Chapter 9
Don't Go There

absolutefluffiness acknowledges: The ECRS team for going through this. Dedicated to all who reviewed (see below please!)

Previously: Sakura and Syaoran are switched by the Change card, and so are Eriol and Tomoyo, leading to very interesting complications.


Syaoran reached for his sword...then remembered he was in Sakura's body. "Damn it," he swore.

Sakura giggled. "It is so strange to hear you cuss in my voice," she said.

"Likewise, I'm sure," Syaoran grinned.

"I do not cuss!" Sakura protested.

"You should. I usually say 'damn' or 'shit', and when the occasion calls for it, I say..." Syaoran deviled her. Teasing Sakura was easy when they were alone…and surprisingly fun.

"Stop, Syaoran!" Sakura began to laugh. "You're making me a potty mouth! And…we have a card to catch, remember?"

Syaoran remembered why he had cursed in the first place. "Blast it to hell," he said, making Sakura giggle even more. "Oh...sorry. Hand me the talisman in your back pocket." Sakura dug in, and gave him the ball talisman-pendant with the red tassel. Syaoran closed his eyes and concentrated; his spirit fueled the item, and he braced himself for the familiar weight of the blade.

Which did not come.

He opened his eyes. It was still a talisman. 'But isn't it attuned to my body?' he wondered. "Sakura," he said as he handed her the talisman. "Try turning this into a sword. Just close your eyes and concentrate. It won't work with me so maybe you in my body could be able to summon it," he said. She tried, but nothing happened. Syaoran sighed. "Oh now this isn't good." And it was about to get worse.

Something zipped in through the open window next to Syaoran's bedroom, and Sakura barely dodged it. It was a vicious-looking barbed arrow, and she gasped. Syaoran was about to summon his wind when he remembered he had no access to his powers in Sakura's body, so he ran and shut the glass sliding door which led out to his balcony. Against it, a shower of arrows rained.

"Crap. The Arrow card," Syaoran groaned. He was racking his brains for a solution when Sakura suddenly rushed forward and shoved her hand into Syaoran's shirt.

'It is so weird,' Sakura thought, as she reached for the Key which she kept on a chain, 'to reach into my own clothes...and feel my own…breasts!' She turned red, and Syaoran did likewise. Finally, she found the Key and tried to summon it...to no avail.

"No...No!" Sakura sat down and began to cry. Syaoran hesitated then put a comforting arm on her shoulder. "How are we going to use Change tomorrow? What if we're like this for life?"

"Please don't cry," Syaoran said softly. "You can cry later. But now, we have to figure this out." He stroked her shoulders to calm her down. A few sniffles later, Sakura nodded. They both thought hard, Syaoran in Sakura's body pacing across the floor, Sakura in Syaoran's body frowning as she sat on his bed.

Then Sakura spoke up. "Can we try something?"

"I'll try anything right now," Syaoran said.

"Please...I'll stand behind me—I mean, you—and I'll hold your arms," she said. "Then you try to summon the Key. If this works we change positions and summon your sword."

"Hm. Shared energies through body contact. It might work," Syaoran said thoughtfully. He stood in front of Sakura and nodded. "Okay then. Let's try it."

Sakura stood behind Syaoran and placed her arms on his, then proceeded to dictate her spell to him. Syaoran repeated the words, and finally, Sakura's Key began to respond, and it materialized.

"We did it!" Sakura jumped.

"But Sakura," Syaoran said, "This means we have to fight together, literally, to use one power or the other. It might mean we could only use one set of powers at a time. And...we'll have to keep changing positions as whoever owns the item to be used has to be in direct contact with it."

"We'll manage somehow. Come on. Let's summon your sword," Sakura said, as she changed positions with him. "We'll need all the help we can get." Once Jian was cast, she and Syaoran traded items. Syaoran had to swing his sword around several times before he got used to its heft while in Sakura's body.

They both looked out the window. Arrow was still firing arrows at the window, if in a desultory fashion. It looked bored.

"We need a card that won't require us to open the window," Syaoran said.

"Leave it to me," Sakura said. Standing behind Syaoran, she helped him summon Shadow to obscure Arrow's vision. It struggled against Shadow.

'Now, your sword,' Sakura thought, and was surprised when Syaoran suddenly switched places with her, and said, "Yes."

'You heard me?' Sakura thought in surprise.

"Didn't you say that out loud?" Syaoran asked.

'No! Look, am I opening my mouth?' Sakura thought.

