This chapter features a partial glimpse of song lyrics I've written myself. Even though they may not be featured in a song any time soon, don't take them. I've titled it "My Memory". It is loosely based on the main theme song for a Korean drama called "Winter Sonata" sung by Ryu Shi Won.

Six years later…

A young woman of sixteen smoothed out the wide, white frilled band over her honey-blonde locks as she walked through the halls of the castle. Her palms slid back over the white apron of her black uniform as she paused in her steps, glancing up at the two burly men in the castle guard uniform before her. She smiled faintly, glancing at the shimmering plate mail with the crest of the Mei clan emblazoned on the chest in gold.

"Tomoyo—I mean, Daidouji-sama is here again? She is very persistent, isn't she?" Sakura laughed. "Even when we were young, she would never give up in hide-and-seek until she found me all by herself."

They were silent. "Locking me up in my room again until company's gone?" she continued, knowing the drill. "Then, please, let's hurry before Tomoyo sees me." She continued on her path to the servants' quarters.


The Princess Tomoyo of the Daidouji Kingdom was most displeased. The amethyst eyes that were a sign of the Daidouji blood were flashing dangerously.

"For the last time, where is the princess Sakura?" she growled at Meilin, who was merely allowing her hair to be brushed the daily thousand strokes by Chiharu.

"She was never worthy of your presence, oh gracious one," came the lilting voice of Xiao-Mei. She stepped out from the drapes behind the throne in a new regal crown of glittering diamonds set in her ink-black hair that was piled majestically over her head.

"A princess, unworthy of me, your Majesty?" Tomoyo smiled, although it did not extend to her eyes. "Surely your flattery exceeds itself."

"No, Princess, I speak only truth, although on behalf of the Mei Kingdom, we are honored with your visit. Please understand that she was an orphan, and we were gracious enough to adopt her into our household. But she declined to stay, and left in search of her brother many years ago. I have also told you each time that Sakura is no longer worthy of the title 'princess', yet—"

"Yet each time," Tomoyo politely cut in, "I remind you that no matter what you call her, she is still the Princess Sakura of the Clow Kingdom in my eyes, and I know she would not have left this kingdom without alerting me first. I know she is being held prisoner here and demand to speak to her."

"I promise that Sakura is no longer here, young Princess. Perhaps it is also in your best interests that Meilin, the only Princess of the Mei Kingdom, formerly known as the Clow Kingdom, become your new playmate."

Tomoyo's eyes narrowed; she heard the hint of the veiled threat, and she was vulnerable in the Mei territory if she was regarded as an enemy. Without another word, she left the throne room in a whirl of sapphire silks, making sure the heels of her shoes clicked angrily on the marbled floor.

Outside of the castle gates, Tomoyo turned to the attendant on her left and spoke softly. "Kurogane, go as an ambassador to the Li kingdom. War is not my specialty, but I will employ the strongest forces in Asia to get Sakura free."

"Yes Princess," the dark warrior said as he bowed before charging on his stallion, leaving Tomoyo to board her carriage with the other attendants.


Li Kingdom

"He has been in your ranks since six years ago, Your Majesty," Yamazaki, the Court Minister said. "He is only known as Hou, written with the Chinese character of phoenix. There is no information available on his biography. Since serving for you, he has earned his reputation as a skilled fighter and master strategist."

Syaoran stroked his chin as he sat on his throne, quiet in thought.

"I will consider his promotion to general then, Yamazaki. But I want to see him first. Bring him to me."
"Yes, your highness." Yamazaki motioned to the guards at the entrance. "Let him enter."

The large mahogany doors creaked open as a young man dressed in black steel marched through. The steel toes of his leather boots echoed against the high walls of the throne room, and continued to sound until there was a rustle of leather cloak and clink of steel sword as he set down on one knee before the king.

