A Month in the Courts of Li

By: Cobalt Rose

Alright my dear reviewers, I've decided to just keep the story up. Somehow it's a lot more popular that I thought it'd be. Anyway, the third chapter is now up, and the fourth chapter almost complete. I'll try my best (around my tutors and things) to get this story up as fast as possible.

Consequences of Unshielded Magic

Tomoyo sat at the edge of her bed, enjoying the light birdsong that drifted through the open window beside her. The morning breeze ruffled her hair and she silently drank in the sight of emerald green leaves and sparkling drops of dew. She got up off the bed and drifted silently towards the open window, finally resting on the window seat below it. Selene floated to her and settled on her usual perch, Tomoyo's shoulder. Neither of them spoke a word; there was no need. Even morning in a foreign country was lovely on a day like this. You could almost believe that the morning was perfect.

Unfortunately, the morning peace was shattered was broken by a sharp rap on her door. "Come in," she called dreamily, even her voice soft and velvety, almost afraid to break the beautiful stillness around her. The doorknob turned and the door pushed open hesitantly. Selene hid in the waves of her hair, wary of people who might not know of their magic, but there had been no need to worry. It was Eriol. Tomoyo, still curled up on the window seat, chin on the palm of one hand, elbow on the sill, half turned to face him. Her hair blew lightly in the breeze and Selene fluttered lightly from her hiding place behind Tomoyo's ear.

Eriol caught his breath at the beautiful angel sitting by the window. Her hair, falling in dark, rich waves, fluttered lightly in the morning breeze. Her skin seemed to glow in the light of the sun, and was as pale as new milk in the clear, dawn light. Her eyes, normally polite and secretive of her feelings, were soft and clear, dancing with calm happiness. In her pale white nightdress, the glow of the sun washing over her from behind, she looked like an amethyst-eyed dream, a small smile playing on her soft lips.

"Yes Eriol-kun?" Her question broke him from his reverie. He smiled a warm smile at her, receiving one back, as he spoke what had brought him here to her chambers in the early morning before breakfast. "Tomoyo-san, King Li requests an audience with you and your companions in an hour and a half. Father thought you might wish to bathe first and sent me to wake you."

Tomoyo nodded in understanding. "I will awake my friends. When must we be at the great hall by?" she questioned.

"As I and my brothers must also attend this audience, could I request that you and your friends meet us by the lesser reception hall to the left of imperial chambers? It is at the far end of this corridor, to the left of where you presented your gifts to me and my brothers," Eriol replied. Receiving Tomoyo's nod of agreement, he turned. I wish I had heard more of her voice. This morning, she seems so different. Maybe it is because I have caught her now. It is almost as if she was unguarded in the early morning, when the light is the cleanest, he mused quietly in his mind.

"Eriol-kun, I..." she paused, almost unsure whether or not to continue. "I look forward to seeing you." With his back turned, Eriol did not see the light blush that touched upon her cheeks. "As do I, princess," he replied softly before leaving the room. The door closed behind him with a soft click, but instead of leaving towards the rooms of his brothers, he leaned back against the door with a sigh.

Inside, Tomoyo berated herself for her words. What possessed me to say such things? She asked herself, a troubled look on her face. She reached a hand up to her right shoulder and Selene padded gently onto it. "Don't look so troubled Tomoyo," she encouraged. "You always act differently in the mornings. It's because you let your guard down." Selene floated down to the pendant hanging around Tomoyo's slim throat on a gold chain. With a comforting smile, she sank into it accompanied by a fine mist of soft amethyst light.

Eriol's sharp ears caught the exchange, though one-sided, as Selene had done all the talking, and suppressed the curious urge to grin triumphantly. It was odd; he wasn't prone to grinning, even in triumph. Spinel, lend me some of your powers? In the Guardian world, Spinel grinned. Why Eriol- sama? You have an abundance of your own, do you not? Eriol sighed uncomfortably. He knew he would be asked this if he wanted to borrow Spinel's power at the moment. I...alright, I want to eavesdrop on Tomoyo- san. Are you satisfied? Spinel nodded in a self-satisfied manner. Immensely Eriol-sama, he replied before giving Eriol the power he wanted to borrow.

Now, with his ears sharper than before, he caught even the subtle swish of Tomoyo's nightdress as she walked about the room. There was a distinct rustle of silk as Tomoyo shed her gown, more soft rustles as it was folded, and two, soft, definite steps as she discarded her undergarments. Both gown and undergarments settled on the bed with a soft thump, and there were more clear steps as Tomoyo crossed the marble floors to the bathroom. Soon, a sound, the loud rushing of water from a tap, filled the air. After a while, the water stopped running. There were a few smooth splashes as Tomoyo stepped into the tub, but when a soft sigh of pleasure from the vicinity of the bathroom reached his ears, Eriol pulled away from the door with a groan.

