A/N: Again, nothing to say.... it was a weird chapter to write...Hope someone out there liked it. Enjoy!

Disclaimers: I do not practice plagiarism. I do this for fun and to hopefully lose my sanity.

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Part III: Trials: The Secrets of the Forest

Tomoyo woke up early that morning, she did not know why she did; it was like a silent summon for her to get up despite her weariness and see the sky. Walking outside the shed, she complied with the urge. Amidst the first rays of sun, the twin moons, Bellum and Letum (1), were two slightly visible rings.

It surprised Tomoyo that first time, a little over a week ago, when she saw instead of the usual crescent in night sky two identical globes staring back at her. It was a glorious sight; like two gems the moons shone, their glow casting silver streaks upon her face. When she heard the legend, she was stuck with sadness.

The legend told of an accursed love between ancient Gods. Bellum, the deity of War and Letum, the patron of Death. Both loved each other madly, for War has eyes only for Death and Death thrives only in War. The two, however, were forbidden to love, lest chaos break over the world. After the Battle of the Gods, when the deities abandoned the people, Letum remained, mourning the demise of her lover. In order to appease the sorrowful Goddess, the twin moons were named in her and her lover's honour, so their legacy would remain with the people forever.

Now, when she stood in the meadow, the rays of sun breaking through the clouds, she found the moons' presence very comforting, though she did not know why. The previous day she fought with constant apprehension over some unseen force. It was a slight nagging sensation at the back of her mind, at the root of her very core. She felt like she would break out in spasmodic trembles any second, but that never came. Now, she felt herself been lulled into calmness by the soft glow, as if moons were reassuring her that they would look out for her safety.

She heard shuffling in the back. Turning her head slightly, she noted that it was simply Nakuru inquiring on her master. It was rather odd. Every night they were staying at Hanney's, Nakuru would get up hours before dawn and go somewhere. Tomoyo suspected it was to check on Eriol; her assumptions were now confirmed. She smiled at the sweet gesture.

"Oh Suppiiiii-chaaaan!!" The said guardian hollered in a singsong manner once outside the hut. "I have something for you!! This is your one and only chance to find out what it is!!"

"You were looking fore me?" Spinel asked directly behind his archenemy.

Nakuru leapt three inches into the air at his voice. "Ho--.. whe--...you-- why....Aah?!" The shocked guardian exclaimed while gesticulating with his hands.

"Speaking in neanderthalic, monosyllabic grunts again, Nakuru?" Spinel smirked. "My, my, and I thought you were created to be superior one."

Nakuru huffed and with a defeated air left him to go sulk in the bushes. Just after the guardian left, Eriol shuffled groggily out of the cabin, looking disoriented and a bit rumpled. Tomoyo couldn't suppress a girlish giggle. He always looked so adorable when startled out of bed. It was beginning to become addictive; maybe she should wake him up early everyday to simply see that look on his face.

Looking at her sideways, Eriol shuffled around the shack to the back of it, where a makeshift washroom was set up. She suppressed another grin, it would be no fun if she somehow insulted him, she wanted plenty of opportunities to play with him and that would not be possible if they were not on speaking terms.

As the company went about the preparations for their departure from the camp, Tomoyo was struck with a little dilemma. She had been wearing the same clothes for the past twenty hours, which was much more than she ever spent in the same garments. She was stuck between deciding to wear what was efficient and what was elegant. She only had one pair of trousers, one shirt and dresses. Looking at it logically, she decided that a day spent on horseback would be much easier in pants. All she needed now was a change of shirt (she was already wearing her slacks).

Walking into the cabin, she dug in Eriol's bag for a clean shirt (it was the most rational solution to her). Pulling one out, she didn't hesitate to don it on. Eriol's smell reached her nose; it was the same musky odour she had the chance to experience the previous day while being enveloped in his arms. It did strange things to her senses; a shiver of heat ran down her spine, only to spread in her belly and then make her feel a bit light headed. Wondering if the odd reaction was some sort of flu, she put it to the back of her head and continued on with her business.

