Generations of Card Captors

Hanging By a Moment

Rayne nearly jumped out of her skin when Brian placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's just me," he was quick to assure her, but she was still a jittery bundle of nerves.

"She left," Rayne whispered. "She hates me."

Brian rolled his eyes, rather blatantly. "She doesn't hate you."

"She saw all that magic, and I told her I do magic, and she hates me now."

"We don't have time for this," Brian grumbled, grabbing Rayne's wrist. "Will has all of the Sakura Cards now, and you've still got Eriol Cards to find. The faster you find them, the better."

Rayne's shoulders slumped and she sighed heavily. "I suppose so. I guess you're right."

Brian tugged Rayne along behind him at a rapid pace, not letting go of her wrist the entire time. "Besides, we need to ask those two a few questions before they decide to disappear so we can't ask them any questions."

"What would you ask them, anyway?"

"I don't know. Why they made the cards? Why they made the guardians? What you guys are supposed to do with the cards? Why you and Will are so damned special and I'm not? Stuff like that."

"I don't feel all that special," Rayne murmured. "I did at first, but it's been so hard."

"You're just depressed over a stupid misunderstanding. Julia will be back. Trust me."

"You don't understand," Rayne sniffled. "I...I think I love her. And if she can't handle magic, then I don't want anything to do with it."

Brian tugged her arm impatiently, trying to quicken the pace. "It's not an issue. Really. You'll see."

"How would you know?" she demanded, stopping still in the middle of the street, pulling her arm out of his grasp.

"I know a LOT of things you don't," he called back over his shoulder, not bothering to stop.

Rayne stared at him for a moment, hands balling into fists before she hurried after him. "Oh yeah? When did you get so smart?"

"Some time when you were making moony-eyes over Julia," he said, picking up the pace again, so that talking wasn't a real option since they were just shy of all-out running.

Rayne glared at him, but she kept up. She wondered what questions she'd ask, herself, if she was given the chance. It would be too hard not to ask for hints, or for help, if she allowed herself to even open her mouth. And, wouldn't that right there prove to everyone that she was not strong enough or worthy enough for the cards? So, what else could she ask? Maybe she'd ask what they were going to do, now? It was a reasonable question. And, could they all be friends when it was over? The more she thought about it, the more important that particular question seemed. It was as if meeting them had filled in an empty space she hadn't known was even there. Like meeting an old friend again, that she just hadn't remembered.

Then she'd ask them if they really had all known each other before. Rayne had always had feelings about things, but sometimes, like now, she wasn't sure how much she could trust them. It would be nice if someone could tell her if she was right or wrong for once.

"You guys just missed them," Will said, when Brian and Rayne rounded the corner. "And before you ask, they didn't say anything really. Just that they'd be back. The twins were too busy talking to their big brother to really even notice I was there."

Rayne noted that he looked distinctly put out by that, and it was as if echoes of things she'd just been wondering about whispered in her ear. "I think you were the big brother, once," she said softly. "But, I don't know. I might be wrong."

Yue took Will's hand then, somewhat possessively. "What else do you remember?" he asked sharply.

"Just little things," she said softly. "Like, there are people missing still, and I don't know if they'll ever be here. It's more that things feel familiar than actually remembering. That's how Will and I met..."

"And how we broke up," Will frowned, inching closer to Yue.

"I suppose so, yes," Rayne said, turning and walking away. She stifled tears as she hurried home, just wishing that the night, and all it had brought, would be over quickly.

Sean drove Michael and Michelle home silently, forgoing the automatic zones for manual control so that he could avoid their eyes as they continued their admonishments. "It's still going to work out just fine," Sean said quietly. "The Sakura Cards are safe--"

"The Sakura Cards are in limbo," Michelle said. "Will passed the judgment, but he hadn't gained control of all of the cards first. He doesn't have the practice, or the attachment, that Sakura had. What if he can't change them all?"

Michael put an arm around his sister's shoulders to comfort her. "The situation for the Eriol cards isn't much better, if Rayne can even pass the judgment with her current frame of mind. They know who we are, and they know what we'll have to do. It won't be the same."

"Of course it's not the same," Sean said. "Wasn't that the point? There are two sets of cards. Will is Will, and Rayne is Rayne. It would have had to have been different from the very start anyway, and railroading them wouldn't have worked."

The twins gave each other startled looks. Had their plots and plans been leading that direction? "When did Sean get smarter than us?" Michael said.

"I've been the smart one all along," Sean said with more than a hint of smugness. "You two just couldn't see past each other long enough to notice it."

"I'll admit nothing until the Sakura Cards are safe," Michelle said darkly. "Start praying, o brother mine."

"Relax," Sean grinned, finally shifting the car into an automatic lane and turning around to look at them. "This time there are three of us."

"Two of us," Michelle corrected pointedly, "and a big brother who is supposed to be the normal one of us."

"Next to the two of you, anyone would look normal."

