Daphne: "This is going to be short, because I have a load of homework to
do! I just want to thank all of you for reviewing, and I want to plead with
you to do it again! I need all the reviews I can get! Anyway, on with the
story!
~*~*~*~
Palace of the Wolves
by: Daphne Li
Chapter 13.
'Oh! It is just the same!' Sakura gushed, as their carriage pulled up to the front of the Palace. It had been decided that the party take three carriages to the Palace of the Wolves. Two would transport the older people, and one would carry the younger; It was for that reason that Sakura, Nora, Naoko, Syaoran, Eriol, Tomoyo, Tryon, Landon, and Marcy all ended up in the same carriage. Tryon and Eriol had sat up by the driver, leaving Syaoran and Landon to keep an eye on the girls.
'Yes, it does! It is almost uncanny!' Nora commented, as Tryon helped her down.
"Race you to the gardens!" Landon crowed, taking off in the direction of the back of the Palace.
"You can't catch me!" Marcy giggled to him, running down one of the paths.
"Wheee!!!" Nora shrieked, as Tryon tossed her up on his shoulders and then ran with her.
"Come on, Syao-kun!" Sakura cried, grabbing Syaoran's hand.
"Get me, Wandon!" Naoko cried, running into one of the mazes, with the older boy following closely behind.
"Oh, Eriol look!" Tomoyo exclaimed, pointing at a flowering plum tree. She sat down in the grass underneath it and sighed contentedly. Eriol picked a handful of the plum blossoms and then sat down next to her. He seemed to be making something out of them.
'Everyone, I want to have some fun. I am going to call the wolf pack, here!' Nora called. In a few moments, the gardens were full of wolves, running around and playing with the children. Tomoyo watched in amusement as an older version of Rinyah knocked Nora to the ground and began to lick her face. Suddenly, she felt Eriol creep behind her and start to play with her hair.
"Eriol, what…?"
"Shhh. Wait a moment…almost…done!" He announced.
"Eriol, what did you do?" She asked, patting her hair. He grinned and pulled a hand-mirror out of nowhere.
"See for yourself!" He said. She took the mirror, looked, and gasped.
"Oh, Eriol!" She breathed. He had somehow woven the plum blossoms into a net, and then twinned it through her raven-black hair.
"Do you like it?" He asked hesitantly, almost wistfully.
"It is lovely! Thank you. But…why did you do it?" She asked. A small smile appeared on his lips.
"I like making you happy." He whispered, leaning over and kissing her. Her breath caught in her throat as she clung to his arms for support. His hands were beneath her elbows, pressing her closer to him.
'Oh, Eriol!' She thought, as her hands raised to twine in his hair.
'Yes dearest?' He asked in a teasing voice, his arms winding about her waist, pulling her even closer. Everything was perfect, and nothing could go wrong…
"How DARE you!!"
~*~*~*~
Tomoyo and Eriol broke apart, turning in shock to see a seething Dedra.
"Trista! How could you?! You know our position. You have no right, you horrid girl!" Dedra cried, her face a mask of horror and distress. Tomoyo whimpered and pulled away from Eriol when she saw the other older people glare at them. Eriol, however, did not finch, but pulled Tomoyo closer.
"Don't get mad at her. It was my fault, and it is my choice, just like it was Micha's." Eriol stated. Everyone stared wide-eyed at him, especially Micha.
"How did you know about that?!" He hissed. Eriol smirked.
"I have my ways, and no, I wasn't spying on you." He chuckled. Tomoyo sighed and pulled away.
"They are right, Eri…Prince Derrick. I had no right, and I am sorry." She whispered, as tears filled her eyes. She covered her face and ran into the Palace, unaware of the stunned gazes that she was getting from everyone, including her close friends.
"Tomoyo…" Sakura whimpered, running after her, the younger people on her heals. Tryon cast Eriol a sympathetic look and then patted him on the shoulder.
"Talk to her later." He whispered. Eriol nodded.
"Derrick, I had no idea that you were getting so close to her! You sure hide a lot of things from me." Ellis said in an offended voice. Eriol turned and glared at him.
"Keep out of this. This is a lot deeper than you think, Ellis, and if you knew what was good for you, you would start being more alert and quit drooling over Dedra." He hissed, stalking into the palace. Tryon watched them leave and then cursed under his breath.
