Well, Hello and welcome to my little world of Weirdness . . . and in this fic, indescribable cute, fluffy-ness!!

Who Loves Short-Shorts? We Love Short Sort! Who Owns CCS? CLAMP owns CCS!!

Ahem. . . I also have to admit, I'm drawing from some of my own life experiences . . . and yes, I really did step on a rose thorn one time and scream at my mother, "Mummy! If you loved me you wouldn't do this to me!! Leave the thorn in!!" [Folds arms] Hey, gimme credit, my mother pulled 'em out with needles. . . and I was only five!!

And amazingly, this is semi-ExS. . . that's as in Sakura there. . . yup, this is my first tentative steps into the great unknown. . .

~TimeShift~

Dream

//thinking//

"speaking"

*stress/emphasis*

The Something Under The Bed.

By Dr Megalomania . . . You can't prove anything by that!!

[end of the last chapter wasn't very fluffy or cute, was it? {grins} deep breathe everyone, let us un-angst once again okay? Brilliant!! Back to the Fluff!! {twenty minutes later} okay, I lied . . . some scary evil mean things go down, but it's only the aftermath. Should be noted that I dislike car crashes, car crashes are becoming mundane – so here's a new way of killing off ::coughPlotholescough::]

Once Upon A Time . . .

Once . . .

"Eriol . . . is Clow Reed-sama?"

"Yes . . ."

"Are you sure?"

"Very . . ."

"Reeeee—"

"Yes!" Eriol sniggered as he interrupted Keroberos, he smiled broadly as he looked from his guardians to Sakura. It was so nice to have the four all back in one place again. He could feel Clow's attention drift to Yue, and how close Sakura's overprotective brother had drifted closer to the angel. He sighed imperceptibly, and glanced at Keroberos. "You're like a sieve, you!"

Keroberos' eyes widened, and he glanced at Yue, who folded his arms and shook his head silently. Keroberos moved forward again, "Prove to us that you are Clow . . ."

Eriol smiled, he'd expected this. He dug into his pockets, "For Keroberos . . ." He threw a small bag forward, "A bag of jellybeans . . . your favourite, extra large bag . . ."

"You could have gotten this information from Ruby Moon . . ." Yue scowled at him, "None of this proves anything . . ."

Eriol nodded, "Indeed . . ." he sighed, "I know you are deeply private, Yue but, since you insist on such detail . . ." He dug into his pockets again, and allowed Clow to cloud his voice, "Yue? You awake still?" Sakura blinked, and looked at Yue as a frown came over the angel. He turned away, as Eriol pulled something from his pockets, and continued, "Can you put the candle on? I can't even see you . . ." Touya frowned as Yue's eyes slid shut, and he mouthed a reply, Eriol smiled, "I just wanted to see if you were awake . . ."

Yue mouthed another reply, a rare, rare tear sliding from his angel eye.

"I . . ." Eriol's expression became slightly distressed, a tender look, much older than his ten year old face, "I had a nightmare . . ."

"What kind of nightmare?" Yue whispered, raising his hand and resting it on Touya's shoulder.

"The kind that makes you want to check on your moon angel."

Yue rested his head on his hand, leaning against Touya for support, "Go back to sleep . . ."

". . . I don't want to . . ." Eriol murmured, as Yue turned to him and knelt, he smiled weakly as the angel looked at him.

"What do you want?"

Eriol knelt as well, and whispered, "I want . . ." Clow's vice filtered through, as Eriol lost his concentration, "My angel . . ."

Yue blinked and whispered, "Clow . . . I . . ." he frowned and actually smiled slightly, ". . . want my jellybeans . . ." he held up his hand, and Eriol chuckled his voice slightly tearful, as he poured half a bag of strawberry jellybeans into the angel's hand. He looked up, and found Yue nodding slowly. "You are Clow reborn . . ."

Syaoran growled, "But why---?!"

Eriol held up his hand, "Time enough for this later . . ." he looked at Keroberos, "Keroberos—"

The lion snorted, "I go by Kero-chan now, Clow!" He glanced at a rather shell-shocked Sakura, "That's what she calls me!"

"Kero-chan . . . ?" Eriol looked at Sakura, "But you called him Keroberos in the first place . . ."

"Hoe?"

Eriol chuckled, "Sorry, in a moment, it shall all be clear . . ." he crouched by Keroberos, "Kero-chan . . . do you remember how I told you how you came to be created?"

He shrugged, "A waved hand and a bit of magic?"

