A/N: My most sincere apologies for the time it took to write this chapter, it was just really hard to know when to stop! (lol) I have a habit of making these author's notes a tad bit too long, so please bear with me . . . you may find something of importance that you might need to know . . .
First of all, I've been told about how my prologue was so very (looks around, not believing it) confusing. So I've shortened it, well more like split it up. The first half of it, (this message is to those of you who have already read it) now begins this chapter as Sakura's dream, so you don't have to go back and reread it, it's the exact same thing, I just changed its location for the purposes of this story, and because of the reviewers. Skip down to when Sakura wakes up, ok?
If you haven't yet read this story, I would suggest reading over Sakura's dream, it introduces the plot of this fic, but it won't harm you if you read it later.
So basically the prologue now consists of that latter half of my introduction, about the supposedly "having to keep my identity hidden because of a possible threat from CLAMP and J.K. Rowling" all-knowing person, who is like "telling" the story to us poor Muggles who can't find out the "truth" from elsewhere. (The pov for this fic is third person omniscient)
And now that I've hopefully cleared some things up and refreshed your memory, I need to thank following people for reviewing (signed reviews in bold, anonymous reviews in italic):
sakura11: Well, I hope you weren't too confused . . . maybe if you'll have a better idea of what's going on if you read this chapter. :) Thanks for your review!
Talisman of LightThank you for not dismissing my story as confusing right from the start Talisman-san! I hope I have less mistakes in this chapter, and I hope you continue to read my story. Arigatou!
black cherry: Hey thanks! You're probably like the first person who's ever told me I could write . . . lol. Anyways, thanks for your lovely review, and I hope you continue to read my story!
Crystal RubyMoonThank you for your review!
StarsLover: Thank you for reviewing. I only recently discovered HP and the Betrayal of Clow as well, and while it may not be the perfect story, I really liked the plot, so I felt it would be wrong not to mention the story because it kind of inspired my plot. I hope you continue reading!
Mystical Magician(drumroll…) (squeals with delight and starts dancing wildly around the room) I am sooo happy you reviewed! You're like . . . on the list at the beginning of my story! (Well duh, you inspired me, but that's all beside the point, isn't it? Lol) Yours was the first HP/CCS fic I ever finished reading, and it's probably my all time favorite! Please update soon, I absolutely love your story. I like totally adore you! (okay, getting a bit excess now . . . bet you hear all this yap about hero worship all the time, so I'll shut up now.) But anywayz, I hope you continue reading my story. I'm honored that you liked my humble attempt at trying to write a story like yours, though of course I know I'll never be as great as you! Doumo arigatou gozaimasu, Mystical-Magician-sama. (hey, it's all about respect, isn't it?)
crystal-flame123(all wiped out, but if I weren't, I'd begin that crazy dance again that I did above, ) Thank you soooooo much for your review! I'm very pleasantly surprised that 2/3 of the authors who I mentioned in the prologue have reviewed my story and actually liked it! Please continue to read my story, and update yours asap! Doumo arigatou gozaimasu!
Black RoseL Me: Thank you so much for reviewing. I'll continue updating as often as I can, I'm glad you liked my story, and please continue reading!
Freaky Person O.o: Hey, I only named CLAMP and Rowling as mages for the purpose of the story, okay? Well thanks anyway for the review!
lil-asian-gurl: I'm so glad you trust me! Please continue reading and thanks for your review!
All you reviewers, though you may not know it, you're all VERY special! Thank you all for having made this update possible. (I can't write if no one reads, what's the point? And 10 reviews!?!?!?! That's like more than I've EVER gotten for a single chapter. I'm SOOO grateful to ALL of you! Muchas gracias minna! Oh yeah, and er…excuse my cross-language…..I'm just really used to saying the first thing that comes to mind when I'm speaking in other languages, lol) In conclusion, I greatly appreciate your taking the time and telling me what you think. And without any further ado, I'd like to present to you chapter 1 of . . . of . . . of . . . . er . . . what was my fic called again? (I know this is sad, but I've truly forgotten the title of this fic . . . ) Ah whatever. Just read!
Sakura's dream:
It was a dark and stormy night. Winds howled across the forest, shaking even the branches of the oldest trees. Lightning flashed across the sky in jagged white lines. Rain and hail poured down from the sky as if the sky itself had planned to open up and swallow the land and everything on it. It was not a good night for travel, but the cloaked man pounding through the forest on horseback had no other choice. He had to get to the castle tonight, or his family would be in grave danger. Well, they probably already were, but that was all the more reason to hurry. Only he, with his new knowledge gained from the Eastern lands, would be able to protect them from the grave peril approaching. He spurred on his horse, Midnight, a beautiful stallion colored as black as the stormy night sky, towards the castle. He galloped through puddles, making heavy splashing sounds as he tore through the forest, slapping into branches and bushes. Normally, Midnight would have taken precaution by trying to make his travel through the forest as soundless and unnoticeable as possible, but not tonight. He charged on, towards the dark castle on top of a mountain, not bothering to cloak his movements, sensing his master's dire need for speed above anything else.
A flash of lightning went across the sky and hit a tree, less than a foot away from the horse and his rider's right side. But neither noticed, nor did they care. Nothing mattered now, except getting to the castle, and getting there fast. They were coming. They were coming for him, and for his family, and for his people. He needed to get to the castle. He needed to protect himself, his family, and his people because they were coming, darkness approaching the castle even faster than him . . . the evil ones were coming . . .
"He is coming, my son. What are you going to do? What are you going to say?"
The man looked at the speaker, his mother. He sighed, before getting up from the luxurious couch on which they were both sitting, and walked over to the large window. His mother and he were in the largest sitting room in the castle. The largest sitting room with the largest window, that took up the whole length of a wall. On a nice sunny day, it was pure pleasure to sit here and relax and stare out the window at meadows of wildflowers and the snow-capped mountains, but not tonight. Not with his brother approaching. His half-brother. The mother and son had only recently found out. When the son's father had died. The older brother, the supposed heir to the throne, who had left all those years ago to learn more powerful magic than he could have learned here, was an illegitimate child. Had it been up to his mother, the child, or man who was coming now on his night black horse, would be disowned. Stripped of his title and privileges, he would be left to live a shameful life, and die as a peasant, so that she may get over her husband's betrayal. But was that what he really wanted? Was he going to listen to the queen, his own mother, or would he as prince, and next in line to the throne, make his own decision, and let his older brother, who would then be the new king, live?
I cannot yet make a choice. I must wait until he gets here. I will see what magic he has learned abroad and judge whether or not it shall benefit the people. If, as the queen suspects, he spent all these years learning the Dark sorcery we and our people abhor, I shall let him be disowned, because a wizard of the Light, myself, will surely be a better king to my people, than a wizard who has forgotten his original ways and turned to the Dark, him. If my brother spent his time learning Dark magic, while he should have been here with our people, then I will be the better choice for a ruler of my people.
Lightning flashed across the sky and thunder rumbled. The man tried to shake the fear from his heart. His mother sat on the couch, giving him a measuring look, as if she could see into his heart and find what he had decided.
Suddenly the guards' shouts and calls were heard from downstairs. The man's heart jumped, despite his attempts to calm it. My older brother is here . . .
The gates opened for the man as he and Midnight rushed in. As soon as he stepped off his horse, stable boys rushed to take the reins and lead off the dark stallion to the stables. The man stepped into the castle, the only home he had really ever known, even though he'd spent over ten years in the Eastern lands, this was the home he'd always been longing to return to. And now he was here.
A guard, someone the man wasn't familiar with, indicated for him to take of his cloak, which when he shrugged off, the guard took away. Another guard replaced him. This one indicated that he should follow him to where the queen and prince were waiting for him.