"Take your power back, Spinel," he commanded. In his mind, he heard a chuckle. Yes, I realize perfectly well that my voice dropped an octave, and yes, I'm also glad that Tomoyo-san doesn't know that I've been listening. I hope never to embarrass myself like this in front of her, he answered Spinel's unasked question. At this, Spinel laughed outright and Eriol sighed. Hurrying away from the door and the sounds of Tomoyo's bath, he reached the doors to her chambers almost at a run. He ran a hand over his eyes with another groan. It was hard to believe his own actions. He collected himself before leaving her rooms, and then headed off in the directions of the rooms of his brothers.

It was a few minutes walk to Yamazaki's chambers, but that was all the time needed for his voice to return to normal. Knocking lightly, he entered. He made his way to Yamazaki's bedchamber, only to find him gone. Puzzled, for Yamazaki did not usually wake so early, he wandered to the parlor to find Yamazaki reading at a table with a cup of tea half to his lips.

"Well Yamazaki-kun, I haven't seen you up this early since last Christmas," he said with a laugh. "What in the world woke you up at this hour?"

"Laugh all you wish Eriol-kun, but this book is one of the most interesting things I've ever read. I really must do something for Chiharu for getting something this good for me," he replied, not even looking up.

"That's great, but you'll have to stop reading for a bit. Father wants to hold an audience with us and the ladies who arrived yesterday; we're meeting them in the lesser reception hall, and if you could, maybe head over towards Syaoran-kun's rooms when you're done because he's not easy to wake alone? And while you're getting ready, why don't you make yourself some more tea? I think the cup in your hands is now stone cold," Eriol remarked.

Yamazaki looked up from the book to his cup of tea, sipped, and made a face. "Right again Eriol-kun. When did Father want us by?"

Eriol glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece. "We're needed by 8 o' clock, and you have almost an hour and 15 minutes until then. I'll go wake the others." With another smile at his twin brother, he left.

When he reached the doors to Syaoran's and Ken's rooms, he debated who to wake first, then decided on Ken. Syaoran had the tendency to be cranky in the morning, and he might need someone to help him. Ken was unusually easy to wake. He hadn't taken five steps into the bedchamber when Ken leapt out of his bed, sword in hand. After calming his brother down and insisting there was no threat, especially not one dressed in red and white silk, he left for a while to let his brother wash and dress. In a little while, they were both facing the door to Syaoran's bedroom.

"I'll wake him, and you grab his arms when they come up to hit us ok?" Eriol said.

Ken nodded determinedly. "If he starts kicking around, you'll be the one to grab his legs right?" He paused a moment. "Do you think he's like this because he doesn't like us waking him up? I mean, Mother doesn't need to do this when she goes to wake him up."

Eriol shook his head. "I think that when Syaoran-kun hears Mother's voice, he gets up like a normal person because he knows Mother would be able to knock him flat if he even tried to fight whoever was waking him, even on instinct." They both laughed for a bit before getting back to the business at hand. "Ok Ken, let's go."

They crept quietly to Syaoran's bedside, one on each side of the large bed. Syaoran's messy brown hair could be seen from under his blankets, nothing else. With a simultaneous nod, they both shouted, "WAKE UP!" at the top of their lungs. Instantly, a fist flew out from the sheets, only to be caught in Ken's waiting hands. Another one flew out right after, to be met with the same fate. A foot, tangled in sheets and blankets, flailed about until it got harder and harder to kick out. Eriol was holding down the bulk of the sheets that kept Syaoran from kicking either himself or Ken.

"Get up Syaoran-kun!" called Eriol in his most bright-and-chipper voice.

"Ugh Eriol! Go away! WHY ARE YOU HELPING HIM?!" he shouted at Ken. "Traitor," he muttered. "Alright, alright, I'm going to get up, but by the time I'm at the bathroom door, I'd better not see either of you in my room. And why am I up at this hour?"

"Father wants to see us by eight this morning in the greater reception hall. And not just us. He wants to see the girls from the Kinomoto kingdom as well. We're meeting them at the lesser reception hall," replied Eriol smartly. Syaoran froze for an instant at the mention of the girls as an image of Sakura passed before his eyes. "I saw that little brother," called Eriol from behind him. Syaoran's ears flamed red before he growled, walking into his bathroom and closing the door. Eriol laughed and motioned Ken and himself out the other door.