Eriol's face blanked, "You don't remember?"

"We hardly remember anything Clow, or at least I don't but that's because---"

"He's like a sieve!" Chimed the three other guardians, they laughed quietly as Sakura and her friends looked on quizzically. Kero shook his head and mumbled darkly into his bag of jellybeans. Ruby grinned, she knelt by Sakura, as she explained. "Clow created us because he had special dreams, a girl would appear every night that one of us was created . . . she would tell Clow how to make one of us, and then he would do it in his sleep. She would always play it as if it was a game . . ." She grinned broadly, "He always said the girl was very pretty and had beautiful costumes!" She pulled at Sakura's uniform and winked, "Just like you!"

"Me?" She glanced at Eriol, "What is happening?"

Keroberos sat beside her, "You're got to use the Dream and the . . . the . . ." his eyes crossed slightly, "I forget, but you've got to use two cards, and go back and tell Clow that he's got to make Yue . . ."

"Iie." Yue murmured, he shook his head, "I . . ." he shook his head more, "I don't want to be first . . ."

"Nani? But that would change everything wouldn't it?"

Eriol smiled knowingly, "It doesn't matter what sequence you do it in . . ." he looked at Sakura, his eyes more knowing than ought to be in a ten year old. He nodded once, "All I ask is that four times in your life, the day the guardians ask, you use the Dream and the Return card, and tell my past life to create the guard . . ."

Keroberos grinned, "Me first then!!" He jumped up on to Sakura's shoulders, easily transforming into his false form. "Please?"

Sakura glanced at her friends, Eriol and Keroberos, "Now?" She murmured and pulled out the cards, "What if I--?"

"You won't." Eriol smiled and stepped forward, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to the swings, "You were always swinging . . . please treat it like a game . . ." he turned and walked off, "Chotto matte!" He chuckled, and spun back to her, "I forgot . . ." he pulled up her hand, "Tell him to hold out his hand like this . . . then to repeat after you and say, Keroberos, guardian of the sun . . . come forth . . . thy master calls thee . . . Release . . ." he smiled, "Got it?"

Sakura looked a little nervous, but nodded slowly as Kero flew away from her, "Will he look like he normally does?"

"Iie!" Keroberos sang back as he transformed into his large form, "Clow was eight when he made me!!"

Twice . . .

"Sakura?"

She looked up as she pulled off her hat, Yukito smiled sweetly as he knelt down. "Yue wishes to ask you something . . ."

As soon as they were away from the rest of the group, Yukito frowned slightly, "He says that he is a little nervous about asking you so quickly after such a battle but . . ." A funny look came over his face. The boy was conversing with the angel. Sakura sighed and sat on the ground. This happened once or twice every three months, Yue wanted to ask her something, but would change his mind, Yukito would try to convince the angel to ask but he would shake his head and refuse to come out.

"It was a good fight . . ." she looked behind herself, and found Eriol standing behind her. He inclined his head slightly, "I'm sorry I missed it . . ." he blinked and looked at her costume, "Where's the hat?"

Sakura held it up, the pink uniform had been perfect against the Void card. Sakura pulled out her latest card, The Hope, "Look . . ." she handed the card to Eriol, "What do you think?"

He smiled as he took the card, "It's very like you Sakura . . ." he fell silent, and stared at her, "The costume . . . suits you," he murmured, he glanced at Yue, "He's ready to ask you now . . ."

Sakura blinked, "What do you mean?" But she didn't get much further, because Yue transformed in suddenly. He glanced at Eriol, nodding once in greeting before turning his gaze upon her.

"I wish you to visit Clow Reed . . ." he blushed slightly, and lowered his head, "And tell him to create me . . ." the angel swallowed, "if I remember correctly, Clow was five years old when he created me . . . he told me once that the girl in his dreams asked him if he liked angels, and that she would tell him how to make one . . ."

"Sakura!" Syaoran called ask he walked around the corner, "Eriol?" He blinked, "What's going on?" Sakura ran forward and wrapped her arms around Syaoran's neck, telling him quickly about Yue's request. As the sweet little girl continued to babble, Eriol smiled at the attentive look on both his angel's and his cute little descendant's faces . . . and inwardly frowned as he felt a tiny pang of something as Syaoran shyly kissed Sakura on the cheek.

Three times . . .

"You look beautiful . . ." Eriol leant on the door, and stared in. The two women looked up, Sakura blushed as she stood on the stool, Tomoyo waved him off as she bent again to tend to Sakura's wedding dressed. Eriol swung himself off the frame and walked in, he was in half of his full robes, the rest he'd put on for the ceremony. "What? It's not bad luck if I see her dress . . . only if Syaoran sees it . . ."