Queen and prince? What about the king? Surely nothing has happened already . . . or has it?
The man slightly shuddered despite himself. Nothing could have become of his father in such a short time . . . but then again, the last letter he'd received from his family had been over two years ago. And a lot could have taken place over that period of time. Not yet wanting to accept what he may not have to, the man followed the guard and waited until he could discuss the matter with the people he loved most; his family.
The mother and her son waited. Soon the door opened and in came the older brother. He looked weary and exhausted, but there was worry in his face too. After the proper greetings had been made, after he had embraced his little brother, and his mother, who had been a little more than stiff, the man anxiously asked, "Where is father?"
The woman averted her eyes away from him, but her son was brave enough to look his older brother in the eye and reply, "Father is no more."
Lightning flashed across the sky and thunder rumbled, and the man silently mourned the loss. I should have known . . . kuso! I should have known! Father wasn't faring too well when I left. He's had troubles with his health for a long time.
Breaking the silence, the woman looked the older brother in the eye and said, "So you have returned. What did you learn in the Eastern lands, where all there is to learn is Dark sorcery?"
The older brother looked at the woman in surprise. Why was his mother talking like this? But his eyes sparkled with excitement at the chance to relate all that he had discovered in the Eastern lands. "Oh I learned a lot of wonderful things, and none of it is Dark magic. Remember the wards that we could never place on the castle because it required too much power? Well I learned that it is possible to make such a large ward, but in order to do so, you call upon the energies of the earth and things surrounding it, instead of providing all that energy yourself. These Eastern lands mages think so much differently from us. You wouldn't believe it, Mother, I—"
"Do not call me by that name!" the woman screamed harshly.
The man was puzzled. He looked to his younger brother for an explanation, but he simply averted his gaze. "But Mother, what—"
The woman looked at the man, the man who she had formerly thought to be her own son, her flesh and bone, but now a complete stranger. "You're father was a liar. He betrayed his people, and he even betrayed his own son and wife. And you are no better than him. You are a liar as well. All these years you should have been back at home taking care of your kingdom, you were out on a wild escapade to the Eastern lands, because you were simply bored with what went on here."
"That's not true," the man protested, "I went because—"
"You went under the excuse that you could bring back new magic to help us, but I've always known you're passion for the Dark Arts."
"But Moth—No! I was only curious as to how they worked!"
The woman continued as if she could not hear him. "It takes a great man to put aside personal desires and focus on the responsibilities he owes his country. But neither your father, nor you can be called a great man. Neither stuck by his duty, instead indulged in selfish wants that would never benefit the people. My son has never done what you have, and I believe it is he who deserves the crown, now that your father has passed on."
The man couldn't believe his ears. I'm being disowned, he thought unbelievingly. But why? Why is my mother so angry with me all of a sudden? I won't give up my Crown without knowing the reason why. "What have I done to anger you so, dear Mother?"
The woman made no sound, and it looked like she was not going to answer. The man's younger brother turned to his older brother, out of pity or out of love, he did not know. "She is angered with you and your father because you are not her son," he stated simply.
The man looked horrified. He was unable to believe his ears. "What?!" he demanded. "This cannot be true . . . can it?"
His younger brother nodded sadly. "I'm sorry dear brother, but it is. You are my half-brother, and we share only one parent."
The man fell to his knees and looked imploringly at his mother and brother, the ones he had always believed to be his mother and brother.
The woman did not look at him, but said, "From this day forward you have no place in this castle. You are one who practices Dark sorcery, and you are not a full-blooded heir. Please leave while you are still able to do so, or I am afraid I will need to call on the guards."
I'm being disowned . . . The realization pained him to no end. "No. Please. You can't do this. If you're mad because you think I do not deserve the crown after being away from the castle for so many years, then give it to my brother. He deserves it, and I do not mind. But please, don't ask me to leave. Don't ask me to leave my only home . . . and the only ones I ever loved."
The younger brother looked at his brother. "Please leave before you are made to leave." That's it. I've made my decision. But is it the right one?
Suddenly the older brother was overcome with rage. How dare they throw me out? I was their son! Yet now after one small discovery, they forget all that ever existed between us. "Very well, I shall leave. But know that I am not through with this kingdom. Someday I shall be back. And I will definitely not be on your side when I come. This Dark sorcery you have accused me of having, dear Queen, it like any other magic can be used for good or evil. Because the ones I once trusted and loved above anything else in the world, I will use it for revenge. Don't get me wrong, little brother," he looked at his half-brother and locked eyes with him, "I love you, I always have, and I always will. But circumstances have set us apart. One day we will both get married and have children, but know that they will never be united. No force in the universe will ever be able to overcome the hatred and animosity between our two peoples; the Wizards, and the Sorcerers." At the look of disgust on his mother's face, he continued, "Yes, Queen. As of this moment I have taken their title for my own. They accepted me, and taught me like any other, despite where I came from. Unfortunately this you could not do. So I turn to them, taking their name for myself. Some day my line will grow and expand into a whole nation of people, of Sorcerers. And the day that happens, we will be waiting for you, little brother, on the battlefield. We will be waiting for you and your people, the Wizards. You may wonder as to how I can announce such an enmity while I still say I love you. Suffice it to say, that I have never betrayed anyone, despite what you believe. I have always loved you, and always will, but you, my dear loved brother, are the one who has betrayed me, and for that, I can never forgive you."
Lightning flashed across the sky one last time, rain and hail poured down harder than ever, and then all of a sudden the storm left. From a stormy and dangerous night, it became a calm and peaceful night. And with the departure of the storm, the man, the once Heir, now disowned brother, left the castle, and land of the Wizards . . . forever.
End of Sakura's dream.
Sakura Kinomoto bolted up in bed, gasping for air. She turned to look at her digital alarm clock, the lighted numbers glowing bright red in the darkness of her room. 3:45 read the clock. Sakura looked towards the drawer in her desk. She could hear Kero snoring. Judging from the noise, she figured he was fast asleep. His snores were loud enough to wake an entire community of lions though. No wonder Touya teases me about the conversations I have with myself at night, thought Sakura. Kero is just so loud! And I guess he must think little yellow flying stuffed animals don't snore, so therefore blames the noise on me.
Quietly Sakura put on her slippers and padded downstairs for a glass of ice-cold water. She sighed with pleasure as the cool liquid trickled down her constricted throat, loosening it, and drained the whole glass. She sat down at the table and stared off into space, thinking over her dream. What could it mean? she puzzled. Two men, brothers, separating over a small family conflict. Well technically the fact that the older brother was a sorcerer also played something into the story, but still . . . Why did I have this dream, and why now? Does it mean something? Or is it just reading those medieval ages books Tomoyo made me read making my imagination act up? And why would that younger brother banish his older brother for being a sorcerer? It makes no sense at all.
Sakura yawned out loud and rubbed her eyes. She looked at the kitchen clock and discovered she had been awake for ten minutes. Reluctantly she stood up and took out a piece of notebook paper, a pen, and an envelope from a drawer in the hallway. She longingly thought of her warm bed, but decided that she would write to Eriol-san first before going back to sleep. I haven't had a dream like this in ages, ever since I last trained with Eriol and Yue a year ago and they deemed that I had mastered Sorcery. It could be important. With a grin, Sakura muttered, "Expect the unexpected, and take nothing for granted." The first rules she had ever learned in her early cardcaptoring days. Not too eagerly, she sat back down at the kitchen table and wrote a long letter to Eriol explaining her dream. When she looked back at the clock again, it was already half-past four in the morning. With a relieved sigh, she sent the letter on its way with a flick of her mind, mentally calling upon Dash to increase its speed. There. The letter should reach Eriol-san in less than ten minutes, and he can decide whether or not this dream has any significance. And now, with that done, the great Cardmistress of the Star shall now retire back to bed!
