This story is not dead, we promise! It just went to sleep for a little bit while we worked through some creative differences and navigated new jobs in the midst of global chaos. At least we can live vicariously through Sakura and her friends. I hope that their continuing adventures will give you a break from the world's madness as well. As always, we don't own anything, we're just some fans writing some fiction. Please enjoy.

16- Sakura and the Love Letter

Sakura didn't often see her friends on her morning commute. Either they lived on the opposite side of the school, or they usually showed up earlier than she did. Even as a high school student, she tended to cut things close. However, when she went in early for classroom duty, she usually saw Yamazaki and Chiharu. Yamazaki regularly arrived early for student council work, and Chiharu was dedicated to walking with him- to keep him in line, she claimed, though Sakura figured there was more to it. She and Syaoran knew firsthand how hard it was to find time for dates amongst school and club activities. If they lived in the same apartment complex like Yamazaki and Chiharu did, they'd take full advantage of their commute time too.

It was a cold morning, and Sakura found herself shivering, instinctively huddling closer to Chiharu. Chiharu laughed and put her arm around Sakura's shoulder.

"You're not going to freeze on us, are you?"

"N-no… I just wish I'd worn a heavier coat…" Sakura stammered.

"Just stick close to me." Chiharu stifled another laugh. "It won't be long until we're at school."

Yamazaki kept up on the other side of Sakura. "In the meantime, you can always shiver to keep warm. The shaking produces body heat- that's why your body automatically does it when you're cold."

"I know that," Sakura replied, and Chiharu groaned.

"Wait for it…"

"Speaking of shivering, humans aren't the only animals that shake to generate heat. Honeybees are masters at it. To protect their queen from the harsh winter cold, the hive huddles around her and shivers to keep warm. Thousands of honeybees, all shivering together, can generate so much heat that they keep the center a sweltering thirty-three degrees celsius-"

The three had finally entered the school building, and Chiharu left Sakura to pull on Yamazaki's ear. "We're not bees, idiot."

"I've never heard that before, though," Sakura offered as she opened her shoe locker. "That's amazi-"

She stopped as movement caught her eye, an envelope fluttering out from inside the locker. She picked it up and looked it over, tilting her head in confusion.

"What's this? There's no name on it."

Yamazaki gasped. "Oh! It looks like Kinomoto-san has a love letter!"

"L-love letter? No way!" Sakura stammered, and Chiharu agreed.

"Everyone knows she's dating Li-kun, don't they? There's no way someone would send a love letter just to get rejected."

"Maybe so, but we won't know until she opens it," Yamazaki answered, and moved so that he could look over Sakura's shoulder. "Go on! See what it says!"

"No with you standing over me like this!" Sakura defended, stepping away. She opened the envelope and read over it- then again, and again.

'I know this is sudden, but I cannot keep my feelings quiet any longer. I don't care if you reject me, I just need to be able to say it to your face. Please meet me on the roof during lunch today. I'll be waiting for you. Hino Akari'

"It... it really is a love letter…" Sakura murmured. "But I don't know the person who signed it. A Hino-san…?"

Yamazaki gasped and leaned over the note. "You don't mean Vice President Hino-senpai, do you?!"

"Who?"

Yamazaki went into lecture mode again. "Hino Akari. Second-year student in class 2-A, vice president of the student council, and a member of the astronomy club. She's had the highest grades in her class since she started here at Seijyo, and the student council president relies on her for just about everything."

Sakura looked down at the note with a frown. "I don't understand. I've never met her."

"The vice president is pretty familiar with all the students," Yamazaki offered. "She prides herself on keeping up with both the accomplishments and disciplinary concerns of the student body."

"It sounds like she expects to be rejected. I don't want to have to, but I understand the need for closure," Sakura said with a sigh. "Could you wait for a while to tell anyone? I'll discuss it with Syaoran and Tomoyo-chan, but I want to wait until after I speak with Hino-senpai."

"I understand-" Chiharu nodded, and grabbed Yamazaki by the arm. "-and I'll keep Takashi's mouth shut too."

"I can keep a secret!" Yamazaki protested as Chiharu pulled him in toward the hallway. Sakura let out a sigh as she watched them and then turned her attention back to the letter.

Hino-senpai, huh? I wonder…

It was difficult to concentrate during class, thinking about the plans for lunch. Math and English were impossible to focus on, and Sakura found herself unable to answer questions twice. She knew that Tomoyo and Syaoran were eyeing her suspiciously, wondering what was wrong, but she didn't want to tell them until she'd settled things with Hino-senpai. Once the bell rang for lunch, she excused herself before anyone could ask her questions and headed up to the roof. She gripped the railing of the stairs as she went over the words in her head again and again until they were solid.

