Konnichiwa Minna! That last chapter was a bit heavy, and I apologize for that. It's kind of hard to believe that that was my first lemon, isn't it? Anywho, there's so much empty filling without any real plot development, so I think that I'll span a few weeks in this chapter. Enjoy!
Chapter Six
D'ni, Day Four (I think)
Master Bedroom
Sakura and Rob had been sleeping together soundly since the night before. They had really worn each other out with the beach and each other. They had had a marvelous time in Ahnosehv (roughly translated, the Age of Water) the day before. The wind, the waves, the nudity, all was enjoyed. The latter was mostly a gag and a way of having fun, and they all had quite a bit of fun that night.
Rob stirred a little and looked at his Cherry Blossom. She was so beautiful in the "morning" light. The dull orange glow flowed over her features. Many would think her looks horrible in such light, but Rob couldn't have loved her more. She smiled in whatever dream she was having (second dream of the night) and his heart instantly melted and skipped a beat from gazing upon such beauty. She definitely deserved to be called a goddess.
"What are you looking at?" she asked in mock anger.
"The most beautiful creature to ever exist in the cosmos," he answered softly.
Her eyes widened slightly and she blinked a few times in confusion. Her confusion soon faded and she snuggled closer to Rob.
"I love you, too," she told her boyfriend.
"Sakura, we'll have to get up soon."
"Do we have to?"
"Yep, the Stewards have the day off today and I wanted to make breakfast."
"Then you go and I'll sleep some more."
Rob laughed and got up, dragging Sakura out of bed. They both got dressed quickly and began to head down the grand stairway.
Along the way, they passed Eriol and Tomoyo's room.
"You want to go and check on our friends?" Rob asked, pointing to Eriol's door.
"Sure!" Sakura chirped as she opened the door and both walked in.
They went in to find an odd sight. They found a black, human sized cat chained to the headboard of the bed. It immediately jumped up and sauntered over like a cat. Tomoyo inwardly cursed herself for making this costume so well.
It actually had micro circuitry and micro servomotors that governed her movement. It made sure that she could only move on all fours and made her movements cat-like in all respects. The only upside to those motors, for her anyway, was that it increased her speed, strength, and agility. A small probe in her throat constricted her vocal chords so that she could only meow, purr, and hiss. Cat's-eye contacts gave her violet, slanted eyes. She also had a silky coat of black fur and a tail with motors in it, connected just above her arse in a complex way, so she had some control over its movement. For kicks, she even put in pressure sensors so that the tail would hurt if stepped on or gives her feelings of pleasure if it was stroked. The completing thing about it was that it was skintight and she wore nothing under it, making her look even sexier. In short, it was designed to drive Eriol wild. (That was for the people who skipped the last chapter, as per my warnings.)
"Hey Tomoyo!" Rob called.
"Hi! Have fun last night?" Sakura chirpily asked.
"Meow!"
"Why?" Rob asked.
"Meow meow!"
"You put yourself in that outfit and swallowed that probe, we're not going to get you out," Sakura told her friend sympathetically.
"Reoooow?"
"Sorry, we can't do it. Where's Eriol, by the way?" Sakura asked.
"Meow, reow mew!"
"Ah, thanks Neko-Tomoyo," Rob said. He walked over to her and placed a hand on her head and gave her a single long, gentle stroke down the length of her body and tail.
Tomoyo purred softly and the ears on her head twitched. Sakura giggled at her reaction.
"Sakura, you can play with the kitty while I speak with Eriol, if you like," Rob said.
"Yay!" she cried and she knelt down next to Neko-Tomoyo.
Rob chuckled and went in to speak with Eriol, who was calmly reading a book.
"Hey Eriol!"
"Hello Rob. Sleep well?"
"Better than Tomoyo must have slept."
"Actually, I got the chain there while she was sleeping."
"How long to you plan to keep her that way?" Rob asked, chuckling.
"I'll leave that way for a few days. I'm growing quite fond of her meowing," she said, flashing his evil smile at Rob.
"I'll have to prepare a special dish for her breakfast."
"Yes, but something tells me that you didn't come to talk about today's menu."
"You sensed it, too?
"Yes, a definite evil presence, but it seems very weak."
"It is, but this is 800 years in the past. It's sure to be extremely strong in our time."
"Perhaps this creature is already on the rampage?"
"No, Setsuna would have notified me if anything was happening in our time," Rob reassured Eriol.
"Good to hear. Does Sakura know?"
"Yes, she is as unconcerned as I."
"Speaking of the cherry blossom, where is she?"
"Playing with your cat."
"HA!" Eriol guffawed, "That sounds like Sakura."
"Indeed."
Meanwhile, Sakura was playing with Tomoyo by the bed. Sakura was having a bit of fun and decided to stop using her magic to understand Tomoyo. She was reading her mind to see what the cat was actually trying to say. Now Tomoyo was, for all intensive purposes, simply a big cat. For extra measure, Sakura got Tomoyo's special earplugs and put them into her friend's ears. These plugs had two effects. First, they blocked sound from outside and instead, gave her sound transmitted from her cat ears. Second, they deformed certain types of wavelengths so that Tomoyo could determine sounds from objects, but couldn't understand speech at all.
