Chapter 24.5 – In Clow's Country
Princess Tsubasa took a seat at her favourite spot; the rock bluff, facing the sand dunes in the distance.
She came here almost every day to take a break from her hectic schedule and to reminisce about Tsubasa, Fai and Syaoran.
It had been five years since she had last seen each other, but her feelings for him were as strong as ever.
As the fifth anniversary of their separation approached, she was overwhelmed with nostalgia.
While she tried to restrain herself from wallowing in loneliness, some days like today were harder than others.
She did not feel only sad but ungrateful as well, for the constant support of her older brother Touya, the king, and the high priest, Yukito gave her. Even until now they catered to her every single need.
When Tsubasa, Fai and Kurogane left, she resumed her rightful position as Princess of the Clow Country.
It had not been an easy role to reclaim. Being held captive by Fei Wong most of her life, there were many things she did not know or understand. It had been especially hard in the beginning, as she knew not much more of the world than she did when she was captured as a child. She had been forced to emotionally mature, but she was embarrassingly ignorant of most other things.
When Tsubasa became aware of how wide this knowledge gap was between her and other people her, she was determined to close it. Her doting older brother who would not refuse even the most unreasonable request immediately gathered the brightest scholars around the country. King Touya also personally tutored her as well, teaching her the duties of being a princess and filling her in on the politics of the day. Any opinion she gave on a ruling, no matter how small, he took into serious consideration.
Her first year back was dedicated to closing the gap, she only attended the events, her brother gently suggested she should.
While her second and third year still primarily consisted of studying, she began taking up more responsibilities she had a princess.
In the last two years, she fully took up the mantle of being the princess of the Clow Country; even taking a solo tour around the rural areas herself. She still had class, but they no longer consumed all of her time.
It was only recently that she felt, that she was not only understanding her environment but that she was actually apart of it. She wished they could see her as she was now.
A woman that could hold her own. She no longer needed to be supervised.
Starting from almost scratch, was frustrating and depressing but she refused to give up. She would not let what Fei Wong had done to her, ruin the rest of her life. As long as she was alive she was going to live the rest of her free life.
Her hair swayed in the breeze, today was cooler than usual for the season. She was not opposed; a cool wind was always a rare treat in the desert country.
She couldn't stop herself from imaging Tsubasa beside her and Fai and Kurogane bickering in the background.
She wished that day would come soon. Though she had not even the faintest clue what would happen when they had fully paid their price or when that would be. There were days when she truly believed that they would never be able to pay their price, or that they would die before then.
Questions like, will Fai and Kurogane return to their own worlds? Will Tsubasa have lost interest in me by the time he returns? Often plagued her thoughts.
With the time to think each imagined scenario and how they would play out, she realized that there nothing she could do to change those realities.
That realization made her feel even further left behind. It hurt her to think that she even if she was with them, she had nothing to offer them.
Her heart ached for their current and future separation.
When can we all be together again?
A stronger chest pain arrived. She stood up, wanting to run away from the place that was resurfacing her fears.
Her chest pain only increased as left the bluff.
She pondered having the doctor come visit her, but she would probably tell her what she told her before.
"There is nothing wrong with you physically, but if you do not learn to take her of your psyche better, it will start to take a real toll on your body."
Tsubasa stopped walking to take a breath.
"Breath, let your thoughts come and pass."
After a few minutes of meditated breathing, she still the lingering pain in her chest.
Tsubasa was confused, it usually goes away by now.
Another sharp pang made it clear that it wasn't a depressive episode.
I will have to go to the doctor.
The pain became unbearable and she had to stop again.
Should I call for somebody? Tsubasa was hesitant. Her brother, Yukito and the castle staff made a fuss at even the smallest things. She had once caused all action in the castle to cease when she had a paper-cut a year ago.
Her brother was extremely sensitive to matters concerning her.
It will go away soon.
She swayed back and forth trying to distract her mind from the pain.
After a couple of minutes from swinging, she noticed that the pain was slightly relieved when she swung back. She took a step back to test the theory; she had not imagined it.
She turned around and began to walk the other way. The pain was relieved, but she still didn't feel right.
Tsubasa continued towards the sand dunes.
Her adrenaline spiked as she walked across the sandy desert. It wasn't expressly forbidden to enter the runes, but she knew that everyone else would be against it.
As she neared the entrance of the ancient rune, her mind went down memory lane. The last time she had visited this area was with Tsubasa, who had confessed his love for her. It would normally be a sweet reminiscent of the man she loved, but today it just amplified her loneliness.
