Chapter 9
Prices

(Author's notes at the end! Wondering about the faster-than-usual update? Blame "Tomoyo" and "Chiharu" for giving me evil ideas!)

Previously: Sakura and Syaoran discover that they can use each other's magical energies while in each other's bodies, and Tomoyo finds out that Eriol unleashed the Change card on them all.

"So Eriol released the card on us," Syaoran said softly. Tomoyo nodded. "That ass," he cursed.

Syaoran and Sakura had gotten their bodies back the next day, without incident, and he'd walked her home after she'd cast the spell to reverse Tomoyo and Eriol as well. She had held Syaoran's cheek with her free hand (the other was in his left hand) as she paused by the gate of her house, and smiled as if she had a little secret. And she...dare he say it?...was looking at him fondly, almost lovingly.

To his surprise, Sakura had smiled happily, thanked him, tiptoed up to kiss him on the cheek gently then said, "Wait for me, okay?" Her beautiful green eyes smiled into his, and Syaoran just knew he was lost in her, and that he would never forget anything about Sakura Kinomoto, not even if he was forced to marry someone else.

He'd nodded without knowing what she meant. The urge to kiss her, to confess what he felt was overwhelming, but Syaoran knew he couldn't—he was a man of his word, and would not say anything until Sakura said something herself. He'd promised her he would wait for her to be the one to kiss him.

"What I don't get," Syaoran mused, "is that only the Card Mistress should be able to catch and release Clow cards. So how was Eriol able to handle them?"

"I'm sorry; I should have asked him," Tomoyo said.

"Don't apologize, Daidouji-san," Syaoran said. He knew what had happened; Tomoyo had told him every excruciating detail; she'd had to ask him not to murder his cousin after she mentioned the bathroom stunt. "I think I'll go talk to Sakura's Kero later. He might be able to shed light on this situation."

Not just that situation...at that moment Sakura was talking to Kero about Syaoran and her feelings for him.

"...and that's what's been going on between us. I don't know how I feel exactly but I do know I think of him all the time," Sakura finished, smiling softly as she hugged her pillow. "I think I love Syaoran," she added. "It's so different from what I feel...what I felt...for Yukito-san."

Kero smiled as well. Syaoran had brought Sakura back to her cheerful self—and better yet (Kero had ascertained this thanks to several judicious questions, the significance of which Sakura had missed), the boy had not even tried anything funny in Sakura's body nor taken advantage of the Change card situation. 'Boy probably does really love her,' Kero thought, amused that Sakura was in love with a Li famiy member who loved her as well.

"Just go for it, Sakura!" Kero said. "Make sure you tell him your feelings at the right time."

"Hoe?" Sakura creased her brow. "I was hoping to tell him tomorrow!"

"Patience," Kero advised. "Remember, this is love stuff. It's always best to go slow on love stuff. Trust me, I know these things!" he boasted.

"Wow, but we've already been together for months," Sakura said. "How long do I have to wait?"

"Give me some pudding first; you're tiring me out with all these questions," Kero said. Sakura rose to get more chocolate pudding, and Kero looked out the window. 'What is this strange presence I've been feeling?' he wondered.

He forgot about it once Sakura came upstairs with a tray full of cheap instant pudding; she figured it was better than letting Kero have the good stuff her father made. It worked, and as Kero ate, she called Tomoyo and asked to meet her that night to talk.

Tomoyo seemed subdued, but agreed to meet Sakura at a small chocolate and coffee bar in downtown Tomoeda at seven that evening. When she'd been returned to her body, Sakura remembered Eriol glancing at Tomoyo then leaving without a word.

'Okay, I know I'm dense but even I know something is going on there,' Sakura thought.

Once they met up, Tomoyo noticed the happy glow coming from Sakura, and smiled.

"You want to tell Syaoran that you love him, don't you," she said as she sat down.

"Hoe...how did you know?" Sakura asked.

She couldn't stop grinning; on her way she had sent Syaoran an affectionate message, 'Hope you've had dinner! Take care of yourself'. And he'd called her in response, saying he just wanted to hear her voice. Upon learning she was meeting Tomoyo, Syaoran chuckled then said, "Don't let her buy too much material."

"For what?"

"You'll see," Syaoran teased, then hung up with a gentle, "Take care, Sakura."

Sakura snapped back to the raven-haired beauty in front of her then grinned sheepishly.

"Hmm. Thinking of him. So cute. It's on your face," Tomoyo giggled. "You're looking lovelier—I think they call that the 'blossoming of love'. You smile when you hear Syaoran's name—there you go, you just smiled! And it's been three weeks since you called me to talk about Yukito."

