Chapter
Eight:
Already modified.
Syaoran stared at the Time Card,
brown eyes studying it thoughtfully. Already modified. He had asked Yue what
that had meant and Yue had calmly said that their enemy hailed from the future.
Which had made everyone freeze in the middle of dinner. The meal had ended
rather abruptly after that. And now Syaoran examined the Card blankly. Their
enemy was from the future. From the beginning he had been from the future.
Since his first battle with him that had taken Sakura away. But then, what did
that mean? How had he known about Sakura? And how had he been able to control
the Cards even then? Control them enough to force them against Sakura, their
Mistress?
He shook his head and sat down
weakly, limbs feeling shaky. He wasn't up to any of this, not physically and
not emotionally. Yue refused to say how far into the future the Mage came from
but Syaoran figured it had to be someone close. Close enough that they would
know Sakura as the Mistress and was strong enough in magic to overcome her.
And that ruled out Meilin and
Tomoyo-san. That also ruled out Yue and Keroberos seeing as how they were under
the control of the Master.
Eriol? Nakuru? Spinel Sun?
He shook his head at himself. No, he
was not going to think about them in that way. They had been nothing but
a comfort to him since Sakura's death.
He looked up toward the double doors
as they opened slowly. He sat in the room where the party had been held, had
been gazing at the spot where the Mage had fled. Eriol came in cautiously,
followed by his Guardians and Syaoran's new Guardians as well. Quietly,
Keroberos shut the door with his tail and floated forth, pausing several feet
away.
Syaoran eyed them all.
There could be a traitor in my
midst and I would never know…
"What's the plan?" Keroberos asked
quietly.
Syaoran looked down at the Card once
more. And he inhaled, thinking the question over. Was there even a plan?
Yes, there was a plan but one not well thought out. At the moment it was to get
back to that point in time and get to Sakura before the Mage did. Alter time
altogether and, if possible, stop it all from ever occurring again. That was
the plan and with the Cards he would be stronger than his younger counterpart.
There would be two sets of Cards and three Masters. Plus one lowly but powerful
Clan Head. Three against one, especially if one set of Guardians from the
future were there to battle the Guardians of the past.
This was getting difficult already.
"Have you told Meilin?" Eriol asked,
breaking the silence.
Syaoran looked at him, blinking. And
then he bowed his head. "I have not. But I think, after hearing about the
modification of the Time Card, she knows why I would want to go back."
Eriol nodded in understanding. "How
did she take it?"
He thought that one over. How had
she taken it? He didn't even know-
"I took it quite well." Meilin
replied from the doorway and they looked over to see her half inside the room,
leaning on the door. She smiled faintly at them and came forth, Tomoyo
following behind warily.
"Meilin…"
She shook her head at him, shushing
him. "It isn't necessary." She whispered quietly. "I would prefer that you save
her than stay with me."
Syaoran frowned, eyes wide. "What?"
She swallowed inaudibly, hands
clasping behind her back. "I know you'll always be happier with her, that you should
have been happy. And that you both should still be together, now and always. I
won't be mad or hurt if you decide to go through with this." She nodded as if
to reassure herself. "I think, if I were in your position, I would be doing the
same thing."
She didn't pull away as he came
forth and grabbed her hands. "It was never anything wrong on your part, Meilin."
He said to her softly, gazing at her and wishing she would meet his eyes. "All
you ever did was take care of me and love me, especially when I needed it."
Her lips tightened, eyes averted but
he saw them slowly fill with tears, her head nodding.
He slowly took her in his arms,
embracing her tightly. And after a moment she wound her arms around his waist,
pressing her cheek to his chest. "I'm sorry you couldn't fall in love with me."
She whispered. "I'm sorry I couldn't have been her. But I'll be all the more
sorry if you don't get her back."
Syaoran closed his eyes and breathed
against her, for once inhaling her scent and recognizing it as one he held
close to his heart. He would love her always, he realized then. But he would
never be in love with her, not when a girl with red-brown hair and
sparkling blue-green eyes was all he saw in his mind.
Eriol inhaled deeply, feeling the
breath help him think more clearly. And he said, very quietly, "I'm going with
you."
Syaoran opened his eyes and looked
up in surprise. "What?"
Tomoyo spun to look at him, eyes
wide. "Eriol!"
He nodded and said again, "I'm going
with you. When you leave for the past." And he took a step forward, lips
parting to say more on the subject.
Tomoyo took hold of his arm,
stopping him. "Doshite?" she whispered hoarsely, gazing at him with big purple
eyes reflecting the lights in the room.
He looked at her, sadness entering
his expression. "Because there's nothing here for me." He answered softly,
allowing his eyes to wash over her.
He didn't think it was possible but
her eyes widened all the more. "What about me?" she murmured painfully and he
felt the trembling in her fingers wrapped around his forearm. Something shone
in her eyes, a new agony shimmering in the depths of her purple irises and
obsidian black pupils.
Very gently, he pried her fingers
off his arm and lifted a hand to her face, cupping her cheek and feeling his
heart swell when she leaned into his palm. "I can't have you, Tomoyo." He whispered
to her, taking hold of her weight. "You won't ever allow yourself to be happy
and I always thought I could be the one. To make you happy."
Tomoyo closed her eyes, turning her
lips into his palm.
