Sakura and the Big (Slightly) Bad-Tempered Wolf

Chapter Six: Fur Flying, Fights and Fairies

Wow, I actually remembered to put a name to the chapter…but that means I have to put a name to the rest…hmmmm…ehh I'll think about it…anyway, a loooonnnnggg chapter for your enjoyment! Yay!

Umm thanx heaps to: GodsGirl7, kitty demon, dale jr's girl #8, Asatsuyu, Wings of Fire, AA-Chan, cherrywolf, PrincessLesse, PlumBlosum, Unicornhime, midnightoasis, Ana Nunes, Lian Leviathin…umm is that everyone? Sorry if I missed out on anyone…but yeah, thanks heaps to all you wonderful people who reviewed…::teary eyed:: it just ::sniff:: make me so happy ::sniffle, bursts into tears:: I just feel so special…

Okay, I'm over it…read on and enjoy!!!

(I don't own anything…)

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3rd Person POV:

The bandits had been preparing the attack for many days. Spies had informed them that Princess Hallanna was arriving home a few days early from her trip and would be travelling down the main road to the palace with only three Knights as protection. The plan was to block their magic and lure the Knights away from the carriage so that the Princess (and any other trinkets that would fetch a price) could be taken before they realized. And it worked…or would have worked if they had included a giant angry brown wolf with a thirst for a fight into the equation.

Three of the bandits had been defeated and tied up; the remaining three were fighting the knights and the giant wolf.

The leader, a lithe man with a hissing cat beast tattooed on his arm and a scar across his left cheek (called 'Wildcat') stumbled and brought up his two daggers to block the wolf from tearing out his throat. Sweat poured into his eyes, momentarily obscuring his vision, but he could still see all too clearly the bright long white fangs that were barely an inch from his face. He could also hear his fellow thieves trying to fight off the Knights, and from the sounds of things, loosing badly but he had more important things to worry about.

Like keeping his internal organs internal for example.

He gathered his strength and heaved the wolf off and rolled to his feet, daggers ready.

At a quick glance he saw that the Knights had quickly disposed of his comrades. They were currently being tied up and it would only be a matter of time until he would be in a similar situation.

There were two options, stay and fight the wolf, or run.

His pride demanded that he stay and fight the beast that was bearing down on him again, but his gut told him to run.

So he ran.

Sticks and branches lashed at his legs and face as he sped through the forest. He felt blood trickling down from the many cuts he had received but he could not stop.

He could hear the beast right behind him.

His lungs burned; he wasn't used to long distant sprints. Most of his fights involved ambushing unsuspecting victims, taking what he can fit in his saddlebags, throwing a few knives then riding off. He never had to fight an enraged wolf before. And this one was different. There was something very human about it, and that was a dangerous thing.

A beast with the instincts and power of a wolf combined with the brutal intelligence of a human.

He knew he didn't have a chance.

But he wasn't going to give up just yet. He knew every dirty trick in the book and it seemed his life now depended on it.

Tucking his daggers into the waist of his pants he leapt up and grabbed a branch, preparing to flip up into the relative safety of the canopy. The wolf latched onto his boots before they had even cleared the ground and Wildcat hit the ground on his side with a painful thud. He flipped over and got to his feet. The wolf was watching his every movement, its deep brown eyes never leaving his. They circled each other in the clearing, each following the other, step for step. The wolf was a barring its maw of impossibly white teeth sharp enough to rip through flesh with the least of effort, as Wildcat had found out the hard way. His leg throbbed and his thick leather boots had been all but ripped to shreds. Wildcat crouched in a fighting stance and reached for a dagger from his waist, using his free hand to steady himself on the ground…

~~~~~~~~~~

Syaoran's POV:

It felt like every sense, every muscle was on fire. I was aware of every smell, every sound, every movement around me but I was only concentrating on the leader of the bandits in front of me. He stank of booze and something else I couldn't quite figure out. Whatever it was, it brought a sick feeling to my stomach. He had grabbed the young Princess and wrenched her out of the carriage and forcefully dragged her away to his horse. The bandit had smirked, his yellowed teeth bared in a look of sick satisfaction. The Princess was crying, but the bandit seemed to delight in her terror. It was then that something inside of me had snapped and a surge of adrenaline had pumped through my veins and into every muscle.

The bandit, the stinking coward that he was, had bolted and I had given chase. He had tried to escape through the treetops, but I had managed to get hold of his boots and pull back to earth before he got away. I must have bitten or pulled a bit too hard because I felt my teeth connect with flesh. Or maybe my teeth were just sharper than I had originally thought. I had never really wanted to draw blood, but the way I saw it, this scum deserved to have a few cuts and bruises to think about when they locked him and his men away in the dungeons.

The man crouched and reached behind him for dagger hidden under his shirt and put one hand to the ground to steady himself. I crouched low to the ground and bared my teeth, keeping close watch on his legs and arms. His muscles tensed just before he attacked and would give me the slight advantage. He smirked, and I watched with a slight feeling of satisfaction as his legs tensed up. I sprang forward a split second before he did, but he whipped his free hand around, the one he had been resting on the ground. Sand and grit flew into my eyes blinding me from his attack but my momentum caused me to slam into him. I felt him twist, a second before unbearable pain burned through my shoulder. I fell to the ground and tried to steady myself, only to collapse as waves of pain lanced through my side. My left foreleg hung useless in the dirt and I saw in the corner of my clearing vision the hilt of the dagger in my side. I tucked the useless paw up under my body and steadied myself onto my three remaining limbs. My vision was wavering and I was starting to feel faint from the loss of blood and the sheer pain that the injury was causing. The man smirked and pulled out another dagger from wherever he was getting them and prepared to strike.

Luckily for me he didn't see the knight sneaking up behind him. I saw the bandit crumple to the ground in a smelly heap after the knight knocked him out with the hilt of his sword before the world started to spin and I collapsed once again blacking out.

