The scenery I see outside the slightly open window changes.
-
That night, once their guests had been settled, Syaoran found himself sitting on the edge of the bed, watching Sakura begin to undo her long braid in front of her mirror. He still wasn't sure how to deal with the travelers they had inadvertently picked up. They knew too much much too soon, and they could be lying about the other dimensions, although that would make it even harder to account for the similarities between Sakura and the younger Princess.
"You don't think there's anything strange about them?" Syaoran suggested, almost hoping that Sakura might agree with him. Even without her magic, she still had a fairly good sixth sense.
Should he trust the strangers whom Sakura had so readily invited in? Even if Mokona had been created by Clow, Syaoran had long since given up trusting him. Eriol may have had good intentions, but he also risked their lives many, many times in the process.
"Of course there's something strange about them" Sakura said sensibly. "Everyone has something strange about them at first. Think of Eriol. You hated him at first, didn't you? But weren't you two good friends by the time he moved back to England?"
And so were you, Syaoran wanted to add, but Sakura did not quite remember the times she had spent with Eriol and Kaho Mizuki since they met in elementary school.
"Speaking of Eriol," Syaoran said instead, "wasn't he coming back to visit soon?"
Sakura finished unbraiding her hair. In high school, she had decided to try and grow long hair like her mother's. Tomoyo had cut hers for the first time in years. Her mother had cried, but since then Tomoyo rarely had her hair long or down, and Sakura had let hers grow.
"I think so," she said. "I suppose Tomoyo might know. I'll ask her tomorrow."
She frowned at her reflection momentarily. Her bangs still stuck out on the sides, just as they had when she was younger. "I don't know why he's coming to Japan in the summer, though. It's much cooler in England, isn't it?"
Syaoran smiled, watching her reflection grimace back.
"Do you know what is strange?" Sakura said suddenly, turning to face him. "Those children remind me of you and me, when we were their age. Don't they?"
Syaoran blinked. "You mean—"
"No, not quite that," Sakura said. "It's just that they're both so much like us. Shouhei-kun even stands like you."
"I don't see it," he said bluntly.
"Not exactly like you, of course," Sakura replied, patting his cheek gently. "It feels a little like how Eriol reminds me of my father, even though they barely know each other."
It was moments like this that truly made his heart hurt. Not only had Sakura forgotten all about Kero, to the point where she could honestly refer to him during dinner as nothing more than a stuffed toy that wasn't even hers, but she could think of no reason for Eriol and Fujitaka Kinomoto to appear similar. She had no memories of Clow.
But her words had a more immediate significance, too. He knew that once Sakura dragged in family, she had made up her mind. The poor flea-ridden puppy he had kept in his apartment until his owner was found had been brought there because he reminded her of her brother. Then was the white mouse at the fair that reminded her of Yukito.
"They're staying?" Syaoran said, regretfully, although he already knew what she was going to say next.
"They'll stay as long as they need to," Sakura said decisively.
Later, lying in bed with Sakura curled up beside him, fast asleep, Syaoran tried to choose his words carefully. What would he tell them? How would he explain Sakura's condition? Could they really help her?
The answer came that morning, in the form of a telephone call.
-
The other Sakura had managed pancakes for breakfast after all, and rushed out of the house, explaining briefly that she had to catch a train to Tokyo, to meet up with her friend Tomoyo (Kurogane had, once again, not said anything, much to Fai's amusement, as there was little doubt that she was yet another version of his Princess Tomoyo) for lunch and maybe they would like to look around town.
They ate in silence. The morning had felt like the aftermath of last night's awkward discussion, and no one felt like being the first to speak up.
Other Sakura had barely left when the telephone rang. The other Syaoran answered.
"Eriol!" the other Syaoran said, sounding surprised. "You're early, aren't you?"
A pause. Fai traded looks with Syaoran, Kurogane scowled, and Sakura looked more interested than not. The name meant nothing to them. Mokona, on the other hand, began to look thoughtful.