Sakura giggled, but Tomoyo caught the darker tone. She looked up and frowned reproachfully at him, Eriol shrugged and smiled apologetically. He and Tomoyo had entered into a form of courtship, one where they wouldn't be alone in the middle of the night, and could both feel things for different people. He chuckled slightly as he corrected that, both feel things for the same person. Kinomoto Sakura was loved by three people, Tomoyo had loved her for the longest in this life, Syaoran the shortest, and Eriol . . . Eriol smiled as Sakura put her gloved hands in his . . . Eriol had come to adore Sakura, but accepted as long as Syaoran lived--- he closed his eyes and shut out the thought, telling himself once again.

He only knew that Sakura would get married, and then she would loose two of her dearest friends . . . for all he knew, Keroberos and Yue could be the dearest friends, Syaoran mightn't be either . . .

Spinel looked down from the rafters as Sakura and Syaoran kissed, "They look so happy . . ."

"Hmmmm . . ." Keroberos hummed, he blew his nose, "She's so pretty!!"

Spinel glanced at the older lion, he was getting a little grey around the mane. The panther chuckled, he could hardly talk, he had taken to wearing his reading spectacles all the time now. He smiled and made up his mind, he would ask her today . . .

". . . if you don't mind . . ." Spinel glanced at Syaoran, "But it just seems to be a good time to ask . . ."

Sakura grinned as she knelt down, careful of her huge white dress, "Of course not!!"

Kero grinned, "Excellent timing, Suppi . . ." he closed one eye, and tilted his head, "What time will he be created?"

Yue touched his head unconsciously as Eriol chuckled slightly, "Grand . . ." he sighed deeply, as Keroberos grinned and chimed with him, "Mamma . . ." the blue haired reincarnation glanced at Sakura, "I would like to accompany you please . . . I just want to see myself . . ."

Sakura beamed, "You go first . . ." she grasped Syaoran's hand, "I'll be along soon . . ."

Eriol smiled and nodded, he glanced at Tomoyo. The purple haired girl smiled at him, as he leant forward and kissed her cheek, "Happily ever after . . ." he murmured, a little joke between them.

. . . four.

She was only forty. He was only forty-one.

And the baby had never even had a chance. Sakura put her hands over her eyes and sank into open arms, she began to sob as her brother tried to comfort his baby sister as the doctor sighed and looked down at the report again. "If it's any comfort . . ." he sighed again, "Your friend died almost instantly, she didn't feel anything . . ."

Seventeen hundred yen . . .

". . . She probably never even heard the shot."

It was all Tomoyo had had in her purse. It was all she got killed for. The doctor shuffled his feet, and looked at the next chart, he looked at the brother once again. The tall man looked tired, and about sixty even though he was probably not even past fifty yet. "And as for your husband . . ."

He never carried proper money, didn't like to, just in case . . .

"I'm afraid it wasn't so easy . . ."

. . . something like this happened.

"His physical condition, as brilliant and strong as it was –" The wife sobbed again, the doctor waited, "Let him down just before we could get to him . . ."

Sakura motioned her bruised stomach, unable to comprehend that after so long of trying . . .

"I'm so sorry . . ."

. . . a mere child, desperate, killed her best friend, her husband, and such a tiny life . . .

"We'll seek him out then!"

Sakura looked at her old sun guardian, as he growled darkly. Keroberos was an old, old man now. Eriol said it might have something to do with the fact Clow Reed's soul was slipping away after so long . . . their life span wasn't as immortal as they thought . . . Yue sighed as he peered at Keroberos over his handsome silver rimmed spectacles, "Certainly Keroberos. . . four aging guardians . . . a fearsome sight indeed . . ."

"We've got magic in us yet!" The lion growled at him, "Besides, this would be revenge . . . he took Sakura's child!"

A sad look passed over Yue's face, "I know . . ."

"Then, then." The lion nodded, he lowered his head to the floor again, "Then."

Sakura smiled half-heartedly, she touched her stomach again absently. She had been so close . . . she closed her eyes, "Ruby . . ."

The butterfly girl got to her feet, her Rose coloured hair, with her proud grey swirls fell over her shoulder, "Some more tea?"

"Iie . . ." Sakura chuckled gently, since the murders, Eriol had invited Sakura, Touya and her guardians to live with him. They had accepted gratefully. "I was wondering, would you mind if I went to Clow and told him to create you now?"