"So, kitty, did you have fun last night?" Sakura asked.
"Meow?"
"You did, didn't you? Teehee!"
"Meow"
"Good kitty!" Sakura chirped as she began to stroke and pet her friend.
Tomoyo realized that she wouldn't be able to get anywhere this way and decided to just go with it. She sighed, though it sounded like a soft mew, and rolled onto her side. Sakura saw her friend's exposed belly and chuckled as she scratched it. Tomoyo purred softly and her tail twitched from side to side.
"Good kitty-cat!"
"Sakura, we'd best head down to make breakfast," Rob stated as he walked in.
"Ok, bye Kitty!" Sakura called to Tomoyo as she gave the cat a quick pat on the back.
"Yeah, see you around Neko-chan!" Rob said. He walked up to her and scratched her under the chin. Tomoyo looked as if she'd melted on the spot and went to heaven.
Rob and Sakura started to walk out and headed for the kitchen.
Half an hour later, the group was in the dining hall, eating ravenously. Six chairs were filled because Tomoyo was kneeling on the ground, eating out of a bowl. At first, she tried to use her paws to eat, but a few short zaps of energy from Eriol dissuaded her from trying it again. Tomoyo had placed herself in this situation and Eriol was going to milk it for all it was worth.
Once they had finished, Eriol took Tomoyo outside and chained her to an appropriately shaped rock and went back inside, Taking no heed of the mewling from Tomoyo behind him.
Narrative
Well, the rest of the week passed swiftly. They received no word from Setsuna, so Sakura and Rob were unconcerned with the evil presence that they felt. They had to let it be for the moment, for it could have been instrumental in the history of the planet.
Day 10
Eriol kept Tomoyo in her costume and collar and treated her a lot like a cat for the next few days. He was a very loving master, however. He never hurt her and was very gentle to her. They had even worked out a means of communication, though Eriol was doing most of the communicating.
Finally, it came time to let Tomoyo out of her confinement. Eriol called her and gestured for her to jump into his lap, which she did. As soon as she did, she curled up in his lap. He stroked her lovingly for a few minutes before handing her something. She looked at a chain with a key on it and a vial of a greenish substance. It was the key to her collar and the chemical needed to dislodge the probe.
Tomoyo meowed lovingly and kissed him before leaping from his lap and scampering into the bathroom. After a few minutes, Tomoyo exited walking upright, but with the suit still on. She slowly peeled off the suit with a little difficulty. It was made to be form fitting, but the extended wearing had made it even more "attached" to her. Eriol had to help her when she couldn't get it past her hips. Finally, the footpads were removed and the tail socket was disassembled.
Tomoyo was now 100% human, but wasn't in the best of shape. Her hair was a mess from being tied up under the hood/mask and she obviously hadn't had a bath the entire time. The sweat and grime from the warm suit made her a mess.
"You look lovely," Eriol commented.
"Yeah right! Come on and take a bath with me," Tomoyo told him.
"Yes, ma'am!" Eriol saluted and followed her into the bath.
Eriol gave her a thorough and luxurious washing, paying special attention to certain parts of her anatomy. Tomoyo felt wonderful after this and they decided to head down for dinner.
Dinner Hall
The seven sat down to dinner and the gang complimented Tomoyo on her oddly human appearance. They ate and Tomoyo talked a lot. At one point Syaoran told Eriol that he should have left that throat implant thingy in. Needless to say, Syaoran got an extremely icy glare.
Day 20
Rob and Sakura were walking around K'veer one night, admiring the lake and the cave in general for the millionth time since they'd gotten there. They were chatting, but the conversation was fairly slow. They walked holding hands, mostly just enjoying each other's company. Suddenly, something caught their attention.
Both of them fell completely silent as they gazed at something intangible to the west. They both stared for a moment and were about to dismiss it when it came again. It was a surge of evil energy that seemed to darken the entire cave. As a natural defense mechanism, they both ascended to their angelic forms. In this state, they could see a dark aura nearly blacking out the aura of the lake. (The bacteria in the lake are alive, all living things have auras, so therefore the lake has an aura.) Sakura and Rob looked in the direction of the source of the aura with their pink and red eyes, respectively.
They both entered the main living space where their friends were, still in their angelic forms. Seeing the two like this, they all jumped up in a mix of fright and concern. They wouldn't simply barge in while in such an excited state just for the heck of it.
"What's wrong?" Syaoran asked, not being sensitive enough to know what happened.
"There's an evil aura protruding through the west wall," Sakura explained.
"Why did we not sense it?" Ahnsah asked.
"Come outside," Rob ordered as he turned to leave. Everyone followed him without question.