It was the first day of summer. Schools all around the world were being let out for the year, and the sky above London was a clear cloudless blue. The sun shone brightly upon all the people down below without discrimination.
As the scarlet train marked "Hogwarts Express" came to a stop, young people of varying ages, all clad in black robes, started getting off. From the way they walked in a carefree way as if there were no obstacles in their future, at least for now, it was obvious that they were most likely nothing more threatening than a school of kids whose finals were all over and were now going home to enjoy and relax for the summer.
Eighteen-year-old Eriol Hiiragizawa looked up at a flock of birds passing overhead, their white shapes standing out in the blue sky. He was wondering about the kind of school that would require its students to travel by blood red trains and go running around donning black shrouds as if they were in mourning or something, and sighed. Well, technically white represented death back in Japan, where lay his origin, but seeing as how he was currently in England, where black was used for death and evil, Japan's colors of mourning and death were hardly significant. Anyways, the main point is that it will be a while before I can interpret the meaning behind Sakura-san's dreams. My hopes that I would be able build a forms of transportation from here to the Past using Clow's Platform 9 7/8 were in vain. Though King's Cross Station houses the largest natural magical pool for miles around, I will not be able to tap into its power for it is not as pristine, untouched, or abandoned as I had first thought. I cannot ignore this whole train full of kids. It's obvious I am not the first one to have discovered this magical pool. Oh I'm sorry Sakura-san, Eriol thought mentally, though he knew his thoughts wouldn't reach the Cardmistress from so far away. I was hoping to find the meaning behind your dreams by using the Platform Clow used to travel back to the Past once, but it looks like Souppy's research was slightly off. The Platform 9 and 7/8 was last used over a century ago, so I cannot open it without a lot more power than I have right now, and a lot has changed here since then. But now, I must find out who these people are. They're using the Platform Clow used to travel before he learned the secret to teleportation, 9 and 3/4, but that Platform, well all the Platforms currently in existence here right now haven't been used by any sorcerers since Clow's death, but these people, or rather children are clearly using them now . . . Who could they be if not sorcerers?
Eriol stared intently at three students passing by; two boys and one girl, carrying large trunks and what appeared to be owl cages, as if he could learn the secret of who they were simply by looking at them. A ginger colored cat with a bushy tail was trailing the three kids. Actually, they looked to be no less than Eriol's age, and their silver auras showed great power as well as tight control. He shuddered inwardly. Now there's a scary thought. More young powerful mages. At least I'm backed up by Clow's wisdom, and Sakura and my cute little descendant have all learned responsibility through their respective duties as Cardmistress and Li Clan leader. But how can these youngsters know the extents of their magical powers and not misuse them?
Argh, my head hurts, Eriol thought. No more talk of wisdom or responsibility, and least not for now. Summer's started, and it's supposed to be the time to enjoy life. Enjoy, dammit! Not go on about traveling to the Past or discovering infiltrators on supposedly pure pools of magic! And most certainly not discovering the meaning behind cryptic dreams!
Eriol started up the engine of his dark blue Jaguar and backed out of the small clearing opposite Platform 9 and 3/4, where he had placed himself away from the view of the people he was spying on. As soon as he had the car back out in the parking lot, he lifted all the invisibility, teleportation, and soundproofing magics that had been placed on both himself and the car. He drove out of King's Cross station and on to the highway, his speed quite a few kilometers over the speed limit, and turned on blaring music. He earned disapproving looks from passing cars, but paid them no heed. Let them look, he thought grimly with a touch of satisfaction, even a half-reincarnation of the most powerful sorcerer deserves to act like a normal teenaged boy sometimes. Finding the meaning behind Sakura-san's dreams can certainly wait for a few days . . .
"You're leaving when!?" both Harry Potter, most famous of his kind, and Ron Weasley, his sidekick, shouted in disbelief.
"Tomorrow morning," answered their studious friend, Hermione Granger, trying to sound soothing. But from the looks on her two best friends' faces, it was obvious that nothing would calm them now. "Mother and Father said—"
But Ron and Harry never found out what Mr. and Mrs. Granger said because she was interrupted by an indignant Harry exclaiming, "You can't!"
"He's absolutely right, Hermione," agreed Ron, "you simply cannot!"
"And why not?" demanded Hermione, slightly flustered now at her friends' reaction. She accidentally jerked her trunk that she was carrying in one hand into Crookshank's, who was following her, face. "Oops, sorry," she muttered to her cat, switching the trunk to her other hand, before turning back to face Harry and Ron. "Voldemort's already . . . oh stop it Ron, even you should know better by now . . . much weaker now. We have most of the Death Eaters behind bars in Azkaban back where they belong, under the guard of dragons and Grawp's people, so the way I see it, the Order's work is almost done. I won't be needed at all, because most likely whatever help I can offer is exactly what anyone else will be able to provide so quit fretting!"
Harry sighed, and was going to reply by saying that no one would be able to provide the friendship that Hermione did, when the three passed a small clearing and he had this sudden odd and inexplicable feeling as if he, Ron, and Hermione were all being . . . watched. But a few seconds later, it disappeared, and he shook it off. "Hermione," he began, "I really wouldn't be saying anything about you going to Japan . . . had you not just sprung it on us the day before you leave. And for the whole summer at that! I mean are there even any wizards in Japan? How will you get your daily information on the state of affairs of the Wizarding world if you're isolated in a country full of Muggles for the entire summer?" Harry, who knew the taste of being left in the dark very well from the summer of his fifth year before they had found out about the Order, was worried for his friend.
Hermione, as if sensing his worry, smiled gently at Harry, and said, "Look. I have it all planned out. You guys can still send letters to me by owl if it gets desperate, and I'm getting the Daily Prophet delivered to a discreet location at the house we'll be staying at. Ever since they stopped writing rubbish about you Harry over a year ago, I've been reading it again. Oh and we still have those mirrors I made using Sirius's idea, remember?" Harry flinched slightly, but she went on, knowing he'd be alright in a few moments. "I assure you I'll be completely up to date with all that's going on back here when I get back. And I'll come visit you two at the Burrow when I do, okay? So no reason to worry. Mother and Father planned this trip for the sole purpose of spending more time with me. It's supposed to be a nice and relaxing break for all three of us, and we're staying with a nice family back in Japan who've agreed to take us in. I mean I did miss going back home this past year at all, because of all that extra work concerning the Order that we took on during the breaks, remember?"
Harry remembered. When Voldemort had disappeared again all of a sudden last year, just as he had after Harry had beat him for the first time as a baby, the Order had needed all the people they could get, even if they were just sixth year students, working hard around the clock, using every spare moment they had, to find Voldemort again. In the end, they had of course, not only finding his location, but a great deal of information about his past as well. Finally the year had ended with a confrontation that had left Voldemort weaker than he had ever been, and resulted in the greatest victory for the Order since sixteen years before when he'd tried to kill Harry. Thinking it over, Harry decided Hermione could afford to take a vacation now if she wished. From the expression on Ron's face it was apparent that while he still disagreed, he had decided upon the same thing as Harry.
"Have fun in Japan, Hermione," Ron said cheerfully, "and don't forget us!"
If she noticed Harry and Ron's sudden mood change, Hermione said nothing. Instead she became indignant and exclaimed, "Forget you?!"
Ron chuckled as he patted her on the back. "Just kidding. Sheesh! Can you not take a joke?"
