A/N: Finally chapter 8. I'm sorry it has taken awhile. I've been busy.
Also, you want emailed, place your name on my notify list. Also I don't
know when this will next be updated. Why? Finals are coming real soon, like
three weeks or less, and I also don't know where and if I'll have internet
access during the summer. We shall see. Anyway, Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura
Chapter 8
"Do you think Yelan would go as far as to marry off the prince while they are gone," murmured an elderly masculine voice. He sat in a large silver chair with a spiked upper rim that pointed upward like hands reaching for the sky. He wore a black robe that shimmered silver each time he moved. His weathered hands laid delicately below his chin as he surveyed the room. Quan Lang was the high elder of the magical council. He and five other mages helped and protected the Maho Kingdom or, as the viewpoint of the Li Clan, to destroy it. His piercing ice blue eyes glared at each of the other elders trying to see which one would speak first.
"Her majesty is wise. She will not defy the will of the council. If anything it will be the boy who will defy us. He is strong minded and refuses to listen to anything but his own voice," said another voice. This one belonged to another male, far younger than Elder Lang. He had short black hair that was slicked smooth. He had yellow-green eyes that looked much like that of a snake or a feline. He had a pointy nose and a permanent scowl on his features. He wore a dark green robe with a black sash around the waist. Lam Heung was an Earth mage and the highest classed based on the sash around his waist.
"Elder Heung, I think you overestimate the dear boy. He's far too wrapped up in himself to go out and find his own woman. Besides, it is well known that he doesn't want to get married. It will be impossible for him to even think about trying it," a female voice snapped. Her long brown hair hung over her shoulder in a tight braid. Her burgundy eyes were devoid of any glint in the semi dark room, and her red painted nails tapped endlessly on her chair's arm rest. Elder Ai Diem wore a red robe signifying her as a fire mage.
Elder Heung snorted his derision at the comment before another elder spoke. "You treat him too week," said another man. His soft white beard and cheery gold eyes bespoke a kind nature to this man. His gold robes glittered even in the dank room. This sun mage was everything that represented a cheerful sunny day. It was actually quite sickening for some of the people in the room to stomach at times. However, Elder Beng Thuy was very shrewd at times, and his information was sometimes invaluable to the council. "Xiao Lang is a fighter and a darn good one, I might add. If we step on his toes too many times he will snap, and strike back better than Diem's vipers do."
"There is nothing to fear at the present, either way. Yelan knows that the law states that the heir must marry another magical being or accept the will of the council." This voice resounded from the quietest and youngest of their number, Elder Cheh Zihong. He was a water mage, with dark blue robes to match his light blue eyes and long blue hair. One could even say that the boy, no older than twenty, even had blue lips. He was well known for his beauty and almost feminine like features, but just like all in this room he was as sharp minded as a pin. "We have not found another sorceress outside of our realm powerful enough to take the position as queen."
"Unless he goes and raids the Temple Yume," snickered the final voice of the council. Elder Jeong Wanqing was the final mage representing wind with his yellow robes. He was chosen as a last resort five years ago when one of the elders past away. He, therefore was treated with little to no respect, but he never seemed to mind it. He was just glad enough to be one of the dissenting voices against the acts of the council, even if some of his ideas were not quite 'all together.' His blonde hair was beginning to gray and his black eyes twinkled with something akin to mischief.
"I think," started Heung, his green robes moving slightly, "that there is a mage powerful enough to be a problem."
A deadly silence filled the air before the High Elder, Lang, spoke, "You speak of the ripple that has been flickering?"
"I do."
"That's ridiculous!" snapped Diem. "My seers have found nothing to show that the ripple is anything but a mere distortion. It can't be caused by an one mage!"
"Calm yourself, Elder Diem," spoke Zihong, his blue eyes flashing. "Just because you don't believe there is a female more powerful than you that doesn't make it truth."
"You know it could be Eriol up to his usual trick, Heung," said Wanqing.
"It isn't," Heung replied, his viper eyes narrowing to slits. "My students and I have discovered that the presence is coming from outside the Maho Kingdom, and is nothing like we have ever felt. We are still unsure if the being is male or female, but we are positive that the sorcerer has a lock on their magic."
"A lock?" muttered Thuy. "I thought locks had been disbanded by Clow Reed. How can there be a lock?"
"We believe that this lock was created by Clow Reed," Heung stated. "In fact, we are finding that the being's aura is intermixed with that of Clow Reed's magic."
"The Book of Clow has been opened?" asked the High Elder.
"Actually, we suspect that it was opened almost six years ago when the huge crack in the magic continuum occurred."
Whispering began around the room. Magic as a whole was always viewed as a large river that flowed infinitely long with occasional flares marking the births of new wizards. When a large or powerful magical aura was born a ripple or crack would appear in the river. A crack usually signified a very powerful magic had been released all at once, while a ripple slowly grew in size as the wizard causing the ripple improved in ability.