Tsubasa was about to turn back around, but a yellow-green hue caught her sight. She had spent enough time in these runes to know that it was not a naturally occurring light.
Tsubasa was curious but had strong reservations about entering the cave. She wasn't afraid of the dark, or ghosts, Fei Wong had hardened her that way, but she first handily witnessed her clone nearly die as she was stripped of her memories and power.
The hue was hypnotic and after a few seconds, her feet seemed to move forward on their own.
There was nothing suspicious at her initial entrance, so she had the courage to continue following the strange yellow-green light down the stairs.
As she got closer to the area where it all began, her curiosity lost its strength.
She tried to reason with her racing heart. Fei Wong is already gone, nothing can happen to me.
In the exact spot where her clone was stripped of her life force, Tsubasa found the source of the light.
As she cautiously approached she made out that it was a thick, light-pink bounded book, with bold characters on the very top and a drawing of a mythical yellow beast with wings taking up the rest of the cover.
She observed the book from a safe distance. As the light temporarily faded out, she tried to make out the words on the top. It didn't take her much time to realize that the large bold letters written at the top were in a foreign language.
If only Tsubasa were here…
Her curiosity got the best of her and she dared retrieve the book.
It's just a book...She told herself and she bent down.
The book stopped glowing at contact. A few seconds later, she watched in horror as the light-pink colour and the art virtually drained away until everything was white. The white wording that had been there, turned into gold and began to mould itself into characters that she could understand.
"Tsubasa," she read aloud.
She dropped the book, with a squeal.
The book levitated back up to her and began to glow once more.
She took a step back, but it followed her.
Spinning around, she took off up the stairs and out of the runes.
She stopped at the entrance to catch her breath. Her physical activity had been placed on the backburner these last couple of years.
Going to ask brother to find me a trainer, she thought, leaning against the wall. She was relieved that there was no one else to see how physically inept she was.
Tsubasa could feel the wall pressing into her back.
This is rather uncomfortable she thought, wondering how she had spent so much of her youth here waiting for Tsubasa to be finished.
She wasn't ready to leave the comfort of the wall, but the pressure was becoming unbearable.
She turned around to see what she had been leaning against.
The white book was at eye-level, and dangerously close.
Tsubasa fell backward onto the sand in surprise. The book slowly lowered itself down to her, resting on her lap.
Tsubasa when it did not show signs of attacking her, she trusted that it had no malicious intent.
It glowed again softly. It didn't speak, but she felt that could understand that it wanted to be opened.
Her hand trembled as she began to lift the cover. When it was fully opened, she noticed that there were no pages and it was more like a box.
She wasn't given a chance to inspect what was in the book when a burst of light came erupting from the hole. The book began to wobble with the intensity of the bursting light and she had to use two hands to hold it still.
The light protruded long enough that she was sure that there was more than light escaping from the book. She was confident that seen the silhouettes of creatures that were not human or native to her country.
They dispersed at a speed so fast, she didn't have time to be scared.
It stopped a minute later, leaving her dazed. She closed the book and picked herself off the ground, dusting the thick layer of sand on the back of her dress.
I will show this to Yukito right away, she thought. Even if I hallucinated that light, there is something mysterious about this book.
As Tsubasa began her way back to the castle, the wind began to pick up, making it harder for her to move forward.
Tsubasa had not recalled any sand storm warnings for that evening; it was too early in the season for them to start anyways.
She put her head down and pushed through, every step was a challenge, and she wondered if she would make it.
A loud crackling sound in the distance forced her head up.
Is it thunder?
She looked at the clear sky and then back ahead. In the distance, enough wind was gathering together that it could be seen by the human eye.
It wasn't spiralling like a tornado, but she knew that she would be in danger if it got too close. So, she began to jog north-eastward; it would take her longer to get back to the castle, but she wasn't going to risk her life to take the shortcut.
A couple minutes of steady jogging later, Tsubasa slowed down.
She looked behind her, hoping that she had created enough distance between herself and the wind. She had not, and the wind was less than a kilometre away from her.
Clutching the book under her arms, she began to sprint.
I got to get out of here.
She slowed down into a run to see if she was in the clear.
Accepting that she could not outrun it, she dropped to the ground, buried her head in her knees and covered her head with her hands.
Please let this pass quickly.
She pressed her lips together and shut her eyes shut, hopping that the sand wouldn't choke or blind her when it came.