'I'm sorry, I can't return your feelings. I'm in love with someone else. But I'm sure you're a wonderful person, and someday you'll find someone who loves you just as much as you love them-'

When Sakura opened the rooftop door, she noticed the silhouette of a girl standing near the railing. The girl turned at the sound of the door, revealing a thin face framed with short dark hair. A piercing gaze made its way toward Sakura from under the frames of her glasses, and Sakura went stiff. It was the student council vice president, alright. She'd seen the girl before, though hadn't bothered to get too close. Hino approached her slowly and stopped a short distance away.

"I'm waiting for someone," she explained, her voice stern. "Please take your lunch somewhere else today."

"Huh? N-no, I…" Sakura stammered and dug into her pocket. "I'm here about your letter. You're Hino-senpai, aren't you?"

The stern expression faltered for a moment. "My letter?" Hino repeated. "Who are you?"

This was not how Sakura had expected the conversation to go. She handed the letter over, not sure what she should say. She might as well answer the question.

"I'm Kinomoto Sakura, class 1-B. Didn't… didn't you send me this-?"

"Kinomoto?!" Hino gasped, snatching the letter. Her face went pale as she scanned the text of the letter. "Oh no… oh no… I'm so sorry, Kinomoto-san!"

Hino made an exaggerated bow, and Sakura took a step back. "What's wrong? Is it not…?"

"This letter was meant for Kimura-san in class 2-C. Your names are similar, so the letter must have been put in yours by accident. I'm so dreadfully sorry about the mix-up; it must have caused you unneeded stress. I beg your forgiveness for my mistake."

Hino's speech was overly formal, and Sakura wasn't sure how formally she should reply. "No, it's really okay! I was only upset because I thought I would have to reject you. I'm so glad to know I don't have to. I don't know Kimura-san, but I wish you all the best."

Sakura's encouragement seemed to help calm her. "...thank you, Kinomoto-san. I appreciate your willingness to bring this to me, even though you're already in a relationship."

"Wha-? How did you-?"

"The student council considers you and Li-san a model of appropriate behavior for couples in a school setting. We use you as a reference when disciplining students who have received detention for excessive displays of affection."

It was Sakura's turn to flounder in embarrassment. She could feel her face turning red. "Wha-? Whaaa-?"

"I'm sorry. Perhaps I shouldn't have said anything." Hino folded up the paper and tucked it in her own pocket. "Nevertheless, I'm very grateful to you for returning my letter. I'll write Kimura-san's name on it this time so that the same mix-up will not occur should I make another mistake."

"Y-yeah, that's probably a good idea…" Sakura murmured, still trying to shake off the embarrassment. When she recounted this story to Syaoran, this was a part that she was definitely going to skip. Meanwhile, Hino glanced at her watch.

"Oh. I may still be able to get curry at the cafeteria if I hurry there. Thanks again, Kinomoto-san."

"You're welcome," Sakura answered, following her back into the stairwell and down the steps. "Good luck with your real confession. I hope it goes well."

They parted on the second floor, and Hino nodded.

"However it goes, it will surely be better than today's."

Sakura smiled. Perhaps Hino had a sense of humor hidden under all that seriousness after all.

"I'm so glad it all worked out," Tomoyo sighed, hearing Sakura finish her story. The group had finished eating lunch and was packing up their things as they waited for the bell to ring. "It makes sense that someone would fall in love with Sakura-chan easily, but at the same time, I'm happy for you that you didn't have to reject her."

"You could've told us," Syaoran muttered. "We were worried about you this morning. It's not like I would've been jealous or anything. I can't control other people's feelings."

"I know," Sakura answered, "but even if I'd told you, you would have worried over how I was going to reject her. I didn't want that either."

"...true…"

As Syaoran said this, the classroom door opened up and Yamazaki came barrelling in, Chiharu at his heels.

"Sakura-san! How did it go? What did Hino-san say? Did she take it hard-?"

Chiharu caught up with him beside Sakura's desk, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Lay off, will you? It's not fair to hound her with questions."

"It's fine!" Sakura answered. "I just finished telling Tomoyo-chan and Syaoran about it. The letter wasn't meant for me at all."

"Not meant for you? Then who…?"

"Do you know a second-year named Kimura?"

Yamazaki flinched and jumped back. "Not Kimura Himeko, the scourge of the student council? No way! It can't be!"

Chiharu raised an eyebrow. "Scourge of the student council?" she repeated. "What's all this about?"

Yamazaki crossed his arms, answering in his usual speech-giving tone. "Kimura-senpai is the school's most notorious delinquent. She's been disciplined for nearly every breach of conduct in the school's handbook- dress code violations, bringing forbidden items onto school grounds, excessive absences… she's basically the disciplinary committee's worst nightmare. Some people say the only reason she hasn't been expelled is because she has the second-highest grades in her class-"

"Where did the two of you go?" Tomoyo interrupted, as though trying to quiet his rumors before they got out of hand. "You usually eat lunch with us in the classroom."

