Chapter 24
The Final Target, and the Return of the Demon Army
Deep within the basement of the mansion, disaster struck.
Rubble piled up on the ground. Guards were strewn about on the floor, unconscious. Shelves of books had fallen over and their contents were destroyed. But worst of all, the lock of the cage containing Koji had been picked open.
Sakura's head dangled and bounced up and down as she slept. Syaoran's did the same in the bed across from her. Both of their cheeks were bright red. They were exhausted, but they still dreamt of that final dance under the stars together. Syaoran even held his arms out in his sleep, as if he was still dancing. He moved in, as if to accept a kiss.
"WAKE UP! EMERGENCY! A maid screamed from the hallway. Startled, Sakura and Syaoran both leapt with shock and landed promptly on their heads. "OW!" they screamed in unison.
"Huh? What? Is something going on?" Syaoran asked, still half asleep. "Just five more minutes." Sakura said, drifting off to sleep again, only that on the floor. "I'll get up soon, Kero."
"EMERGENCY!" The scream came again. This time, Sakura and Syaoran knew something was wrong. They drowsily got up and walked to the door. when it was flung open. They both landed on top of each other as a maid entered. "Oh! So sorry! Are you two okay?" Sakura stood up and rubbed her backside and her head. "A sore back, head, and a few other minor pains, but we're alright. What's wrong?"
The maid managed to calm down somewhat. She took a deep breath. "It's. Koji. He. he was locked in the basement, but he managed to pick the lock. Normally, this would be no problem for our guards, but. there's. there's. I just can't."
Syaoran put his hands on the maid's shoulders. "Calm down. What is there? What did Koji do?"
"He. He managed. he just. The guards were knocked senseless by Koji, except for one, who managed to stay awake, but barely. She saw him. he. He summoned an army to back him!"
BOOM! The door behind them suddenly exploded and was engulfed in flames. The three of them dropped to the ground and covered their heads. However, the maid still fell unconscious. When they turned around, only a black figure in the billowing smoke was visible. Suddenly, the figure made his identity more obvious.
He stepped forward to reveal his identity. he was a tall, dark man, with a well-combed head of black hair. His eyes were covered by a pair of opaque sunglasses. He was clad in. a tuxedo.
Sakura covered her face. "Is. that what I think it is?" Syaoran growled. "A demon! He is! I can feel it."
The man in the tuxedo laughed. "You're both very astute. Indeed, I am one who you remember from your previous battles. And I've been sent here to make sure you don't meddle in any more affairs of Koji!" Ignoring the stunned Syaoran and Sakura, he continued.
"My master has sent you a final message: 'To my dearly beloved rivals,'" the demon said in perfect imitation, as if possessed by Koji, "'I have discovered something far more sinister than what you may have already imagined. But it's such a pity that the only ones who will be able to appreciate the sheer genius of my plan at full will forever be trapped in the past. Well, that's not necessarily true. I happen to have a friend or two of yours with me. It's time to bid you all a final adieu.'"
"Grrr. What does any of that mean?!" Syaoran demanded to know. The villain chuckled. "Quite simply, it means that the Day of Sadin's Revival is no longer necessary. Our master came to realize, why REVIVE HIS master, when he himself could SURPASS him in strength! And since you two always seem to get in the way, as we speak, some of my fellow comrades are sealing you in this time. PERMANENTLY!"
Sakura sobbed. "Trapped?! Here?! Tomoyo, Mia, Kero? Where are they?"
The demon smiled. "Oh, your friends? Well, we couldn't find that little stuffed animal friend of yours, but those other two. They're not here anymore. We decided that keeping the five of you together was a dangerous idea, so we will keep that blonde and that black-haired girl with Koji back in the present while he finishes the plans!"
Tears began to pour from Sakura's eyes. "Tomoyo. Mia." she whispered. Syaoran was slightly less saddened by these turn of events, and instead boiled in fury. "You. I won't. You c-can't. There's no chance on Earth we'll let you just walk in and trap us here! We're going back to rescue Tomoyo and Mia, and I won't let any of you stand in our way!" There was a moment of silence. "Boy. you two don't have a choice! C'mon in!"
From where the door had been blown off his hinges, 4 more demons proceeded to enter and held up a weapon at the pair. Guns, swords, and bows. "So, as you can plainly see, it would be best for you to just sit down and keep quiet."
Syaoran, though, noticed something out of the corner of his eyes. He smirked. "No. We're not going to give up. We've come too far to just surrender! And as long as I have Sakura by my side, I can and WILL keep fighting, no matter what!"
Sakura's face reddened. "Syaoran.? Ummm. thanks. I'm. I'm going to keep fighting, too, as long as I have my friends to help me."
The arrogant smirk on the main demon's face turned to a scowl. He gripped his sword even harder as he gnashed his teeth. "You two really want to die, don't you? So be it!"
"WIND!" A gust of air blew throughout the room, causing 4 of the 5 demons to be blown right out the open window to the sea. The one remaining tuxedo, the one that was going on about the plans of his master, turned around. "Aerin!" he screamed and raised his sword in a desperate attempt to strike her before she did, but it was too late. A yellow streak flew through the air and tackled him. Before anyone knew what had happened, Keroberos lifted the man up by his shirt, carried him to the open window, and dropped him, so the demon landed face down in the sand, unable to get unstuck from his sandy tomb.
Kero laughed out loud. "Well, that's the last we'll see of him. Are you all okay?" Sakura fell on her knees and tears started pour down her cheeks.
"Hey, what's wrong, kiddo? Did that guy hurt you before Aerin and I arrived?" Sakura wiped her tears away and shook her head.
"No. It's just. Tomoyo. Mia. they've both been. captured. We may never see them again. And if we don't find where and how we're going to be sealed back in time. We'll never see them again."
Kero smiled and closed his eyes. Calmly, he reassured her, "Sakura, you don't have to worry. Tomoyo and Mia are perfectly safe. I can tell you that for sure." "Hoe?" Sakura looked up, "How do you know that?" Aerin also smiled, she walked to the hallway, and she waved down it. Immediately, two young girls entered. "Because they're here!" Aerin finally answered.
Sakura's tears began to come down again. "Tomoyo? Mia? You're. you're." She couldn't hold it in any longer. She leapt into Tomoyo's arms and rested her head on Tomoyo's shoulders. "I was so afraid they may have done something to you."
Tomoyo returned a smile. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan. We were on our way to be taken with Koji, but Kero and Aerin saved us, then we heard the explosion that apparently happened at the door. But even if we were taken with him, we wouldn't have given up. Not as long as we knew you were still fighting." Sakura smiled. "Arigotou, Tomoyo-chan." The two hugged for a moment.
Mia finally built up the nerve to end the relieving reunion. "I hate to break this up, since that was a very close call, but if we don't do something soon, we'll be stuck in the past. Permanently. Then, who will stop Koji from doing whatever he is going to do now?"