"Your highness?" he said, resting his right arm over his bent knee.
"Are you Hou?" Syaoran asked, glancing over the man.
"Yes, your highness."
"Where are you from? The records do not indicate you as being a citizen of the Li country." Syaoran flipped through several papers on the nearby desk as he walked around.
"I am from the Clow country, your majesty."

Syaoran nodded, tilting his head back in thought. "Six years ago, the emperor of the Clow died. Its name has been changed to suit the new empress, the Mei Kingdom. Were you not aware of it?"
After a pause, his voice held a note of forced calm. "No, your majesty, I was not aware of it. I have been training in camps and battling in the ranks."

Syaoran's sharp eyes caught Hou's fist visibly tightening, but continued his interrogation.

"You live with a brother who bears no familial resemblance to you. His name is…" Syaoran glanced at a piece of paper in his hand. "Yukito?"
"He prefers to be known as Tsukishiro, your highness." Hou's voice was trembling, as though it were harder to control.

Syaoran nodded, and suddenly pulled out his sword with a chilling ring of metal sliding against the scabbard. Syaoran swung the blade high and sliced it down, the edge of the blade abruptly stopped precisely on the side of his neck exposed under the protective armor Hou wore; Hou had not moved an inch. Syaoran chuckled, and tapped the flat of the blade on Hou's other shoulder.

"I like your courage. Or were you too scared to move?" Syaoran grinned as he replaced the sword at his hip.
"It is a soldier's duty to lay down his life for his king, even at the hands of the ruler himself."

Syaoran smiled at the answer. "And you also must have known that I would not be so foolish as to murder a valuable asset to our kingdom."
Hou was silent. "Surely you realize you are the best among the ranks?" Syaoran prodded.
"I am grateful for your subjective opinion, your highness."

Syaoran laughed and clapped a hand on Hou's shoulder. "Arise, for you are now my head general. Hopefully you will prove to be a loyal confidante. The floor is no place for your knees anymore, friend." His hand was extended to Hou, who slowly stood up and shook it.

Another attendant whispered into Yamazaki's ear. After an alarmed gaze, Yamazaki turned to Syaoran.

"What is it?" Syaoran could already sense something was happening.
"Your Majesty, a representative of the Daidouji kingdom is here. He requests to speak to you regarding a matter of utmost urgency."
Syaoran waved his hand. "Show him in then."

The doors opened once more and a man similarly dressed in black steel and a headband bearing the Daidouji seal entered. He knelt before Syaoran.

"On behalf of the Daidouji lands, I come to request your aid in a war, your highness."

Syaoran raised an eyebrow with interest. "It is to my knowledge that the Daidoujis are a peaceful people. Why the sudden interest in war?"

"It is a rescue mission, your highness. When the princess's childhood friend is endangered, even her patience is not to be toyed with," Kurogane replied.

"Princess Tomoyo is requesting this? Yes, I suppose even a mother rabbit will unleash her fury when her young are endangered." Syaoran mused. "Who is the friend?"

"She was the Princess of the former Clow Kingdom, Princess Sakura. When Clow Reed died, she has since been hidden away by the Mei family, and Tomoyo had not been allowed to visit her."

Hou suddenly gripped Kurogane, dragging him up to stand as he pulled on his cloak. "What do you mean hidden away?" he hissed darkly.

"Hou, release him." Syaoran's command was direct and quiet, but he didn't hear him.

"You say this is the work of that miserable bitch of a woman Xiao-Mei?" Hou's eyes were blazing angrily, and his grip seemed only to tighten.

"Hou, I trust this means that you will be accepting the Daidouji proposal for war?"

Hou froze, his glare still potent,and turned as his hand slowly loosened around Kurogane, who promptly adjusted his cloak rather irritably. Syaoran snapped his fingers and ascribe immediately bowed, a pen and paper at the ready.

