Chapter Two - Moon Magic

Sakura found her father and Yue in a deep discussion when she entered Fujitaka's study a half an hour later. Her father smiled at her and gestured for her to come to him. Though his expression was kind as always, Sakura noticed the tense look around his eyes.

"This is dangerous, Yue-chan!" Fujitaka told him, "I know you entered the staff once, to help Sakura-san," Fujitaka laid his hand with paternal gentleness on the young woman's shoulder, "But this...!"

"I know the risks. But consider; all the Cards share my aspect..."

"If not for that I wouldn't even consider it!" Fujitaka snapped, "I'm sorry! But I am worried! You will have to supply the magic and you know that your innate energy level is not as high as Kerberos'."

"It is for his sake that I am asking you to do this, Fujitaka-san. His sake, and Li's," Yue told him softly.

"Oh!" Fujitaka realized, "That compassion of yours...that you try so hard to hide..."

Yue nodded once before staring uncomfortably over Fujitaka's shoulder.

"What are you talking about?" Sakura demanded, clutching the Clow Book against her chest, "I don't want Yue-san putting himself in danger..."

"But that is why I was made, Mistress. I am one of the Guardians. I am supposed to put myself between you and danger," Yue reminded her.

"This isn't about me. I'm not in danger. You are planning something else! What is it?" Sakura demanded as she turned toward her father.

Fujitaka's face animated, as it always did when he slipped into lecture mode. Yue caught his eye over Sakura's head and shook his own head sharply.

Fujitaka smiled. He grasped his daughter by the shoulders, "Sakura-san, what is that thing you always say?"

"'Everything will be all right.' Clow-san told me that was my most powerful magic," Sakura replied looking up at him.

"Do you want everything to be all right? Yue, Kerberos and Li? If you want it; if you truly mean it, I will do what Yue-san asks, knowing that everything will be all right. But, it means you have to trust us and I won't be able to explain until later," Fujitaka told her.

"I do trust you! And Yue-san too!" Sakura declared, "If it will help Kero-chan, Syaoran-kun and Yue-san, I will do whatever you want me to!"

"And...?" Fujitaka asked.

Sakura smiled, dimpling each cheek, knowing what her father wanted to hear, "And it will be all right! I believe that! Because..." she reached out and grabbed Yue's hand, "Because I trust you. And I trust Yue-san. And I know that he won't hurt Syaoran-kun or Kero-chan...that he wants to help them. Because...he loves them, maybe as much as I do. So yes, everything will be absolutely all right!"

"Good!" Fujitaka decided, freeing Sakura's hands and taking up his sun-tipped staff that was a mate to Eriol's. He lifted it, invoking the Clow Circle on the floor.

"You must stand in the center," Fujitaka told Yue. Yue gazed at him for a long moment. He'd never seen Fujitaka so serious before. Fujitaka had the same abstracted look of concentration that Yue had seen so often on Clow's face. He shivered, realizing that he was asking for the most potent workings of Clow's magic.

"We do not have to do this," Fujitaka reminded him, "It is entirely up to you!"

Yue considered again what he wanted to do. He could try another method...but it would tip his hand. Both Kerberos and Li were so strong-willed, they would perversely unite against him in their disdain for each other if they figured out what he was up to. That would make an intolerable situation even worse. Yue stepped into the circle.

Fujitaka smiled gravely at him, "Sakura-san, you and I must be in the circle, but near the rim," he directed his daughter. He took the Clow Book gently from her hands and placed it on his desk outside the circle. Sakura stepped into the circle across from her father. Yue was between them.

"Invoke your key," Fujitaka told her.

"Key which hides the power of stars..." Sakura began the spell that brought forth her star staff.

"Purest Moon, distilled down..." Fujitaka began, intoning a spell Yue hadn't heard before. He was definitely the target as ribbons of magic snared him. He held up one hand and watched in wonder as it turned into moonlight. By the time Sakura's key had released the star staff, Yue was nothing more than a globe of moonlight floating in the center of the circle. Fujitaka brought the tip of his own staff into the center of that globe to anchor it.

"Place the head of your staff against mine," Fujitaka directed Sakura, "And close your eyes. Draw Yue-san into your staff, as you did once before. Concentrate! You must absorb his power and give him a home in your staff or he will perish!"

Sakura rested the star of her staff against the sunburst of her father's staff. She closed her eyes and twisted her hands on the haft, suddenly remembering that Li had helped her before, when she had to absorb both Yue and Kerberos into her staff to change the Light and the Dark. Claiming those last two Cards increased their magic and brought all of Clow's Cards completely under her dominion. Such intense power had been needed in order to break a powerful sleep spell Eriol had placed over the entire town. Increasing Sakura's magic had been Eriol's intent all along, though the threat that everyone Sakura loved would sleep forever had been very real.

"Concentrate, Sakura! You do not need Li-kun's help," Fujitaka told her, "You are not breaking a spell, you are creating a new one. You are not absorbing both Sun and Moon into your staff, it is the gentle Moon only and he is willing. You have the strength and magic to do this!" Fujitaka urged, somehow intuiting her thoughts.

The faint worry eased from Sakura's face. She set her hands firmly on the haft and concentrated on making a magic conduit for Yue to travel to enter the staff.

"Good! I knew you could do it!" Fujitaka beamed, "Open your eyes, Sakura!"

Sakura looked curiously at the head of her staff. Yue's winged moon symbol glowed faintly around the star tip.