Feeling a happy thrill go through her, Sakura squeezed her eyes shut and placed her palms against her cheeks. "Oh Tomoyo...He makes me thrilled, and happy, and there's just this thing in my chest that goes 'hanyaan' when I see him. I mean, when I look into his eyes—they really are amber, you know?--and when I hold his hand and..."

Tomoyo laughed. "There you go. When do you plan to tell him?" Her eyes suddenly glinted. "Ooh! We must plan out the 'Sakura confesses to Syaoran' scene!' And I must choose a location and clothes and how to film..."

"Wait!" Sakura suddenly cast her eyes downwards. "What...what if he doesn't feel the same way?"

"Sakura," Tomoyo sighed. "Remember what you told me he said the last time you two discussed your relationship?" When Sakura shook her head, Tomoyo fought the urge to whack her best friend on the head. "He said you have to kiss him...a real kiss, on the lips...when you're ready to tell him you want him for a boyfriend."

"Oh...yeah..." Sakura smiled again. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

"So, come on, why would he say that if he didn't like you?...Oh dear, the fabric store closes in an hour! Come on!" Tomoyo slapped a large bill on the tabletop to take care of their hot chocolates, and dragged Sakura to the fabric store, completely forgetting about her change.

"Er...Do we need this much fabric for one dress?" Sakura asked, bewildered, as Tomoyo chose bolt after bolt of silk, satin, chiffon, and other fabrics in a rainbow of colors.

"Silly. You need more costumes now that you're a real heroine," Tomoyo giggled. "Here..." and she thrust her Blackberry at Sakura. "I have sketches in that folder. And...clothes for your first date, your first real kiss...ooh so many firsts!" Tomoyo swooned.

"W...why?" Sakura was fast disappearing under the yards of cloth being tossed into her arms. Some of the sketches were downright...sexy and she blushed at the thought of wearing a skintight off-shoulder sheath inspired by Egyptian women's clothing in front of...Syaoran.

"You are the Card Mistress, and your handsome soon-to-be-boyfriend has a gorgeous green costume. I refuse to let you be left behind! You will have more gorgeous costumes, because you can't catch cards in your school uniform forever...and neither can you recycle your old costumes because I've archived them!" Tomoyo laughed her trademark "Oh-ho-ho-ho" laugh when Sakura emitted a squeak and a "Hoe!"

Sakura blushed. Soon-to-be-boyfriend...the words gave her a happy thrill. As if on cue, her cell phone rang. It was Syaoran, and she smiled.

"Hey," he said affectionately. "How are things going? Am I interrupting anything?"

"You were right about...mmfff...material," Sakura gasped.

Syaoran laughed. "She mentioned it to me earlier. You have one hell of a best friend," he said.

"Hey. Who's your best friend?" Sakura asked.

The answer made her blush. "You. No one compares to you. You give good advice, you're great company, you...you're...well..."

Sakura could imagine Syaoran turning red by now and the image made her giggle.

"So...talk to you later when I get home?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah. Take care," Syaoran said softly.

"You too." As Sakura hung up, Tomoyo was standing beside her, grinning evilly, a tape measure in her hands. All she could say was "Hoee!" as Tomoyo began to measure her all over.

In the Kinomoto household, a man carrying a smaller man kicked the back door open. He carried his burden up the stairs then yelled, "Stuffed toy! I know you're in there!"

Kero froze. Sakura's brother! What was he doing home at this time? And...pudding cups littered the floor of Sakura's bedroom. He quickly flew over to the window seat to hide among the stuffed toys there.

The door opened, and Toya laid Yukito on Sakura's bed. "Oi...stop hiding. I know you're a magical creature," he said as he picked Kero up by the scruff of his neck. "I need your help," he said desperately.

Kero sighed. "So you knew..."

"Of course," Toya answered gruffly. "I also know Yukito isn't human. Why is he passing out? Help me."

"Under the circumstances I think we should introduce ourselves first, especially since you're asking me for my help," Kero said archly. "I am Cerberus, the Golden Beast, Sun Guardian of the Seal and the Appointer."

"Toya Kinomoto, and don't pretend you don't know me because I know you've been eating our food!" Toya replied. "Guardian...on the book Sakura opened several months ago?" Toya asked. "But don't they say you usually come in pairs? Sun and Moon?"

"We do," Kero said slowly, wondering why Toya knew, and how. This was not the time to ask, though.

"Where's your partner?"

"No idea," Kero said.

