Involvement4

Thanks a lot to Michiru and w76 for review me. You don't know how much I'm really happy to know that at least someone read and pay attention to it.

After the attempt between my study for exams, i just find the time to post chapter 4 and 5.

You can ask me to give more action for the character you like and I will try to give more. However, if I forget some characters, that's due to many characters I hold in my arms right now. I hope you will forgive me.

Special thanks for Gib, my best friend who helped me think and Dyoklako, my dear friend who was beta-reading and supported me to write it.

I hope you will enjoy.

Feel free to send comment and anything to r_azure_r@yahoo.com

Disclamier: All of characters are CLAMP property. Except Karina is mine.

Finished: May 6, 2001

R/R Please

Involvement
Part 4
By Azure R

Kamui blinked his eyes and realized that he was resting his head on the mattress. So he must have fallen asleep sometimes during his vigil on Subaru. He straightened up carefully, his hand still holding Subaru's hand, so as not to disturb his friend's rest.

Karina was sitting across him, working on her notebook computer.

"Morning." She said as she looked up. "I think it's time to go back to your room before the nurse comes in here."

She smiled brightly while she switched off her computer and continued, "You should let the doctor check up on you to make sure that you're okay and will not be his patient anymore. Then he would leave you alone keep your eyes on Subaru-san instead of lied on your bed."

Kamui nodded and watched Karina gathered her belongings.

Last night Karina arrived at the hospital after Sorata and Arashi left. She brought some clothes for Kamui to change and asked the doctor to get him in is care. He was nearly to protest that he wasn't badly wounded but she gave a glare "keep quiet" to him. So he let her did whatever she wanted. After the staff had finally left them in his room which was next to Subaru's, she explained that it was the best way to watch over the Sumeragi together.

"Are you skipping class today?" Karina asked. She was sure that her older brother wanted to stay with the hurt Seal more than sit in class and listen to a boring lecture.

"Yeah. And you? Going home to sleep?" He assumed from her very tired face.

"I want too, but I can't. I have a meeting with teachers at 9 a.m. Then I have to go to conduct businesses for Nokoru-niichan this evening because he has a date with a girl whom he was supposed to be engaged." She explained

"Oh, It's 7 a.m. I must go now." She said and went to the door but slipped and fell on the floor.

Kamui was there just in time. He grasped her arms before she could fall on the ground.

"Ow" She moaned painfully.

Kamui was puzzled by her moans and felt the tension on her arms when he touched her there. He rolled up her sleeves to reveal the bandages wrapped around her arms.

"Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?" Kamui said angrily. He felt bad that his twin did not tell him
that she got hurt.

"Because I don't want you to get worried. Besides, it's only a minor injury." She explained as she pinched his cheeks. "Smile."

The Kamui of the Dragon of Heaven gave a slight smile. She always cheers him up and acts like she is his older sister, not his younger sister. She is a very strong girl.

He helped Karina gathered her things that lay scattered on the floor and flush a little when she kissed him goodbye on his cheek.

Kamui listened to the fading sound of footsteps until he couldn't hear anymore and turned to look at his friend. He caught Subaru's hand and brought it to his lips, kissed it gently and put it down on the bed as he leaned down on Subaru.

"I'll be back." He whispered and walked out to the next room that was his.

* * *

Sakura sat on a chair in the kitchen watching Souhi and Hien quietly cooking breakfast. She wanted to help them, but the twin said that it was their duty to serve her. The twin had also decided to move in with Saiki, who is at school now, and would not let her do any housework. It was quiet this morning because her father left for his lecture at the University of Hokkaido. Yukito and her brother are still in their room even it was already 8 o'clock in the morning. She should call him before he gets late for work.

Touya had began to work for their grandfather since he came back to Tokyo. The old man remarked that Touya was a quick learner and has a keen eye for the business.

She rose up and walked out of the kitchen and began climbing the stairs when she heard the bell rang. She turned back to the front door and saw Hien step out from the kitchen.

"I will go and see who it is," Sakura said and went to the door while Hien returned to the kitchen.

The bell rang again

She supposed that it was a servant that her grandpa sent over to invite her to go to his mansion and talk about the important meeting for this evening. It had made her very nervous until she was pretty sure that she will not be able to teach her classes. So she had called the Clamp Campus and asked to take the day off.