Harry laughed, and pretty soon Hermione joined in. And before they knew it, the three friends had made their way out of Platform 9 3/4 and out into the station, where the Dursleys, Grangers, and Weasleys all stood waiting to pick up their respective former sixth years. Hermione exchanged brief hugs with both Ron and Harry before moving on to greet her parents. Ron did the same and that just left Harry. He stood alone, staring at Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and Dudley, all of whom just simply stared back. As Harry slowly approached them, Uncle Vernon said roughly, "Had a good year?"
Harry almost sighed in relief as he nodded. Even though he had once loathed going back to the Dursley's ever summer, after the excitement and raging battles of this past year, he was almost relieved to be going back to the one place that he had always known as home. Though home was not always pleasant, ever since he had discovered it was only necessary to stay with the Dursley's for three days in order to renew the protection spell his mother had cast on him before her death, after which he could move on to live with Ron at the Burrow for the rest of the summer, life had become more bearable for him at the Dursley's. And an additional benefit was that his uncle, aunt, and cousin were slightly less hostile to him knowing they wouldn't have to put up with him for too long. Well slightly less hostile, but it was still and improvement. It feels nice to be able to take a break from fighting Voldemort and fighting to stay awake in classes. Hermione's going to Japan, and I'll be staying with Ron. It should prove to be a fun summer!
The phone was ringing.
"Aww, shut up," mumbled Sakura, as she tried burying her head in the pillow in order to drown out the sound. She'd already lost an hour of sleep last night, and didn't appreciate having to wake up an hour early. But it was no use. The stupid thing just wouldn't stop ringing! Reluctantly she got up from bed and flipped open the pink cell phone lying on her desk. Tomoyo had gifted it to her a couple of years ago for her birthday. Some birthday present, thought Sakura grudgingly.
"Moshi moshi," she answered wearily.
"Bonjour Mademoiselle Sakura-chan! Comment ca va?"
Sakura recognized the voice on the other line as Tomoyo's, but she couldn't decipher what she was saying. Kami-sama, am I losing my hearing? Does it have something to do with last night's dream? Maybe I cannot understand human speech anymore. Oh no! Sakura worriedly shook her head to clear it of all haziness. "Tomoyo? Speak again. I mean say something, onegai shimasu. It's urgent. My physical senses seem to have warped again while I was sleeping."
"Huh? Oh . . ." Tomoyo could be heard laughing with mirth on the other line. "Don't worry Sakura-chan, it has nothing to do with your hearing or anything. I'm just perfecting my French a bit."
"Nani?" Sakura's emerald eyes widened in surprise, and then confusion. Tomoyo-chan . . . learning French?! "Why?" she demanded sleepily. She was still very tired from last night.
"Oh I haven't told you yet, have I?" Tomoyo said with shameless glee. "We're having guests over from England! They're part of my mother's business, and she invited them over to stay for the whole summer."
Sakura groaned out loud. "Tomoyo, they speak English in England, not French! Don't you remember Eriol-san?" she asked. Without waiting for an answer she added, "By the way, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't use a Japanese honorific like chan if you were referring to me as mademoiselle."
"Oh." Tomoyo sounded hearbroken on the other side. "But French is so elegant! I really only just wanted an excuse to learn it."
Sakura sighed audibly, then grinned. "Well Tomoyo-chan, I'm not saying you shouldn't learn French if you really want to . . . just don't expect this English family to speak it."
Now Tomoyo heaved a sigh. "C'est la vie, Sakura-chan."
Sakura was about to say "hai", but changed her mind. "Oui, Daidouji-mademoiselle." Her eyes glowed with mischief.
Tomoyo laughed. "You've got it all wrong Sakura."
"Really?!" asked Sakura, eyes wide in mock surprise.
Tomoyo laughed again.
"Well," began Sakura, trying to change the subject now, French was all okay, but she still had over two hours left to catch up on sleep, "when's this English family of yours coming over anyway?"
"Tonight," answered Tomoyo.
"Nani?!" Sakura exclaimed for the second time this morning. "So soon? And you didn't tell me anything?"
"Heh, gomen Sakura-chan. I kind of forgot. Warui. Very wrong of me, I know. If you come over in a little while today, I'll tell you a bit more about them, okay?"
Sakura frowned. Would she never be able to go back to sleep? "Okay Tomoyo, but I have to get dressed first. See you in about half-an-hour, okay?"
"Okay, said Tomoyo. "Ja ne—I mean adios!"
"You mean au revoir," muttered Sakura, giggling, before she hung up the phone.
"Syaoran!"
Syaoran Li, heir of the Li Clan's leader, turned around, his dark brown hair getting into his amber eyes. He impatiently shoved it away and looked at the girl calling him. She was running towards him, two long bun-pigtails whipping around her face as she ran. Her eyes, like Li's own, were amber. She was his cousin, and ex-betrothed. But despite all that, they were still the best of friends.
"Hey Meiling-chan! What's up?"
Meiling paused to look over her cousin, huffing from her long run through the Li estate, searching for the cousin who now stood before her. He had grown a lot since his cardcaptoring days with that girl. He was now taller, voice deeper, not to mention a lot friendlier. When he'd come back from Japan over seven years ago, he had broken up the engagement between her and him, claiming that his heart had already been captured by the Cardmistress, just as she had captured the Clow cards. Had it been any other girl, he would never have been able pull it off, but the Cardmistress carried a lot of weight around here. Though she was still a little girl then, she was still the Mistress of the Clow, and that made all the difference. Li now looked forward to a happy marriage later on in his life when he and his loved one was ready. Unfortunately for Meiling, that loved one wasn't her. Oh well, I've gotten over it. Sakura sure has made my cousin a lot happier than I ever did. And she was ever so kind to me. I don't know why I'm thinking of her all of a sudden . . . Syaoran's just finished Initiation today, I am happy for him, and won't let anything distract me.
Before she could answer, Li spoke again. "Hey, now that I've passed Initiation and all, I was thinking . . . I haven't been on vacation in an awfully long time, Meiling-chan."
Meiling kicked her cousin in the shin playfully. Syaoran grunted and doubled up in pain, caught off guard. Obviously, though it was in joke, she had kicked harder than she had meant to. "Hey cousin, I told you not to call me Meilng-chan! It's Meiling-kun, okay?"
Syaoran muttered a curse under his breath, and said out loud, "You could have just told me."
Meiling smiled. "Now that wouldn't have been much fun, would it?"
She laughed as her cousin grumbled some more, back to his old self. "Why do you want to be known as –kun anyway? –Chan is a lot more feminine."
Syaoran was unusually happy today, but maybe it was simply because he had finally passed the Initiation as the Li Clan's leader. After all, he was finally eighteen now, a young man by his own right. Or maybe it was something else? I prefer –kun to –chan because I no longer feel like a girl when I know that I will never be able to accept another boy to take the place you held in my life. But Meiling kept her mouth shut about that. Instead she changed the subject back. "So what were you saying about a vacation Syao-kun?" Meiling asked with an innocent look plastered on her sweet face.
"Oh yeah," Syaoran temporarily forgot his pain and stopped clutching his knee, "I want to go visit Tomoeda. Well I want to visit Sakura-chan, in Tomoeda, to be more exact?"
Oh how destiny plays with us poor mortals so cruelly. And I was just thinking about that girl. She took my place once already, must she rub it in? But Meiling revealed nothing on her face, keeping it as blank and clueless as possible. "Well Cousin, I suppose now that all your training's done and over with . . ."
Syaoran's eyes lit up. "So you'll go with me? It's been so long since we last visited Japan . . . I miss it so much."
