Touya stood in an open field surrounded by the tallest plants, flowers, and trees he had ever seen. The trees were so tall in fact, that he couldn't see the tops of them at all. Just seemingly never-ending rows of bark interrupted by spotlights of sunshine that came shining through.

He looked behind him and came face-to-face with what appeared to be the world's tallest blade of grass. Everything around him seemed so much bigger, so much more potent, in his face, and overwhelming than what he was used to. Touya had no idea where he was or how he got here.

One moment his eyes were closed with Yukito's head laying against his chest, and the next, he was standing in this open field.

Was this… magic?

A breeze came which knocked Touya over like he was nothing. He went to palm the dirt but scraped his hand on one of the rocks that laid underneath the soil. As he watched his palm redden and a cut take form, Touya looked skyward amongst the larger-than-life vegetation. The thought occurred to him that maybe it wasn't the plants that were tall… Maybe he had somehow been shrunk down, made small.

Ugh, that would suck.

Touya stood up and sensing another breeze, closed his eyes to brace himself. He wondered if the next time he opened them maybe he'd be someplace else. He took a deep inhale of the pine and plants and dirt and let the overwhelming freshness fill his lungs. When he opened his eyes, he was indeed somewhere different.

This time, Touya stood amongst normal-sized shrubbery. To his left was a forest thick with trees. To the right was a long road that led to what appeared to be castle grounds. A great majestic building sat away in the distance.

Touya couldn't remember the last time he felt this confused… or intrigued. He took a single step towards the castle road before a large gust of wind propelled him back once again.

"Alright," he said aloud. "I won't go to the castle."

"Good," a voice responded.

Touya spun around, facing the forest. He sensed her before he saw her. The full force of his mother's familiar presence and the weight of the love which her energy carried, hit him all at once, making him feel dizzy and incoherent. This overwhelming place was truly affecting his senses in the most wild of ways.

It had been a long time since he last saw his mother in her full form. She was as beautiful and youthful-looking as the picture his father kept in their home.

Nadeshiko's long brown hair cascaded down behind her as the forest trees parted to let her through. She had a white hazy glow around her making her seem angel-like or perhaps ethereal was the better word. She smiled at him and Touya felt like a little kid again. She wore a dress made of lace, flowers, and leaves with a few matching petals in her hair. It was quite the entrance. Touya reached out his hand for her, but her fingers went straight through it.

Ah. Still here, but not.

"My boy."

"Hi, mom."

A breeze came again, circling the both of them, but Touya felt grounded and safe in his mother's presence. The glow around her seemed to widen and Touya was reminded of how much he missed her, and how much Sakura took after her.

"You need to leave, son," Nadeshiko's eyes seemed sad, but the smile stayed on her face. "Your connection to your sister is what brought you in here, but she will be sent back soon and so must you."

"Sakura's here?" Touya stood up a little straighter. His mother nodded, the smile slipping off her face. "Where is she?"

"On a journey that only she can walk."

Touya let out a big dramatic sigh. He was determined not to roll his eyes at his mother or let Yue's words of trust echo in his mind. He still didn't know much about his sister's journey, didn't even know if he could, but that didn't matter. He had been brought here – wherever here was – for a reason.

"What's going on, mom? Please, just… tell me something. I don't care if it's small." Touya paused. "Why am I here, if not to help?"

Nadeshiko reached a hand to Touya's face. The sensation felt like a cooling mist brushing the hair out of his eyes.

"Someone who possesses great magic has been after a part of Sakura's. Soon, he will have what he needs."

Yuna D. Kaito. A presence so strong even his mother knew about it. "We can't stop him?"

The cooling mist retreated. "No," she answered. "At this time, we cannot."

Touya breathed out, looking away from her. "What happens… once he gets what he wants?" His voice came out smaller than intended. Ever since he had met Yuna D. Kaito, since strange happenings had increased and grown, this question had plagued Touya's mind. He wasn't sure his mother would answer. She rarely did. This much communication – this full-on conversation, was more than Touya had had in a long time. But maybe she could sense the fear that dwelled inside him, maybe she knew how much he needed this because she opened her mouth and Touya heard her sing-song voice speak his answer.

"Magic can be beautiful. It can be helpful and powerful and good, truly good," her eyes met his. "But some magic is dangerous. Some magic is… forbidden. And only a desperate man would attempt it. Someone who wrongfully believes they have no other options."

"Desperate? Desperate for… what?" Yuna D. Kaito seemed like a lot of things, but desperate didn't seem like one of them.

His mother smiled at him again, but the glow was less. Touya could feel their time together was growing short.

"We are only ever desperate for one thing, my boy," her eyes seemed knowing. "I don't know exactly what is to pass, and I fear I may have said too much, but… I'm glad that you are close and nearby. I'm so proud of both my children."