"Your instincts seem to be on target, as usual," the other Syaoran told the phone, dryly. He turned to look at them. "Sakura and I have guests."
Another pause.
"That's not too far from here," Other Syaoran said. "I guess I could bring them over. See you soon."
He hung up, and turned to face them. "I think it would be good for you to meet a friend of mine," the other Syaoran said. "He might be able to help you with your journey."
"What's he like?" the Princess asked.
"He's a magician," the other Syaoran explained. "Eriol Hiiragizawa. He lives in England, but he comes back to visit sometimes. He had a feeling about you."
Fai was reasonably certain that England was another name that meant nothing to any of them. It might be interesting to meet another magician, though.
The other Syaoran busied himself with cleaning up the breakfast dishes. Once the kitchen had been restored to its spotless state, he curtly informed them that they would have to take a bus and that they would need to wear different clothes.
Sakura had already been given a different dress to wear by the other Sakura. Other Syaoran found clothes for Kurogane and Fai in the guest room closet, murmuring something about his brother-in-law. He gave his own clothes to Syaoran.
"These are like the Hanshin Republic's too, aren't they?" Syaoran mused, pulling at his t-shirt. "Do you think we'll see a Kudan?"
"Kudan!" Mokona chirped, jumping on Syaoran's head.
"I doubt it," Fai said quietly. If there were such things, one of them would surely have noticed by now.
They set out for the bus, the other Syaoran leading the way, still looking concerned, in spite of the fact that they were, supposedly, going to find answers.
By the time they sat on the bus, Kurogane had had enough of the silence.
"Why do you think this magician's going to help us?" he asked.
"Eriol's a little bit unusual," the other Syaoran replied, fixing Mokona with a look. "In his past life, he was known as Clow Reed."
"Oh. Him," Mokona said. Its vague recognition seemed to hold significance.
Kurogane shrugged. It was good enough for now. Fai agreed.
-
The other Syaoran took them to what appeared to be the edge of their small suburb. In the distance Sakura could see an amusement park, whose ferris wheels and roller coaster peeked over most of the surrounding buildings. She couldn't remember if she'd ever been to one, but they looked like fun, she thought absently, as they turned down an isolated street lined with shrubbery.
Fai and Kurogane were close behind the other Syaoran, who paced ahead, looking around him. Sakura had fallen behind when she'd begun looking around the town, but Syaoran had made sure to stay with her. Mokona had moved to Fai's shoulder when they'd gotten off the bus, and was perched on there, still oddly quiet, but Sakura thought it probably just had a lot on its mind.
"Have you ever gone to one of those?" she asked Syaoran, pointing back.
"One of those what?" Syaoran repeated, startled. By now the hedges and trees had blocked their view of the park.
"There was an amusement park," Sakura said. "I think it's far away, though. I guess you can't see it from here."
"Looks like we're here," the other Syaoran interrupted.
They were standing in front of a large mansion. It didn't seem as if it was lived in very much. The house had a neglected feel to it, like it had lived without people inside it for a very long time.
The other Syaoran stepped up and rang the doorbell. It echoed sonorously inside.
"How sad," Sakura murmured.
"You knew this magician before, didn't you, Mokona?" Fai asked pleasantly, turned his head to face it. "Weren't you saying you were made by Clow?"
"Clow helped make Mokona Modoki, but Mokona doesn't remember this house at all," Mokona said, frowning.
"Clow's house was demolished years ago," the other Syaoran said, looking back at them. "They put up that amusement park over it."
Sakura blushed. So he had noticed her lagging behind.
"Eriol's rented different houses each time he comes," the other Syaoran continued. "I guess he doesn't want to be too attached to one here."
The door opened, creaking, to reveal the magician, a tall man with longish blue hair tied back who was looking reproachfully through silver glasses at the other Syaoran.
"I wasn't expecting you so soon," Eriol said. "I haven't gone down to the shop yet. Come in."
They followed him into the gloomy house. The hallway was dark inside, too.