Meiling looked at her cousin. His eyes were happy, but she could see beneath that happiness that he had steeled himself for refusal. He really wants to go with me. Maybe he does think of me as his cousin after all. Meiling sighed. She didn't really want to go visit Sakura. Though when she left, their relationship had been patched up, after seven years of seeing Li pine for her, she couldn't help but loathe the Cardmistress . . . just a little. Meiling tried convincing herself that she wasn't jealous, but to no avail. The only way I can prove once and for all that I'm over Li is by going with him to see his chosen. This is something I don't want to do, but I guess I have to. Meiling braced herself. Once she said yes, there was no turning back. That was how things were done in the Li clan, even small things like this. A simple vacation in Tomoeda. Of course, the clan leader was involved. "Yes, Syao-kun. I shall go with you to visit the Cardmistress."
"Yes! Arigatou Mei-ch . . . kun. I have heard of normal children not born into clans such as this one vacationing over the summer. This year we will have our turn. I'll write to Sakura-chan right away." And with that, Li ran off, more little boy than adult clan leader, leaving his torn cousin standing on the flagstones of the clan estate.
I came to search for him, but he has left me lost all over again. Meiling started walking off in the direction opposite her cousin. Well, I suppose I'd better pack. No doubt Syaoran will want to leave as soon as possible.
Minerva McGonagall hid a yawn as she sat with the other members of the Order in the dining hall of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, listening to the countless various accounts, all confirming the Dark Lord's diminution in power. Many of the people here today had seen the battle between Harry and his army of sixth years against Voldemort and his Death Eaters with their very own eyes. As a result, all the speakers' stories were the same. The Order should have just stopped at one story, but no, they just had to let "everyone have their say". It was seemingly pointless, but Dumbledore had insisted on it, so McGonagall hadn't argued. When she indiscreetly tried glancing down at her watch, she caught her fellow colleague, Severus Snape's, eye. Snape showed no sign of having seen McGonagall but a tiny glint of amusement could be seen in his eyes. McGonagall also found upon closer scrutiny that he was slightly nodding off. After having heard the same things said over and over again, she didn't particularly blame anyone for being just a bit drowsy.
"—and then though the girl looked to be trapped, she grasped hold of her wand and uttered one spell . . . a spell that saved them all—"
Dedalus Diggle was having his turn now at repeating the battle scenes of that fateful night last year. McGonagall sighed silently. She was getting restless and it would be a while before the meeting would come to an end. Silently she slipped into her cat form and slinked out the room, unnoticed by almost everyone in the room, seeing as how most people were fast asleep. It wouldn't hurt to just go have a look around the place, would it? Maybe she'd be able to have a chat with Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen, who was leading the preparations for the celebration feast after the meeting. Of course it wasn't officially a celebration feast, no one dared call the war over yet, but it was the closest thing in a long time.
A half hour later McGonagall found herself chopping up tomatoes for the salad, now back in her human form. Hermione Granger was next to her, helping with the cucumbers, and Ron and Ginny Weasley were helping their mother with baking cookies. Their friend, Harry Potter, was back at the meeting, seeing as how most of the meeting was about praising him, it only seemed right that he should be present. Though all this cooking probably could have been done by magic, leaving the Weasleys and Hermione able to attend the meeting, McGonagall strongly suspected they had decided to labor themselves for the exact purpose of ditching the meeting. Her mind had drifted off to how fortunate she was that she would be able to cook now instead of listen, (the company in the kitchen was tons better than that in the dining hall), when Hermione broke her out of her reverie by asking "Do you know if there are any wizards in Japan, Professor?"
"Huh? Oh . . ." McGongall was a bit startled by the question until she saw the looks on Ron and Ginny's face, hinting that they had probably been arguing about this topic for quite a while. "Well . . . there was one. A long time ago. She attended Hogwarts though, because the only wizarding school over in Asia is somewhere up in the Himalayas, where it's freezing cold, and the education is pretty poor up there. For some reason, Asian countries don't produce very many wizards nowadays anyway, and most of them, when they do, decide to come to Hogwarts. This woman though, when she came here, was a fine student. She was a great wizard. I myself had the honor of teaching her. Unfortunately she only finished completing five years of study. She had what you might call two lives, I believe she was a muggle model as well as a wizard-in-training. When she found a man whom she fell in love with in her fifth year, she decided she couldn't stand the double life she was leading anymore, and left the school to live out the rest of her life as a muggle. The last I saw of her was when I heard she had a child, a baby girl, but none of our records show that she has ever tried getting into Hogwarts, so we assumed that she had no magic to speak of. I guess that Asia is just a land with less magic than other places, but I still find this quite hard to believe, when evidence has shown otherwise."
"Hmm," said Hermione thoughtfully, "did you know that I'm visiting Japan with my parents over the summer?"
McGonagall smiled. "Yes, I think I so. Mr. Potter did look a little grim when I mentioned you today."
Ron laughed. "Well, Hermione obviously doesn't feel the need to give her friends any warning, but it's alright. We're over it. She'll be our spy in Japan, rooting out those wizards over there."
"Hermione'll tell us why there seems to be no magic in Asia," agreed Ginny. "I've heard stories and I've always wondered. Considering that some of the greatest men in the world have come from there. Like Buddha, and Confucius, and . . ."
"Ron!" protested Hermione, "spying is a very dishonorable thing to do!" Loftily she added, "And I plan to enjoy myself on this vacation. Not go around researching Asian wizardry!"
McGonagall hid a smile as she wiped her brow. Cutting tomatoes was hard work. Though the fact that she just wasn't used to ordinary muggle labor could be a factor. "Have a nice trip, Ms. Granger. And you never know, circumstances may be sometime this summer, that you'll meet a wizard and unlock Asia's secret to the rest of us in Europe."
"Yeah whatever," muttered Hermione under her breath, trying not to sound rude. "I highly doubt it Professor."
"You never know."
Sakura and Tomoyo were sitting on Tomoyo's bed in her room, discussing Tomoyo's foreign visitor.
"They have a girl my age," Tomoyo was saying excitedly, "I plan to show her around all of Japan. Mother's even planned a trip into India to go see the Taj Mahal, and then maybe to China or Egypt to go see ancient tombs or something, after we get bored of Japan."
Sakura smiled at her friend. "Well Tomoyo-chan, sounds like you'll have a ton of fun this summer."
"Yeah, but oh, Sakura-chan, I haven't forgotten about you! If your father and brother agree, I wish for all of you to come with me and the English family!"
Sakura's face brightened. "Oh what fun Tomoyo-chan. Most certainly I accept your offer! I'll ask Oniichan and Otousan tonight."
"I'm glad," said Tomoyo delightedly. "I look forward to going with you, and it will be great fun to meet a true English lady!"
Sakura agreed. Europe seemed like such an exotic country, but the thought also occurred to her, that maybe Japan was just as exotic and different to the English as England seemed to her. What a crazy thought. Japan, exotic? No way!
After eating lunch with Tomoyo, Sakura skated home. On her way in, she checked the mail, and nearly dropped the thick stack of bills for her father. At the very top of the stack was a letter from . . . Syaoran-kun!
Sakrua hurriedly ran inside and ripped open the envelope. Her eyes quickly scanned the letter, before she let out a wild cry of happiness. Syao-kun is coming back to Tomoeda! After all these years . . . and he's bringing Meiling-chan with him. Oh what fun. Tomoyo will be happy to know this too, and we can all go visit other places in the world together with that English lady! The more the merrier, or so those Americans always say!
"Kero-chan!" Sakura shouted eagerly, as she ran up the stairs to reveal her news to the Sun guardian.
