Son of the Living Maiden

Chapter 1

Yuuko is rarely surprised. She becomes scared even less. She was the Dimension Witch, with great power and authority, and often those who come to her domain were in awe of her instead of the other way around.

But this visitor was different.

" I thought you were dead." She blurted out. It showed just how shocked she was. Such a greeting was not the most courteous, but she could not help it.

" In a sense." The visitor replied. " I did not actually die, but then I am not sure how I should refer to it. I guess you can say I died, for our purposes."

Yuuko was speechless. " Then how?"

Her visitor smiled. " You would not understand. In your little corner of the world, the rules are rather restricted." She looked around. " I have always hated Japan. Whenever something goes wrong you are sure to track the source to Japan." She tilted her head. " Well, Yuuko-san? Will you not invite me to tea?"

Yuuko hesitated.

" Come in, Sorceress."

oO

" Things apparently went awry for Clow Reed, then." The Sorceress murmured. " And now this section is in turmoil."

" Will you interfere?" Yuuko asked doubtfully.

" Of course I will. Why else would I be here?"

" But you said long ago you will never interfere again after that disaster with the Great Sorcerer."

" Indeed. But times change, and the child is important."

" How so?" Yuuko asked.

The Sorceress leaned back. " Do you know the story of my son?" She asked.

Yuuko hesitated. She was not sure how this was related. " Your son, Shaun, was a drow that you adopted…he used to be Buck, and supposed to be your bane…but you raised him and renamed him Shaun and started a new life for him…"

" There is no such thing as fate." The Sorceress closed her fists firmly, but not tensely. " However, in your part of the universe, fate seems to exist, and that is enough. Yet never could I predict that the coincidences can be so ironic. Shaun was lost and I found him. I gave him my love even though I thought I had none left. He became my world and I became his. We were both young. We thought we had more time.

' But when the Great Sorcerer rose to power for a second go, I was called upon to save the universe by the guardians, the Amadi. I handed Shaun to their care while I battled the Sorcerer. I made them promise that should I meet my demise, they will raise Shaun to all of his potential, life and otherwise. In the end I won. I thought I would return to Shaun, and we will resume our life. I thought if I die it would be by the Sorcerer's hand."

" Who killed you?" Yuuko asked. " If it was not the Great Sorcerer."

" It was the Amadi." The Sorceress smiled wryly. " I should have known, should have expected. Too many real gods would mean trouble in the end, but I had been naïve. I thought only for Shaun, for the desire to return to him. The Amadi were not evil. They simply did what they felt was best. But I did not really die, not really. One does not die by the Amadi. They…disappear. But that is another story all together.

' The point is that the Amadi tried their best to make up for their betrayal by nurturing my son. The problem was that as soon as he realized I was dead, he quickly inferred that it was the Amadi who killed me. When he did, and when he realized the Amadi were in charge of him, his soul died and his body failed along with it. So the Amadi failed in their promise. Shaun did not live to his life's potential. He died too young, and his abilities still immature."

Yuuko drank her tea, troubled. " So what made you wait so long to return?"

" I came back some time ago, though I did not visit you immediately. I knew you were taking after the Dream Witch, what with your fulfilling wishes for a price, but in the past you were not really that good at it, so you did not learn all the secrets of the universe that I needed you to know. You would not have recognized me as you have today, for one. So I first waited for you to slowly learn." The Sorceress peered out the window. " But then when you did learn, I had to wait for Syaoran."

" Syaoran?"

" Shaun did not remember anything about his past before he met me." The Sorceress replied. " His life started when I came into it. With Syaoran, his life started when Fujitaka took charge of him. And as with Shaun, his parental guardian left too soon. I would not have noticed this parallel, however, had he not come to you for aid. What was this being that kept crossing worlds, in the area of the universe where few had the ability to cross? So I looked into it. And behold, there was Syaoran, and lo! There was Shaun's soul gleaming brightly like the Forces that created all worlds. But it was only half!"