Eriol led them up a flight of stairs and into what appeared to be a living room that hadn't been lived in for a long time. There were a number of faded couches and chairs arranged in a sort of circle, a low table at their center. A red armchair was placed nearby the window, which was lined with heavy drapes.
They sat, Eriol claiming the red chair and inviting them to find a spot of their own. Sakura took a seat closer to the window, somehow feeling that she didn't want to sit with her back to the door in this house. Syaoran sat by her, and Fai and Kurogane sat across, Fai smiling reassuringly at her.
"Shall we proceed to the introductions?" Eriol said pleasantly, wearing an enigmatic smile. "I'm Eriol Hiiragizawa. I suppose you are the anomalies that I thought I felt. I'm quite glad Syaoran could bring you by."
Sakura frowned slightly. They'd been called a lot of things, but 'anomaly' was a little different than usual. She looked up, and noticed that she was not the only one who seemed to think so.
"You're taller," Mokona said finally. Eriol looked at it, and for split second his face registered a faint expression of surprise before reverting back to the smile.
"Yes, well, it was bound to happen," he said.
"You've met?" the other Syaoran said in surprise.
"It was a long time ago!" Mokona chirped, sounding a little more like itself, but it didn't bother to elaborate, and neither did Eriol.
"Syaoran," Eriol said, and Syaoran couldn't help reacting, but he quickly turned his reflexive movement into a stretch. Sakura bumped her knee against his, reassuringly, silently reminding him not to worry. "As you've found me behind schedule, do you mind going to buy something to go with tea? Cakes, perhaps."
"Don't think I don't know that you're just trying to get rid of me," the other Syaoran warned, but he didn't seem to be on edge as he had been before. He got up to leave with good grace.
"Are you at all familiar with the neighborhood?" Eriol questioned, smiling. "I'm afraid I'm not, so I can't tell you where to go."
"I'll find something," the other Syaoran said.
He left them, sitting awkwardly in the dusty living room on the old fashioned couches, Mokona's ears twitching. Eriol leaned back further into his red armchair.
"I hope you'll forgive Syaoran for being curt," he said politely. "Not that he isn't usually, of course, but he's a little bit wary of you."
"People usually aren't, but I guess there's a first for everything," Syaoran murmured.
"Usually?" Eriol echoed, questioningly.
"Well," Syaoran amended, "when we travel. People usually don't question why we're there too much. But we've never really run into... people, not like this."
"Yourselves, you mean," Eriol said. "Please don't look surprised. It's fairly obvious. I've known Sakura and Syaoran since they were children, and you look exactly alike."
Syaoran and Sakura exchanged a look and hastily turned away. Their faces had suddenly flushed, almost in tandem.
"I suppose you've told Syaoran the whole story," Eriol continued.
"We had to," Fai admitted, grinning. "He was suspicious from the start."
"What had you claimed to be?" Eriol asked curiously.
"Just travelers," Syaoran said, and much to his consternation Eriol laughed. It wasn't a particularly mean-sounding laugh, but it still made him look away.
"In our world, you see, we don't get very many travelers," the magician explained. "Especially not in eclectic bunches such as your own. We are, perhaps, suspicious by nature, and Syaoran exceptionally so."
"Yeah, we figured that," Kurogane said gruffly. "Listen, I want to know what the deal is with the other Sakura. That guy won't say a word except glare at us like we're going to attack her. I want an explanation. If you would," he added as an afterthought when Sakura gave him a disapproving look.
"Agreed," Eriol said pleasantly. "I'll tell you as much as I can. Then, if you like, you can tell me what you're doing here, and I'll see what I can do. Before I begin, shall we finish our introductions?"
He looked over at Fai and Kurogane. Fai wore his friendliest expression, he one he reserved for strangers and those rare moments of competition when his powers were fairly obvious. Perhaps Fai was the one who most easily adjusted to each world, Sakura thought suddenly. He never seemed uneasy. Even in this situation, dealing with a magician they knew very little about, he was totally relaxed.
Syaoran bumped his leg into hers, much more timidly than she had done, but meaning to give her the same message she had silently told him before, to not worry about it.
