Chapter Two
The Odds of a Coincidence

"Hoeeee! I'm late!"

After a few months, Syaoran had slipped into a tolerable routine with the family. The girl was the most predictable. She would wake up late every school morning without fail and then run around like a maniac trying to get ready in time. Syaoran was actually impressed with how she had made an art form out of being late. In three minutes flat, she was dressed, groomed, and downstairs in the kitchen cramming breakfast into her mouth.

"I'm off!" she yelled, spewing crumbs from her toast all over the floor.

"Safe trip!" the father yelled after her.

Syaoran watched her rollerblade down the street from the living room window.

"Onii-chan! Wait up!" she called as she disappeared over the hill.

Syaoran breathed a sigh of relief. The noisiest member of the Kinomoto family was finally gone, if only for a brief amount of time. He savored the stillness and silence. As soon as the father left, Syaoran would be alone again.

In the few months the family had been around, Syaoran had begun to realize he possessed abilities he never had the chance to discover. He found that if he concentrated hard enough on a physical object, he could make it into what he liked to call a "ghost object." It took a tremendous amount of energy to make something a ghost object, so he couldn't keep it up forever. But for that brief period, the family was unable to see the object until he released his concentration and allowed it to go back to being physical again.

At first he had just used the power just to annoy the family. He would hide car keys, textbooks, left socks, and the like for no other reason than to be a pain. After a while of doing this, however, he realized that the power actually had practical applications.

The family had an impressive library of books (most of them still in boxes from the move) and he spent countless hours sitting by the window, reading whatever random book he happened to come by. The stories they told helped him to understand his new roommates. Love was often a major theme in almost every book and Syaoran came to the logical conclusion that love was one thing all Living could understand, even though he had a hard time finding the significance in the subject.

The Living craved affection; that he understood. But as to why, he was in the dark. All Syaoran wanted was to be left alone and to have things back the way they were: quiet and calm.

"I'm home!" the girl yelled, banging through the house even though none of her other family members were home.

Syaoran sighed. She seemed to like making noise for no reason.

"Otou-san, can I have a sleepover here for Tomoyo-tachi?" the girl asked suddenly that evening over dinner.

From his place by the living room window, Syaoran groaned into the book he was reading. Sakura was a very energetic and cheerful girl, so she had quickly made friends at school. Several weekends in a row she had spent the night at her friends', so now it was her turn to play hostess. The last thing in the world Syaoran wanted, however, was a horde of giggling elementary school girls up until all hours of the night in his room. He knew the father would agree though. It was inevitable.

"That sounds like a great idea," the father said predictably. "I would enjoy meeting your friends."

"Yeah," the brother spoke up, his mouth half-full. "It'll be interesting to meet the brave souls who can stand to be friends with a kaijuu."

He let out a grunt of pain as the girl dug her heal into his foot under the table.

Syaoran suddenly didn't feel like reading. The mere thought of a house full of noisy girls had drained all his energy. He set the ghost book down and let up his concentration.

"It's your turn for dishes Touya-san," the father said, getting up. "I'm going to finish a few things for work and then go to bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Otou-san," the girl and brother chorused.

The brother started clearing away the dishes on the table.

"Hey! I'm not done yet!" the girl protested as the brother took her food away.

"Yeah, well I'm not going to sit around for another hour while you continue to cram food into your face," the brother said in an extremely sarcastic tone. "I know monsters need to eat a lot but…"

The girl balled her hands into fists. Syaoran knew just what she was thinking.

Someday I'll smash him into a pancake!

So predictable.

"Hey," the brother paused on his way to the kitchen beside Syaoran's window. "Where did this book come from?"

"Huh? I dunno. Maybe Otou-san put it there."

"I didn't think we even unpacked any of these yet," he was glaring suspiciously in the direction of where Syaoran was sitting.

It was strange to feel someone watching him. He didn't like that feeling one bit.

"Tomoyo-chan! Did you find my house okay?"

"Of course Sakura-chan. Your directions were very detailed. I had no problems at all."

Syaoran grimaced. The night of the sleepover had come much too soon. However, the sight of the calm and refined-looking girl at the door calmed his aura a little. She didn't seem the type to make too much of a tremendous racket.

"Hello Daidouji-san," the father greeted the girl. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too Kinomoto-san," the girl said, bowing deeply. "Thank you for inviting me to your home."