Chiharu rolled her eyes. "Takashi said he suddenly had a craving for the cafeteria's curry, so we went to buy some. But it was all sold out by the time we got there, so we just ate our packed lunches at the tables there."

Sakura frowned, remembering what Hino had said. It was probably a coincidence, albeit an odd one. "Yamazaki-kun, you like the school's curry? I didn't know that."

Yamazaki shook his head. "Not particularly, but… today it was like, there was a voice in my head saying 'I hope they still have curry left at the cafeteria.' And I just had to go get some."

Sakura felt her stomach tie in a knot. That wasn't normal, was it? She glanced at Syaoran and could tell he was thinking the same thing.

Chiharu, meanwhile, was oblivious. "Tell the voices in your head to appreciate your own cooking more. Your lunch was way better than anything they'd serve in the cafeteria."

"Aw, is that a compliment?"

"You know I like your cooking, idiot!"

The bell finally rang, and Yamazaki and Chiharu headed over to their own seats. Sakura looked to Tomoyo and Syaoran with concern.

"Hino-senpai said something about curry too. Maybe she just likes curry, but… I'll ask Kero-chan and Stephen about it tonight."

"You're sayin' ya think something's wrong because yer friend had a craving fer curry? Seems like you're jumpin' to conclusions a little too fast, doesn't it?"

Kero was playing video games when Sakura got home from school, and Stephen was in his "bedroom" lounging on the little bed that Sakura had made for him. His ears twitched and he peeked his head out.

"You said that your friend heard something like a voice in his head?"

"Yeah," Sakura nodded, sitting down on the bed and turning to face Stephen. "He said it was like a voice that said 'I hope the cafeteria has curry.' It wasn't a craving or anything, just a thought."

"All humans have strange, impulsive thoughts such as that. I cannot say for sure that it is the doing of a Warp Card."

Kero paused his game and flew over to sit on the bed beside Sakura. "I'd say you should wait it out a little while. See if there's anything else strange goin' on, and contact us if ya notice anything."

Sakura nodded slowly. "...right. I understand. There was one other suspicious thing, though. A girl I spoke to at lunch also said something about the school's curry."

"Another friend'a yers?"

"No, she was..." Sakura's voice trailed off. "She accidentally left a note in my shoe locker that was meant for someone else. I returned it to her."

"A note?" Stephen asked, and Kero hopped up into Sakura's lap.

"It wasn't a looooove note, was it?"

Sakura blushed and looked away. "I-It wasn't for me, so why does it matter?"

"Who was it for?"

"Someone in one of the second-year classes. They were both second-years. The girl I talked to was the student council vice president. But apparently the girl she was trying to deliver the note to is... no, I probably shouldn't say-"

"Tell us!" Stephen exclaimed, hopping down from the dollhouse and scurrying over to the side of the bed. "I want to hear the story!"

"Th-there's no story to tell," Sakura insisted. "I promise. Hino-senpai hasn't had the chance to confess her feelings yet, and it's not my place to intervene."

"You intervened with Kanda-san and Hayashi-san's relationship, didn't you?" Stephen asked, and Sakura frowned.

"That was different. Kanda-kun asked us to help him. Hino-senpai didn't seem to want me involved."

"Then don't get involved," Kero answered with a shrug. "I know it's hard fer ya when you've gotten interested in it like this, but some things ya just gotta let go."

"You're right," Sakura answered. "I'll focus on keeping an eye out for more strange activity. If Hino-senpai and Kimura-senpai start dating, I'm sure it'll be all over the school anyway..."

"Because she is the vice president?" Stephen asked, and Sakura blushed.

"Yes. Because she's the vice president."

The next morning Sakura arrived at school just barely in time, like she did most mornings. There were no more notes in her shoe locker, so she assumed that Hino-senpai had already gotten her note to Kimura. Content with the thought, she headed down the hall to her classroom and opened the door- only to find herself in the midst of a large commotion.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked as she made it to her seat. She'd passed by Yamazaki talking excitedly to Aiko and Kanda about something, but the bell had rung when she walked by, so she couldn't quite hear it. Syaoran fished his English book from his bag and placed it on his desk.

"There was some kind of commotion in class 2-A. Apparently, they had a test yesterday in literature class and the students were accused of cheating."

"Cheating?"

"Yeah, they..." Syaoran's voice trailed off. "They all wrote the same answers, even on the open-ended questions. All the essays were exactly the same."

Sakura froze. "The same-?"

As she said this, Shimazaki-sensei entered the room and called across the commotion to calm the students. Sakura took her seat and listened as Shimazaki made the regular morning announcements before she finally sighed and addressed the elephant in the room.

"It seems that the whole school is talking about the situation with class 2-A. I want to assure you, whatever rumors you've heard are likely exaggeration. We have no reason to believe that any academic dishonesty has taken place. You'll note that the spread of harmful gossip about other students is mentioned in the student handbook. We ask that you refrain from spreading these rumors."