Once she was satisfied that all her belongings were packed securely in her bag, she went outside, where everyone else were having breakfast. Tomoyo sat down opposite Eriol and took the bowl offered to her by Nakuru. Eriol looked up at her from his meal, one eyebrow raised in question. She noticed this stare and looking down determined its source.

Battering her eyelashes and plastering on what she hoped was a 'take me home' look, she said sweetly, "You don't mind, do you?"

Gazing at the shirt once again, his ears reddened and his voice came out just a pitch higher, "No of course not. But you should have asked first."

"I'm sorry," the girl replied just as sugary. "I promise I'll ask next time."

Eriol flushed even more and decided that his bowl of oatmeal was the most fascinating thing in the world. He found it rather unsettling -- and a bit flattering, if he was honest with himself -- that Tomoyo chose his shirt. She could have borrowed Nakuru's, or simply put on a gown, but she did not. She choose to wear *his* shirt. That suggested that she, even if only on a fundamental level, cared for him. The thought brought another blush to his already crimson composure.

Soon after their breakfast, the company mounted their steeds and moved forward. As they wove their way through the coiling road, Tomoyo began to drift off in a light doze. She was still tired from the previous day's ride, and on top of that, she didn't sleep much that night.

She remembered the silly promises Eriol made her that night, and she couldn't help smiling appreciatively. He was so kind to her; he always did what was best for her, and sometimes his simply being there brought a twinge of hope to her. Yet at other times, he was an insensitive jerk. He often did things out the blue, and it unnerved her somewhat. One time, for instance, he sent a dozen roses to her house, and once she asked him what was the special occasion, he replied that it was because he felt like it at the time. After that, he made her pay the entire cost of the flowers.

She frowned at the destination her thoughts were heading in and shook them off for happier musings; after all, she still had to last the duration of their stay in this world without strangling him. Her thoughts involuntarily turned to the thing that caused her apprehension that morning. If she concentrated hard enough, she could still feel the tickling of unease at back of her mind.

With bleary eyes, Tomoyo looked around her. Just as expected, she was nestled in Eriol's arms. He was having a conversation with Spinel, though for the life of her, she could not hear a single coherent word. Suddenly dizzy, she looked to her left at the passing trees. She noted with mild surprise that the shapes were blurred until all she could see was one massive emerald wall, the tree stumps occasionally showing as dark splotches. She thought she saw something move, but she was convinced that it was nothing more than their own shadows and a lot of imagination on her part.

Her eyes became watery, though she couldn't determine whether it was because she was crying or because she was feeling so light-headed. She couldn't help but slump into Eriol's chest. She received a slightly worried glance from her riding partner, but she waved off his concern. She could hear the conversation between Spinel and Eriol turn to her, but she didn't heed whatever they were saying; she let their voices lull her to a light sleep...

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When she came to, Tomoyo found herself lying on the ground, bundled in layers upon layers of blankets. She noted that it was considerably dark, and wondered for how long she'd been out. Fighting back another wave of dizziness, Tomoyo forced her weary limbs to move and sat up from her cocoon of blankets. A couple of feet away from her, clustered around a small fire, were Eriol and his guardians having a whispered conversation.

Crawling on weak appendages, she reached the rest of the company. Eriol and the guardians looked worriedly at her once they noticed her presence. All at once, they began pelting questions at her.

"Whoa, there! Slow down; I only have one mouth and two ears, so if you'll excuse me, I will answer one question at a time." The girl said a bit irritably. "And before you begin, yes, I am perfectly fine. There is nothing wrong with me and I feel all better," she said; though it wasn't technically a lie, it wasn't the truth either.

"Do you know what happened to you?" Asked Eriol worriedly.

Tomoyo shook her head, which intensified the headache that was swelling up, not that she would tell that to the rest of the group. "All I remember is feeling woozy and then waking up here."

The others looked at each other uncomfortably. "Do you remember anything strange?" Spinel asked.

Again, the girl shook her head. "How long was I asleep? Did anything happen during that time?"

"You were unconscious for about five hours now. You were shivering, so we wrapped you the blankets." Supplied Nakuru. "You should have seen the look on master's face--"

The guardian was cut off by a smack on the head. Nakuru glared at Spinel, and turned away pouting.