"I feared as much."
Everyone in the room froze and turned toward the High Elder. "The person you are referring to is still very much a child."
"Wait. You know who the sorcerer is that is causing this?" asked Thuy.
"Not know, just speculate." Lang sighed and leaned his head back against the chair. "The child should be nearing their sixteenth birthday soon."
"Sixteenth?!" shrieked Diem. "When were you planning on telling us?! The ripple has been growing since the crack!"
"Actually it has been growing since the child's birth. The crack finally brought attention to it. After all, when it was finally seen, mages began to panic about demons taking over the world," responded Lang.
"Splendid," Wanqing said. "If it's a girl then the prince can marry her. A powerful sorceress will make this kingdom strong."
"You dimwit," snapped Zihong, his blue robes swishing as he stood up. "We need the boy to marry his cousin! That wench was born to rule! We can't have some ignorant brat stepping in!"
Wanqing stood up as well. "Oh yes, we must stick to the cousin because she's under the influence of the council. Heaven forbid we let the prince choose his life instead of us!"
Diem glowered, contemplating the situation. "Be quiet. We need to know more about this 'ripple' before we start chewing each other out. I suggest we send out a mage or two to find the child."
"And send the cousin to the Shounin Kingdom to keep the prince in line," finished Lang.
"All right," broke in the elder. "Send out a few mages to see if they can find anything. As for the cousin, she will probably end up there too late to stop anything if the prince has already found a new bride. However, send her out. She'll cause enough mayhem to keep Yelan's nose out of our business. This meeting is concluded." A loud resounding bang echoed through the room and the elders shuffled out of the room muttering and complaining to each other.
~~ ~~ ~~
Syaoran swung his sword around again, his green shirt loosely cut for just this type of exercise. He wore brown pants and matching gloves that currently held his sword. He was standing outside in the same place he did every day since they came to this kingdom. It had been two days since he had last seen the sorceress, Sakura. Much to his annoyance, he couldn't get her out of his mind. Something was really bugging him about her. There were just too many gaps where there should have been something to explain everything. And yet, he still had no idea what he was missing. The girl had magic, that he was positive of, but how much he could only guess. She appeared to know little about the magical world, but still enough to slide by without making a complete fool out of herself. Then there was also the fact that she had not been picked up by the Elders.
That fact bothered him the most. It was clear to him that either the Elders didn't know anything, or they were keeping a tight lid on this whole thing. Could Sakura really have stronger magical powers than himself? It was highly possible. He knew for sure that the girl had a lock on her magic, and he also concluded that there had to be at least more magical powers hidden in it than the lock was made to hold. Whoever placed that lock obviously didn't know how powerful she would get.
Of course that thought puzzled him even more. Why would anyone put a lock on her magic? What had been the point of it? Maybe the Elders did know of her and attempted to block out her magic. After all, if he found a more powerful sorceress he could marry her instead of his annoying cousin. Not that Meiling was bad or anything, its just she became more like a leech than a human. She clung to him and yet still obeyed the Elders with great ease. She had been fooled into believing that she would make a great queen for him, but had failed to see how much the council planned to control her if she succeeded in obtaining the thrown. It was sad, really.
He swung his sword one last time through the air. He sighed and rubbed a gloved hand over his sweaty brow. When did his life become so complicated? His mind drifted back to the girl with the lively green eyes. In just one dance, his entire being seemed to have become more of a jumbled mess. He was completely lost, now, at how to go about his plans for the future because of her. He needed a road map just to keep his heads out of the clouds. He sighed again. He had been doing that a lot lately, too.
"GAH!" He dropped his sword and jumped, trampled, cursed, and fisted his hands in his hair for a good five minutes. "Get out!"
"Sorry," came another voice.
Syaoran turned to see Eriol grinning ear to ear and not the least bit sorry to interrupt the prince's tantrum. He was wearing blue pants that matched the rims of his glasses and a nice crisp white shirt. Syaoran glared daggers at his 'friend' before growling incoherent curses as he picked up his things. "What do you want?!" he snapped.
"What? No good morning? Or how are you my Cute Ancestor? Or what have you been doing, my dear friend?" Eriol said with a smug sound to his voice. "One would think you didn't like me, my cute little descendant."
"Shut up," growled Syaoran again.
"Certainly, but first I have something to talk to you about."
A pause stretched out until Syaoran's sanity snapped. "WELL?!"
Eriol rubbed his ears slightly at the harsh, loud sound. "You really need to work on your manners, Xiao Lang. I do all this work covering for you and finding out pertinent information for you. And this is the thanks I get? Sheesh." Eriol threw his hands up in mock exasperation.
"Just spill it, gaki."
Eriol sighed and shook his head. "All right, but don't shoot the messenger." Eriol paused again, making sure he had the full attention of the prince before he continued. "First of all, your cousin is on her way here. Saw it in the water up in Kinomoto-sensei's tower."