"Everyone's waiting in the kitchen," the girl said, grabbing her friend's hand and leading her away. "I made tea!"

"Hopefully you'll be able to choke it down," the brother said, coming down the stairwell. "Drinking Sakura's tea is like ingesting watered-down motor oil."

Tomoyo giggled as Sakura shot a poisonous look at her brother.

"That's my stupid older brother Touya," Sakura said, making introductions as calmly as she could.

"Nice to meet you," Tomoyo said, bowing.

"Come on Tomoyo-chan," Sakura said, dragging her friend away before Touya could get another word in. "He's not worth the energy."

The two disappeared into the kitchen.

"They're multiplying!" the brother said to the father, sarcastic panic in his voice. "How many are there now? Four?"

The father nodded. "Rika, Chiharu, Naoko, and now Tomoyo. It's going to be quite a night."

"Quite a night," Syaoran repeated miserably.

The brother looked around as if he had heard an echo. When he didn't see anyone, he shook head and followed the father into the kitchen.

"He can hear me," Syaoran said. His aura flared in beat with his mounting frustration.

"I think you're right," Yue agreed. "Isn't that interesting?"

"If by 'interesting' you mean 'annoying as hell', then yes."

"Hey guys! I found this weird deck of cards while emptying boxes the other day. It's supposed to be some kind of game. Wanna play?"

Partly out of dark curiosity, partly out of pure habit, Syaoran had eventually made his way to his spot by the window in the girl's room. He figured that he wouldn't be able escape the noise no matter where he went, so he might as well keep an eye on the group.

"Sure!" the girl named Chiharu squeaked. Syaoran cringed. "How do you play?"

"Well, there's an instruction booklet that came with it," Sakura said. She slammed a fairly thick book down on the floor so everyone could see.

"Those are quite a lot of instructions," Tomoyo commented.

The girl with the glasses picked up the book fearlessly and began to leaf through it. "Hmmm… Hey! This is like a tarot deck! Each one of these cards have an attribute and when you put them in a certain order, they're supposed to tell you the future and stuff!" Her eyes sparkled with glee. "This is so cool! Let's play right now!"

The girls started giggling insanely.

"Naoko-chan is in her element," Rika said.

"So how do we start?" Sakura asked anxiously.

"Well, first we have to draw a magic circle on the floor," Naoko said, her eyes scanning the pages wildly. "The book says it's one of the key components. We can't proceed without it."

"That's easy enough," Sakura said. She went to the closet and rummaged through the piles of boxes. After a few moments, she emerged with a box of sidewalk chalk in hand. "It's a good thing Otou-san hasn't had the chance to put carpet in here yet. This way we can just draw on the floor."

"The circle's kind of complicated though," Naoko said. She put the book on the ground so everyone could see. There was a wave of hushed awe from the girls.

"It's so pretty!" Chiharu breathed.

"Yeah, but there are so many lines…" Sakura said. "How are we supposed to draw something like that?"

"Let me try," Roka volunteered. She carefully drew on the ground using the yellow chalk. About fifteen minutes later, she had created a fairly accurate replica of the circle in the book. It was very detailed – right down to the Western zodiac symbols that bordered the circle at even intervals.

"Great job Rika-chan!" Chiharu exclaimed. "It looks perfect."

"Thank you," Rika said, smiling humbly.

"Okay! Now we can start," Naoko said excitedly. She opened the box beside her and carefully removed a deck of tall, narrow cards. Each one had an image of the magic circle on the back and a unique picture on the front. "They're all labeled in English down here at the bottom, but there's a kanji up here at the top that tells you what it means. Every card has a different meaning."

"Oooh! This one's really pretty," Sakura breathed, picking up a card. It had a woman on the front with large, feathered wings folded over her body. Sakura sounded out the English word on the bottom. "Ui… n… di. What does Windy mean?"

"Well, it depends," Naoko said, paging through the book. "She can imply communication, predict receiving mail, or could simply mean that tomorrow will be usually breezy. You have to put her into context with some other cards before you can tell what she's really trying to say."

"Alright then," Chiharu said. "I think Sakura-chan should go first since it's her game."

The girls murmured in agreement.

"Okay here's what you do," Naoko said, handing Sakura the deck of cards. "First you need to cut the deck with your right hand three times, and then reassemble it in a random order."

Sakura did as she was told.