"Agreed, I think it is a shame to keep a princess, former or not, shut up in the castle. But war is not something to decide in a moment. We need information. I will not have blood uselessly spilled. You," Syaoran pointed at the scribe. "I need a letter out to Hiiragizawa. He has a post in Europe. Send our fastest horses there—"

"There's no need for that, your highness," Eriol loftily said as he breezed through the room toward the three. He was dressed in his black robes, and sported a new black hat over his head, its gaudy size and gold designs clearly indicating he had bought it as a souvenir from Europe. "I felt I would be needed as soon as I found the perfect beach in southern France. No time to enjoy it, but that's the way my life spins."

Syaoran grinned. "I see why you are worthy of your title, royal vizier."

Eriol offered a benign smile and waved his long golden staff crowned with a blazing golden sun and moon. A blue glow surrounded the two figures that materialized before him. One was knelt on the ground, glowing white as snowy tresses tied in a loose knot flew behind him, the rest of his body shrouded by a pair of large angelic wings. The other was a dark slender form standing next to him, a pair of ruby butterfly wings fanning out over her black and crimson costume.

"Yue. Ruby Moon." Eriol called each awake. Yue's ice-blue eyes opened slowly as he arose, the matching sky blue trimmed along the length of his ivory clothes; Ruby Moon flicked back her long scarlet locks as her ruby eyes fluttered up to Eriol.

"Master, long time no see," she winked cheekily as she stretched her arms over her head.
"Yes, it has been a while," Eriol mused. "I have work for you two, as usual."
"Mouuu Master never gives us any time off, right Yue-kun?" Ruby Moon grinned as she nudged her magical counterpart in the shoulder.
"What is the assignment, Master?" he asked. Yue was as stoic as ever.

"Syaoran and I will be taking a tour of the Clow castle. You will be escorting us there, as I would absolutely hate being dependant on mere mortal strength if things turned ugly," Eriol chuckled despite the gravity of his words.

Eriol turned and raised an appraising eye at Hou. "New general? I commend you on your choice despite my absence, your highness. What is your name?"

"Hou," he said gruffly. "May I have permission to drop a notice at home that my term as a soldier was extended?"

Eriol nodded and gripped his shoulder. "No need, go on home and relax. You have earned your rest."

Hou's dark eyes glittered. "I insist that I accompany you and the king to—"

"But my insisting carries more weight. Go home. You will be called soon when the time arises." Eriol's voice was stern.

After a pause, Hou nodded and bowed before exiting. "Yes, sir."

When the doors closed after him, Eriol grinned and pushed his glasses higher along his nose. A large swirling portal opened before them. "Now then, shall we go, my Lord?"


Royalty was visiting the castle again; Sakura could tell by the familiar click of her door locking as she sat in her room.

Sakura sighed and opened the French doors to the small balcony the servants' quarters shared. She leaned over the white iron railing, a small stuffed animal in her hand. She glanced down at it, and grinned, tapping the golden bell on its throat before she rested her elbows on the smooth ledge.

"Onii-chan… They changed my name to YingFa now…" she smiled sadly. "But you still haven't forgotten me, have you?"


Eriol grinned as Syaoran fumbled with the black robes in front of the palace gates. He straightened his own princely outfit and glanced back at the staff-wielding Syaoran.

"Be careful with that. Took a lot of magic for me to make it," Eriol whispered. "And, could you try to look more like a royal vizier?"

Syaoran grumbled as he adjusted the large black hat Eriol bought from England. Syaoran suspected the gaudy fashion was bought solely for this purpose: to make Syaoran's life miserable. "Why are we floating around switching identities anyway? You're the one with the magic to locate Sakura faster."

Eriol chuckled, "You also lack the qualities that make a good ambassador."

Syaoran gave him a sharp look to which Eriol merely laughed, "Well, it's true. I bet you that this so-called Empress of the Mei family will try to push her daughter Meilin on me as a future bride. The Clow family had strong magic throughout the regime to protect its citizens, but without Clow Reed, it is only a matter of time before the far-off countries know of their vulnerability. They must be anxious to make nice with the neighboring warring kingdoms, and there is no nobler and more powerful army than yours, Lord Syaoran."

