Chapter 11
A Greater Scheme
Fei Wong Reed leaned over, resting his chin on a hand, his goblet momentarily forgotten in his other. "They're coming so close to gathering all of the feathers, and now Kyle is dead." He looked over, and there the Clone stood, watching impassively with cold, mismatched eyes. "And your right hand is useless..." He looked back to the sphere glowing before him, to the Emperor lying injured in bed, then to the symbol surrounding the motley group of travelers. "Soon their goal will be achieved. But will mine?" He looked to the clone, and for once, the clone looked back. "Yes. Yes, I believe it will, though it may be forced ahead of schedule. We must hurry."
-
Yuuko looked at the figure standing before her in her shop, eyes studying the young girl for a moment.
"Your wish... is an odd one," the witch stated finally, red eyes locking to brown. "And it is not within even my power to ensure that it will come true a hundred percent."
"I-... I don't care," the younger woman said, looking away finally. "I just... I just want them back, want him back! No one smiles anymore... I want them to smile again! And when I learned you might know something about it, and you did, I realized I would pay whatever price was necessary for it to happen."
"So, you would ask they be brought there to your world," Yuuko confirmed, and the girl nodded. "Very well, the price you must pay..."
-
Syaoran closed his eyes as they traveled through the multi-colored space between worlds. Sakura was next to him, looking determined, as Fai and Kurogane floated ahead, with twin looks of concern and worry adorning their facades.
Suddenly, the world around them shifted; writhing and twisting as though it was in pain. The whole group was jolted, and Syaoran felt a pair of arms wrap around his arm. He twisted about and grabbed the princess, holding her against him. The colors warped and shifted, spun together in a nauseating way, and then finally blacked out, and the group was freefalling.
They landed with a harsh thud in one large pile, Kurogane on the bottom, and slowly disentangled themselves a moment after everyone had gotten their bearings (and Kurogane had yelled at them all to get off him.)
Syaoran was the slowest one up, rubbing the side of his head, when a familiar power drifted across his senses. Sakura...
-
Yuuko smirked at the image of the travelers she saw before her. "I hope this throws a monkey wrench into your plans, Fei Wong."
Watanuki frowned from next to her. "How would that hurt him...?"
The witch's smile widened a touch. "It will invoke the boy's anger... strengthen his relationship with the princess... and reveal to them all exactly who the Syaoran they know now is. And, not only that, the rest of the feathers..."
The witch's assistant turned from her, heading down a long hallway. He paused before one of the doors, and lightly let his fingers rest on it. "Will you ever tell him what really happened to her?"
Yuuko laughed from the other room. "When this is all over, I just may."
Watanuki shook his head and opened the doors, stepping lightly inside. "I just hope he doesn't manage to get his hands on her."
-
Fei Wong Reed slammed his hand into the armrest of his throne in a rare show of anger. The clone was gone now, through another portal to a different world, so his slip would not be seen by anyone. "That witch! Somehow, I know this is her fault... if the Princess finds out what has happened in that world. No, no I mustn't think about it. It will effect nothing, do nothing but bring out unnecessary feelings for that kid, it will be her undoing... Not mine..." He looked upward slightly, staring beyond his viewing portal. "What do you plan, witch, allowing them to return to that world?"
-
...Cards...
Syaoran's eyes snapped open, and in them loomed a giant, crowned penguin, the bottom of its beak extended out to form a sort of slide. "No... no..." He walked forward, touched the side of the penguin slide as though he didn't believe it was real. "We can't be here. We can't..."
"Can't be where, Syaoran-kun? What's wrong?" Sakura's voice sounded from behind him.
He turned to look at the rest of the group, and they all tensed at his expression- he looked lost and alone and so very, very sad. "Welcome..." His voice shook with the strain of speaking around his emotions. "Welcome to..." He squeezed his eyes shut, clenched his fists, looked down and tried not to let the tears that pricked his eyes fall. When his voice came again, it was so soft they all had to strain to hear it. "Welcome to Tomoeda."
