and arm.
"...I see. However, if you accept Mokona, that relationship will end." Sakura shot her head to Yuko, taken aback by her statement, then held a sad gaze as she sank her head to look at a rain-soaked Syaoran. "Even if you retrieve all of his memories, the one memory that you will never return will be his memory of you." Fay, but not Kurogane, looked slightly baffled. "That is my price. Will you still pay it?"
Sakura's head lowered, a shadow over her eyes, "Let's go." She stared Yuko straight in the face with determined eyes, "I will not let Syaoran die!"
***
Yuko pushed Mokona away from her, "Travel between worlds is more difficult than you imagine. There are a wide variety of worlds. For example," she looked towards a smiling ninja and frowning wizard, "the worlds these two come from." She turned to Sakura, "You can tell from their clothes, can't you? Both of them come from different worlds than yours."
"People you know. People you've never met on your world, they've developed under completely different conditions on other worlds. You may meet different versions of the same person time after time on different worlds. And just because that person is nice to you on one world doesn't mean you will find an ally on the next."
As Yuko spoke, the image of Syaoran's memory feathers flying into the sky crossed Sakura's mind. Yuko continued, "You'll find worlds where you can't communicate-where even common sense doesn't work. Scientific development, standard of living, laws...all change with the world. There are worlds full of criminals, worlds of liars, worlds locked in constant wars...and you must live through them all. It will be a journey in which you won't know where you are nor how close you are to collecting all of the fractured peices of memory."
Yuko smiled, hoping Sakura had not lost even a sliver of her will to save Syaoran, "That said, are you still determined to see it through?"
Sakura's determination in her eyes never faltered, "...Yes!" She had to take a moment to think about this decision, a thought echoing in her head, But...how will I be a lot of help to Syaoran, when I'm blind in my left eye?
Yuko held Mokona out and the wind began to gather and swirl around it, "Sincerity and determination...no matter what a person wants to attempt, those are needed. And it seems you are well provided with both." Mokona floated out Yuko's hand and in front of her, her magic circle appeared below it, "And so...," Wings burst out of Mokona's back, "You may go!" Mokona opened it's mouth, rather wide for it's size, and a strong gust of wind pulled the group into it's mouth. Sakura gasped loudly, and the entire group of soon-to-be travelers were sucked into Mokona's orifice, all of them bewildered by this magical creature and one of it's many abilities.
Once they were all gone, Mokona shut it's jaws, and vanished, the five now traveling inbetween dimensions, taking the first step into their odyssey.
The pouring rain slowed, until it finally came to an end, the nearby plants occasionally dripping the previously falling rain. Yuko gazed up at the sky, a confident smile for the future. The clouded sky cleared, and bright, almost heavenly light spilled onto the shop. Himawari and the two young servant girls stared at the sky with Yuko, as she spoke, "I wish you three the best of fortune in your journey!" And Yuko's last words echoed in the glimmering sky, and faded along with the fated meeting and new beginning of all those involved, but the ties between them would eternally remain.