Syaoran looked sour as the doors began to open. He sighed as Eriol gently nudged him, pushing him into the city. "Knowing you, it would be approximately 4 seconds before you threaten to have them all beheaded for bothering with your personal affairs," he whispered before they stepped into the Clow Kingdom. "And that," he continued, "is most unwanted in a dangerous situation like this."

The royal family was waiting at the top of the main hall's marble staircase. A red carpet trimmed with gold lined the way down to the entrance.

"Lord Syaoran," Xiao-Mei fawned instantly as she rushed down the stairs gracefully. "It is a wonderful honor for us to meet you at last," she smiled at Eriol. "I trust the traveling was not too harsh during the spring? There have been reports of flooding along the rivers."

"No, no, no trouble at all when I have a fine mage like Eriol by my side," Eriol grinned, gesturing at Syaoran.

Meilin's eyes lit up when she saw the chocolate unruly locks on the handsome mage. "Pleased to meet you, royal vizier of the Li kingdom," she smiled shyly as she caught up with her mother at the foot of the stairs.

"Dear, where are your manners?" Xiao-Mei hissed sharply. "The first greetings are to be reserved for the Prince Syaoran himself."

Eriol grinned and turned to the Empress. "That is not necessary, your Majesty. Manners are secondary when we come for matters of grave importance. We have heard only too late that Clow had died six years ago, and that is a dangerous condition indeed for the protection of the Mei kingdom. I fear that the safety of your lovely daughter and your citizens is in jeopardy."

Syaoran glanced at Eriol from the corner of his eyes. Had he always been so smooth?

Xiao-Mei blushed, patting her daughter's hand lovingly. "L-lovely, you say? Oh you are too kind, your Highness." Meilin frowned at the sapphire-blue eyes behind the silvery spectacles. For some reason, he unnerved her, and she did not look forward to being his bride.

"Well then, because I have Princess Meilin's best interests in my heart, I will have my vizier do the preliminary checks around the castle, and see if there are any immediate repairs in your security system," Eriol continued as he smiled.

"Oh of course, and thank you for your generosity, your Highness," Xiao-Mei continued to simper. "Please, follow me to the dining hall for the banquet we are holding in your honor. We will have a guard escort your mage around the castle grounds and—"

"Don't bother the guard, esteemed Empress. Eriol prefers to do his work alone anyway; rather a kook with his secrecy and sorcery," Eriol grinned impishly as he set Syaoran off. "His magic will guide him to the source of any problem here."

Xiao-Mei looked uneasy at the request to have a magician roaming loose in her home. "Ah, is that so, Prince Syaoran? But at the very least, we can—"

"Good grief is my stomach the source of embarrassment," Eriol grinned as he patted his stomach. "A banquet, you say? Do you have any of those Japanese specialties with the …" Eriol's voice drifted off as he took the Empress's arm and gently guided her to the main dining room.

Syaoran sighed as he was left alone in the foyer. Where was he supposed to start in this mansion? He decided to employ an Anaconda strategy he found useful many times in war, working from the outside and winding his way inwards. After obtaining directions to the palace gardens from a nearby guard, Syaoran found himself in a lush jungle of exotic flowers and tropical birds that chirped. It was truly a garden worthy of the powerful kingdom. Suddenly, a sweet sirenic voice broke into his sight-seeing tour of the many fountains.

Phoenix song?

Syaoran had once heard the brilliantly plumed phoenix sing during his 16th birthday celebration, and he thought at the time that it was the most beautiful sound in the world; but now, this voice rivaled it. Syaoran sidestepped through the garden, trying to peer over hedges as he looked for the source. Curiosity overwhelmed him, and he could not help but be reminded of Ulysses' encounter with the Sirens, who had killed many sailors before him. But such a beautiful voice couldn't mean the end of his doom, could it? As he drew nearer, the humming began to form words.

A human's voice?

The song was slow, a sad rueful melody.