Back in England, in a dark and grim city mostly in shambles, a circle of Death Eaters stood out in the middle of the street. They weren't worried about getting hit by cars or anything because no one ever came to this junkyard excuse of a city.
In the middle of their circle stood a young boy no more than nine years old or so. The Death Eaters were repeatedly cursing him and laughing as he writhed and roiled in pain. "Crucio," muttered one of the Death Eaters under his mask. From the way he held himself, it appeared that he was something of a leader in the event unfolding in front of the eyes of the people assembled.
Finally, unable to bear the pain anymore, the boy collapsed right on the ground. One of the men laughed, and taunted, "Had enough already, little muggle?"
Another man said, addressing the last Death Eater who had placed a curse on the boy, the leader, "That'll teach him to come into our territory, huh Malfoy?"
The man he'd called Malfoy, laughed. It was a terrible and hollow sound.
"Enough," came a voice from behind him. Everyone in the circle turned to look at the newcomer and immediately dropped to their knees. The boy in the middle remained motionless, still knocked out from all the damage that had been inflicted on his body. The man was slightly limping and walked with his back stooped. His face was scarred as if he'd suffered a great battle not too long ago, and his eyes were snakelike slits. It was Voldemort, known to his followers as the Dark Lord. He was the true leader of the men assembled. Voldemort came up and slapped the man who'd taunted the boy, and the man did nothing to defend his face. Instead he fell weakly to the ground, next to the boy. "Watch your tongue next time, Crabbe," the man hissed in an oddly snakelike voice, matching his appearance. "You go about putting all your magic to waste on weaklings like this muggle boy, and then wonder how it is that we are being defeated by the Light. But the truth is that this," the man waved at the boy in the disgust, "is the reason why. You fools all waste your talent on scum like this while you should be helping me plot our next attack. Just because we were defeated once doesn't mean we should hang our heads down and walk around like dogs with out tails between our legs. We lost just one battle, who's to say that means we've lost the whole war?"
A woman now came up from the opposite side from where Voldemort stood. She would have been beautiful if it wasn't for the scorn in her heavy lidded eyes and the unpleasant smile on her face. "Very well said my Lord. I tried making these fools see reason, but they refused."
Voldemort smiled coldly at the woman. "I am glad you see things this way Bellatrix. For now you should practice actually influencing these men to obey instead of just settling for telling them."
Bellatrix's cheeks reddened slightly.
"Never mind, though," Voldemort said. "I am in a good enough mood that I'll let you all get away with this, but next time, you may not be so lucky. For now, I'd like to call upon you Bellatrix, and anyone else you deem wise enough to help. You all shall research for me about magic users from other parts of this world."
Bellatrix tried hiding her surprise, but a little still came through in her voice as she said wonderously, "But why, my Lord?"
"Leave the reasoning to me, Bella, you all just do what I've asked you to. And anyway, my purpose should be obvious to you. We lost many vital fighters in that last battle, we need to recruit more wizards to our side. Seeing as how the Order's managed to turn most of the wizards here in England against us, I've decided to seek help . . . elsewhere in the world." And with that, Voldemort made his way back to a darkened alley and disappeared from the view of his followers.
Eriol nearly started pounding the ground in his frustration. There was absolutely nothing so far in Clow's library on other magic-workers. The best he'd been able to find was the mention of a wizard named Merlin from the medieval ages and how he had once struck up a deal that went badly astray with a foolhardy sorcerer. While Merlin was well known to many people in the outside world, Eriol suspected that this so called trade as was mentioned in the book, was probably never recorded in real history, and that possibly Clow had made it up for his own purposes unknown to the rest of the universe.
While Eriol was knocking down random books off the shelves, taking out his pent up anger on the pages as he mercilessly flipped through them, almost tearing them in half, before moving on to another book, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in," he growled.
The doorknob turned and in walked Souppy with Ruby Moon.
"What have you been getting into?" asked Ruby Moon innocently.
Eriol fought the urge to strangle her. "Know anything about how to open the Platform Clow created? Or can you suggest another way to travel to the past?"
"Hmm," said Ruby Moon thoughtfully, "Why travel to the past when the answer lies in front of your eyes?"
"What?" Eriol grumbled. It was just like his eccentric moon guardian to be looking at things from a completely different viewpoint than the rest of the world. While he thought the answer to Sakura's dream lay in past conflicts between a sorcerer and other magic user, Ruby Moon stubbornly denied logic. If possible, she'll probably tell me something stupid like I need to go watch Star Trek or something to find the answer which is actually in the future. Or that I must complete a highly complex ritual concerning roast beef and today's newspaper.
"Well, I heard you tell Souppy about this school of magic-workers you found today."
Eriol turned his head around from the book open on his lap, which he was halfway through with skimming over, and his dark eyes met with Ruby Moon's sparkling pinkish red ones. Suddenly realization dawned on Eriol, hitting him as physically as someone had just hit his head with a baseball bat.
Ruby Moon's eyes had a mischievous glint in them as she nodded at Eriol's enlightenment.
Souppy smiled sardonically.
Eriol rubbed his head in thought. How did she--- but of course. Sakura's dream was about two brothers using magic in two ways. And that set them apart. What sets me apart from the kids I saw at King's Cross Station? The way we use magic of course! I went looking for the answer and it smacked me right in the head. There's only one thing to do now . . . I must visit Sakura in Tomoeda. Obviously her having this dream means something of great significance. Perhaps it is time to unite the two brothers' peoples again . . . this could be more important to the future than anything else right now. I must find out the meaning behind this all. Even if I am overreacting just a little . . . it's always better to be safe than sorry.
"Ruby Moon. Souppy," snapped Eriol, not unkindly, but with haste. "Pack out bags and get your things ready. We leave for Tomoeda in the evening by means of the tele-portal."
"Oh goody," muttered Souppy under his breath, not caring whether Eriol heard of not, "an adventure to reunite the ancient forces of Light and Dark. And we get to use old Clow's special transportation device too!" Souppy's voice took on a sarcastic note as he added, "I must remember to pack my barf bags. Teleporting always makes me sick. Why could Eriol-san just have let us do it ourselves?"
"Is something the matter, Souppy?" asked Ruby Moon innocently, "You appear to be talking to yourself. The last time I checked, that was a sign that one is going crazy."
She ducked as Souppy charged at her from the air.
"Harry!"
The meeting of the Order was over. All the wizards were told to be on the alert for Voldemort and his followers, and then stuffed to the brim with food, courtesy of Mrs. Weasley, before being granted permission to leave—finally. Harry was helping to clean up by mopping the dining hall. He was alone when Ron came in. Hermione had already left with her parents to get ready for their departure to Japan.
"Yeah, what's up mate?" answered Harry to Ron's call, as he entered the dining hall of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place.
"Well," started Ron, "I'm kinda worried for Hermione."
"But why?" asked Harry, genuinely surprised. "She'll be alright, Hermione can take care of herself."
"Yeah . . . but what if she doesn't like Japan? What if she can't eat any of their food? What if Voldemort shows up? What if we miss her? What if she's bored? What if—"
"What if we knew the sun would never rise again tomorrow or forever? Would that stop us from living life as we normally do?"
Harry and Ron both spun around and saw the cool light blue gaze of Dumbledore's eyes on them. "P-p-professor!" exclaimed Ron, a little startled.
"Don't worry," assured Dumbledore, giving no sign that he'd heard Ron, "Ms. Granger will be fine. Now I insist, there's some leftover treacle tart from the feast in the kitchen, so won't the two of you please join me in making it vanish?"
Ron looked at Harry who shrugged and started following Dumbledore into the kitchen. Ron took one last glance around as if Hermione would come back simply by his wishing it, before following suit. They're right. Hermione's a great witch, and a great person too. She'll be fine wherever she goes, even if we're not with her.
