Chapter 20.- The Keepers of Balance.

It was as if suddenly the whole scene had frozen up, or maybe not frozen up, because they all were still conscious, but it was as if some kind of power were slowly rippling around them; except that the ripples, instead of going farther away they seemed to be fusing together, all going to one certain young woman.

The beautiful dress that covered her seemed as if it had just come undone, turning into what looked very much like dozens of flower-petals floating in mid-air; seconds later the petals came together once again, though in a completely different design: she was now wearing a strapless soft lavender dress that hug her curves up to her hips, where it fell down softly, loose enough to make movement easy, but not too much for it to become uncomfortable to move in; there was also what could almost be called a cloak, except that it had bell-like sleeves and once it was clasped it looked like a dress with a high neck, and besides the clasp was a silver brooch with the design of a crescent moon over a sun; this was of a mauve color and had the print of a white rose in the back. About her hair, her two forelocks were joined together in the back of her head, keeping the rest of her long hair in place, it shined beautifully, reflecting the light of the moon and the stars; also a circlet went around her forehead, a circlet that had what seemed like a teardrop hanging from it, falling perfectly in the middle of her forehead, right above her eyes.

"Who's that?" Draco asked in pure shock.

"Mistress…" Naoko whispered.

When Draco turned to look at her he noticed her eyes seemed to have gone blank, a greenish glow surrounded her and an instant later she was standing there really as a Sprite, as Noelle. Looking exactly like she did the day Draco decided to give it all up and change sides, to give up on what his father wanted him to be, to be free.

"Are you telling me that's one of the Roses?" Draco asked still in shock.

But obviously she knew what she was talking about, after all she had served that woman in a past life. It was true, even if it all still felt a bit too strange to Draco.

"My Mistress…is back…" Naoko whispered. "She always was, and I just couldn't see her… How can she forgive me? How can I ever forgive myself?"

"I'm sure she understands it wasn't your fault." Draco assured the suddenly distressed girl. "If she truly knows you, she'll know it wasn't your intention to do wrong."

Naoko just sighed and nodded.

"Tomoyo-hime?" Eriol asked doubtfully.

And it was right then, right as she turned her face around and smiled softly at him that he knew it was definitely her, even with the change in the outfit and in the aura, the one in front of him was still his beloved.

'I know it is her…I can see her soul…' Eriol thought.

And suddenly, almost as if a bucket of cold water had just been dropped upon him, he could see the truth clearly:

Flashback

It had been after he had saved Tomoyo from getting killed when unconsciously jumping off the tallest tower in the Li manor, when Tsubame had taken a hold of the Enchantress's body so she could talk with him about the past, their past…

"Good luck Eriol. And please remember, I loved Clow, and we both know he loved me; just like you now love Tomoyo and she loves you. Don't lose m…her again. I know you're meant to be together."

"You sound so sure…"

"I am. I know how to identify soulmates when I see them."

"Soul…"

"Farewell Eriol…"

And before he could make her any questions, her essence seemed to leave Tomoyo's body, and the real Tomoyo emerged once more.

End of Flashback

'I felt angry at her, and at me, because she'd left me so confused…" Eriol thought to himself. 'Yet the truth is she never really left me, she was always there; I just was too blind to see the obvious truth, a truth my heart always knew and my mind hadn't been able to comprehend.'

"Clow…" The woman next to him whispered. "No…Eriol-kun."

"Both." He replied with a smile. "I'm both Eriol Hiiragizawa and Clow Reed; just like you're both Tomoyo Daidouji and Rose Tsubame Eclissi, my beloved, my Aihana…"

"You always had that habit of calling me things I couldn't understand…" She whispered.

And it was as if suddenly those simple words triggered something deeper, a memory of something that had taken place a lifetime before…

Flashback

"I've always believed meeting you was my destiny, one for which I'll forever thank whatever god is up there. I'll always thank being able to see you everyday: Aihana."

"There you go again, calling me names I don't understand."

"Sorry. I sometimes forget you're fully English, while I'm half English and half Chinese."

"Yes, don't worry. But will you tell me what you called me this time?"

"In fact, this time I used Japanese. Aihana, it means love-flower. Because that's what you are for me, my flower of love."

"You're getting quite poetic you know, my dear Clow."

"Anything for you, my love, Rose Tsubame…"

End of Flashback

"It indeed was destiny." Tsubame/Tomoyo said with a smile. "To meet each other, to fall in love with each other, again and again. We were destined to be together…"

"You said it so yourself before, we're soulmates…" Eriol added.