"My name is Fai D. Flowright, I am a Wizard of Celes," Fai said, nodding his head briefly in what might have been a bow. "I am honored to meet another magician."
"Likewise," Eriol replied lightly.
"Kurogane," Kurogane said shortly. "Of Nihon."
"Different than this, I assume," Eriol said, looking more interested with every passing moment.
"Yeah," Kurogane answered.
Eriol's focus turned to Sakura and Syaoran, but before Syaoran could speak up, Mokona jumped over to them, sailing through the air.
"Mokona's turn!" it announced happily, landing on Sakura's lap. "Mokona is still Mokona! So Miu-miu is next. Miu-miu is very nice," it informed Eriol. "Miu and Mokona and Shou-shou are drinking buddies!"
Sakura muffled a squeak of embarrassment and turned bright red. Next to her, Syaoran's posture had become even more rigid. But Eriol's vague interest had turned into outright surprise.
"Miu?" he said, apparently having decided to disregard Mokona's drinking comment.
"Yes?" said Sakura, looking over at him. The name didn't bother her as much as she thought it might. She had gotten used to it after the other Sakura had talked to her for a while, so it wasn't hard to seem as if that really was her name. All this deception was becoming awfully confusing, she thought.
"How odd," Eriol said frankly. "In all honesty, this goes against all of my expectations. I was certain it followed that, if you had an alternate in that dimension, it would necessarily be a person bearing the same name as the original."
"You'd call this dimension the original?" Fai said curiously.
Eriol quickly backtracked. "Well, no, I wouldn't. It's only that it's easier for us to think of it that way, from our perspective in this dimension. Don't you agree, Syao-- you aren't called Syaoran, are you?"
"Shouhei, Shouhei!" Mokona chirped, as Sakura tried her best to quiet it down.
"Um, it's Shouhei," Syaoran said, over its chirps. "But, um, Miu and I are from the same dimension. Our country is called the Land of Clow."
"I suppose you've heard of Clow Reed by now," Eriol said, with a faint smile. His surprise seemed to have faded into the polite curiosity he had possessed at the beginning of their conversation.
"Yes," said Syaoran.
"You were going to tell us about the other Sakura," Kurogane said, baring his teeth in a fierce grin. "I, for one, am getting bored with waiting."
"Shh, Kuro-pi," Fai said pleasantly, putting a finger to his mouth in a shushing motion. Mokona mimicked him, and both ignored Kurogane's frustrated growl.
"This story begins with Clow Reed," Eriol said, folding his hands together neatly. "He was the greatest magician in the world. I am only his reincarnation."
The magician stopped what he was saying just as a tall, red haired girl came into the room, carrying a tray. She silently unloaded cups and a teapot onto the table before leaving. Eriol watched her go before resuming his story.
He told them about the magic Clow Cards, holding the powers of every element of life, the magician Clow Reed's life work. He told them about the Cards' guardians, Keroberos and Yue, and how they were sealed into the Clow Book upon his death. He told them how, many years later, a little girl found the Book and unknowingly unleashed the Cards' power by letting them escape.
"You see," Eriol explained, noticing Syaoran's questioning look, "without Clow's influence, the Cards were full of uncontrollable power, and so they had to be caught and put away. So, Keroberos made Sakura a Cardcaptor. Syaoran, as one of Clow Reed's descendants, came to challenge her position, but she proved her own strength, and so he helped her until she had captured every single Card. She passed Yue's test and became their new mistress. I helped her remake the Cards to be her own, and soon she was poised to become the successor to Clow Reed's title, the strongest magician in the world."
"Hmph," Kurogane grunted.
Eriol stopped what he was saying once more to pour them all tea. "Syaoran will be back soon," he said. "I'll try to finish as quickly as I can."
"Sakura was in high school when it happened. About seventeen or so," Eriol amended, preempting their questions. "A stranger came to confront her for ownership of the Cards. They fought, and Sakura won. But her kind heart was her greatest weakness. She approached him to make sure he was all right, he attacked her, and stole all of her magical energy. I managed to revive her, but at the cost of her memories involving magic. Now, she can't remember anything about the Cards, nor can she use any of her magic powers."