" His heart." Yuuko realized. " The clone."

" So of course, I began to wonder. A clone? What is this? So I looked into the story of gathering feathers, and the various meddling you mortals have been doing." She took another sip of her tea. " I am getting a little annoyed at Reed. I think if he keeps this up much longer, I shall kill him. Especially as Syaoran has the power of Shaun, and that power will wake soon."

" Which Syaoran has the power of Shaun?" Yuuko asked.

" Syaoran gave half his heart to the clone. Often that means little, in terms of magic, but until the clone is destroyed both will probably carry equal burden."

Yuuko gasped. " You don't mean—"

" However," The Sorceress replied, " The clone Syaoran has only one motive. It will therefore make it impossible for him to utilize all of his power. In this case, the real Syaoran will be more than his match." She set the cup down. Her eyes were hard as she scrutinized the witch. " You should not have taken her memories of him."

Aware of the reproach, Yuuko swallowed thickly. " I needed the price."

" No you did not." The Sorceress's eyes flashed, but otherwise she was calm. " Her lack of memory hindered many things. You may have required something of great expense, but not that. Why did you ask for their relationship? Do you intend on having one with Sakura? But I do not recall hearing anything about you replacing Syaoran in any of the memories!"

Yuuko trembled. The Sorceress's eyes fixed on her for a moment, before releasing her.

" Alas, the damage is done," The Sorceress leaned back, " And you did what you thought was best."

Yuuko closed her eyes at the reprimand. A tear dropped from her eye and fell to her hands, folded loosely on her lap.

" Of course," The Sorceress went on more gently, " This cannot all be blamed on you. There is still that Reed to take care of, and Seishirou, all these puny mortals that are becoming more and more troublesome as time goes on. Eventually, the Amadi themselves may wipe them out, but then they might destroy my son." She looked at Yuuko. " Come." She said tenderly. " Dry your eyes. All is not lost yet."

Yuuko swallowed again and nodded.

" You will…" Her voice wavered, " You will have me returned…them?" She asked, referring to the memories.

" Tempting." The Sorceress replied, " However, I shall use the current situation to my advantage. Sakura is Syaoran's most precious person. Syaoran, the clone. But the heart that loved Sakura has now returned to the original bearer. He loves Sakura immensely, and I as a mother will not forbid that. However, as of now Syaoran only has the magic from his ancestor, Clow Reed. When Shaun's powers wake within him, he will no longer be able to form the attachments your so-called Destiny intends. I shall wait and see. If all is lost between them I will take Syaoran away from these lands and bring him to his rightful place in the universe. If they follow the rules and find each other again, I will bind his powers for this lifetime."

" What of the clone?"

" The clone…" The Sorceress looked out. " The clone ate the wizard's eye. I shall have to get it back."

" How?"

" Anything can be made." The Sorceress replied. " Anything can be unmade. And anything can be remade. The wizard shall remain a wizard. What I am more concerned about," She fell silent.

Yuuko understood though. " You are afraid of intervening."

The Sorceress looked at her. " Passive existence and useless power. But my existence in this form ended long ago. I am not afraid of intervention, so much as what will happen to my son." She lowered her head. " I had failed him last time, and he paid the price. And now, I hear his call, his call to me. I wonder what the future holds for him. The ideal answer would be for Sakura to understand. She has a pure heart, but she is too good to understand the utter vastness of the universe."

" You wish for him to be with her and keep Shaun's powers."

" If he loses either he loses part of himself. I wish the best answer, and hope for the best possible one."

" Sakura is a good girl."

" That is my point." The Sorceress replied. " How would she understand when Syaoran has to remain idle, as someone else suffers? How would he understand why, when someone precious to him is ailing, he cannot fight for them? The strength required to fight for a desire is strong, but at the same time human nature veers toward it. It takes even greater strength to deny willingly a desire, to give up the fight, to let things be. Human's need for control serves them well, but once Syaoran grows into his powers, he will no longer be human." She closed her eyes. " He will be God."