Syaoran knew what he was talking about. Every type of magic had some 'seer' magic, meaning that they could see things from the past, present, or future. Eriol was able to see all three, though his strongest visions came from the past. Of course, this is expected considering that Eriol had half the soul of Clow Reed. Using such things like water, mirrors, dreams, or any other kind of reflective surface, a mage could 'see' things. Syaoran wasn't very good at controlling the visions, and thus was one of many that was not called to be an actual seer.
Syaoran frowned. Meiling here would cause problems. He had no doubt that the council sent her to make sure he stayed chaste to his betrothed. He snorted his derision. He would not bend to their tyranny even if he had to marry some peasant girl to get rid of them.
"Then second, I'm sure is of more importance to you. Kinomoto-sensei has the second half of Clow Reed's soul."
"And that's important, how?"
Eriol grinned. "His daughter has the cards."
A silence drew as the prince tried to digest this information. He suddenly felt sick, feeling the bile hanging at the back of his throat. If she had the cards-
"Not only that, but the cards are hers. Completely. There is only a small trace of Clow Reed's magic in them." Eriol winced inwardly, hoping that his friend would not blow up. It had been the prince's dream to own and control the magical forces of the cards. In fact, almost every wizard that had heard of the cards wanted the power held in them. Now that a new power had already claimed them, none could touch the power until the death of the new owner. Eriol prayed that Syaoran wouldn't be so rash as to kill the girl to get what he wanted.
The silence became deafening, but Syaoran hardly noticed. His mind was going in ninety different directions. Once again that girl had screwed up his train of thought. Now what was he going to do? Part of his plan was now gone! His shoulders sagged in defeat. He couldn't believe all the rotten luck that came his way. The cards had been the key factor to get rid of the Elders. Now it was gone. He would never be free from them.
He collapsed to his knees and slammed his fist into the ground. The ground shook slightly, but not because of his fist. His conflicting emotions had released his magic freely. In bright green waves, the magic pulsed off of him causing more shifting and shaking of the ground. His amber eyes had turned a dark brown, the pupils missing completely. He had lost control of his life. He had lost control of his magic.
Eriol sighed. This was not what he had been hoping for. "Xiao Lang, you need to calm down. Getting over emotional over this, is not going to help you. It's not the end of the world if Sakura has the cards." It wasn't working. His voice was just not getting through to the boy. The ground was shaking more and almost a roaring sound erupted that only ones of magic could hear. "GET A GRIP!" Eriol yelled. He had only yelled a few times in his life, and he hoped the shock would get to the huddled boy on the ground.
It didn't. Syaoran was starting to loose the rest of his control, as the sound of the raw magic enveloped him, blocking out all other sounds. It just wasn't fair! His whole life he had been trying to escape the clutches of the Elders and their tyrannical persecution. They had tormented his mother, though indirectly, and made every effort to get rid of anyone or anything that could stand in their way. They had made his first friend leave! He had been only six, but he knew they had made her leave! He ditched those classes because of her!
At the time he hadn't known why she had disappeared, but two years later he overheard Elder Heung talking about the success of eliminating his old teacher and a few other interfering personnel. The council wanted to make sure that he, the prince, remained unpolluted by others the council disapproved of. He started to rebel again, but this time not from magic and training, but from people.
That was the year Eriol had come to the palace and became a page like himself. They became fast friends because they had similar goals. The first was to become as strong and powerful as they could. The second, eliminate the ones that tried to rule over their lives. So far, only Eriol had accomplished those goals to any extent.
Syaoran screamed in his mind. He wanted so much to be free of his cage. To just run away would be wonderful, but he could never leave his mother alone. He had to be strong and brave for her. A tear leaked out of one of his eyes. But he couldn't take it anymore. He had to-
A soothing presence cut off his thoughts. He vaguely registered the faint pink aura that gently caressed his shaking, green. It was starting to calm the waves of raw magic, and he felt himself grow calmer. A hesitant hand touched his face, brushing away the stray tear. The touch brought reality crashing back onto him. The raw magic disappeared abruptly, his eyes fading back to their normal amber.
As his vision cleared he could finally see who was crouched on the ground in front of him. Scarlet robes that matched the small red bows in the short brown hair were the first colors to distinguish. He groaned inwardly as he realized who was in front as the green of her eyes focused. His expression softened slightly when he noticed the deep concern flickering in her eyes.
"Are you all right, Prince Li?"
"Aa. I'm fine. You're a Star mage," he muttered weakly.
A small giggle erupted to the right of him, and as he turned his gaze, he realized that the girl's hand was still on his face. He pulled back abruptly, a faint blush tinting his cheeks, but Sakura hadn't noticed. Instead her eyes were transfixed on the people off to his right, including one rapidly drawing black haired princess.
"Kawaii!!" Syaoran winced and braced himself for what came next. Four girls poured out from the side of them and tackled Sakura.
