That Time Old Feeling
By Hoshi Tenshi

~Chapter 2~
[Awakening With New Powers]

Syaoran bowed back uncertainly and replied, "Li Syaoran. Yoroshiku ne, Kinomoto-san."

She smiled brightly. "Just 'Sakura,' if you please, Li-san."

"Of course, as long as you call me 'Syaoran.' "

Sakura giggled. "Hai, Syaoran-kun." She tried to step forward, letting go of the tree trunk, only to cry out in pain and fall to the grass.

Syaoran rushed to her side and knelt. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"Daijoubu, Syaoran-kun." She waved away his concern and tried to stand up again, only to fall back down immediately. "Then again..."

Syaoran pushed her gently back down and felt around her reddish left ankle. It didn't feel broken, but it was badly sprained. He quickly looked around for something to hold her ankle in place.
Grabbing a nearby branch on the ground, he snapped it in half. When he dropped the other part on the grass, he saw something reflect in the sunlight.

Syaoran shifted the branch to his left hand, and picked up the little object that seemed to be a necklace-- and immediately dropped it again. "What the...?" A jolt had gone through his body the moment he touched it.

"Daijoubu?" Sakura was watching his curiously.

"Aa," he replied sheepishly. Preparing himself for a small shock this time, he picked up the trinket again. Sure enough, he felt a strong tingling spread up his arms and down his body. *What the hell is this thing?* He narrowed his eyes and examined it carefully.

All he could see was that it was a small key, topped off with the shape of a bird's head. "Is this yours?" he asked Sakura.

Her eyes were still on him intently, confusion in her eyes. "Un. Last thing I remember is that I was on a tree limb...and I dropped the necklace. When I tried to grab it before it fell, I dropped along with it instead--" She paused, searching Syaoran's expression.

"...'Last thing I remember,' " Syaoran echoed, letting the question hang.

Sakura grinned sheepishly. "That sounds pretty weird, doesn't it?" she asked tentatively.

Syaoran shook his head. "That's all right." *Maybe this girl has amnesia. Can falling out of a tree do that to you?* he thought to himself. "And the next thing that happened was that I came along?" he asked, twirling the small branch absently.

She nodded in response, and Syaoran frowned slightly. She didn't seem to be lying...but there was no doubt that this charm of hers wasn't a normal necklace. He wondered if it was something more powerful than it seemed. However, there was no aura of magic around Sakura-- or at least, he couldn't feel one.

"Syaoran-kun?" Sakura's voice brought him back.

"Nanda? Oh, your necklace," he stammered. He could imagine how dumb must look standing there, staring at a piece of jewelry. "Here." Syaoran bent over to hand it over.

"Arigatou."

As soon as Syaoran's hand holding the necklace touched Sakura's fingers, both felt a spark.
Without warning, a huge light burst forth and enclosed them. Equally bewildered as to what was going on, they watched the glare of the harsh light surrounding them in dumbstruck awe.

"What's happening, Syaoran-kun?" Sakura yelled over the roar of the humming atmosphere.

"I'm not s--" He was cut off in his reply as beams of light began flashing on and off from both of them-- endless numbers of the rays that continued to appear, each beam gathering in between their bodies. The burning sensation didn't hurt, but they felt the steady blaze grow until everything went white.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clow looked away as the floating tapestry before him blazed to life. "You will be receiving your new powers now...along with the burden of Card mistress." His eyes hardened. "Forgive me."

Cerberus felt himself rise into the air gradually, glowing a dull yellow. He was being shed of his master's powers now, and being accepted into his new mistresses'.

Before he was enveloped completely, he saw-- or rather heard --Yue rush in.

"What is the meaning of--" He too started glowing and levitating in the air without aid of his wings. "CLOW!" A cocoon of wings muffled his yell.

