Disclaimer: I don't own CLAMP, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles, or any of the characters..

but if I did, Syaoran and Suzaku would have teamed up long ago.

Acid Tokyo

The Look-Alike

"NO! Let go of me!"

"'Kay,"

Thud.

Pain.

"Kurogane-san!"

Sakura slowly shook her head and glanced up, to try to just contemplate what had just happened and why she had felt a sudden rush of air, followed by pain in her backside.

It wasn't all that hard to understand - but it was a rare scene. Syaoran-kun - her Syaoran-kun, right? - was glaring rather intensely at the black-clad ninja, an anger no kid his age should have ever been able to sum up in the face of such a large man.

Sakura knew not to be afraid of Kurogane-san, Fye-san or Moko-chan - Syaoran-kun was the one she trusted most, and since she was not afraid, she was not worried for her hero's safety, when he had snapped at the ninja so feircely.

"She told me to let go of her, kid," Kurogane replied, waving said 'kid's' anger off like it was absolutely nothing and completely normal.

"She was quite obviously dreaming!" Syaoran told him, his tone coming down to become a bit calmer, as he looked down at his one, his only, Princess Sakura. "Are you alright, Princess?"

With his help (she didn't really need it - she just wanted an excuse to hold his hands for a second) she stood up, and summoning force cheer that she hoped would make him lose his concern, she nodded quickly. "Just fine, Syaoran-kun!" He nodded - though he was not convinced - and the Princess looked over toward Fye, who was watching them both with a hidden look, that even Mokona, snuggled deep in his arms, couldn't detect. "Where are we?" Now, she looked around, seeing rounded rocks and old, crumblind buildings all around them.

"We're not quite sure yet," The mage told her. "We haven't found anyone to talk to."

"I wonder why all these rocks are shaped like this?"

The companions of one teenaged boy looked around for his voice, to find that he had wandered off (very quickly, Kurogane was slightly impressed, if not annoyed, with his stealth) and was examining some rocks far off.

"Rocks aren't usually round, Syaoran-kun?" Fye asked, recalling the numerous worlds they had been in where he was sure he had seen rocks that were circular.

"Well.. they are, but.. I don't think this is.. ah!" The kid was saved from his explanation as rain began to pour onto all of them. All of the members of the group flinched in their own way - Sakura with a small squeak, Fye with a short 'Hyuu~!' even when he obviously knew how to whistle now, and Kurogane with a small grunt that was barely audible.

Syaoran just twitched and held out his hand. The rain soaked in instantly, making a red welt on his already wounded hand and burning the skin.

"Wah!" Mokona cried, as a droplet of rain fell onto it's head. Immediately it jumped from Fye's arms to Syaoran, where it hid under a small article of clothing that fit well across his shoulders.

They could not stay out in the rain for long, or else they were dead.

Immediately, Syaoran looked around. Past his Princess - he felt a little guilty for not finding shelter for her sooner - toward a tall building.. "That building hasn't dissolved at all!" He exclaimed, running in a hurry past Fye and kurogane, grabbing the Princess's hand (unconsciously, he would admit to later).

They were free from the deadly rain as soon as they were under the protection of the building..

But as Fye quickly pointed out, the rain didn't seem like all they had to worry about.

Syaoran looked around and saw what caught the magician's eye; immediately, even if it was against her will, he covered the Princess's eyes with one hand.

She didn't like this, and he didn't blame her, so he gently turned her around and removed his hands. "Princess Sakura.. please don't look."

Too late. He hadn't said it quickly enough and she looked around, to the pile of bleeding corpses that acted as a wall, or a warning, to keep intruders out of the building.

She let out a small cry and instantly turned around again, Syaoran internally beating himself to a pulp for not speaking up sooner.

"Um.. I'll go.. check the situation inside," he said guiltily, only nodding slightly when Fye told him to be careful. He knew that he probably should have stayed with his Princess - but..

He didn't like it when she lied to him.

She wasn't okay.

She had a nightmare, and she was keeping it from him.

Why would she hide it?

