Sakura, Eriol and the Sun at Dawn and Dusk

As Sakura and Tomoyo stepped out of her car in the parking lot of their high school they were met by three others; Syaoran, Meling and Eriol. For a few minuet they conversed by Tomoyo's car. They spoke about things they thought they might have felt and what it may mean as the power in Tomoeda had been turbulent since the council. Every morning and sometimes several more times during the day, depending on the need, they gathered together and spoke and basically made sure everyone was still alive.

More plans and strategies had been contrived by Eriol with help from all the others in the group. This was one of them: to gather and make sure of everyone's safety and to share knowledge or information acquired by individual members. Another strategy used was they never left anyone alone. Eriol had structured his classes at the school to fill the gaps in where Sakura or Tomoyo didn't have anyone else in her class. It was easy enough because Sakura and Tomoyo had all but 2 classes together and Li and Meling had every one together.

Touya, Yukito and Nakuru all attended the same college courses and Touya reluctantly quit four of his jobs that Yukito and Nakuru couldn't get hired at. Since there were only three of them they all had to stick together at all times during school and work. This was an unpopular idea with Touya. By these rules Yukito and Tomoyo were almost living at the Kinomoto house and Sakura's dad was beginning to suspect that something was going on although his theories would be way off base.

Also during the day when Sakura's house was empty Kero and Spinel were told by Eriol to be with one another. Neither liked it but they both saw the necessity of it and made the best of the situation by ignoring each other.

It had been a week since the council and Sakura now with the help of all the others had caught up on her capturing. There had been a particularly bad storm that week rivaling the one the night the cards were released again. It was the work of both the Rain and the Storm card, for reason it was so bad. With the Thunder card and Syaoran's lightning scrolls Sakura sealed them and Rain went to her and Storm went to Syaoran. Next came the Power card and the Fight. But oddly enough they were fighting each other and causing a lot of damage to the city. Lifting them both off the ground with Windy, Sakura sealed them. The Fight went to her but the Power went to Syaoran.

The third round of the week was the most confusing with the Mirror card making a mischievous double of every one in the group! It took everyone working together to solve that one. But in the end and at the end of a long and confusing day the doubles were rounded up and out of sheer frustration Syaoran forced it back to it's physical form with both his lightning and fire scrolls. This upset Sakura, she thought he was being unnecessarily brutal, but the day had been particularly difficult for him. That card went to Sakura.

It was the beginning of a Friday and the group in the parking lot was already tired. The phrase on everyone's mind was: "Five cards in one week! There is NO God." School started and everyone trekked to their homeroom. By now the teacher had given up at even bothering to take role and just sat at his desk ignoring the class. This was fortunate for the group as they all had it together; Sakura, Syaoran, Tomoyo, Meling and Eriol. It gave them more time to discuss the situation. But with their environment they didn't speak much of it for fear of someone overhearing. Truth be told, it was in this part of the day that they were farthest apart in a manner of speaking. Or this is how Sakura viewed it. Over the last few days and defiantly to Meling's dismay, Syaoran had been standing away from the group with Kako talking.

Today was no different. Tomoyo and Eriol chatted while Meling sat and brooded and Sakura lay her head on her crossed arms on her desk tired, looking secretly at Syaoran and Kako. Sakura was exhausted from the week and all she wanted to do was relax and find some contentment, but she found it hard to obtain looking at the two over by the window for some reason. 'It could be the rain' she thought. The sky had been dark and cloudy with lightly falling rain ever since the storm. It was bringing everyone down.

Sakura felt herself becoming very suspicious of Kako thought she was fighting the thought that it was jealousy. As she watched the two the sun broke through the clouds and a warm glow of sunlight came from the window encompassing Syaoran and Kako. As it did Syaoran smiled down at her and she smiled back touching his arm as if they were laughing warmly together. With that Sakura gave out a quiet moan of wariness accompanied by overall discomfort. She turned her head the other way and Eriol, sitting in the next desk looked down at her. "Do not worry" He said to her. "He is a very loyal person. And like us all, is probably just searching for normalcy and comfort from our difficult times."

Sakura sat up and leaned on her hand and looked at Eriol with her head sideways. "I know, but." She said but didn't finish. Eriol looked at her. Her eyes had wondered away from his in a haze of dismay. Though Eriol was by some means much older than Sakura, physically he was her age and he understood.

"Sakura" Eriol said attempting to draw Sakura out of her trance. She looked back up at him. "I wish you to come to my home today. There has been much toil and a proper meal is necessary to give you new strength."

With this Sakura's face grew a little brighter. "You want me to have lunch with you?" She said.