"Have you ever seen such a cute girl?" said Fie Mie, wearing a light blue dress with flowers embroidered here and there.
"Look at her face, kawaii!" said Fuutie, wearing a matching dress of yellow.
"And the clothes are just so adorable!" said Fan Ran, wearing the same dress in black.
"And her green eyes are so pretty!" said Xie Fa, wearing blue.
All together: "Kawaii!!"
Sakura sat there, a little awe struck and too surprised to move. Her hand had dropped as soon as the sisters bombarded her, but she still sat in the same position. Her eyes were wide in confusion and a faint blush flecked her cheeks. Who were these people?
Syaoran had quickly crawled away, much to the amusement of Eriol who had seen the whole thing. Sakura being the first person to arrive on the scene, with her hair tousled from sleep and her eyes wide with concern. She was soon followed by Tomoyo, wearing a light blue spring dress that required no corset for her lithe figure. As Sakura barreled through Syaoran's massive raw magic waves, Syaoran's sisters had arrived. Each of the girl's wore identical expressions of concern, and would have moved forward if Eriol hadn't told them not too. Next, came several people Eriol did not know, but he could sense the magic radiating from them. Of course, Syaoran would have waken every magical being within a ten mile radius with that tantrum. Lastly, though he was pretty sure Syaoran still hadn't noticed, Queen Yelan and Vizier Kinomoto arrived.
Needless to say, the scene was chaotic now with at least a dozen or more people talking all at once. Most demanded to know what happened, but were drowned out by the quartet of voices that were cooing over Sakura. Only a few were silent in this group, but they were in too much shock to trust their voices anyway.
Queen Yelan's piercing gaze noted that Syaoran looked terrified, with only a little anger left fighting in his eyes. The sorceress looked confused as she looked from one sister to the next. Her daughters were once again causing a scene. Eriol looked smug. The Princess Tomoyo had her nose buried into a piece of paper, and the lead writing utensil whisking rapidly along. Fujitaka looked rattled and confused, with the others mimicking his expression.
Deciding that she wanted answers, she asked, "What is going on here?" The soft force of her voice silenced the crowd at once. All eyes turned towards her, many with their mouths hanging open. "Well?"
Syaoran looked down at the ground, refusing to meet his mother's gaze. He felt her heated gaze finally land on him, and he winced slightly waiting for the tirade.
"I'm sorry, your highness," came Eriol's reply. "It was mostly my fault. I was being stupid and annoyed Xiao Lang."
Yelan's eye fell onto the blue haired boy. Annoyance wouldn't have caused Syaoran to loose his temper and break out his powers. Her eyes turned to look at the sorceress, who was sitting on the ground looking at Syaoran. An inquisitive eyebrow rose, but she made no comment.
"So who stopped the Apocalypse?" asked Fujitaka, blunt and to the point as usual.
"I did, I think," mumbled Sakura, her eyes focusing on her father. Her hands were now folded in her lap as she twisted the fabric of her robes nervously. She never liked being the center of attention especially when she didn't even know what she did. All she could recall was the sudden disappearance of the raw magic when she touched his face to wipe away the tear.
Four female voices started talking at once, crowding around Yelan. Each of them trying to retell the version they saw of the two mages. They, to say the least, were highly more inventive stories talking about how Sakura had come to ease the broken heart of their dear younger brother. Syaoran and Sakura just watched open mouthed, growing redder in the face with each passing word spilling form the girls.
Yelan held up her hand. "I think that is enough for now. I will speak to Miss Kinomoto, Eriol, and my son later. Now all of you go. The day has begun and there is much more to do." Yelan turned with the four girls following, back into the palace. Tomoyo rushed over and grabbed Sakura running off through the gardens, dragging the dazed sorceress. The others grudgingly disappeared back inside, leaving the original occupants of Eriol and Syaoran.
"That was interesting," Eriol mused.
"Don't even start with me," Syaoran said, picking himself off the ground and dusting off his brown pants.
"I meant to say, I think some of the girl's magic leaked out."
"So you realized it was locked too, huh?"
Eriol nodded. "Star magic... hmmm... That actually would make sense."
"What do you mean?"
"The Clow Cards were made with sun and moon magic. The only other magic you can use to change those cards would have been black, white, and star. It is obvious that she's not a white mage since she isn't at the temple nor a black mage because their magic is impossible to seal. That only leaves star magic."
Syaoran looked at Eriol in surprise. He never knew that before. He assumed that all magical users had the ability to use the cards, but he never knew that in order to control them only certain types were acceptable. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"
"I didn't know. I learned that from my other half. Quite an interesting fellow, he is."
Syaoran sighed. "I'm going to take a bath."
"And I'm going to talk to Sakura-chan." Eriol was about to leave off in the direction of the garden when a rock hit his head.
"You are going to your room until I'm ready to talk to you!" growled Syaoran. "And by then you had better have some decent answers."