Yuuko swallowed. " God." She had to repeat it. " Kami. The spirit that guides us."

" No. The one that can do anything." The Sorceress replied. " You would like to think of God as guiding you, do you not?"

Yuuko was silent.

" It may be the case for specific gods in specific realms. But Syaoran's existence will encompass the entire universe. He cannot be so grand while focusing on a mortal girl. Hence the dilemma. And yet, Syaoran's very happiness stems from that attachment. And as one who never knew such love, I cannot trust myself to make the right decision. Yet decide I must. He cannot relinquish his own power, without something or someone to accept it."

" You are willing to accept his powers?"

" Not really. But what choice would I have?"

Yuuko closed her eyes as the Sorceress's steady gaze fixed on her again.

" Do me a favor."

She really should not say it. " There is a price with every wish." She said, almost robotically.

The Sorceress smiled, but her eyes were hard. " Kill Reed for me." She said. " And as for the price," She rose from the table and from thin air a glow emitted and fell into her hand. It was an intricate seal. Yuuko paled.

" This seal was meant to be inherited by Shaun, but he never lived long enough to receive it." The Sorceress went on, unfazed by Yuuko's change in complexion. " With Shaun's soul in Syaoran's body, I will pass this down to him instead, whether or not he possesses his powers." She paused. " Take out your hand, Yuuko."

Trembling horribly, Yuuko slowly reached out. She had to close her eyes as she felt the cold imprint on her palm, and the shock of magic coursing through her until she no longer remembered who she was.

" Your price is life." She dimly heard the Sorceress say. " None will kill you without my permission. None can touch you without my permission. And when this seal passes down to Syaoran, your fate will rest in his hands. Unless he says, you will live, live until he dies, which will be a while yet."

Yuuko passed out. When she came to, she could hear Mokona calling her, but she could not bring herself to look at the creature. The guest was gone, and probably had been for a long time, but she could not even think of that. She could only stare at the palm of her hand—the mark of the Sorceress.

oO

The clone followed the feather through the wind and the sands. Using Fye's magic it flew through the air. The feather twirled innocently, always just out of reach, but it cannot escape the clone for long.

The clone could not feel the pain shooting into its broken arm, nor could it feel the hot sun burning down, or the sand that scraped against its eyes. It only had one thing on its mind, and it was the feather. The feather had taken over his whole being. It will not stop. It cannot stop.

Suddenly, the feather halted. The clone slowed, floating in the sky, eyes dull but intent on the feather and the hand that held it. The eyes quickly followed the limb up to the hooded face.

Without a word, the clone lunged.

The hand did not waver. Instead, the feather glowed, and it seemed to the clone to be calling. Then it began to change shape, so that the softness became spiked steel. It plunged straight through its mouth and through the back of its head.

A flash, and the clone hung limp. Its body then dissolved into nothing.

The weapon changed back into the feather. The hand let it go, and it disappeared in a soft glow.

oO

Syaoran suddenly fell, body folding sideways into Kurogane, who caught him. Breaking out into cold sweat, he lay there trembling, unable to move.

" Gaki!" Kurogane hissed. " What's wrong with you?"

" Syaoran-kun?" Fye knelt down, concerned.

Syaoran tried to open his mouth but found that he could barely even breathe. He could only look at the wizard with panicked eyes.

" Easy now," Kurogane's grip was firm on his shoulders. " Deep breaths, come on,"

Syaoran inhaled shakily, but could not exhale.

" Syaoran!" Fye grabbed his arms. " Breathe out!"

And then the spell was over. Syaoran exhaled with a puff and began coughing.

Kurogane held him steady as Syaoran recovered.

" What happened back there?" Fye asked.

Syaoran shook his head. " Something…Something—" What? Bad? Evil? " Big is coming."

" How do you know?" Kurogane asked. " And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

" I…" Syaoran shook his head, trying to clear it. " Something big is coming."

And then his mind seemed to lock into place and he could no longer respond to the outside world.