"Be good to your new mistress; Cerberus, Yue." Clow Reed forced one last smile for his precious creations.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Syaoran felt Sakura's hand wrap around his right arm awkwardly. He forced his eyes open to meet Sakura's green orbs sparkling with unshed tears. There wasn't any exchange of words, but he returned her frightened gaze and gave a brisk nod reassuringly. She still didn't relax her unyielding grip on Syaoran's arm.

Suddenly, with all the abrupt force of a shotgun, Syaoran was thrown backwards. He found himself sprawled on the grass, while Sakura remained above ground.

*Damn it! If I had been more cautious with that weird necklace...* Syaoran thought.

Running back towards the huge glowing ball of light, he looked up to sought her gaze. He saw that the girl was unconscious. "Kuso..." he grumbled under his breath, clenching his fists. He started and looked down at his hands, remembering that he was still holding onto the branch and necklace-- his fingers felt so numb, that he hadn't even thought of them until he had closed his fists.

Sakura looked much calmer now. Her eyes were closed, long lashes making two crescent shadows on her cheeks. In the next split second, she was suddenly surrounded by another flash of light. This time, light pink.

Syaoran felt the aura of this light, softer, but even stronger than the white one. It was surprisingly comforting. As if in a trance, he approached the hovering body slowly. If the necklace had anything to do with all this...one way to find out. He opened his finger to hold out the small figure at arm's length.

Sure enough, the necklace and Syaoran himself were pulled into the pink glow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From inside the warm cavity of their wings, both Cerberus and Yue felt new power surrounding them. It was fresh and clean, not as familiar and worn as Clow's powers, but just as warm, nonetheless.

*Sayonara, Clow. I hope you know what you're doing,* Cerberus thought, picturing his master smiling at him. Sakura would be a wonderful mistress, he had thought so seven years ago, and his mind hadn't changed yet.

Yue wrapped his arms tighter around his shoulders, trying to forget the memories of the Judgment battle he had fought seven years ago. In all honesty, actually...he had been the only one fighting.

*So, this is what was meant to be. It was all a charade. That girl was meant to be our mistress all the way from the start...if it wasn't for the death of that miko...*

Yue relaxed his arms and surrendered to a new kind of rebirth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once again, he found himself in the air. He now saw where the pink light was coming from. *From...her,* he realized. *Masaka... She couldn't be a sorceress, could she?* Now at eye-level with her, he gazed intently at her face.

Before he could try and wake her up, Syaoran felt a burning in his hands, and with a startled gasp, he let go of the items he had been holding. The necklace-- and the branch, also --floated in front of Syaoran.

He noted with grim satisfaction that he had been correct; he could feel vast amounts of energy suppressed within the small trinket. It was struggling-- as if the power was fighting to come undone from its restraining bonds. At the same time, it was being...tamed? Something-- or someone was manipulating it.

Syaoran didn't even need to look at Sakura to know the answer. *She's maneuvering the branch and necklace with her own powers...but why?*

As if in reply to his question, her eyes snapped open. Before he could do or say anything, she started to whisper an incantation.

"Key that hides the forces of darkness, show your true shape to me." Her voice grew stronger as she went on. "Powers of the guardian Star, awaken in me now, through this new wand!"

Syaoran could only stare dumbly. He barely noticed that he had landed softly on the grass alone.

"I, Sakura has roused to my call, and under contract of a new mistress, I command you, Release!!" She ended with a yell, and Syaoran had to shield his eyes from the powerful illumination that followed.

Meanwhile, in the air, Sakura watched as the key grew along with the branch, to shape her star staff. The release key grew larger, and the branch smoothened and lengthened to form the base handle. It spun steadily in the air, and Sakura brought her hand down to the long pink staff. With a huge whoosh of air, her power gathered to a concentrated point and entered the star on top of the staff.

Finished, Sakura let out a sigh of relief, and the glazed look went out of her eyes. Back on the ground again, she wordlessly offered Syaoran a hand to him with a soft smile, and automatically, he took it.