~~~~~~~~

Olivia's POV: (Princess Hallanna's Lady-in-waiting)

Five of the six bandits had been tied up and secured to the roof of the carriage and we were just waiting for Master Theodore to return. He had followed the wolf and the leader of the bandits into the woods and had yet to return. I had finished loading the last of the pilfered goods back into our carriage when I felt the shield spell that the bandits had use to block our magic lift. That meant that either the bandit had lifted it, or he was dead or unconscious.

My husband, Master Gregory, called out and ran forward as Master Theodore appeared out of the trees, the unconscious body of the bandit slung over his shoulder and the body of the giant brown wolf in his arms.

Master Jonathan, the third Knight of our group and I ran forward to join our companions.

"Are they dead?"

Theodore shook his head and shrugged the bandit off his shoulders so that Gregory could tie him up with the rest of the bandits. "No, just unconscious, but the wolf is in pretty bad shape…"

I gasped and tried to fight down the bile that rose in my throat when I saw. A dagger buried up to the hilt stuck out of the wolfs' shoulder, his dark brown coat matted with blood. The Princess, having a stronger stomach than I, waved us over to the couch. "Lay him on the floor, I think we should be able to stop the bleeding…"

I knew a quite a bit of first aid healing magic, and the Princess had only just recently began her studies in the area. We laid him out on the floor of the carriage and got to work as the knights mounted their horses and resumed our journey home.

I examined the wound and said, "We have to get him to a healer, I'm not strong enough to heal him properly."

Hallanna nodded and I opened my palms over the wound, calling out my magic to clean the wound so we could work on it as the Princess pulled out a rug to keep the wolf warm.

His green aura, telling me that the wolf was a changeling; a human turned into an animal by magic, flickered and resisted, making my hands go numb but I pushed on and managed to clean the wound, to stop any infections from causing further problems.

Hallanna pulled out some bandages and gauze from a chest under the seat. "We'll need to remove the dagger, but I need to stop the bleeding completely…" She trailed off and looked slightly apologetic. She knew I hated the sight of blood. I could stand small amounts, but this was something else. "It's okay, I'll take it out, you stop the flow."

She nodded and called upon her magic causing her hands to glow, as I took hold of the dagger and pulled.

The wolf flinched and let out a short anguished yelp but didn't wake up. I grimaced and wrapped the dagger in some material and tucked it in a chest as Hallanna held her hands over the bleeding wound. She had a mask of concentration on her young face and I was for the hundredth time grateful for her calm demeanor in difficult situations. She may be a bit dense most of the time, but when she had a job to do she would do it to the best of her abilities. A bead of sweat trickled down her cheek and I felt her aura start to waver.

"Princess don't, you're going to drain yourself…"

Her brow furrowed, then she released the spell. She fell back and leaned against the seat, rubbing feeling back into her hands. "I stopped the flow of blood, but I can't fix the wound. We have to get to a healer as soon as possible." She grimaced and rubber her forehead. "His aura is difficult to manipulate. It's too strong and the wound is too deep…and now I have a headache…"

"Now that is something I can help with…" I reached over and placed a hand on her forehead, using a bit of my magic to get rid of her headache. I noticed with slight annoyance that she had used almost all of her magic, only leaving enough to keep her awake. "Their Majesties aren't going to be very happy to learn that you drained yourself again…"

She smiled slightly and shrugged. "I know, but he needed help."

We both glanced at the wolf. His fur was matted and his shoulder was covered in drying blood. I grimaced again and reached for a bottle of water and a bundle of cloth. "You better have a rest Princess, I'll clean up his coat and bandage him up…and I'll make a call to the castle and tell them what happened so they can summon a healer straight away."

The Princess nodded wearily and pulled herself up onto the padded seats of the carriage. She was asleep in seconds so I got to work cleaning up our furry savior.

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Sakura's POV: Early in the morning, about an hour or so after she kicked Syaoran and Keroberos out

A knock at the door woke me from my peaceful dream and another louder more insistent knock indicated that I was not going to get the sleep in I so rightly deserved.

I growled under my breath and glared at the door. "Yes?" I was too tired and too grumpy to be polite, but Eriol, the person that then entered, didn't seem phased in the slightest. He was carrying a phone with him.