"And what about you, Tarnor? Do you have anything you wish to shock us with?" Lucas asked bitterly. Tryon glared at his past form.
"You are so lucky that you have no idea what is going on. If you did, I would be more than happy to knock your block off!" He snapped, stomping out of the gardens. The older people stared after him, their astonishment knowing no bounds.
"First we come out and my little brother is kissing Dedra's sister. Then Derrick threatens me and Tarnor threatens Lucas. What next?" Ellis asked, throwing his hands up into the air. Aya stepped forward and pointed with a shaking hand.
"That is not all. Look." She moaned. Everyone turned and a strange sight met their eyes. The gardens were being overrun with wolves!
"This is Kahnu's pack! How on earth…" Xiao-lang gasped. Ying-fa petted Rinyah, who was simply sitting on a path, her tail wagging vigorously.
"Oh my…what is this?" She asked, picking up what looked to be a piece of red ribbon .
"That is Sora's hair ribbon! But…Rinyah never let's anyone touch her but me…!" Aya gasped. Everyone stared at each-other and a shudder ran through the group as they realized something.
There was something going on…and it involved all the smaller children and a very big question. How could any of this be possible?!
~*~*~*~
"I kissed him! I kissed him." Tomoyo kept repeating as Sakura tried to soothe her.
'I though that it was sweet!' She commented. Tomoyo started.
"Sakura, I am only twelve! I…shouldn't be doing things like that yet." She whimpered. Sakura giggled.
'Oh Tomoyo, you are so silly! Syaoran and I found out that we were soul- mates when we were eleven! It is not big deal…'
"But you haven't kissed him yet, have you?" Tomoyo asked. Sakura shook her head.
'No. But…I am sure that it won't be long now, considering everything that has happened. Besides, Tomoyo. It is about time that you realized that you and Eriol belong to each other!'
"WHAT?!?!" Tomoyo shrieked. Nora came into the room and giggled.
'She is right, you know. It is all too obvious that you two belong to each other.' She commented, climbing up on the bed and laying down next to Tomoyo.
'Oh, Tomoyo! Did he give this to you?' Naoko questioned, running into the room and fingering the flowers in Tomoyo's hair.
"Oh, she is *sooo* kawaii!" Tryon mimicked, in a high voice. The girls turned to glare at him, only to find Eriol standing just behind him, looking at Tomoyo. The rest of the group got the hint, and quickly left the room. Tomoyo buried her head in her pillow, refusing to look up at him.
"You know, we can't avoid the subject forever." He murmured in her ear, while gently stroking her back. She shuddered.
'Why me?' She asked, her mind-voice trembling.
'Because…I have always loved you,' he admitted, 'for as long as I can remember. I tried to forget about it by focusing my attentions on Kaho…but it simply didn't work. You always have, and always will be the first thing on my mind, and in my heart.' He promised.
'I…I wonder…if we are like Sakura and Syaoran. Soul-mates.' She whispered.
"I wouldn't doubt it." He admitted. She finally looked up at him and grimaced.
"I have a feeling that our older forms are getting suspicious." She said, changing the subject. He grinned at her and nodded.
"They are. I am afraid that we have been a little too obvious in our dealings with them; although, I highly doubt that they know the reason we are here. Who would believe it?" He laughed bitterly. She giggled.
"When and if they find out…can you imagine their faces! I can see it now, 'Hi! We are your future forms, and not your siblings, as you thought…!'" She laughed. Eriol chuckled.
'Eriol, Tomoyo! Syaoran, Tryon, Landon, and Marcy have agreed to look in the library to try to get some information on this place. We have been elected to make a diversion until they are done.' Sakura called, as she and the others in their party ran past the door. Tomoyo and Eriol looked at each other and grinned.
"Fine…I am coming to get you, Nora!" Eriol shouted, bolting out of the room. Tomoyo laughed and quickly followed.
~*~*~*~
"How on earth did they find their rooms?" Xiao-lang asked.
"I do not know. Perhaps they got a servant to help them." Ellis answered. Lucas and Victor simply looked at each-other in doubt.
"That must be it. I…" Micha began.
"Sora? Sora! Where are you?" Aya wailed, stumbling into the room. Sora's hair ribbon was still clenched in her fist.