Sakura opened the door and almost fainted from shock.

"Syaoran-kun" She whispered hesitantly. She hadn't seen him for a long time and he had changed a lot. He's taller and looked smarter.

Why is he here? The last time she talked with him on the phone, he didn't tell her that he was coming.

"I'm back, Sakura," Syaoran whispered and took her in his arms. He dreamt about this day many times and it's not dream anymore.

"Hi." The Clow Card Mistress mumbled. She didn't know what else to say. It seems all words had vanished from her brain. All she knew is that her face is in a deep shade of red right now.

"Sakura, I sensed that brat's aura. Don't tell me that he is here." Keroberus voice emitted from the kitchen where Souhi and Hien are cooking breakfast.

Syaoran loosened his arms off her waist and walked inside with her, tracking the voice to the kitchen.

Souhi and Hien turned to see the young man. Keroberus turned his back to the door and he didn't pay attention to anything except the cookies in his mouth.

"Sorry to say that I'm really here," Syaoran said behind the lion.

"Whoa!" Keroberus jumped and turned to see the young man.

"You shouldn't do that. You're not child anymore," he complained. "Anyway, I'm glad to see you again. You have grown up, Syaoran."

"Nice to meet you, Syaoran-san. We heard your story from Sakura-sama." Souhi said and introduced herself. "I'm Souhi and this is my sister, Hien."

Syaoran smiled to the twin and

"What are you doing here?" Touya asked the young man with an irritated voice. He just went downstairs with Yukito and heard Syaoran's voice. He felt like he was dreaming and stepped inside the kitchen to find that he was not dreaming.

"Tomoyo called and asked me to come." Syaoran replied with a stricken expression too.

"So, you should be in Tomoyo's mansion instead of here because Sakura didn't call you." Touya bitingly told the young man.

The Sparks began fly between them.

"Hi, Syaoran-kun." Yukito appeared behind Touya and greeted the young man. His appearance broke the tension in the room.

"Hi, Yukito-san."

"Niisan, it's time to go to work now, and please say hello to grandpa before you leave." Sakura blurted out and pushed her sister-complexed brother to the door. She didn't want to see war this morning.

"Bye, Syaoran-kun. See you later." Yukito waves to the young man and walked out with Touya who was still seething.

"So, how did you know I'm here?" Sakura asked as they returned to the kitchen again.

"Tomoyo received me from the airport and drove me here. I asked her to come too, but she told me that she's in a hurry and" she didn't want to disturb usSyaoran added in his mind.

"And what?" Sakura asked as she poured the fresh water in a glass and gave it to him.

"She said that she needs to bring my luggage to the hotel that she had reserved for me. And she will return to pick me up at about 1 p.m." Syaoran answered as he took the glass.

"It's just 8:20 a.m. So we have much time to talk but I think we should have breakfast first." The Clow Card Mistress said and led him to the dining room that Souhi and Hien had prepared for them.

* * *

Arashi was sitting in the classroom, paying attention to the teacher. Then she sensed someone's power emitted near the Junior High School's building. She turned to look back at the monk who sat behind her. He nodded. She stood immediately, calling the attention of the teacher.

"What happened, Kishuu-san?"

"Arisugawa-san is not well. I'll take him to the clinic," She replied to the teacher and offered her hand to support Sorata and they got out of the class.

She relinquished her hold from the monk after the door closed. Sorata opened his mouth to protest but realized that they had to go quickly to see what had occurred.

They ran following the aura to a grove and saw Karina used a white cord to fight many men that Arashi assumed were shiki-gamis because some of them had returned to their real form while the others are still fighting.

Arashi raised her Kekkai over them before pulling out her sword from her body while Sorata gathered the bolt of lightning in his hands and they joined the battle. They didn't waste time to annihilate the shiki-gamis much.

"Are you hurt?" Arashi asked the younger girl calmly while sheathing her sword before retracting her Kekkai.

"No. Thanks very much." Kamui's twin smiled brightly to the couple. She pulled her cell phone and dialed the another seals' numbers, which Nokoru had provided them for convenience whenever something happened.

"Your aura is like that of Kamui's that I had seen the day Hinoto died." Sorata remarked.

"That was not his aura. It's mine."

"But how?"