Outside, the mortals and former goddess formed a line facing the west wall. Rob and Sakura took up positions behind them and placed hands on four of the five's necks. They concentrated and the mortals were all gifted with Rob and Sakura's godly sight. They all instantly saw it and became quite frightened. They were scared by the aura, as well as the fact that Syaoran and Eriol couldn't sense something so strong. Ahnsah ascended and soon saw exactly the same thing, kicking herself for not seeing it earlier.
"What are we going to do?" Meiling asked.
"Nothing for the time being. We will simply be alert," Rob said.
"What if something is happening?" Eriol asked.
"Setsuna will tell us if anything is going on in our time," Sakura stated simply.
"I hope so," Tomoyo said quietly. She had an incredibly bad feeling, and all shared it.
"Who votes that we go back inside and eat some ice cream?" Eriol asked.
"I do!" Syaoran said immediately.
Everyone else soon expressed their concurrence and decided to go inside to eat some ice cream. (Hey, if I sensed an evil aura, ice cream would definitely cheer me up!)
Day 25
It had been another five days since the aura had been recognized. Everyone was slightly uneasy about the whole thing. Everyone was a bit subdued and seemed almost tired most of the time. Finally, some news came.
Main Living Space
The firemarbles in the room suddenly dimmed greatly and an eerie fog began to appear. The room seemed to vibrate a low, creepy tone. Everyone was alarmed and took battle stances to prepare for what was to come. Syaoran and Eriol released their sword and staff, respectively. Suddenly, a hole made of shadows appeared and a robed being floated down from the portal. The portal closed and the hum stopped, but the fog and dimness remained. Rob got ready and sped toward this robed figure. He sped at it and soon glomped it. Wait a minute! He glomped it?
"Ack!" The robed figured squeaked in surprise.
"Setsuna!" Rob called and hugged her again.
"Uh, Rob, I love ya, but you can get off now," Setsuna said.
"Yeah, you can get off of her now!" Sakura called, walking up to them.
"Alright," Rob said and climbed off of her then offered her help in standing.
"So, what are you doing here Setsuna-sama?" Syaoran asked.
"Oh, besides being glomped, I came to tell you what is happening in your time," she explained.
"Thanks, but won't Serenity be angry at you for leaving the gates?" Rob asked.
"Diana's watching it for me," Setsuna said.
"That is one capable kitty," Rob remarked.
"Yeah, and she works for kitty chow!"
"HOLD IT!" Eriol called, "Are you telling us that you left the Gates of Time, possibly the most powerful portal in the universe, are being guarded not by a warrior, not a soldier, but a CAT!"
"No, I think she said that a kitten was guarding it," Tomoyo said helpfully. Syaoran, Meiling, and Ahnsah fell over and Eriol sweatdropped.
"Anyway, what were you going to tell us?" Meiling asked as she got off the ground, rubbing her bruised back end.
"Ah, yes, I sense evil building in your time," Setsuna said, "I expect it to make an appearance in two or three days from now, or then, or... you know what I mean."
"Ah, well, we leave tomorrow after noon then," Rob announced.
"I'll come with you!" Ahnsah offered.
Sakura spoke to her, "I'm sorry Ahnsah. I mean no disrespect, but you would only get in the way. We are both far more powerful than you could ever imagine. You were only fighting me at 1% strength that day when Rob announced our wedding plans."
"Huh?" Ahnsah said, as she grew wide-eyed. She knew that Sakura was stronger than her, but not that much stronger!
"It's true, Sakura and I are unfathomably more powerful than you," Rob confirmed.
"I believe that you'll be needed here soon, anyway," Tomoyo said.
"Alright, I'll stay," Ahnsah finally agreed.
"I'll be off and wait for you at the gates!" Setsuna said as her portal reappeared.
"Just have the gates open and we'll be there!" Meiling called as Setsuna disappeared.
"Looks like we must get ready to vacate," Eriol said calmly and led Tomoyo upstairs to pack.
"I hope they'll finish packing in time," Sakura said to herself as she and Rob went up to their room to pack as well.
Day 26, Afternoon
It had been a full day and Tomoyo had finally finished packing. All of their luggage was in the entrance hall, ready for transport. (I'm going to explain how it gets back, so just assume that it got there in the same manner.)
"So, are we ready?" Rob asked.
"Yeah, but how exactly do you transport our luggage to and fro?" Eriol asked.
"You majored in astrophysics, right?" Sakura asked him.
"Yeah," Eriol answered.
"Well," Rob began, "I basically concentrate the mass of the material then through a layer of exotic material around it. (Exotic material, noun: in quantum mechanics, material with negative mass that is required to stabilize a wormhole or in this case, a bubble universe.) I then use that mass to punch a hole in space to create a small bubble universe independent of this one. (Bubble universe, noun: a universe created when a quantum body of a suitable mass creates a singularity and the quantum tunnel collapses, forming a bubble in space-time.) Once it's there, I can access it and pull it out at any time that I choose from anywhere and any time."
"Ah, that makes sense. I thought that was all theory," Eriol stated.