Aerin smirked with an almost evil look in her eyes. "There's no need for that. I knew Koji would do that. I predicted it last night. So, I decided to set up a little trap. I really wanted to warn you, but I needed Koji to believe we were clueless. Takumi is out cleaning up the rest of the demons in the streets, checking for any remaining forces. Kero was here because he knew he'd get the best chance to protect you if he followed me. I need some allies to help, after all. But, back to the point: The demon that you all saw right here was a little outdated in his information. Not only were Tomoyo and Mia safe, but there's no way to trap you all here, anymore."
Sakura clapped her hands together and her eyes pen wide. "Really? We're not in any real danger?" "No," Aerin replied. "You see, we rescued Mia and Tomoyo with an ambush over the city streets. When the demons walked under, carrying them, we swooped down. But that was also a signal. It told Takumi. umm." she blushed, "I mean, my husband." In her quietest voice and with a completely red face, she added, "I'll never get used to saying that. Errr. Sorry! I got a little distracted there. As I was saying, that was also a signal. As soon as we jumped, I had my husband run to the place where the spell to seal everyone here would be cast in preparation. Let's just say once Takumi was through with the spell casters, they were in for a long ocean trip on a small raft. Especially since we had our OWN casters there to block all of their attacks."
Syaoran laughed. "Aerin, you really do think of everything." His smile quickly died, though. A look of concerned glazed over his face. "However. The demon did say one thing that I don't understand. but, well, first, maybe I should ask HOW these demons even exist."
Sakura and Syaoran then began to picture scenes in their minds of their previous adventure and explained it to those who weren't there or didn't remember it. They recalled at the very end, they journeyed deep into the castle of Sadin. A flood of demons in tuxedos was created with a special jewel. However, that jewel was shattered by Syaoran's sword and it was supposedly what caused every demon to disappear in all of time.
"It doesn't make any sense." Mia thought aloud as she paced the room. "I remember it like it was yesterday. Sadin had created the army, we smashed the crystal into nothingness, and the monsters vanished. Where could Koji have gotten some of these dangerous minions? And then why would one of his lackeys say that they have a new plan? Don't they wish to revive Sadin, still?"
Aerin sighed. "I think I know the answer, but I'm not so sure you're going to like it."
Everyone had a seat on the bed in a minute. Keroberos had reverted to his smaller size and sat in Sakura's lap. Aerin, however, was quite uneasy. She could not sit still on the other bed and continued to pace, sweating as she went. "Is something bothering you, Aerin?" Tomoyo asked with a lot of concern in her expression. "You look like you're burning up, but it's quite cool." Aerin shook her head. "I am feeling rather hot under the collar, but that's not why I'm sweating. You see. it has finally occurred to me what has happened, or so I believe. You have asked where Koji received these foes of ours and you asked what he plans to do next. I can answer both with one answer: The Mirror of Time."
"Hoe?" Sakura exclaimed. "I'm a bit confused. I thought the Mirror of Time was just what Koji used to travel through time. How does that answer either question?"
Mia scratched her chin. "I. think I understand. Maybe. Are you implying that Koji has actually found a way to use that mirror to take these demons from the past-No, not just the past, or the future, as the case would have been with regards to when we fought Sadin. But in any case, Koji would have to have enough power to reach through dimensions and actually pull these foul things through time again and bring them here."
Aerin's eyes bulged. "That's amazing! That's exactly what I was going to say. Granted, it's not proven, but that's most likely what happened. That's how Koji has received an army: he has learned to borrow from his Ex- master's army in time."
"Huh?" Syaoran grunted. He looked perplexed, like he had just heard them all say complete jargon. "Did you say EX-master? Why would Sadin no longer be Koji's master? Doesn't Koji want to revive him?"
Aerin sighed. "That's what I was getting to next. I've noticed. the rage building inside Koji. He's yet to show his true power. Surely you've noticed his increase in strength, even in his brief time here. I'm guessing he didn't have much power at all when you first met him." Syaoran nodded. "I suppose your right. As we've gone along, he's become more vicious. more powerful. even more hateful. I mean, at first, he was kind of a klutz. but now. We're just lucky to be alive."
Aerin took a deep breath. "That is the cause of the Mirror of Time. It's an old, evil artifact of a civilization lost long ago. A race of people, before people were ever known to exist in Japan, according to historians, prospered. However, the small population grew. And grew. Finding little land to expand on, the army of the populous left in search of new lands. but the Elders of the village decided a frontal invasion was too costly anywhere. So, they called upon the aid of every magician they knew. Together, they decided they could rule the world. all they had to do was create a means in which to send troops back into time at strategic points in history and they could conquer any land. Thus, the Mirror of Time was created. However, the people of the land thought this power was far too great to be used by one man. The people felt their leader was becoming corrupt. Eventually, their King decided to use it to make himself as close to a God as could be. He wanted to rule everything. The people revolted and."
WHAM! Aerin slammed her hand and a book down onto the floor. "The people overthrew him. He was exiled, and the mirror was buried in a temple they prayed would never be opened again. However, the King swore his vengeance. He claimed he would return one day to claim rule to what was rightfully his. HE never returned, though, and the few who knew of the mirror felt he would still come back day, that his spirit would forever haunt that mirror."
Syaoran choked hard as Sakura clung to his neck, trembling and drenched in sweat. "SCARY! I HATE GHOST STORIES!" Syaoran finally managed to release Sakura's death-grip from his throat and breathe. "I thought I was going to suffocate. AHEM. anyway, there's no need to worry. I'm sure that was all just a myth."
"No, what I have said has been all truth." Aerin said gravely, her hands clasped in front of her. "The Li clan has always kept records of it. However, we don't have any record of anything that may have happened yet from this. But my guess is this greedy king is within the mirror. When Koji found it, the evil and greed and power of the king was transferred into him. It's only a guess though. If this is true."
Aerin took a deep breath. "Koji may be more powerful than Sadin ever was. He may cause more damage than if he ever revived his FORMER master."
The room fell silent. "But don't worry. Koji can't bring it out too fast. It takes him time to release this power. You can beat him if you try within the allotted time. But now, rest. Then, we'll send you back to the present. Everything should be normal then, but look for anything suspicious. As for me. I have to go think about this some more. I'll see you all after some rest. And don't worry about any more interruptions. We have more guards on patrol than ever. We're safe." Sakura and the others gave her a "good night" and then turned in to their beds.
Dawn came what seemed like hours earlier than normal. However, relaxation had kicked back in and they all felt much better after the night's assault. Morning came casually. After everyone awoke and bathed, they all went to the dining room for some breakfast.
After breakfast, everyone was called to the front gate. When they reached their destination, they found Aerin and Takumi sitting on the side of a large fountain to the left of the gate. Aerin was holding onto his arm, holding perfectly still. Before them, a man sat with a canvas, ready to paint.
"Ohayo gozaimasu! (Good morning)" Aerin said to them. "Ohayo!" They all replied. Takumi turned to them. "We were going to get our wedding picture painted today. and. since the wedding could not have taken place without you, we thought it would be great if you could join us." Tomoyo smiled in reply. "That sounds wonderful! We'd be honored to!"
Together, they all sat, side by side. Aerin and Takumi were in the center, arm in arm. Tomoyo and Mia (also Kero, if you count his tail poking out of the sanctuary of Tomoyo's hair) were on the right, chatting. On the left.