My memory…

I've treasured in my heart

Precious moments with you

From the second I knew

That our love was true,

To each time our ways would part

Syaoran was standing under the white railing, hugging close to the ivy-covered brick wall of the castle. As he blinked up at the sun shining into his eyes, he could make out a pair of slender hands holding a small dark object, and a crease of a woman's skirt flirting out between the bars of the balcony.

So far away…

Even if I close my eyes, I can see them.

Reminisce with me,

And I must believe our destiny

Will show us true harmony—

The song was ended abruptly by a soft feminine gasp of "Kero-chan!" Something dropped in front of Syaoran. From his distance, he could see that it was the dark object the hands had been holding.

"Ah! Kero-chan! One… second…" Syaoran glanced up at the voice and immediately shot his gaze to the ground again. His cheeks were enflamed as he cleared his throat guiltily.

A slender girl in a maid's uniform paused halfway from sliding her left leg over the railing. She flattened her frilly skirt closer to herself as she glanced down. "Wh—Who's there?"

Syaoran stepped out of the shadows at a respectable enough distance so that when he glanced up, he wouldn't be looking directly up her skirt. "My name is S—I mean Eriol."

"W-were you there this entire time? Are you a pervert? A stalker?" Her voice was almost frantic as she tried to scramble back over the railing into the balcony.

Syaoran couldn't help but chuckle. He had never been accused of being a pervert, although he did accidentally see a bit more thigh on the woman than he was used to.

"A-are you laughing at me? What are you doing? Hey, wait, leave that alone!"

Syaoran was picking up the object that had fallen, a small stuffed bear with a lion's tail. Although it looked slightly worn along the ears, it seemed to be made of precious gold thread; the way the eyes glimmered in the sunlight was also distinctive of being made of yellow diamond.

"Is this Kero-chan?" he grinned as he held it up.
"Ooh, you tramp! Give that back to me at once!" she demanded.

"Cute… did you make it yourself? I've never seen one like it," he teased. He couldn't resist torturing the pretty maid who had the nerve to accuse Prince Syaoran, Master of the most powerful armed forces and a fabulously wealthy kingdom, a pervert, even though he was in disguise.

"It's… It's important to me. Give it back, now!"

Syaoran's grin only grew more mischievous. "Why don't you come down here and get it yourself then? You looked like you were doing all right, jumping from your balcony. It's only the second floor. I promise to catch you."

"And let you look up my skirt? I think not!" she retorted.
"I didn't mean to look up when you were coming down. Who expects a girl to come raining out of the balconies?" he said hotly.
"So you did look up my skirt, you scoundrel! Pervert!" she cried before throwing her slipper at him.

Although he easily dodged it, Syaoran was offended. "Hey, stop it, and I'll give you back your stupid doll. And your shoe," he added as an afterthought.

"How? My room will be locked until the royalty leaves."

Her room was locked when royal guests came over? How suspicious…

"Well? How do you expect to give it back?" she asked impatiently.

Syaoran shaded his eyes as he peered up at the railing. "I can throw it to you, if you'll catch it."

"No, please don't! You might miss and Kero-chan will be stuck in the trees," she pleaded.

Syaoran rolled his eyes, but didn't bother to argue how he'd never miss such an easy shot unless she was an absolute dunce at catching things. He glanced around and spied the white trellis that the ivy ambled along near the balcony.

"Hold on, I'll be right up there," he called to her.
"You're coming up here? No, you horrible brat, stay down there, stay down there! I have… I have more stuff to throw at you!" she cried as she dashed back into her room, looking for potential weapons.

Despite the bulk of the black robes and golden staff, Syaoran was able to speedily race up the trellis and jump safely into the balcony before she rushed back. She skidded to a halt in front of him with a surprised gasp, dropping pencils and hairbrushes she had collected in her apron. He laughed, glancing down at the various pieces of artillery and picked a button off the floor as she shirked back instinctively, gazing at him as he straightened, inspecting the blue disc.