"You thought wrong, my friend."
"Anyway!" Chirped a completely lost Tomoyo, "Shall we get on the road?"
"Ah, yes," Rob said as he and Sakura stood in the middle of their friends. He formed a bubble around them and Sakura made sure that life support was maintained. They lifted a foot off the ground before simply disappearing.
The Gates of Time
"What happened to all of the scary space travel?" Tomoyo asked.
"That was just to impress you," Rob stated simply.
"Really?" Meiling asked.
"Yes. In fact, this is a bit of showing off, too. Together, we have the power to get us all home without the gate," Sakura said.
"You do, but Rob promised not to do that unless it was an emergency," Setsuna said, stepping from the shadows.
"But I made no such promise," Sakura stated.
"You're not powerful enough to do it on your own," Setsuna informed her.
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"Teehee! Mortals can be so funny sometimes!"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Setsuna, don't test her," Rob finally interjects, "I don't want to lose such an old friend."
"All right, but just for you," Setsuna said and dropped it.
"OK! Let's all just go through the gate and go home!" Meiling called. The bubble reappeared around them and they headed for the gate. It opened as they approached and Setsuna wished them well. A purplish kitten with a white crescent moon on its forehead stepped out and did the same.
Once the group had disappeared into the gate, Setsuna and Diana went to grab some tea.
"Odd group," the kitten, Diana, commented.
"Perhaps, but they're good people," Setsuna said.
Japan, Tomoeda, Present Day
After another brief trip through the Corridor of Time, the group landed in the middle of the night in King Penguin Park. The Corridor was as wacky as ever. The time dilations and warps were quite entertaining for the five minutes that they were there. (Although, time is relative there so I can't tell you how much time was spent there. It could be argued for 5 minutes or five centuries.)
"Why did you have to drop us so late?" Syaoran asked, looking to the moon high in the air.
"I returned us to a point where we wouldn't have to worry about resetting our watches. Not that it matters, you'll all be asleep in a few seconds," Rob said.
"What do you mean slee... Zzzzzz," Tomoyo tried to say, but collapsed and fell asleep mid-sentence.
"That was mean," Sakura said in reference to the way her friend was cut off.
"At least she has her answer," Rob told her.
All of the mortals were now asleep and were sent home by the gods' magic. Rob and Sakura decided to head to his house to spend the night.
Rob's House, Bedroom
Rob and Sakura had cast sleeping spells on each other, but they would take long to take effect because of their status. As they lay in bed, entangled in each other and cuddling under the blankets, Sakura decided to pose a question.
"What is a Celestial Wedding like?" she asked.
"Well, it's a great ceremony," Rob said.
"Go on."
"It's held in the Gods' council chamber. The Council of Nine, which we are a part of, attends. Many angels or mortal souls also attend if invited."
"Wow. Is it pretty?"
"Very. The hall is decorated in pure white and everyone is wearing his or her ceremonial robes. The Angel of Love presides over the entire thing and performs the actual ceremony."
"What does the ceremony involve," asked a yawning Sakura.
"The Angel says a few words and performs an incantation to bind our auras together. Our auras mingle and become one for a moment. Once we have accepted each other's energies, the marriage is complete."
"Sounds wonderful."
"It is."
Suddenly overcome by sleep, the loving pair fell into a deep, restful slumber.
Next Morning
"Sakura," Rob called softly. "Sakura..." he called again in a singsong voice. He lightly brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. He slowly stroked her hair and called her name once more. This time, her eyes slowly opened. Upon seeing him, she grinned widely.
"You're lucky. It's not easy to wake me up," she said.
"I know, I've been doing that for half an hour."
"Really?"
"No, but it sounds nice."
"Baka."
"Maybe, but you happen to love this baka."
"I guess you got me there!"
"I love you Sakura."
"I love you, too, Rob."
"What do you want to do today?"
"How about we stay cuddled up in this bed, under this blanket, and watch TV for a while."
"And we can go from there? Sure, an excellent plan."
Sakura smiled and Rob pushed himself into a sitting position. Sakura put his pillow behind him and hers next to his. Rob leaned back against the headboard and Sakura sat next to him, leaning into him slightly. Rob put his arm around her shoulders and called the remote forth. The remote jumped from across the room into his hand. Being a god rocks. They began to channel surf and make comments about what they saw.
Eriol's Mansion
"They cast a sleep spell on us!" Eriol called dumbfounded.
"At least she didn't use The Sleep on us," Tomoyo told him.
"The Sleep wouldn't work on me, being the reincarnation of Clow Reed."
"True. I still can't believe she sealed the book and got rid of it."
"Yeah, it's odd to not have Kero cleaning out my pudding stores and trying to give Suppi sugar."
"Yeah, should we go over there and yell at them?"
"We should go over there to tell them about that oddly evil aura."
"Huh?" Tomoyo asked, but she soon got goose bumps and the hairs on her body started to prickle up. That was the non-magical (hu)man's way of sensing evil.
