As usual, we don't own anything, we're just a couple of fans writing some fiction. Please enjoy!

18- Sakura and the Sewing Project

"Sakura-chan! I'm so happy to see you! It's been too long!"

Sonomi Daidouji pushed past a group of maids, making a beeline for Sakura and Tomoyo. The two had just walked into the Daidouji's manor, returning from their Saturday morning club practices at school. They had stopped along the way to get some lunch and pick up some fabric for their upcoming home economics project, and when they finally made it to Tomoyo's house, her mother was there to greet them. She pulled Sakura into a tight hug, and Tomoyo laughed.

"I believe it's been since New Year's, hasn't it?"

Sonomi stepped away from Sakura and nodded with a pout. "I was so disappointed when I heard you'd just left Grandfather's chocolate here for him. I didn't even get to see you making it- I'm heartbroken!"

Sakura blushed. "I'm sorry. Did he enjoy it?"

"Yes, he enjoyed both of yours very much!" Sonomi winked. "He said he has something nice planned for White Day, so look forward to it, alright?"

"Yes, we will!"

"In the meantime, I can't wait to see what you're doing for your home economics project! Tomoyo said you'll be making aprons- is that right?"

The three began walking down the hall toward Tomoyo's room, and Sakura pulled the fabric they'd purchased from her bag to show off. There was pink and white for the main apron, and a small piece of heart-patterned fabric to accent the front pocket. "We're supposed to make a simple apron using one of the techniques we covered in class, so Tomoyo-chan is going to help me master pleats."

"How lovely!" Sonomi chimed. "That apron is going to look so cute on you-"

"Daidouji-sama? You have a call."

The interruption from behind stopped them in their tracks, and Sonomi turned around to look back at her assistant with a frustrated sigh.

"So soon before the conference call? What could they possibly need?" She looked back to Sakura and Tomoyo with an apologetic wave. "Meet me for tea in about three hours, okay? After that, I'll be on a conference call until eight, so dinner will be later than usual. I hope that's alright."

"It's fine!" Sakura chimed, waving back. "See you soon!"

The two stayed where they were for a few moments until Sonomi and her assistant disappeared around the corner of the hallway. Once she was out of sight, Kero popped out of the bag with a sigh.

"Geez. Poor lady's always workin', even when she's at home."

"There's an important merger happening with another company," Tomoyo explained, "so she's been in-demand lately. But even when she's busy, she makes time to have dinner with me whenever she can."

"She really is a wonderful mother," Sakura observed with a dreamy sigh, and Kero hopped up onto her shoulder.

"Anyone who gives us delicious cake is wonderful in my book too!"

"Geez. Your standards are so low, Kero-chan…"

Tomoyo laughed and motioned them into her room. "Shall we get started, then? We'll need to cut out all the pieces of the pattern before we can begin the sewing lessons."

"Oh yeah!" Sakura ran after her, and Kero had to hold onto her shoulder to keep from being thrown off. She couldn't help being excited- this was the first chance she'd had to learn sewing from Tomoyo, and she wanted to take full advantage of it. To see the kind of love and care that Tomoyo put into her sewing work… the thought made Sakura feel warm and fluffy inside.

"If we work hard, we should be able to have all the pieces cut out and start on the basting before tea," Tomoyo said, setting the bag of fabric down on the table. "You have the pattern, right?"

"Got it right here!" Kero called, pulling the kit out of Sakura's bag. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go plug my game into Tomoyo's big theater TV! Stephen's gonna be so bummed he missed out on this!"

"Where is Stephen, anyway?" Tomoyo asked, perking up as she unfolded the pattern. "I thought for sure he'd tag along."

Sakura leaned over her shoulder, watching the complex lines of the pattern emerge. "He said he had something he wanted to do today," she answered, "but I don't know what that means. He still doesn't know how to use the internet or the television, and if he was reading a book, he'd just say so."

"Perhaps he's putting together a surprise for Sakura-chan. You did give him a wonderful Valentine's Day gift, after all."

"I-It was just chocolate! The same kind I gave to Kero-chan and Dad…"

"Yes, but it was the first Valentine's Day gift that Stephen ever received. I think that's something special in itself."