"I apologize for interrupting your sleep Sakura, but Suppi has been informing me that your brother has been causing a bit of havoc back home. I believe it would be beneficial if you were to call and calm him down." He placed the phone on my bedside table and stepped back, hands behind his back. "Press 056 to get a line out then just dial your home number"

I glanced at the phone as he bowed and backed out of the room, but he paused in the doorway. "Oh, I don't suppose Syaoran has told you were he was planning to go today did he?"

I frowned and hesitantly said, "…No…why do you ask?…"

Eriol adjusted his glasses. "Syaoran's missing"

"WHAT?!" My voice echoed through the room and down the hall, so I wouldn't be surprised if someone on a different level had actually heard my outburst.

Eriol (not showing any signs of burst eardrums) calmly replied. "Missing. He ran off just after breakfast, no one seems to know where he went." He paused while I digested the information before continuing "in any case, Syaoran can take care of himself, so I suggest you call your brother" He smiled serenely and stepped back through the door, "I am sure he has some questions to ask you." My brow furrowed as he pulled the door close. "Wha-?…" The door shut with a click and my mind quickly picked up on what he was insinuating. "oh no…the letter…"

I leapt out of bed, ignoring the robe that sat on the chair and wrenched the door open. "WAIT! WHAT DID YOU WRITE IN THAT LETTER!"

A few maids stopped and gave me funny looks but Eriol was no where to be seen.

"Umm, do you need anything my lady?" A maid was watching me with a slightly wary expression.

"Oh, umm, no I'm fine…" I glanced down and realized I was still dressed in the silvery white night gown and blushed self consciously. "Umm, I'm just going to go back to bed now…" Not waiting for an answer, I darted back into my room and hopped back onto the bed, pulling the phone in front of me. It was completely cordless and had intricate designs along the receiver and the base of the phone. The numbers were ornate in style and glowed in a faint light. I sighed and sat cross-legged on the covers then picked up the receiver. I didn't know what Eriol had written in the letter, but it gave me a bad feeling…and I suppose I was going to find out one way or another…

I punched in 056, then dialed in my home number and waited. It trilled quietly for a second before it clicked and a bored sounding voice replied. "Hello, Kinomoto residence."

Despite my slightly less than cheerful mood and the headache that dully ached in my temples, I still answered in my typical lively voice. "Hi Touya!"

Touya on the other hand, couldn't replicate the tone. "SAKURA! YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE YOUNG LADY!"

I grimaced and held the receiver a bit further away from me. Still, Touya's voice echoed loud and clear throughout my room.

"I HAVE A CRIMINAL RECORD BECAUSE OF YOUR LITTLE PRANK! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!…"

I frowned and yelled back, not daring to put the phone near my ears, "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?."

Touya spluttered for a second before answering. "I'M TALKING ABOUT THE LETTER!" If it was even possible, his voice got louder and sounded even angrier. "YOU KNOW, THE ONE WHERE YOU SAID YOU WERE MARRYING THAT GAKI!"

I growled inaudibly and ran a hand through my hair. "Ughh, I'm going to kill him…"

There was a startled pause followed by, "Good! It's about time you saw my way."

I grimaced and glared at the phone. "I wasn't talking about Syaoran…"

Touya made a sound that vaguely resembled a growl. "DON'T MENTION THAT NAME IN MY PRESENCE!"

I smirked. "What name is that Touya? oh are you talking about….Syaoran?!"

"::screamed profanity:: AAAAAAAAARRRRGHHH ::profanity::…"

"-SYAORANSYAORANSYAORANSYAORAN!"

There was a string of particularly rude curses. "STOP SAYING THAT ::profanity:: GAKI'S NAME!!"

"YOU SHOULD GET USED TO IT TOUYA, YOU NEVER KNOW, HE MIGHT BE YOUR BROTHER-IN-LAW SOMEDAY!"

I don't really know what possessed me to say that, but for some reason I just felt like stirring up trouble. Perhaps I just wanted to yell at someone.

"IF THAT GAKI EVER SO MUCH AS LOOKS AT YOU I AM GOING TO-" I didn't even give him chance to finish. "STOP TREATING ME LIKE I'M A CHILD TOUYA! I'M 16! I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF!"

"YEAH 16, JUST THE AGE WHEN THAT GAKI WILL START GETTING IDEAS!"

I let out an exasperated growl. "WOULD YOU GIVE IT A REST! SYAORAN'S NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING! HE DOES ACTUALLY HAVE MORALS YOU KNOW"

I drew a breath, then continued, interrupting the start of his next sentence. "AND I WISH YOU WOULD ACTUALLY ACCEPT THAT I LIKE HIM AND THAT HE'S A BIG PART OF MY LIFE, AND AND- JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!"

There was a stunned silence on the other end, and I heard the phone on the other end clatter to the ground. I heard the sound of muffled voices before my father's calm voice came through the receiver. "Touya's gone to lay down…" He paused and continued in a bright tone "So, how's the vacation going?"

"Oh you know, Tomoyo taping as much as possible, Eriol stirring up trouble between Kero and Syaoran…"

"Is Syaoran there?"

There was an angry squawk in the background but I just ignored it. "Yeah, uhh Eriol organized it as a surprise." I suppose you could say that most of it was partially true, but I still didn't like lying to my father. It was just easier this way than having to explain everything that had happened in the past few days.