Eriol sighed and turned to walk back into the palace following Syaoran. However, the fuming prince never did see the small smirk gracing the lips of his annoying friend.
Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura
Chapter 8
"Do you think Yelan would go as far as to marry off the prince while they are gone," murmured an elderly masculine voice. He sat in a large silver chair with a spiked upper rim that pointed upward like hands reaching for the sky. He wore a black robe that shimmered silver each time he moved. His weathered hands laid delicately below his chin as he surveyed the room. Quan Lang was the high elder of the magical council. He and five other mages helped and protected the Maho Kingdom or, as the viewpoint of the Li Clan, to destroy it. His piercing ice blue eyes glared at each of the other elders trying to see which one would speak first.
"Her majesty is wise. She will not defy the will of the council. If anything it will be the boy who will defy us. He is strong minded and refuses to listen to anything but his own voice," said another voice. This one belonged to another male, far younger than Elder Lang. He had short black hair that was slicked smooth. He had yellow-green eyes that looked much like that of a snake or a feline. He had a pointy nose and a permanent scowl on his features. He wore a dark green robe with a black sash around the waist. Lam Heung was an Earth mage and the highest classed based on the sash around his waist.
"Elder Heung, I think you overestimate the dear boy. He's far too wrapped up in himself to go out and find his own woman. Besides, it is well known that he doesn't want to get married. It will be impossible for him to even think about trying it," a female voice snapped. Her long brown hair hung over her shoulder in a tight braid. Her burgundy eyes were devoid of any glint in the semi dark room, and her red painted nails tapped endlessly on her chair's arm rest. Elder Ai Diem wore a red robe signifying her as a fire mage.
Elder Heung snorted his derision at the comment before another elder spoke. "You treat him too week," said another man. His soft white beard and cheery gold eyes bespoke a kind nature to this man. His gold robes glittered even in the dank room. This sun mage was everything that represented a cheerful sunny day. It was actually quite sickening for some of the people in the room to stomach at times. However, Elder Beng Thuy was very shrewd at times, and his information was sometimes invaluable to the council. "Xiao Lang is a fighter and a darn good one, I might add. If we step on his toes too many times he will snap, and strike back better than Diem's vipers do."
"There is nothing to fear at the present, either way. Yelan knows that the law states that the heir must marry another magical being or accept the will of the council." This voice resounded from the quietest and youngest of their number, Elder Cheh Zihong. He was a water mage, with dark blue robes to match his light blue eyes and long blue hair. One could even say that the boy, no older than twenty, even had blue lips. He was well known for his beauty and almost feminine like features, but just like all in this room he was as sharp minded as a pin. "We have not found another sorceress outside of our realm powerful enough to take the position as queen."
"Unless he goes and raids the Temple Yume," snickered the final voice of the council. Elder Jeong Wanqing was the final mage representing wind with his yellow robes. He was chosen as a last resort five years ago when one of the elders past away. He, therefore was treated with little to no respect, but he never seemed to mind it. He was just glad enough to be one of the dissenting voices against the acts of the council, even if some of his ideas were not quite 'all together.' His blonde hair was beginning to gray and his black eyes twinkled with something akin to mischief.
"I think," started Heung, his green robes moving slightly, "that there is a mage powerful enough to be a problem."
A deadly silence filled the air before the High Elder, Lang, spoke, "You speak of the ripple that has been flickering?"
"I do."
"That's ridiculous!" snapped Diem. "My seers have found nothing to show that the ripple is anything but a mere distortion. It can't be caused by an one mage!"
"Calm yourself, Elder Diem," spoke Zihong, his blue eyes flashing. "Just because you don't believe there is a female more powerful than you that doesn't make it truth."
"You know it could be Eriol up to his usual trick, Heung," said Wanqing.
"It isn't," Heung replied, his viper eyes narrowing to slits. "My students and I have discovered that the presence is coming from outside the Maho Kingdom, and is nothing like we have ever felt. We are still unsure if the being is male or female, but we are positive that the sorcerer has a lock on their magic."
"A lock?" muttered Thuy. "I thought locks had been disbanded by Clow Reed. How can there be a lock?"
"We believe that this lock was created by Clow Reed," Heung stated. "In fact, we are finding that the being's aura is intermixed with that of Clow Reed's magic."
"The Book of Clow has been opened?" asked the High Elder.
"Actually, we suspect that it was opened almost six years ago when the huge crack in the magic continuum occurred."
Whispering began around the room. Magic as a whole was always viewed as a large river that flowed infinitely long with occasional flares marking the births of new wizards. When a large or powerful magical aura was born a ripple or crack would appear in the river. A crack usually signified a very powerful magic had been released all at once, while a ripple slowly grew in size as the wizard causing the ripple improved in ability.
"I feared as much."
Everyone in the room froze and turned toward the High Elder. "The person you are referring to is still very much a child."