It had been a long time since she had experienced this kind of fear.
As the wind engulfed her, she put all her energy into telepathically calling Yukito and her brother.
If I could reach either one of them... She had never attempted to communicate with anyone through her thoughts before, but at this moment, she was desperate enough to try.
The weight of the wind's pressure forced her head further into her knees. Just as she thought she could no longer withstand the pain, the pressure, as well as her body, was lifted. Without the ability to stop herself, she was lifted high into the air.
Tsubasa kept her eyes closed, not wanting to see how far the drop to the ground was.
The sand still floating dangerously her, made it impossible for her to verbally call out, so she internally pleaded for anyone to come and save her.
Eventually, the wind started to settle down. She was glad to have the sand stop striking at her, but she began to worry that she was going to plummeted to her death when the wind scattered apart.
Maybe I will survive with only a few broken bones?
Tsubasa waited in agony for the inevitable fall.
After a few distressed minutes passed, Tsubasa rubbed the sand from her mouth and eyes. With a pounding heart, she opened them, wanting the last small glimpse of the world she lived in.
Tsubasa found no solace in the view and screamed until she no longer could
I couldn't survive a fall from this height!
She couldn't even appreciate how beautiful the view was.
"Brother! Yukito! Guards! Anyone!" She hollered in a horse voice.
Her call was remained unanswered.
Tsubasa!
Before she could begin crying, she noticed that the book was glowing.
Maybe this could help me.
"What do I do?" She asked the book, embarrassed that she was seriously talking to an inanimate object.
When there was no response, she felt even worse for believing that it would respond back.
Minutes passed without her coming up with any idea of how to get herself down without dying. As times passed, she grew less afraid and more annoyed.
If you're going to drop me, do it already! She internally egged the wind.
With her free hand, she smacked the wind that was wrapped her stomach, trying to force herself lose.
The wind went from translucent to a pale-yellow colour in seconds. She watched in horror as the wind's true shape started to show. Thin, pale yellow arms.
Tsubasa was unable to control her fear and began to freak out.
The foreign arms around her waist, tightened its grip until she was unable to struggle at all.
I am going to be a prisoner again, she thought, beginning to cry.
Whatever was holding her captive, it wasn't human, and she had no chance of escaping on her own.
Tsubasa was never trained to be a fighter, and she had not been taught to control whatever magical powers she did have.
Tsubasa turned her head around to see who her capture was. The situation wouldn't change, but as long as it wasn't Fei Wong she thought she could be hopeful.
Large, expressionless yellow eyes stared back at her.
Tsubasa let out a scream and turned back around. She knew it wasn't human, but it still surprised her.
A few seconds later the grip around her waist loosened.
This is really it. I wish I could have seen you just one last time Tsubasa.
She closed her eyes ready to fall to her death.
Tsubasa could feel herself starting to drop, but not anywhere near the deadly speed she was accepting. When her feet touched the bottom, the creature released its grip on her.
Tsubasa opened her eyes to face the creature. "Why didn't you…"
In the air, she only had a glimpse of the beautiful, fairy woman that was standing in-front of her. Even throughout all her travels, she had never seen such an elegant creature before.
The fairy stood still, staring unblinkingly at her.
"Who are you?" she asked.
The fairy motioned to the book.
"I don't understand, are you a part of the book?"
The fairy closed her eyes.
Tsubasa had the feeling that she wouldn't be able to just walk away. So, she opened the book again, hoping it would give her a clue to what was happening.
The fairy moved closer as she opened the book.
Inside was a single white feather with light pink engraved in the middle.
"H-how?"
She dropped the book.
The fairy opened her eyes and looked down at the fallen book and back at her.
These feathers should have already been collected, how can one be showing up now?
"I don't now what this is, or how it's come to be in my possession, but if this is what you after take it, it has nothing to do with me."
The fairy moved her shoulder, sending a gust of, what she assumed to be angry, wind passed by her.
"I won't put up a fight, take and leave," she begged.
The fairy nodded more forcefully at the feather once more.
"You won't leave me until I do," Tsubasa guessed.
The fairy gave no reaction.
"Assuming you know who I am, you should know, this doesn't seem like a good idea," she said, picking up the book.
With her gut screaming not for her to do it, she picked up the feather.
The feather began disintegrating on contact until there was nothing but the quilt left.
Tsubasa tried to give it to the fairy, but she floated back.
"What am I supposed to do with this?" Tsubasa snapped. She was frustrated with the lack of communication from the fairy's end.