"Is...is Yue-san all right?!" Sakura asked. His symbol brightened.

"Is that answer enough for you? He is fine. Did you not say all would be all right?" Fujitaka replied.

"Now," Fujitaka set his own staff to float in the air, gesturing for Sakura to give him hers, "Leave this to me! Go and do something for awhile...I know! Make something for dinner. Tsukishiro-kun and I will both be starving!"

"Yukito-san...? Yue-san doesn't have to stay in the staff?" Sakura asked.

"No. I will free him when the rest of what I must do here is done. He will be fine! Don't worry so much, Sakura-san!" Fujitaka gently pushed Sakura through the door and magically barred it behind her.

"Now..." Fujitaka brought Sakura's Yue-charged staff back into the circle.

"Oh, Cards of Clow, heed me now, who once was part of Clow, release to me if you allow!" Sakura's book of Cards sprang open and the Cards issued forth to float within the magic circle.

"Good!" Fujitaka smiled, "It's nice to know all of you still care! Now..."

********

The kitchen door opened and Fujitaka and Yukito entered.

"Yukito-san!" Sakura dashed over and hugged him, "You are all right! Did it hurt? Was it cool? Tell me all about it!" Sakura begged.

"Sakura-chan, I know you want to hear all about it...but I'm famished! What did you make for us?" Yukito pleaded.

"Oh!" Sakura smiled at him, "I made your favorite!"

"What would that be? I pretty much like everything..." Yukito was puzzled.

"I know! That is why I always make your favorite!"

"Oh! What is my favorite today, then?" Yukito laughed.

"Crepes Suzette! I found the recipe in Dad's cookbook and we had all the ingredients..."

"Crepes Suzette?! My favorite!" Yukito exclaimed.

"See? You are so easy to cook for! Syoaran-kun's a little harder...the worst is Onii-chan..."

"Touya-kun can be rather picky," Fujitaka agreed, "You did make enough for both of us, didn't you, Sakura-san?"

"Of course!" Sakura served the meal she prepared and contained her questions while Yukito and her father ate to replenish their depleted energy reserves.

"So...what was all that about, anyway? Why did Yue-san have to enter my staff again?" Sakura tossed over her shoulder as she put the dishes in the sink.

Yukito lifted one hand. Fujitaka checked Yukito's arcane gesture as he lifted his own hand in spell-casting. Sakura slumped. Yukito sprang forward and caught her.

"What?" Yukito asked.

"A sleep spell, as you were preparing to use. I know that you are very eager to try to work magic now, while you can, but you should conserve your strength, at least until you and Yue have done what you intend to do. Now, a little Dream, a little Illusion, a little Erase..." Fujitaka wove the magic quickly and placed it on his daughter.

"What?" he asked at Yuki's shocked look, "I asked. The Cards let me borrow the spells. I figured we would need to hide her memory of the Ritual until you were done...that was your intention, wasn't it? Now she won't give anything away and she won't have to lie to Li-kun or Kerberos-san to keep your secret."

"You are as skilled and subtle as Eriol-san...maybe even Clow-san!" Yukito noted.

"Thank you!" Fujitaka smiled at him, "Put her in the chair. She'll think she simply fell asleep while we were talking. We should talk about something else."

Yukito placed her back in her chair, crossed her arms on the table and rested her head there. He brushed the strands of hair from her face, marveling that her cheek was still as soft as when she had been a child. He smiled tenderly at her. A sidelong glance caught Fujitaka smiling at him too.

"Both of my children are blessed that you love them," Fujitaka noted as he handed Yukito Sakura's necklace and star key, "Thank you."

"I could no more not love them than the sun could stop shining...or the moon could stop reflecting that light," Yukito responded seriously as he placed Sakura's necklace around her neck, "They love me and I love them. No thanks are needed."

"Still, because of that, Yue-chan has found happiness too. A happiness he never thought he could find...after Clow-san died."

"I am as I was made to be," Yukito replied simply, "The only way I know how to be... Fortunately, it is also the way I want to be!"

Fujitaka smiled, "Then, that is good!" A companionable silence fell between them for several long moments.

"Touya and I are planning a vacation. Perhaps you should take a vacation yourself and join us," Yukito was saying when Sakura woke up.

"Oh! Did I fall asleep? I'm sorry!" Sakura blushed.

"Not to worry! Didn't I do the very same thing for a while?" Yukito laughed.

"Yeah...when..." Sakura smiled, then stopped.

"What is it?" Fujitaka asked.

"No, nothing. I just felt a little worried about Yue-san for some reason. That's silly, isn't it? I mean, Yue-san has to be okay if Yukito-san is here..." Sakura seemed puzzled, as if she was trying hard to remember something. She looked up with troubled eyes.

Fujitaka looked meaningfully at Yukito, who smiled and bowed his head. The sudden eruption of feathers and wings heralded Yue's return.

"Sakura-chan," Yue tipped her chin up with a gentle hand, "Now, why would you worry about me? It is my job, as your Guardian, to worry about you!"

"Yeah, it's silly, I know, but I was worried! Sorry!" Sakura replied. She looked at him for a long moment and threw herself suddenly against him in a hug.

"Don't do anything stupid!"

Yue pondered that it was too late to obey that command as he carefully hugged Sakura in return.

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Reviews, comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome! Please feel free to email me also if you see something awkward that needs to be clarified or fixed. I need all the help I can get!

stargarde@stargarde.com

Next chapter teaser - Strange Happenings