"Now comes the fun part!" Naoko exclaimed. "You have to decide what question you want to ask the cards. Then you'll recite the appropriate incantation and throw the cards up into the air. The ones that land completely inside the circle are the ones we're going to read."

"That seems easy enough," Chiharu said.

"What question do you want to ask, Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked.

"I'm not sure," Sakura replied. "What kind of questions are there?"

"Well, let's start with an easy one," Naoko said, turning some pages. "The most basic invocation is 'A Request of Past, Present, and Future.' Ready? Okay, now just repeat after me."

Sakura recited the words as Naoko read them off the page.

"I, Sakura Kinomoto, request a contract with the powers that govern these cards. I implore them to guide my hand and reveal unto me the truth of my past, present, and future. Release!"

With that, Sakura threw the cards dramatically into the air with all the force she could muster. For a moment, the delicate golden cards hung in the air like so many sparkling stars. Then gravity took over and they fell to the ground in every corner of the room. One of them even fell right through Syaoran. He felt an odd tingle of energy as it passed and raised an eyebrow. Could the cards really have some true magical powers? He reached down and examined the card, which had landed face up. It had a picture of a young figure holding a large hourglass. Curious, he turned it into a ghost card to examine it further.

"Return," Syaoran read. The spark of energy he had felt from the card before was gone. He turned the card over and read the tiny script on the bottom: "For entertainment use only." Syaoran grinned cynically. So these weren't magical cards at all, but some cheap toys made in a giant factory. Syaoran turned his attention back to the giggling girls, eager to watch them make fools out of themselves.

"What a mess," Tomoyo said, looking around at the card-cluttered room.

"But look! Some landed inside!" Chiharu exclaimed, pointing to the floor. Sure enough, a total of seven cards were completely within the borders of the circle.

"Now what, Naoko-chan?" Sakura asked, obviously eager to continue.

"The first card you're going to pick up will represent your past," Naoko said, her eyes skimming down the page in the book. "It will be the card that's the closest to the left edge of the circle without going over the border."

Sakura picked up the card and turned it over. "It's the Move card."

"Hey, you moved to Tomoeda from Tokyo, right Sakura-chan?" Chiharu exclaimed. "Is that was this card is describing?"

Naoko briefly flipped through the pages before nodding affirmatively. "Yes! The Move card represents a change in location, usually over a short distance."

"Tokyo isn't very far away at all," Rika said, awe in her voice.

"The cards are pretty accurate so far," Tomoyo commented.

"Now pick up the card that's closest to the exact center of the circle Sakura-chan," Naoko instructed. "This card will represent your present."

"It's the Light," Sakura said, holding it up.

"That sounds like a good thing!" Chiharu said.

"Light means satisfaction, comfort, and easy transition," Naoko recited.

"That's true too!" Sakura said, grinning. "Now the card that's on the far right border without going over is the card that represents my future, right Naoko-chan?"

"Yep."

"Okay everyone," Sakura said, taking a deep breath. She reached down and picked up the card that was lying just beside the right border of the circle. Everyone in the room held their breath as Sakura turned the card over.

"Maze."

"Uh oh," Naoko said. "Maze is one of the 'dark' cards that are governed by the moon. It's usually a bad omen…"

The girls were silent as they waited for Naoko to get more information. The tension had become so thick that even Syaoran had a hard time ignoring the event.

"Come on," Syaoran said to himself. His voice fell flat against the silence in the room. "Why should I care about some stupid Living's fortune from a pack of fake magical cards?" And yet, he couldn't bring himself to miss what Naoko said next.

"This isn't good Sakura-chan," Naoko said gravely. "I'm sorry."

"Spit it out already Naoko-chan!" Chiharu yelled.

"'Maze symbolizes confusion, turmoil, and loss of direction,'" Naoko said, reading from the page. "'Oftentimes, the Maze card is not simply the premonition of these things, but the cause of it. Drawing the Maze as your Future card is one of the worst omens that the deck has to offer.'"

"That's disappointing," Rika said quietly.

Sakura looked troubled, but Tomoyo grabbed Sakura's hand in a comforting gesture. "Don't worry Sakura-chan. Whatever happens, we'll all be here for you."

The other girls nodded in agreement.

"There's some more stuff here about Maze," Naoko said. "'Although Maze is generally a bad omen, there is no reason to completely despair. Just as any real maze will have a way out somewhere, so does the metaphorical labyrinth the Maze card represents. Obstacles will always appear in our daily lives, but with bravery, confidence in our abilities, and the will to succeed, we should not fear Maze's mischief.'"