Meeting Yamazaki on their way out, they walked slowly towards the lesser reception hall, all three of them lost in their own thoughts.
Tomoyo sighed contentedly as she toweled her hair dry. The bath had been so refreshing. She wished that the morning could continue in such a calm and sedate manner, but she knew she had to dress and leave quickly if she wanted to give her friends time for them to take baths. Tomoyo opened her wardrobe clothed only in a bathrobe, wondering exactly what she should wear. Something formal, yet something not too formal. She stared at the rows of clothing wondering what she'd been thinking when she packed this many clothes. She also noted a great deal of them were either fighting clothes or comfort clothes that were a bit too casual for a royal audience. After a while, she chose a long dress with straps that widened as they reached the shoulders and thinned as they reached the torso, and almost slipped off the shoulders, though not quite. It was a touch low but acceptable, and the skirt of the dress was long and floaty, just the way she liked it. There was also a thin, gossamer silk dress that lay over the dress and covered over the straps as well. It was translucent and gave the whole dress an ethereal sort of touch.

Dressing, Tomoyo laid a light hand on the pendant that hung just under her collarbones. She looked around at her rooms. They were as clean as could be so she left without worrying, and hurried off towards Sakura's rooms. They knew where each other's rooms were from the tour they had received after dinner, and Tomoyo knew her memory was never faulty. She walked down the corridor quickly, sandals tapping lightly on the marble floors. When she reached Sakura's rooms she made her way unerringly to the bedchamber. Sakura was curled up amid the sheets like a little child. She loved the way her younger sister looked so defenseless in sleep. Shaking the younger girl softly, she tried waking her. A few years ago Sakura would have groaned and told her to go away, but now, she woke easily with a small smile.

"What's up Tomoyo-chan?" she asked sleepily.

"The king wants to meet us in the greater reception hall, but Eriol-kun wished to meet us in the lesser reception hall first," Tomoyo replied.

"Alright then, when do we have to be there by?" Sakura questioned.

"I think that the audience is at eight, so we should be at the lesser reception hall at least fifteen minutes before then, Sakura-chan," she murmured, almost to herself.

Sakura nodded and headed off to the bathroom. "Tomoyo-chan? Are you going to be waking the others?" she asked curiously.

Tomoyo nodded, halfway to the door. "Meet me in Chiharu-chan's rooms? I'll tell Meiling-chan the same."

"Sure thing Tomoyo-chan," Sakura said happily with a wink and a grin. Tomoyo just laughed as she left to wake Meiling and Chiharu.

Meiling wasn't easy to wake because she normally disliked being woken early. Tomoyo looked around before warding the place. This was going to take a bit of magic. Meiling-chan? Hi, Mei-mei, it's Tomoyo-chan. You have to wake up because the king wants an audience with us. Dream-Tomoyo smiled at Dream-Meiling, who was currently lazing in a swimming pool under a moonlit sky. Ne Tomoyo-chan? Does that mean I have to leave my dream? She pouted cutely, hoping to persuade her cousin to let her sleep in a bit. You will if you want to take a bath before the audience, retorted Dream- Tomoyo. And Meiling-chan? Who's that over there? Dream-Tomoyo pointed to a male figure in the shadows. Dream-Meiling blushed and stuttered, Oh um...no one! And woke.

She sighed, "Tomoyo-chan, couldn't you find another way to wake me up, instead of getting into my dream world?"

"Of course I could Mei-chan, but that wouldn't be as much fun!" she replied. "Besides, the last time I tried to wake you normally, you almost hit me. I was pretty glad I'd been practicing quick reaction dodging!"

"Tomoyo-chan! That was more than a year ago, when my oldest cousin Feimei got me drunk on eggnog! I had a raging headache!" she cried embarrassedly.

"So that's why you ended up asleep on my couch!" said Tomoyo, understanding dawning at last.

Meiling nodded. "I'm going to take a shower and get changed ok? Where should I meet you?"

"Go to Chiharu-chan's rooms ok? Sakura and I will be there too," Tomoyo answered.

"Alright, Tomoyo-chan," Meiling said as Tomoyo left her rooms to wake Chiharu.

Chiharu was sleeping, hair down instead of in its usual braids. "Chi-chan, Chi-chan, wake up," said Tomoyo softly. Chiharu didn't wake up. Suddenly, a devilish idea crept into Tomoyo's mind, and without letting herself think it over, she put her idea into action. "Chiharu, did you know that the penguins used to live in the Arctic, then, during the Ice Age, they moved all over the world so that the whole world took penguins as their..."