'Can you hear me?' Syaoran thought.

'Definitely,' Sakura responded in her mind.

'Let's worry about this later,' he answered…but secretly he was thrilled and hoped the link would last even after they switched bodies. 'Now...use my sword to cast Raitei Shourai. I'll open the sliding door and get back behind you, and we throw out my ofuda and we cast the spell.'

'Will this work?' Sakura wondered.

'It has to,' Syaoran thought back grimly.

Sakura did as she was told; as soon as Syaoran opened the sliding door, she darted out, eager to seal the card. But Arrow got in one last shot before Shadow completely engulfed it, and with a wicked smile on its face, it aimed for Sakura's heart.

Syaoran yelled, "Watch out!" Sakura managed to dodge, and the arrow grazed her arm instead; she cried out in pain. To her surprise, in her head she could hear Syaoran screaming several four-letter words even worse than 'damn' and 'shit'. At first she assumed he was angry because his body had gotten injured, and was about to apologize when he went into a string of Chinese curses as he ran behind her. And she heard: 'Goddamn that stupid freaking card; if it hurt Sakura I'll destroy the stupid thing, I'll incinerate it, I'll goddamned tear it to shreds if it harmed my Sakura in any way!'

'He was worried about me!' Sakura realized, her heart melting. And...he had called her, 'my Sakura'. Despite the situation, she smiled and nodded when he quickly asked, "Are you all right?" Syaoran angrily took his place behind her, grasping her arms firmly. Then as she and Syaoran cast his thunder spell, they both felt a surge of power go through both of them. Surprised, Sakura nearly dropped Syaoran's sword, but he helped her keep a grip on it. The lightning bolt they cast was purple in color, and it took down the Arrow card with a single strike.

'The staff, now!' Sakura screamed in her mind as she ran behind Syaoran and assumed his earlier position.

"Return to your true form, Clow Card!" they both chanted, and the Arrow card dissolved back into a Clow card. Syaoran dropped Sakura's staff when he noticed the blood on her arm.

"Shit," Syaoran cursed, then, "Sorry, Sakura." He made her sit down on his bed, and went to the kitchen for the herbs he'd used to heal her a month or so earlier. He cast the healing spell, and the injury closed up.

"Seems I can use that spell in your body," Syaoran mused, mostly to himself. "I ought to teach it to you sometime," he said. "Rest," he told Sakura. "Two Clow cards sealed in one day—you must be tired."

He called for bento delivery, and as they ate, Syaoran explained the healing spell to her, and mentioned how worried he was that two Clow cards had attacked in one day. When Sakura began to droop and get sleepy, he went to his cabinet and handed her his pajamas. "I'll just wear a big shirt and a bathrobe," he said. "You get changed in the bathroom. I'll change out here, and I promise I won't look at you."

"I know you won't," Sakura said softly, and smiled. Syaoran blushed, then smiled back.

He'd handled himself well in the toilet department earlier, managing Sakura's body functions, except with a giant blush that had reached his ears. He began to change into the shirt when Sakura suddenly protested. "You can't go to bed all smelly," she said.

"I have to wash your clothes," Syaoran pointed out. "Otherwise it will look weird if you show up in this," and he held up her stained school uniform."

"You might as well take a bath," Sakura persisted.

"Oh no," Syaoran said, his ears feeling like they were on fire. "We settled that earlier. I am not taking a bath in your body and it's final," he said firmly. "Please?" He touched Sakura's arm gently, wanting to hold her, to embrace her...but she might think he was trying to take advantage of their weird situation, so he refrained from doing so. He finished washing Sakura's clothes, over her protests, and went to settle on the couch. Sakura followed him there.

"You take the bed," Syaoran said. "I'm okay here."

"No, I'm the guest. I stay here. You go back there," Sakura argued.

Syaoran sighed. "Look, Sakura, I..." and his voice trailed off when he saw the mutinous line in which her mouth had set. "Please." Sakura continued to frown, and finally, Syaoran threw up his hands in surrender. "Fine! We'll share my bed! All right?"

Sakura, having gotten what she wanted, smiled. "Okay." She went back to his bedroom, and Syaoran followed. He slid under the sheets next to her, and found her face in his. It really was so weird seeing himself when he looked at her, and, clearly with the same thought in mind, she began to giggle.

"You know...I could hear your thoughts a while ago," Sakura began, and Syaoran was grateful for the darkness because he was blushing.

"Uh...yeah," was all he could say.

"Syaoran?"

"Yes?"

