Disclaimer:

I have no affiliation with Cardcaptor Sakura or any other of CLAMP's works. Also any similarities to real life events or people are unintentional unless explicitly stated.


It was late at night but the Li household was busy with activity. Meiling hurried down the incensed halls after Mr Kinomoto's stretcher. Someone tugged on her elbow.

"Where are you taking my brother?" asked Miss Kinomoto.

Meiling turned to her and said, "We're going to set his bone. I'll let you know when we're done."

"I want to come too."

She shook her head. "You were tainted while you were in the Walled City," explained Meiling. "First you'll need to perform an ablution before you go near him otherwise you'll make him worse. We have the baths set up. I'll take you there."

She pulled on Miss Kinomoto's arm to get her moving. Meiling wouldn't be needed until later. She still had the tendency of channelling too much of her own energy into her patients. Trying to heal Mr Kinomoto's injuries would drain her completely.

"Hey," said Syaoran, the other one, outside the entrances to the baths. The Other Miss Kinomoto stood by him.

"I thought you were both told to perform an ablution," scolded Meiling.

The Other Miss Kinomoto said something in the language of Taiyo Isles.

"She's asking about her friends," he translated.

"They'll need to undergo full purification because of what they are. Now go to the baths."

Again he translated what his companion said. "She says that she needs to go because she's their master her powers are tied to theirs."

Meiling tried to supress a groan. Both Miss Kinomotos were stubborn.

"Even more reason for you to get cleansed," she explained. "Your energy is tied to theirs and needs to be purified." She pointed to the separate doors. "Go. Get cleaned."

After they entered the doors she ran to her parents' consultation room and started grabbing the ingredients from the shelves lining the far wall for the ointment that would be later applied.

Mr Kinomoto lay on the consulting table, clean and wearing simple robes. He was awake but was visibly in pain. Sweat covered his forehead and his jaw was set in a grimace. Meiling's father held his leg above his knee while her mother pulled at the ankle. Mr Kinomoto moaned and swore.

She counted the ingredients in front of her so far. Ba Dou seed, cinnamon bark, dang gui root, tian qi, Xuan Fu flower… what was she missing?

"Don't forget to add Long dan cao root," said her mother. She didn't even look up from forcing Mr Kinomoto to bend his leg. "And the salt crystals."

"I know," she said absentmindedly. She would've remembered in a moment.

"Respect," said her father.

"Yes, father. Yes, mother." She replied automatically and continued to create the mixture. Hopefully one day she would be able to treat broken bones.


Syaoran thought that he should have known that something was wrong when Kinomoto left immediately after arriving delivering the purchases but he assumed that she had a personal emergency and continued practising for the school festival. Then, the eldest Hanato Sister came into his classroom looking for her and Daidouji before wandering off. Moments later Meiling burst into the room talking on her chronophone. She had one of the new Daidouji company chronophones.

"Yes, Auntie," reported Meiling. "I'll pass on the message."

She closed her chronophone and told him, "Your mother told me to tell you to bring five water spheres filled with water from the school holy springs to the Li bathhouse."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

He did some quick mental calculations. It would take him five hours. He was only able to carry one water sphere at a time and a round trip would take him about an hour each even if he took the tram to the top.

"Is she sending Wei here with a cart or carriage?" he asked quickly.

"No, he's busy."

"Then-"

"Can't," she said, already halfway outside, "busy."

He raised an eyebrow. "A date?"

"Don't be stupid. I'm helping out with the crisis at the Walled City."

"What's happening?"

She waved dismissively. "I'll fill you in later. Go get someone else to help you carry the water." With that she left.

In the end he was stuck with Doumeki pushing and pulling a cart filled with the water spheres up the winding road to the Li house at the top of the peak. Kurogane and Flowright were needed to at the school help prepare the food and stall for the next day.

Soon after they arrived and wheeled three of the spheres to the bathhouse and two to the ancestral hall as per First Sister's instructions a caravan of butterfly-horse drawn carriages landed outside the compound.

"Syaoran, change into your ceremonial robes and then go to the ancestral hall," instructed his mother.

He was surprised to find Tsukishiro and the stuffed animal from the other day laid out on the floor of the ancestral hall.

It was the first time that he was asked to contribute energy. He sat in between Wei and Fourth Sister.

"Wan-Wan is growing up," she whispered.

"Shut up."

She giggled. Wei hit the gong and they began chanting in unison as he had watched the older members of the family do many times before.

"Naa… Mo… O… Mei.. To… Fat… Naa… Mo…"

He didn't realize it when his mind joined the others until he was aware that he could see everything what the others were seeing and feel what they were feeling. Their hearts breaths and heartbeats cycled in unison. He couldn't hear his own voice. His mother channelled their combined energy and let it flow through the beings. The Amamiya magic circle seeped from them. Giant Ko wings sprouted from their backs and cocooned them.