"What is wrong?" Xiao-lang asked in alarm.
"I can't find her anywhere! And everyone is sure that they didn't see her enter the castle…oh, you don't suppose the wolves…"
"EEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! Catch me Eriol!" Shrieked a young voice. All at once, Sora came pealing into the room, with Derrick close on her heals. They were followed by Nira, Trista, and Lillian.
"Trist, tosh' me up!" Lilly cried. Trista did as she was told, and tossed the little girl into the air.
"Weeeeeeeee!" Lilly squealed.
'Doing this makes me feel foolish!' Came a soft voice.
"Who said that?!" Micha asked, looking around to see who had spoken.
'Don't complain. It could be worse.' Came another voice.
"Derrick, who are you talking to?" Ellis asked. Derrick/Eriol turned to look at him in astonishment.
'Please don't say that! Anything but that!' Came a third voice.
"Ugh! Trista, what are you saying?!" Xiao-lang yelled in frustration; The game of tag stopped.
"I didn't say anything." She answered. Xiao-lang frowned.
"I distinctly heard you say, 'Please don't say that…!'" He insisted. For some reason, Trista/Tomoyo turned pale and looked at Derrick. They stared at each other for a moment, and then turned to look at the older persons.
"You were simply hearing things." She sniffed, exiting the room, the others following closely behind.
'More like they were *thinking* things!' Giggled the same soft, sweet voice that had spoken first. Suddenly, Micha got a strange feeling and decided to follow them, not knowing what to expect.
~*~*~*~
Tomoyo rushed into the library, where Tryon, Landon, Syaoran, and Marcy were reading books vigorously.
"Hey! I thought that you were supposed to be causing a diversion." Tryon commented, his eyes never leaving his book.
"We did. A bigger one that we should have! They heard our thought/speaking!" Eriol explained, collapsing onto a chair.
"WHAT?!?!" Tryon shouted, dropping his book and bolting out of his chair.
"How are we supposed to communicate now?" Landon questioned, standing up from the table he had been seated at.
'Yah! I don't want to have to rely on my puny vocabulary to communicate with you!' Syaoran hissed/thought.
'I could cast a semi-permanent spell on them that would block our voices…" Eriol commented thoughtfully. Sakura sighed.
'No. We should avoid doing magic at all costs…HOE?! What is that?' Sakura asked, her head turning in the direction of the double-doors. Eriol and Syaoran noticed that something was wrong, and Eriol quickly called up his staff. He said a quick charm, and the doors were blown open, revealing…
"Micha?!" Landon exclaimed. Eriol groaned and waved his staff a bit. Micha was dragged into the room, and the doors were slammed shut. Micha looked wildly about and turned pale when he realized what had just happened.
"Who…who are you?" He faltered, his eyes searching wildly for an exit; but there was none. Sakura sighed, and looked at their prisoner.
'So much for my idea about *not* using our magic!' She commented, climbing into a big chair and clasping her hands in her lap, staring probeingly at him. He shook with fright.
"Who said that?" He asked. Everyone in the room pointed to the little girl in the chair, and she gave him a cheerful wave.
'Don't worry. We are not going to hurt you. Marcy knows, and she is just fine.' Sakura pointed a tiny finger at the black-haired girl standing in the shadows. Micha choked down a yell and closed his eyes.
"This cannot be happening! It cannot be!" He mumbled. Tomoyo sighed.
"But it is. And you are about to find out why." She warned. He opened his eyes and stared at her.
"You see, Micha, the 'talking' that you and your friends heard a few moments ago was actually Sakura, Tomoyo, and me communicating through something that we call 'mind-talking'. We are able to communicate through our minds, and it was quite private until you started hearing it. Now we are in danger of being found out, and you must take the oath of silence." Eriol said.
"Why should I?" Micha hissed, his fear gone. Sakura got off her chair and walked over to him.
'Because if you don't, we all are in danger…brother!' She whispered, putting her hand on his shoulder. He edged away from her.
"Why do you call me 'brother'? I am not your brother." He emphasized the 'your'.
'Actually, you are…in a way. You see, you are my brother in the future, just like I am your sister now.' Sakura explained. Now Micha looked confused.
"What?"
"What she means is…we are not from this time. We are from the future." Tomoyo explained.
"WHAT?!?! That is crazy!"