He chuckled and replied. "Were you surprised?"

* Hn…You have no idea…* "Yeah, you could say that…"

"Well, I've got to get to work honey, talk to you later?"

"Yeah, I'll call you in a few days"

"Okay then, have fun and try not let Kero eat everything in sight."

I smiled. "I'll try, bye Dad."

"Bye honey."

There was a click as my Dad hung up and I slipped the phone back in the cradle before lying back down on my bed.

My mood had lifted slightly as I had talked to Dad, but it plummeted down again when I remembered what Eriol had said about Syaoran.

I grimaced and muttered "He better not have done something stupid…"

Hopping off the bed, I headed to the closet/bathroom door to find something to wear for the remainder of the day, then stepped into the bathroom to have a long relaxing bath. Hopefully, it would help with my headache and lift the not so cheery mood I was in.

~~~~~~Minor Time Gap~~~~~

I had dozed off while I was in the bath but was woken by sounds of people scurrying around calling out to each other outside. Still as grumpy as ever I grimaced as my temples continued to throb and it took more effort than I really wanted to give to drag myself out of the bath and get dressed. I toweled my hair dry before quickly pulling a brush through it as I walked to the door and peaked out. There were several maids and servants walking briskly down the hall and I stopped one that was carrying a tray of glass vials.

"What's going on?"

She paused, looking a little harried. "It's Princess Hallanna my lady. Her carriage was ambushed and she was going to be kidnapped when your wolf friend came along and helped out." She bit her lip and fidgeted on the spot, looking hesitant to tell me more.

I became suspicious. "What…what happened?"

"It's Master Syaoran…he was…uhh…he was..." Her eyes darted around and looked at everything but my face. "He was…hurt…"

I felt the colour drain slightly from my face. "hurt? How badly?"

"He-he was stabbed Mistress…The Princess and her lady-in-waiting managed to stop the bleeding but he lost a lot of blood. Master Syaoran's aura is making it difficult to heal his injuries…and we've called the healer but..."

I nodded, my face set and stepped out of my room, closing the door behind me. "Show me where they've taken him." As she resumed her brisk pace, me close on her heals, I couldn't help but think, *Typical, he would get himself into something like this wouldn't he…*

I arrived in the room a few minutes later to find Syaoran lying on a stretcher in the hospital wing. There was quite a crowd in the room already, but they parted and allowed me to sit on a stool by his side. Trying to ignore my pounding headache, I watched the healer remove the bandages and examine the wound. It was deep, and the healer had a worried frown on his face. "What's wrong? Can't you heal him?"

The man started to mix a potion in the little cauldron on the fire as he answered. "To be truthful I'm not sure...his aura is strong and very resistant. All auras resist, it's a defense mechanism to stop anymore injury to the body…it's just a simple matter of overpowering that. " He sighed and sniffed the potion before continuing, "but his is particularly strong..." The man rubbed his temples and scooped some of the potion into a jug before bringing it over to Syaoran.

I watched in silence as he poured the steaming mix on the wound. Syaoran flinched and whimpered despite being in a deep sleep. I bit my lip and reached over to stroke the fur on his head; I don't know if it was really helping, but he seemed to calm down and go silent again.

The healer rubbed his hands together and held them over the wound. I felt magic start to swell as his hands glowed pale red, and the potion he had poured onto the wound glowed red in response. I couldn't see if the wound itself was healing but the healer was starting to clench his jaw, and sweat was gathering on his brow.

No one uttered a single sound, for 5 minutes the only noise in the room was the crackling of the logs in the fire until the healers glowing hands started to flicker and he fell forward panting. He clutched his head and glanced warily at me and at the other people in the room. "It's not completely healed, I need to recover my magic before I can fix it up completely…"

"How long will that take?"

He shrugged, "A few days, maybe longer. He needs to rest for a few days anyway."

I glanced down at Syaoran, then at the exhausted healer. "Can you use my magic?"

The healer looked up at me and answered in slight hesitation. "You can't give me your magic, if that's what you are suggesting…but…" He frowned and rubbed his chin, "but you might still be able to help…"

He gestured for my hands and got me to hold them open over the wound, as he had done. "I'll channel my knowledge to heal to you, it will only be temporary and you'll forget it later…so don't think you'll be able to do something like this again…"

He looked at me with a slightly grim but serious look on his face. "and it will be difficult, but if you want to do it, then we can heal your friend right away…"

Eriol's voice rose up from somewhere amongst the onlookers. "Are you sure about that Sakura? No offence meant but you haven't been in the right mind frame this morning…maybe it is best for you if you wait a couple of days anyway and just wait until you are both feeling better."

My face was set. I knew what he was insinuating. Sure, logically you shouldn't just help someone so you can, as it where, bark at them later on. But I was angry. And not just at Syaoran for running off without telling anyone then getting into fights with strange men carrying knives. I was angry at Touya because…well because he's just stubborn. And then I'm just angry because I'm tired and still have a headache…which come to think of it is partially Syaoran's fault anyway because he and Keroberos can't hold a polite conversation. So yeah…there you have it.

"Oh no, he's not getting away with things that easily. I'm going to do it, and then we are going to have a little talk." There must have been an evil glint in my eyes or something at that point because a few of the people standing close to me took a few discreet steps further away.

I turned to the healer and gave him a stubborn 'I'm not going to change my mind' look.

He drew in a breath. "Okay…close your eyes and gather your magic into your hands."

I nodded and did as I was told. There was a small gasp from the crowd as my magic swelled and gathered around my hands as I felt myself get pulled into a sort of trance. A few voices muttered something about how strong my aura was but I wasn't paying attention to them. I paused for a second, unsure of what to do next when knowledge like a wave washed into my mind.

It was strange. Suddenly I knew that the inner tissue and the blood vessels had been repaired, and that I still had to knit together the muscle and skin, and I knew exactly how to do it, like I'd being doing things like this my whole life.

And it was almost like I could actually see inside the wound itself. I could see the deep muscle that I needed to repair, and I could see his aura, deep green, surrounding everything like a shield. I pushed a little of my magic towards his and was slightly shocked to feel a jolt of numbness go through my hands and up my arms. I licked my lips and waited a few seconds until the numb feeling faded before trying again with a bit more force. This time the numbness only reached my fingertips before his aura shivered then sort of…retreated.

I frowned. Something told me that wasn't really supposed to happen, like it wasn't supposed to be that easy but I didn't feel worried. I drew in a deep breath, then started to push my aura into the wound. I could sense the muscle knit together, feel, as though it was a part of my being, the beating of his heart and the steady rhythm of his breathing.

I felt my magical reserves start to diminish towards a point where I was going to faint; it had taken quite a bit of my magic to initially 'break through his aura' and now they were getting dangerously low. But I only had to repair the skin and fur and I would be finished. My eyes blinked open as my headache, now more a migraine, throbbed painfully in my temples. Everyone, (except Eriol, who just looked smug, and Tomoyo who was taping) was looking at me with unabashed awe and my world started to spin as I managed to mumble a defensive "what…" before I passed out.

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Eriol's POV:

The nurse in the sickroom shooed most of the onlookers out the door. Sakura was placed on a sick bed next to Syaoran's and both were sleeping peacefully. The healer had been ushered off into one himself. His magic was low and he was suffering from a mild headache. He said that headaches were a common side effect to healing because of the sheer concentration it required and that Sakura was going to have a whopper when she woke up.

And he said she would be really grumpy too. His tone was a little sharp so it was obvious he wasn't kidding.

Tomoyo and I exchanged glances at this. "…Sakura was pretty grumpy before... What's she going to be like when she wakes up with a pounding headache?"

I shrugged "Maybe she'll be too worried for Syaoran's welfare to get too grumpy…"

Tomoyo clutched her camera and looked thoughtful. "Maybe…but she seemed pretty adamant about getting him better as soon as possible so she could 'talk' to him…I'm actually kinda feeling sorry for Syaoran. I mean she never gets angry but when she does…" She trailed off and grinned, stars in her eyes. "But it'll make a great tape anyway!! Hohohoho…"