"Ummm. pardon me, young boy," the painter said, "but do you have something on your face? It's bright red. It's a bit distracting." Sakura was lying on the side of fountain, stretched out, barefoot with one foot in the water, and her head leaning up against Syaoran's shoulder. Naturally, this had his face as red as a ripe tomato. "Errr. no, I'm uhhh." He cupped his hands and splashed his face with the cool water. "I was just a little hot."
"Hmmm?" Mia noted. "Hot? But it's nearly freezing, if you ask me!" A sweat drop rolled down Syaoran's head. He turned his head away to conceal his embarrassment, but with little results. "Well. I guess maybe I'm just really sensitive to the cold. so. err."
"Sigh. You shouldn't worry about it anymore. I'm done. I've finished." The painter stood up to reveal the completed portrait. It was remarkably lifelike.
"Wow! That's so beautiful! So vivid!" Tomoyo added, "Yes, but it's such a shame we can't show it to any of our friends." Mia shook her head. "It's partially a shame and a blessing. I know relatives in Kyoto who would love to see it. but if anyone did, I'm sure they'd be curious as to how we all look so young, being well over a millennium old."
Sakura giggled quietly. "I suppose you're right. But then. now that this is over. Do we have to go back to our own time?" Aerin nodded her head then hung it. "I suppose it's for the best." Takumi smiled back, and lifted his wife's head with his hand. "Don't cry or worry. You can always come back and visit anytime you want!"
Sakura clasped her hands together and her eyes glowed. "Really? We can come back?" "I don't see anything wrong with that at all," was the reply of the newly-wed Aerin.
"Yay!" Sakura screamed with quite some enthusiasm. "I love it he-HOEEE!" Sakura was about to leap in the air, when her foot hit a rock. "Sakura!" Heroically, Syaoran stepped in and caught Sakura.
SPLASH!
.It's too bad he caught her after it was too late and they both landed in the fountain.
"Hoeee. Gomen nasai, Syaoran." "It's. it's alright, Sakura. I'm just a little wet. Well, very wet, but it's no big deal."
Tomoyo giggled and whispered to Mia, "This is so cute. This isn't the first time they've ended up like this." "Really?" "Uh-huh."
"Well, I guess we better leave, then." Syaoran said. "No, no, no! Aerin replied thrice. "I'm not going to let my descendant freeze to death!" Syaoran shook his head. "N-no! I'm fine, really! Don't waste good clothes on me." Sakura smiled. "Say, why don't you come over to my place?" She requested. "Huh?" The puzzled look on the boy's face was completely vacant. "What do you mean?" "I mean, silly, when we return, come over to my house and I can lend you some of Touya's old clothes. I can pay you back for the time you lent me a shirt, and I noticed your butler Wei wasn't around, so it must be lonely." Syaoran blushed and whispered quietly to himself, praying that no one would notice. "Stay? At her house? AHEM." He finally built up the spirit to speak. "I-I. Thank you, S-Sakura, I think I will.. I- if that's what you really want. But you're right. Wei is gone. When Koji appeared, I had him go back to Hong Kong to make sure he didn't get any ideas of tagging along. It's kind of lonely." "Then it settled! What about you two?" Sakura looked towards Tomoyo and Mia. "Do you want to sleep over, too? We need to have one extra-special get together before we do anything else!"
Tomoyo lifted her camera, lowered her head, and sparkles filled the air around her. "A night sleeping by the side of my Sakura-chan? I wouldn't miss it for the world." Mia grinned and nodded. "It sounds like fun. I could use a vacation or at least a long nap."
Sneakily, Aerin leaned over to Tomoyo and whispered. "I think we both know why Syaoran really wants to sleep over, don't we?" Tomoyo just giggled to herself.
Sakura grabbed the key from around her neck. "But. I think we should leave now, sadly. But we'll come to visit someday!" Everyone smiled. "Be sure you do," Takumi said.
"Bye bye!" "Ja ne!" "Sayonara!" The group said their goodbyes from a distance as Sakura summoned the Staff and used the Time Card.
But as the light surrounded them they heard Aerin's voice. "Do not fear the future, for if you look deep within your hearts, you shall all find the courage to endure even the hardest challenge. I see that soon, your lives shall be placed on the line again. but do not fear. You will understand soon enough, as long as you hold your friends and families in your hearts."
The wind blew through the leaves overhead. The bright sun was all that was in the sky, except for the occasional bird. In a flash of light, the 3 girls, 1 boy, and 1 Guardian beast appeared on the solid ground.
"Ah. It's nice to be back in our own time." Kero said as he flew out of his hiding place and stretched. Sakura and Syaoran's eyes were shrinking to small dots, and Tomoyo was the first to notice this. "Is something wrong, Sakura? We're back in Tomoeda and we can go home, so you should be happy, right? Besides, you always look cutest when you're smiling."
Sakura held one finger out in front of her. "Since when did we have one of THOSE at home?!"
Everyone looked to where she pointed, only instead of seeing Syaoran, Sakura, or Tomoyo's home, they found. the Li Mansion.
"WE'RE IN HONG KONG?!" Kero exclaimed. Mia slapped here face. "BAKA! I should have known. the Time Card would only take us through time, it wouldn't move us back to where we left from. We should have left for Japan BEFORE we used it!" Sakura had a tremendous sweat drop on her head. "Dad is going to be so mad when he finds out I'm in Hong Kong! But until then, he'll be worried sick! And when he finds me, I'll end up doing all the chores for 20 years!"
Syaoran took a deep breath. "Now, everyone, just calm down. We're here, but in case you haven't noticed, we're at my house. We can ask my mother for help. I hope. now all we'll have to worry about the-"
"NI HAO! SHAORAN-KUN!" Wump! Syaoran's body landed on the cold ground as a familiar voice cried out in his ear. "It's nice. to see you too, Meiling- chan." Sweat drops rolled down everyone else's heads as they stared with a bit of confusion.
"Shaoran, I didn't know you and your friends were coming! I was so bored here! But I knew you'd come back! .Say, what are the rest of you doing here, too? Is he giving you all a tour?"
Kero flew to the excited cousin of Syaoran and got up next to her face. "Actually, brat, we're here on a bit of a trip." Upon the word "brat," Meiling shoved the beast to the ground. "Actually," Tomoyo began with a lie," We were on a little sight-seeing tour of the Japanese Islands when we were blown here by bad weather. We thought it was still Japan, but." "Hmm?" Meiling wondered. "That would have to be quite a storm to blow you all the way down here. And you don't look like you're shipwrecked. though you, Shaoran, and you, Kinomoto, do look rather wet. But still, those would have to be some very rare storms to blow you all the way down here," she continued, obviously falling for Tomoyo's lie.