"Yes, I do." Eriol said. Just then the bell rung and everyone started to leave. Sakura and Eriol stood and he spoke to her again putting a hand on her shoulder: "None of us are alone. We have each other and if you need someone there will be always someone there." Sakura was somehow moved by Eriol's words and without thinking she hugged him around the waist and pressed her face on his chest under his chin not discernibly happy but not sad anymore either.

In a hallway at Touya's collage, he, Yukito and Nakuru stood leaning on the wall waiting around for a while before their afternoon shift at the restaurant they all worked at started. Yukito happily ate a sandwich whilst Nakuru played with the braid in her hair leaning on the side of Touya's arm. The three of them hadn't sensed anything the entire day and boardom was eating at them. Touya tried to ignore the pesky girl on his left arm as he watched the many people in the hall pass by.

Suddenly Yuki stopped eating and Nakuru stopped twiddling with her hair. She looked up at Touya and saw that the expression on his face suggested that he sensed something. The same thing that Yukito and Nakuru just felt. Touya's eyes searched the hall for the source of whatever it was, as did Nakuru's. They found nothing. "What is it?" Yukito asked Touya quietly.

"I don't know. It was like." He said but was silenced by Nakuru's hand over his mouth. She stepped in front of the boys.

"Quiet!" She said in a whisper. "We should discuss this somewhere else." Nakuru took Touya's arm and started to walk away and Yukito followed.

Just as they began to move there was a loud voice from behind. "Touya!" Just as it was heard a hand struck Touya on the shoulder with a friendly thump. Touya turned around and saw a tall guy with a crooked smile wearing a red jacket. "Touya." He repeated. "What's up?"

"Oh, hi Dorian." Touya said. "I was just going somewhere with my friends so I'll see you later." Touya began to turn around but Dorian stopped him again.

"Friends?" He said. "Rude of you not to introduce me."

Touya rolled his eyes with frustration. He motioned to his two companions. "That's Nakuru. And That's Yukito." He said hurriedly.

"Hi guys." Dorian said to the two as he stepped to them. He looked at Nakuru and put his finger under her chin. "You're a pretty thing. Maybe we could get to know each other a little better some time, huh?" Nakuru reared her head back with a distasteful look on her face. Touya smiled slightly.

"Gross." A girl's high voice said from behind the group. Touya glanced toward her. She was standing with her hand on her hip starring at Dorian. She was tall and shapely with short neon green hair and dark eye shadow. She wore a tight plastic-material dress that shined in the light. It had a low cut top and a short skirt and over it she wore a small gray jacket. "I'd be careful there girl. Let him get too close and you might catch something." She said to Nakuru.

Dorian looked at the green-haired girl for a moment with a displeased look and then bounced over to her and put his arm around her neck playfully. "Don't mind her." He said messing up her hair as she gave him a dirty look. "It's just always that time of the month for her." She then backhanded him.

Nakuru and Touya looked at each other not exactly knowing what to think. As Dorian made sure his nose wasn't broken the girl in green introduced herself. "I'm Traya." She said in a friendly voice.

"I'm Nakuru, and these two are Touya and Yukito." Nakuru said.

"Hi." She said with a smile and a wave. "We've got ta go but I hope I'll be seeing all of you around!" She smiled again and turned around and linked arms with Dorian dragging him away backwards.

"I'll catch you later, Touya!" Dorian said as he was dragged around a corner.

With that Nakuru looked at Touya. "Friends of yours?" She said in a half suspicious half jealous sort of way.

Touya didn't respond. He starred down the hall to where the two disappeared round a corner. He looked to Nakuru almost angry, but not the sort of angry he normally displayed such as toward her; no, but it seemed almost a hatred was boiling just below his calm and normally controlled surface. Though he never practiced magic such as her own, Naruku knew that Touya's wrath was not a laughing matter. She believed that he still had undiscovered power and that if he fought he would not be easily cast aside.

For this reason she was cautious when rousing him again. His arms were crossed and he made no sign of movement. Nakuru put a careful hand on his arm. "Touya?" She said concerned that whatever was going on inside of him would lash out at any who disturbed him. But he ignored her only slightly changing his footing.

Standing at his two companion's sides this whole time without a word, Yukito finally chimed in with a hand on Touya's forearm. "We don't want to be late for work do we? We had better get a move on!" He said looking up at Touya's desolate expression. In just a moment the anger and hate in him was replaced with lighthearted mirth as he looked at his Yuki.