"Shut up Yamazaki-kun!" cried Chiharu, waking up instantly. "And why are you in my rooms!?" she shrieked.

"Ouch Chi-chan, not so loud," Tomoyo mock-chided her.

"Tomoyo-chan?" Her cheeks colored. "Oh that was low," she muttered.

"I can't help it that Yamazaki-kun's stories irritate you," she replied.

"It's not that they irritate me, but more that people believe him! I've got to stop him before Sakura-chan starts thinking that the air is filled with fairies that eat out your eyeballs if you breathe the wrong way!" she cried.

"You know, that wasn't one of his stories," Tomoyo mentioned.

The look of shock on Chiharu's face was almost too much for her. "IT'S CONTAGIOUS!!! AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" she screamed. "Wait a minute...IT WAS!" she cried again. "I remember because Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun almost suffocated themselves trying to hold their breaths so that they wouldn't harm the air fairies. TOMOYO-CHAN!"

Tomoyo laughed, "You'd better get washed up and dressed because we have half an hour before we should be at the lesser reception hall. The king wants to hold an audience with us and the princes," she said, forestalling Chiharu's words.

Chiharu calmed down and nodded. She waved to Tomoyo as she walked off to the bathroom, but at the door she paused. "Oh, and if you do that again Tomoyo-chan, I'll make sure I seal away the garden and orchard from you for a week! You know how lovely the garden and orchard here is. Wouldn't that be terrible?"

Tomoyo mock-glared at her friend's retreating back. "I'm hurt Chiharu- chan. You would put such torture on me?"

Chiharu just grinned and closed her bathroom door.
It was much later when they met up in Chiharu's rooms and made their way as a group to the lesser reception hall. Maids and servants passed them, bowing or curtseying before them. Even they marveled at the polite kindness that the girls bestowed on everyone they met.

Ken looked up from the scroll he was reading. "Meiling's coming this way," he murmured.

"What?" asked Syaoran. "How can you tell?"

"She did a bit of healing on my yesterday so now I can read her aura," he replied in a careless way.

From down the hall they could hear girlish laughter that sounded clear and sweet, and they all unconsciously straightened out their appearances. Eriol polished his glasses again. Yamazaki ran a hand through his hair, slightly irritated at the fact that it was never really neat like Eriol's. Syaoran nervously fiddled with the hilt of his sword, almost cutting himself. Ken hurriedly shrunk the scroll and placed it in his pocket. And not a moment too soon, because the door opened to admit the four girls into the chamber.

Each prince was wearing the formal prince clothes that they did when they were on prince duties, each outfit in a different color. Eriol wore a blue that could only be described as navy-cobalt, Yamazaki, a deep ebony that shone silver in the right sort of light, Syaoran a deep emerald green, and Ken a bright ruby red. Each wore a golden sash from shoulder to hip, and all except Ken had a sword belt around their waist, a sword on their left side. The jackets were long sleeved, reached down to mid thigh, and was split in the front. All the edges had gold edgings, the cuffs of the jackets were white, and each prince wore a pair of white gloves. Their pants were all an identical shade of white with a gold stripe at the ankle cuffs. Each set of clothes bore no difference from any of the others except for two things, color and the clasp that held the high collar closed around the neck of each boy.

Tomoyo felt just a bit embarrassed. As they weren't all family, they didn't have very many similar sets of clothing, except for their battle outfits, that Tomoyo herself had sewn. Other than that, she and Sakura had a few sets of clothing that were alike, but nothing quite so coordinated as the clothes that the princes wore. Then again, she and Sakura had different tastes in clothing, and Meiling and Chiharu didn't often want to trouble her with clothes making. She decided that she'd make matching formal clothes for them as soon as she got the chance.

Meiling grinned almost imperceptibly at the four boys. Each one looked casual, nonchalant, and very princely. They were all resting at the foot of the raised dais, watching the four girls as they entered. Her eyes rested briefly on Eriol, who was leaning to the left of the dais stairs, then traveled on to Syaoran who sat to Eriol's left on one of the higher steps of the dais stairs. Yamazaki sat on the bottom step of the stairs, one leg casually stretched out in front of him, but her eyes finally came to a rest on Ken, whose right elbow rested to the right of the dais stairs, head propped up on one hand, the other resting lightly on his hip. Altogether they made a fetching picture.

There was a certain smile that ran along the lips of each prince, a soft, subtle, and almost seductive smile. Chiharu could have almost sworn that Yamazaki had his eyes open, but at second glance she decided she must have been mistaken. His eyes were closed, though the smile was still there. She shrugged it off as tiredness; she had been awake a great deal of the night pondering why the princes' magic disappeared every time it reached a certain point.