It seemed like a perfect moment, like almost nothing could break it; yet something could: a something that was more than ten feet tall, very ugly looking and with several more heads than any normal creature should.

Indeed, the hydra was still there, making things difficult to those closest to it, more precisely Harry, Hermione, Ron and some of the Li soldiers, who tried to keep it at bay, while Shaoran did his best at helping his men and keeping his unconscious wife safe at the same time.

"I can't leave things this way…" Tsubame murmured to herself.

Without saying a single thing else the Rose began humming, a soft enchanting tune that had a surprising effect just some minutes afterwards, when the beast's heads ever so slowly began swaying, until they all dropped to the ground in a heap.

"Is it dead?" One of the soldiers asked.

The question got an answer just seconds later, when they all could hear what could only be described by very loud snoring.

"It's fallen asleep!" Ron said, half-shocked half-amused.

"Sh!" Hermione covered Ron's mouth with her hand almost immediately. "We don't want it to get up again, do we?"

Ron shook his head vigorously, not saying a single thing.

"What now?" Shaoran asked.

"Well, in other circumstances I would be asking Midori to use her sword but…" Tsubame just sighed melancholically. "I don't know. Maybe your Sword of the Elements could work, or Sakura's Sword Card. I'm not completely sure."

"I have an idea." Eriol said. "Harry-san, Draco-san, come here please."

The two half-sorcerers did as they were told.

"Please bring your swords forth." Eriol instructed them.

Harry unsheathed the silvery sword with a green stone he had been given as a gift; Draco brought out his own sword, a rapier.

"Shaoran-kun…" Eriol called.

Shaoran seemed to understand what he meant so he carefully left his wife in Hermione's and Naoko's hands, as they approached, he brought his own sword out, while Eriol turned his staff into his sable.

The four silently got in position around the fallen beast, and without mediating a single word they brought their respective blades down upon the creature. It didn't even have time to wake up before it was already dead.

"Oh my God…" Hermione gasped.

"That's just so gross…" Ron gagged.

Tsubame didn't wait a single second, she hummed a different tune, louder this time, and at the same time softer. The reaction came like a wave of power that began in the Enchantress and touched all of those around her; this time the effects didn't involve any kind of drowsiness, but something quite different: healing.

It took just a couple of minutes before Sakura opened her eyes once again, blood still staining her face, hair and part of her clothes, but there was no wound.

Sakura just turned to look at Tsubame/Tomoyo, smiled at her and nodded, it was almost as if those two could communicate without the need of words.

"Erase, get rid of this beast before us!" Sakura called.

It took her some effort to conjure the power of the card, as she had gotten pretty weak when her shield broke down and she was injured, in fact all of the cards she had summoned before had vanished as well.

The Erase Card acted immediately, making the dragon vanish in just some seconds.

"Ok." Shaoran declared, turning to look at the Enchantress still in the new clothing. "Now that we've gotten rid of that foul creature, I believe we deserve some explanations."

Right then it seemed almost as if once again the young woman's clothing had turned into flower petals, until those too vanished and in their place was the dark purple dress Tomoyo had been wearing before.

"Eriol-kun…" Tomoyo whispered.

And a second later she fainted.

.---.

When Tomoyo woke up she was back in her room in the Li Manor, someone had changed her clothes from the fighting dress to some simple night-dress; and Eriol was sitting in a chair, next to her bed, just watching her sleep.

"Hey, kireii (beautiful)…" Eriol whispered with a smile.

"Eriol-kun?" Tomoyo asked, almost confused to see him there. "What happened?"

"You don't remember what happened koibito?" Eriol asked almost worriedly.

And suddenly it all dawned to her: the fight, the hydra, the great power Sakura was unleashed, when she was injured, the voice only she could hear and…

"I'm the reincarnation of Rose Tsubame…" Tomoyo whispered.

Eriol just nodded.

When Tomoyo remained quite Eriol worried and went to sit in the bed, right next to her. He silently brought a hand to caress her cheek, almost afraid that she would refuse him; though she in fact moved her face into his hand, as if seeking for more than just that caress. He then went to kiss her cheek.

"So she was right…" Tomoyo said smiling.

Eriol stopped his travel of kisses down her neck when hearing her.

"We do are soulmates…" Tomoyo added.

"We most definitely are." Eriol assured her.

And without further ado he kissed her fully on the lips.

.---.