Ruby blinked, "I'd forgotten . . ." she shook her head, "I couldn't ask you to, not now . . ."

"You're not asking," Sakura got to her feet and walked to the door, "I'm asking . . ."

Ruby sighed, "Only if you are sure . . ."

She nodded, I'm sure . . .

"Good bye Clow . . ."

The small boy, twelve at the most, looked at her, and touched her hand. "I want to make it alright for you . . ."

Eriol sighed, "You will one day . . ." he smiled slightly, "Remind Yue there will always be other pancakes . . ." Sakura swung on her swing and shrugged as Clow turned his questioning gaze on her.

"I don't understand either . . ." she smiled slightly, "Good bye Clow . . ."

"Bye . . ." the boy faded with a whisper. Sakura looked at Eriol as he continued to push her on the swing. They were silent, just letting the nightfall.

"I'm sorry Sakura . . ." Eriol murmured, "about Syaoran . . ."

"Iie . . ." she said back, her voice as quite as it had been with Clow, "Like I told him, there was nothing to be done . . ."

"I wish there was something I could do."

Sakura stood, and looked at him, "Me too . . . I've lost my husband. . ." she trailed off and put her hand over her mouth, looking shocked. "I'm sorry . . ."

Eriol looked at her, "What do you mean?"

"Tomoyo-chan. She wasn't just my best friend . . ." Sakura reached out, touching his shoulder, "She was your wife . . ."

He chuckled slightly, "I did adore her, but I can accept her death . . ."

"How?"

"We were dear friends Sakura, we weren't in as much love as you and Syaoran were . . ." he smiled, "We married because neither of us were prepared to be alone . . ." Sakura sank back into the seat, as he started to push her again, "Besides, it just meant we could both be in love with who we loved, and still be with each other . . ." he patted her shoulders, "We were dear, dear friends . . . and I'll miss her terribly for that . . ."

Sakura turned her head, "Who was it? This person you both loved?"

"I'll tell you . . ." Eriol smiled quietly and pushed her more, "Another day . . ."

A century past as Sakura and Eriol combined their magic to create a large mansion in the old town of Tomoeda, out of time with the rest of Japan. They lived there with the guardians, and Sakura's brother. Touya died peacefully in his sleep, causing much heartache to the angel. The tall brother and the angel had always been very close, and had fallen in love over the years.

The angel never recovered from his heartache and died, quite fittingly, reading a book under the cherry tree despite the cold of winter. Sakura found him, snow covering his book, burst into tears and didn't stop crying until Eriol pulled her back to the house, leaving the angel's family to tend to him.

Keroberos died, some two years after Yue. He died of a heart attack one summer, and died instantly. He didn't live to see Sakura marry a second time. Eriol and Sakura married themselves, with Ruby as the bride maid, and Spinel as the best man. It was a quiet ceremony.

Ruby Moon grew very confused, and unable to care for herself anymore. Sakura played with her every day until she died. Having her hair plaited, her head resting on Sakura's knee, she was singing about the autumn and it's beautiful gold leaves and just fell asleep.

Spinel Sun buried two brothers, and a sister. He lived long enough to see Sakura have a child, and to see the day when Eriol completely lost Clow Reed's soul within him. That was the day Spinel Sun died. The little girl was named after Clow's favourite aunt. Antoinette Tomoyo was an adorable little girl, with long purple hair, and sparkling emerald green eyes. When it came to life, she took after her mother, to magic, she took after her father, maybe even more powerful than Eriol and her mother combined. She adored Spinel Sun, and always helped him even as he got older and frailer. The two-year-old loved him even when she could no longer do anything more with him, than watch him sleep on a rug by the fire. She was heartbroken when the old panther left them and, as her mother gently explained, went to a place even the Fly card couldn't take her and where his favourite time, spring, was always, always there.

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

And Now It's Time To Leave It To Doctor Megalomania!!!

DrM: [grins] you'll be happy to know that's the last of the angst, and because this is a fluffy fic, it will end on a happy note!! It will!! I promise. . .  [glances over shoulder] uh, Clow. . . put the axe down . . . you are not an axe murder . . .

Clow: [blinks and drop axe] how right you are . . . [picks up staff] I KILL YOU!!! I KILL YOU NOW!!!

DrM: [runs away screaming]

Yue: [chuckling] serves her right!! Please R&R, and see you next week for the final chapter!! [sighs with relief] finally!!