Sakura was doing what came very close to dancing around the room in gleeful circles. But since she was the Cardmistress, she was trying to do it a more dignified manner. Still, her excitement was as clear as day on her face.
"Settle down, Sakura! Geez, for God's sake . . ."
"Shut up Kero!" Sakura said playfully, her manner teasing, "or I won't tell you about the message I just got from Eriol-san!"
Kero groaned. "We won't have much space left over as it is! That brat and his cousin will be hard enough to find sleeping places for, now you have to add Clow's half reincarnation to the mix?!"
Sakura laughed. "Daijobou Kero-chan. You're so good at reading minds, aren't you? Well you're totally right. Eriol-san wants to come over and talk about my dream in person." Sakura had relayed the dream she had had the previous night before to Kero already, and he had deciphered from it that an ancient broken alliance was going to have to be repaired, the same meaning Sakura and Eriol apparently had settled on.
Suddenly Sakura heard the door open downstairs, and footsteps coming up to her room. She opened her bedroom door and acknowledged her older brother, Touya, who looked worn out from a day at his summer job. "Konichiwa Oniichan!"
"Hey runt," answered Touya, "what's up?"
"Syaoran-kun, Meiling-chan, and Eriol-san are all coming to visit."
"What's the occasion," joked Touya, "your braces?"
"Hey," protested Sakura, "I need them." Sakura had just gotten braces last week because her orthodontist had told her she needed them. Of course, Sakura had not refused because perfect teeth made people look more attractive, but that was after she had attempted trying to make her teeth straight with magic, but accidentally used too much, and nearly killed Yue, who was lending her magic, in the process. She still regretted doing so, because a couple days after she had to renew the wards on her house as well as Tomoyo's. Because they didn't have a lot of magic then, Sakura used the combined energies of Keroberos, Yue, and herself to make a funnel type of ward against evil, which took less power than normal wards, something that had never been tried before, or so she had been told by Yue disapprovingly. Oh well, Yue's such a worrywart anyways . . . I don't know why. He was a lot better in the old days, but it seems like the more days that pass by, the farther apart he pulls away from me . . . Maybe he still hasn't gotten over Clow's death. "Anyways," Sakura continued, giving no outward hint of what was going on in her head, "we're probably going to go on a trip or something together. Do you want to go too?"
"Sorry can't," answered Touya, "I have work."
Sakura made a face. "You always have work."
Touya shrugged. "Dad also has work. At the art museum I think. Why don't you ask Yukito?"
"Good idea!" Sakura exclaimed as she ran to her room to call Yuki. Unfortunately no one was home, and an answering machine picked up. Sakura left a message asking Yuki to call her back, the thought that she hadn't seen Yue or Yuki in a couple of days occurred to her, but she dismissed it as Yuki simply being too busy, before going downstairs again to start preparing dinner. It was her turn tonight after all so it would only be fair. Sakura didn't mind cooking, but sometimes she cheated and used magic to make her food taste better, or speed up the process when she had other things to do. None of that cheap magic business tonight, thought Sakura, I'm going to prepare a ten-course dinner for my family since I'm in such a good mood!
It was a dark night. The moon was shining, but it was one thin long crescent, and provided almost no light. But this fact did not bother the man, if he could be called that, who sat on the ledge of an indistinct building looking up at it. His wings were folded behind him, but they were still visible nonetheless; proof that he was no true human. His long silver hair was loosely tied back, and his silver eyes had a cold and hard look to them. He was known as Yue, the Judge. The moon that he stared up at now was his patron, as he was the moon patron to others, which was suiting, for the way moonlight was a darker reflection of the bright sun expressed how he viewed himself right now very accurately . . .
"Should I leave her?" he mused aloud. To any passerby on the dark streets, it would have sounded as if he were talking about a particularly nasty girlfriend he was debating over whether or not to break up with. But it was quite late, and the moon Judge was in a particularly deserted part of town. He had traveled many miles to find this place. Even he wasn't sure exactly where it was . . . somewhere in Italy perhaps, or maybe as far north as England. Just as he could not be heard by anyone, he was also not thinking about a potential bond mate, but a master, or rather a mistress, to whom he owed loyalty.
To whom I owed loyalty to oncehe thought stubbornly. She is nothing like my real Master. Oh Clow . . . his eyes took on a look of longing and passion. Everyday she attempts something new with that cursed magic you have blessed her with. You never made a mistake while you were living, but here is your first mistake as a dead man; choosing a fickle young girl who is not aware of any of the responsibilities that is the price for her powers. She believes she can do whatever piece of magic she wants, whenever she wants, without thinking of the problems it may cause. And in addition to all that, you have ordered me to obey her! I shall not stand for this. I am sorry Master; I always trusted you, listened to you, heeded you, but not anymore. Since you have left, my one and only Master, I must find my own way in this world, and become my own man. From this moment on, I sever any and all ties I have ever shared with that girl. I declare her my enemy. She is no longer my Mistress, that girl, that . . . Sakura.
Suddenly, black arrows shot out from behind Yue. A few pricked his wings. One struck his back and went all the way in, barely missing his heart. He fell off the ledge where he sat, his crumpled wings unfolded behind him so that they would not touch the arrow and drive it in deeper, as he fell to the ground, bleeding dark silver blood. Soon he was lost in a world of pain and confusion as he landed heavily on the ground, breaking his left wrist, before he felt someone, or something, deliver a kick to his head and he lost all consciousness, slipping away into utter darkness.
Tomoyo stood at baggage claim with her mother, Sonomi, eagerly on the lookout for their guests. Finally she saw a man and a woman with a tired look in their eyes waving, dragging along heavy suitcases, and a girl trailing behind them. The girl looked no older than Tomoyo, her mouse-brown hair waving wildly behind her, and her kind brown eyes weary with happiness at seeing Tomoyo and her mother.
Sonomi set down the sign she had been carrying, "GRANGER", it said written upon it, and ran to help the family with their luggage. "Hello. My name is Daidouji Sonomi and this is my daughter Tomoyo. We will be your hosts this summer. I'm sure the trip must have been exhausting. Let us find your luggage and go home."
Tomoyo grinned up at the family, expectantly. Her mother's English was good, at least compared to hers. She wondered what the family would make of it. Sonomi spoke with almost as good an accent as the true English.
"Good evening, it's very nice to meet you. I'm Alcione Granger, and this is my husband Todd Granger. My daughter here is Hermione."
The adults' conversation veered off to other more boring topics as Sonomi took a bag from them and they all started making their way to where Sonomi had parked the car.
Tomoyo looked at the girl, Hermione, excitedly. Finally a chance to practice my English! "Hola!" greeted Tomoyo.
Hermione looked at Sonomi's daughter. She was beautiful with dark bluish-violet hair and dark sparkling eyes. Tomoyo was her name she recalled, with tiredness but also eagerness. Finally I can practice my Japanese! I knew learning it all those years ago so that I could watch and understand anime was worth it for more than one reason. Altogether Hermione knew many languages, since Europe had a multitude of foreign language speaking countries, but most was in bits and pieces, like a hello there and a how are you over here. This included her Japanese, but it still wasn't that bad.
"Namaste," answered Hermione, so eager to practice her language that she didn't catch Tomoyo's voice speaking Spanish and not English or Japanese, and her own speaking Hindi instead of the Japanese she had meant to say.
"Umm," the girl looked slightly puzzled, but continued with just as much enthusiasm as Hermione, "Como estas?"
"Main acchi hoon. Aur tum? Tum kaisi hai?" Hermione was proud of herself. She wasn't doing too bad . . . she hoped.