~~~~~~~Minor Time Gap~~~~~

Leo and Hallanna found us about an hour later huddled outside the hospital wing.

Leo was about to speak, so I put a finger to my lips to indicate silence and waved them over.

She knelt beside us and whispered. "What's going on?"

I smirked and nodded towards the door where a loud female voice reverberated. Tomoyo was giggling happily to herself. She had set up her camera somewhere in the room before but we were currently watching what was happening on the glowing crystal ball in front of us.

Syaoran had awoken a few minutes earlier and was a little surprised to find himself back at the castle completely healed and even more surprised to find out that Sakura was the one that had healed him. The nurse had left him alone to tend to her other charges once she had explained what had happened and Syaoran had hopped off his bed to see how Sakura was doing. She was sleeping peacefully and he had just stood there, his front paws on the edge of the bed. Although he couldn't really smile (the structure of his face just made it look like he wanted to rip your throat out) his eyes just gazed at her with a sad smile, perfectly content to just watch his mistress sleep.

That however, as fate would have it, did not last for long.

Her eyelids had flinched and she had woken up to see the wolf gazing lovingly down at her.

And she had screamed.

I suppose the sight of a giant brown wolf gazing less than a few inches away from you isn't the most reassuring thing to wake up to.

Keroberos, sleeping at the foot of Sakura's bed, had been woken up by the scream and despite common sense had gotten into another argument with Syaoran.

Sakura, needless to say was none too pleased.

"YOU TWO ARE WORSE THAN TOUYA! AND THAT SHOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE!"

Sakura threw her hands into the air in exasperation as the winged lion and giant wolf exchanged glares…which unfortunately for them didn't go unnoticed by the slightly steaming card mistress.

"STOP GLARING AT EACH OTHER!" She pointed an accusing finger at Keroberos. "YOU KEROBEROS, ARE OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW BETTER" she paused and turned her accusing digit to the wolf, "AND YOU, JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A SWORD-"

I smirked and muttered. "Do you think she means that literally or metaphorically?" Tomoyo frowned and slapped me lightly on the arm as Leo covered her mouth and giggled. Hallanna looked confused and said. "What? I don't get it…"

"-ESN'T MEAN YOU CAN JUST RUN OFF AND FIGHT EVERYTHING THAT YOU RUN INTO!"

