Title: Eternity
Author: Yih
Written: February 2002
Disclaimer: All rights are Clamp.
Visit my website here http://www.seiki.f2s.com
3: Exclamation!
"He's coming!" cried out Sakura, waving around a sealed letter that was undoubtedly magical because it had arrived scarcely an hour later. Yue had suggested that they go back to her otousan's house because if Eriol was going to reply, he'd do it there. "He says he's going to be here tomorrow, which means we have only twelve hours to prepare!" she exclaimed, a look of utter panic in her eyes.
"But that means your Sakura message spell went rather well," Yue commented, his eyes twinkling in compliment. "You've grown much as a sorceress, I'm very proud you, mistress."
"I'd really like it if you called me Sakura," she told him softly, her eyes looking at him hopefully.
"Mis--, yes, Sakura. I suppose I could do that," he replied with a serene smile. "I'm sure Touya will be excited to hear about the news of this. I'd like to go tell him about this with you there."
"That won't be a problem," she said earnestly. "I'm sure he'll be coming by here today, since it's my first visit back from college. I'd hope he'd come; I'm his only imouto after all!"
"I'm sure he'll come," Yue reassured her, "especially when he discovers Yukito isn't at the apartment anymore. That reminds me…"
"Kero!" screamed Sakura, jumping to her feet when she saw her sun guardian in full form outside of the window. "We forgot Kero at Touya's apartment!"
Kero growled from outside the window, distinctively saying, "How could you two leave me alone in the apartment waiting for your oniichan?! By the time I realized you had left me, he'd already arrived back!"
It wasn't long before Sakura heard the charming ring of the new doorbell that Fujitaka had installed a month ago. Ding-ding-dong. Ding-ding-dong. "I'm coming!" she called out.
Both Yue and Sakura rushed to the door, which flew open to an anxious Touya. "Where have you been?" he barked at Yue. "I was worried for you!" he yelled before grabbing the moon guardian toward him, not even noticing that it was Yue instead of Yukito.
Sakura stomped on his foot with her shoe before Yue got too close to the enraged Touya. "Watch who you're screaming at!" she shouted. "That's Yue, not Yukito! And who would treat their boyfriend in that way?! He's allowed to go out whenever he wants to with whoever he wants to!"
Her oniichan glared at her before dancing around holding his injured foot in such a hilarious manner that even Yue cracked a lopsided grin. "That wasn't funny!" he grumbled, running his hand through his tousled hair. "Besides that, I had to put up with that—that deformed Kero in my car!" His eyes sent daggers at the true form of Kero, who merely showed Touya his teeth. "He's much more manageable when he's in the mousey form!"
"I'm sorry," Sakura apologized, "but Yue and I really needed to talk about things, Touya and Kero. It's important that we tell you what we've been talking about. If you two would please come in without bickering more, we can start the conversation and the sooner that we do… the sooner Touya, you get Yukito, and the sooner Kero, you get to eat."
That quieted both Touya and Kero quickly at the prize they saw dangling in front of their greedy eyes. Sakura barely managed to resist the urge to laugh at the totally serious expressions on their faces. She knew without a doubt she had their full attention this time, and she'd hold it until she finished talking. She gestured with her arms for them to enter, following in as Yue lead them to the living room area.
"Do you want to tell them or should I?" Sakura asked, sitting down next to Yue while Kero settled down on top of her lap.
"I suppose I'd better be the one to explain," Yue murmured. He wringed his hands together, uncharacteristically self conscious and nervous. He almost grinned; he was even beginning to act a bit like Yukito. "I've noticed for a long that that you seem to be a bit uncomfortable when—um, Yukito makes advances at you, Touya."
Touya blushed hotly while Sakura lifted her eyebrow up at her oniichan. "Sweet, innocent Yukito makes advances on you, niichan?" her voice was incredulous. "Talk about that surprising me!"
Kero was turning a crimson red at this point, ducking his head into Sakura's lap, unable to say a word. Touya coughed and grumbled, "You don't need to give her that additional information, Yue. I don't thin that's necessary or pertinent to the subject."
"It's quite relevant to the issue," Yue declared. "It has to do with that very discomfort. I know this because you stare into Yukito's eyes as if you know that I'm watching, which I am forced to by no choice of mine. That is what I want to discuss. I think that there are a lot of things that can be done to solve this problem. You could either get less inhibited or we can figure out a way to separate myself from Yukito permanently.
"That is what Sakura and I wanted to tell you. It's very important that you understand what we're trying to do needs the utmost concentration to work, and that I'll be needing to be away from you for a while. Or actually, that would be Yukito," he murmured. "However, we must also warn you that it might not work, so don't get your hopes up."
"What do you think?" Sakura asked, breaking up the silence after the stunning declaration of their intentions.