"Actually," said a voice, popping up in the middle of the crowd. "Yamazaki- kun?!" The group all shouted and backed away. "Storms like this were once very common near China. It was a very dangerous time. Giant waves the size of sky scrapers would come crashing down on the coastline." "HOEEEEE!" Sakura exclaimed, once again falling for his tricks. "Were they really that tall?" Yamazaki smiled, lifting one finger in the air. "Actually, they were often larger. This was back in the time when China and Japan were still attached as one piece of land. The natives hated to clear up all the debris from the waves, so every year, they made a wall on top of the last wall until the waves couldn't reach over it!" "SUGOI! (Amazing!)" was the reaction of most of the crowd, except for Mia and Chiharu, who then showed up. "It's a lie." said Chiharu, but it fell upon deaf ears.
"However," Yamazaki continued, "The wall was becoming too tall. After 50 years, the wall was over a 20 kilometers tall!" "How did they build something that tall?" Syaoran asked Sakura. She just shrugged, utterly clueless. "The wall was far too tall for its own good and began to crack. Eventually, it collapsed. This sent the upper part flying for thousands of kilometers and when it landed, it formed the Great Wall of China! The rest of the wall collapsed so hard it split China and Japan in two, and had enough left over strength to clog up any waterways to prevent most of these storms!" "Sugoi!" they all exclaimed once more.
Suddenly, there was silence. "Ummm. Yamazaki-kun? What are you doing in China, anyway?" asked Syaoran. Chiharu suddenly appeared, started to choke Yamazaki for his lies, and pushed him away, but not before answering, "Three-day weekend at school. We decided to take a vacation here." There was once again a moment of awkward silence to digest what just happened.
"Shaoran." Syaoran turned around to face another new person. "M-mom!"
"I had a feeling I might have been seeing you here."
Mia asked Kero, "But how could she know we'd be coming? Not even we knew we'd be here!"
Yelan picked up a large painting. the one from the fountain! "I was reading in the study when I happened to glance at the wall. And I wondered how my only son and his friends managed to get into the wedding portrait of our ancestors who lived around 1,000 years ago." Everyone's faces reddened. "Umm. we. we have a really good explanation for that." Syaoran muttered.
".And that's how we ended up here." Syaoran was standing in the middle of the living room. Meiling was sitting in a recliner, staring Kero down as he stood on her lap. Sakura Tomoyo, and Mia sat on the couch, as Syaoran's sisters leaned over from behind it, pinching their cheeks, rambling on for a long time on how cute they were.
Yelan stood up and paced back and forth for a minute. Sweat ran down Syaoran's brow, as he stood as rigid as a steel pole. Yelan then went to a window and stared out it for a minute, sighed, and finally spoke. "I'm very disappointed that you didn't tell me of this. Especially since I knew it all from the very start." "NANI?! (WHAT?!)" The boy exclaimed, sweating worse than ever. "I knew you were up to something, I just did not know what. However, I can tell you've been handling this situation well, and, therefore, I will let you continue and I will also help you get home." Syaoran took a sigh of relief, thanked his mother, and bowed.
"AHEM." Meiling coughed as she stood up. "If, though, you're thinking I'm going to just sit idly while my cousin fights the people who came here, you're wrong!"
Syaoran sighed once more. This day must have been hard on him. "I knew you'd want to come along. So just hurry up and we can go. Let's borrow some spare clothes to dry off with and then mother is booking us a private flight to Tomoeda. We should be home by tonight, hopefully."
5 hours or so later.
Sakura's head leaned gently on Syaoran's shoulders as they sat in their seats onboard the plane. Both of them were asleep, as were Tomoyo, Kero, Mia, and Meiling. Li's butler, Wei, was also coming back, though, as well. The plane landed safely and they were all let out. As soon as they reached the ground, they all stretched and cracked their bones. It was such a relief to be able to move around freely again. A taxi pulled up (obviously ordered) which took them into Tomoeda after a half hour's drive. Tomoyo paid the driver and they all got out. "Hoeee. It's 9 pm! Touya and dad are back! They're going to be mad." Tomoyo smiled. "Don't worry, just leave that part to me!"
Sakura smiled and held on to her new Chinese clothing. "On the bright side, we did get new outfits, so we're not wet anymore!"
A speeding car drove by, but not before hitting a giant puddle and spraying Sakura and Syaoran only with a wave of water.
".Hoeee." the two wet friends sighed aloud.
Slowly, Sakura went to the front door and opened it. Immediately, she found herself face to face with her older brother. "O-onii-chan!" He rested up against the wall. "I think we'll be needing an explanation as to why the monster is coming in late at night without warning, making dad worry? .I'd also like to know. why you're dressed like you're in China, soaking wet and." Suddenly, Touya's eyes met Syaoran's. "What is HE doing here?"
Tomoyo stepped up. "Konnichiwa, Kinomoto-san. It's my entirely my fault. You see, I was having them over at house, trying to film a reenactment of special scene from a Chinese movie I love, but we got distracted and didn't realize the time. Both of them wanted to hurry home, but they tripped into a puddle together, but rather than be even more late, they decide to come here."
Fujitaka then came to the door. "Sakura-san! Thank goodness! It was getting late and I was worried. Where were you?" "It's alright, dad," Touya said, "Daidouji explained it to me. They were just busy." Fujitaka smiled with his eyes closed. "I see. Well, it's a simple mistake. Say, all your friends, can they stay for dinner?" Sakura smiled. "Hai! That sounds great! But. ummm. I was wondering. maybe they could stay over for a sleepover? It would just be myself, Tomoyo, Mia, Meiling, and Syaoran." Fujitaka smiled. "Sure! I don't see anything wrong with that." Touya growled and pointed at Syaoran. "You want HIM to sleep in the same room as Sakura?" "Why? What's wrong with that?" their father asked. "Sigh. nothing. just forget it." "Well, it's only fitting, seeing as you have a friend over tonight."
"Hoe? You have a friend here, onii-chan?"
"Good evening, Sakura-san!" Yukito popped out. Sakura began to blush. "Y- Yukito-san. Good evening! I. err. ummm. we better get to the dinner table fast, r-right?" The entire group quickly ran inside, all except for Touya and Yukito.
Touya just stood there and growled. "Dammit, they know I hate that boy! He shouldn't be allowed to come near my little sister." Yukito chuckled. "You really do have a sister-complex, you know." "Shut up. I just. I can't explain it. I have a bad feeling about tonight."
Eriol leaned up closely to the light of his fire. "Master, is something the matter?" Spinel Sun asked, his face still buried in a book. "I have a horrible feeling. A force is coming. a face against us." Suppi closed his book. "What are you saying? We aren't in any danger."
Eriol sat silent for a moment. "I've had this feeling of dread for a while, but I hate to admit it. The only reason I wasn't following Kinomoto into these time periods is because of it. I've needed the time to understand. This is a very peculiar premonition. but I have finally figured it out. Koji is up to something no good. If he succeeds, it will be the end of not only myself, you and Ruby Moon, Kinomoto and her family, and her friends, but of many more people as well."
Suppi seemed a bit more worried at this point. "That. that is ridiculous. Koji could never do that much damage." Eriol shook his head. "No, last night, I had a vision in a dream. It was the hardest dream I've ever had to sort out. But the vision is clearer in my mind. Koji's next victim will be. Clow Reed."