Syaoran just sort of spluttered for a few seconds, his brain just seemed to be having trouble-comprehending Sakura in a bad mood.

"…But the Princess was in trouble…and umm she needed my help…" He trailed off, not sounding entirely sure of himself.

"What do you think the Knights are for!"

If Syaoran had thumbs, I'm pretty sure he would have been twiddling them at this point.

"But-but they had been led off…and the Princess was in trouble…"

Keroberos was sitting back, looking a little stunned when he glanced at the door and a frown crossed his face. He got up unnoticed by the wolf and the cherry blossom and snuck out the other door. We turned to watch him trot around the corner and sit behind us. He gazed at the glow ball then said "Sakura's pretty high strung at the moment isn't she…"

I glanced at him before returning my attention back to the glow ball. "And of course you wouldn't have anything to do with my half daughters mood now would you Keroberos."

Keroberos feigned innocence and held a paw up to his chest. "Who me?"

Hallanna frowned. "Half daughter?"

I nodded as she continued. "And isn't Syaoran your descendent?"

I frowned slightly, wondering where she was going with this revelation. "That is correct, yes…"

She tilted her head to the side and said in all innocence. "Then wouldn't that make Sakura Syaoran's great great grandmother?"

We all sweatdropped. "Uh, not quite…"

Her brow furrowed in thought. "Oh…no wait…wouldn't it be great great great…"

Leo blinked then turned to me, ignoring her sister as she started to count off on her fingers, and replied. "Master Felix said he might be able to get Syaoran in tomorrow afternoon to change him back…"

Tomoyo smiled. "Oh that's good, that'll make Syaoran happy…" She grinned and added. "And Sakura too…and then I can get it all on tape!"

"….great great…no wait…maybe it's great great great great grandmother…"

I coughed pointedly. "And I heard from one of the maids that their Majesties are planning another ball that night to celebrate Hallanna's safe return and to formally thank Syaoran and the knights…so maybe…" I trailed off and glanced at Tomoyo.

As expected, her eyes were shining. "Maybe we can set up something to get them to finally confess and then I can get it on tape!!" She squealed quietly to herself. "Oh this is so exciting!"

"…great…great…great…"

Leo was watching the glow ball with rapt attention. "umm, I think we better move…"

"great…great…what? Move…why?"