"That evil will definitely be a problem."
Fin Chapter Six
That's it! Next chapter will be done soon!
Chapter Six
D'ni, Day Four (I think)
Master Bedroom
Sakura and Rob had been sleeping together soundly since the night before. They had really worn each other out with the beach and each other. They had had a marvelous time in Ahnosehv (roughly translated, the Age of Water) the day before. The wind, the waves, the nudity, all was enjoyed. The latter was mostly a gag and a way of having fun, and they all had quite a bit of fun that night.
Rob stirred a little and looked at his Cherry Blossom. She was so beautiful in the "morning" light. The dull orange glow flowed over her features. Many would think her looks horrible in such light, but Rob couldn't have loved her more. She smiled in whatever dream she was having (second dream of the night) and his heart instantly melted and skipped a beat from gazing upon such beauty. She definitely deserved to be called a goddess.
"What are you looking at?" she asked in mock anger.
"The most beautiful creature to ever exist in the cosmos," he answered softly.
Her eyes widened slightly and she blinked a few times in confusion. Her confusion soon faded and she snuggled closer to Rob.
"I love you, too," she told her boyfriend.
"Sakura, we'll have to get up soon."
"Do we have to?"
"Yep, the Stewards have the day off today and I wanted to make breakfast."
"Then you go and I'll sleep some more."
Rob laughed and got up, dragging Sakura out of bed. They both got dressed quickly and began to head down the grand stairway.
Along the way, they passed Eriol and Tomoyo's room.
"You want to go and check on our friends?" Rob asked, pointing to Eriol's door.
"Sure!" Sakura chirped as she opened the door and both walked in.
They went in to find an odd sight. They found a black, human sized cat chained to the headboard of the bed. It immediately jumped up and sauntered over like a cat. Tomoyo inwardly cursed herself for making this costume so well.
It actually had micro circuitry and micro servomotors that governed her movement. It made sure that she could only move on all fours and made her movements cat-like in all respects. The only upside to those motors, for her anyway, was that it increased her speed, strength, and agility. A small probe in her throat constricted her vocal chords so that she could only meow, purr, and hiss. Cat's-eye contacts gave her violet, slanted eyes. She also had a silky coat of black fur and a tail with motors in it, connected just above her arse in a complex way, so she had some control over its movement. For kicks, she even put in pressure sensors so that the tail would hurt if stepped on or gives her feelings of pleasure if it was stroked. The completing thing about it was that it was skintight and she wore nothing under it, making her look even sexier. In short, it was designed to drive Eriol wild. (That was for the people who skipped the last chapter, as per my warnings.)
"Hey Tomoyo!" Rob called.
"Hi! Have fun last night?" Sakura chirpily asked.
"Meow!"
"Why?" Rob asked.
"Meow meow!"
"You put yourself in that outfit and swallowed that probe, we're not going to get you out," Sakura told her friend sympathetically.
"Reoooow?"
"Sorry, we can't do it. Where's Eriol, by the way?" Sakura asked.
"Meow, reow mew!"
"Ah, thanks Neko-Tomoyo," Rob said. He walked over to her and placed a hand on her head and gave her a single long, gentle stroke down the length of her body and tail.
Tomoyo purred softly and the ears on her head twitched. Sakura giggled at her reaction.
"Sakura, you can play with the kitty while I speak with Eriol, if you like," Rob said.
"Yay!" she cried and she knelt down next to Neko-Tomoyo.
Rob chuckled and went in to speak with Eriol, who was calmly reading a book.
"Hey Eriol!"
"Hello Rob. Sleep well?"
"Better than Tomoyo must have slept."
"Actually, I got the chain there while she was sleeping."
"How long to you plan to keep her that way?" Rob asked, chuckling.
"I'll leave that way for a few days. I'm growing quite fond of her meowing," she said, flashing his evil smile at Rob.
"I'll have to prepare a special dish for her breakfast."
"Yes, but something tells me that you didn't come to talk about today's menu."
"You sensed it, too?
"Yes, a definite evil presence, but it seems very weak."
"It is, but this is 800 years in the past. It's sure to be extremely strong in our time."
"Perhaps this creature is already on the rampage?"
"No, Setsuna would have notified me if anything was happening in our time," Rob reassured Eriol.
"Good to hear. Does Sakura know?"
"Yes, she is as unconcerned as I."
"Speaking of the cherry blossom, where is she?"
"Playing with your cat."
"HA!" Eriol guffawed, "That sounds like Sakura."
"Indeed."
Meanwhile, Sakura was playing with Tomoyo by the bed. Sakura was having a bit of fun and decided to stop using her magic to understand Tomoyo. She was reading her mind to see what the cat was actually trying to say. Now Tomoyo was, for all intensive purposes, simply a big cat. For extra measure, Sakura got Tomoyo's special earplugs and put them into her friend's ears. These plugs had two effects. First, they blocked sound from outside and instead, gave her sound transmitted from her cat ears. Second, they deformed certain types of wavelengths so that Tomoyo could determine sounds from objects, but couldn't understand speech at all.