'Not really, considering that I am both here, and…here at the same time.' Sakura commented, delighted to make him even more confused. (a/n: She is making me confused too!)
"What she means is that…well, in the future, her real form is named Sakura Kinomoto. Here, though, her past form is Princess Ying-fa. You see, she is two people at once. Ying-fa is her past form." Landon explained.
"Wait! Ying-fa? As in, my sister Ying-fa? Then does that mean that I am older than her in the future?!" Micha asked excitedly. Sakura frowned.
'Only by seven years. And that also means that you…in this time…are dead!' Sakura retorted. This made Micha sober a little.
"But that would mean that in the future, I am…eleven years old, just like you." He commented, looking at Eriol. Syaoran grinned slyly.
'Not exactly.' He chuckled, refusing to reveal his real age. In fact, that was the one thing that the group had decided to conceal from their older forms; their real ages. Even Marcy was not to know about those until the last possible moment. Why? Well, they figured that the enemy that they were going to face, was going to be looking for them in their normal forms. Therefore, they had to keep them a complete secret.
"And…Marcy, you knew about this?" Micha asked, looking sad. She nodded, and then hugged him.
"I knew about it the first day that they came. Tomoyo told me." She answered. "I am sorry that I didn't tell you, but I too, have been sworn to secrecy."
"And…you can all talk through your minds? To anyone?" He asked the younger forms. They all smiled.
'Yes!' They chimed, making him wince and cover his ears. Then Sakura burst into giggles.
'And you would never guess that two of us are ghosts! Or at least, they used to be!' She laughed. Now Marcy and Micha turned pale.
"What? Ghosts?!" They chimed. Tryon and Landon grinned at each other.
"That would be us! Long story, don't ask. Our past forms are Lucas and Victor." Tryon announced.
"Urm…which one is which?" Micha asked. Tryon and Landon sweat-dropped.
"I am Victor, and he is Lucas." Landon explained. Just then, there came a knock on the door.
"Micha? Are you in there?"
Micha sent a panicked look to Marcy and she grimaced.
"We all are! We…were playing a game!" She called.
"Oh…well, supper is soon! Wash up!" Ying-fa called. Everyone worked hard to stifle their grins, and they quickly did as they were told.
~*~*~*~
~*~*~*~
Palace of the Wolves
by: Daphne Li
Chapter 13.
'Oh! It is just the same!' Sakura gushed, as their carriage pulled up to the front of the Palace. It had been decided that the party take three carriages to the Palace of the Wolves. Two would transport the older people, and one would carry the younger; It was for that reason that Sakura, Nora, Naoko, Syaoran, Eriol, Tomoyo, Tryon, Landon, and Marcy all ended up in the same carriage. Tryon and Eriol had sat up by the driver, leaving Syaoran and Landon to keep an eye on the girls.
'Yes, it does! It is almost uncanny!' Nora commented, as Tryon helped her down.
"Race you to the gardens!" Landon crowed, taking off in the direction of the back of the Palace.
"You can't catch me!" Marcy giggled to him, running down one of the paths.
"Wheee!!!" Nora shrieked, as Tryon tossed her up on his shoulders and then ran with her.
"Come on, Syao-kun!" Sakura cried, grabbing Syaoran's hand.
"Get me, Wandon!" Naoko cried, running into one of the mazes, with the older boy following closely behind.
"Oh, Eriol look!" Tomoyo exclaimed, pointing at a flowering plum tree. She sat down in the grass underneath it and sighed contentedly. Eriol picked a handful of the plum blossoms and then sat down next to her. He seemed to be making something out of them.
'Everyone, I want to have some fun. I am going to call the wolf pack, here!' Nora called. In a few moments, the gardens were full of wolves, running around and playing with the children. Tomoyo watched in amusement as an older version of Rinyah knocked Nora to the ground and began to lick her face. Suddenly, she felt Eriol creep behind her and start to play with her hair.
"Eriol, what…?"
"Shhh. Wait a moment…almost…done!" He announced.
"Eriol, what did you do?" She asked, patting her hair. He grinned and pulled a hand-mirror out of nowhere.
"See for yourself!" He said. She took the mirror, looked, and gasped.
"Oh, Eriol!" She breathed. He had somehow woven the plum blossoms into a net, and then twinned it through her raven-black hair.