I glanced at the glowing ball. A red faced Sakura and an angry looking Syaoran where coming towards the door. "Oh dear…everyone act casual…"

~~~~~~

Sakura's POV:

I ignored Keroberos as he snuck out the door; I'd have a few words with him later, at the moment my attention was elsewhere.

"Just what where you thinking! You can't just run off and expect no one to worry about you! I had no idea where you were and then I was told that you were stabbed!"

His eyebrows twitched and he looked up at me "…you…you were worried about me?"

I scowled slightly and replied in an exasperated voice. "Of course I was worried about you! I mean, is it too much to ask that you don't intentionally get yourself killed every five minutes!"

Syaoran looked slightly insulted. "I wouldn't say intentionally, I was just trying to help!"

"And look what happened, you got stabbed!"

Syaoran's tone turned sardonic, "Yes, well that was a minor complication I didn't exactly plan..." He sighed as he hopped off the bed he was sitting on then walked over to me and leaned his head on my lap. I was a little surprised at that and I couldn't help but warm slightly in the cheeks. Then he looked up at me through those big brown eyes, his brows furrowed in slight concern. You know, the 'puppy dog look' on in full force. I wasn't entirely sure if he knew he was doing it, but it was the sort of face that you just couldn't stay mad at.

…Damn him.

"Look, I'm sorry for making you worry Sakura…I just needed time to think and a little space to…vent some…energy…"

I gazed at his adorably cute face, and I felt the anger melt away.

Damn him damn him damn…damn that cute fuzzy face!!

I sighed and gave him a calculating look. "You did that on purpose didn't you."

He looked innocently confused. "Did what?"

I shook my head, "Nevermind." Then sighed again and rubbed my temples.

"Headache?"

"::humorless laugh:: Ha, it's more a migraine now…"

He seemed to be considering something for a moment; he was looking at his paws thoughtfully, then looked up at me and rested his paws on the edge of the bed next to me so we where eye to eye. "Sit still and I'll get rid of your headache…"

I frowned and sat still, wondering what on earth he was going to do when he, by all technicalities, head butted me. It wasn't like he knocked me out or anything. He just gently bumped his forehead onto mine and held it there. I was going cross-eyed trying to look into his eyes. "Uuh, Syaoran, what are you doing?"

"…Shhh…keep still" I obeyed and sat there…and my headache just started to melt away…

I blinked as he pulled back and sat back on the floor looking smug.

"Oh…wow…where did you learn to do that?"

He shrugged a shoulder and said. "I found it in a book I was reading in the library once…it's pretty simple. You're actually supposed to use your hands but…umm well, that's not exactly an option. Anyway, the nurse would have done it if you had asked."

"Ooh…well thank you…"

He smiled…well I assumed it was a smile. Wolves generally don't have the right type of jaw to smile. To anyone else it would probably look threatening, but I could tell otherwise. Then his expression fell and his eyes locked onto something behind me.

"What…?"

His ears flattened and his trademark glare clouded his features. "…she just can't help herself can she…"

"Huh? What are you talking about…" I turned and searched the area that he was staring at…then saw it.

The small blinking red light of the camera. It was then that I picked up on a group of auras' just outside the door.

My good mood vanished in a heartbeat.

I felt my face go red hot with embarrassment and anger as Syaoran and I walked quietly to the door. Just before I swung it open, I shot a bit of magic at the video camera, then pulled open the door. I caught sight of Leo, Hallanna and Keroberos strolling briskly around a corner…and Eriol and Tomoyo leaning against the wall…

…making out.

I stopped dead in my tracks, causing Syaoran to run into my back. "Aahh!! Sorry…why did you sto-" His eyes widened, then he grimaced in obvious distaste and looked away. "Ahh jeez…Okay, I didn't need to see that…"

Eriol and Tomoyo pulled apart and blushed. "Umm, how are you two feeling?"

Syaoran, his lip still arched in a grimace, muttered "Good until I walked out here…"

I shot him a glare before smiling at Eriol and Tomoyo.

They looked uncomfortable. "What…?"

"Well…I think you too have some explaining to do…but first, when and how…" They glanced at each other but didn't answer. "Well come on, I want to know!"

"I don't…"

"Oh hush you…" I looked back up at the slightly uncomfortable looking couple. "Well?" My expression was fixed so they warily started explaining. "…well it was last night…"

"…We were dancing and…"

My eyebrow didn't even flinch. "and?"

"and we…uhhh…"

I grinned, wanting to milk this for all it was worth. Call me sadistic if you want to but I loved to see them squirm. Syaoran says its because of all those repressed feelings of anger from being video taped and attacked by giant magicked teddy bears and such in my pre-adolescence. And it could also be due somewhat to the lack of sleep I've had previously. I leaned forward, my eyes twinkling with mirth. "Yessss…"

"Umm well, you know…"

I looked stupidly innocent. "Do I? What is it that I'm supposed to know?"

Eriol ran a hand through his hair, looked at me stoically and said simply "We told each other." I noticed with a bit of satisfaction that his eyebrow was twitching.

"Told each other what?"

I heard Syaoran say something that sounded like "oh God, please don't make them go into details…" but I just ignored him and smirked at the embarrassed couple.

It took me about 4 and a half minutes to milk out the rest of the details. Tomoyo's face was a nice ruby red colour and Eriol's hair was slightly fluffed because he kept running his hand through it. The whole story was awfully romantic though and I was ecstatic for my two best friends.

Syaoran didn't exactly share my view but he cheered up when Eriol mentioned that Master Felix might be able to change him back the next day.

~~~~~~~

Eriol's POV:

I confirmed with Master Felix that night about the appointment the next day then went to the library to continue my research. It was late at night, when I think I was the only one awake in the whole castle that I found what I was looking for. The book was old and the gold lettering on the cover had all but fallen off. I placed the open book on the stone ground and drew a circle about a metre in diameter in front of me with my fingertip. A line of white light followed the path of my finger and soon a glowing ring of light shimmered before me. I picked up a handful of petals I had collected from the garden and sprinkled them in the centre of the circle. Lighting two fat blue candles with a bit of my magic, I placed one to my left, the other to my right then shuffled a bit so I could get myself comfortable on the cold stone floor.

Closing my eyes, I recited the verse I had just memorized from the book. It hadn't taken long to remember it as I had done the spell many times before, but that had been a long time ago.

'Thelis, Goddess of the fairies and the creatures of Earth's magic,

Hear my summons and dispatch to me a being of your court

Treela Sepheliaan!'

The last word is in the fairies native language; it loosely translates to 'Come forth!'

The petals in the centre of the circle and the candle flames started to glow green then the petals started to spin until they formed a tiny green tornado. A strong smell of trees and perfumed flowers filled the air and amidst the spinning petals a figure started to form. She was barely a foot tall and had long shiny transparent wings, something similar to that of a dragonfly's. Her wavy moss green hair reached her feet and was interwoven with tiny flowers. A wreath of leaves adorned her head, perched on her pointed ears. Her dress, a pale green white, flowed around her in an immaterial wind as her feet softly touched the ground. The glowing circle dimmed and went out so that the only light was that off the candles and the moon shining through the window.

She blinked open her eyes and looked up at me, before smiling and curtseying. "Master Eriol, it has indeed been many moons since the last time you summoned me." She fluttered her wings so that she hovered at eye level and continued. "I trust the fates have been smiling in your favor?"

I smiled and said "That they Treela, but I believe you would already know that don't you. You always did seem to know things even before me."

She grinned. "I of course have my sources…" She flicked her fingers and a tiny scroll appeared in front of her in a spray of immaterial flower petals and leaves. She read it for a second then glanced up at me with a sly look on her face. "Well, according to my sources, you and the lovely Lady Tomoyo had quite an…interlude last night…It's about time too, Feyfox was saying she was getting nauseous listening to you spin tails off her beauty every time someone asked you about her."