"I can't make you happy, Tomoyo. You
won't let me." He said faintly, fingertips brushing over her eyelashes. "I
would wait for you forever but I know even when eternity has run her course,
you still wouldn't feel you deserve to be happy. And I can't bear to see you
like this, I can't." he shook his head, black hair falling around his temples.
"And I can't lose anyone else!" she
cried, tears rising in her eyes. She gazed at him, bright light wavering in her
pupils, the tears slowly spilling. "I can't lose anyone anymore, I can't!"
Eriol was taken aback for a moment
at the sudden fierceness in her face. And it only made him want to save her all
the more. He smiled at her sadly, understanding her. "We're going to make it so
that you never lose anyone ever again."
Tomoyo stared at him, stunned into
silence. And then anger crossed her face, pure, painful anger. She pulled away
from him, glaring at him, at his outstretched arm before him and turned away,
leaving the room swiftly.
Eriol gazed after her, mouth
closing, jaw tightening. With a shake of his head he turned to face the group
once more, lifting eyes to everyone and realizing they all stared back with the
same sorrowful expression.
"Let's figure it out, here and now.
And we'll get it over with at last." He said firmly.
Syaoran nodded.
The night was quiet. He heard the
faintness of crickets outside, the sound of the wind blowing gently. But no
noise anywhere throughout the house. Perhaps Xiao Lang was taking his advice
and getting some sleep. He was going to need it for the Time Card. Early in the
morning they were going to test it out and see if his descendant was strong enough
to bear the mantle of Card Master.
And see if he was strong enough to
change Destiny.
His door opened slowly and he turned
his head along his arms propped under his neck. His eyes caught sight of a
slender figure slowly floating toward his bed and he sat up onto his rear,
straining to make out a face in the darkness.
The figure sat next to him on his
bed, small pale hands clasping at her knees cautiously.
Eriol gazed at the dark hair,
falling in long waves to rest along her shoulders and hanging down to her ribs.
Deep mysterious eyes stared right back, unblinking. He exhaled and smiled
sadly, keeping his hands on his lap but wanting to reach out and tangle his
fingers in those long curls. "You don't have to say it," he whispered, feeling
that anything louder was just too cruel to the setting. "I know."
Tomoyo leaned forward and she placed
her hands over his, allowing him to hold her weight. He would always be there
to hold her, support her and carry her through. "You don't know." She said
faintly, breath warm against his cheek as she rested it against his. "You don't
know what I feel for you because I never told you. Because I didn't want to ever
be happy again and you always made me happy. Always." She inhaled deeply
and slowly rested her head against his collar, dark eyes focusing but not
understanding the night table beside the bed. "Half the time I didn't know
whether to love you because you wanted to love me, or turn you away because you
had no right to do so."
Eriol slowly bent his head, feeling
silky strands of her hair caress his lips.
"And now, I don't want you to go."
She closed her eyes, inhaling his scent. The bare skin of his shoulder was warm
underneath her cheek and he smelled clean. Like Eriol. She swallowed, wanting
to take in all of him as something to remember him by. Because she felt, in her
heart that he wouldn't be coming back from this. Neither would Syaoran. "I'm
scared to let you go."
Eriol shook his head sadly, eyes
focusing on her shoulder beneath his chin, at the way her hair shone in the
moonlight. "You never held on." He whispered, finding it difficult to be with
her like this. "And I wanted you to, so badly."
"I'm holding on now." She said into
his ear urgently, wanting him to understand. "I'm holding on now, Eriol, don't
you feel me? Please don't let go now. Not now." She pulled back a bit, resting
her forehead against his and his eyes were closed, breathing slowly becoming
labored. "Eriol…"
He shook his head again, to shush
her and then he was turning his face, pressing his lips to hers desperately.
His hands lifted at last, cupping her face tightly to his, not willing to let
her go.
She returned his kiss, arms winding
around his neck, pulling him closer as if trying to meld their bodies into one.
And tears fell from her closed eyes, trailing down her cheeks to her lips and
her jaw. His fingers wiped them away, caressing her soft skin with his
fingertips and he pulled away from her mouth to press a kiss to her forehead,
eyes slowly opening to focus on the moon outside, immaculate and beautiful. As
stunning as the woman he held in his arms.
She was sobbing softly, her forehead
leaning against his mouth, limbs trembling as she wept.
He gazed at the moon for another
moment, blinking when his vision swam. And he slowly pulled his lips away,
gazing down at her. "I have to let go." He murmured sorrowfully, his hands
falling to knead the tense muscles of her back, stroking her bare skin.
"Not yet." She whispered, swallowing
the rest of her sobs. "Not until we part. Not until then. I want to stay with
you until I can't anymore."
He nodded faintly to himself, hand
lifting to smooth back her hair from her temple to allow him to kiss her
forehead once more. And then he slid over on the bed, lying back down and
taking her with him, enveloping her in his arms.
She laid down beside him, cheek
resting on his chest, breath still a bit rapid. She cuddled close, lifting her
hand and clasping his tightly. And only then did she feel sleep behind her
eyelids, reaching for her to claim her. She blinked, feeling unfocused in her
skin but at home in his arms.
"I love you." He said quietly,
gazing up at the ceiling, at the reflection of the moon along the surface. And
he realized it hurt that she didn't say it back. But he understood that one
day, when things were back the way they should have been, he would hear her say
it and it would lift him above the clouds in the sky.
He went to sleep with that lovely
picture in his head, the vision following him into his dreams.