"So, kitty, did you have fun last night?" Sakura asked.
"Meow?"
"You did, didn't you? Teehee!"
"Meow"
"Good kitty!" Sakura chirped as she began to stroke and pet her friend.
Tomoyo realized that she wouldn't be able to get anywhere this way and decided to just go with it. She sighed, though it sounded like a soft mew, and rolled onto her side. Sakura saw her friend's exposed belly and chuckled as she scratched it. Tomoyo purred softly and her tail twitched from side to side.
"Good kitty-cat!"
"Sakura, we'd best head down to make breakfast," Rob stated as he walked in.
"Ok, bye Kitty!" Sakura called to Tomoyo as she gave the cat a quick pat on the back.
"Yeah, see you around Neko-chan!" Rob said. He walked up to her and scratched her under the chin. Tomoyo looked as if she'd melted on the spot and went to heaven.
Rob and Sakura started to walk out and headed for the kitchen.
Half an hour later, the group was in the dining hall, eating ravenously. Six chairs were filled because Tomoyo was kneeling on the ground, eating out of a bowl. At first, she tried to use her paws to eat, but a few short zaps of energy from Eriol dissuaded her from trying it again. Tomoyo had placed herself in this situation and Eriol was going to milk it for all it was worth.
Once they had finished, Eriol took Tomoyo outside and chained her to an appropriately shaped rock and went back inside, Taking no heed of the mewling from Tomoyo behind him.
Narrative
Well, the rest of the week passed swiftly. They received no word from Setsuna, so Sakura and Rob were unconcerned with the evil presence that they felt. They had to let it be for the moment, for it could have been instrumental in the history of the planet.
Day 10
Eriol kept Tomoyo in her costume and collar and treated her a lot like a cat for the next few days. He was a very loving master, however. He never hurt her and was very gentle to her. They had even worked out a means of communication, though Eriol was doing most of the communicating.
Finally, it came time to let Tomoyo out of her confinement. Eriol called her and gestured for her to jump into his lap, which she did. As soon as she did, she curled up in his lap. He stroked her lovingly for a few minutes before handing her something. She looked at a chain with a key on it and a vial of a greenish substance. It was the key to her collar and the chemical needed to dislodge the probe.
Tomoyo meowed lovingly and kissed him before leaping from his lap and scampering into the bathroom. After a few minutes, Tomoyo exited walking upright, but with the suit still on. She slowly peeled off the suit with a little difficulty. It was made to be form fitting, but the extended wearing had made it even more "attached" to her. Eriol had to help her when she couldn't get it past her hips. Finally, the footpads were removed and the tail socket was disassembled.
Tomoyo was now 100% human, but wasn't in the best of shape. Her hair was a mess from being tied up under the hood/mask and she obviously hadn't had a bath the entire time. The sweat and grime from the warm suit made her a mess.
"You look lovely," Eriol commented.
"Yeah right! Come on and take a bath with me," Tomoyo told him.
"Yes, ma'am!" Eriol saluted and followed her into the bath.
Eriol gave her a thorough and luxurious washing, paying special attention to certain parts of her anatomy. Tomoyo felt wonderful after this and they decided to head down for dinner.
Dinner Hall
The seven sat down to dinner and the gang complimented Tomoyo on her oddly human appearance. They ate and Tomoyo talked a lot. At one point Syaoran told Eriol that he should have left that throat implant thingy in. Needless to say, Syaoran got an extremely icy glare.
Day 20
Rob and Sakura were walking around K'veer one night, admiring the lake and the cave in general for the millionth time since they'd gotten there. They were chatting, but the conversation was fairly slow. They walked holding hands, mostly just enjoying each other's company. Suddenly, something caught their attention.
Both of them fell completely silent as they gazed at something intangible to the west. They both stared for a moment and were about to dismiss it when it came again. It was a surge of evil energy that seemed to darken the entire cave. As a natural defense mechanism, they both ascended to their angelic forms. In this state, they could see a dark aura nearly blacking out the aura of the lake. (The bacteria in the lake are alive, all living things have auras, so therefore the lake has an aura.) Sakura and Rob looked in the direction of the source of the aura with their pink and red eyes, respectively.
They both entered the main living space where their friends were, still in their angelic forms. Seeing the two like this, they all jumped up in a mix of fright and concern. They wouldn't simply barge in while in such an excited state just for the heck of it.
"What's wrong?" Syaoran asked, not being sensitive enough to know what happened.
"There's an evil aura protruding through the west wall," Sakura explained.
"Why did we not sense it?" Ahnsah asked.
"Come outside," Rob ordered as he turned to leave. Everyone followed him without question.