"No wonder that Syaoran's been so mistrusting of us," Syaoran mused. "I guess we kind of came out of nowhere, too..." He trailed off, lost in thought. Sakura looked down at her knees, folding her hands together. When Syaoran got like this, he was usually remembering something. Sakura wasn't sure why, but somehow, she felt as if it was something involving her. Why else would he avoid her gaze?
"Syaoran has protected Sakura since she was a Cardcaptor. They are, you might say, bound together by fate," said Eriol. "Since Sakura's unfortunate... injury, as you might put it, he has done everything in his power to keep her safe. You see, Sakura is more affected by the loss of her magic than she realizes. Even though she can't remember her life being any different, she faces weakness of body and spirit, and she feels a great deal of loneliness inside at the loss of her cherished friends, although she can't remember anything about them to start with."
"That's so sad," Sakura said softly. Suddenly, she could see Sakura-san in a whole new light. She was a lot like her. She understood forgotten memories and weak bodies, and missing people she never knew.
"Is there any way to restore Sakura-san's memories?" Fai asked.
"Not without causing her a great deal of physical injury," Eriol said. "It is... regrettable."
He took a sip of his tea and smiled pleasantly at them.
"So, if I may, how did you end up together?" Eriol asked. The previous conversation was clearly over. "I can't think of anything your particular dimensions have in common with each other."
"We were introduced by the Dimension Witch," Fai replied. "I suppose she's called the Time-Space Witch, too, isn't she?"
"Ah," Eriol said thoughtfully, looking over at Mokona once again. "Yuuko."
"We told Syaoran, but he didn't seem to know who she was," Syaoran said.
"Syaoran wouldn't," Eriol said, flatly. "He is a Li, after all, and Clow Reed did not care to tell them very much about his involvement with Yuuko. In fact," he added, "he felt, at the time, that they were rather too nosy when it came to his personal affairs."
"Affairs?" Kurogane echoed, raising an eyebrow.
"Purely business, I assure you," Eriol replied, gesturing to Mokona. "It was a brief partnership. There was a considerable amount of distance between them. I myself haven't heard of the Dimension Witch in many years."
Eriol took another sip of his tea.
"I'm older than I look," he added.
The door to the room opened, and the other Syaoran came in, carrying a bag.
"That's true," said the other Syaoran, putting the bag down on the table. "Sorry for the wait. I found a bakery. You still like sweets, don't you, Hiiragizawa?" he asked, pulling out a cake.
"Very much," said Eriol, smiling politely.
The two talked for a while, exchanging stories about people, Nakuru and Suppi, that had not been part of Eriol's story. Whoever they were, they had been left in England, according to Eriol, who busied himself with serving them cake.
"You made it back just at the right time for the most important part of our conversation, I think," Eriol told the other Syaoran, once the tea had been properly set out.
"Oh?" Other Syaoran said warily.
"Yes. We have already discussed the how, but what, my friends, brings you to Tomoeda, after going to so many different worlds?"
They sat in silence. The other Syaoran, sitting opposite Eriol, looked grim. Eriol appeared ever-patient, smiling the same polite smile he had worn for most of their visit. Sakura began to wonder if it was really real.
"Sakura-san is a lot like me," she said finally, deciding to explain as best she can. "I've lost my memories, too. All of them."
"How?" Eriol said, a gleam in his eye.
"We don't know," Syaoran said flatly. "But her memories took the form of feathers, and were sent to different worlds. We've been searching for them ever since."
"And you believe there is one here?" Eriol questioned.
"Mokona felt one," Mokona said, pausing to gulp down another bite of cake. "Mokona is good at feeling magic! Mokona has had lots of practice finding things."
"Mokona's usually the one who leads us to them, to an extent," Fai explained. "It senses them, and transports us. Mokona seems to be quite a talented creature."