"Ordinarily, twins are linked to each other. The link between Kamui-kun and me is deeper the other twins in this world. Anyhow, his link to me is open while my link to him is almost close. Therefore he can sense little about me while I can know his very well, whether he is happy, smiles, hurt, cries, in danger or everything. That day I sensed he was in danger and is not his normal self. So I sent my power to protect him." Karina explained to the pair.

Sorata nodded. Sending power to someone is very hard. You must to have a lot of power and have very deep link to the other. Karina isn't a normal girl like he thought before.

"Have you ever occupied Kamui's body?" Sorata asked. If she could send the power to Kamui, she may have the ability to occupy his body as well He wanted to believe that Kamui isn't the person who killed Hinoto, but the idea that Karina might have killed the Princess instead scared him the same.

"Never." She said strongly and turned to stare at Sorata. She is aware the older boy's idea. "I'm sure you two would know that occupying someone's body is not easy. If the owner didn't give permission to you, the owner could fight you and the effect will be fatal and you may even die because of it."

Arashi and Sorata nodded. They had heard it once from their shrine.

The Kansai boy was ashamed and felt like a fool. He tried to relax the tension that filled around them by changing the subject. He noticed that Karina has bandages wrapped around her arms in the same places where Kamui's injuries were yesterday.

"Hey. Karina-chan, How was it you got hurt?"

"I got it from the earthquake yesterday." She answered as the bell rang signaling everyone that the next class is going to begin in ten minutes. "Anyway, I think you should return to class."

"Yeah. Let's go together." Arashi said.

"I haven't time for it. I have some business to attend to with Suoh-san in half an hour."

Their chatting stopped when they heard someone calling Kamui's sister.

"Karina-san! Karina-san! Where are you?" Suoh shouted from a distance. He just went to her office and had been informed by Hikaru that she went strolling in the grove. "Karina-san! Come on. It's time to go."

"I'm here." She called in the direction where the sound came from.

After a minute Nokoru's friend appeared before them.

"Hi, Arashi-san, Sorata-san. What are you doing here? I believe it's time for your next class."

"They helped me from those shiki-gamis." Karina replied and pointed to the ofudas about them. "And yes, I'm alright." She added immediately when she saw what her brother's friend was about to ask. "You do not need to protect me. I'm not a little girl anymore." She pouted at Suoh. Nokoru and his friends had always sheltered her from any danger since the Imonoyamas adopted her.

"You will always be a girl in our eyes," The Takamura replied with sunny smile as he ruffled her black hair.

"Oh! Don't. You're ruining my hair." The girl complained while the others laughed. She tried to set her hair in its way and jabbed Suoh's arm little. "If you keep on laughing, I would not cook for you all again." Karina threatened.

They stopped immediately. Karina is an outstanding cook because she had learned from Akira. They don't want to risk her anger.

"Excuse us. We must to go now." Suoh apologized and walked out of the grove with Karina.

The wind blew the dry leaves about the place and dispersed the ofudas in the air as the seals returned to their class together.

* * *

Kanoe was so furious when she realized that her shiki-gami could not harm Kamui's twin like she expected. She thought that if Kamui had killed her sister, she would do the same by hurt his twin. Yuuto entered the room just then and saw the very annoyed woman.

"Kanoe-san, bad mood?" He asked as stepped toward her.

"I sent my shiki-gamis to hurt Kamui's twin, but she fought back and also had a couple seals to help her." She replied. "Yuuto, could you help me avenge my sister's death? Please." Kanoe asked the blond man. She realized that she couldn't do it by herself.

"Of course."

* * *

Nokoru waited for the Amamiyas at the hotel's gardens. He just learned of her information from Suoh's investigation.

Mr. Amamiya has a daughter name Nadeshiko. She fell in love with a Professor in a University and married him without her father's approval. Mr. Amamiya was angry and hadn't contacted her since. She has a son and a daughter and died a few years later when her daughter was still a little child. Amamiya had just contacted his grandchild last month and asked them to help him run the family business.

The Amamiya Group is one of the biggest business firms in Japan that the Imonoyamas had been associated with for a long time. Their relationship would be strengthened if he got engaged with Amamiya's granddaughter, even though he didn't want it.