To be continued.
The Final Target, and the Return of the Demon Army
Deep within the basement of the mansion, disaster struck.
Rubble piled up on the ground. Guards were strewn about on the floor, unconscious. Shelves of books had fallen over and their contents were destroyed. But worst of all, the lock of the cage containing Koji had been picked open.
Sakura's head dangled and bounced up and down as she slept. Syaoran's did the same in the bed across from her. Both of their cheeks were bright red. They were exhausted, but they still dreamt of that final dance under the stars together. Syaoran even held his arms out in his sleep, as if he was still dancing. He moved in, as if to accept a kiss.
"WAKE UP! EMERGENCY! A maid screamed from the hallway. Startled, Sakura and Syaoran both leapt with shock and landed promptly on their heads. "OW!" they screamed in unison.
"Huh? What? Is something going on?" Syaoran asked, still half asleep. "Just five more minutes." Sakura said, drifting off to sleep again, only that on the floor. "I'll get up soon, Kero."
"EMERGENCY!" The scream came again. This time, Sakura and Syaoran knew something was wrong. They drowsily got up and walked to the door. when it was flung open. They both landed on top of each other as a maid entered. "Oh! So sorry! Are you two okay?" Sakura stood up and rubbed her backside and her head. "A sore back, head, and a few other minor pains, but we're alright. What's wrong?"
The maid managed to calm down somewhat. She took a deep breath. "It's. Koji. He. he was locked in the basement, but he managed to pick the lock. Normally, this would be no problem for our guards, but. there's. there's. I just can't."
Syaoran put his hands on the maid's shoulders. "Calm down. What is there? What did Koji do?"
"He. He managed. he just. The guards were knocked senseless by Koji, except for one, who managed to stay awake, but barely. She saw him. he. He summoned an army to back him!"
BOOM! The door behind them suddenly exploded and was engulfed in flames. The three of them dropped to the ground and covered their heads. However, the maid still fell unconscious. When they turned around, only a black figure in the billowing smoke was visible. Suddenly, the figure made his identity more obvious.
He stepped forward to reveal his identity. he was a tall, dark man, with a well-combed head of black hair. His eyes were covered by a pair of opaque sunglasses. He was clad in. a tuxedo.
Sakura covered her face. "Is. that what I think it is?" Syaoran growled. "A demon! He is! I can feel it."
The man in the tuxedo laughed. "You're both very astute. Indeed, I am one who you remember from your previous battles. And I've been sent here to make sure you don't meddle in any more affairs of Koji!" Ignoring the stunned Syaoran and Sakura, he continued.
"My master has sent you a final message: 'To my dearly beloved rivals,'" the demon said in perfect imitation, as if possessed by Koji, "'I have discovered something far more sinister than what you may have already imagined. But it's such a pity that the only ones who will be able to appreciate the sheer genius of my plan at full will forever be trapped in the past. Well, that's not necessarily true. I happen to have a friend or two of yours with me. It's time to bid you all a final adieu.'"
"Grrr. What does any of that mean?!" Syaoran demanded to know. The villain chuckled. "Quite simply, it means that the Day of Sadin's Revival is no longer necessary. Our master came to realize, why REVIVE HIS master, when he himself could SURPASS him in strength! And since you two always seem to get in the way, as we speak, some of my fellow comrades are sealing you in this time. PERMANENTLY!"
Sakura sobbed. "Trapped?! Here?! Tomoyo, Mia, Kero? Where are they?"
The demon smiled. "Oh, your friends? Well, we couldn't find that little stuffed animal friend of yours, but those other two. They're not here anymore. We decided that keeping the five of you together was a dangerous idea, so we will keep that blonde and that black-haired girl with Koji back in the present while he finishes the plans!"
Tears began to pour from Sakura's eyes. "Tomoyo. Mia." she whispered. Syaoran was slightly less saddened by these turn of events, and instead boiled in fury. "You. I won't. You c-can't. There's no chance on Earth we'll let you just walk in and trap us here! We're going back to rescue Tomoyo and Mia, and I won't let any of you stand in our way!" There was a moment of silence. "Boy. you two don't have a choice! C'mon in!"
From where the door had been blown off his hinges, 4 more demons proceeded to enter and held up a weapon at the pair. Guns, swords, and bows. "So, as you can plainly see, it would be best for you to just sit down and keep quiet."
Syaoran, though, noticed something out of the corner of his eyes. He smirked. "No. We're not going to give up. We've come too far to just surrender! And as long as I have Sakura by my side, I can and WILL keep fighting, no matter what!"
Sakura's face reddened. "Syaoran.? Ummm. thanks. I'm. I'm going to keep fighting, too, as long as I have my friends to help me."
The arrogant smirk on the main demon's face turned to a scowl. He gripped his sword even harder as he gnashed his teeth. "You two really want to die, don't you? So be it!"
"WIND!" A gust of air blew throughout the room, causing 4 of the 5 demons to be blown right out the open window to the sea. The one remaining tuxedo, the one that was going on about the plans of his master, turned around. "Aerin!" he screamed and raised his sword in a desperate attempt to strike her before she did, but it was too late. A yellow streak flew through the air and tackled him. Before anyone knew what had happened, Keroberos lifted the man up by his shirt, carried him to the open window, and dropped him, so the demon landed face down in the sand, unable to get unstuck from his sandy tomb.
Kero laughed out loud. "Well, that's the last we'll see of him. Are you all okay?" Sakura fell on her knees and tears started pour down her cheeks.
"Hey, what's wrong, kiddo? Did that guy hurt you before Aerin and I arrived?" Sakura wiped her tears away and shook her head.
"No. It's just. Tomoyo. Mia. they've both been. captured. We may never see them again. And if we don't find where and how we're going to be sealed back in time. We'll never see them again."
Kero smiled and closed his eyes. Calmly, he reassured her, "Sakura, you don't have to worry. Tomoyo and Mia are perfectly safe. I can tell you that for sure." "Hoe?" Sakura looked up, "How do you know that?" Aerin also smiled, she walked to the hallway, and she waved down it. Immediately, two young girls entered. "Because they're here!" Aerin finally answered.
Sakura's tears began to come down again. "Tomoyo? Mia? You're. you're." She couldn't hold it in any longer. She leapt into Tomoyo's arms and rested her head on Tomoyo's shoulders. "I was so afraid they may have done something to you."
Tomoyo returned a smile. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan. We were on our way to be taken with Koji, but Kero and Aerin saved us, then we heard the explosion that apparently happened at the door. But even if we were taken with him, we wouldn't have given up. Not as long as we knew you were still fighting." Sakura smiled. "Arigotou, Tomoyo-chan." The two hugged for a moment.
Mia finally built up the nerve to end the relieving reunion. "I hate to break this up, since that was a very close call, but if we don't do something soon, we'll be stuck in the past. Permanently. Then, who will stop Koji from doing whatever he is going to do now?"