Sakura glanced over between Syaoran and Tomoyo. Shimazaki-sensei's tone was firm, but the way she spoke it was static and rehearsed. She was usually such an enthusiastic teacher, but this situation seemed to have her scared. They couldn't discuss it there, but Sakura made a mental note to investigate it further that afternoon. This might be exactly the strange thing that Kero and Stephen were looking for.

Between classes, Yamazaki had been running back and forth up to the second floor to get more information. He'd called it "student council business," and perhaps it was- the student council must want to know what was going on if a whole class had been accused of cheating. When lunchtime came around, the other students crowded around him to hear his findings.

"-they insisted that none of them was cheating," Yamazaki was explaining as Sakura approached. "They claimed that the answers just sort of appeared in their minds. And Kurosawa-sensei made the test the night before, so it's not like they could have had access to the answer key beforehand."

Aiko was sitting on one of the desks, leaning in with a big grin on her face. "This is sooo freaky! It's like something right out of a paranormal television show! I love it!"

Chiharu shook her head. "I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation. The class may have studied the same material beforehand, and the same words and phrases stood out to them. Internet literature guides are becoming more popular nowadays."

"Or-! Or!" Aiko jumped off the desk. "It's telepathy! Some sort of magical power was released, triggering the students' latent telepathic abilities! I saw about it on a show the other day, about how humans only use ten percent of their brains, and if they unlock the rest, they could achieve incredible feats-"

"That's not correct, actually," Yamazaki broke in. "Even though we only use a certain amount of our brain at any one time, we use the majority of our brains on a daily basis."

Aiko pouted. "Since when do you correct weird stories?"

"Because if weird stories are floating about the school, I want to be the one spreading them."

Sakura drew back, not wanting to get involved in the conversation. She returned to her seat, where Tomoyo and Syaoran had pushed the desks together, and retrieved her lunch.

"What did Yamazaki-kun find out?" Tomoyo asked.

"The teachers said it couldn't be cheating, because Kurosawa-sensei made the test the night before. And the students claim it was some sort of telepathy that put the words in their heads."

"Telepathy...?" Syaoran murmured, lowering his voice. "A powerful sorcerer might be able to project their thoughts into others' minds, but I don't know a sorcerer that powerful in our school."

"Could someone have done it on accident?" Tomoyo asked. "The answers were all correct, so whoever projected the thoughts into the minds of the students must have been concentrating on the material. Perhaps one of the students accidentally projected their thoughts onto the others."

"It would have to be a high-performing student, and one with powerful magical abilities," Syaoran replied. "And... honestly, given the responsibilities that being a magician requires, it's difficult to keep up with schoolwork."

Sakura closed her eyes. "Hino-senpai..."

"What's that?" Tomoyo asked.

"Well, she's in class 2-A, right? And she has the highest grades. And yesterday, when I spoke to her, she said something about the cafeteria's curry. She may be the one spreading the telepathic thoughts."

"The student council vice president?" Syaoran asked. "I'd be surprised. I've spoken to her a few times for drama club business, and I've never sensed any magical power from her."

"It may not have to be her own magic. It might be a Warp Card's doing."

Tomoyo gasped. "If that's the case, then Noboru-sensei will surely have noticed too. We have to do something!"

"I'm not sure what card it might be, though," Sakura admitted, opening her lunchbox. "I'd rather talk to Stephen about it first. It doesn't seem like the situation is escalating, does it?"

Syaoran closed his eyes, trying to sense magic around them. "I can't sense anything right now. Maybe it would be good to wait a little longer and make sure we know what we're getting into."

"Yes!" Tomoyo broke in, and Sakura almost jumped at the force of her words.

"What do you-?"

"This means I'll have time to make a costume for Sakura-chan to capture the card in! I'm so happy!"

Sakura let out a sigh, but she had to admit, Tomoyo's excitement helped to calm her nerves.

"Thank you, Tomoyo-chan. I'll look forward to it."

With the decision to wait and discuss the situation further, Sakura was able to calm down and focus on her classes that afternoon. The whole thing felt odd, like a small inconvenience rather than the frightening confrontations she'd had with Warp Cards in the past. She put on her coat and stepped up to her shoe locker, opening the locker to retrieve her rollerblades. Slightly warmer temperatures had melted the ice from the sidewalks, and it was safe to skate again.

She had never paid much attention to the other students whose lockers were near hers, but today a girl she hadn't seen before stepped up to one nearby. Sakura wouldn't have paid much attention, but when the girl opened the locker, a mass of paper fell out. Both Sakura and the girl jumped back in surprise.

"Wh-what the-?!" the girl gasped and looked up at Sakura as if asking her for an answer. Her expression was scary, the thick, dark makeup around her eyes emphasizing her stinging look. "You think this is funny?" she growled, her words rough.

"...huh? N-no... it's just, unexpected..."