Eriol's eyes focused on Tomoyo as he pushed off the side of the dais that he'd been leaning on. She looked like a fairy in her dress, all pale and ethereal; her ebony-violet locks a stark contrast. He bowed to her and extended a hand, knowing that his brothers were close behind him. "Tomoyo- san, allow me to lead you to the audience with my father," he all but whispered to her ears. Tomoyo nodded regally, though her heart beat increased rapidly. She composed herself quickly, but couldn't help one thought that crossed her mind. Was his voice always so dark and rich and soft? And was it always that low? It seemed an octave lower than before...

Each prince led one of the girls out to the audience, and it was thus that they entered before the King, who was much amused by the procession. The princes all bowed and the girls all curtsied before him before Eriol stepped forward. "Father, we are here," was his simple announcement.

King Li smiled down at his sons and the ladies from the Kinomoto kingdom. Then, his smile faded to a look of concern. With an imperious movement with his hands he sent everyone except the Queen out of the chamber. Another nod had the doors locked and sealed. Eriol and his brothers sealed the room so that no one could enter and anyone trying to listen from the outside would not hear a thing. Neither the King nor the Queen blinked an eye, or the "coven" either, because of the meeting the girls had had the last evening. King Li nodded at the girls. "I see that you have been told of their magic, and most likely of the happenings that have occurred for the past few weeks. That was part of the reason why I wished your presence this morning."

Yamazaki smiled at their father. "They are mages too, and have pledged their assistance in this endeavor. I am pretty sure that they can protect themselves, so you have much less to worry about, Father," he said.

The king nodded warmly. "It is good to know that we will be receiving good help. I did not wish to bring your kingdom into this, but I cannot deny an ally when they pledge their assistance, even if the pledge is from the Crown Princess and her royal retinue. Especially if the pledge is from the Crown Princess and her royal retinue," he said with a laugh in his voice. "Come up my princes and princesses, for there is much need for discussing this threat on this kingdom." He motioned to the youths and maidens at the foot of the dais. In a sudden flurry of wings, all different colors of the rainbow, the eight young people flew up to the dais.

A long table was set up behind the thrones and had ten seats to it. The king took his seat at the head of the table, the queen to his right. Each prince escorted his lady to the seat next to him, and soon they were all seated. The king sighed as they all sat down. "Eriol, you will have to explain to them how this all started," he said.

Eriol nodded and began. "The first incident happened a few weeks ago. Ken spotted a section of the outer lawn that looked as though it had been burned. We thought it was nothing back then, but a few days later, a similar spot appeared. Syaoran suggested that we keep watch, so we each took a post from one of the four points of the castle keep. Unfortunately, we didn't see anyone. We kept watch like that for four days before the incident was repeated. We hadn't managed to see who had done it, so Yamazaki and I placed a ward over the whole castle. It didn't matter."

For the first time, Tomoyo saw a look of frustration cross Eriol's normally calm features. She could understand his irritation and anger at the feeling of helplessness in the face of such an adversary. Laying cool fingers on his arm, she sent him feelings of serenity with her magic to calm his hidden unhappiness. She saw the swift flicker as his eyes trained on her for less than a second, and a feeling of thanks and gratitude, Eriol's returning magic, curled around her. None but Sakura caught the small smile that crossed Tomoyo's lips.

"We realized that something stronger than what we had come up with was against us. I sent a magic tracer out, but after a certain point, it disappeared, and never returned. I waited for more than a week. Magic tracers can travel to the end of the Earth and back in that time. It didn't return. That was when we realized we were up against un-magic. There isn't much a mage can do about un-magic. Our only saving grace is that if we all put up the shielding ward, the un-magic didn't eat away at our wards so quickly. In fact, it took a long time to go through the four strong layers of magic that we put up. When it did manage to penetrate, it could only send bolts of black lightning. That's what's been keeping us safe for the past three weeks, until yesterday, that is. It seems that this un-magic is attracted to working magic, and so whenever any of us does any magic, it feeds upon that and gets stronger. Syaoran thinks that's why the lightning was able to attack Sakura and himself in the garden." Eriol stopped, his feelings getting the better of him. He wasn't the only one. Syaoran and Ken had identical expressions of angry discomfort, and slivers of blue-gray could be seen from under Yamazaki's dark lashes. "Now that there are more of us, we need to think of a plan fast before things get out of hand."