"Do you like it?" He asked hesitantly, almost wistfully.
"It is lovely! Thank you. But…why did you do it?" She asked. A small smile appeared on his lips.
"I like making you happy." He whispered, leaning over and kissing her. Her breath caught in her throat as she clung to his arms for support. His hands were beneath her elbows, pressing her closer to him.
'Oh, Eriol!' She thought, as her hands raised to twine in his hair.
'Yes dearest?' He asked in a teasing voice, his arms winding about her waist, pulling her even closer. Everything was perfect, and nothing could go wrong…
"How DARE you!!"
~*~*~*~
Tomoyo and Eriol broke apart, turning in shock to see a seething Dedra.
"Trista! How could you?! You know our position. You have no right, you horrid girl!" Dedra cried, her face a mask of horror and distress. Tomoyo whimpered and pulled away from Eriol when she saw the other older people glare at them. Eriol, however, did not finch, but pulled Tomoyo closer.
"Don't get mad at her. It was my fault, and it is my choice, just like it was Micha's." Eriol stated. Everyone stared wide-eyed at him, especially Micha.
"How did you know about that?!" He hissed. Eriol smirked.
"I have my ways, and no, I wasn't spying on you." He chuckled. Tomoyo sighed and pulled away.
"They are right, Eri…Prince Derrick. I had no right, and I am sorry." She whispered, as tears filled her eyes. She covered her face and ran into the Palace, unaware of the stunned gazes that she was getting from everyone, including her close friends.
"Tomoyo…" Sakura whimpered, running after her, the younger people on her heals. Tryon cast Eriol a sympathetic look and then patted him on the shoulder.
"Talk to her later." He whispered. Eriol nodded.
"Derrick, I had no idea that you were getting so close to her! You sure hide a lot of things from me." Ellis said in an offended voice. Eriol turned and glared at him.
"Keep out of this. This is a lot deeper than you think, Ellis, and if you knew what was good for you, you would start being more alert and quit drooling over Dedra." He hissed, stalking into the palace. Tryon watched them leave and then cursed under his breath.
"And what about you, Tarnor? Do you have anything you wish to shock us with?" Lucas asked bitterly. Tryon glared at his past form.
"You are so lucky that you have no idea what is going on. If you did, I would be more than happy to knock your block off!" He snapped, stomping out of the gardens. The older people stared after him, their astonishment knowing no bounds.
"First we come out and my little brother is kissing Dedra's sister. Then Derrick threatens me and Tarnor threatens Lucas. What next?" Ellis asked, throwing his hands up into the air. Aya stepped forward and pointed with a shaking hand.
"That is not all. Look." She moaned. Everyone turned and a strange sight met their eyes. The gardens were being overrun with wolves!
"This is Kahnu's pack! How on earth…" Xiao-lang gasped. Ying-fa petted Rinyah, who was simply sitting on a path, her tail wagging vigorously.
"Oh my…what is this?" She asked, picking up what looked to be a piece of red ribbon .
"That is Sora's hair ribbon! But…Rinyah never let's anyone touch her but me…!" Aya gasped. Everyone stared at each-other and a shudder ran through the group as they realized something.
There was something going on…and it involved all the smaller children and a very big question. How could any of this be possible?!
~*~*~*~
"I kissed him! I kissed him." Tomoyo kept repeating as Sakura tried to soothe her.
'I though that it was sweet!' She commented. Tomoyo started.
"Sakura, I am only twelve! I…shouldn't be doing things like that yet." She whimpered. Sakura giggled.
'Oh Tomoyo, you are so silly! Syaoran and I found out that we were soul- mates when we were eleven! It is not big deal…'
"But you haven't kissed him yet, have you?" Tomoyo asked. Sakura shook her head.
'No. But…I am sure that it won't be long now, considering everything that has happened. Besides, Tomoyo. It is about time that you realized that you and Eriol belong to each other!'
"WHAT?!?!" Tomoyo shrieked. Nora came into the room and giggled.
'She is right, you know. It is all too obvious that you two belong to each other.' She commented, climbing up on the bed and laying down next to Tomoyo.
'Oh, Tomoyo! Did he give this to you?' Naoko questioned, running into the room and fingering the flowers in Tomoyo's hair.