The girl grabbed the mass of letters still in her locker and carried them over to a trash can. "I hope whoever's doing this is getting a kick out of it," she muttered, "cause when I find 'em, I'm gonna make 'em wish they were never born."

"This has happened before?" Sakura asked, and the girl shot her a dirty look.

"Yesterday afternoon, this morning... it's been a mess."

"You don't think someone's trying to bully you, do you?" Sakura gasped. "You should tell a teacher-"

"Hah! Like the teachers are gonna listen ta me!" the girl laughed. "I'm usually the one doin' the bullying."

"You're..." Sakura paused and gasped. "Kimura-senpai?"

"Congrats. You want an award for guessing right?"

"N-no, it's just-!" Sakura began and stopped. If she mentioned that Hino-senpai was trying to send a note to her, Kimura might think Hino was one of the bullies. Hino seemed to really like Kimura- despite Yamazaki's disbelief- and Sakura didn't want to ruin Hino's chances. "Um, I forgot something in my classroom. I have to go get it, so... um, good luck."

Kimura laughed. "Sure, kid. Whatever."

Sakura continued down the hall, sprinting up the stairs to the student council room. She didn't know whether Hino would still be there, but it was her best bet.

The voices coming from the room lifted her spirits, and she slid the door open just a crack to see who was there. Hino was working at the desk, speaking with a third-year that Sakura recognized as the president and a couple of first-years- including Yamazaki. He was the first to turn around to look at the door, and his eyes lit up.

"Kinomoto-san! What's going on? Do you have a question for the student council?"

Sakura blushed. "Oh, um... it was actually more... more a question for Hino-senpai."

Hino looked up from her papers and blushed as she recognized Sakura. "Oh, Kinomoto. I'm busy now; can this wait?"

"It's just a quick question-" Sakura glanced around at the others, unsure how much she should say. "-about lunch yesterday."

"Ah."

Hino stood up from the desk and motioned for Sakura to follow her into the hallway. Once they were outside, she closed the door behind them. "What do you want to ask about yesterday? Is there a problem?"

"N-no..." Sakura began. "Er, I mean- not really. It's just... I don't mean to be nosy, but I wanted to know how things went with Kimura-senpai. I was worried about you."

There was a pause, and Hino looked down at the floor. "...she didn't come. It is only natural that she would refuse to speak with a student council member. I suspect that answers your question."

Her expression was so sad. It wasn't a joke- she really did like Kimura. "Um... um..." Sakura began, grabbing Hino's sleeve before she could return to the room. "...I don't think that's it at all. See, I talked to Kimura-senpai just now at our lockers. Some kids have been bullying her by flooding her locker with fake love letters. I think she threw yours out along with all the others, not realizing it was real. I, uh, thought you'd want to know."

Hino seemed to perk up, but only briefly. "Bullying? I had no idea! Has she reported it?"

"No. She said she didn't think anyone in the student council would care."

Hino shut her eyes and sighed. "So that's how she feels about the student council, hm? I should have realized. This was all such a bad idea, I should never have sent the letter in the first place-"

"Don't say that!" Sakura interrupted. "If you really like Kimura-senpai, you have to tell her how you feel! I'll talk to someone about the bullying. In the meantime, you should just track her down and talk to her-" She stopped, realizing she was essentially giving orders to the student council vice president. "I mean, uh, if you feel it's right."

Hino's expression went soft. "Thank you, Kinomoto-san. I appreciate your concern. I'll handle my own emotional affairs from now on."

"Right! Of course! Sorry to interrupt your meeting!" Sakura answered, and then turned to leave. "Good luck!"

By the time she made it back to the lockers, Kimura was gone. There wasn't much she could do, so she headed on home, considering all the events that had happened so far.

The lunchtime incident, the test, the strange letters in Kimura's locker... it couldn't all be a coincidence. It was all centered around Hino-san. But she couldn't remember any Warp Card that would project someone's emotions like that. She discussed it with Stephen but he wasn't sure either, suggesting the Puppet card, but then backtracking when he explained that it could only manipulate one victim at a time. Sakura kept it in the back of her mind as she finished her homework and got ready for bed. Before she drifted off to sleep, she glanced out the window at the full moon shining overhead.

Maybe the moon would help her find answers in her dreams.

When she'd hoped for answers in her dreams, she hadn't expected the hope to actually get her anywhere. But almost as soon as she drifted off to sleep, she found herself in a familiar place, with a familiar figure looking over at her. The woman smiled as Sakura looked up at her, and Sakura let out a gasp.

"You came! Just when I needed you!"

The woman gave her a slightly confused look, and Sakura remembered she was speaking Japanese. She changed over to English as best she could, thinking back to the phrases she'd learned in school.

"I... I need help. My friend... my friend... many people, uh... many people hear my friend-"

The woman pulled out her scroll and began her calligraphy. Sakura walked around behind her, leaning over her shoulder to see the characters she was writing. As she recognized the first one, her eyes lit up.

