Well, Hello and welcome to my Little World of Weirdness!

I state for the record that, despite the fact I really, really wish I did, I don't own any of the official characters that will grace this story; it's all CLAMP's! Always has been, always will be! I *DO*, however, own Marcibay Hilligans and Hei-ying Reed!! I also own Mystrasa Kyree, and the dragon isn't mine, it's on loan from my good friend, the Blue Goo! And what the heck . . . I own the mansion as well! [Laughs] Also I don't pretend to have any Mastery over the language of Japanese or any clue as to correct grammatical structure. I put it in and hope it gets across the point I'm trying to make! And I don't pretend to be able to write any sort of accents so please don't hate me!

"Speaking"

*Stress/emphasis*

//Thinking//

In This Tainted Soul . . .

By Dr Megalomania.

Part Twenty-Two: And Every Story Must Have A Middle . . .

[THANK YOU!! YAY! 100 REVIEWS!! YAY!! TAHNKOO THANKOO THANKOO!!!]

****IN THE TIME BEFORE THE CARDCAPTOR****

//Perfect . . .//

A wooden walking cane sharply tapped excitedly on the hard wood floor of the bookshop. She smiled as her long search had come to an end, //Simply perfect// She shuffled towards the service desk, glancing briefly at nearby newspapers. She made a mental note to stay away from Poland; it had just been invaded and added to the 'Motherland' that was Germany. She smiled harshly, the Jewish quarter of the magic community would no doubt be a little perturbed by Herr Hitler's activities. "Perfect . . ." As long as England wasn't involved she didn't mind, she could proceed with the next step of her search. She looked up at the clerk. "I wish to purchase this book . . ."

"Of course, ma'am . . ." the clerk blinked as the old woman handed over her desired item, "Oh . . . I'm sorry ma'am, but I should warn you . . . this book can't be opened . . . Nobody has ever been able to open it."

"I know . . ." The woman's dark eyes seemed younger than her years; "I still wish to purchase it."

The book clerk nodded and completed the transaction, as soon as the old woman had shuffled out of the door, he turned to his co-worker, "Did you just see that? Someone *actually* bought that old book!"

The old woman rounded a corner, into a secluded alleyway. Checking she was alone, she straightened and dispersed the spell that was making her look so old. She glanced into a nearby puddle, her curling black hair restored and her pale face free of wrinkles again, she smiled and reached up to her neck. She pulled out her necklace, it was a rose and a dragon pendant, she smiled harshly as she held it before her, "O, key of darkness, I, Mystrasa Kyree, command thee under our contract, reveal the staff to me." She spat brutally, "Release!"

The gold and black staff grew, and it sparked as it released her Sun guardian. The tiny form of the dragon grinned viciously as it landed on her shoulder.

"You found him?" It hissed as it coiled it's whip long tail on her other shoulder.

She held up the book, "Of course!" she grinned, "Hei-ying . . ." she stroked the black book's cover, "My loving uke . . . I've finally found you . . ."

//Perfect . . .//

Kinomoto Fujitaka sighed; he'd forgotten his notes again. //Simply perfect!// He stacked his books quickly before stepping out into the school's courtyard. It simply would not do to keep this practice up; he was constantly forgetting his lecture notes. "Perfect . . ." As a fledgling teacher, it was not a good habit to maintain. He smiled as he spotted one of his students, the athletic girl was yelling up into the branches of a Sakura tree. "Get down! Please get down here now! You'll hurt yourself!"

"I'll be fine!" A soft voice called back, "I'm almost there!"

Fujitaka smiled again, as he realised it was probably Nadeshiko, the grey haired, emerald eye girl was the complete opposite of her agile cousin. She was constantly having accidents, he chuckled slightly when he mused, she would probably fall out of that tree.

//Might as well get it over and done with . . .//

"Eh?" Fujitaka blinked as the strange thought compelled him over to the tree, he glanced at Nadeshiko's cousin, wondering why he was standing under the tree waiting for something to happen. A loud snap from above made him look up, a scream and a few seconds later he was rubbing his head.

"Gomen!" A musical voice said, "Kinomoto-sensei! I'm so sorry did I hurt you?"

Her long grey locks, and beautiful wide eyes unexpectedly reminded some forgotten part of him of someone else, Fujitaka suddenly felt endeared to this girl, "I thought an angel had fallen on me . . ."

//Perfect . . .//

Within a day, their wings had given way, within a week they were aware of him, within a month Ruby Moon was crawling after her brother, Spinel Sun, having discovered his weakness with sweets. //Simply perfect!//

He sat back in his chair, and clasped his hands in his lap, "Perfect . . ." he peered at his feet. //Funny . . . Last time I sat in this chair my feet actually reached the floor . . .// he smiled as he heard a crash from the door. Spinel Sun came flying through the door and dived into his arms, "Master! Make her stop!"

Eriol looked over at Ruby Moon, who grinned in the door, which had the appearance of an eight-year-old girl, despite the fact he had given her no specific gender. "Ruby, it isn't nice that you . . ."

He blinked as he felt something from his other reincarnation, he smiled warmly as he realised what had happened. "Master?" Ruby stepped up to her six-year-old master, his body may have been young, but he had their mansion under a time spell. He would have been twenty by now if he didn't live within its boundaries. "What is it?"

"Good choice . . ." Eriol breathed, he smiled warmly, "Sakura . . . Welcome to the world . . ."

"Master?" Spinel sat up and peered at him, Eriol had done this before, only he had said 'Oh, so it's you, Touya? You will take my Little Moonbeam away . . .'

Eriol blinked again, "The Cardcaptor . . ." he announced, " . . . has just been born . . ."

Spinel and Ruby glanced at each other; Hiirawagizawa Eriol could be very strange at times.  They had once found him peering into a pond and chuckling, when he sat up again he had muttered, "Yet another mistake, Clow . . . I shouldn't remember everything, nor have all of the power . . ."

. . . And Every Story Must Have A Middle . . .

-------------------

And Now It's Time For LEAVE IT TO DOCTOR MEGALOMANIA!!

Blue Goo: Wow! What am I doing in the Author's Notes? I'm not the author!

Clow: Well, DrM's a little too . . . *tied* up shall we say . . .? [Laughs evilly at Yue and Kero]

[Door slams open]

DrM: Clow Reed! You are dead! And Kero and Yue! [Snaps fingers] You're not even *in* this chapter!

Kyree: Evil! Evil! Eeeevil! [Smells self] Smell that? That's the stench of evilality!

DrM: Could just be me . . .

Blue Goo: That's my line! [Sighs] Nyahhh it's no good! It's . . . ending . . . Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo-

[DrM slaps for head]

Blue Goo: -ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo-

DrM: So Fuji . . . how are you?

Bluegoo: oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo-

Fujitaka: . . . I'm . . . okay . . . [looks at Blue Goo] . . . Is she . . .?

DrM: Certified . . . Oh, yeah . . . [Holds up insane certificate proudly] Same place as me! [Grins]

Bluegoo: [Gives DrM the thumb's up] -ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Ruby: [Quietly backs away] Master . . .?

Spinel: I think it might be a good idea to tell the readers to R&R, then back away . . . back away slowly . . . sloooooowllllyyyy. . .

Eriol: [Pouting] That Kyree bitch has got my aftershave!