He smiled. "You're right." He said and then started walking with his two companions away. Nakuru was always amazed at how effective Yukito was on Touya. But she also knew something that Touya hadn't considered or refused to for many years about his attachment to Yukito. She thought: 'Though you and Yuki care about each other, your relationship was not based on what you would have it. He came to you first because of your power. He needed a crutch and you treat him in much the same way but you do not see your error; though Yukito cares for you, or appears to, he is not the dominate soul. Beneath lies Yue of whom cares almost nothing for Yukito. In time as the one who you call Yukito wanes, your dependency will be forced to another or to none at all. And then, I hope, you will be able to stand alone without him.'

Away back in the hall and around the corner Dorian and Traya walked and were suddenly pulled aside by others. There were three; the first who had pulled Dorian to the side of the hall by his arm, a very tall guy in dark brown clothes with an unfriendly but well groomed face that told of a long history. The second; a girl with long blue-black hair with a fair face and an innocent aura to her. And the third was a boy seemingly of younger age than the others, also he was not tall like Dorian but an average height. His clothes were simple enough: white pants with a white long sleeved shirt. He had wavy silver-white hair to his shoulders and a thin even tempered face. An altogether unthreatening appearance this one had.

The one holding Dorian held his grip and spoke in a deep voice. "You take too many careless risks!" He looked at Traya and then back at Dorian. "And you're a bad influence on my little sister."

Dorian struggled a bit in the guy's grasp. Traya put herself between the two and pushed them apart looking at her brother. "Quit it, Roan. We don't need to fight here."

Dorian looked at the girl between him and Roan. "And why is that?" He said to her. "Are you afraid we may hurt some innocent humans? Your soft heart for them will be your death!" Roan stepped forward with anger but his sister held him back by pressing him against the lockers not allowing him to move from her.

The other girl stepped to Roan's side to join Traya in containing him. "Roan's right. You shouldn't risk all just for you personal amusement." She said in a voice like beaded glass scattering about a marble floor. "What we do we do from afar. You know that."

Dorian felt anger at being turned on. He looked at Dieae with a sneer. "You would do better to trust me rather than these half-breeds, Dieae! They are not our equal."

"You know where I stand." Dieae replied back calmly.

"Enough of this!" The shorter one of the group in white said. He then looked at Dorian. "Roan is right. You flirt with danger and would likely still be if Traya hadn't intervened. You risk everything on a whim and I will not have it!"

Dorian stood for a moment looking anywhere but at the other's face but then he spoke. "There wasn't any and there hasn't been any harm to it. Not as long as we hide ourselves from them, Rashein." He very suddenly sounded serious and almost combative.

The others thought for a moment on his words. There seemed some logic to them but the one in white; Rashein, wasn't phased. "You forget something though, Dorian." His voice became like a snake's. "Though they cannot sense our power, humans and those in human guise still have suspicion. It is in their nature. Suspicion and treachery. You do not fear humans, and that will be your death if you are not careful."

Dorian was livid with sedition now, he was by his nature, and he looked at Rashein as if he wished to kill him. The others gave the two a span. Though Dorian didn't dare to act on his anger out of self-preservation and fear. But he did not do nothing. He spoke to the one in white in another dialect. "Dol ebrem kegst sen dthel orm ketsrow." His voice became dark and evil in its sounding. The meaning of the words no human ever knew but the three to the side knew their meaning well. Something to the effect of where Dorian would take the one in white.

The three stood in almost mortal fear, both of the girls clung to Roan as if he would serve some protection for them. But for the moment Rashein made no sign. He starred into Dorian's eyes and he stared back unable to move entranced. The deep blue of Rashein's eyes seemed like the endless waves of a turbulent and violent sea. Time slowed in the hallway in which these creatures stood. The three watched as the people going by slowed almost to a stop.

Rage came to Rashein's face now and he took Dorian's neck in the grasp of one hand and with ease but the brutality of anger he forced Dorian's body to the wall with inhumanly force. Rashein's hair flowed back as if caught in a wind and his form became dark with shadow. A burning orange were his eyes and the form of a true demon appeared before the others. And he spoke, terrible and black: "If you speak the Dark Language in this domain once more you will die a most horrible death by my hand and my hand alone!"

Choking and barely hanging onto life, Dorian was dropped from his bond to the floor where he lay breathing barely and hard. Time returned to its normal pace but none noticed his plight.

It was now toward the end of the school day for Sakura and the others. She had told Tomoyo to go with Syaoran and Meling and that she would be with Eriol that afternoon. Tomoyo insisted on coming but Sakura said something about it being a 'special' lunch just between the two of them. Tomoyo had more questions but Sakura said she didn't have time and went with Eriol.

The two arrived at Eriol's house and it was as large and beautiful as Sakura had remembered it. Lunch had already been laid out for them in a private dining room with tall windows with crimson hanging drapes. The room was large but comfortable with a warm fire on the east wall and their small table seated in the corner to its right with the tall windows pointing east and south. On the table there was on a white tablecloth tall red candles and a fine lunch.

