Lchan: This chapter's weird. I'm tellin' ya. I gave Syaoran a bit of strength here since I really don't want him to miss all the action just sleeping there. -- Oh well. Please read it. BTW, you might want to check back on chapter 4 to see the end of that fight...I repaired it!! Sorry, I really didn't know about it. I didn't click 'Preview' when I uploaded that...

Hm-hm...

Newayz...here's ur chap 7.

VII-Tomoyo vs. Daidouji

"Tomoyo-chan..." Sakura raised troubled emerald green to Tomoyo, her voice heavy with worry.

"What is it?" Tomoyo asked, amethyst eyes hinted with pity but lacking compassion. "What's the matter?"

"I...I'm scared..." Sakura whispered.

Tomoyo's eyes widened. "WHY?" she asked.

"About what Syaoran-kun said earlier...about another Clow Card...I don't want another episode like yesterday...it's too soon..."

Tomoyo blinked, suddenly flustered. "But, he...uhm...it's okay...everything will be fine," she said, her words laced with weird unease. But Sakura, dense like she was, didn't notice anything.

Syaoran shifted position, causing a pause in conversation...then Sakura began to talk again, constantly fidgeting in her seat as her hand came in and out of her pocket, consoling herself that the collection was still there.

"What if a Card escaped again, Tomoyo-chan? Syaoran-kun's hurt and he can't fight anymore, and I really don't want him to, don't take me wrong. It's just that...I'm scared. Of fighting alone when I know he should be with me, and I...I...I don't want to fight right now!!!" she wailed.

Tomoyo didn't reply. She just listened, her face tinged with light concern. Sakura also just continued to ramble on, her face changing expression ever so often, like a kawaii animation of a frustrated little girl--which was exactly what Sakura was at that moment.

"Sakura, calm down," Tomoyo said, soothingly.

So Sakura calmed down, but still she continued to fidget.

"Sakura...relax," Tomoyo advised again, in a more calming tone.

Sakura gave a weak, frustrated smile. "Well...I'll try..." she said.

Tomoyo smiled at her.

After a few minutes, Sakura still couldn't stand it. "I need to count them," she finally announced.

"Uhm...okay!" Tomoyo said, pursing her lips, then adding, "good idea."

Sakura smiled at the thought that she was finally getting her best friend back. Tomoyo seemed to be smiling at her more often, and they were swapping more and more words. She wanted her best friend back. She never really did mean to yell at her like she did the night before.

Anyways, Tomoyo seemed to want to make friends too. Although she still wasn't adding that vital 'chan'... Sakura understood, of course. But still, she was happy with the progress they were making.

She happily took out the deck of cards, but still with a tinge of anxiety in her heart.

She carefully laid them all out on the bed, mindful of Syaoran and his need for silence and tranquility.

Tomoyo bit her lip, nervously, watching Sakura as she murmured each card's label: "Firey, Windy, Fly, Jump, Freeze, Earthy..." then with a bitter note, "Watery...Loop, Mist, Shield, Sword, Fight, Mirror, Thunder, Silent, Erase..."

Normal POV on Tomoyo

Tomoyo rushed up the stairs, excitedly, purple eyes glinting with joy as she reminisced every single quote in her recent telephone conversation with the half-reincarnation of Clow Reed.

She absolutely loved his charm, his stubborn streak, his mysterious atmosphere, and the way he played with words. She just couldn't help feeling happy. She was ready to forgive anyone.

"Sakura-chan!" she called. "Sakura-chan!!!"

As she ran, she pulled her wavy purple tresses into a ponytail, using a purple scrunchie that she'd found on the tea table as she walked around absently while talking to Eriol.

She couldn't deny the fact that she had a slight crush on him. He was one of the few guys who actually caught her attention. Of course, the fact that he was also part-enemy contributed to that.

Tomoyo smiled.

"Sakura-chan!"

She slowed down when she reached the part of the house where Sakura was currently in with Syaoran. Then with a sudden flash of inspiration, she ran into her room and brought out her camcorder, loading it with fresh tape.