"Oh, she is *sooo* kawaii!" Tryon mimicked, in a high voice. The girls turned to glare at him, only to find Eriol standing just behind him, looking at Tomoyo. The rest of the group got the hint, and quickly left the room. Tomoyo buried her head in her pillow, refusing to look up at him.
"You know, we can't avoid the subject forever." He murmured in her ear, while gently stroking her back. She shuddered.
'Why me?' She asked, her mind-voice trembling.
'Because…I have always loved you,' he admitted, 'for as long as I can remember. I tried to forget about it by focusing my attentions on Kaho…but it simply didn't work. You always have, and always will be the first thing on my mind, and in my heart.' He promised.
'I…I wonder…if we are like Sakura and Syaoran. Soul-mates.' She whispered.
"I wouldn't doubt it." He admitted. She finally looked up at him and grimaced.
"I have a feeling that our older forms are getting suspicious." She said, changing the subject. He grinned at her and nodded.
"They are. I am afraid that we have been a little too obvious in our dealings with them; although, I highly doubt that they know the reason we are here. Who would believe it?" He laughed bitterly. She giggled.
"When and if they find out…can you imagine their faces! I can see it now, 'Hi! We are your future forms, and not your siblings, as you thought…!'" She laughed. Eriol chuckled.
'Eriol, Tomoyo! Syaoran, Tryon, Landon, and Marcy have agreed to look in the library to try to get some information on this place. We have been elected to make a diversion until they are done.' Sakura called, as she and the others in their party ran past the door. Tomoyo and Eriol looked at each other and grinned.
"Fine…I am coming to get you, Nora!" Eriol shouted, bolting out of the room. Tomoyo laughed and quickly followed.
~*~*~*~
"How on earth did they find their rooms?" Xiao-lang asked.
"I do not know. Perhaps they got a servant to help them." Ellis answered. Lucas and Victor simply looked at each-other in doubt.
"That must be it. I…" Micha began.
"Sora? Sora! Where are you?" Aya wailed, stumbling into the room. Sora's hair ribbon was still clenched in her fist.
"What is wrong?" Xiao-lang asked in alarm.
"I can't find her anywhere! And everyone is sure that they didn't see her enter the castle…oh, you don't suppose the wolves…"
"EEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! Catch me Eriol!" Shrieked a young voice. All at once, Sora came pealing into the room, with Derrick close on her heals. They were followed by Nira, Trista, and Lillian.
"Trist, tosh' me up!" Lilly cried. Trista did as she was told, and tossed the little girl into the air.
"Weeeeeeeee!" Lilly squealed.
'Doing this makes me feel foolish!' Came a soft voice.
"Who said that?!" Micha asked, looking around to see who had spoken.
'Don't complain. It could be worse.' Came another voice.
"Derrick, who are you talking to?" Ellis asked. Derrick/Eriol turned to look at him in astonishment.
'Please don't say that! Anything but that!' Came a third voice.
"Ugh! Trista, what are you saying?!" Xiao-lang yelled in frustration; The game of tag stopped.
"I didn't say anything." She answered. Xiao-lang frowned.
"I distinctly heard you say, 'Please don't say that…!'" He insisted. For some reason, Trista/Tomoyo turned pale and looked at Derrick. They stared at each other for a moment, and then turned to look at the older persons.
"You were simply hearing things." She sniffed, exiting the room, the others following closely behind.
'More like they were *thinking* things!' Giggled the same soft, sweet voice that had spoken first. Suddenly, Micha got a strange feeling and decided to follow them, not knowing what to expect.
~*~*~*~
Tomoyo rushed into the library, where Tryon, Landon, Syaoran, and Marcy were reading books vigorously.
"Hey! I thought that you were supposed to be causing a diversion." Tryon commented, his eyes never leaving his book.
"We did. A bigger one that we should have! They heard our thought/speaking!" Eriol explained, collapsing onto a chair.
"WHAT?!?!" Tryon shouted, dropping his book and bolting out of his chair.
"How are we supposed to communicate now?" Landon questioned, standing up from the table he had been seated at.
'Yah! I don't want to have to rely on my puny vocabulary to communicate with you!' Syaoran hissed/thought.
'I could cast a semi-permanent spell on them that would block our voices…" Eriol commented thoughtfully. Sakura sighed.