Aerin smirked with an almost evil look in her eyes. "There's no need for that. I knew Koji would do that. I predicted it last night. So, I decided to set up a little trap. I really wanted to warn you, but I needed Koji to believe we were clueless. Takumi is out cleaning up the rest of the demons in the streets, checking for any remaining forces. Kero was here because he knew he'd get the best chance to protect you if he followed me. I need some allies to help, after all. But, back to the point: The demon that you all saw right here was a little outdated in his information. Not only were Tomoyo and Mia safe, but there's no way to trap you all here, anymore."
Sakura clapped her hands together and her eyes pen wide. "Really? We're not in any real danger?" "No," Aerin replied. "You see, we rescued Mia and Tomoyo with an ambush over the city streets. When the demons walked under, carrying them, we swooped down. But that was also a signal. It told Takumi. umm." she blushed, "I mean, my husband." In her quietest voice and with a completely red face, she added, "I'll never get used to saying that. Errr. Sorry! I got a little distracted there. As I was saying, that was also a signal. As soon as we jumped, I had my husband run to the place where the spell to seal everyone here would be cast in preparation. Let's just say once Takumi was through with the spell casters, they were in for a long ocean trip on a small raft. Especially since we had our OWN casters there to block all of their attacks."
Syaoran laughed. "Aerin, you really do think of everything." His smile quickly died, though. A look of concerned glazed over his face. "However. The demon did say one thing that I don't understand. but, well, first, maybe I should ask HOW these demons even exist."
Sakura and Syaoran then began to picture scenes in their minds of their previous adventure and explained it to those who weren't there or didn't remember it. They recalled at the very end, they journeyed deep into the castle of Sadin. A flood of demons in tuxedos was created with a special jewel. However, that jewel was shattered by Syaoran's sword and it was supposedly what caused every demon to disappear in all of time.
"It doesn't make any sense." Mia thought aloud as she paced the room. "I remember it like it was yesterday. Sadin had created the army, we smashed the crystal into nothingness, and the monsters vanished. Where could Koji have gotten some of these dangerous minions? And then why would one of his lackeys say that they have a new plan? Don't they wish to revive Sadin, still?"
Aerin sighed. "I think I know the answer, but I'm not so sure you're going to like it."
Everyone had a seat on the bed in a minute. Keroberos had reverted to his smaller size and sat in Sakura's lap. Aerin, however, was quite uneasy. She could not sit still on the other bed and continued to pace, sweating as she went. "Is something bothering you, Aerin?" Tomoyo asked with a lot of concern in her expression. "You look like you're burning up, but it's quite cool." Aerin shook her head. "I am feeling rather hot under the collar, but that's not why I'm sweating. You see. it has finally occurred to me what has happened, or so I believe. You have asked where Koji received these foes of ours and you asked what he plans to do next. I can answer both with one answer: The Mirror of Time."
"Hoe?" Sakura exclaimed. "I'm a bit confused. I thought the Mirror of Time was just what Koji used to travel through time. How does that answer either question?"
Mia scratched her chin. "I. think I understand. Maybe. Are you implying that Koji has actually found a way to use that mirror to take these demons from the past-No, not just the past, or the future, as the case would have been with regards to when we fought Sadin. But in any case, Koji would have to have enough power to reach through dimensions and actually pull these foul things through time again and bring them here."
Aerin's eyes bulged. "That's amazing! That's exactly what I was going to say. Granted, it's not proven, but that's most likely what happened. That's how Koji has received an army: he has learned to borrow from his Ex- master's army in time."
"Huh?" Syaoran grunted. He looked perplexed, like he had just heard them all say complete jargon. "Did you say EX-master? Why would Sadin no longer be Koji's master? Doesn't Koji want to revive him?"
Aerin sighed. "That's what I was getting to next. I've noticed. the rage building inside Koji. He's yet to show his true power. Surely you've noticed his increase in strength, even in his brief time here. I'm guessing he didn't have much power at all when you first met him." Syaoran nodded. "I suppose your right. As we've gone along, he's become more vicious. more powerful. even more hateful. I mean, at first, he was kind of a klutz. but now. We're just lucky to be alive."
Aerin took a deep breath. "That is the cause of the Mirror of Time. It's an old, evil artifact of a civilization lost long ago. A race of people, before people were ever known to exist in Japan, according to historians, prospered. However, the small population grew. And grew. Finding little land to expand on, the army of the populous left in search of new lands. but the Elders of the village decided a frontal invasion was too costly anywhere. So, they called upon the aid of every magician they knew. Together, they decided they could rule the world. all they had to do was create a means in which to send troops back into time at strategic points in history and they could conquer any land. Thus, the Mirror of Time was created. However, the people of the land thought this power was far too great to be used by one man. The people felt their leader was becoming corrupt. Eventually, their King decided to use it to make himself as close to a God as could be. He wanted to rule everything. The people revolted and."
WHAM! Aerin slammed her hand and a book down onto the floor. "The people overthrew him. He was exiled, and the mirror was buried in a temple they prayed would never be opened again. However, the King swore his vengeance. He claimed he would return one day to claim rule to what was rightfully his. HE never returned, though, and the few who knew of the mirror felt he would still come back day, that his spirit would forever haunt that mirror."
Syaoran choked hard as Sakura clung to his neck, trembling and drenched in sweat. "SCARY! I HATE GHOST STORIES!" Syaoran finally managed to release Sakura's death-grip from his throat and breathe. "I thought I was going to suffocate. AHEM. anyway, there's no need to worry. I'm sure that was all just a myth."
"No, what I have said has been all truth." Aerin said gravely, her hands clasped in front of her. "The Li clan has always kept records of it. However, we don't have any record of anything that may have happened yet from this. But my guess is this greedy king is within the mirror. When Koji found it, the evil and greed and power of the king was transferred into him. It's only a guess though. If this is true."
Aerin took a deep breath. "Koji may be more powerful than Sadin ever was. He may cause more damage than if he ever revived his FORMER master."
The room fell silent. "But don't worry. Koji can't bring it out too fast. It takes him time to release this power. You can beat him if you try within the allotted time. But now, rest. Then, we'll send you back to the present. Everything should be normal then, but look for anything suspicious. As for me. I have to go think about this some more. I'll see you all after some rest. And don't worry about any more interruptions. We have more guards on patrol than ever. We're safe." Sakura and the others gave her a "good night" and then turned in to their beds.
Dawn came what seemed like hours earlier than normal. However, relaxation had kicked back in and they all felt much better after the night's assault. Morning came casually. After everyone awoke and bathed, they all went to the dining room for some breakfast.
After breakfast, everyone was called to the front gate. When they reached their destination, they found Aerin and Takumi sitting on the side of a large fountain to the left of the gate. Aerin was holding onto his arm, holding perfectly still. Before them, a man sat with a canvas, ready to paint.
"Ohayo gozaimasu! (Good morning)" Aerin said to them. "Ohayo!" They all replied. Takumi turned to them. "We were going to get our wedding picture painted today. and. since the wedding could not have taken place without you, we thought it would be great if you could join us." Tomoyo smiled in reply. "That sounds wonderful! We'd be honored to!"
Together, they all sat, side by side. Aerin and Takumi were in the center, arm in arm. Tomoyo and Mia (also Kero, if you count his tail poking out of the sanctuary of Tomoyo's hair) were on the right, chatting. On the left.