Touya looked down, letting his mother's words settle while he still had them.

"Sakura used her magic to view the past and she saw me there." Touya looked up at his mother's retreating glow. He knew she looked over the both of them, but as far as he knew, Touya was the only one with whom she could communicate. "Getting stuck in the past is a terrible thing. One should not mess with time if they can help it. We honor what was before, but keep our eyes on the present. It is the future you create that matters."

Touya thought about time magic and about Syaoran's concerns. He thought about his own fears and this crazy field and his mother's glow that was almost entirely gone.

"Thinking about the past isn't always bad," he said. "People who visit it in their minds don't usually get stuck. Remembering is nice." He knew he couldn't touch her, but he reached for her hand anyway. "Remembering people who were – who are – special in your life is important, mom."

There were tears in her eyes as the cooling mist intertwined his fingers.

"You're so beautiful, my boy. So strong."

He smiled back at her, feeling warm despite the cooling presence. He was about to answer 'love makes us strong' when he paused, because… love also made you desperate, didn't it? Is that what his mother meant? Touya's eyes widened.

"Sakura—"

But the sky was changing. The grass around him seemed hazy, all the colors sort of blending together before his eyes.

"The magic is fading; she's being pulled out."

Touya felt dizzy. He had to get to her. He had to get to his sister.

"How do I leave?" he asked.

His mother's form was gone. All that was left were her eyes and the outline of her hair with the petals in them.

"I'll give you a push," came a sing-songed whisper.

Touya focused on the sound, on the feeling of his mother's love as the wind hugged him and a light shone around him. Everything faded to black but Touya could feel his body moving through space. He closed his eyes as his body distorted. Whatever magic this was it wasn't a comforting one. Touya had grown up with magic that felt comforting and secure. He had been used to the calming sounds and feelings his mother had curated around them. The magic he felt now made him feel anxious and hurried and fearful. It made him want to claw at his chest and grab his constricting heart and breathe. This was a far cry from his mother's or his sister's or his lover's magic. This was… was this… Yuna D. Kaito's?

Love makes us desperate. Was this how Kaito felt?

Touya jolted upright. He was sweating and breathing heavy and clutching his chest, but there was a hand on his shoulder. A gentle, steadying, loving presence. Touya controlled his breathing, taking in his surroundings. He was no longer in a field, there were no forests or castles around him.

He was in the park. He was sitting under a shaded tree. His backpack was at his feet and everything was normal-sized.

"Hey, hey Touya, I'm here. Hey, it was just a dream. Hey…" the hand on his shoulder moved to his bicep. Another hand came behind him rubbing circles down his back.

Touya swallowed, leaning into Yukito's touch. He looked down at his palm where a red cut still remained.

There was a warm kiss on his shoulder and Touya exhaled. Yukito's grey eyes embraced him and the weirdness began to fade. Touya closed his palm and concentrated on how solid he felt back where he belonged.

"Yuki," Touya said, and he cupped his face and kissed his boyfriend's cheek.

"Hi love," Yukito's voice was warm, soothing in his ears, "where'd you go?"

There was a closed book on his lap and the leaves of the tree they were sitting under canopied over them. Touya remembered Yukito pointing at this tree when they passed by it and wanting to sit down. What he didn't remember was how long they had been here or how he managed to fall asleep.

"How long was I out?"

"Just a couple of minutes."

It had felt so much longer.

"Touya?" Yukito looked concerned as he nosed his cheek. Touya kissed him again, hoping that concern would fade.

"I saw my mom," he answered softly, and then he pulled away and stood up. "I need to find Sakura."

The walk back to his house was far longer than Touya remembered. With each and every step, all he thought about was the well-being of his sister. Yukito was next to him and his presence was comforting, but Touya's mind still raced. Every so often, Touya looked at the cut on his hand. The cut that was fading.

It was proof. Proof that the dream or the vision or wherever he had been transported to was real. Soon though, it looked like the cut would be gone and Touya wondered if his memories or the conversation with his mom would be gone too. Magic had a way of appearing when you needed it and then leaving without a trace.

Touya had experienced enough deja-vu to last a lifetime. He wanted to hold on to this knowledge. He wanted to keep the strange vision.

When they finally reached the house, Touya went ahead and threw open the door. His eyes scanned the living room and then the kitchen. He kept moving until he was at the stairs to the hall and then there was Sakura slowly opening up her bedroom door.

They looked at each other briefly and then Sakura was walking toward him and he was meeting her halfway. She threw her arms around him and he pulled her into a hug, holding her tighter than would be considered normal. She hugged him back and Touya exhaled, relief flooding his brain. He closed his eyes to let the sensation of family and safety wash over him and then he was pulling back, petting her hair as she looked up at him with big sparkling eyes.

