"Welcome home! Welcome home! Welcome home, sir," the bright person in the dark maid's outfit sprinkled with lace butter-flies cheered, "Where have you been? Have you gotten taller or something..."
A quick nod, "Yes, you have..."
"The question is also when," he answered the exuberant person and glanced at the door that closed behind him...
He was alone again, at least in his heart...
This time, unlike the last, he had the power to change things for the better or the worse...
"What do you mean when," the long haired maid asked very concerned, "Eh... Lord E..."
The maid repeated, "Welcome back, Lord Eriol..."
He went over to the mirror, popped out the yellow contacts and replaced them with simple wire-frame glasses, "I prefer my..."
He took a breath, "Are my constant guests here, Nakaru?"
"No, Lord Eriol," the maid's eyes was on the others with the boy.
"Good. The last thing I need is those hanger-on's making things difficult. I really do with I could just kill them and be done with it," the body sighted slicking back his blue-black hair, "But they are family..."
"Eriol?"
Meiling asked, "I thought you said your name was..."
Hiraki agreed, "Yes, I thought it was Abtony K. Reed, that is what you have been calling yourself all the time I have looked after you..."
"It is very complicated..."
His face had changed – it was a real smile, not a forced one, "The truth?"
Nod.
"Maybe later, I am very tired and hungry," he started to untie his shoes; his young face told volumes, almost centuries...
"The simple way is to say there is more than one Sakura, Tomoyo, and Li ... One is in Japan, chasing after the cards. My other self, will give her a little mischief in order to make the cards hers..."
"If there are more than one Sakura," Te quickly replied, "There must be more of you..."
"Yes and no, Te... it is much more complicated than that..."
He paused, "As for my name, I borrowed it... Like I have always said I borrowed it, Hiraki. The first name, "Abtony" was taken from, "Abtony Morgan," which is my name in the French Dub... The last, "Reed," I borrowed from a relative..."
"And the K?"
"That-is-a-secret..."
He chuckled.
"My lord!"
The servant shouted seeing the cuff of his right sleeve move and reveals something different...
The maid grabbed his arm tore off the glove and shouted, "What have you done! Your family is going to kill you! Your arm! You have injured yourself!"
"Tell me about it," Hiraki sighed, "I lectured him hours on keeping himself safe..."
"It is nothing, Nakaru," he gave a reassuring smile to the male dressed like a maid. The young man never questioned why he did not dress like a boy. He just sofly said, "it is only "a reward" for..."
"Reward nothing," he insisted the boy tell him everything.
"Speaking of the past means you either want to reveal in it, regret it, or learn from it..."
He turned to the others, "I might as well do the introductions and welcome you to my world..."
"Your world..."
"I am Lord Eriol, this is my English home," he started to remove his school uniform; "I come from a very lone line of sorcerers, some good and some bad. The year is of no real importance, other than the fact that it is before the turn of the century... In the US - western expansion and the extermination of the Native population; the War of Northern Aggression / Civil War... In Ireland, they are still reeling from the potato blight. In Wales, their coal is fueling the Industrial revolution. Here, in London, where Queen Victoria rules "the empire where the sun does not set," there is a literary, social, and political restoration. Charles Darwin, Lloyd, Carroll, Karl Marx, and many others are adding to the mix. In France, a bad investment broker is taking up a pen and will write, "De la terre à la lune," "From the Earth to the Moon," the first story of real science fiction..."
He could see the stars in Te's bright eyes and continued, "Germany and Italy are uniting under powerful men. Russia is building a railroad from Petersburg to Port Arthur in China. The Ottoman Empire is losing her grip on her colonies amidst the nationalism. In Africa and the Middle East, explorers are discovering the sources of rivers, Egyptology and archaeology, and exploiting it. In India, the Thugs are fueling a rebellion against British Domination. In China, there is a rebellion against the Emperor... And in Japan, they are getting rid of their Shogun..."
"This is an amazing time to live in... The time of Dracula, Sigmund Freud, Richard Wagner, Sherlock Homes, Verdi, Jack the Ripper, Alcester Crowley," he paused to gesture up to the picture of the well-known Satanist and magician.
"Why would you have that?"
Te asked about the painting.
"I like to collect things... like the lady in black... and my relative..."
He confirmed, "Even the Clow Cards, have a bit of the creator's memories... Each of them very precious to him..."
He gestured to a larger version of "The Time Card" next to "The Return Card," "I collect pictures of sorcerers and magicians... These two are most likely very familiar in your world, Te..."
"Huh?"
"Never mind..."