"Muy bien, gracias. Como te llamas?" asked Tomoyo.
"Mere naam Her-my-own-ee," answered Hermione slowly, still unaware of the literal "language barrier" between her and the girl. "Tumhara naam kya?"
"Me llamo To-mo-yo. Mucho gusto."
"Hain. Tumse o," Hermione said with a smile.
"Vamos?" asked Tomoyo, as she looked up from her frantic mind search for the right words and saw Sonomi and the Grangers almost out of sight.
"Hain. Hum chali abhi," agreed Hermione.
"Muy bien," was the only warning Tomoyo gave before she started sprinting down the long sky bridge over which the two families were now traveling over, in a desperate attempt to catch up with their parents. Hermione followed close in her wake.
Once they were outside in the airport garage, and caught up with the adults, Tomoyo and Hermione linked arms with a smile and made their way to the car, following right behind their parents. It was obvious that the two were already good friends, but neither noticed that they had been speaking two totally different languages than what they had intended. (a/n: translations located at the end of the story)
Sakura's focus was completely on the still-tiny portal at the center of her room. Slowly she expanded it, bit by bit with her magic, using the forces of her mind. She kept pouring in her light-pink magic, fashioned in small threads to guard against drainage, into the center of the vortex, which joined Keroberos's gold thread as he poured it in from the other side. The girl and Sun guardian were positioned across from each other, which was odd because normally, they were positioned as the points of a triangle, with Yue making up the third point, but today Yukito had mysteriously been nowhere to be found. Preoccupied with other thoughts, Sakura hadn't thought much of it.
Soon the pink-gold vortex expanded, and white light surrounded the edges. Finally, two indistinct silhouettes of two people appeared in the center. Green and violet light sparked and fizzed from the nub of the work of magic. Sakura closed her eyes in concentration. Keroberos did the same. And though neither could see, two others, on the other end of their teleportation portal were doing the same. After about five minutes, four points appeared on the portal. Sakura and Kero stood on two, across from each other. The figures in the center solidified, and made their way to the other two points. Sakura kept her eyes closed, but she could sense the presence of two other mages, one at her left, the other at her right. I sure hope we're doing this the right way . . . once we contain the magic, I'll open my eyes. Hopefully it will be Syao-kun who I'm looking at, but just in case, I hope Kero has his anti-intervention wards up.
The four points glowed with power now, four nodes of pink, green, gold, and purple. Edges appeared interconnecting one to the other, then disappeared as all the magic in the room was focused into the center of the diminishing portal. Soon the portal changed from a multitude of colors to plain white. It was barely the size of a dinner plate now . . . then a Frisbee . . . finally it shrunk to the size of a penny and disappeared into the four mages who made up the nodes.
Wearily Sakura opened her eyes and looked. Keroberos stood across from her, looking weak with exhaustion. Slowly she looked to the left. A tall girl with long black hair and glinting amber eyes looked back at her and smiled weakly. Sakura smiled back. Meiling-chan, or –kun as she preferred, was doing well in her apprentice necromancy studies. Soon she would be able to construct a fine portal between the living worlds and realms of the dead on her own, and make a name for herself as a powerful necromancer. Sakura then looked apprehensively to her right. A boy around her age looked back with a silly grin, as he shoved his sweaty auburn hair out of his brilliant amber eyes, which were carbon copies of his cousin's.
"Syaoran!" shrieked Sakura as she launched herself into his arms, not caring that the grounds for the magical vortex she had just made had not yet been fully secured.
Syaoran grunted as he fell to the floor with Sakura on top of him, but his tone was gentle, if not a little mischievous as he muttered, "Still a great klutz, huh Kinomoto?"
Meiling rolled her eyes, while Sakura blushed.
"Don't worry Sakura-chan," added Syaoran, "at least you're a sorcerer, and not one of those wizards. You'd poke someone's eye out with your first attempt at a spell!"
"Hey!" protested Sakura.
Everyone in the room laughed as Sakura started to chase Syaoran around the room, trying to smack his head. Not one of the four mages was aware of a presence that was watching them from Sakura's bedroom window . . .
"Youth is so beautiful, is it not Shira-san?" muttered a tall woman standing on a tree with surprising grace.
"Of course Kuri-san," answered another dark figure who stood next to the first. "I remember the days with no worries of world domination or magical world war or even spy missions on which not only your life, but the lives of your friends and loved ones as well depend on, very well. What a pity that once you leave those days, that there is never a chance to come back."
"Of course. As we must teach these young nonchalant children, that once you are shown what to do, there is no turning back."
"It is time for the Alliance to be forged again . . . let us hope that we were right in our choices for the Catalysts from both sides."
"We shall see all in due time, Shira-san . . . we shall see."
If I Can Stop One Heart from Breaking
If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.
-Emily Dickinson
I realize Syaoran and Meiling are a bit OOC . . . basically I was just trying to get across the point that Meiling isn't willing to accept Sakura yet, even though she respects her, and that Li has changed a lot because of the love he has shown for Sakura.
Oh and that incident at the airport with Tomoyo and Hermione speaking Spanish and Hindi was totally wrong, even more OOC than Li and Meiling. I apologize for that as well, (whines), I was just trying to put in a bit of humor!
And I apologize for the lack of much action, I promise next chapter will most indefinitely be a LOT better. Or at least I hope, lol:)
Anyways, please review. Thanks again to all you who reviewed the prologue. I really hoped you enjoyed this chapter, and if you didn't, PLEASE tell me how I can improve it! I badly need some constructive criticism on my story seeing as how I'm a pretty bungling author still. I'll try posting the next chapter ASAP but please give me at least a month to work on it, I never knew these crossover chapters could get so very long, and I wanted to write more too! Arigatai! : )
Next chapter: Meilng crosses over to the Dark side, Eriol and Co. arrive in Tomoeda, Sakura declares war on the wizarding world, and more!
Here are the translations of the foreign words I used in this chapter: (In chronological order, sorted by language)
Japanese-English Dictionary (Spelling may be slightly off)Moshi moshi – hello
Kami-sama – God
Onegai shimasu – please
Nani – What
Hai – yes
Gomen – sorry
Warui – wrong (can be used as a way of saying "sorry")
Ja ne – bye
Arigatou – thank you
Oniichan – older brother
Otousan – father
Daijobou – it's alright
Konichiwa – good afternoon
French-English Dictionary(I didn't use any accents, though they should be there in some places.)
Bonjour – hello
Mademoiselle – Ms.
Comment ca va? – how are you?
C'est la vie – this is life
Oui – yes
Au revoir – good bye
Spanish-English Dictionary indicates a blank spot to fill in your name(I didn't use any accents, though they should be there in some places.)
Adios – bye
Hola – hello
Como estas? – how are you?
Muy bien, gracias – very well, thank you
Como te llamas? – what's your name? (literally means "how are you called?")
Me llamo - my name is (literally means "I'm called")
Mucho gusto – it's nice to meet you
Vamos – let's go
Muy bien – very well
Hindi-English Dictionary indicates a blank spot to fill in your name
(Grammar/spelling may be slightly off)
Pronunciation guide located next to word
Main achii hoon (meh-a-chi-who) – I'm fine
Aur tum? (or-toom) – and you?
Tum kaisi hai? (toom-kay-see-heh) – how are you?
Mere naam (meh-reh-nahm) - my name is
Tumhara naam kya? (toom-ha-rah-nahm-kya) – what is your name?
Tumse o (toom-she-oh) – You too.
Hain (ha) – yes
Hum chali abhi? (hum-chuh-lee-uh-bhee) – shall we go now?