"Bee? Bee as in a beehive? But that's-" The second character came into view and she gasped. "Queen! As in, queen bee! That's right!"

She'd gone back to speaking Japanese, but the woman was nodding along as though she understood.

"I thought it couldn't be the Hive Card because it links a lot of people together. But I forgot that a hive has a queen. And the Hive must have chosen Hino-senpai!" Giddy with the excitement of having figured it out, Sakura threw her arms around the woman and pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you! Thank you!"

The woman went stiff at first, dropping the scroll and brush, and Sakura pulled away as she realized she might've startled her. But the woman pulled Sakura back into the hug, squeezing even tighter than Sakura had. She seemed almost desperate, and Sakura wasn't sure how to respond. The woman's next words were whispered, so low that Sakura could barely hear them.

"Thank you, Sakura."

"You're thanking me? But you're the one who's-?"

Sakura didn't get to finish her sentence, as the dream began to dissolve around her. She glimpsed the woman's smiling face one last time before she found herself back in her bed, moonlight streaming through her window. She sat up with a start.

"Hive! It's The Hive!"

The clock by her bedside read two-thirty, and Kero and Stephen both began to stir with a groan. Stephen was the first to hop off the side of the dollhouse and approach the bed.

"Pardon? I did not hear what you said."

"The Hive card," Sakura repeated, reaching down and picking him up off the floor. "I had that dream again, with the woman who's been helping me identify the Warp Cards. She made me remember that honeybees have queens. The Hive must have latched on to Hino-senpai as its queen and has been broadcasting her thoughts to the rest of the hive members. That's why other students were thinking about the same foods, writing the same test answers, and sending the same letters that she was."

"That makes sense!" Stephen gasped. "Whenever Warp Neon used the Hive card, he used it to bend others to his own will. It only makes sense that, if the card has gone rogue, it would need a leader whose thoughts it can amplify. Brilliant!"

"But why didn't the lady come tell ya earlier?" Kero wondered out loud, crossing his arms. "Usually she warns ya of a Warp Card before the card appears. Sometimes way in advance."

"I… was wondering about that myself," Sakura answered. She looked out the window at the moonlight that was drifting in through and had a sudden thought. "...oh! I wonder…"

"What is it, Sakura-sama?"

Sakura had walked across to the desk and pulled her old planner out from the shelf. She flipped through it, looking at the notes she'd made over the last few months. Her eyes lit up, and she turned the desk lamp on.

"Stephen, Kero-chan, come look at this."

The two scurried over to sit on top of the desk, looking at the planner from opposite Sakura. "What's up?" Kero asked. "Ya find a pattern?"

"I marked the nights that I had the dreams, just to keep track. Take a look at the dates. See the little circles in the bottom of the squares?"

Stephen's ears twitched. "Those are… representations of the moon phases, correct?"

"Right. And every time I've seen the woman in my dream, it coincides with the full moon. When I dreamed about her last time, she said something in English about her power not being strong enough. Kero-chan said that it takes a lot of magical energy to enter someone's dreams, right? Maybe this woman gets her power from the moon, so she can only enter my dreams when it's full."

Kero took a step back, closing his eyes to think it over. "It's true that sorcerers whose power comes from the moon become weaker and stronger over the lunar cycle. If her power comes from the moon, then the full moon would be the only time that she'd be able to project herself into someone else's subconscious- if at all."

Stephen was silent, his ears flat against the back of his head. "It… does not make sense…" he murmured, more to himself than to the others. Sakura heard him though and leaned closer.

"What doesn't make sense?"

"Hm?" Stephen went stiff. "Oh! Er, I just thought… do moon powers fluctuate so dramatically? I do not know how moon-based magic works, so…"

"It's pretty dramatic," Kero answered. "We could ask Yue about it later. He'd be able ta explain it better'n I could."

"Yes. Yue. I would like to hear it from him."

Sakura closed the planner and placed it back onto the shelf. "I should get back to sleep. I have cheerleading practice tomorrow morning, and I want to get there early to see if I can catch Hino-senpai before her club activities start."

"Good idea," Kero answered with a nod. "I'm gonna get back ta sleep too. We can always figure this out after you've gotten the card."

"Right."

Sakura and Kero both settled easily back into sleep, but Stephen stayed awake for a little while longer. He tossed and turned in his bed, and eventually decided that he wasn't going to get anywhere and might as well hop onto the top of the dollhouse so he could look out the window. His frown deepened as he examined the moon, thoughts buzzing through his mind. He had been sure he knew who was visiting Sakura in her dreams, but now suddenly… he wasn't.

"Chioni never got her powers from the moon. So why would she…?"

The moon provided no answer.