"I..." Sakura wondered: was she doing the right thing? Would she be right if she told Syaoran that she loved him, if she kissed him to let him know she wanted him as her boyfriend? She blushed; it was awfully forward of her, and coming so soon after she forced him into his own bed with her...simply because she didn't want to sleep alone in a strange room…But they were in the wrong bodies. She decided to wait until she was back in her own. "Nothing. Just…Thank you."

"For what? I didn't do anything," Syaoran said.

"You were here," she said, as she reached out to touch his cheek. Syaoran smiled.

"Rest. We've got a long day ahead tomorrow," he said softly.

"We can talk," Sakura said as she snuggled up to him; he spooned her gently, which was awkward because he was smaller.

"What will we talk about?" Syaoran asked, lacing his fingers through hers. He wanted to smell her, then he realized he would be smelling himself, so he chuckled.

"Why did you go after me so aggressively at first?" Sakura asked curiously. "You even threatened to marry me."

"Oh, that." Syaoran was grateful for the darkness because he knew he had turned red. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you don't act that way anymore. You're so much different," Sakura said softly. 'For one you kept kissing me back then!' she thought, then turned red. What was it with her and wanting to kiss Syaoran anyway? She touched her lips—Syaoran's lips—because she had forgotten what they felt like.

"Didn't like me back then?" Syaoran asked anxiously.

"No, not that," Sakura said slowly. "It was like...you were in some kind of a hurry and you kept stressing my being the Cardcaptor. Now you're always just worried about me. Am I making sense?"

Syaoran sighed. It was the least he owed her, especially after that stupid race where she had been so desperate to get answers out of him. "I...you might not like me if I told you."

"I promise I won't," Sakura said. "It would be hard for me not to like you...Oh!" She blushed. What was she doing? Why was she saying these things to him?

'Did I hear her right?' Syaoran blushed—again—then took a deep breath. "Right…Um…My family is a very old, magical family. As such we're, well, kind of sticklers for certain things. As one of only two magical members in my generation, I'm expected to do certain things."

"Uh...okay..."

"And so," Syaoran gulped, then continued, "I...I am a candidate to be the next head of my clan. So I'm expected to f-find..."

"More magic?" Sakura suggested innocently.

"Er..." Syaoran's voice dropped to a whisper, "a suitable wife."

"Well, that's easy. Choose whoever you fall in love with," Sakura said, but her voice sounded hollow. So Syaoran needed to find a wife. Tomoyo had told her the Lis practically owned half of Hong Kong. Someone as rich and magically powerful as Syaoran might not be interested in someone like her.

"No...actually, it's kind of...like a quest or a bet," Syaoran admitted. "Whoever between me and Eriol brings home the best fiancee wins and…becomes head of our Clan."

There was silence. Syaoran broke it by saying, "I'm so sorry, Sakura. That was such a lousy thing to do to you."

'Was that all there was to it?' Sakura wondered. He needed to catch the Cardcaptor so that he could head his clan? But Syaoran was always with her...and he was so sweet and kind...and he'd told her he liked her, didn't he? And...he was training her to be a better Card mistress...

"Is that why you're nice to me?" Sakura asked sadly. "Because you need...a candidate for your wife?"

"No." Syaoran said firmly. "That was never the reason why I'm nice to you. Please believe me, Sakura."

"Then why?" Sakura was ashamed of how her voice sounded like she was wailing.

"Because...because I meant it...w-when I said I like you," and Syaoran fought an almighty blush again.

Sakura turned around. "Do you...mean it?" she asked eagerly.

Syaoran smiled and touched her nose gently. "I don't say what I don't mean," he said sincerely. "And...my offer...it still stands. You choose when...when to...you know, say yes to me being...your boyfriend." He bent his head to hide the blush he could feel on his cheeks; he was embarrassed of having to remind Sakura of his proposal—had she forgotten?

A thrill ran down Sakura's spine. 'Tomorrow...' she thought. 'When we change back...I want to kiss him!'

'Make sure you're sure...' she remembered Syaoran saying. And for the first time in a long time, she remembered Yukito and how he made her feel. 'I'll talk to Tomoyo and Kero-chan first,' Sakura decided, 'then I'll know what to do.' She smiled, snuggled closer, and fell asleep in Syaoran's arms.

And Syaoran stayed awake for a while, wondering how she really felt about him. 'If she doesn't say anything after I reminded her of it...what will I do?'