"Did you think a button would crush my skull?" he joked as he held up the button to her.
"It could have hit your eye and blinded you," she said grudgingly before suddenly blushing as she glanced away from him. "Sorry the scene was just so… but anyway, how did you get up here?" she asked, suspiciously looking him up and down.
Syaoran's smile grew as he merrily recited, "With love's light wings did I o'ercome these walls." (A/N: This is from Romeo and Juliet)

To his surprise, she laughed appreciably. "Shakespeare was always one of my favorite playwrights. I was thinking of the balcony scene as well just a moment ago, when Romeo slips into the Capulet home."

He raised an eyebrow with interest. "Knowledgeable in the classics and owner of a very expensive looking toy?" he inquired as he presented her with the slipper she threw and the golden bear. "What is your name, miss?"

She didn't answer him but cried out delightedly, "Kero-chan!" as she hugged the doll lovingly. "Thank you very much, Eri… what was your name again?"
"Eriol Hiiragizawa," he said plainly, although he felt a tad guilty about the lie.
She nodded. "Hiiragizawa-san, I am known as YingFa in the Mei household. As an orphan, I have no surname. Please feel free to call me YingFa."
"Ah, please, call me… Eriol," Syaoran said awkwardly. She stepped back with a smile and curtsied slightly in front of him.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Eriol," she grinned. Gallantly, he gave a sweeping bow before her, accidentally knocking the golden scepter against the balcony rails. He grinned back sheepishly, and continued, "A pleasure to meet you as well, YingFa."

The golden staff glowed suddenly in Syaoran's hand. Eriol's face appeared at the center of the sun decorating the top of the slender scepter.

"Your H—I mean…" Eriol cleared his throat, suddenly aware that YingFa was there. "You worthless loitering mage! Where are you?"

Syaoran rolled his eyes. Eriol wasn't the only person who could maneuver the situation to call him names with childish glee.

"I'm still checking around the gardens, oh Honorable Nerdy One," Syaoran drawled lazily.

YingFa looked on with interest. "Is that the Prince Syaoran Li? I heard he was in the castle today."

Eriol grinned brightly and winked at her. "What else did they say about me?"

Syaoran cleared his throat unnecessarily loudly, and smacked the tiled floor with the end of the staff a few times. Eriol was visibly annoyed that Syaoran was abusing his precious staff. "What do you want, Esteemed Bookworm?" Syaoran grinned.

"Get out of there. We're leaving. I'll see you at the gates," Eriol grumbled shortly before his face shimmered back into the golden plane of the sun.

YingFa giggled softly. "He's not anything like I imagined him to be."

Syaoran glanced sideways at her. "What did you think he was going to be like? I'm sure the rumors of the elite Prince Syaoran are filled with praises of his handsome looks and unrivaled cool?" He buffed his nails slightly on the black robes.

YingFa glanced at him curiously, tilting her head. "We must have heard different rumors. All I've heard about him was that he was a blushing virgin who declared war on every country that made the slightest mention about women."

He almost fell over himself. "Eriol…" he swore under his breath.


Outside the gates, Eriol was waiting impatiently for Syaoran. When he finally appeared, he snatched back his staff and peered over the length, inspecting it. After spying the new scratch along the side, Eriol employed a rare glare at his Highness.

"I hope this was a well-earned bit of damage and sniffed up some useful information, Brattish Prince," he said testily.

"Hm?" Syaoran glanced at Eriol distractedly. He was still grinning about the beautiful and interesting maid. "Oh, I uh… I made a contact within the castle walls." He cleared his throat unnecessarily. "She might lead us to the Princess Sakura with her knowledge of the castle. She's a maid."

Eriol peered at him quizzically. "I endured hours of their vile chef's 'specialties' and fawning over Xiao-Mei and Meilin for you to make a new friend? I expected more from a master strategist."

Syaoran's dreamy gaze turned sour as he snapped his fingers irritably at Eriol. "Let's go home, Four-Eyes."