Sakura looked down at the heart pattern on the accent fabric they'd bought. Thinking back to Valentine's Day and the joy they'd shared- still basking in the excitement Victory's capture- made her happy too. Whatever Stephen was doing, she hoped he was having fun.

Syaoran shifted his weight awkwardly as he stood in front of the Kinomotos' door, wondering whether he should ring the bell or just send Stephen a text message. It felt strange- wrong, even- to be here when Sakura wasn't. He had to assure himself that he wasn't doing anything improper. His business today was with Stephanos, not Sakura.

Still, he opted to send a text message. It was less conspicuous than the doorbell.

[I'm at the front door. Can you open it?]

Stephen's response was immediate, as if he'd been staring at the phone just waiting for Syaoran to text. It was a sticker of a cartoon fox eating a doughnut that said "delicious!" and while Syaoran had no idea what it meant, he was used to Stephen's haphazard texting method by now. Poor Stephen had been overwhelmed by the number of emojis available, so Sakura had downloaded a pack of stickers that reminded her of him, and he just sent over the sticker that reflected his mood without caring about what the text said. That was, of course, when he didn't write an essay that took up the entire phone screen to convey a message that could have been expressed in two or three words. Deciphering the meaning of his hieroglyphics or slogging through an endless barrage of words to find some form of meaning- he really made life difficult. At least it was better than Kero's texting style, which relied on indecipherable abbreviations and elaborate kaomojis that had even less meaning than Stephen's random stickers.

It didn't take long for the door to unlock, and Syaoran reached out and opened it. Stephen was waiting on the other side with a big smile on his face.

"Syaoran Li-sama! Oh, I'm so happy you're here! You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to contact me about the photo!"

Syaoran closed the door behind him, shaking his head. "Why didn't you tell me you were the one who left the photo? Better yet, why didn't you give it to me yourself? Why leave it like that?"

Stephen's ears drooped. "I'm sorry. I'll explain everything, I promise. Will you come inside? We can sit somewhere more comfortable, perhaps discuss it over tea-"

"I'd rather make this quick. The last thing I want is to be here when Sakura's father gets home."

"Ah. That would be difficult to explain, wouldn't it? Then, let us go to the living room and begin."

Syaoran left his shoes by the front door and followed Stephen into the living room, where he took a seat on the couch. He then dug into his backpack and pulled out the photo that Stephen had snuck into his cabinet several months prior, along with a thick binder full of printed material in plastic sheet protectors. Stephen drew closer, trying to peek over the side of the binder to get a glimpse of the cover, but Syaoran opened it before he could.

"This is a collection of research I've been doing about Clow Reed's past during the late 1860s and early 1870s- the time he would have been fighting with Warp Neon. My sisters have been helping me, but information is scarce from that time period."

Stephen put a paw against the massive stack of papers. "...this is scarce?"

"This is months' worth of work. My sisters and I have been at this since August." He frowned and looked away. "Granted, most of this is their work, given they have nothing better to do with their free time, but…"

"Your sisters are very resourceful, aren't they?"

"They just have a lot of time on their hands."

Stephen giggled, but Syaoran didn't, so he sat down on the table and looked back to Syaoran. "...I, erm, assume your first question is why I left the photo at your apartment instead of contacting you about it directly. The reason is, I wanted to discuss it with you before bringing it up to Kerberos or Yue. I believe that their memory surrounding the child in that picture has been altered, but I do not know why."

Syaoran considered the explanation for a moment before holding the photo up to Stephen again. "Do you know who this child is?"

"According to Hiiragizawa Eriol-sama, that is Clow Reed's adoptive son, Li Baoyi."

Syaoran slammed the picture down on the table again, sending Stephen scrambling back in surprise. "How long have you known that?! Do you have any idea what kind of trouble my sisters and I went through to identify him?"

"My apologies, but I wanted you to independently verify Hiiragizawa-sama's claim. His memories are not complete either, do not forget."

Syaoran glared. "So what? What's the point of all this?"

"...do you remember, back in August, when I asked you about a woman named Li Lian? You said that no such person existed in your family records."

"Yes."

"I now believe that the person I had called 'Lian' was actually a man, and that his name was instead 'Baoyi.' That Clow Reed's adoptive son, Li Baoyi, was the son of my fellow guardian, Chioni."