"I'm glad to know that it's a help," said Eriol, "although I'm sure it would have meant more to my past self."
"We'll stay until we find the feather, then we move on," said Syaoran.
Eriol stirred his tea thoughtfully.
"I felt you arrive because you had a different aura. The feather would have arrived here before you, I assume, but I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary," he said. "I'm afraid I can't help you locate it. But I will see what I can do, if it will help."
"It would," Syaoran said fervently.
"Thank you," Sakura added, politely.
"I guess that's it," said the other Syaoran. He stood up abruptly and waited for them to finish their tea.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, in any case," Eriol said courteously, standing up to shake hands. When he came to Sakura, he raised her hand up and brushed it lightly with his lips. It seemed very old fashioned, but she couldn't help blushing.
"I'm sure we'll meet again," he added. "I'd like to see how this will all play out."
"I'll let you know," said the other Syaoran, motioning to them to follow him out. "Come on. We have to catch the bus again."
-
"That was interesting," Kurogane said. "Curses and magic. Every world's crazier than the next."
"However, I'd say it was informative," Fai added lightly.
They had ended up walking at the end of their train, Sakura just ahead of them with Mokona, and the two Syaorans led the front of the line.
"What a story," Kurogane grumbled. "All these names to keep straight..."
"Mokona, why'd you call me Miu, too?" asked the Princess, carrying it in her arms.
"When you tell a person your real name, they have a lot of power over you," Mokona said seriously. "Suddenly, Mokona had a funny feeling," it explained, sounding much more lighthearted, "so Mokona made a diversion! Diversions are one of Mokona's 108 Secret Skills!"
"I agree with Mokona," Fai said, leaning down towards Sakura. "We seem to have gotten caught up in a story we aren't part of."
"But we are part of it!" Sakura protested. "Sakura-san has to get better, and if we can help, then..."
"No one's saying we aren't going to help Sakura-san," Kurogane said gruffly. "All he means is that there's more going on than meets the eye. And Mokona hasn't sensed the feather since we first met..." he trailed off, but it was clear who he meant.
"Mokona plans on going MEKKYON again very soon," Mokona said, imitating its usual scary face. "Sakura-chan's feather isn't far away at all, but it's being hidden by something. But Mokona will find it!"
"And we'll try to get back Sakura-san's memories," Fai promised. "Just like we're getting yours, Princess."
The other Syaoran was waiting for them at the street corner, just ahead. Their Syaoran hovered by him, shifting feet awkwardly.
"I didn't like Eriol at first," the other Syaoran said abruptly. "My mistrust blinded me to his own magical abilities. But, you see, as odd as he can be, he saved Sakura's life. I can never be grateful enough to him, when it comes to that."
They waited for the light to change.
"My point is," said the other Syaoran, "he isn't a bad guy. I don't trust him, but I believe in him. He'll do the best he can, if it will help."
"We will, too," said Syaoran. "We do want to help Sakura-san."
"I don't trust you, either," the other Syaoran said finally. "But I do believe you."
The light changed, and the crowd around them pushed them to cross, cutting off any further conversation.
-
"Yuuko Ichihara," Eriol said to himself. He grimaced. To think that she would even be involved was simply extraordinary.
He knew of her involvement with Clow, how they had met in Hong Kong in his youth. She had never wanted to use her real name, but she still seemed to be using the moniker of Yuuko, and so Ichihara naturally seemed to follow...
For Yuuko to have something to do with the feather was, perhaps, inevitable. She always was nosy, all of her fingers in someone else's pie. Dimension Witch indeed, he scoffed.
Was there even a word for the circumstance he was now in? It wasn't quite luck, good or bad, and he'd prefer not to think it was fate.
The situation would require him to keep a closer eye on things.
-
author's notes: The plot thickens with excessive dialogue, and a slightly longer chapter to make up for missing last month! Next chapter will be flashing back to Eriol's story for a slightly different point of view as to what happened to Sakura. And what will happen with Princess Sakura's feather?... Thank you for your support! Concrit is, as always, welcome.