"Mokona, can you sense one of Princess Sakura's feathers?" He asked the small creature, of which seemed a bit too serious in this world. It probably didn't like the sight of all the dead people, and that was keeping it from jumping around like it usually did.

One thing that upset Mokona: Death.

He'd keep it in mind not to tell Kurogane that later.

"I don't know, but I feel the presence of a strong power," Mokona told him, which lowered his hopes because nowdays, when Mokona said that it didn't know for sure, there usually wasn't one.

He'd look anyways.

"From where?"

There was a small, tense hesitation, before the small white created pointed toward the ground and told him, "below!"

There was a metallic noise behind him; he glanced around until he saw it, hundreds of arrows flying in a sea up in the air, heading straight toward him and Mokona.

Arrows wouldn't stop him!

"Ah!" Mokona shouted, as Syaoran dodged and deflected almost all of the arrows, still managing to keep a good hold on the creature all while fighting for their lives..

At the worst possible tim in the history of any world, Syaoran thought, why would she lie to me? causing him to lose balance and land awkwardly on one foot. His knee bent backwards and he slipped - the small hesitation something that could make him lose his life --

An arrow went through his leg. Mokona called his name, and he only backed up against a large stone, using it to keep him standing against the pain..

"Since you've stepped foot in this place, I take it you'd like to die?"

Syaoran looked up - there was a man there, a rather tall one, pointing a.. what was that, a crossbow? directly at him, speaking in a low, dark tone that gave the young teenager shivers.

He was about to shoot again, when one of the otehr cloaked people behind him spoke up. "Kamui, don't shoot him!"

The man - Kamui, Syaoran guessed through his pain-clouded mind - glanced behind him, looking mildly irritated. "Why not?"

"There's three more with him - burly ninja, a skinny magician and a pretty princess. I think that burly man would.. ah.. well..!" The cloaked person trailed off, fecieving a terrible glare from his leader.

"Fine," he said with a sigh anyways, looking back toward Syaoran. "A Princess, huh? And what are you?"

Syaoran stammered an incoherent reply, so Kamui went on, speaking in a much lower tone. "A ninja, a magician, a Pricess, and... E."

E? Syaoran thought, confused, but Kamui didn't wait for a reply before waving his hand, and disappearing down a long set of stairs located in a different side of the room.

The other cloaked people examined the boy from afar, and just when they were about to leave him alone, the other members of the group spoke up - namely, Fye.

"Oh, hold on!" He said to the people in a light, sing-songish tone, making them turn aound to face him once more. "The Princess will get angry at you if you don't take care of this boy here.." He said, gesturing at two different things at the same time - toward Syaoran, to indicate who 'this boy here' was, and also to the princess, so she could step out and display her.. princess-ish-ness.

One of the cloaked people sighed. "Alright,"

The one that had defended Syaoran spoke in a much more friendly tone. "Where did you five come from?"

Syaoran was about to speak up - a different country - but Fye beat him to it.

He was getting good.

"A different dimension," he said, and the others stared at him in disbelief before he went on. "We are all in search for Princess Sakura's memories."

The cloaked, but kind person nodded, understanding a little bit. "Well, come stay in our tower then! Atleast, until his wounds are healed."

A day later, after staying in the place called the Tokyo govenment building, the one question was still on Syaoran's mind. This question had, in just the course of twenty-four hours, had left him caught offguard with the dangerous, mysterious Kamui. With Kurogane and Fye sometimes, too; he'd be trying to think of any plausible answer, and they'd be talking to him, but he would be completely tuned out.

Fye would just chatter on, knowing that his mind was in a dreamworld (ha ha), but honestly not caring because he liked to talk.

Once or twice, he'd say something completely absurd, like, "Hey, Syaoran-kun, do you ever dream of unicorns and cannibal Mokonas?" The funny thing was, the kid would be pretending to listen and he'd nod.. Fye still hadn't told him properly about the time he had said something very terrible, when Sakura had been passing by.

She was angry about that when Fye had explained it to her, wondering whatever could compel the mage to mock her Syaoran-kun so and actually make him agree to the silly lie about how he always fantasized of her big brother?!