"Anyway...I don't know what Yuki is, but..." Toya indicated Yukito, then gasped; he was fading!

"He must be a false form!" Kero yelled. "He needs magical power!"

"How?" Toya was frantic. What could he do to keep the person he cared for the most from fading?

"If his real form were to emerge, we'd have a chance, because the real form—whatever it is—would know how to get power..." Kero's voice trailed off, because the Clow Card book was suddenly glowing. The cards Sakura had already caught floated out, and surrounded Yukito.

"No..." Kero gasped. "He can't be!"

"Can't be what?" Toya asked testily.

"The Cards only respond to...the Card Mistress, the Guardians, and our creator—although he must be long dead by now." Kero thought quickly. Could Yukito be...the Moon Guardian? He certainly wasn't strong enough to be Clow himself.

Yukito began turning solid again, much to Toya's relief. The Cards, though, dropped to the floor, and Kero flew over to them. "Oh no," he said. "They're cold."

Across town, in Tomoyo's mansion where they were trying on new costumes—or to be accurate, Sakura was—Sakura lifted her head and gasped. "The Cards!"

Syaoran, eating his pizza delivery at home, dropped the slice he was holding. "Sakura," he whispered, right before he cast his wind spell.

Sakura cast Fly, climbed onto her staff and pulled Tomoyo, omnipresent camera in her hand, behind her. Halfway to the Kinomoto house, Syaoran, who was riding a wind cushion, caught up with them.

"Are you all right?" Syaoran yelled.

"I'm okay...but the Cards...and how did you know?" Sakura yelled back.

"I sensed your upset," Syaoran called. "I had to make sure you were okay." Sakura heard a barely perceptible giggle from Tomoyo, and blushed.

They landed in the yard, and Syaoran automatically moved protectively in front of the two girls, his sword still out.

"Someone's in my bedroom," Sakura whispered.

Syaoran nodded, then attempted to talk in Sakura's mind. 'Can you hear me?'

Sakura jumped. Was that Syaoran's voice in her head? She looked at him.

'Ah. We can still communicate in our minds,' Syaoran said, satisfied.

'How...' Sakura began. Then she felt it: her Cards were cold.

"No!" She cast Jump and climbed in through her own bedroom window. Syaoran grabbed Tomoyo and cast a wind spell to carry them up.

Sakura nearly fainted. Kero was staring at the Cards in horror, Yukito on her bed was glowing, her brother Toya was...was he crying?

"What...is going on..." she whispered.

Syaoran made it to the ledge outside her bedroom and gave Tomoyo a boost. When he floated in, he recoiled when he saw Sakura's brother...then relaxed when he saw how upset the older man was.

And then he felt it himself.

"Sakura..."

She knelt down and picked up the Cards. They were so cold; they didn't emit the warmth they normally did.

"What happened?" she asked Kero. When no one answered, she screamed, "What happened!?"

"I...don't know myself," Kero began slowly. "But...I think he..." and he indicated Yukito, "...is the false form of the Moon Guardian Yue...because the Cards rallied to save him and infuse him with magic. But...he's not emerging."

"Then why are the cards so cold?" Sakura demanded, no longer caring that her brother was there.

"They need magic...or they will turn back into ordinary cards, fade, and die..." Kero whispered.

"No..." Sakura reeled in horror. "If that happens, the..."

"...tragedy of the world takes place," Syaoran finished softly.

Sakura did not even know she was crying, but Toya saw her gravitate towards Syaoran wordlessly asking him for comfort. The brown haired boy did not hesitate; he opened his arms willingly and enfolded her into them with an expression of aching love on his face—as if the would do anything he could to take her pain away.

'No,' Toya thought with a sudden flash of understanding. 'They're in love, and they don't know it yet.' He glared half-heartedly at Syaoran, whom he now knew...the brat would be taking his sister away, and soon. He just knew it.

To his horror he saw Syaoran looking at him without rancor in his eyes. Syaoran's amber eyes moved from Toya to Yukito, and he looked sympathetic.

Syaoran knew Toya would never like him, and honestly, he would never be at ease with Sakura's brother. But the pain Toya felt, his uncertainty...if something like that ever happened to Sakura, Syaoran knew he would fall apart.

"Shh," he crooned to Sakura. "Don't cry," he said as he rubbed her back reassuringly, in the way he knew would stop her tears. Syaoran turned to Kero. "To infuse the cards with fresh magic...that would take a lot out of Sakura, wouldn't it?" he asked anxiously.