"Ummm. pardon me, young boy," the painter said, "but do you have something on your face? It's bright red. It's a bit distracting." Sakura was lying on the side of fountain, stretched out, barefoot with one foot in the water, and her head leaning up against Syaoran's shoulder. Naturally, this had his face as red as a ripe tomato. "Errr. no, I'm uhhh." He cupped his hands and splashed his face with the cool water. "I was just a little hot."
"Hmmm?" Mia noted. "Hot? But it's nearly freezing, if you ask me!" A sweat drop rolled down Syaoran's head. He turned his head away to conceal his embarrassment, but with little results. "Well. I guess maybe I'm just really sensitive to the cold. so. err."
"Sigh. You shouldn't worry about it anymore. I'm done. I've finished." The painter stood up to reveal the completed portrait. It was remarkably lifelike.
"Wow! That's so beautiful! So vivid!" Tomoyo added, "Yes, but it's such a shame we can't show it to any of our friends." Mia shook her head. "It's partially a shame and a blessing. I know relatives in Kyoto who would love to see it. but if anyone did, I'm sure they'd be curious as to how we all look so young, being well over a millennium old."
Sakura giggled quietly. "I suppose you're right. But then. now that this is over. Do we have to go back to our own time?" Aerin nodded her head then hung it. "I suppose it's for the best." Takumi smiled back, and lifted his wife's head with his hand. "Don't cry or worry. You can always come back and visit anytime you want!"
Sakura clasped her hands together and her eyes glowed. "Really? We can come back?" "I don't see anything wrong with that at all," was the reply of the newly-wed Aerin.
"Yay!" Sakura screamed with quite some enthusiasm. "I love it he-HOEEE!" Sakura was about to leap in the air, when her foot hit a rock. "Sakura!" Heroically, Syaoran stepped in and caught Sakura.
SPLASH!
.It's too bad he caught her after it was too late and they both landed in the fountain.
"Hoeee. Gomen nasai, Syaoran." "It's. it's alright, Sakura. I'm just a little wet. Well, very wet, but it's no big deal."
Tomoyo giggled and whispered to Mia, "This is so cute. This isn't the first time they've ended up like this." "Really?" "Uh-huh."
"Well, I guess we better leave, then." Syaoran said. "No, no, no! Aerin replied thrice. "I'm not going to let my descendant freeze to death!" Syaoran shook his head. "N-no! I'm fine, really! Don't waste good clothes on me." Sakura smiled. "Say, why don't you come over to my place?" She requested. "Huh?" The puzzled look on the boy's face was completely vacant. "What do you mean?" "I mean, silly, when we return, come over to my house and I can lend you some of Touya's old clothes. I can pay you back for the time you lent me a shirt, and I noticed your butler Wei wasn't around, so it must be lonely." Syaoran blushed and whispered quietly to himself, praying that no one would notice. "Stay? At her house? AHEM." He finally built up the spirit to speak. "I-I. Thank you, S-Sakura, I think I will.. I- if that's what you really want. But you're right. Wei is gone. When Koji appeared, I had him go back to Hong Kong to make sure he didn't get any ideas of tagging along. It's kind of lonely." "Then it settled! What about you two?" Sakura looked towards Tomoyo and Mia. "Do you want to sleep over, too? We need to have one extra-special get together before we do anything else!"
Tomoyo lifted her camera, lowered her head, and sparkles filled the air around her. "A night sleeping by the side of my Sakura-chan? I wouldn't miss it for the world." Mia grinned and nodded. "It sounds like fun. I could use a vacation or at least a long nap."
Sneakily, Aerin leaned over to Tomoyo and whispered. "I think we both know why Syaoran really wants to sleep over, don't we?" Tomoyo just giggled to herself.
Sakura grabbed the key from around her neck. "But. I think we should leave now, sadly. But we'll come to visit someday!" Everyone smiled. "Be sure you do," Takumi said.
"Bye bye!" "Ja ne!" "Sayonara!" The group said their goodbyes from a distance as Sakura summoned the Staff and used the Time Card.
But as the light surrounded them they heard Aerin's voice. "Do not fear the future, for if you look deep within your hearts, you shall all find the courage to endure even the hardest challenge. I see that soon, your lives shall be placed on the line again. but do not fear. You will understand soon enough, as long as you hold your friends and families in your hearts."
The wind blew through the leaves overhead. The bright sun was all that was in the sky, except for the occasional bird. In a flash of light, the 3 girls, 1 boy, and 1 Guardian beast appeared on the solid ground.
"Ah. It's nice to be back in our own time." Kero said as he flew out of his hiding place and stretched. Sakura and Syaoran's eyes were shrinking to small dots, and Tomoyo was the first to notice this. "Is something wrong, Sakura? We're back in Tomoeda and we can go home, so you should be happy, right? Besides, you always look cutest when you're smiling."
Sakura held one finger out in front of her. "Since when did we have one of THOSE at home?!"
Everyone looked to where she pointed, only instead of seeing Syaoran, Sakura, or Tomoyo's home, they found. the Li Mansion.
"WE'RE IN HONG KONG?!" Kero exclaimed. Mia slapped here face. "BAKA! I should have known. the Time Card would only take us through time, it wouldn't move us back to where we left from. We should have left for Japan BEFORE we used it!" Sakura had a tremendous sweat drop on her head. "Dad is going to be so mad when he finds out I'm in Hong Kong! But until then, he'll be worried sick! And when he finds me, I'll end up doing all the chores for 20 years!"
Syaoran took a deep breath. "Now, everyone, just calm down. We're here, but in case you haven't noticed, we're at my house. We can ask my mother for help. I hope. now all we'll have to worry about the-"
"NI HAO! SHAORAN-KUN!" Wump! Syaoran's body landed on the cold ground as a familiar voice cried out in his ear. "It's nice. to see you too, Meiling- chan." Sweat drops rolled down everyone else's heads as they stared with a bit of confusion.
"Shaoran, I didn't know you and your friends were coming! I was so bored here! But I knew you'd come back! .Say, what are the rest of you doing here, too? Is he giving you all a tour?"
Kero flew to the excited cousin of Syaoran and got up next to her face. "Actually, brat, we're here on a bit of a trip." Upon the word "brat," Meiling shoved the beast to the ground. "Actually," Tomoyo began with a lie," We were on a little sight-seeing tour of the Japanese Islands when we were blown here by bad weather. We thought it was still Japan, but." "Hmm?" Meiling wondered. "That would have to be quite a storm to blow you all the way down here. And you don't look like you're shipwrecked. though you, Shaoran, and you, Kinomoto, do look rather wet. But still, those would have to be some very rare storms to blow you all the way down here," she continued, obviously falling for Tomoyo's lie.
