It was a dark and stormy night. There were flashes of lightning and the clapping of thunder, and the torrents of rain did not seem to have an end. Its rhythmic beat was loud and steady, yet when inside, where it was safe and warm, it brought a sense of calmness.

The tenants of Wasureru Inn were asleep at this hour, no matter how few they were. Yet the Mistress of the inn awoke, feeling uneasy. She listened and strained to hear something beyond the drumming of rain and thunder. She was aged, but that did not stop her. There was something not right.

Chie Hotaruko lit her lamp and got out of her bed. There was something. A new beat besides Earth's natural calamity. Hurriedly she raced to the door. Other lamps turned on, and sheets rustled in the other rooms.

Chie ran out into the rain without a coat, where she could hear someone pounding on the outer gates. It sounded like a young female. "Please! Someone, I need help! Can anyone hear me? Please! I need help!"

Chie took no haste in opening the outer entrance of the grounds. This woman had a soft heart, and her door was open to everybody. What the aged woman saw was a young woman, drenched in the night's rain. "My goodness," she breathed.

The other woman looked up, relieved. A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. She had long, flowing hair, matted down by the rain. But the light disappeared, and the girl remained part of the darkness. "Please. There are two others who need help."

"Mistress Chie?" Rika, 11 years, appeared suddenly and asked politely. Unlike Chie, she had enough sense to run out into the rain with a warm cloak. From under her arm, Rika brought out another cloak and covered Chie. "What is happening?"

"Rika-san, please prepare a room and a fire for our new guests," Chie told her, pulling the cloak tighter. The female stranger smiled gratefully. Rika nodded and bowed respectfully before she left. Chie followed the longhaired outside the gates, getting herself covered with mud.

Thunder boomed. "This way, please," said the stranger, leading Chie to a horse and carriage. The horse neighed, afraid. The younger girl calmed the horse as Chie saw two forms inside the cart. With the aid of lightning she saw two children, a girl and a boy. They were both unconscious. "What happened to you?" the woman murmured, as she took in their wounds. There was blood trickling down the little girl's face. Chie touched the boy's forehead. It was warm, despite the cold rain. They are sick and their wounds need to be tended, she thought suddenly.

"They need to be brought… inside," Chie finished softly as she looked up to tell the young woman. But there was no one near Chie besides the two children she came to know as Touya and Sakura.


Memory 1: The Magician
For disclaimer, see Memory 0.


Ayano Providence, Wasureru

Sakura Hotaruko blinked when a snowflake landed on her nose. Suddenly the cold touch brought her to her senses, and the brunette shivered. Glancing around, Sakura noticed that time had passed quickly and it was already night. Her legs were now tired from the meaningless wandering around the Inn.

Sakura hugged herself tighter. Somehow the walk brought her to the center courtyard, where the bare branches of the large cherry blossom tree stretched out to the night sky. The light of the full moon spilled into the courtyard, making the snow seem like it was glowing. Sakura remained quiet and contemplative until a voice broke out of her reverie.

"Here you are, Sakura," Rika, her older sister said. Sakura turned to her silently, and Rika clasped Sakura's hands with her own. "Your hands- so cold! And your lips are almost blue!"

"Is she-?" Sakura finally asked.

Rika looked sadly into Sakura's eyes. "She wants to see everyone, one by one." Her gloved hands tightened around Sakura's. "Xiefa isn't sure she's going to see the next day," she whispered, her voice trembling.

The warmth of Rika's hands left suddenly, as they muffled a sob. Numbly Sakura reached out and hugged her tightly. Her mind understood what was happening, making Sakura give automatic responses that comforted others. Yet, it was her heart that refused to accept the truth. "She- she wants to see you," Rika said when her cries quieted. "It might be the last you speak with her."

With those words, a fear stirred inside Sakura. The younger girl abruptly let go of her sister and ran to the house. Sakura hastily switched the outdoor slippers for the indoor slippers and opened the sliding shoji door with such a force that she briefly hoped she hadn't broken it. Inside Mistress Chie, her surrogate mother, smiled up at her.

"Come in, Sakura, and warm up a bit."

Chie Hotaruko, the mistress of Wasureru, used to be an energetic figure around Inn. Now, however, she was the frail and thin woman that Sakura saw before her. She was propped up on several pillows, unable to sit up by herself. Her beauty was waning, now an elderly woman with graying hairs and many wrinkles. The hand beckoning her was weak, but Chie's eyes and smile was bright.

Tears began to fall as Sakura hugged the older woman dearly. Chie smiled tenderly as she patted her back. "There, there. Let it all out."

"You can't! You can't die!" Sakura mumbled.

Chie stroked Sakura's auburn hair. "I've lived a fulfilling life, one filled with love, hope, and happiness. There is nothing left for me but to accept my end."

Sakura didn't answer, but tears still streaked her face. Chie gently tilted Sakura's face until she could look at the girl's green eyes. "And you, little one, must also accept it." Sakura shook her head slowly, but Chie continued. "I know it would be too much of me to ask of you if I asked you to not cry. Instead, just promise me that someday in the future, you will smile again."