With all courtesy Eriol seated Sakura, pulling out her chair and sitting second like any proper gentleman. For a time as they ate and spoke of unimportant things such as the welfare of her father and what England was like, the meal, as Eriol had said gave Sakura new strength in that she was starting to relax and become content in her present place. Sakura smiled at across the small table and he smiled back. For a time anyway. Sakura saw his smiles were not as vibrant as they once were or could be; she didn't know which. They didn't seem false, he was being sincere but something was bothering him and Sakura could tell.

By the time their meal had ended and the maids had cleared the table before them Sakura could tell that Eriol undoubtedly had something pressing on his mind. But she sensed that he was hesitant to share it with her. He was now starring out the window with his hands laid one over the other on the table and he seemed distant. He was lulled out of his gaze by Sakura's soft hands over his. He looked upon her and she seemed very pleasant even in the dreary light of a rainy afternoon. She wished to say something reassuring to him but she could think of nothing to say to the one who seemed to be the wisest with all the answers and advice to give.

A slight smile came to his face and he took Sakura's hand in his own "I thank you, Sakura." He said finally, looking into her eyes.

"For what?" She said softly.

"For you. The sight of your smile is more than my council could ever do. It has helped clear my mind." Eriol said. Then his smile became dimmer once again. "There are things that I must discuss with you. Things that I cannot share with the others just yet. Not even Nakuru and Spinel." He stood with Sakura still in had and brought her to stand by the fireplace. He sat her in a ornate armchair of crimson-red velvet and he stood by the mantle turned away from Sakura toward the windows.

"The time of wizards and magicians has been waning for many years." He started. "I had thought our time in this world would never end at one point in my lifetimes. But there are very few left with magic and fewer who know how to use it. But times change and no one, not even the wises can predict the course of history as it unfolds. Not even those with such fabled talents as fortune telling."

"You were a fortune teller weren't you?" Sakura interrupted.

"Yes, I was. Though now that with you help those yeas ago that I have divided my magic between you father and myself those abilities aren't as trustworthy. But you must also understand that they never were. For you see Sakura, despite what some have no doubt told you in the past, that everything is meant to happen, it is no so. Not to the degree of destiny anyway. There are things that are 'meant' to happen, yes. You found the Clow. But you did so because you could, not because it was destined to be yours. I looked into the future and saw that it would be yours yes, but it could have as well been the descendant's. But chance intervened and the book went to you. And it is just as well. You both made excellent Clow Masters.

'But I digress. It would seem that our time, the time of magicians, was coming to a close up until recently. The events of the recent days tells of a revival of the old ways." Said Eriol.

"That's good then." Sakura said. "It will be more like it was when Clow was alive then."

Eriol turned to Sakura with haste. "No! if a revival there was it would be dark and destructive! There would be war the likes of which this world has not seen for centuries! The revival would start with Salcon, curse him, but it would not stop there. The existence of magic would be revealed to all! I cannot tell you of the darkness that would bring. There are things in this world that by all means should be forgotten and left buried. The secret world of magic must be left just that: a secret if the world as you know and love it should endure."

The both were silent for a time. Sakura was shocked. She had no idea the magnitude of their task. Eriol now stood with his back to Sakura again his hand on the mantel. He questioned his choice in telling Sakura these things. He thought it would help, not hinder but now he was unsure. Sakura stood from her seat and went to him. She stood before him and took his hand. They looked upon each other. "Eriol," she said in a supple tone. "You said it yourself. None of us are alone. None of us need to be, you least of all. You lead us. Without you, we wouldn't have any direction. You're the strongest and the wisest and are always in control."

Eriol let out a deep sigh and turned to the window and the dying light of the rainy dismal day. "Oh, Sakura." He said looked back at her beautiful face. "If only that were true. You see, I am afraid. For the first time in my life. For this fight that we wage is not about the cards as you may think, not about the Possessor of the Clow. But about revenge I fear. It was Salcon's way. And now that he has returned he wishes death on all who have wronged him in his view. I am afraid because for the first time in all my lifetimes." He paused and drew in a breath and slowly let it out with dismay. "I am not in control."

Sakura felt tears come to her eyes. She squeezed Eriol's hand and then hugged him close. "You're not alone." Sakura sobbed into his collar. "It'll be okay. some day." Her voice became quiet and broken by tears. The sun broke through the clouds in the distance and they were bathed in the golden- orange light of the setting sun. With the sun's rays on them in each other's arms they felt warm and their troubles seemed more bearable now that they weren't alone.