That Kero didn't answer confirmed his worst fears. Clow cards were still out there, and Sakura needed to capture them as well. She would never be able to do it if she had her magic powers reduced in any way. There was nothing for it. Syaoran sighed, and let go of Sakura, who looked up at him, confused. He smiled at her reassuringly, then turned to Kero. "Can I speak to you in private, please?" Kero nodded, and led Syaoran downstairs, to the den of the Kinomoto household.

Once there, Syaoran didn't waste time. "I'm a descendant of Clow Reed. What if...the cards were to siphon off my magic instead? Sakura needs hers to capture the Cards, and she's more important than me when it comes to that."

"No," Kero's eyes widened in horror. "You're not the Card Master. You may lose your powers—your magic—permanently!"

"Better me than her," Syaoran tried to shrug. He'd lived with his powers all his life and couldn't imagine being without them...but if it meant sparing Sakura a real ordeal...

"You idiot," Kero spat. "What use will you be to her then?"

"You can't seriously be suggesting that she sacrifice her magic!" Syaoran said hoarsely. "And...you answered my question with your reaction. My magic can be used in place of hers. No one else can seal the Cards. Can you think of a reason why I shouldn't do this?"

Kero stared at Syaoran. "You really do love her, don't you?"

Syaoran said nothing; Kero had said everything.

"You're insane. But the magical infusion has to take place now. The cards saved Yukito, and now, they are teetering on discorporation." Kero sighed. "Fine. Let's do this."

"Wait..." Syaoran said. "Can we do this where she can't see it?"

"I'm afraid not," Kero said sadly. "You need to channel your magic through her staff. I know you don't want her to know about the sacrifice you're making but it's necessary."

"Are there any other side effects I should know about?" Syaoran's mouth was set in a grim line. Oh but he knew the consequences. Without power, he would never be the Li Clan head. Eriol would win by default. But when he thought of the possibility that Sakura might fail to seal the cards and suffer the world's tragedy...no. He couldn't bear it. He had to do this...for the sake of the girl he loved.

"Only that you might be out cold for a week or so. You'll miss school. And you'll have to retrain in martial arts since your prowess was augmented by your magic. And...if your powers vanish, you'll never be able to use your sword again."

"So I'll be in many ways someone else," Syaoran said quietly.

"And you still want to do this?" Kero said incredulously.

"Yes," Syaoran said firmly, without hesitation. "Let's go."

Upstairs, Sakura was watching her brother. She was surprised that while she still felt sweet about Yukito, there was no yearning ache, no absolute need to be with him...not like with Syaoran.

'Syaoran. I really do love him,' she thought happily.

Tomoyo had turned her camera off out of respect, and was not surprised when Sakura bent down to caress Yukito's cheek.

"I'll try to help him," she said softly to Toya. And finally, the pieces fell into place; she now knew why Yuki had always gently rebuffed her advances. "I know you love him," Sakura said.

Toya started. "How did..."

"I am growing up, you know," she smiled gently, "and I can't be dense forever."

He smiled at his sister and touched her cheek. "Little monster is growing up," he said without a hint of teasing in his voice. "How awful..."

The door opened and a grim-looking Syaoran came in, followed by Kero. Sakura sensed the change in him, and looked at him; he avoided her beautiful green eyes. 'That's not normal,' she thought.

"Sakura," Kero said, "we need you to perform a spell."

"To infuse magic back into the cards?" she asked.

"Yes," Kero said. "And...Syaoran's g...going to help...help you," he said, one eye twitching.

Something was wrong, Sakura just knew it, but she couldn't figure out what it was. Syaoran sat in front of Sakura, keeping his eyes away from hers. Tomoyo let out a small gasp; she thought she knew what it was but didn't dare give it away; if Syaoran had chosen to do that then there would be no other way.

"Repeat after me: As Mistress, I infuse the cards with magic, taken from a willing source," Kero said, and Sakura repeated the words after him.

She was completely unprepared when her magical circle appeared, but this time Syaoran was in the center. He was borne upwards by some magical force, and his eyes flew open. His mouth opened in agony as light began to pour out of an area between his eyes, though no sound came out of his mouth. The light crept towards and engulfed the Clow cards.

"No...NO!" Sakura screamed as she dropped her wand. The light slowly trickled back into Syaoran, and he dropped like a rag doll to the ground with a nasty 'thwack'.

"How could you let me do this?" she screamed at Kero.

Not meeting her eyes, Kero replied, "He knew it was the only way. He told me not to tell you. It was either that or you would be the source...and there are still cards to seal."

