Here goes Chapter Seven! Yeah, I'm not sure how plausible everything in here is, but I hope it makes sense to you guys. ,

entis, thanks for reviewing, I hope this chapter was worth the wait.

Attiqah Gensui, I'm glad you like this fic. I'm sorry I've not updated the other ones, yet, but one of them will be updated soon. I promise.

That said, I bring you Chapter Seven.

VII

Yukito stood at the edge of the ruins; sand billowing about him. Above him floated Sakura, a feather appeared to be suspended above her. She was glowing and had a dull look in her eyes.

"That feather..."

When the feather entered Sakura, the light emanating from the Clow princess changed in color and wings spread out from her back. The ruins begin to shake and the sandstorm becomes stronger, and then the wings fall apart into feathers that scatter...

"...Just like before."

When all that was done, the princess fell from the sky and Yukito knew that there was no way for her to recover from the damage done.

Clow Reed appeared to him at that moment, "When a person has crossed over to the other side, there is no way to bring that person back."

-

It was very early the morning after, when the winds began to shift to a more ominous pitch. The storm alarm was sounded, waking everyone in the city up. Everyone had to be warned. Everyone needed to be ready.

As Syaoran stood behind the closed balcony doors watching the wind build momentum at frightening rates, quick movements at the periphery of his vision caught his attention. Sakura' s balcony door was still open. Alarmed, he ran out of his room to check on his princess. When he got to the princess' room, he found her guards standing agape by her open door.

"What's going on?" Syaoran asked as he stood by their side. He froze to find that they were looking into an empty room. "Sakura-hime?"

"When the alarm sounded, the maids were ordered to seal her room," one of the guards began to explain.

Another piped in, "And she wasn't there anymore!"

Sakura had, on more than one occasion, gone out on her own to search for her feathers, but that only happened when she didn't have enough feathers to be fully aware of her situation. Now, the only other time Syaoran had seen Sakura lose herself was at that time. "Oh no..."

"Oi," Kurogane arrived. "What's going on?"

"The princess," Syaoran was quick to solicit help from his mentor. "I think she may have gone to the ruins."

Kurogane's scowl deepened, somewhat. "And that idiot disappeared as well. This isn't good."

-

He didn't have to pack for where he was going. He didn't have things of his own, to begin with, anyway. The things he had, Touya or Clow had given to him. He didn't even own the clothes on his back. There was only a journal where he had written all his spells and predictions, but that one, he decided to leave because the kingdom might need it. All he took was a walking stick. It was the only useful thing to him, now.

These decisions on what to bring and not to bring, he had made long before. When he predicted Sakura's brief return, he also planned his own departure. It was a cruel twist of fate. His gift of foresight was innate and did not rely on his magic so he could still have visions, though he could not control when he had them and what they would be about. But still, he could see the dark future only to see that there was nothing he could do about it.

But this time, there was something he could do to save Sakura. It was a desperate measure, but it had to be done.

-

"The inevitable will happen, but the outcome need not be as you see it," Clow Reed's voice rang clear as he stood at the edge of the ruins watching Sakura floating above him. This time, instead of appearing above Sakura, the feather appeared in front of Yukito. He took the feather and it started to glow a strange color. The ruins began to tremble and the winds threatened to blow him away, but he held tight and kept his footing firm. Behind him, silver-blue wings spread out. Sakura floated down to him and he returned the feather to her just before the feathers of his own memories scattered.

-

He couldn't bear to tell Touya that he was leaving for good. He cursed his own weakness, because this dilemma wouldn't be a dilemma had he been a bit stronger. But, in order to fulfill what needed to be fulfilled, in order to save the princess and make happen everything that should happen, he had to leave Touya.

He put on the white cloak he often wore whenever he and Touya went out to the marketplace. He also readied his mask, as he would be walking out into a barrage of sand. With a sandstorm raging outside, he was almost out of time. Touya's voice rang in his head.

"I've been very selfish all this time. Yuki, I release you from all your bonds to me."

Then, the king left him like that, to his own devices, to his own thoughts, and to his own guilt and misery.

"The weather's pretty bad for a morning stroll, Yukito-san," another white-cloaked figure stood amongst the many pillars of Clow castle.

Yukito recognized the voice. "Fai-san..."