Nokoru stopped his thoughts when he saw Mr. Amamiya walking towards his table with a young woman dressed in a kimono. He stood like a gentleman should do.

"Hello, Imonoyama-san. This is my grand daughter, Sakura Kinomoto." The old man said.

"Hello, Sakura-san. I'm glad to meet you." Nokoru said and raised her hand to kiss lightly before sliding the chair for her.

"Hello, Nokoru-san." Sakura greeted and sat down.

"I think you should know her because she is a teacher in your campus." The old man said as he stared at the young man with scrutiny.

"Yes, Amamiya-san. She is a teacher in my little sister's class too."

*beep*

"Excuse me." The old man said and left the desk.

"So, I think it's better if we stroll around the garden and enjoyed the beauty of the Autumn scene." Nokoru suggested and Sakura agreed.

They talked about things in CLAMP Campus mirthfully. They didn't notice that Syaoran was watching them distantly because he was staying in this hotel.

Syaoran felt his heart break in myriad pieces.

* * *

Touya was pacing in his office like a caged animal. It is about time for Sakura to meet the Imonoyama. He didn't like his grandpa's idea. The first time he knew of it, he argued about it again and again. He insisted that if grandpa really wanted this, he'd go too.

Sakura saw his reaction and whispered something to Amamiya. Then the old man said that Touya have an important meeting to do, so he couldn't go.

Touya was about to argue again but grandpa stopped him by telling him that if after the meeting and Sakura didn't want to engage to the Imonoyama, he will not force her.

He supposed that the meeting should be finished by now, and wondered what the result is.

The beep on his phone pulled him from his thoughts. He pressed on the button and listened to his secretary.

"Touya-san, Mr. Kobayashi would like to meet you."

"All right, Nami-san. I'm coming."

* * *

Seishirou watched Fuuma leave a little wrathful. He turned to see the seals again. The Kamui of the Dragon of Heavens looked more melancholy than usual. The boy veered to watch the hospital again and again until the building vanished of his sight.

The rain fell lightly, made his clothes increasingly clammy. So he decided to go home and change into dry clothes and get some sleep before going to his clinic. He walked out of the construction building when he felt a shiki-gami near him. He looked up and saw a snowy owl fly above before it landed on his arms.

"Meet me at your tree 7 p.m. tomorrow"

He was listened to the message with amusement.

"Tell your master. I'll be there." He told the shiki-gami and let it fly away.

Tomorrow would be good for him.

* * *

The meeting between Imonoyama and Amamiyas were finished. The Amamiyas bade their farewells to Nokoru and left for their home while the young man walked to the hotel's restaurant. He reserved a table for his dinner with Karina and Suoh after the pair was over their meeting with the Yamada Group. He didn't wait too long.

They were having dinner when Suoh's cell phone rang. The Takamura excused himself and got up from the table to talk in private. He returned five minutes later.

"I'm so sorry. Nagisa-san called me to take her home."

"That's all right. You should pick up your beautiful fiancee immediately." Karina teased him and saw Suoh's face turn red.

Nokoru laughed at his friend's reaction, "Please send my regards to her,"

"I will," Suoh smiled and walked out of the restaurant.

They returned to their dinner again. Nokoru stared at his sister while he checked the bill and realized that her face was pale and she also looked like a person who lacked sleep.

"Karina-chan, you looked so tired. I thought that maybe we could go shopping after dinner but I think it would better to go home instead."

"Thanks, Nokoru-chan."

Karina hooked her arm with his and they walked out of the restaurant together.

Syaoran was walking to the same restaurant and saw them. He remembered that man was the same one who had strolled in the garden with Sakura, but why was he was snug with a pretty girl? It means that bastard already has girlfriend? So why did he had a date with Sakura?

I won't let you hurt Sakura Syaoran vowed to himself.

* * *

Kusanagi was sitting on a bench. The sun shines around the park this morning. Surrounding him were a soundful of meowmeow from the vagrant cats. He stroked their hair and feed them with breads.

"Hey kitties. I'm sure you would love Yuzuriha-chan if you knew her. She is innocent and cheerful. Oh, I forgot her dog, Inuki. He is a nice dog but I don't think you would like dogs, right?"

"Meow" The cats sound like nowe do not like dogs.

"O.k. I would not bring them here." The solider promised to the little fur creatures.