However, the times when Syaoran didn't listen to Kurogane were.. if it was possible.. worse.

He'd notice right away.. and sometimes Syaoran would be forced out of his thoughts by a quick act of violence (a fist to the top of his head - ouch!) or with sharp yelling.. he didn't think again until Kurogane just stopped talking to him..

"Syaoran-kun! It's time for us to leave now!"

I just can't figure out why she would lie..

"Syaoran-kun!"

If something had scared her, then why can't she just say..?

"SYAORAN-KUN!"

He was quickly jolted out of his thoughts when Fye had, for once, sounded a little bit irritated. Immediately he looked around, to see the blonde smiling at him with that.. fake..

"I think you might be losing it," the mage grinned at him.

"Fye-san..?" Syaoran questioned, not exactly understanding why that wold have been said.

"Oh, maybe that arrow had drugs on the tip, and it got into your bloodstream," Fye said, his smile widening and widening, especially when the small white creature known as Mokona jumped up and down on the man's head.

"Syaoran's mellowed out, man!" It said in a giddy, happy voice that always made everyone (oh yes, Kurogane too, he wasn't as good at hiding it as he thought..) smile.

"No, it's not like that!" Syaoran protested immediately. "I've just been thinking a lot, that's all."

Fye's smile was now understanding, and Syaoran felt three parts relieved. "Well, come on. The people that live here said that if we were going to stay here with them, we have to help them out.." he paused, glancing at Syaoran's injured leg. "..but you're sure that you don't want to rest for today..?"

The boy quickly shook his head. "No, I'm fine; we have to search for the Princess's feather."

Fye shrugged... young love. It was adorable. Even if it only masked something else..

The feather was 'below'. In the underground water reservoir that Kamui always retreated toward, to watch it like he needed to protect it with all of his life..

But Syaoran wasn't allowed near it, and as much as he didn't want to wait to retrieve another of Sakura's precious memories, he really didn't want to get completely maimed by the scary, somehow familiar person who guarded the water down there.

He'd have to find a way to get there without Kamui knowing..

but he couldn't think about a plan when the question was still on his mind!

Why had she lied?

"Princess!" He exclaimed, as soon as she stepped past him in an apparent hurry. She stopped in mdstep and looked toward him; they hadn't spoken to eachpther in about a day due to how he had to go out killing. well.. mutants with Fye.

"Syaoran-kun!" She was delighted with his urgency to speak with her, even when she had no idea why.

Immediately he caught up to her (with a bit of a limp - his leg still kinda hurt) and her smile in his direction faltered a little bit when she saw the serious expression on his face. "Princess Sakura, why did you lie to me?"

Her smile completely disappeared with such an abrupt question, the fact that he looked so troubled while he said this, nevermind pained..

She felt a little guilty, even when thishadmn't been one of his intentions. "I'm sorry, Syaoran-kun, I don't remembrer lying to you." Oh, she remembered, and she hated doing it again, but.. something about her dream could creep him out a little bit, couldn't it?

"You did," he told her. "You had a nightmare, but you never said anything about it."

Never once had she seen him so upset with her, and when she saw his expression, she realized that she was being a little hypocritical keeping it from him. Whenever he hid things from her, she told him not to and made him feel guilty about it.

The least she could do was tell him what he wanted to know so badly..

"I did have a nightmare," she told him with a sigh. "You - well, not you, someone who.. just looked it - was in it.."

Now Syaoran looked worried and intrigued. Oh great. "What do you mean, Princess?" Though, he figured that he knew. The same person showed up in some of his dreams, aswell, and he always hated it. That person made him think strangely, and do odd things. That person made his eye ache and controlled his actions. There was no doubt about it; he hated the Syaoran that showed up in his dreams. Now, if he was to be bugging his Princess.. he'd be hated even more.

"I thought at first that it was somebody like who you and Fye-san talk about sometimes.. someone who looks and acts the same, but has a different path." Sakura explained, seeing clear understanding in Syaoran's eyes, which relieved her. "Except.. he didn't act like you.. and he knew my name."