"Wait. You know who the sorcerer is that is causing this?" asked Thuy.
"Not know, just speculate." Lang sighed and leaned his head back against the chair. "The child should be nearing their sixteenth birthday soon."
"Sixteenth?!" shrieked Diem. "When were you planning on telling us?! The ripple has been growing since the crack!"
"Actually it has been growing since the child's birth. The crack finally brought attention to it. After all, when it was finally seen, mages began to panic about demons taking over the world," responded Lang.
"Splendid," Wanqing said. "If it's a girl then the prince can marry her. A powerful sorceress will make this kingdom strong."
"You dimwit," snapped Zihong, his blue robes swishing as he stood up. "We need the boy to marry his cousin! That wench was born to rule! We can't have some ignorant brat stepping in!"
Wanqing stood up as well. "Oh yes, we must stick to the cousin because she's under the influence of the council. Heaven forbid we let the prince choose his life instead of us!"
Diem glowered, contemplating the situation. "Be quiet. We need to know more about this 'ripple' before we start chewing each other out. I suggest we send out a mage or two to find the child."
"And send the cousin to the Shounin Kingdom to keep the prince in line," finished Lang.
"All right," broke in the elder. "Send out a few mages to see if they can find anything. As for the cousin, she will probably end up there too late to stop anything if the prince has already found a new bride. However, send her out. She'll cause enough mayhem to keep Yelan's nose out of our business. This meeting is concluded." A loud resounding bang echoed through the room and the elders shuffled out of the room muttering and complaining to each other.
~~ ~~ ~~
Syaoran swung his sword around again, his green shirt loosely cut for just this type of exercise. He wore brown pants and matching gloves that currently held his sword. He was standing outside in the same place he did every day since they came to this kingdom. It had been two days since he had last seen the sorceress, Sakura. Much to his annoyance, he couldn't get her out of his mind. Something was really bugging him about her. There were just too many gaps where there should have been something to explain everything. And yet, he still had no idea what he was missing. The girl had magic, that he was positive of, but how much he could only guess. She appeared to know little about the magical world, but still enough to slide by without making a complete fool out of herself. Then there was also the fact that she had not been picked up by the Elders.
That fact bothered him the most. It was clear to him that either the Elders didn't know anything, or they were keeping a tight lid on this whole thing. Could Sakura really have stronger magical powers than himself? It was highly possible. He knew for sure that the girl had a lock on her magic, and he also concluded that there had to be at least more magical powers hidden in it than the lock was made to hold. Whoever placed that lock obviously didn't know how powerful she would get.
Of course that thought puzzled him even more. Why would anyone put a lock on her magic? What had been the point of it? Maybe the Elders did know of her and attempted to block out her magic. After all, if he found a more powerful sorceress he could marry her instead of his annoying cousin. Not that Meiling was bad or anything, its just she became more like a leech than a human. She clung to him and yet still obeyed the Elders with great ease. She had been fooled into believing that she would make a great queen for him, but had failed to see how much the council planned to control her if she succeeded in obtaining the thrown. It was sad, really.
He swung his sword one last time through the air. He sighed and rubbed a gloved hand over his sweaty brow. When did his life become so complicated? His mind drifted back to the girl with the lively green eyes. In just one dance, his entire being seemed to have become more of a jumbled mess. He was completely lost, now, at how to go about his plans for the future because of her. He needed a road map just to keep his heads out of the clouds. He sighed again. He had been doing that a lot lately, too.
"GAH!" He dropped his sword and jumped, trampled, cursed, and fisted his hands in his hair for a good five minutes. "Get out!"
"Sorry," came another voice.
Syaoran turned to see Eriol grinning ear to ear and not the least bit sorry to interrupt the prince's tantrum. He was wearing blue pants that matched the rims of his glasses and a nice crisp white shirt. Syaoran glared daggers at his 'friend' before growling incoherent curses as he picked up his things. "What do you want?!" he snapped.
"What? No good morning? Or how are you my Cute Ancestor? Or what have you been doing, my dear friend?" Eriol said with a smug sound to his voice. "One would think you didn't like me, my cute little descendant."
"Shut up," growled Syaoran again.
"Certainly, but first I have something to talk to you about."
A pause stretched out until Syaoran's sanity snapped. "WELL?!"
Eriol rubbed his ears slightly at the harsh, loud sound. "You really need to work on your manners, Xiao Lang. I do all this work covering for you and finding out pertinent information for you. And this is the thanks I get? Sheesh." Eriol threw his hands up in mock exasperation.
"Just spill it, gaki."
Eriol sighed and shook his head. "All right, but don't shoot the messenger." Eriol paused again, making sure he had the full attention of the prince before he continued. "First of all, your cousin is on her way here. Saw it in the water up in Kinomoto-sensei's tower."