After Tomoyo had rested enough they all got together in the solarium of the Li Manor. They were all drinking some tea and biscuits while discussing what had happened during the battle at the gates.

"It was all so impressing…" Ron commented. "I had never seen anything like it, not even last summer against Voldemort."

"The fight was quite different." Eriol said as a matter of fact. "And against quite a different enemy too."

"Yes." Shaoran said with a hint of sarcasm. "Especially because some dozens of DE are the same as a monstrous seven-headed Hydra."

"You mean you actually counted that thing's heads?" Harry asked raising a brow.

Shaoran just shot the half-sorcerer a glare.

"Ok." Sakura stepped in between them. "I think we have a lot of things to talk about. And I do believe the main topic here is…"

"Me, I know." Tomoyo finished for her. "Alright, where to begin?"

"Why don't you begin with the explanation of who you basically were?" Eriol suggested.

Tomoyo nodded.

"Ok, before I begin, Ron-san." Tomoyo turned to the newest member of their group. "I know this is all new to you, and if once we're finished you have any questions feel free to ask me or anyone else, no one will think less of you."

Ron nodded silently.

"Alright." Tomoyo continued. "As we all found out in the most recent battle I have a past life as well as Eriol-kun, I was Rose Tsubame Eclissi; a sorceress and enchantress well known back four or five centuries ago, around the same time as Clow Reed. In fact Clow and I were quite close back in that life too." She sighed melancholically. "Back then I had a twin sister, her name was Rose Midori, she and I shared the same powers and most of our looks. We both had a great devotion to our powers and the mission that had been given to us."

"Mission?" Hermione asked.

They were all truly confused, none of them had heard anything about a mission before; not even when Naoko had regained her memories as Noelle.

"Yes." Tomoyo nodded. "Being twins with such strong links between each other and to the nature surrounding us; and especially because we combined the powers of a sorceress and an enchantress, we were chosen by the ancient forces to be the Keepers of Balance."

The moment Tomoyo said those words Naoko had a very vivid memory, a memory of her first day at Hogwarts, the day when she had been assigned to the Gryffindor house, and her talk with the Sorting Hat.

Flashback

"Well, well, well…" The Sorting Hat murmured in her head. "What do we have here? A servant of the ancient forces."

"My name is Naoko." She mentally-spoke. "I am what some call a sprite, Earth's daughter, Allie to the Trees, Flowers and animals. I know nothing of any ancient forces."

The Hat remained silent for a moment, as if considering what to do after her words.

"Well, you seem to be an honest person." The hat finally said. "You fear the future, and even then never doubt when it's time to defend those you care for. Time will come for you to prove your great powers, to fight with your very soul."

End of the Flashback

'So there had been ancient forces involved after all…' Naoko thought.

"What does that mean?" Draco asked with curiosity.

"It means that it was our responsibility to keep vigilance and make sure the magic and natural human energy remained balanced." Tomoyo explained. "Because if it didn't, earth was bound to suffer a disturbance, which in consequence would bring terrible catastrophes."

"Terrible catastrophes?" Harry asked, unsure.

"Earthquakes, Tornadoes, Tsunamis...that sort of thing." Naoko explained.

"Right." Tomoyo continued. "They could either be 'natural' or magical. The difference being that magical disasters are a lot more awful and destructive, because they carry not only earth, wind or any other element within, but also magic in its pure state. That's too dangerous. There are many few people who can handle magic in its pure state."

"You as Supreme Sorcerers can do it?" Hermione asked.

"This isn't about Supreme Sorcerers." Shaoran told her. "Handling pure energy is something that only those specialized in energy can do, they need a lot of training and preparation to do it; and even then it still is dangerous for them, because if they try to handle too much energy at once they'll suffer an overload that could very well kill them or set their own magical abilities out of control."

That was enough for them all to know things could be pretty bad.

Silent reigned for some moments until they all saw Tomoyo jump on her feet suddenly.

"What is it?" Eriol asked worriedly.

"I can feel her." Tomoyo answered. "She's here…"

"Who?" Draco asked quite puzzled.

"My sister…" And without further ado she sprinted off, following the presence.

.---.

When the rest of the sorcerers and half-sorcerers finally caught up with Tomoyo she was just standing in a clearing, not too far in a nearby forest.

"What happened?" Harry asked when noticing they had all stopped.

Tomoyo just knelt down, making them notice a symbol that was in front of her, as if engraved in the earth. It was a sun with a crescent moon, and on top of it two roses in an 'x'. The sun looked golden and one of the roses was red, though the rest of the design had no color at all.