Sakura gave a helpless look to her mother as Chie smiled faintly. "A girl's smile is their prettiest feature, Sakura. I want you to look your very best when a boy you like comes along."

"How can you think about things like that at a time like this!" Sakura blurted out.

Chie smiled took Sakura into her arms. She rocked the young girl tenderly, as Sakura calmed down. "Memories like this are very important to me," Chie softly said. "I cherish every single moment I breathe. The time I spend with you, Rika, Touya, Renji, and the others we consider part of our family is dear to my heart. The happy memories let me smile when I remember. The sad and desolate ones… help me learn from the experience, and help me move forward."

Sakura closed her eyes when Chie paused. Intuitively, Sakura knew that when Chie spoke about her sad moments, she was talking about her late husband. Somehow, I will have to move forward from this point just as Mother had to when her husband died.

"That's why I wish desperately for you to regain your memory," Sakura thought she heard the older woman say before she produced a hacking cough.

Sakura froze when Xiefa, who was a competent nurse, burst into the room and tended to the Mistress. This- this isn't happening! All Sakura could do was watch helplessly as Xiefa helped Chie to lie down on her back. "I think that's enough," Xiefa said in a broken voice to Sakura. Sakura numbly nodded and moved to stand, but Chie quickly grabbed her hand.

"Everything will turn out for the best, Sakura. Believe in that," Chie said so seriously that Sakura had no choice but to trust her word.

That night, Chie breathed her very last, and Sakura cried in her brother's arms until she fell asleep.

Sorallé Providence, Royal Palace

The magic swirled around in a fierce wind, ruffling the tops of trees. Nakuru Akizuki's dark brown hair whipped around her tall frame violently, and the hem of her dress was tossed along by the wind. Yet the woman stood firm, her arms crossed and her mouth in an unhappy line, as her eyes narrowed at the figure in the pond.

Ironically, the water was not troubled by the wind at all. The water was clear enough for Nakuru to see her own reflection as she stood by the pond's edge. The bright full moon replicated by the water strengthened the power of the Mage's moon magic.

In the center of the pond, Tomoyo Daidouji stood in the eye of the cyclone with only her bare feet submerged in the water. The magician's long dark hair was only teased by the fierce wind as the edges of her robes hardly moved. Tomoyo's eyes were closed as she muttered an incantation, hoping desperately that after numerous tries, something would be different this full moon. If only she could remember…!

"The Keeper is dead."

Nakuru's brown eyes widened as every fiber in her being froze. When the second passed, the guardian valiantly tried to reestablish a connection to her sender, but failed. Another voice, however, answered her.

"Bring her."

And Nakuru looked at her mistress.

At that moment, Tomoyo's eyes snapped open, revealing stunned amethyst orbs. The wind died so suddenly, releasing the Mage, and Tomoyo let herself fall forward. The icy cold water slapped her in the face.

Immediately Nakuru was at her side, with a strange look in her eyes. But Tomoyo took no notice, and she sputtered, "The wind…" she gasped, as tears to fall. "The wind told me… Mistress Chie died." And she burst into tears.

Nakuru pulled Tomoyo closer, as the fear was evident on the guardian's face. The two sat in the pond until the Mage pulled herself together and made preparations to go to Ayano. As soon as she packed some food and clothes, she would borrow a horse and leave as soon as possible.

Nakuru remained, unaffected by the wet and cold. What will happen now, if the Keeper is dead?

Fayet Providence, Li Estate

The bowl of dried herbs clattered to the floor, scattering the remains. In spite of this, Meiling Li threw herself to the floor, facing the dying embers of the fireplace. "Fire!" she demanded angrily, "and show me the truth!"

Immediately the wood burst into flame. Stubbornly, the Witch stared into the fire as images formed in the blazing fire. When the picture cleared, Meiling's breath stopped. Then… "No!" Meiling stood up abruptly and kicked the wood furiously. Obediently the fire died.

The fire had just confirmed what her precognitive dream revealed her a few moments ago.

Letting loose a frustrated yell, Meiling was about to throw an object until a firm hand stopped her. The somber brown eyes of her teacher subdued her anger and Yukito Tsukishiro let her go. He knelt down to pick up the strewn herbs and deposited them back into the bowl.

"Mistress Chie is dead," Meiling said. It was very odd how her voice sounded very different and detached. Unexpectedly, Meiling rushed into action. Taking out a bag, she stuffed her bag with her clothes and necessities. "We're going to Wasureru," she said as she hurried out of her room.

Simultaneously, the door across her room also opened. Her cousin stopped in his tracks, and frowned guiltily. "Meiling…" he started.

Meiling's eyes narrowed as she noticed the bag he was carrying that was probably filled with clothes. "You're going there. Again." He opened his mouth to protest, but she interrupted. "You're going by horses, aren't you? Good. I'm using them." She turned a heel and started to walk away.

"Meiling!"