Outside, the mortals and former goddess formed a line facing the west wall. Rob and Sakura took up positions behind them and placed hands on four of the five's necks. They concentrated and the mortals were all gifted with Rob and Sakura's godly sight. They all instantly saw it and became quite frightened. They were scared by the aura, as well as the fact that Syaoran and Eriol couldn't sense something so strong. Ahnsah ascended and soon saw exactly the same thing, kicking herself for not seeing it earlier.
"What are we going to do?" Meiling asked.
"Nothing for the time being. We will simply be alert," Rob said.
"What if something is happening?" Eriol asked.
"Setsuna will tell us if anything is going on in our time," Sakura stated simply.
"I hope so," Tomoyo said quietly. She had an incredibly bad feeling, and all shared it.
"Who votes that we go back inside and eat some ice cream?" Eriol asked.
"I do!" Syaoran said immediately.
Everyone else soon expressed their concurrence and decided to go inside to eat some ice cream. (Hey, if I sensed an evil aura, ice cream would definitely cheer me up!)
Day 25
It had been another five days since the aura had been recognized. Everyone was slightly uneasy about the whole thing. Everyone was a bit subdued and seemed almost tired most of the time. Finally, some news came.
Main Living Space
The firemarbles in the room suddenly dimmed greatly and an eerie fog began to appear. The room seemed to vibrate a low, creepy tone. Everyone was alarmed and took battle stances to prepare for what was to come. Syaoran and Eriol released their sword and staff, respectively. Suddenly, a hole made of shadows appeared and a robed being floated down from the portal. The portal closed and the hum stopped, but the fog and dimness remained. Rob got ready and sped toward this robed figure. He sped at it and soon glomped it. Wait a minute! He glomped it?
"Ack!" The robed figured squeaked in surprise.
"Setsuna!" Rob called and hugged her again.
"Uh, Rob, I love ya, but you can get off now," Setsuna said.
"Yeah, you can get off of her now!" Sakura called, walking up to them.
"Alright," Rob said and climbed off of her then offered her help in standing.
"So, what are you doing here Setsuna-sama?" Syaoran asked.
"Oh, besides being glomped, I came to tell you what is happening in your time," she explained.
"Thanks, but won't Serenity be angry at you for leaving the gates?" Rob asked.
"Diana's watching it for me," Setsuna said.
"That is one capable kitty," Rob remarked.
"Yeah, and she works for kitty chow!"
"HOLD IT!" Eriol called, "Are you telling us that you left the Gates of Time, possibly the most powerful portal in the universe, are being guarded not by a warrior, not a soldier, but a CAT!"
"No, I think she said that a kitten was guarding it," Tomoyo said helpfully. Syaoran, Meiling, and Ahnsah fell over and Eriol sweatdropped.
"Anyway, what were you going to tell us?" Meiling asked as she got off the ground, rubbing her bruised back end.
"Ah, yes, I sense evil building in your time," Setsuna said, "I expect it to make an appearance in two or three days from now, or then, or... you know what I mean."
"Ah, well, we leave tomorrow after noon then," Rob announced.
"I'll come with you!" Ahnsah offered.
Sakura spoke to her, "I'm sorry Ahnsah. I mean no disrespect, but you would only get in the way. We are both far more powerful than you could ever imagine. You were only fighting me at 1% strength that day when Rob announced our wedding plans."
"Huh?" Ahnsah said, as she grew wide-eyed. She knew that Sakura was stronger than her, but not that much stronger!
"It's true, Sakura and I are unfathomably more powerful than you," Rob confirmed.
"I believe that you'll be needed here soon, anyway," Tomoyo said.
"Alright, I'll stay," Ahnsah finally agreed.
"I'll be off and wait for you at the gates!" Setsuna said as her portal reappeared.
"Just have the gates open and we'll be there!" Meiling called as Setsuna disappeared.
"Looks like we must get ready to vacate," Eriol said calmly and led Tomoyo upstairs to pack.
"I hope they'll finish packing in time," Sakura said to herself as she and Rob went up to their room to pack as well.
Day 26, Afternoon
It had been a full day and Tomoyo had finally finished packing. All of their luggage was in the entrance hall, ready for transport. (I'm going to explain how it gets back, so just assume that it got there in the same manner.)
"So, are we ready?" Rob asked.
"Yeah, but how exactly do you transport our luggage to and fro?" Eriol asked.
"You majored in astrophysics, right?" Sakura asked him.
"Yeah," Eriol answered.
"Well," Rob began, "I basically concentrate the mass of the material then through a layer of exotic material around it. (Exotic material, noun: in quantum mechanics, material with negative mass that is required to stabilize a wormhole or in this case, a bubble universe.) I then use that mass to punch a hole in space to create a small bubble universe independent of this one. (Bubble universe, noun: a universe created when a quantum body of a suitable mass creates a singularity and the quantum tunnel collapses, forming a bubble in space-time.) Once it's there, I can access it and pull it out at any time that I choose from anywhere and any time."
"Ah, that makes sense. I thought that was all theory," Eriol stated.
"You thought wrong, my friend."
"Anyway!" Chirped a completely lost Tomoyo, "Shall we get on the road?"