She could hear murmurs coming from within the room. Her happiness overflowed. 'Syaoran's awake!?!? Perfect!! Mush, mush, mush!!!'

Her hand encircled the knob with excitement. She twisted it, and pushed the door open. "Eriol just called!!" she announced, loudly.

"Yes, you already said so," Sakura said.

Tomoyo opened her eyes and blinked. "Huh? I did? Did you listen through the extension!?"

"No, of course not, Tomoyo-chan! Shadow Card...hora!" She happily held up the Shadow Card, showing it to Tomoyo, then she set it aside on another small pile of cards, which, Tomoyo supposed, were the ones she had already counted.

The dark-haired girl was surprised to find all the cards laid out before her best friend. She was counting them. Why? Then her gaze fell on the girl across Sakura, who had her back to Tomoyo.

"Eh?" Then her amethyst eyes widened. She gasped.

Sakura's gaze snapped up when she heard the sound. Her emerald green eyes expanded to the size of dinner plates. She fell backwards in her seat. "HOEEEEE!!!!" she screamed, landing painfully on the floor.

Syaoran stirred.

Two Tomoyos gazed at each other.

"You...you're me!!" Tomoyo, who was talking to Eriol earlier (who shall be called Tomoyo throughout this ordeal), squealed.

The other Tomoyo, who has been with Sakura the whole time (who shall be called Daidouji to keep things a little less confusing), stood from her chair and let out her own gasp.

"Who are you!?!?" she yelped.

Tomoyo stood, shocked, her hand falling to her side. "I...I'm Tomoyo Daidouji..."

"HOE!!!!" Sakura exclaimed. "You...you're Tomoyo, too!"

Daidouji's eyes widened dramatically. "Sakura!!" she shrieked. "What's happening!?!?"

"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo pleaded. "What's she doing here!? Who is she?"

"She...she's...she's Tomoyo-chan...m-my best friend..." Sakura stammered, as she clambered to her feet, still in shock.

Tomoyo's eyes widened. "She...she's your best friend?" she echoed, pain washing over her.

"Or at least...I think she is..." Sakura quickly added. "Because...I'm getting confused...hoeee..."

"I am!! I swear, Sakura!" Daidouji said, her eyes getting moist. "You've got to believe me!"

"You don't believe her, do you, Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked, anxiously, her grip tightening on her camera that had she not been so confused she would have feared breaking it.

"But...but, I...I...what's happening!?" Sakura shouted, frustrated. She gazed from one teary-eyed Tomoyo to another. "One of you is a fake. Please admit it now, onegai!!" she said, biting her lip, her eyes clouded with confusion.

"She's pretending to be me!" Daidouji wailed.

"I don't have to pretend to be myself!!!" Tomoyo cried. "Sakura-chan, please believe me. I'm your best friend, remember?"

"Please, Sakura..." Daidouji put in. "I don't want to lose you to her..."

Sakura, now more confused than any other time in her life, sank onto the floor. "I...I don't understand...what's going on here?"

Syaoran opened his amber eyes, finally exiting slumber. The noise had helped, although he couldn't say he was actually happy about the high- pitched screaming and debating. Still, he was just happy to be awake...although it was so damn cold and WAAAAYYY freezing.

As soon as his vision allowed him to see clearly and the last of the pain that had shot through him as he moved slightly faded away, he searched the room for her face.

"Sakura...?" he murmured, suddenly aware that she wasn't watching him anymore.

At the sound of his voice, Sakura raised her head, waves of relief washing over her. "Syaoran-kun!?!?" she called from below.

Syaoran looked down, and there was Sakura, in a weird position on the floor, her face a mixture of emotions. "Sakura?" he asked.

"Oh, Syaoran!!" She scrambled to her feet and ran to him, giving him a hug.

He couldn't keep it in. "OOWWWW!!!!" he yelped.