Suddenly, he heard the screams from the trees that cried because they were being cut down. He winced from those sounds. He had been hearing those sounds for a long time now and it always hurt him.

"When will the screaming stop?" He pondered sadly.

* * *

Syaoran went to Sakura's residence that evening. He almost asked her about that man several times but he hadn't the courage to ask. He braved it for the last time and asked her.

"Sakura" His words stopped in mid-air when the doorbell rang. Sakura rose up from her chair to see who it is and returned with a boy who looked like the girl that he saw with that bastard yesterday, except their powers were _markedly_ different. The boy before him had occupied the enormous power that he could sense it easier than the girl.

Keroberus who was crouching on the sofa tilted his head up.

"Hi, Kamui-kun." The lion glowed. "Come here." He said and patted a hand beside his big form to invite Kamui. He liked the Head of the Seals very much after their first meeting. He can sense that this boy has a pure and strong heart.

The boy obeyed his words docilely.

Keroberus quickly rested his big head on the boy's lap and purred contently while the Clow Mistress guessed they have taken to each other before going to the kitchen to ask Souhi and Hien prepare some snack and tea for her new guest.

"UmmKamui-kun, you have other siblings?" Syaoran asked.

"Yes. I have a twin younger sister, why?" Kamui puzzled.

In the meantime the guardian cocked his ears to listen.

"I saw a girl like you with a blond man who has the bluest eyes yesterday."

"That might be Nokoru-san. He's my sister's adopted brother." The Kamui of the Dragons of Heaven replied and continued to explain in brief when he saw a question in Syaoran's eyes.

"I understand now." The young man said. He felt ashamed that he labeled the Imonoyama to be a bastard. However, he felt that his hope seem to fade away increasingly.

"What are you doing here?" Saiki who just came back asked the boy with tension in his voice. After the incident at Ikebukuro, his anger had vanished with Kamui's crying sight. The boy had held many tragedies more than the other boys had in the same age. He had to respect Kamui's brave to go on, even the road before him was full of much more tragic. Anyway, he still doesn't trust the boy much.

"Saiki-dono." Hinoto-hime in Sakura warned him sharply.

She walked to the sofa and set a cup of tea for Kamui.

Saiki turned to respect Sakura and stand protectively beside her. He noticed that there was another young man in the room with the boy. He assumed this was Syaoran whom the twin had told him about. He bowed to the young man in greeting while Sakura sat on the sofa across the head of the Seals.

"I'm glad to meet you, Syaoran-san. Sakura-san told me much about you," Hinoto-hime said and smiled at him.

"I'm Daisuke. Princess Hinoto and Sakura-sama's guard," Saiki introduced himself.

Syaoran smiled at them. He heard Sakura speak of them before and they seemed nice as she had told him.

"Pleased to meet you," he said and realized that they were going to discuss important things. Sakura do not keep secrets from him, but he was not sure that Hinoto and Saiki wanted him to know. So he excused himself and about to left the room when he felt that his foot was on something protrude from the ground.

"OUCH!" Keroberus yelled the same time Syaoran moved his foot out.

"I'm sorry, really sorry. I didn't see it. Are you alright?" The young man lower on his knee and tried to find the damage he just gave to the tail.

"No. Just go away before I bite you," The lion said in a fury and showed how big his teeth were.

"And you?" He asked Keroberus whom seemed to calm down by Kamui's stroking hand.

"I'm Sakura's guardian and anyhow, she also tells me everything." Kero-chan spoke.

"Okay."

Syaoran stepped out the room and waited in the hallway about a half an hour when he saw the door opened. Kamui walked out with Keroberus and Saiki.

"Are you going home?"

"No. I have to meet a man I saved at Ikebukuro with Saiki. See you later, Syaoran." The boy smiled at him and walked out the front door. Saiki turned to smile little and followed the boy out.

Syaoran watched Keroberus with questioning eyes, but the lion shrugged and returned into the living room again.

* * *

Seishirou walked towards the always-blooming Sakura. He saw someone was standing under the other tree near his.

"Hi. How are you? I hadn't seen you for almost two months."

"I'm fine. Thanks for coming to see me." The Feminine voice said and its owner walked out off the shadow of the tree to reveal that someone to be Karina.

To be continued