Syaoran knew what he was talking about. Every type of magic had some 'seer' magic, meaning that they could see things from the past, present, or future. Eriol was able to see all three, though his strongest visions came from the past. Of course, this is expected considering that Eriol had half the soul of Clow Reed. Using such things like water, mirrors, dreams, or any other kind of reflective surface, a mage could 'see' things. Syaoran wasn't very good at controlling the visions, and thus was one of many that was not called to be an actual seer.
Syaoran frowned. Meiling here would cause problems. He had no doubt that the council sent her to make sure he stayed chaste to his betrothed. He snorted his derision. He would not bend to their tyranny even if he had to marry some peasant girl to get rid of them.
"Then second, I'm sure is of more importance to you. Kinomoto-sensei has the second half of Clow Reed's soul."
"And that's important, how?"
Eriol grinned. "His daughter has the cards."
A silence drew as the prince tried to digest this information. He suddenly felt sick, feeling the bile hanging at the back of his throat. If she had the cards-
"Not only that, but the cards are hers. Completely. There is only a small trace of Clow Reed's magic in them." Eriol winced inwardly, hoping that his friend would not blow up. It had been the prince's dream to own and control the magical forces of the cards. In fact, almost every wizard that had heard of the cards wanted the power held in them. Now that a new power had already claimed them, none could touch the power until the death of the new owner. Eriol prayed that Syaoran wouldn't be so rash as to kill the girl to get what he wanted.
The silence became deafening, but Syaoran hardly noticed. His mind was going in ninety different directions. Once again that girl had screwed up his train of thought. Now what was he going to do? Part of his plan was now gone! His shoulders sagged in defeat. He couldn't believe all the rotten luck that came his way. The cards had been the key factor to get rid of the Elders. Now it was gone. He would never be free from them.
He collapsed to his knees and slammed his fist into the ground. The ground shook slightly, but not because of his fist. His conflicting emotions had released his magic freely. In bright green waves, the magic pulsed off of him causing more shifting and shaking of the ground. His amber eyes had turned a dark brown, the pupils missing completely. He had lost control of his life. He had lost control of his magic.
Eriol sighed. This was not what he had been hoping for. "Xiao Lang, you need to calm down. Getting over emotional over this, is not going to help you. It's not the end of the world if Sakura has the cards." It wasn't working. His voice was just not getting through to the boy. The ground was shaking more and almost a roaring sound erupted that only ones of magic could hear. "GET A GRIP!" Eriol yelled. He had only yelled a few times in his life, and he hoped the shock would get to the huddled boy on the ground.
It didn't. Syaoran was starting to loose the rest of his control, as the sound of the raw magic enveloped him, blocking out all other sounds. It just wasn't fair! His whole life he had been trying to escape the clutches of the Elders and their tyrannical persecution. They had tormented his mother, though indirectly, and made every effort to get rid of anyone or anything that could stand in their way. They had made his first friend leave! He had been only six, but he knew they had made her leave! He ditched those classes because of her!
At the time he hadn't known why she had disappeared, but two years later he overheard Elder Heung talking about the success of eliminating his old teacher and a few other interfering personnel. The council wanted to make sure that he, the prince, remained unpolluted by others the council disapproved of. He started to rebel again, but this time not from magic and training, but from people.
That was the year Eriol had come to the palace and became a page like himself. They became fast friends because they had similar goals. The first was to become as strong and powerful as they could. The second, eliminate the ones that tried to rule over their lives. So far, only Eriol had accomplished those goals to any extent.
Syaoran screamed in his mind. He wanted so much to be free of his cage. To just run away would be wonderful, but he could never leave his mother alone. He had to be strong and brave for her. A tear leaked out of one of his eyes. But he couldn't take it anymore. He had to-
A soothing presence cut off his thoughts. He vaguely registered the faint pink aura that gently caressed his shaking, green. It was starting to calm the waves of raw magic, and he felt himself grow calmer. A hesitant hand touched his face, brushing away the stray tear. The touch brought reality crashing back onto him. The raw magic disappeared abruptly, his eyes fading back to their normal amber.
As his vision cleared he could finally see who was crouched on the ground in front of him. Scarlet robes that matched the small red bows in the short brown hair were the first colors to distinguish. He groaned inwardly as he realized who was in front as the green of her eyes focused. His expression softened slightly when he noticed the deep concern flickering in her eyes.
"Are you all right, Prince Li?"
"Aa. I'm fine. You're a Star mage," he muttered weakly.
A small giggle erupted to the right of him, and as he turned his gaze, he realized that the girl's hand was still on his face. He pulled back abruptly, a faint blush tinting his cheeks, but Sakura hadn't noticed. Instead her eyes were transfixed on the people off to his right, including one rapidly drawing black haired princess.
"Kawaii!!" Syaoran winced and braced himself for what came next. Four girls poured out from the side of them and tackled Sakura.
"Have you ever seen such a cute girl?" said Fie Mie, wearing a light blue dress with flowers embroidered here and there.