As her slim fingers captured his own, he felt a warmth start from the tips of his fingers. The heat spread slowly across his entire body, which was tingling-- as if it had been anticipating her touch for a very long time.

His mind cleared, as if a gentle hand was silencing all his wild thoughts quietly.

In his newly calmed mind, the flashbacks came. They were so strong, it was almost painful. They filled his mind, conquering his thoughts entirely.
[Flash]
Growing up under the watchful but caring eyes of the Elders and the Li clan.
[Flash]
Learning and training under his mother and sisters and growing up under their protection.
[Flash]
Meeting Sakura for the first time, him glaring, and her nervously returning his gaze.
[Flash]
Feeling a twinge of sadness when she asked if he was lonely since he lived all alone.
[Flash]
Loneliness in his empty apartment. Wanting to go home, but also not wanting to disappoint.
[Flash]
Sitting with Sakura that star-filled night, when his heart beat faster at her smile for the first time.
[Flash]
Discovering new feelings that no amount of training could have prepared him for.
[Flash]
The emptiness he felt after losing his one-- and possibly his first --friend.

As every little detail of his life up until now came rushing back to him, Syaoran's vague past came into focus. The huge white blank in his mind filled with images of his life and family. He remembered hot summers filled with humidity that were cooled with ice cream and gentle breezes. He remembered cold winters that he kept warm during within the tight circle of his sisters.

Hungrily, he drank in the images-- like a white canvas soaking up different colors of paint. Every moment was precious and every memory cherished. How had he _lived_ without remembering all this happiness? How had he almost forgotten his won family? He made a quick mental note to call his mother and sisters as soon as he got home.

Slowly, the flashbacks wound down, and he floated back into consciousness. "Sakura?" Syaoran murmured. More of a statement then a question. He already knew she was back, but he just wanted to hear her own voice confirming it.

The familiar voice answered him. "Hai, Syaoran-kun. Who else would it be?" Sakura ran towards him on her newly healed ankle and launched into his arms, expecting to be caught.

Her expectations weren't in vain-- Syaoran caught her easily and twirled her around. "I can't believe it. It's really, truly, you..." he laughed, helplessly encircling her in his arms.

"Well, believe it. I'm the real thing," she quipped, her voice a bit muffled by Syaoran's embrace.

Burying his face in her hair, he reveled in a rare moment of emotion. Never had he ever hugged someone so vigorously, but just this once, he thought he could get away with it without tarnishing his reputation.

"Tadaima, Syoran-kun," Sakura said softly. "I finally found my way home."

"Okaeri, Sakura... Welcome back."

[End of Chapter 2]

AN: #1. Ossu minna! =] Happy ending for this chapter! But doesn't mean it ends here...it's only the beginning~ ^^ I'm gonna torture this couple so much later on...XP

#2. I did major Sakura-glorifying this chapter... I couldn't help it! She's one of my favorite chara~ she deserved a whole lights and transformation-type sequence scene for once! Usagi-chan always has those...at least twice every season, so why not our Sakura-chan? ^_^

#3. If this chapter was a anime episode, it would have been very pretty...unfortunately, it's not. So I tried to describe things as best I could...but it's just one of those things that has to be drawn...not written...XP So I'm sorry if anyone didn't like the quality of this chapter... I didn't like it either! ~_~

#4. BGM for this chapter? Hehe...Inu-Yasha!! I was listening to "My Will" throughout it's writing... so I think it should be appropriate...thank you Lecto-chan~ you know why...^^

#5. "-- as if it had been anticipating her touch for a very long time." ::squeal:: I really liked that one part. ^^ Syaoran 'anticipating' her touch... X]

#6. ::taps foot impatiently:: Now come on, minna-chan... You guys really hate this series that much? I really want more reviews... Please?

#7. [Hoshi_no_Tenshi@hotmail.com] Mail is always appreciated and answered! FF.net readers~ REVIEW!