Syaoran nodded, slowly, then gestured toward his left eye. "Was he wearing an eyepatch?"

"Yes! How did you know?" Sakura asked, wondering how he could remain so calm about a look-a-like that was in her dream. If she found out that a look-a-like of her was in his dreams.. she figured that she would have freaked out by now.

"Just a hunch," he said, with a small, somewhat concerned smile. Sakura was fond of all his smiles, but this one surely wasn't as great as some.

The middle of the night was quite dark and ominous in this Tokyo. The rain was loud outside, and if one listened closely enough, the cries of the weaker mutants out there could be heard as their skin was burned by the acid. Syaoran shivered, as he remembered the sight of the many peirced corpses outside of teh government building... he had come so close to being like that.

"Syaoran, does your leg hurt?" The only being with him at the time, Mokona, asked, it's voice hushed for the mission it had to be on. If anyone were to wake up - even Fye, Sakura or Kurogane - something would probably interrupt what needed to happen. Kurogane would insist on helping, Fye would intentionally screw it up somehow, and Sakura would wish to come along.

All of which Syaoran would allow.. for some reason.

"No, it's fine," he assured the small creature.. though his leg really did hurt. It stung like hell and he'd never admit it.

"Why don't you want the others to come?" Mokona asked softly.

"The Princess world worry, Fye-san would.. probably not help too much, and Kurogane-san would start an unneccessary fight." Syaoran explained rather quickly, sneaking from his companion's sleeping quarters and starting down the stairs of the government building.

Mokona was quiet for a moment - it hadn't yet heard Syaoran speak that way of his companions.

"I just want to get this over with and get out of here," Syaoran added, noticing Mokona's silence. "I really.. just don't like it here."

Mokona tilted it's head.. or.. body. "Everyone's pretty nice.."

"That's not it," Syaoran said quickly, because everyone was nice.. except for that one person.. "I just.. I don't have any magical powers like you or Fye-san, Mokona, but.. I can sense that.. something very bad could happen here, to us, and I don't want to stick around and be the cause of it."

There was something he had sensed. Something in the water, something happening to Fye-san, and though he didn't know of anything clearly.. he really didn't want to know.

..because.. It had something to do with his look-alike in his dreams..

"Me too," Mokona said, eventually, as they stepped off of the stairs and headed toward the doors leading to the water. "Yuuko mentioned something about a 'Tokyo' once."

"Yuuko-san did?" Syaoran asked, almost wanting it to be untrue. When Yuuko said something about a place.. that was like a bad omen.

"Yes, she also told me about.." Mokona glanced fearfully up at Syaoran, why gave a bewildered look in return.

"Wh..what..?"

"Sakura and Syaoran.." Mokona looked troubled now; trying to remember what Yuuko said. "Did she say.. separated..?"

"Separated? What do you mean?" Syaoran asked, concerned. Never once had Mokona told him about something Yuuko had said, so seriously, and it was so worrying, because.. Yuuko knew everything..

"I don't know," Mokona said, gazing thoughtfully at the ground. "But.. she didn't say you and the Princess Sakura specifically."

Syaoran looked up, to the water before them, and though he new that it was going to become troublesome having to swim down there, he was more worried about what Mokona was saying. "Me and Princess Sakura? There's.. other.. Syaoran's and Sakura-hime's?"

"I really don't know," Mokona said, sounding troubled, until Syaoran patted it's head assuringly.

"It's alright," he said kindly. "If it's something we have to know, then we'll know it on our own time."

"Syaoran.." Mokona began to say, but stopped immediately when Syaoran froze.

That one person was behind him, holding up the strange weapon that Syaoran had ony seen once on travels with his father, and yet something he hadn't learned the name of. But he knew.. That if the person shot the arrow out of it, he'd be dead in mere seconds.

"What are you doing here?"

-------

Yes, a cliffhanger. Sort of. Anyone could really guess what could happen next.

But remember, that seal ain't gonna break.. not until I want it to! ¬.¬

Review, if you could? C: