Warnings, disclaimers, blah.

Ch. 2 - Stung

Yue's arm shot out, and he caught Sakura around the waist as she crumpled.

"What's wrong?!" Keroberos shouted. "What--"

"She's asleep," Yue replied. He turned Sakura to a more comfortable position, half-cradled in one of his arms, then pried the Key from one tiny hand, looping the chain of the necklace back around the girl's neck. He then turned his attention to the new Cards (or whatever they were; 'Cards' would do to describe them until he figured them out).

"They must be really powerful Cards," Keroberos mused. "Sakura didn't fall asleep even after she converted Light and Dark at once."

"We were helping her then," Yue countered.

"Do ya have ta argue EVERYTHING, Yue?"

"No," Yue replied calmly, knowing this would just infuriate Keroberos more. He glanced upwards at the bright afternoon sky. Hm... this discussion could wait until after Sakura was home, but it was too early to have an angel landing on Touya's doorstep. (Not that any time was the right time for that, but he was much more likely to be seen by a neighbor if the neighbors were awake.) He abruptly draped Sakura onto Tomoyo's shoulder, visibly startling the girl. "I'm going to change back," he said simply

"Wha-- no! Dammit, Yue!" Kero bellowed, his own wings popping out for the transformation as Yue's closed around him.

-----

Yukito found himself standing in darkness, a faintly fading sensation of -- well, sensation -- over his shoulderblades. It took him a second to recognize the feeling.

He'd been... not-himself again. Yukito had guessed that his other-self possibly had wings of some sort, from this simple half-second of sensitivity on his back. Other than that, though... he had no idea, except that this other-self of his had a rather distressing tendency to leave him in the oddest spots. So, where was he this time?

He opened his eyes, and saw Sakura's little friend, Tomoyo, barely standing under the weight of an unconscious Sakura.

"Sakura!" he gasped, reaching out instinctively. "Here, let me..." He lifted Sakura away, several pieces of glossy paper falling from her hand. "What happened?" Yukito asked, as Tomoyo bent to retrieve the cards, and Sakura's plushie lion, from the ground.

"Well... that is... you see..."

Yukito took pity and let her off the hook. "Nevermind," he said gently. It occured to him that she might've seen his other-self. That it might be... no, it couldn't be his fault Sakura had passed out, could it? She was terrified of ghosts, and who knew what his other-self looked like? "I'm sorry. I... if I frightened you. I didn't, did I? I'm afraid I can't remember..."

"No! Oh, no... you didn't, Tsukishiro-san," Tomoyo said quickly, nervously. Too much so... and how could she have avoided seeing the other...?

Yukito shook his head. It didn't matter. Sakura mattered. He had to get her home.

It seemed eternally too soon when Yukito and Tomoyo arrived on the Kinomoto's doorstep. Yukito rang the bell, and a minute later the door opened. Touya's eyes widened a flash.

"Inside," he ordered. They stepped inside, and Touya bent to pull Sakura's shoes off in silence. He took her from Yukito, freeing the shorter boy to take off his own shoes, and carried her upstairs, Tomoyo in his wake.

It was perhaps the slightest bit rude of Yukito, but he didn't think as he followed them up to Sakura's room and inside. Worried, he watched Touya pull the covers up over his sister, having not bothered to change her out of her street clothes first. Touya then turned to him expectantly.

A minute passed.

"Is... is she going to be alright?" Yukito asked, squirming under that stare and not sure as to why.

Touya sighed. "As far as I can tell," he answered. He then stood, glancing swiftly at Tomoyo. "I'll make tea. Two cups, right?"

The child blushed. "Er, yes. Please."

-------

Downstairs, Touya set the water on for tea, then, carefully not looking at Yukito, asked, "Are you sulking, or scared?"

Yukito blinked. "I... what? Neither..." He was badly confused, and worried about Sakura, and -- somewhere far in the back of his mind -- a jumble of emotions fought it out over his nonhuman nature and stolen time, but sulking? No.

"I'm sorry, Yuki, but... not you."

"Huh? To-ya...?" Oh. OH. He was talking to... the other one. Talking through Yukito, to someone else. A distinctly unpleasant feeling began to win the fight in the back of his mind.

"I'm not angry," Touya continued, his voice level. Yukito could hear the tight control in it, though. "I just want to know what happened to her, and you obviously aren't sharing with Yuki."

Sharing nothing, except the body! Yukito thought wildly. How was he supposed to answer that? The other hadn't so much as given Yukito a name, or a face, or even a sense of extra-ness in his mind.

And then, as if that thought had stung the other, Yukito had an answer for Touya.

"He doesn't know."

Touya's head snapped around, wide eyes falling on Yukito. "What?"

"He doesn't know what happened," Yukito repeated. It was crazy, but Yukito could feel the correctness of the answer down to his bones. "He left her with... someone else--" Who? "-- for only a few minutes." None of the rest, what little there was, made any sense. A wave of invisible life, a swooping view of someplace with trees, Sakura swaying into white-clad arms, unconscious... "I think he got back just in time to catch her when she fainted."

Touya rubbed his face in exasperation. "No wonder he's hiding."

Yukito could only stare, mouth slightly open and gaze turned inward, as Touya set tea things on a tray. That answer... he'd gotten something from the other. It wasn't much, to make up for all the time he'd taken, for his secret, watching presence in Yukito's soul, but... Yukito could get something from the other.

He didn't know if he should be terrified or not.

A hand settled on his shoulder, startling him. "I'm sorry, Yuki," Touya said quietly. "I shouldn't have done that. It's just... it's been three days--"

"Days?!" Yukito echoed. What about school? What about his grand-- no, wait, he didn't actually have grandparents to worry.

"-- and then you came back with Sakura unconscious. I'm worried about all of you."

"I'm sorry," Yukito apologized automatically. Days? Three DAYS? What had he been DOING?!

"Don't be," Touya responded, also automatic. "I'll find out what happened later."

"Don't terrorize Daidouji-chan too much," Yukito said.

"Wasn't planning to ask Daidouji-chan," Touya muttered, as he carried the tea tray from the room.

TBC

A/N -

- eternally too soon. Yes, you read this right.