Fujitaka was surprised that Sakura was up so early on a Saturday. She scarfed down her breakfast and took off before he had a chance to finish his. He called after her to remind her that he'd be out late having dinner with Giorgios, and she barely got a call of acknowledgment out before she left the door. It didn't matter what time cheerleading practice stated- she wanted to be absolutely sure she got to school before Hino-senpai did. The walk was cold, but the prickly chill in the air barely fazed her. She had more important things to think about.

A few students were milling about in the courtyard when she arrived, mostly students in the art club who'd come early to make color pallets based on the sunrise. Sakura smiled and waved at them, then stopped to speak with a student from her class.

"Hey, uh, you haven't seen the student council vice president around, have you? She's in the astronomy club, but I figure she'd have come through the front gate if she already arrived."

"Yeah, she actually spoke to me earlier. Asked for Kimura-senpai."

Sakura stiffened. "Kimura-senpai? She's in the art club?"

"Not officially, but she attends meetings sometimes. She went to wash her brushes-"

"Where?!"

The classmate stepped back. "Er, in the first-floor art room, I think."

"Thanks!"

Sakura dashed off toward the school building, changing shoes as quickly as she could and navigating the halls. If Hino-senpai was already here and looking for Kimura-senpai, the effects of the card could complicate things. She could hear voices down the hall coming from the art room, but the hallway was so quiet, she feared she was making too much noise. Hino- and the card- would know she was coming. She activated her staff, and then reached into her pocket and pulled out a Sakura Card.

"Silent," she whispered, feeling the magic surround her. Satisfied that she wasn't making any noise, she continued down the hallway and stopped in front of the art room.

The voices from inside were in the middle of a conversation, but Sakura recognized Hino's formal speech and Kimura's casual tone. She kept an eye out for other students in the hallway, but no one showed up, and her focus remained on the conversation.

"-heard about the bullying yesterday. The letters-" Hino was saying, and Kimura cut her off.

"That first-year kid told you, huh? I don't need any help from the student council."

"You… you shouldn't feel bad about asking for help. How long has this been going on?"

Kimura laughed. "Don't worry your pretty head, vice prez. It was just yesterday. Probably somebody pulling a one-time joke. I've never needed the student council's help before, and I don't need it now."

There was a pause, and Sakura could feel the tension as Hino considered what she was going to say.

"...you don't have to do everything alone, you know."

The statement confused Sakura, and she pressed closer to the door.

"Whaddya mean?"

"One of those letters..." Hino began, taking a deep breath. "...one of those love letters was real."

"How do you know?"

"Because it was from me."

The room went quiet and Sakura was glad to know Silent's magic masked the sound of her heartbeat pounding in her chest. What would Kimura say?

"A love note? From you?" Kimura asked. It sounded like Hino was fidgeting with her hands as she answered.

"Yes. I know you may not believe me, given the way some other members of the student council treat you, but the truth is… I really admire you. I've admired you for a long time. You may push the boundaries of the dress code at times, and perhaps you're not as polite as is expected of students, but you work so hard. To maintain such a high academic position when half of your schoolwork is done from the hospital… you work harder than anyone here. I could never imagine it."

There was a pause, and Sakura felt a pang of morbid surprise. Hospital?

"...so you know why I'm absent all the time," Kimura answered with a laugh that sounded forced. "And here I was, doing my best to make people think I was just skipping."

"Why?"

"So they won't feel sorry for me. I don't want people's pity."

There was a loud noise that Sakura guessed was Hino slamming her hand on one of the tabletops. "How could they pity you? You're stronger than any of us! Just waking up in the morning is a chore, and you do it every single day-!"

"You talk like you've got some experience, vice prez."

There was a long pause. Sakura waited for Hino to answer, but she didn't. There seemed to be an unspoken communication between them that Sakura couldn't parse, but when Kimura finally spoke again, it was with a laugh.

"You know, for a long time I've thought that the biggest drawback to my whole delinquent front was the fact that I'd never be able to catch the attention of the pretty vice president." She stopped, letting out a sigh. "It was okay, though. I'd be an awful girlfriend. I can't go out much, and sometimes it seems like I have more bad days than good ones. You'd be better off pretending I'm a delinquent like everybody else."

"But I want to be there for you. Good days and bad days. Will you please give me that chance?"

There was another pause.

"You know you can't heal me, right?"

"I know. Believe me, I know."

Sakura shifted her weight as silence filled the room again, but her unease lifted as she heard both girls begin to giggle. "I really like you, vice president," Kimura said through it all.

"And I really like you, Kimura-san."

Sakura didn't think she needed to hear more. It was enough to know that the two had come to a conclusion- and that they felt the same. Whatever their individual problems were, it wasn't her business. She was just glad they hadn't been interrupted by the card.

But, speaking of the card, where was it? Had it found a new queen, or-?

"You are not looking for this are you?"

Sakura stiffened, looking down the hall to see Noboru standing opposite her. He held a card in his hand, one she could recognize even from this distance as a Warp Card. Her stomach churned and she called off Silent so she could speak to him.

"...Hive?" she asked.