I chuckled and gazed at her from above my spectacle frames. "Was I that bad?"

Treela rolled up the scroll and tapped it on her knee; it disappeared in much the same way it had appeared. "Well, I could get Feyfox to send me the scrolls if you want me too…there are quite a few…and they're long…really long"

I waved off the suggestion as I chuckled. "No, it's not necessary, I believe you."

"So, why the summons?"

"As you probably already know, my dear descendent Syaoran is being changed back tomorrow and I was hoping you could help arrange a little romantic…'interlude' between him and my half daughter at the ball tomorrow night."

She looked slightly puzzled. "From what I gathered, I didn't think they needed help in that department…unless you have other reasons for my help…"

"Well, they do seem more comfortable around each other than before, but I'd still like to have your help on the matter…to push them along…besides, this wasn't entirely my decision."

The fairy arched a delicate green eyebrow. "Tomoyo?"

I smiled slightly. "Right once again…Tomoyo was a little upset to find that Sakura had erased all the footage from her video camera earlier today. I couldn't use magic to get it back so to keep her from getting upset I said I would do all I can to create a magical and romantic setting for our two love birds at the ball tomorrow night. I believe her exact words were 'like something out of a movie'. But, we need to do it without either Sakura or Syaoran noticing us. They can sense when I use my magic and-"

She smiled "That's where I come in."

I nodded. "Exactly"

She looked thoughtful for a second then flicked her fingers again. Another scroll appeared out of thin air and she glanced down the page. "Celscia and her group are in town this week and they owe me a favour…so we've got some mood music…" She trailed off and read something further down. "Some of the guys have been complaining of a lack of excitement lately so I'll call some of them and get them to come to the ball…ohh here, Feyfox managed to get a copy of what happened in the hospital wing earlier…"

Without taking her eyes of the scroll, she made a circular gesture in the air. A green light followed the tip of the finger and a tiny black tape popped into existence. It dropped into my hand then made a 'pop' sound. The tiny tape grew to the normal 'human' size. It had a little orange and white fox on the label; Feyfoxs' trademark. (All fairies had a name that included some sort of animal or plant name in it.) I chuckled silently to myself as Treela scanned down the scroll. Fairies never ceased to amaze even me. Their magic was derived from the earth and because of that it was part of nature itself and therefore undetected, yet a lot of their magical items resembled that of modern technological devices…they just looked more grown than constructed. Fairies generally keep to themselves and stay away from humans, yet find us fascinating at the same time. Feyfox especially. She has an even worse taping habit than Tomoyo and she is probably the best snoop I have ever had the pleasure to meet. I smiled to myself and pocketed the tape in my robes as Treela mulled over her scroll.

"Well, I'll visit Their Majesties tomorrow morning, get everything finalized…if you can think of anything else, just give me a summons." She smirked and said. "And next time, bring lady Tomoyo along, I would like to meet the person of whom you cherish so." I smiled warmly, knowing she just wanted to get me embarrassed. "I will do as you wish."

Her smirk hadn't left her face as she replied. "So you should…ohh and give this to Master Felix when you go see him tomorrow, its something he requested the other night." A second scroll popped into existence then grew to human size. It was a calendar of the lunar cycle for the past month. In this world, the moon not only affects the tides and some other natural events, but it also has a profound effect on magic. I noted that the day that Syaoran had been changed was during a full moon…

"Anyway, I better fly, got a lot of people to see, places to go, things to organize…see you tomorrow night at the ball!"

"Goodbye Treela, and thanks again"

She smiled and bowed, then disappeared in a swirl of flower petals and leaves.

As I walked back down the hall to my room, I stopped outside of Sakura's door and peaked in. Syaoran was curled up in front of the fire, snoring slightly, Keroberos was just to his left. It seemed they finally decided to tolerate each other…for Sakura's benefit of course…then again, that might be due somewhat to the muzzles…

I shook my head and closed the door silently and went over to Tomoyo's room. She was sound asleep so I left the tape on the nightstand with a small note and another rose and left without a making a noise.

Satisfied that things for the moment where in order, I climbed into my vast bed and smiled. Tomorrow was going to be a very interesting day indeed…

~~~~~~~~

And I'll leave it at that…

::drawn out sigh:: sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out, but I wasn't happy with a big scene in this chapter and had to re-write a lot of it…but it's all good now!!

So what do you think? I have a pretty funny scene coming up next chapter D…well I think it's pretty funny…(all I'll say is it involves Syaoran getting changed back…) basically me just being evil to poor Syaoran…he doesn't catch a break in my stories…poor boy…

Anyway, you'll just have to wait…(Mwaa-haa-haa-haaa…poor poor Syaoran…D)

Hey!! I just realized, I managed to knock lots of people out in this chapter!! Yay!! I seem to do that in a lot of my stories…oh well, you get that.

Righto then, please, please, please review, ohh ,and if you want me to e-mail you when I update chapters and stuff, please say so in the reviews, coz I keep forgetting who I'm supposed to send e-mails to and stuff so if you could that would be great.

Anyway, ciao till next time!

StarDragon ^-^