Tomoyo nodded. "First things first, I think we should strengthen the shielding ward around the castle. The last thing any of us needs is to have one of us hurt because the shielding ward lost strength. We can all lend our strength, and any time one of us has a spare moment, we could go over it and patch up any weak points. But at any rate, because this is the first time half of us are seeing it, we should probably go over it very thoroughly and make sure it's as secure as possible."

"I checked some of it last night," Chiharu mentioned, "and I think instead of putting the ward up normally, we should do something to make it stronger. Not just putting one layer on top of another, but integrating the different magical layers into one another so that it's one ward, but just as strong, if not stronger than eight different wards on top of one another. It would take less magical space too," she added, almost as an after thought.

"What are we waiting for then?" asked Meiling. "Let's get started!" With a nod, all of their auras flared as they rose into the air to examine the shielding ward.

In the greater reception hall, the king and queen sat by the eight silent bodies, magical auras pouring off of them, their magical selves in the air with the ward. The queen laid a hand on her husband's arm in a reassuring way. "With more help, we can solve this mystery faster. We're getting somewhere already. The boys wouldn't have had the strength alone to check over and renew the ward every few weeks." The king sighed heavily. "I just hope they all come out of this alright."
Up in the Air

Tomoyo flew over the palace garden, noting the portion that had been patched up by Sakura. Taking a moment to look around, she noticed only four auras besides her own. There was Sakura's pink one, Meiling's red one, Chiharu's light blue one, and Eriol's deep cobalt and cerulean one. Then it hit her. She couldn't see the auras of the others because she hadn't been able to feel the magic of the others. She called through her connection with Sakura and Eriol to call all the others and soon they were all grouped around a large, ornamental, apple tree at the center of the garden. Taking a cord of her magic, she gave it to Sakura, who weaved in a strand of her own magic. Meiling and Chiharu added their own magic, then passed the cord on to Eriol. As his magic entered the main cord, Tomoyo's magic-self tingled oddly, as if from a deep magical connection. As her magic cord was passed around, Syaoran, Yamazaki, and finally Ken, became visible to her eyes. She grounded the magical cord into their souls, and created a connection between all eight of them.

That was very smart thinking Tomoyo-san, came Eriol's mind voice. Now we won't have problems of going over some places too many times because we can't see that someone else has gone over it.

Tomoyo nodded and they all few off again, eager to start their magic. First, the princes took down their ward. Then, simultaneously, eight layers of shielding appeared, and little by little, they merged, shimmering, into one shielding ward that glimmered like a soap bubble. Alright, that's good, thought-spoke Sakura to the others. Let's go over it to make sure there are no weak spots. If there are, we can use our magic to patch it up. Through their connection, she felt the others nod. They flew off again, but no one found any weak points in their ward. The strength of the ward was nice and even over the castle. It was then that Ken struck upon a brilliant idea. Eriol! Everyone! I have an idea. Let's put up an illusion. Not one that the castle is un-warded, but that its wards aren't up very strongly. We can make the illusion that some parts are weak, then on the ward underneath, we can put extra strength up, as well as an identity spell to tell who the culprit is! Eight bright sparks nodded, and they slowly pushed through the ward. Because of the small spell that Tomoyo had weaved, they each held a small part of everyone else's magic, and the ward let them through. Once outside the ward, they started weaving the illusion of a weakened ward.

Pain and black fire streaked through Chiharu and a thought-scream rent the minds of the others. Each felt a shadow of the same pain burst through their magic selves. Chiharu! cried Yamazaki. In a flash of stormy blue- gray, he disappeared through the ward. Everyone! We have to go back down into the ward! cried Syaoran. They struggled through the thick ward towards the castle.

Greater Reception Hall

With a gasp of pain, Chiharu woke back in her own body. She had enough time to see the worried faces of the king and queen before she fainted.

Yamazaki was the first to return to his body. Queen Yelan pointed to a mattress and blanket that had appeared behind the table. Nodding grimly, Yamazaki lain the unconscious girl on it and covered her warmly. "How did this appear Mother?" he asked, eyes not leaving Chiharu's pain filled face. "You were gone so long that your father and I decided to conjure up a mattress and blanket, just in case," she replied. King Li smiled in a similarly grim way that Yamazaki did. "You mean, you conjured up the mattress and blanket," he said to his wife. "I cannot do a single piece of magic, which is why I am teaching the boys how to fight." Queen Yelan nodded with almost a smile.