Sakura wasn't just like their mother in looks or magic, she too had the ability to make people feel safe and at ease. She was so young, though, and they had lost Nadeshiko young. With sudden clarity Touya realized that it wasn't that he didn't trust his sister or believe in her strength – the truth was, that he was afraid. Afraid of losing another member of his family, and the last bit of their mother that lived on in his world.

There were tears in Sakura's eyes. Touya knelt down and wiped them away. She smiled at him and he smiled back. It was funny. They hadn't said a single thing to each other and yet they both seemingly understood the moment. He wondered if she had hurt herself in that strange world. He wondered how she managed to get herself out.

"Thanks," she said after a moment, "for always recognizing me."

Touya wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but it didn't matter. "I love you," he responded. "And I'm here, ok? I'm always here for you."

She nodded and hugged him again. Touya held her against him and looked to the doorway where Yukito seemed to be looking at them with a strange expression. Touya supposed this was pretty confusing. He and his sister were hardly affectionate, and it wasn't like him to randomly drop love declarations.

"What do you want to eat?" Touya asked the question but then looking down at Sakura realized he wasn't ready to let her go yet. "Want to make it together?"

Sakura smiled brightly at him and he took that as a yes. She pulled his hand into the kitchen and Touya didn't even care about the mess he knew they were going to make.

"Sakura seems better, but not 100% yet," Yue said.

He was sitting on Touya's bed, his outstretched wings taking up the entire length of the wall. Touya was getting changed. He and Yukito – not Yue – had class in an hour.

"I know," Touya said. He fixed his shirt and looked around for the jeans he wanted to wear.

Ever since the strange dreamworld incident, Sakura had been in low spirits. She still smiled brightly up at him and everyone around, but that was because his sister didn't like to worry people. It was just unfortunate that the people who knew her best could see right through it. Sakura was one of the most genuine people in the world, her happiness, and true feelings were easy to pick up on.

"If something else is bothering her, she hasn't told me." Touya liked to think she would, but he wasn't really sure.

"She's been making cards without realizing it," Yue said. His voice was a bit distant. Touya turned to him. "The latest one was Time and it had a picture of your mother's watch on it. The watch that's still missing."

Touya remembered briefly that their grandfather had given it to her. He had helped search the house for it when she had mentioned she had misplaced it. Touya offered to turn over the couches until Sakura had gotten embarrassed and said she didn't want to cause any trouble. She had made him promise not to tell their dad she had misplaced it – though, their father absolutely wouldn't care. If anything, he'd help look.

Touya wondered briefly about the watch – particularly, a watch's connection to time. He thought about their mother saying Sakura had visited her in the past. He wondered what it had all meant. Touya never told his sister that he was in the same place she had been pulled into. He also didn't tell her that their mother watched over both of him though he suspected she probably already knew.

"What does the kid think?"

"Syaoran Li?" Yue quirked an eyebrow.

"Wasn't he the first one to suspect someone was messing with time?"

Yue nodded, "he was. Though, I must say I'm surprised to hear you'd like his thoughts."

Touya rolled his eyes as Yue smirked at him.

"Is this the part where you tell me?"

Yue let out a sigh and Touya walked over to him. Yue's robe was still open. Touya put a hand on his chest.

"There's a card that's gone missing. Syaoran's been concentrating his efforts on locating it for her. If he has new fears or concerns, I haven't heard them."

Touya nodded as he kneed open Yue's legs and sat on his lap. Yue let out a breath as he put his hands on Touya's bare thighs.

"Thank you," Touya said. He ran his hand down Yue's chest, opening more of the robe, as he spoke. "For these updates, for being honest with me."

"Well," Yue swallowed and maybe it was Touya's imagination, but he looked like he was having trouble concentrating. "I know how you worry when you don't know what's going on. You worrying would only further trouble my master, so…"

"So, that's why you tell me," Touya's voice was getting deeper, "to keep Sakura happy."

"Naturally."

Hmm. Touya kissed him and sunk further into Yue's lap. Yue let out a breathless moan as Touya licked inside of his mouth. Yue's grip on his thighs immediately tightened and Touya pulled back… just a bit.

"Perhaps," Yue said a bit shakily, "I like making you happy, too."

"Perhaps, huh."

"Yes," Yue smiled and it was beautiful. Touya liked him best like this – relaxed, unhurried, and his attention all on Touya. Touya kissed Yue's open mouth, made do with his sharp tongue, drank up those love-drunk eyes, and pushed him down into the mattress.

They didn't have enough time for this, but he would make time for this. Yue laughed. A big beautiful contented sound and Touya was flinging the rest of the robe off. Yue kissed him back with fervor, stripping Touya of the shirt he had just put on. Touya threw his head back as Yue sucked and lapped a spot into his neck, marking him up as he wrapped his arms around Touya's shoulder blade and back, keeping them in this moment together before the crazy mess of their world threatened to pull them out again.