"Hoe!!! Gomennasai!!" Sakura said. And then she shrank onto the bed beside him, gesturing with her eyes to the two Tomoyos.

Syaoran followed her gaze, and felt the jolt of the Clow Card's power surge through him again. "Dammit..." he murmured, voice soft but wary.

"I know!!" Sakura cried. "There's TWO of them!!!"

Syaoran almost sweatdropped. "That wasn't what I meant..." he said.

"Hoe?" Sakura replied.

Syaoran shook his head, looking at her in disbelief. Then all of a sudden, he was aware of his distance from Sakura, which was just a wee li'l inch. He blushed red and forced himself not to pay attention to his flashbacks of that...er...hug she'd given him earlier.

Succeeding, he regained his cold composure. "Clow Card," he explained, eyeing Tomoyo and Daidouji (;;), who were both giving each other uneasy looks.

"Hoe?" Sakura repeated.

"One of them is a Clow Card," Syaoran explained, frustrated. He removed his contact with the bed and a bit hesitantly pushed the warmth of the bed covers from his body.

Ignoring the shoots of pain his sore muscles immediately suffered and the sudden drop of temperature he felt, he forced himself off the bed, his feet making for the floor. His vision blotted a little, blurred, then blotted again, but, undaunted, he got off the bed.

"HOOOEEEEEE!!" Sakura squeaked, grabbing his arm. "Dame, Syaoran-kun!"

Syaoran flashed her a don't-worry-about-me-okay-and-don't-even-dare-stop-me glare.

"Syaoran-kun!!" Daidouji cried, rushing to him. Her hands touched his shoulders, gently pushing him back towards the bed, causing his amber glower to meet her concerned amethyst eyes. "Dame!" she said.

He clenched his teeth to help himself from the cold and hissed: "Let go. Now."

Daidouji's eyes looked into his, imploringly. "Stay...please...Sakura can figure this out on her own..." Her hands remained firm on his shoulders, almost like she was challenging him to escape, practically giving him the message 'don't you dare move or else.'

Syaoran's eyes flashed angrily, this sudden realization making him all the more defiant. He jerked his arm from Sakura's grasp, his brain's immediate reaction to the sudden movement causing his eyesight to blur and darken slightly.

"Don't," he hissed, "touch me." Daidouji's eyes gave a flicker of fear, and her hands lost contact with his shoulders.

Tomoyo just watched, shocked, her hand's grip loosening on her camera.

Syaoran gritted his teeth, subconsciously yearning for at least two thick, woolen jackets. He felt numb with cold, every muscle still sore and painful. He couldn't resist shivering.

To make that less obvious, he forced himself off the bed, his hand grabbing the familiar tangles of ball and tassel from the table. His hand gripped his not-yet-transformed weapon tightly, both for support and wariness.

"Syaoran-kun, dame..." Sakura said, rising from the bed.

He ignored her. Concentrating really hard, he raised the stringed ball in front of him, closed his eyes and willed what strength for magic he had stored during his short period of rest to give him his sword.

And it worked. With a soft, magical glow, the sheathed blade took form in his hands. His eyes widened, his arms dropped. He was amazed. Never had he felt the sword to be as heavy as it was then.

The cold tiles underneath his feet were serving to make him feel colder. The loose white long-sleeved shirt wasn't enough to supply him heat, even though partnered with the baggy cotton pants. He felt extremely cold, extremely tired, extremely sore.

Still, he raised the sword, both hands on the handle, eyes glimmering with determination.

"One of you is a Clow Card," he said, his voice touched a bit by light quivers, facing both Tomoyos, the sword inches from Daidouji's neck. She stepped back.

Syaoran plunged ahead, bravely continuing his undeterred statements. "With or without Sakura's help...I swear...I'm bringing you down..."

tbc

Lchan: Oh...kay...was that good? Anyways...ja ne. Oh, and, BTW, 'dame' means stop or no. And for people who don't know this Japanese word, it's "dah-meh", not "deym" 'cuz that's an English word.