One by one, in quick succession, the young mages returned to their real bodies. "Chiharu-chan!" cried Meiling, and almost as one, the girls rushed to the mattress side. "We should have thought to ward ourselves as we worked," sobbed Sakura unhappily. Syaoran put a comforting hand on her shoulder. With another sob, Sakura flung herself into his arms, crying. Syaoran blushed embarrassedly, but patted her back until her sobs quieted somewhat. Eriol placed a hand on Chiharu's forehead then snatched it back, as if burned. "Something is wrong. She isn't unconscious from the pain; she's unconscious because of the spell that hit her. I think it has her suspended in a state much like the un-dead, except right now, she's un- alive." Tomoyo put a hand on her cousin's forehead and nodded, wincing in pain as she kept her hand there. "We need to get her to her rooms first," she stated, "but if none of us can carry her because of the spell, how can we get her there?"

Even before she had finished talking, Yamazaki had taken Chiharu into his arms and with just a wince, had flown down to the doors, dissolved Eriol's ward, and walked out. The others followed, half running down the stairs. Ken, the last one out of the door, bowed to his parents as an apology for their behavior. The king and queen just nodded, and with a strained smile, he closed the doors behind him.

Sakura, Meiling, let's go to Chiharu's rooms and make it more comfortable for her, Tomoyo suggested. The other two nodded so, projecting an image to the boys at what they were going to do, they left. Meiling used her magic to warm the bed so that Chiharu would be comfortable. Sakura, tears dry now, put up another ward around the room so that any magic they were going to use, wasn't going to leak out an attract too much attention from the un- magic user. Tomoyo picked out Chiharu's favorite nightdress, the white one with pink ribbon around the waist and little pink shoulder bows on the frilled shoulder straps. Meeting Yamazaki, she swiftly used a bit of magic to change the dress on Chiharu with the nightgown in her arms.

Yamazaki lay the unconscious Chiharu down on her bed, still holding one of her hands. The others were silent for a moment, knowing this wasn't the time to be talking. Then, Yamazaki looked up, eyes open, blue fire within their depths. "I'm going to go into her mind and undo the spell," he stated quietly. Protests rose to their lips, but Eriol nodded and the others were silent. Yamazaki closed his eyes and let his aura mingle with Chiharu's, sinking into her mind. Sakura left to get cool cloths for Chiharu's forehead, while Meiling stroked the unconscious girl's cheek. Tomoyo laid a hand on Yamazaki's forehead and shook her head. "His magic was drained somewhat from the walk here, and I'm not sure it'll be enough. There might be un-magic in the spell, which would explain why it hurt when any of us tried to touch her."

Syaoran glared ferociously at his older brother sitting on a chair by Chiharu's bed, her small, delicate hand held in his own. Opening up their connection, he fed some of his magical power into Yamazaki. Eriol nodded, Ken and himself doing the same. Sakura returned with the cool cloth in her hands. She put it on Chiharu's forehead, the worried expression not gone from her face. Tomoyo, Sakura, and Meiling, then turned their attention onto Yamazaki, putting their magic into him as well, until Eriol cut them off. "Keep your magic in reserve," he requested kindly. "We don't know how much magic Yamazaki is going to need, but if ours isn't enough, we'll need yours. If our magic alone is enough, we still need you all to be in full strength in case something else comes up."

Tomoyo nodded unhappily, and the six remaining people sat on the large, circular, couch-like piece of furniture that Meiling had conjured up, waiting and hoping that the two unconscious ones would be ok.

Chiharu's Mind

Yamazaki looked all around him, trying to get his bearings. It was dark and clouded with mist and fog in Chiharu's mind. He knew somewhere in here, her magical self was caught. Chiharu! he called, but the dark fog swallowed up his cry. He looked around, using his own magic to force back the fog, and realized that he was standing at the beginning of a large maze. He turned around. In the darkness leading back to the real world he saw a shimmering cord that led into his own magic center. It was the spell that Tomoyo had woven to keep the eight of them together. Some threads of it shone brighter than others, and he realized his brothers were feeding their own magic into him. Before him, there was another such cord before him, only thinner and weaker than the one that led to him. Chiharu is at the end of that cord, was all he thought before setting of determinedly.

It wasn't long before the fog and mist became colder and colder, chilling him. Tantalizing hints of warmth lured him off the path, but a tug from the end of the cord behind him stopped him. Yamazaki-kun, came Eriol's voice, thin and hushed, diluted by the magical fog around him. You're there to save Chiharu. Yamazaki nodded and went on in the direction indicated by the cord before him. As he walked forward, the weaker cord absorbed through him. Finally, turning a corner, he came upon the center of the maze. In the darkness, it was a sanctuary of light. A large, beautiful apple tree, much like the one in the palace gardens was at the center. It was surrounded by a circle of the greenest grass that Yamazaki had ever seen, but even as he walked forward, the edge of the grass began to shrink, swallowed up by the darkness. Running to keep ahead of the darkness, he reached the tree.