"I noticed something odd going on recently, and assumed the root of the problem must be a Warp Card. It wasn't difficult to trace it back to Hino-san, given the impressive answers that class 2-A gave on their literature exam. I spoke with her yesterday afternoon before she left the student council room, and called the card off from the hallway while she and the president were busy. They were none the wiser."

"...I see…" Sakura murmured.

"Is something wrong? Had I not done so, the Hive card would have escalated its field of influence. By now it could have been broadcasting her thoughts to over half the city. How would you take responsibility for that?" Noboru shook his head and slipped the card into his pocket. "You are right to be cautious. But being too cautious can cause problems of its own. Leave this to me from now on, alright?"

Sakura clenched her fist. She'd learned something about the woman in her dreams, and Hino-senpai was happy. Those were more important than a single card.

So… why did those victories feel so hollow?

"-of course, I emailed the student back and insisted that he wasn't registered in any of my classes. Turns out there's a Professor Kinomoto in the fine arts department, and he was trying to register for her class. Isn't it a small world?"

Fujitaka and Noboru had a good laugh over the story, reminiscing about their time working for the university and the confusion that could come from common names. Noboru was particularly excitable, and Fujitaka picked up on it.

"You seem to be in a good mood today," Fujitaka commented. "Are you advising any clubs?"

"Not yet." Noboru shook his head. "The advisor to the mythology club is retiring next year, so I've been discussing with her the potential to take over. But today I just went in to work on grading and organize my desk. It was a very productive day, so yes, I suppose I'm in a good mood. Better to get things done now than when the whole school is worried about students bringing Valentine's day contraband." He paused and took a sip of his drink. "Speaking of which, do you have plans for Valentine's day?"

"Oh no," Fujitaka laughed. "Sakura is old enough to make her own chocolate now, and I'm sure she has some sort of activity with Li-san planned."

"I meant with someone your own age. You're not looking for a date?"

That changed the atmosphere at the table, Fujitaka looking away, coughing conspicuously. "N-no, I… I couldn't…"

"You don't want to?" Noboru scooted his chair closer. "It's been over a decade. Surely you've at least considered getting back out there."

Fujitaka still refused to make eye contact. "I would be lying if I said the thought hadn't crossed my mind, but I just couldn't. It wouldn't feel right."

There was a pause and Noboru sighed, sitting back to take some of the pressure off Fujitaka. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up a touchy subject. I suppose I assumed you felt differently. I never met Nadeshiko, but she sounded like the kind of person who'd want you to be happy."

"She…" Fujitaka looked back at Noboru, a smile finally returning to his face. "...she would. But that would require me to find someone I'd be happy with. And right now, I just… I don't know if I could."

Noboru closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Listen. Perhaps this is a bit forward, but I'm going to risk overstepping and just say it. Shimazaki-sensei received two tickets to the upcoming Mesopotamian exhibit that's opening at the local museum in two weeks, and since she doesn't have much interest in that sort of thing, she's looking for someone to take them. Would you be interested in… a museum date?"

The table went quiet again. Fujitaka smiled, this time more genuine. "It's a kind offer, but like I said before, I just don't know who I'd invite."

Noboru's hand twitched. He swallowed back a laugh and reached across the table to give Fujitaka a friendly punch on the shoulder.

"Read between the lines here, will you? I'm asking you to go to the museum with me. I'm asking you on a date."

Fujitaka's eyebrows shot up and his face went red. "Oh! I… oh! Giorgios, I-"

"It wouldn't be a serious thing, of course. You could think of it as a sort of practice date. Just a chance to dip your feet into the dating pool again, so to speak."

"I…" Fujitaka's face was still flushed, but it was no longer from embarrassment. He glanced down at his hand and fidgeted with his wedding ring. "...I think… if it's you, Giorgios…" His smile brightened. "You know what? I'll do it. I'd love to go to the exhibit with you."

"You will?" Noboru asked, his voice cracking in excitement. It was his turn to go red, and he sat back down, covering his mouth with one hand. "Ah, pardon me. It's a pleasant surprise. Thank you for humoring me."

"Thank you for thinking of me," Fujitaka replied. "It'll be the first Valentine's date I've been on in a very, very long time. I look forward to it."

The conversation strayed again, but it was lively, spurred by an undertone of excitement. When they parted after dinner, Noboru handed Fujitaka one of the tickets to keep.

"The doors open at nine, so we could plan to meet at the museum bus stop at eight-thirty. Spend the morning at the museum and then get lunch somewhere."

Fujitaka accepted the ticket, holding it close. "That sounds wonderful. Thank you again."

"Thank you. Practice date or not, you've made me very happy."

They exchanged a friendly wave, and then parted on the street to head in separate directions. Noboru pulled the Hive card out of his pocket and smiled at the sight of it under the passing streetlights.

"Two victories in one day," he murmured to himself with a sinister smile. "Perhaps my luck is turning around.