"Look at her face, kawaii!" said Fuutie, wearing a matching dress of yellow.
"And the clothes are just so adorable!" said Fan Ran, wearing the same dress in black.
"And her green eyes are so pretty!" said Xie Fa, wearing blue.
All together: "Kawaii!!"
Sakura sat there, a little awe struck and too surprised to move. Her hand had dropped as soon as the sisters bombarded her, but she still sat in the same position. Her eyes were wide in confusion and a faint blush flecked her cheeks. Who were these people?
Syaoran had quickly crawled away, much to the amusement of Eriol who had seen the whole thing. Sakura being the first person to arrive on the scene, with her hair tousled from sleep and her eyes wide with concern. She was soon followed by Tomoyo, wearing a light blue spring dress that required no corset for her lithe figure. As Sakura barreled through Syaoran's massive raw magic waves, Syaoran's sisters had arrived. Each of the girl's wore identical expressions of concern, and would have moved forward if Eriol hadn't told them not too. Next, came several people Eriol did not know, but he could sense the magic radiating from them. Of course, Syaoran would have waken every magical being within a ten mile radius with that tantrum. Lastly, though he was pretty sure Syaoran still hadn't noticed, Queen Yelan and Vizier Kinomoto arrived.
Needless to say, the scene was chaotic now with at least a dozen or more people talking all at once. Most demanded to know what happened, but were drowned out by the quartet of voices that were cooing over Sakura. Only a few were silent in this group, but they were in too much shock to trust their voices anyway.
Queen Yelan's piercing gaze noted that Syaoran looked terrified, with only a little anger left fighting in his eyes. The sorceress looked confused as she looked from one sister to the next. Her daughters were once again causing a scene. Eriol looked smug. The Princess Tomoyo had her nose buried into a piece of paper, and the lead writing utensil whisking rapidly along. Fujitaka looked rattled and confused, with the others mimicking his expression.
Deciding that she wanted answers, she asked, "What is going on here?" The soft force of her voice silenced the crowd at once. All eyes turned towards her, many with their mouths hanging open. "Well?"
Syaoran looked down at the ground, refusing to meet his mother's gaze. He felt her heated gaze finally land on him, and he winced slightly waiting for the tirade.
"I'm sorry, your highness," came Eriol's reply. "It was mostly my fault. I was being stupid and annoyed Xiao Lang."
Yelan's eye fell onto the blue haired boy. Annoyance wouldn't have caused Syaoran to loose his temper and break out his powers. Her eyes turned to look at the sorceress, who was sitting on the ground looking at Syaoran. An inquisitive eyebrow rose, but she made no comment.
"So who stopped the Apocalypse?" asked Fujitaka, blunt and to the point as usual.
"I did, I think," mumbled Sakura, her eyes focusing on her father. Her hands were now folded in her lap as she twisted the fabric of her robes nervously. She never liked being the center of attention especially when she didn't even know what she did. All she could recall was the sudden disappearance of the raw magic when she touched his face to wipe away the tear.
Four female voices started talking at once, crowding around Yelan. Each of them trying to retell the version they saw of the two mages. They, to say the least, were highly more inventive stories talking about how Sakura had come to ease the broken heart of their dear younger brother. Syaoran and Sakura just watched open mouthed, growing redder in the face with each passing word spilling form the girls.
Yelan held up her hand. "I think that is enough for now. I will speak to Miss Kinomoto, Eriol, and my son later. Now all of you go. The day has begun and there is much more to do." Yelan turned with the four girls following, back into the palace. Tomoyo rushed over and grabbed Sakura running off through the gardens, dragging the dazed sorceress. The others grudgingly disappeared back inside, leaving the original occupants of Eriol and Syaoran.
"That was interesting," Eriol mused.
"Don't even start with me," Syaoran said, picking himself off the ground and dusting off his brown pants.
"I meant to say, I think some of the girl's magic leaked out."
"So you realized it was locked too, huh?"
Eriol nodded. "Star magic... hmmm... That actually would make sense."
"What do you mean?"
"The Clow Cards were made with sun and moon magic. The only other magic you can use to change those cards would have been black, white, and star. It is obvious that she's not a white mage since she isn't at the temple nor a black mage because their magic is impossible to seal. That only leaves star magic."
Syaoran looked at Eriol in surprise. He never knew that before. He assumed that all magical users had the ability to use the cards, but he never knew that in order to control them only certain types were acceptable. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"
"I didn't know. I learned that from my other half. Quite an interesting fellow, he is."
Syaoran sighed. "I'm going to take a bath."
"And I'm going to talk to Sakura-chan." Eriol was about to leave off in the direction of the garden when a rock hit his head.
"You are going to your room until I'm ready to talk to you!" growled Syaoran. "And by then you had better have some decent answers."
Eriol sighed and turned to walk back into the palace following Syaoran. However, the fuming prince never did see the small smirk gracing the lips of his annoying friend.