On the trunk of the tree, Yamazaki noticed, a poem was carved in flowing script.

A circle to protect the ones I love,
A spell to seal the past,
A prayer towards the skies above,
A hope for those that come at last.

With a finger, he traced the letters, and golden fire filled the carvings. A burst of bright magic made him shield his eyes, and a Guardian, light blue and with wings, Teiron, appeared from the words. In another bright flash, the little Guardian changed into a sky blue phoenix, long tail trailing to the ground. Prince, up in the tree. Teiron motioned and Yamazaki looked up. At the very heart of the branches, there was a small alcove of branches that shone with magic. They curled around Chiharu's small form, keeping her safe as birds of darkness and evil attacked the shielding branches. In seconds, Yamazaki had flown up to the alcove, sword in hand. It took a short battle, but the dark magic disappeared. Undoing the branches that curled so protectively around the girl, he pulled her out.

Teiron flew to her shoulders, and together, the three of them began the descent down. Another burst of dark magic shot out at Chiharu, but weak as she was, she had no time to escape. Pushing her out of the way Yamazaki felt as though he was being burned alive as tongues of dark fire licked at his magical body. NO! Yamazaki-kun! came Chiharu's cry.

Chiharu's Bedchamber

"Yamazaki-kun!" The girls instantly realized something was wrong. Eriol began feeding more of his magic into the connection. His twin brother's life was on the line, and he'd be the last one to sit around and let it happen. Syaoran and Ken began to do the same, pouring more and more of their magic into the connection, but it was obvious that it wasn't enough.

"Stop!" cried a distressed Tomoyo. "At this rate, you'll all die!"

"We can't just leave our brother to die though," said a rapidly weakening Syaoran.

Tomoyo shook her head. "I know," she replied, and added her own strength into the magical connection. Sakura and Meiling followed suit. You can't leave your brother to die, but we can't let you all feed too much strength into the connection, Meiling retorted, cutting them off. It wasn't a moment too soon either. Any longer and the princes would have put too much of their magic into the connection, leaving them dead, or worse. Maintaining the connection, Sakura laid the three, weak and now unconscious princes out on the couch before turning her attention back to Yamazaki.

Chiharu's Mind

White heat filled Yamazaki's magical being, healing him and keeping him alive at the same time. Magic, more than he had ever commanded before, flooded him and, in a burst of power, engulfed the darkness that lay over Chiharu's mind. In a brief moment, the whiteness cleared away all the dark and the confusing maze became sky and field. With all the extra magic exhausted, Yamazaki landed softly on the grass. Chiharu sat beside him and for a moment, the two rested before returning to the real world.

Chiharu's Bedchamber

Chiharu. Someone was calling her. She rose between layers of white, cloud- like and misty. Chiharu! The call was louder, more insistent. She struggled to reply, but no sound issued from her throat. She followed the call, knowing that someone was calling her; someone who cared. Little by little, she sank into her own body, feeling somewhat stiff and in pain. Chiharu, Chiharu, Chiharu! Just a little more! She could feel the voice so close now, and heard the anxious tone of the call. Chiharu! Chiharu!

"Chiharu!"

She opened her eyes. "Yamazaki-kun?" She turned her head. His fingers were curled around her own and his eyes were open and filled with concern.

"Chiharu! Thank goodness you're alright!" he cried, relieved.

She looked over to find the others unconscious. "What happened!" she cried, struggling into sitting position. Dizziness washed over her and she fell back onto the pillows.

"The others poured their magic into me so that I could undo the spell. They're alright. They just need some rest. They've just put a lot of magic into one working. Don't worry Chiharu; they'll be okay by tomorrow morning with a lot of rest." He turned to her. "You should get some rest too," he said. "I'll get the servants to take them to their rooms." He turned back to the door with the intent to go, then stopped. "Chiharu, I...I'm really glad you're alright. For a moment there, I was afraid I'd lose you."

There was no reply. Yamazaki turned, almost afraid to see the rejection that he thought would be in her eyes. She was asleep. Smiling kindly at her, he walked out to find the servants.

That's it for now, and thanks you all for your lovely reviews! And a few little hints about the next few chapters. Funny thing's afoot ne? Our brave heros and heroines decide to figure out just what's going on, while on a picnic of course! Research is all going well until King Li tells them something that's been happening right under their noses. A BALL?! MASQUERADE?! Stay tuned! For the next few chapters of A Month in the Courts of Li!!!

And please review!

Cobalt Rose