"Ah, yes," Rob said as he and Sakura stood in the middle of their friends. He formed a bubble around them and Sakura made sure that life support was maintained. They lifted a foot off the ground before simply disappearing.
The Gates of Time
"What happened to all of the scary space travel?" Tomoyo asked.
"That was just to impress you," Rob stated simply.
"Really?" Meiling asked.
"Yes. In fact, this is a bit of showing off, too. Together, we have the power to get us all home without the gate," Sakura said.
"You do, but Rob promised not to do that unless it was an emergency," Setsuna said, stepping from the shadows.
"But I made no such promise," Sakura stated.
"You're not powerful enough to do it on your own," Setsuna informed her.
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"Teehee! Mortals can be so funny sometimes!"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Setsuna, don't test her," Rob finally interjects, "I don't want to lose such an old friend."
"All right, but just for you," Setsuna said and dropped it.
"OK! Let's all just go through the gate and go home!" Meiling called. The bubble reappeared around them and they headed for the gate. It opened as they approached and Setsuna wished them well. A purplish kitten with a white crescent moon on its forehead stepped out and did the same.
Once the group had disappeared into the gate, Setsuna and Diana went to grab some tea.
"Odd group," the kitten, Diana, commented.
"Perhaps, but they're good people," Setsuna said.
Japan, Tomoeda, Present Day
After another brief trip through the Corridor of Time, the group landed in the middle of the night in King Penguin Park. The Corridor was as wacky as ever. The time dilations and warps were quite entertaining for the five minutes that they were there. (Although, time is relative there so I can't tell you how much time was spent there. It could be argued for 5 minutes or five centuries.)
"Why did you have to drop us so late?" Syaoran asked, looking to the moon high in the air.
"I returned us to a point where we wouldn't have to worry about resetting our watches. Not that it matters, you'll all be asleep in a few seconds," Rob said.
"What do you mean slee... Zzzzzz," Tomoyo tried to say, but collapsed and fell asleep mid-sentence.
"That was mean," Sakura said in reference to the way her friend was cut off.
"At least she has her answer," Rob told her.
All of the mortals were now asleep and were sent home by the gods' magic. Rob and Sakura decided to head to his house to spend the night.
Rob's House, Bedroom
Rob and Sakura had cast sleeping spells on each other, but they would take long to take effect because of their status. As they lay in bed, entangled in each other and cuddling under the blankets, Sakura decided to pose a question.
"What is a Celestial Wedding like?" she asked.
"Well, it's a great ceremony," Rob said.
"Go on."
"It's held in the Gods' council chamber. The Council of Nine, which we are a part of, attends. Many angels or mortal souls also attend if invited."
"Wow. Is it pretty?"
"Very. The hall is decorated in pure white and everyone is wearing his or her ceremonial robes. The Angel of Love presides over the entire thing and performs the actual ceremony."
"What does the ceremony involve," asked a yawning Sakura.
"The Angel says a few words and performs an incantation to bind our auras together. Our auras mingle and become one for a moment. Once we have accepted each other's energies, the marriage is complete."
"Sounds wonderful."
"It is."
Suddenly overcome by sleep, the loving pair fell into a deep, restful slumber.
Next Morning
"Sakura," Rob called softly. "Sakura..." he called again in a singsong voice. He lightly brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. He slowly stroked her hair and called her name once more. This time, her eyes slowly opened. Upon seeing him, she grinned widely.
"You're lucky. It's not easy to wake me up," she said.
"I know, I've been doing that for half an hour."
"Really?"
"No, but it sounds nice."
"Baka."
"Maybe, but you happen to love this baka."
"I guess you got me there!"
"I love you Sakura."
"I love you, too, Rob."
"What do you want to do today?"
"How about we stay cuddled up in this bed, under this blanket, and watch TV for a while."
"And we can go from there? Sure, an excellent plan."
Sakura smiled and Rob pushed himself into a sitting position. Sakura put his pillow behind him and hers next to his. Rob leaned back against the headboard and Sakura sat next to him, leaning into him slightly. Rob put his arm around her shoulders and called the remote forth. The remote jumped from across the room into his hand. Being a god rocks. They began to channel surf and make comments about what they saw.
Eriol's Mansion
"They cast a sleep spell on us!" Eriol called dumbfounded.
"At least she didn't use The Sleep on us," Tomoyo told him.
"The Sleep wouldn't work on me, being the reincarnation of Clow Reed."
"True. I still can't believe she sealed the book and got rid of it."
"Yeah, it's odd to not have Kero cleaning out my pudding stores and trying to give Suppi sugar."
"Yeah, should we go over there and yell at them?"
"We should go over there to tell them about that oddly evil aura."
"Huh?" Tomoyo asked, but she soon got goose bumps and the hairs on her body started to prickle up. That was the non-magical (hu)man's way of sensing evil.
"That evil will definitely be a problem."
Fin Chapter Six
That's it! Next chapter will be done soon!