Sakura balled her fists and made a determined gesture. "I'll do my best!"

"You're so optimistic Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo said, looking upon her friend with admiration.

"Ooooh!" Naoko said, flipping through the pages. "Want to try this incantation Sakura-chan? It's A Request of Future Love."

The girls lapsed into a fit of uncontrollable giggles.

"You have to try it Sakura-chan!" Chiharu said, the first to recover.

"First we have to gather up all these cards," Tomoyo said, getting up and collecting her share. Everyone pitched in and had the job done in a snap.

"Hmm…" Naoko said, counting the cards. "We're missing one."

"Oh well. It probably just fell behind the bed or something," Chiharu said. "We can go on without it. It's just one card."

"Okay then," Naoko said, picking up the book once again. "Ready Sakura-chan? Repeat after me."

"I, Sakura Kinomoto, request a contract with the powers that govern these cards. I implore them to guide my hand and reveal unto me the truth of my future in love. Release!"

Again, cards went flying and the girls giggled.

"Awww…" Rika said. "There's only three in the circle this time."

"That's plenty," Naoko said. "Don't pick them up yet Sakura-chan, but turn all the cards over so we can see their faces."

Sakura turned over the cards, naming them as she went. "Illusion, Sword, and Erase."

"When you're using A Request of Future Love, half the deck is designated as 'description' and the other half is 'revelation.' The description cards will describe your future love interest, while the revelation ones will tell you something about the nature of your relationship." Naoko cited. "Lesse… Illusion and Sword are description cards. Illusion means 'mysterious and enigmatic. People described by this card are never as they seem.' Sword means 'brave and courageous, but also somewhat headstrong and stubborn.'"

"He sounds like a gallant knight who will come to your rescue when you need him most!" Chiharu said, looking into space with dreamy eyes.

"You're so lucky Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo said, smiling softly.

Sakura was blushing furiously. "You guys…"

"But Erase is a 'revelation' card," Naoko said. "It means that the person described will leave your life very suddenly and never return, unless signified by another card."

"Awww," Chiharu said. "How sad!"

"Hey, look at this," Naoko said. "The cards have syllables attached to them as well! If you read the cards in order from top to bottom, they'll reveal the name of your future love!"

"How fun!" Chiharu squealed.

"It goes Sword, Illusion, Erase," Tomoyo observed.

"Okay let's see here…" Naoko said, flipping pages. "Sword is 'sha'. Illusion is 'o' and Erase is 'ra.'"

"Shaora?" Rika said. "That's an odd name."

"Ooooh! Maybe it's a foreign name!" Chiharu said, her eyes sparkling.

"That would make sense," Rika said. "Sakura-chan will have a brief fling with a handsome, mysterious man. Then one day the two will reluctantly part when he has to go back to his home country."

"How romantic!" Chiharu exclaimed.

Syaoran couldn't take the girls' ear-piercing squeals any longer, so he made his way onto the roof. Yue was waiting for him there, the light of the waning crescent moon making him look even more mysterious and ethereal than he usually did.

"Shaora, huh?" he said. His arms were folded over his chest and his expression was unreadable, but his tone was almost playful. "That sounds remarkably like 'Syaoran,' don't you think?"

"There's nothing special about that deck of cards," Syaoran said, shrugging. He took a seat in his usual spot, letting one leg dangle over the edge. "It was just a coincidence."

"In my experience, genuine coincidences are harder to come by than the things that are meant to be," Yue said. "Whether or not the deck is really magic doesn't matter. If fate wills it, the cards will fall in the right order."

Syaoran rolled his eyes. "How can that stupid girl love me if she doesn't even know I exist?"

"No one said that she was the one who had to fall in love with you."

It took Syaoran a few moments to find out what Yue meant, and by the time he puzzled it out, the young man was gone.

"That's ridiculous," Syaoran said to himself, fuming. "I would like nothing more than to never see her sickeningly cheerful face ever again!"

He smoldered in silence as the girls' obnoxiously loud giggles drifted up from below him.

"Loop and Create make baka!" one of the girls practically screamed with laughter.

"Isn't that what you call Yamazaki-kun, Chiharu-chan?"

"And just what do you mean by that!"

"Well, it was A Request of Future Love after all!"

"Look! She's turned bright red from head to toe!"

"You guys are so cruel!"