Tomoyo extended her hand and as she concentrated she touched first the moon and then the second rose; immediately the moon turned silver, while the other rose became white.

"Wow…" They all gasped surprised.

"It looks like some kind of family crest…" Hermione commented.

"That's exactly what it is." Naoko informed her. "That's my Mistresses' Crest; the very same one that in engraved in the urn."

"It's the Eclissi Crest…" Tomoyo whispered, passing her hand lightly over the design.

And suddenly, there was something unexpected. A bright white light shone and from the crest on the ground emerged a semi-translucent figure. It wore the same kind of clothing Tomoyo had when transforming into Rose Tsubame, except the dress was a red-black, while the cloak was a very dark black, the print was of a scarlet-red rose. She too had an identical brooch and circlet across her forehead; the difference being that her hair seemed to be in several small braids formed from her fore locks and that joined together in the back, creating almost like a net made of her own hair, that kept the rest in place.

"Rose Midori Eclissi…" Eriol pronounced her name almost as if in shock.

"My, my Clow, you look as if you had just seen someone who's dead…though, in a sense you probably have." The semi-transparent woman said with a smirk.

"You always had the oddest sense of humor Midori…" Eriol commented.

"Just like you Clow, just like you…" Midori sighed. "Though I believe you've changed your name in this life, right? It's Eriol Hiiragizawa…"

"That's true." Eriol nodded. "What about you?"

"Ah no, nothing of that." Midori denied. "I won't be telling you my actual name. You'll find out…in due time." She turned to the still kneeling Tomoyo. "Sister…"

Almost as a reflex Tomoyo got back on her feet, at the same time transforming her clothing to go along with Midori's.

"It was you who woke me up, wasn't it?" Tomoyo asked, though she knew the answer.

"I tried to be patient, my sister, but you know that's never been one of my virtues." Midori admitted. "Besides, you'd been denying the truth inside you for so long, I thought it was time you realized it."

"I think a part of me was afraid too many things would changed if I freed this side of me." Tomoyo admitted. "It seemed to be easier to just keep it hidden. I didn't realize how much danger I was putting myself and all those around me in for my selfishness."

"You aren't selfish, there's no way you'll ever be." Midori assured her. "You're just too good, too kind. Always the water, while I was always the fire." She seemed to be about to laugh at her own words. "It seems surprising to think that even being twins we were so different."

"The differences just made us stronger." Tomoyo assured her. "It was those differences that made us the perfect candidates for being the Keepers of Balance…"

"It was those differences that provoked our deaths, your death." Midori's image retorted.

"That's not t…" Tomoyo began.

"It is true!" Midori yelled at her. "You think I've forgotten? I haven't. I still remember what happened, every single day. How you tried to make me see my mistakes, yet I was already out of control. It was because of me that you…"

"You couldn't have known what would happen." Tomoyo insisted. "There's no way that you could have known how far I would go to protect Clow."

"It was still my fault, for using that incantation in the first place." Midori insisted.

"But sis…"

"I killed you!!" Midori yelled in despair.

That shocked everyone.

"Midori…" Tomoyo began.

"I killed you, and I'll never forgive myself for that." Midori declared, and without a single word more, her image vanished, along with the crest.

"Yet it was never your fault…" Tomoyo whispered to the wind. "Never, my beloved sister…"


Hey! I'm here early! Really early! Though, that's not exactly something good. See I've been postponing some personal matters for a loooooooooooooooong time, and I can't postpone them further so…that means that I while be arranging them now, which also means I might not be around for a while, from two weeks to a month at the most. I hope you're understanding and this chapter is enough to keep yourselves clamed until my return.

Anyway, I can assure you I will be returning, so you have no need to worry about me leaving this story unfinished.

Next chapter will be the New Year celebration, preparations for the group to return to Hogwarts and maybe some romance for Naoko (finally). Though, I've been wondering about two things that I don't know if I should put or not. The first would be for the following chapter, a scene with Rika and Terada, mainly Rika, maybe some conversation for her to understand a bit more about what her friends do. The other is creating something like the Eastern Council, but in Europe, in which the DA would be the main members, and probably Harry or one of them the leader. What do you think? Your opinion and suggestions will be really appreciated.

For those who are wondering who Rose Midori is, I'm afraid that'll have to wait a while, right now I have other points that need to be solved (if you wish to know I'll tell you they are some loose ends I left in the previous fic –check the epilogue of HS for more info-).

Well, that's all for now. See you when I return!