"Actually," said a voice, popping up in the middle of the crowd. "Yamazaki- kun?!" The group all shouted and backed away. "Storms like this were once very common near China. It was a very dangerous time. Giant waves the size of sky scrapers would come crashing down on the coastline." "HOEEEEE!" Sakura exclaimed, once again falling for his tricks. "Were they really that tall?" Yamazaki smiled, lifting one finger in the air. "Actually, they were often larger. This was back in the time when China and Japan were still attached as one piece of land. The natives hated to clear up all the debris from the waves, so every year, they made a wall on top of the last wall until the waves couldn't reach over it!" "SUGOI! (Amazing!)" was the reaction of most of the crowd, except for Mia and Chiharu, who then showed up. "It's a lie." said Chiharu, but it fell upon deaf ears.
"However," Yamazaki continued, "The wall was becoming too tall. After 50 years, the wall was over a 20 kilometers tall!" "How did they build something that tall?" Syaoran asked Sakura. She just shrugged, utterly clueless. "The wall was far too tall for its own good and began to crack. Eventually, it collapsed. This sent the upper part flying for thousands of kilometers and when it landed, it formed the Great Wall of China! The rest of the wall collapsed so hard it split China and Japan in two, and had enough left over strength to clog up any waterways to prevent most of these storms!" "Sugoi!" they all exclaimed once more.
Suddenly, there was silence. "Ummm. Yamazaki-kun? What are you doing in China, anyway?" asked Syaoran. Chiharu suddenly appeared, started to choke Yamazaki for his lies, and pushed him away, but not before answering, "Three-day weekend at school. We decided to take a vacation here." There was once again a moment of awkward silence to digest what just happened.
"Shaoran." Syaoran turned around to face another new person. "M-mom!"
"I had a feeling I might have been seeing you here."
Mia asked Kero, "But how could she know we'd be coming? Not even we knew we'd be here!"
Yelan picked up a large painting. the one from the fountain! "I was reading in the study when I happened to glance at the wall. And I wondered how my only son and his friends managed to get into the wedding portrait of our ancestors who lived around 1,000 years ago." Everyone's faces reddened. "Umm. we. we have a really good explanation for that." Syaoran muttered.
".And that's how we ended up here." Syaoran was standing in the middle of the living room. Meiling was sitting in a recliner, staring Kero down as he stood on her lap. Sakura Tomoyo, and Mia sat on the couch, as Syaoran's sisters leaned over from behind it, pinching their cheeks, rambling on for a long time on how cute they were.
Yelan stood up and paced back and forth for a minute. Sweat ran down Syaoran's brow, as he stood as rigid as a steel pole. Yelan then went to a window and stared out it for a minute, sighed, and finally spoke. "I'm very disappointed that you didn't tell me of this. Especially since I knew it all from the very start." "NANI?! (WHAT?!)" The boy exclaimed, sweating worse than ever. "I knew you were up to something, I just did not know what. However, I can tell you've been handling this situation well, and, therefore, I will let you continue and I will also help you get home." Syaoran took a sigh of relief, thanked his mother, and bowed.
"AHEM." Meiling coughed as she stood up. "If, though, you're thinking I'm going to just sit idly while my cousin fights the people who came here, you're wrong!"
Syaoran sighed once more. This day must have been hard on him. "I knew you'd want to come along. So just hurry up and we can go. Let's borrow some spare clothes to dry off with and then mother is booking us a private flight to Tomoeda. We should be home by tonight, hopefully."
5 hours or so later.
Sakura's head leaned gently on Syaoran's shoulders as they sat in their seats onboard the plane. Both of them were asleep, as were Tomoyo, Kero, Mia, and Meiling. Li's butler, Wei, was also coming back, though, as well. The plane landed safely and they were all let out. As soon as they reached the ground, they all stretched and cracked their bones. It was such a relief to be able to move around freely again. A taxi pulled up (obviously ordered) which took them into Tomoeda after a half hour's drive. Tomoyo paid the driver and they all got out. "Hoeee. It's 9 pm! Touya and dad are back! They're going to be mad." Tomoyo smiled. "Don't worry, just leave that part to me!"
Sakura smiled and held on to her new Chinese clothing. "On the bright side, we did get new outfits, so we're not wet anymore!"
A speeding car drove by, but not before hitting a giant puddle and spraying Sakura and Syaoran only with a wave of water.
".Hoeee." the two wet friends sighed aloud.
Slowly, Sakura went to the front door and opened it. Immediately, she found herself face to face with her older brother. "O-onii-chan!" He rested up against the wall. "I think we'll be needing an explanation as to why the monster is coming in late at night without warning, making dad worry? .I'd also like to know. why you're dressed like you're in China, soaking wet and." Suddenly, Touya's eyes met Syaoran's. "What is HE doing here?"
Tomoyo stepped up. "Konnichiwa, Kinomoto-san. It's my entirely my fault. You see, I was having them over at house, trying to film a reenactment of special scene from a Chinese movie I love, but we got distracted and didn't realize the time. Both of them wanted to hurry home, but they tripped into a puddle together, but rather than be even more late, they decide to come here."
Fujitaka then came to the door. "Sakura-san! Thank goodness! It was getting late and I was worried. Where were you?" "It's alright, dad," Touya said, "Daidouji explained it to me. They were just busy." Fujitaka smiled with his eyes closed. "I see. Well, it's a simple mistake. Say, all your friends, can they stay for dinner?" Sakura smiled. "Hai! That sounds great! But. ummm. I was wondering. maybe they could stay over for a sleepover? It would just be myself, Tomoyo, Mia, Meiling, and Syaoran." Fujitaka smiled. "Sure! I don't see anything wrong with that." Touya growled and pointed at Syaoran. "You want HIM to sleep in the same room as Sakura?" "Why? What's wrong with that?" their father asked. "Sigh. nothing. just forget it." "Well, it's only fitting, seeing as you have a friend over tonight."
"Hoe? You have a friend here, onii-chan?"
"Good evening, Sakura-san!" Yukito popped out. Sakura began to blush. "Y- Yukito-san. Good evening! I. err. ummm. we better get to the dinner table fast, r-right?" The entire group quickly ran inside, all except for Touya and Yukito.
Touya just stood there and growled. "Dammit, they know I hate that boy! He shouldn't be allowed to come near my little sister." Yukito chuckled. "You really do have a sister-complex, you know." "Shut up. I just. I can't explain it. I have a bad feeling about tonight."
Eriol leaned up closely to the light of his fire. "Master, is something the matter?" Spinel Sun asked, his face still buried in a book. "I have a horrible feeling. A force is coming. a face against us." Suppi closed his book. "What are you saying? We aren't in any danger."
Eriol sat silent for a moment. "I've had this feeling of dread for a while, but I hate to admit it. The only reason I wasn't following Kinomoto into these time periods is because of it. I've needed the time to understand. This is a very peculiar premonition. but I have finally figured it out. Koji is up to something no good. If he succeeds, it will be the end of not only myself, you and Ruby Moon, Kinomoto and her family, and her friends, but of many more people as well."
Suppi seemed a bit more worried at this point. "That. that is ridiculous. Koji could never do that much damage." Eriol shook his head. "No, last night, I had a vision in a dream. It was the hardest dream I've ever had to sort out. But the vision is clearer in my mind. Koji's next victim will be. Clow Reed."
To be continued.