'No. We should avoid doing magic at all costs…HOE?! What is that?' Sakura asked, her head turning in the direction of the double-doors. Eriol and Syaoran noticed that something was wrong, and Eriol quickly called up his staff. He said a quick charm, and the doors were blown open, revealing…
"Micha?!" Landon exclaimed. Eriol groaned and waved his staff a bit. Micha was dragged into the room, and the doors were slammed shut. Micha looked wildly about and turned pale when he realized what had just happened.
"Who…who are you?" He faltered, his eyes searching wildly for an exit; but there was none. Sakura sighed, and looked at their prisoner.
'So much for my idea about *not* using our magic!' She commented, climbing into a big chair and clasping her hands in her lap, staring probeingly at him. He shook with fright.
"Who said that?" He asked. Everyone in the room pointed to the little girl in the chair, and she gave him a cheerful wave.
'Don't worry. We are not going to hurt you. Marcy knows, and she is just fine.' Sakura pointed a tiny finger at the black-haired girl standing in the shadows. Micha choked down a yell and closed his eyes.
"This cannot be happening! It cannot be!" He mumbled. Tomoyo sighed.
"But it is. And you are about to find out why." She warned. He opened his eyes and stared at her.
"You see, Micha, the 'talking' that you and your friends heard a few moments ago was actually Sakura, Tomoyo, and me communicating through something that we call 'mind-talking'. We are able to communicate through our minds, and it was quite private until you started hearing it. Now we are in danger of being found out, and you must take the oath of silence." Eriol said.
"Why should I?" Micha hissed, his fear gone. Sakura got off her chair and walked over to him.
'Because if you don't, we all are in danger…brother!' She whispered, putting her hand on his shoulder. He edged away from her.
"Why do you call me 'brother'? I am not your brother." He emphasized the 'your'.
'Actually, you are…in a way. You see, you are my brother in the future, just like I am your sister now.' Sakura explained. Now Micha looked confused.
"What?"
"What she means is…we are not from this time. We are from the future." Tomoyo explained.
"WHAT?!?! That is crazy!"
'Not really, considering that I am both here, and…here at the same time.' Sakura commented, delighted to make him even more confused. (a/n: She is making me confused too!)
"What she means is that…well, in the future, her real form is named Sakura Kinomoto. Here, though, her past form is Princess Ying-fa. You see, she is two people at once. Ying-fa is her past form." Landon explained.
"Wait! Ying-fa? As in, my sister Ying-fa? Then does that mean that I am older than her in the future?!" Micha asked excitedly. Sakura frowned.
'Only by seven years. And that also means that you…in this time…are dead!' Sakura retorted. This made Micha sober a little.
"But that would mean that in the future, I am…eleven years old, just like you." He commented, looking at Eriol. Syaoran grinned slyly.
'Not exactly.' He chuckled, refusing to reveal his real age. In fact, that was the one thing that the group had decided to conceal from their older forms; their real ages. Even Marcy was not to know about those until the last possible moment. Why? Well, they figured that the enemy that they were going to face, was going to be looking for them in their normal forms. Therefore, they had to keep them a complete secret.
"And…Marcy, you knew about this?" Micha asked, looking sad. She nodded, and then hugged him.
"I knew about it the first day that they came. Tomoyo told me." She answered. "I am sorry that I didn't tell you, but I too, have been sworn to secrecy."
"And…you can all talk through your minds? To anyone?" He asked the younger forms. They all smiled.
'Yes!' They chimed, making him wince and cover his ears. Then Sakura burst into giggles.
'And you would never guess that two of us are ghosts! Or at least, they used to be!' She laughed. Now Marcy and Micha turned pale.
"What? Ghosts?!" They chimed. Tryon and Landon grinned at each other.
"That would be us! Long story, don't ask. Our past forms are Lucas and Victor." Tryon announced.
"Urm…which one is which?" Micha asked. Tryon and Landon sweat-dropped.
"I am Victor, and he is Lucas." Landon explained. Just then, there came a knock on the door.
"Micha? Are you in there?"
Micha sent a panicked look to Marcy and she grimaced.
"We all are! We…were playing a game!" She called.
"Oh…well, supper is soon! Wash up!" Ying-fa called. Everyone worked hard to stifle their grins, and they quickly did as they were told.
~*~*~*~