Michael and Michelle looked at each other, and then they looked at Sean. "You asked for it," they said in unison, and suddenly he was pelted with small stuffed animal sheep.

Two more cards, Ruby Moon thought impatiently. Just two more.

It had been a nerve-wracking nightmare to watch everything from behind Julia's eyes. It was impossible to think that Yue had managed it for so long, knowing what must come to be, and knowing what had once been but not being able to act upon it at all. So much magic was flying around with the other deck of cards and Will and Brian and just everything at once that Ruby Moon hadn't once needed to hide or withdraw the way Yue had. It was leading to so many conflicting emotions, though.

"I want her to fail," Ruby Moon would whisper. "I want Rayne to just get all the cards and fail and then we can all go back to sleep and ick I'm so bored with sleeping. But, Rayne just isn't Eriol, and she's not Kaho, and she's not anyone at all. She's not even Sakura, and I'd settle for that right now. All Rayne knows how to do is be an insufferable know-it-all! Books, books, books. Doesn't she have an original thought in her head at all?

"I want to go back to sleep and forget it all. But I don't want to because I'm bored. But if I don't fight with my all, and if I let her pass just because I'm tired of things being like this, then some cards might die. And I might die. And Suppi might die. There's no Touya around this time to save me. Is she strong enough?"

Ruby Moon started pacing around the room impatiently, frowning. "And how am I supposed to be some impartial judge person when I keep getting these fluttery feelings? I didn't want to be the brooding, love-struck idiot. Suppi is the smart and discerning one. He's the brooding one. He's good at staying aside and being hidden and doing what he's supposed to and being impartial. I'm not. I don't know the first thing about this judgment thing. And it will be my fault if the cards die, and we die, and everything Eriol did for us is for nothing."

It took a few deep breaths to banish the feeling of impending tears at that thought.

"Two more cards."

Ruby Moon paced some more, unable to work out the many emotions that roiled around within. "Two more cards, and it will all be over.

"Or, it will all just begin."

It was either genius or stupidity. Brian was a bit awed as he watched Will use the remaining stray Eriol Cards as an important, practical reason to begin transforming the Sakura Cards into his own.

"I just want to help Rayne," Will said, changing the Sleep and putting half of the city to sleep while Rayne used her Eriol Card for the other half.

"You two are scary," Brian muttered, keeping an eye on the rampaging Fiery. He didn't have time to keep track of who fell asleep from the card and who didn't, but he knew.

This was the last card.

A shiver went up his spine despite himself. Julia had been around a little bit, but things hadn't been the same since Will's judgment. He was certain that somewhere, hiding just out of their view, the disguised moon guardian was watching them and waiting for this to be done.

"They're just doing what needs to be done," Keroberus said, hovering in his tiny form at Brian's side. He was small to conserve magical energy, of course...and because it was easier to irritate Brian that way.

"Just like following me around like a demented toy needs to be done, I suppose?" Brian's voice was gruff as he jumped lightly from fence to rooftop, trying to gain a perspective on the scope of the disaster they were facing.

"I just happen to be an expert on capturing cards of a fiery nature," Keroberus said smugly.

"You're an expert at running your mouth," Brian replied, glaring. "You're pushing Will too hard and too fast, and don't think I haven't noticed."

"Don't start blaming me," the miniature sun guardian protested. "He's pushing himself too hard and too fast, if anyone is. But, he won't have a chance like this again. With those twins being forced to reveal themselves, they can't do what Eriol did to Sakura."

"We don't exactly have the best record of that all," Brian hedged. "What, exactly--" He dodged as a column of flame shot toward him, falling gracelessly off of a wall and into a pile of freshly raked leaves. "Ow."

"Some other time, kid," Keroberus said, flying off to help those who could actually make a difference, and avert the disaster.

Brian stood slowly, rubbing his thigh and brushing crushed leaves from his green ceremonial garb. He had to bend over and search for his hat in the pile, cursing under his breath the entire time. When he finally straightened, not much the worse for wear in the end, he looked up and into the eyes of someone unexpected.

"You're not even going to pretend to sleep?" he asked by way of hello.

"Is there a point to it, now?" Julia asked, looking toward the fight but staying hidden from the actual commotion.

"Rayne still doesn't know," Brian said slowly.

Julia gave him a sharp look, suddenly. "How long have you known?"

"The first time I saw you," he admitted, somewhat reluctantly. "We were talking about cherry blossoms, and everything fell into place."

She nodded and looked away again. "The fight is almost over. It's almost time."

Brian nodded as well, and then he surprised himself by reaching over and placing a hand on Julia's arm. "Go easy on Rayne. She--she's in love with you, you know."

Julia glared, and Brian flinched back slightly from the intensity in her eyes.

"Love," she started, but she shook her head. "It didn't stop Yue, and now I know why." Silence descended as the conflict ended, and Ruby Moon shed her disguise. "It's time to end this farce."

Brian followed her in apprehensive silence. For once, he was glad he hadn't been the one picked for either set of cards.