"Oh Syaoran," and Sakura began to cry as she cradled his limp form in her arms. "What have I done to you?"

"Stop it," came a voice from the door. Tomoyo, Kero, Toya, and Sakura looked up. It was Eriol. He crossed the room in a few long-legged strides, and placed a palm on Syaoran's forehead, which glowed briefly. "Oh, good, I'm not too late. He'll be fine in a few days."

Eriol had not planned to be anywhere near Sakura, Syaoran, and least of all, Tomoyo, not after the Change card fiasco...but when he'd felt the Cards go cold, he'd rushed there, mindful of the fact that he wasn't even supposed to be able to feel the cards. He had no relationship with them.

But he could see dimly into the future, and he knew...Sakura could not be allowed to use her own magic...and Syaoran would lose so much if his magic was taken. There was nothing for it but for him to come there.

That Tomoyo was also there was not a major reason for his appearance, he told himself firmly.

"What...who are you?" Toya asked, too tired to be angry. Too many strange things were going on and his mind hadn't fully processed them yet.

"My name is Eriol Hiiragizawa but I'm sure that's not what you're asking. It doesn't matter," Eriol said urgently. He nodded at Kero. "Beast of the seal, let's proceed. I'll take his place."

Kero gasped. 'That presence!' Eriol was familiar yet his aura was...strange.

"I can't harm anyone!" Sakura protested.

"Would you rather have Syaoran lose his powers?" Eriol said harshly.

"Why are you doing this?" Sakura wailed.

"Does it matter?" Eriol grabbed Sakura's hands and forced her staff without any gentleness into them. "Do it now! Do you want to lose both Syaoran and the cards?" His grip was painful, and his dark blue eyes were blazing. "I...I don't want you to be unhappy," he whispered so softly, no one heard him. Out loud, he said in a hard tone, "Hurry!"

Reluctantly, Sakura raised her staff and repeated the spell. Oddly though, Eriol did not float into the air the way Syaoran did; instead, millions of tiny purple sparks which bathed the room in an ethereal light flew out of the region of his heart and were absorball the sparks were absorbed, Eriol toppled over, but remained conscious.

"I thought...that would take more out of me," he whispered.

Kero was watching Eriol closely. Very unusual. Syaoran had been drained—nearly killed—by the brief exposure to the ritual, and he was a very powerful warrior-mage...and this Eriol boy had walked away relatively unscathed. Toya's question had been appropriate: who was he?

Little did he know that Eriol himself wasn't sure what the answer to that was.

The Cards began to glow and they flew into Sakura's hands as she wept for joy. Yukito stirred on the bed, and opened his eyes. "W...where am I?" was all he was able to say before Toya, overcome with joy, hugged him tight. Tomoyo, however, kept her eyes on Eriol, who refused to meet them. He dragged himself woozily to his feet, and quietly left the room.

Tomoyo followed him. Why had he done it? Why had he taken Syaoran's place?

Halfway down the stairs, Eriol paused; he knew Tomoyo was behind him.

"I didn't do it for Sakura," he said in response to her unspoken question.

"Then why?" Tomoyo asked carefully.

Without turning around, Eriol said shakily. "You should know who I did it for." And he let himself out into the warm spring night, Tomoyo staring dumbfounded after him.

Upstairs, Sakura was pressing a cold cloth to Syaoran's forehead. He wasn't waking up, and his head lolled almost lifelessly in her lap. He was pale and cold, and Sakura almost cried again.

"Why did you do it?" she asked him softly.

She was startled to hear in her mind, 'Because you mean everything to me. Forgive me, Sakura.'

And that was the last she heard from Syaoran for a long time.

absolutefluffiness says: Gomen! The play is postponed to next chapter because this was already overly long! But...two people will confess their love next chapter...in front of the whole school! And that's a promise!

Thank you again to "Chiharu" and "Tomoyo" of the EvilClonesRSmexy team for going through this! I propose to catch Fei Wong Reed, force him into a Hawaiian shirt, and make him do karaoke until he agrees to clone a Syaoran for each of you! And an even more special thanks to "Tomoyo' for helping me out with Chapter 11's Eriol. You rule, girl!

Syaoran lurves: vintageumbrella, Angelwings, rondallagurl, Chica De Los Ojos Café, airaamay, Karithinia, CheeseyCraziness, Sakura Petal Wings, xXxCherryBlossomxXx, The Patchwork Bear, Mrs. Radcliffe 13, Chryzle-KisS, Toki Hasegara, Misunderstandings, and black-labrador!

Again, special thanks to Julia and Tania for the helpful review!