"If something happened to you, Sakura-chan will be sad," blue eyes pierced through him. "But, even more important, he will be sad. Very sad. And he will blame himself."

The high priest avoided the blue eyes, "The king released me from all my oaths. I can do as I please, now."

"But you would have served him even if that were the case..." Fai paused for a moment for effect. "...if you could."

Yukito clutched the staff tightly, as if it was the last strands keeping him together. He was afraid that he would fall apart soon.

"Your power is all but gone," Fai stated calmly. Yukito nearly snapped the piece of wood in his hand in half. "The spell you used to send the kids to the Dimensional Witch took its toll on your powers. Your magic may be powerful, but a magician can send only one person through dimensions. You broke that law. You're paying the price for sending two."

"It is as it should happen," Yukito smiled as he glanced at the walking stick that now replaced his magical staff. "I was meant to do what I did and I was meant to lose what I am losing right now." Yukito forced himself to smile at the magician. "I don't mind losing my powers."

Fai's empty grin echoed Yukito's own strained expression. "But, your powers aren't really the price you're paying, is it?"

"Please," Yukito became agitated, not really understanding how a foreigner could know so much, but crediting it to magic that he no longer had. "Take care for Sakura-hime and Syaoran-kun. They've been through so much and I don't know how things will end for them. But, as for me and my services to the king...this ending is how it was supposed to happen. It was inevitable." He turned to leave knowing the other wouldn't stop him.

"I chose to run away once," Fai called after him. "And that is why I am running away. It was my choice, it wasn't inevitable. It's the same with you."

"You don't understand!" Yukito cried out, but somehow managing to keep his voice little above a whisper. "There's nothing else I can do..." his train of thought slipped somewhat. "This outcome had been predicted long before."

"Yes, the inevitable will happen no matter what," Fai reminded Yukito. "But the outcome of the inevitable depends on us. Please think about that."

And Fai left Yukito to his own devices. After all, despite all the conflicts that could go on in one's head, one could only give one's self so much advice.

-

Syaoran checked his goggles and put on his cape as he readied himself for the difficult journey to the ruins.

"You won't last long with just that," Touya interjected from the door of Syaoran's room. He tossed over to the young archeologist "brat" a mask. He was suited up to go out as well.

Syaoran bowed and then smiled gratefully at the king. "Heika-sama, with all due respect, you don't have to come with me. It will be dangerous, something might happen to you." He glanced towards Kurogane who had just entered the room in full sandstorm-fighting-gear. "You, too, Kurogane-san."

"Don't get me wrong, brat," Touya retorted lazily. "I'm not doing this to help you, but it's my sister who's out there and I don't really trust you with her. Sorry."

"That's heika-sama's way of telling you he's worried about you kids," Fai walked in, ready to go out.

"Fai-san..." Syaoran found himself feeling a bit more at ease with the thought that the magician was quite fine and would be going with them.

At once, Kurogane was on the blond's case. "Where have you been all this time?"

"Aaaaawww..." Fai grinned and patted Kurogane's head. "Kuro-daddy was worried about li'l ol' meeeeeeee..." he simpered, effectively making the veins in Kurogane's head pop out. He quickly shoved the sleeping Mokona into Kurogane's arms. "Now, you be a good daddy and take good care of Mokona, k?"

Although he took Mokona without question and tucked the magical creature into his cloak without complaint, Kurogane still yelled, "You didn't answer my question, you damn magician!"

"It would be suicide to go out in a sandstorm of this magnitude," Touya told Syaoran, ignoring Fai and Kurogane—he had long decided that the two men were as responsible with the kids as they were childish in handling their issues with each other. "That's why none of the palace soldiers are coming with us. It will be..." he paused, hesitant. He wasn't used to the idea of heading off somewhere without his high priest, but quickly shook himself free of his emotions. "...just the four of us."

Syaoran, Kurogane, and Fai; none of them commented on the absence of Yukito. Syaoran wanted to ask, but he received a disapproving look from the sole blond. Kurogane was quick to take the hint, but made a mental note to one day wring out every single detail the blond held back.

"Let's go," Syaoran led the group out of the room.

-

Whoop! There it is! Hope you liked it! Thanks for reading! I forgot to label the teaser from the last chapter as a teaser, but...oh well... sorry about that.

Teaser:

"I will pay any price to get my powers back and save Sakura-hime!"

-Yukito