At Tomoyo's house, things were a wee bit more complicated. She was refusing to show any shyness with Eriol, and he was busy taunting her about their situation. He cooperated with Sakura and dutifully called her father to inform him of the sleepover.

Afterwards, he stretched, smirked, then said, "I don't know about you but I could go for a bath."

"Not without me," Tomoyo snarled.

"But Tomoyo-san," Eriol smiled, "that would mean we would have to both be in the shower...naked."

"I'll wash my own body, thank you very much, you pervert," Tomoyo said frostily.

"Well, I'll wash mine," Eriol smirked. "Unless you're afraid of me."

Tomoyo ripped Eriol's school clothes off herself. "Try me," she said loftily. "You can't freak me out that easily."

"Okay then," Eriol grinned as he stripped off his own—rather, Tomoyo's clothes.

In the shower, though, he put the moves on Tomoyo, who backed off. Tomoyo was just a few inches shorter than him, so tiptoeing a bit to try and kiss her was easy. "Don't," she snapped.

"Why Tomoyo," Eriol whispered against her lips, "are you afraid of me?"

Tomoyo turned away from Eriol in annoyance. In the large bathroom mirror she could see herself in Eriol's body...and to her horror, he was quite well-built and attractive. He caught her looking, and a smile spread across his lips.

There was a breathless pause. Tomoyo wanted to slap him, but she knew that was what he wanted. "I'm not afraid. I understand that I find you attractive physically, and I do not deny it, although that is combined with an intense dislike of your methods and personality. But I refuse to give you what you want."

"Like what you see?" Eriol pressed himself against her; it was such a strange sensation to feel her own chest.

"If you want me," she ground out, "you have to win me over. No more stupid acts. Enough of this pretend seductiveness. When I said I was willing to give you a chance, that did not include physical intimacy."

"Pretend?" Eriol pressed his...no, her...body against her...no his...body. "I've never felt this way about anyone else before." His eyes were going soft, and he was closing the gap between their lips, tiptoeing up to kiss her.

"Stop it," Tomoyo pushed him away and turned on the cold shower, making him yelp. "Now bathe!"

"No," Eriol advanced on her. He held up the small bath sponge. "You said you weren't afraid of me." He squeezed some soap on it, then grabbed Tomoyo. "Prove it." His dark blue eyes challenged her as he began to soap his—no, Tomoyo's—shoulders. She stayed calm until he went lower.

"Are you scared?" he asked, his eyes hard and yet...there was something in them Tomoyo was unsure of.

"No." Tomoyo tilted her chin defiantly. "Hurry up."

"But I want to take my time," he said. "This feels...good."

Tomoyo grabbed his hand. "Stop it."

"You're stronger than me right now," Eriol said. "And I can't use magic in your body." To her horror, he ran his hands over her curves. "You have no idea how you can subdue me. You are...beautiful. And you...you make me feel."

"That's your problem." She grabbed the soap from him and quickly soaped up, angry that she'd let him get under her skin and manipulate her into such a compromising position.

Eriol was losing control from Tomoyo's refusal to rise to his bait and lose her composure. "I would have thought that card would make you more receptive. Certainly when I released it on Sakura and Syaoran..." He stopped, knowing he'd made a terrible mistake.

Tomoyo simply stared at him in disbelief. Then, slowly, she rinsed herself off and turned her back on him. "And I thought you were worth trying to help," she said softly. "You're just...pathetic." She grabbed a large towel, and walked out of the toilet once she was dry.

Eriol leaned back against the tiled shower wall. She was going to tell Syaoran and Sakura, for sure. And his little plan to try and get Syaoran and Sakura to fight—oh he'd thought it would be a deliciously horrible argument once either had to go to the bathroom—had failed. Again.

And worse...Tomoyo hated him now—for sure.


Next chapter: There's a school play—and guess who the Prince and Princess are? More cards arrive, and Sakura seeks advice from Kero and Tomoyo about what she feels for Syaoran—is she in love for real now? Who can Eriol ask advice from?

I would like to dedicate this chapter to: xXxCherryBlossomxXx, LittleCherrySakura, Angie-ange, Sakura Petal Wings, lunarmidnightwolf, dbzgtfan2004, karithinia, lhaine07, vintageumbrella, Julia and Tania, Chryzle-KisS, saphirablossom, rondallagurl, maleesha, vivx, Chica De Los Ojos Café, Nightwing's Gurl 2023, I'd rather be dead then coolXP, aira, and airaamay! I am so happy that people like this story, and it inspires me to write more : D