Choosing to ignore the unmistakable hint in the guardian's tone, Tomoyo said, "Well, there is no point to dwell on it now, so why not enjoy the rest of the evening?"

Relieved, Nakuru began talking animatedly about a cute thing he saw that day. Eriol, for his part, was very relieved to see that she was well. He remembered feeling slight concern when she slumped in her seat. The concern then spread to worry and fear, as she suddenly felt limp in his arms. He was beginning to panic when they couldn't wake her up, despite vigorous shaking and hollering. He could swear he broke down when he saw that her cherub-like face was unusually pale and her bright amethyst eyes were dull and lifeless....

Shaking his head, he forced his mind from the scary thoughts. All that mattered now was that she was now safe and in perfect condition. He promised himself silently that he would never let that happen.

They spent the rest of the afternoon by chatting about this and that, mostly about home and the first things they would do once they got there. It was determined that Spinel, once he left this realm, would find a sanctuary somewhere in Tibet and spend the remainder of his life trying to meditate Nakuru's presence out of his life. Nakuru would go up to Touya and propose marriage (this statement brought out a few giggles from Tomoyo). Eriol and Tomoyo decided that the first thing they would do would be to take a nice, long, hot bath -- though not together.

Suddenly, Tomoyo perked up. Standing up, she walked to the back of the camp, where their stuff was. Nobody noticed her leave; they were so engrossed in their conversation.

Walking towards the source of the something that caught her attention, she paid little heed to the fact that she was straying farther and farther away from the camp. Unable to keep reign of her curiosity, she followed something deeper into the forest. The shadows were growing around her, dancing with glee, combining together until they became one mass of darkness. Tomoyo, however, noticed neither this nor the worried calls of her companions somewhere behind her.

All Tomoyo knew in that instance, was that beckoning, begging *something*. All thoughts and worries were erased from her mind. She no longer remembered who she was or what she was, only that she was there, now, and that she had to get to the source of the 'Something'. Somewhere in the back of her mind she could recall people, conversations, feelings, but it was not important; nothing was important compared to that feeling of the 'something' summoning her.

Tomoyo began to hear sounds, it reminder her of drums. Battle drums. She felt herself swaying to the rhythm of them, thought she didn't know why, nor did she care. She felt the beat vibrate off the trees and crash on her ten fold, enveloping her, choking her. During all that time, though, she did nothing but walk to the core of the 'Something'. In her quest, she did not hear the sounds of feet running nor the screams that escaped her own throat.

Suddenly, the trees and the shadows parted, revealing a creature glowing with it's own luminance. At that moment, the being was the Sun to her; its brightness drew back the shadows and gave her a sense of security. She stood in one spot for some time, wondering if she should approach the animal, too afraid to scare it, not wanting to spoil its perfection by touching it. Something, perhaps the same unidentifiable force that summoned her, propelled her forward toward the graceful animal.

As Tomoyo neared it, the creature picked up its head from where it was grazing, and looked straight at her. Tomoyo gasped involuntarily as the being of light focused its gaze on her. In the black depths that were the animal's eyes, Tomoyo saw strange and beautiful things. She saw herself often, though she did not know why or how she got into those positions, she also saw other people, and the nagging sensation at the pit of her stomach dictated that she should know those people, but she didn't.

She was about to touch the animal's silky mane when sudden cold gripped her. She felt freezing hands on her, searing her skin when they make contact with her. Tomoyo felt her mind fog over; the swirling mass of darkness that enveloped her moments before surrounded her once again, only with more force and determination. She felt fear spread through her, chilling her even more and making her numb. Tomoyo wondered if it was death that she was experiencing.

All of a sudden, the fog and the white creature disappeared. She found herself sitting in the middle of a moon-bathed meadow, the stars twinkling at her. She began to wonder whether what she had experienced was nothing more than a really vivid dream, when movement from around her startled her out of her musing. She gasped at what she saw.

Surrounding her were hundreds of shadowing figures, many of whom were pointing scimitars and arrows at her....

(tbc)

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(1) Bellum and Letum -- Latin for war and death. I don't know if the myth is true or not.