Fountain of Age
Summary: AU. Syaoran and Eriol are on the trail of the Fountain of Youth... a trail that would lead them inevitably to Tomoeda... and Sakura...
Disclaimer: I don't own Card Captor Sakura. None of it: manga, anime, little plushie Keros; I own nothing.
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Chapter 13: Investigation...
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Sakura approached Syaoran at school the next day, her face somewhat flushed. "My father called yesterday night," she declared. "He is returning today, right on time for dinner. He says that I can invite some of my friends over; despite anything Touya said. So, I'm inviting you, Tomoyo, and Eriol. Would you- would you like to come?"
Syaoran remembered the kiss on the cheek, and felt his face redden too. "Would it be okay?"
"It's better than okay," Tomoyo chimed in, giggling. "You better say yes, Syaoran. She nearly screamed my ear off trying to get your phone number last night, but of course her brother wouldn't let her call-"
"Stop!" yelped Sakura, blushing furiously as she clamped her hands over Tomoyo's mouth. "Uh, yes. So, if you could come..."
"I'll come," said Syaoran, and Sakura beamed happily. Then he led her a little bit farther from Tomoyo's desk and dropped his voice to a whisper.
"Listen," he said. "That dissertation last night; it wasn't a dissertation."
"It wasn't?"
He repeated everything Eriol had told him the day before.
"The Fountain of Youth as a spell," thought Sakura. "That would've been nice. But, if it was a spell, and not an essay, then why was Mizuki's name on it?"
"I don't know," Syaoran answered truthfully. After Eriol had completely ruined his hopes, he hadn't bothered to read the rest of the paper.
"Do you still have it?"
"At home."
"Where's it not doing us any good," said Sakura, exasperated. "Bring it tonight then." She trailed off into her thoughts.
"So, now what are we going to do?" Syaoran asked, when Sakura allowed the silence to sit for too long.
"There's only one lead left then," said Sakura. "Clow Reed. Did you ask Eriol about him?"
In the excitement of the strengthening spell, Syaoran had utterly forgotten. "No..."
Sakura sighed. "Well, it's not my quest," she said. "I'm not the one who's going to pay for it if I don't find the Fountain of Youth."
Syaoran didn't need the reminder. Everything involved with the quest was a mistake: thinking the fountain was in Tomoeda, and now mistaking it as a simple spell. "Want to look him up at the library again?" he tried.
"Nah," said Sakura, and a smile slowly pulled at the corner of her lips. "I've got a better idea."
"What?"
"We've got closer sources than that," Sakura said. "You, go home, and ask Eriol about Clow Reed. Then, you come to my house at about four. I'll take care of the rest."
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"Dinner at the Kinomoto house," said Eriol, watching his cousin button the last few buttons on his shirt. "I'm sorry I can't go."
"Can't go?" asked Syaoran, taking a look at himself in the mirror. He reminded himself that he needed to ask Eriol about Clow Reed. He couldn't forget. Not this time. "Why not? You were invited."
"Finishing my painting for art club," Eriol explained. "I'm going down to Penguin Park with Tomoyo, and we're going to finish it there."
"Oh, great," said Syaoran. He needed to present the topic now. "Listen, what do you know about Clow Reed?"
"Clow Reed?" Eriol said, wrinkling his nose.
"Yeah," Syaoran said. He watched his cousin's face avidly. "You know; the painter. The one who did all the paintings you've got hanging all over the place."
"Yes, yes," said Eriol, waving a hand. "I know who you're talking about."
"So, what do you know about him?" Syaoran could hardly breathe. He was so intent on Eriol, that he forgot to blink, and his eyes became painfully dry.
"All I can really say about Clow Reed," said Eriol, "is that he disappeared."
"He disappeared?"
"Yeah," said Eriol. "He just up and vanished from the public eye. Some say he died, some say he retired somewhere warm. No one really knows."
It was off putting that Clow Reed, their only remaining lead was disappearing. Yet, mysterious...
"Don't worry so much about it," said Eriol. "Go on to Sakura's house, will you? And have fun for me."
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Nakuru dropped Syaoran off at Sakura's house as planned.
"Come up with anything?" the girl asked as soon as Syaoran knocked on her door.
"Not really," said Syaoran. "All Eriol told me was that he disappeared."
"Disappeared?" said Sakura, an eyebrow raised.
"Yeah, I know!" exclaimed Syaoran, and he thought about how weird his cousin was. He marveled at how the Eriol's mind worked. "What kind of lame excuse is that? I mean, come on! The guy is obviously holding out on us! He knows something he won't tell us. I swear, he's purposefully sabotaging the search."
"I don't think Eriol would try to sabotage you," said Sakura. "He's too nice."
Syaoran snorted. "Just because he's nice-"
"Besides," interjected Sakura, pointedly. "He brought you here didn't he?"
This was true. Syaoran couldn't say anything to that. If Eriol had wanted to stop him from searching, he would have sidelined him in London. Eriol would've kicked him out of the house, or barred him from entering the library. But the boy welcomed Syaoran with open arms, open doors, and open books.
Trying to figure out his cousin gave the amber eyed boy a headache. He cleared his head with a good shake then asked, "What about you? What'd you come up with?"
"Well," she said, "I tried to call my dad about Clow Reed, but his hotel said he'd already left. So we can't get in touch with him until he touches down in Tokyo. I tried talking to Yuki, but he started tearing up and wouldn't talk to me anymore-"
"What?! Why?"
"I have no idea. But this leaves us-" she headed for the stairs "-with one last person to talk to."
"Who?"
They reached the hall upstairs. Sakura opened her bedroom door slowly.
"Kero," Sakura said. "The stuffed animal from Clow Reed's painting."
"I was a lion in that painting!" roared a voice. A small stuffed bear fluttered up to her uncomfortably near Sakura's face.
Sakura laughed nervously. "Sorry Kero," she said. "I keep forgetting."
"You always forget," Kero said, in a mock pout.
Syaoran was in awe with the flying stuffed animal. "It looks exactly like Supi. Except, with smaller eyes. And circular ears-"
"Who's this Supi?" blared Kero, slapping Syaoran's shoulder.
Sakura giggled. "Syaoran, this is Kero. Kero, this is Syaoran. He's my classmate."
"Uh huh, uh huh," said Kero, carelessly. He breezed closer to Sakura's bed, which was lost under piles of stuffed animals. Syaoran nearly lost sight of Kero too, except the animal wouldn't stop moving, and it kept grumbling about finding a place to sit.
Sakura and Syaoran approached the bed, the better to speak with Kero.
"So, who's this Supi?" asked Kero.
"Supi's my cousin's stuffed animal," answered Syaoran.
"Hey," Kero said. "Don't go making comparisons of me to reject stuffed animals. I'm not a stuffed animal, kid. Get it right."
"Okay," said Syaoran, choosing to humor the bear. However way he looked at it, Kero was certainly a stuffed animal.
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Author's Notes: Thank you to Hikari Mizu for reviewing. (I'm just really paranoid, aren't I?)