"Stay calm, Syaoran," commanded his mother. His energy was disrupting the magical resonance.

Syaoran tried to get his breathing under control but his heart was racing too much. The resonance unravelled, and he felt too much energy drain from him.

"Sorry."

"Again," commanded Mother. Everyone straightened their postures, but she raised a hand at him. "Not you, Syaoran. Go sleep."

He felt everyone's eyes on him, and Fourth Sister's hand on his forearm. He bowed low and rose to leave.

He shouldn't have freaked out by seeing the wings. He was stronger than that. He was no longer a child. He wasn't useless.

It was well and truly dark now. He grabbed the first thing he saw in the kitchen and ate it. Afterwards, as he crossed the main courtyard he looked up to the second floor veranda that linked to the bedrooms and saw himself, his other self, and the other Sakura Kinomoto lean in for a kiss. He realized he was standing there for far longer than what was decent, and quickly and quietly ascended the steps and entered his room.


Sakura couldn't sleep. Her body felt fatigued after the bath but she was too worried about her brother. When she visited him earlier but he didn't respond. Apparently he drifted in and out of consciousness while the bone was being set but then fell into a deep sleep.

She decided that if she was awake she might as well wait by his bed. She quietly climbed out of the bed she was sharing with Tomoyo, tiptoed across the bedroom and closed the door behind her.

Outside and leaning on the wooden veranda railing were her other self and the Other Li talking together in hushed tones. They noticed her and waved.

Sakura waved back and awkwardly pointed downstairs. The patient rooms were next to where Meiling's parents' working rooms were. "I'm just going to my brother."

He translated to it into the Taiyo Isle speech. Sakura could understand a little of the language because her parents often spoke it amongst themselves but not enough to speak it herself.

"She wants to go too," he said.

Sakura nodded and the three of them quietly went to her brother's room. The food tray remained untouched on the bedside table. She sat in the chair next to his bed and held his hand.

Her other self took out a card from her pocket. She whispered something instantly a small posy of flowers appeared. She laid them on the side table next to his untouched food.

Curious, Sakura asked, "Can I take a look at the card please?"

The Other Li relayed the message and the girl rummaged in her pocket and took out a deck of cards which she passed to Sakura.

"Thank you." She then added absentmindedly, "You're so lucky you have magic."

"Magic doesn't solve everything."

The back of the cards was pink and had the Amamiya magic circle illuminated on the back. It was warm to the touch. She flipped the top one over and was surprised to find that she could read it.

"Win-"

"HOE!" The card was snatched from her hand. She blinked and said in a thick accent. "Can you speak in-goo-ree-su?"

"I don't know what in-goo-ree-su is, but my first language is the Lecourt speech."

She felt her brother squeeze her hand.

"You're awake."

"Because you're so loud, monster," he replied.

"I'm not a monster!"

He turned his head at the sound of the Other Li translating and said in the Taiyo Isle language something along the lines of, "There's another monster."

"I'm not a monster!"

Sakura found it really odd that there were a lot of similarities between them. But it made sense considering that they apparently had the same soul.

Li bowed and said, "Thank you for looking after her."

"Likewise," returned her brother. He then said, "What are you all doing here? It's late."

"We wanted to make sure you're all right," replied Sakura.

He squeezed her hand again. "I just need more rest. You should be sleeping too."

"I want to stay here."

She heard a knock and Meiling's mother walked in. "What are you all doing here?" she asked briskly. "I gather that you're all worried, but you all should get some rest in your own beds. Say your goodnights quickly and go to sleep."

"Get well, brother," she said.

"Goodnight."

As they passed her in the doorway the Other Sakura asked and the Other Li translated, "Are Kero-chan and Yukito-san all right?"

Meiling's mother nodded. "They're resting. You'll be able to see them tomorrow. Now go to your rooms. I'm going to check my patient."

Sakura followed the other two out and said goodnight to the other two outside their rooms. She then went inside and Tomoyo's room and swiftly fell asleep.


In the morning, Tomoyo was listening to Yelan Li and Aunt Nadeshiko, who had arrived directly to the Li household after her aerotrain landed, discuss last night's events over breakfast when Sakura rushed in through the door exclaiming that she overslept.

"The monster is finally awake," commented Cousin Toya, who sat next to her.

She smiled at his voice and ran to give him a hug. "Brother, you're all right."

While Sakura greeted mother, Yelan request that Wei summon the Other Li's companions.

"Wow!" said Sakura, sitting down besides Tomoyo. "This food looks delicious."

"Our guest insisted on cooking it," said Yelan Li, indicating the Other Li. He, the Li Siblings and Meiling had recently finished their morning training.

"That's amazing, you cook as well," said Sakura. She selected a pork bao and ate it.

Aunt Nadeshiko and Sakura conversed, exchanging stories of the last few months.

There was a knock and Wei opened the door for the Other Sakura, Other Tsukishiro and the guardian beast.