She still won't say anything?
"Alright I have done what you have asked me," she said, throwing the quill inside and shutting the book, "I am going home now."
She spun around and stomped off towards the castle.
Not even a meter foreword, the fairy was in front of her.
"Why won't you leave me alone?" she demanded. "I have already said that you can take the book. I have nothing else to offer you."
Tsubasa held the book out, when the fairy didn't take it, she placed it on the ground.
Sure, the book had her name written on the front, but she had no attachment to it. I can get anything engraved in my name if I choose to.
She tried to continue, but the fairy only moved closer, not allowing her to pass.
Tsubasa stomped back to collect the book from the sand. "You want me to do something with this right?" She opened the book, and at this point numbed from everything that happened today and, in the past, to be surprised by the quill's transformation into a key.
The was nothing she had ever seen; the head of the key was a gold ring with a miniature feather in the centre.
She picked it up. That can't be her feathers...she thought, taking a closer look.
"What do you want me to do with this?" she asked, placing the
book on the ground again.
The fairy made no movement, and they stood in silence for a couple of minutes.
"I really do not know how to proceed. Guide me please."
The fairy moved close enough to touch her arm.
"We were forced to leave our beloved master," a woman's voice echoed in our mind, "but we will not be to survive in this world alone."
Tsubasa had a million questions, but the first that came out was, "who your master is?"
"A lovely little lady who shares your same features."
"Not my clone?"
"No."
She thought about what the fairy had said, "is she from another world?"
"Yes."
"Why can you not return to her?"
"At the moment, even just our presence threatens her safety. So, we had to leave her so that we do not further endanger her."
"Not just anyone or thing can travel through worlds, how were you able to come here?"
"Many of us were created in this world by our original master, we have also a strong connection to this world."
"Who was your original master?"
"Clow Reed."
Tsubasa wasn't surprised as she should have been; after all, everything connected back to him.
"So, you are looking for refuge in this country?"
"Yes, and we will need your help for more than just that, Princess Tsubasa."
"You already know who I am…but why have I never heard of you before?"
"When Clow Reed originally created us, you were in mind."
"In mind, for what?"
"We along with many other things were created to help brings things to an end. But we were not created to be able to do it alone, with your help, together we can set things back to the way they should be."
"Are you talking about fulfilling my final price?"
"As well as other things..."
"I will do anything! Just tell me what I have to do."
"First you must bring back my brothers and sisters who are resentful that we have left our master and do not want to be under your care."
"How do I do that?"
"You must capture them by force. It was a hard choice to leave without her knowledge, but it was the choice that had to be made. When I brought us over here, it was without their consent."
"So, no one else wanted to be here? I don't have the ability to capture them if they resist."
"They maybe untapped, but the powers are there. I will help you manifest these powers that you will use to seal them away. Like our master once did. Say the spell with me, Princess, do not fret, I will help you capture my brothers and sisters."
Princess Tsubasa recited the spell.
"Oh, key that burns with the power of memories, reveal your true nature to me! Release!"
The key began to grow into a staff, half a meter long.
"It is time for you to seal me away now, princess. I will be with you at all times, and together we capture the rest of them."
Tsubasa was taught the spell to seal her away.
"Card reincarnated by Sakura, abandon your old form and reincarnate, under the name of Tsubasa, your temporary master."
The feather inside the staff glowed pink and the fairy began to lose her shape and was pulled towards the staff. A few seconds later, a white card, with elaborate gold writing appeared.
Tsubasa picked grabbed the card before it could hit the ground. "The Wind," it said in her language and on the bottom of the card, was in writing she could not read.
"Tsubasa!" a voice called in the distance.
Yukito and her brother were running frantically towards her, with a hoard of soldiers close behind.
The staff shrunk back into a key.
She placed the card and the key in the book and ran towards them.
"We heard you calling," Yukito said out of breath. "We tried to get to you, but there was strong magic that would not let us pass."
"What why are you all the way out here?" Touya yelled. Not in control of his temper.
Tsubasa was stunned. It had been many years since he had lost his temper at her. Touya had been overly kind when she returned, so kind, that she knew that wasn't the real him.
"I am sorry for worrying you both," she replied, head down. "I must have scared you."
"That is an understatement! We could see you floating in the air, just what the hell were you doing?" Touya demanded.
"Let's return to the castle, I have a lot to tell you," she said, linking her arm around her older brother's.
Authors Note: This is a shorter chapter, but another is one on the way. Let me know what you think!