"I think," her oniichan began slowly, "that would be wonderful. But I don't want to put either of you at risk. It doesn't bother me as much as you think it does, Yue. Though I would like it if it were possible."
Yue and Sakura shared a smile. "We have asked Eriol to come back to Japan to help us," she said. "If there's anybody that can help us, it's him."
"Are we ready to go?" Eriol asked. He looked at both of his guardians, pride shining in his eyes watching the two of them emerge from the shadows to surround him in their powerful presence. There were times he didn't believe he had created them. And then again, there were times he wished he hadn't with their constant bickering.
"Yes, we're ready to go, master," replied Ruby and Spinel in unison.
"Hold out your hands," Eriol commanded. "Well Spinel, you fan out your wings."
They both complied, their arms and wings surrounding Eriol in the center. They didn't have to be asked to close their eyes when he began to chant the spell. His words were soft, smooth like velvet and filled with such strength and force that they didn't believe he'd lost any of his magic when he'd split his powers into two.
His magical staff appeared in his right hand easily and he tapped Spinel and Ruby on the shoulders. He pulled the staff closer to him, whirling the bottom until a hole began to form into the floor. He whispered out warningly, "Just let it happen."
They didn't need any further instructions, they relaxed their limbs and allowed the vortex to pull them in. If they hadn't done it a thousand times before, they probably would have tensed up and made the ride very bumpy and difficult. By relaxing their bodies to the sensations, they floated through the space easily like air instead of the force having to pull them in and push them through.
"Well, that was certainly a fast ride," Spinel commented.
"How long did you think it would take? Twenty four hours?" Ruby gibed.
"It was shorter than the plane," he remarked defensively. "Much more pleasant as well."
"That's magic for you," she responded sarcastically.
"Hush you two," Eriol said rather sharply. "Can you not get along for this much needed vacation? If I knew you two were going to argue as soon as we got here, I should have left you in England."
"I'm sorry," Ruby responded quickly. "I'm really happy that you decided to take us here with you even though you didn't need to."
"I apologize as well," Spinel added in his own confession.
"That's okay," Eriol said, smiling cheerfully though a bit strained around the corners of his mouth. "I'm just a bit nervous; therefore, it caused me to snap at you two."
"That's okay," Ruby repeated his own words to him. "We both understand perfectly how you feel. I'd be nervous too, at least anxious for the confrontation. You know me, master, I'm always up for some excitement though I might get a few jitters in my stomach."
"Thanks for you understanding."
For the past few minutes, the trio had been walking around rather aimlessly around the streets, not sure of where exactly they were going. It was Spinel, rather disturbed that Eriol actually understood Ruby that pointed out that they had no idea where they were going. Ruby promptly hit him over the top of his head and declared, "I know exactly where we're going!"
"And how would you?" asked Spinel bitingly. "You've never been to Sakura's house before," he pointed out. "Unless you did it on the sly without telling either of us."
Ruby glared at Spinel and pinched his cheeks until he started screaming at her to let him go. Eriol sweatdropped, watching both of his guardians, thinking that perhaps Spinel was not quite Yue's equal. Though he was rather composed most of the times. But if Yue had to hang around Ruby as much as Spinel, he might possess a bit of a yell of his own.
Yue, yelling? The thought amused Eriol greatly. So greatly that he didn't even notice that they were passing a picturesque scene of a beautiful girl with emerald eyes that was staring at them while they were passing. He didn't even hear her when she started shouting at him, caught up in the reverie of having seen a ghost like image of Sakura in front of him.
"ERIOL!" cried out Sakura, running toward him.
He stared past her, caught up in a dream of disbelief until she began shaking him. He shook his head and focused his eyes onto Sakura. Hs smiled sheepishly, a drop dead gorgeous smile that took her breath away. He had changed so much since she had last seen him. She swore he had to be taller than her oniichan if that were possible. She felt incredibly small, short compared to his lithesome beauty.
"Sakura," he whispered her name in a tantalizing slow warm voice, taking a long breath to regain his composure, "so we meet again." He never thought he'd be seeing her by accidentally bumping into her. It astonished him, and gave him a start. He'd expected the first meeting in nearly a decade to be a glorious affair where he showered roses around her, the flower of love. This had not been what he'd expected in the least bit. But still, he'd never forget the enthusiasm in her voice as she shouted his name.
No, he'd never forget that.
Author's Note: Send an email to sakurafanfics-subscribe@yahoogroups.com to subscribe to my emailing group to find out the latest information on when I release my fanfics! It's also an emailing list for letting other people know of when your fanfics are out and to let me know a little bit more and communicate a bit easier with my reviewers! Now you can nag me all you want =). Nag away, and review away! I appreciate you guys more than you know =).