"Mother," breathed the Other Sakura. She stood still for a few moments before suddenly running to embrace Aunt Nadeshiko. A magic circle appeared under their feet and the light coalesced into a point. She stepped back and card materialized in front of the Other Sakura. She turned over the card and smiled to herself.

"I'm sorry," she said wiping away the tears that had formed. "My mother passed away when I was little and when I saw you…"

"It's all right," Aunt Nadeshiko said. She wiped the tears away gave the Other Sakura a kiss on the cheek.

Tomoyo wiped a tear of her own. She was glad that she had the presence of mind to capture their meeting on camera.

"I apologize for interrupting, however we have some business to attend to," said Yelan Li, standing up. "Please, take a seat."

They all shuffled their chairs around the seats around the round table. Aunt Nadeshiko requested that a chair be brought for the Other Sakura to sit next to her.

"I am Yelan of the Li clan. Please, introduce yourself to everyone. " She sat down and the Other Sakura stood up.

"My name is Kinomoto Sakura. Pleased to meet you. Thank you for looking after us," she said and bowed. The way she pronounced her name was slightly different with the stress more on the first syllable.

"I am Li Syaoran."

"I am Tsukishiro Yukito, but my true form is called Yue."

"And I'M Cerberus, Beast of the Seal!"

Yelan Li nodded and said, "Tell us, why are you here? You are not from this dimension."

"We didn't intend to come here," spoke the Other Sakura. "A couple days ago some spirits took something very important to me. I followed them. Kero was with me, and then Syaoran-kun and Yukito-kun followed."

"What is this object?"

She glanced at her companions and waited for their approvals before pulling on a thin chain around her neck. Attached to it was a key pendant with a star gem and miniature wings.

"Key that hides the power of the stars," she chanted. "Show your true form before me. I, Sakura, command you under our contract RELEASE!"

The key pendant expanded into a pink staff topped with a star and wings.

"I recognize that wand," said Tomoyo, realization dawning on her. "I met you in a dream before."

The Other Sakura's eyes lit up. "So you're the Dream-Tomoyo. It's nice to meet you in person. And this must mean that you're the Other Sakura. I'm very happy that you're all right."

The first time that Tomoyo had met her was when she had the nightmare of Meiling being attacked. The second time they met was when she gave the warning that unless the soul fragment was taken from her, Sakura would be murdered. She could never be exactly sure who it was she met in a dream.

"It's all thanks to your warning that my daughter is alive," said Aunt Nadeshiko. "Thank you."

"I'm just glad that I could be of help," she stated, blushing slightly. "I couldn't have done it without them or the cards."

Tomoyo noticed that her companions' expressions all darkened.

"May I inspect your wand and the cards?" asked Yelan Li.

She nodded.

"I have heard about the works of Clow Reed from your world, but I didn't imagine I would be able to see them for myself." She fanned the cards and ran her hands over them. "These are now truly your cards using magic from the stars. It appears that this card is still incomplete."

Inside the frame was a crowned heart. Unlike the other cards, there wasn't anything written at the bottom of the card.

Yelan Li passed back the Other Sakura's items.

"Thank you."

"You will need to be extremely careful," warned Aunt Nadeshiko with her eyes closed. "You were chosen to be Clow Reed's successor and the consequences of his legacy are beginning to manifest. From here onwards there shall be more trouble for you and for us all. What happens in one dimension shall resonate across the others, and if we are not vigilant against the forces, all the worlds will shatter."

Aunt Nadeshiko opened her eyes and noticed the Other Sakura's worried expression. "Don't worry, you were chosen for a reason. Have faith in yourself and in what is to come."

"Everything will be all right," said Sakura.

"Yeah!" said Cerberus. "And remember what I've been tellin' ya! There isn't only one path to the future!"

The Other Sakura smiled. "Thank you, everyone," she said. "I will do my very best!"

"Now let us discuss the matter of getting you home," said Yelan Li. She turned to her eldest daughter and asked, "Do we have permission to use the Gateway?"

"Yes Mother," she replied. "I contacted them last night and I finally finished and submitted the paperwork this morning. We're currently waiting for their official response."

"Umm-"

"What is the matter?" asked Yelan Li. "Has something else been taken from you?"

The girl shook her head. "No, that's not it. It's just that we've been here two days and haven't been able to tell anyone from our world that we're all right. They must be worried about us…"

"Time flows differently between dimensions. We should be able to send you back soon after you left if we open the Gateway close to midnight."

"The payment?" asked the Other Li.

"Consider it payment in advanced for everything that you will do," she said. She picked up her chopsticks. "That is enough talk. Let us eat our breakfast, and then you may rest and relax as you wish. I believe there is a festival to attend at the school."


Author's Notes:

-That little moment of Sakura running towards Nadeshiko was an image that I've held onto for ages, probably when I was still releasing the Lecourt chapters.

-Let me know what you think of this, please =)