The living room went quiet.

"...what?"

Syaoran looked back and forth between Stephen and the photo, not quite processing it. He flipped several pages in his binder to a collection of photos. They were grainy, black and white photos, but ones he was intimately familiar with. Grainy, black-and-white photos showed Li Baoyi as a young man, the photographs growing clearer as he aged. A hazy colored shot of him in his 90s was the last in the collection, and Syaoran pointed to a little girl in the foreground.

"This picture shows four generations of Clow Reed's descendants. That girl is my mother. She knows everything there is to know about our family history, and even she isn't sure who her great-grandfather's biological parents were. How can you say that with such confidence?"

Stephen looked over the photograph, putting a paw over his muzzle as he broke into a smile. "Oh! Li Syaoran-sama, she looks so much like you-!"

"That's not what I asked."

Stephen's smile faded. "Who was Baoyi's biological father? He was one of Clow Reed's cousins, yes?"

"His father or mother. Clow Reed's uncle had two sons and a daughter, but we don't know anything about them. It was probably one of the sons, because we know the daughter married into the Tang family, but..." He stopped and closed his eyes. "The Li Xiaohe that you spoke of before. You think he's Baoyi's father?"

"Right! Exactly! Kerberos and Yue said that Xiaohe and Chioni's child was stillborn, but the child in that picture is most definitely Chioni's! If you knew her, you'd be able to tell easily."

"But Chioni was Warp Neon's granddaughter, right?"

"Yes."

"If Li Baoyi was her son, that would mean…"

Syaoran waited for Stephen to finish the sentence, but he didn't. He didn't seem to catch on at all, instead just staring with that blank, expectant expression. It was strangely infuriating to watch.

"...no. No. I refuse to believe that I'm a direct descendant of Warp Neon. How could you even suggest such a thing?"

The statement seemed to surprise Stephen, his ears perking up. "What? Is that what you are concerned about? Blood ties?"

"Of course! Blood ties are everything!" Syaoran rose to his feet. "My family takes great pride in being descended from Clow Reed. My whole life, I've been told that the magic in my blood is a responsibility I carry because I'm Clow Reed's fourth-great-grandson. I know that technically Clow Reed is my cousin-five-times-removed, but… that doesn't matter… because the same blood flows through our veins. The power I hold is the same that he held. That's what brought me here to Japan, the legacy that my power holds. To tell me that the power flowing through my veins could be from some… some… other sorcerer... much less one that had such evil intentions…" Syaoran shut his eyes tightly. He couldn't even say it.

"Li Syaoran-sama," Stephen began softly, and Syaoran could feel the little beast's paw gently brush against his hand. "I understand that your family placed a lot of pressure on you because of your heritage. But to put so much emphasis on one of your ancestors and ignore all the other influences that have come together to make you who you are feels like building a narrative based on a lie. Warp Neon's power was not his own, but something he stumbled across in his studies. Much of Chioni's magical power came from her French family. Clow Reed was the incredible magician that he was because he mixed both the western and eastern magical systems that he inherited from his parents. Don't you see? If you ignore all these influences, then you're only limiting yourself-"

"I'm not-!" Syaoran snapped, his eyes shooting open and his hand jerking back to throw Stephen off. He was surprised by the force of his own words, however, and shrunk back, sitting down and sinking back into the sofa. "...I'm sorry. I know you're right, and yet…"

"I am sorry too. It is not my place to tell you how to feel. Chioni, too, worried that carrying her grandfather's blood would eventually cause her to succumb to the same evil that consumed him. But she did not. She was one of the kindest, most loving people I have ever known, right up until the end. Your blood does not define you, you define yourself. And if you define yourself by your relationship with Clow Reed, no relation to Warp Neon can ever change that."

Syaoran felt his face heat up and he looked away.

"Thank you. That means a lot. But the truth is, I… I've been trying not to define myself by my relationship with Clow Reed. When Sakura became the new master, I realized that I'd have to build a legacy all my own. And for the past few years, it's been good. Living in Tomoeda, spending time with my own friends, taking classes and participating in hobbies that I want to do, it's helped me see myself as my own person and not just as Clow Reed's descendant. But all this research I've been doing with my sisters has reminded me that there's a whole family back in Hong Kong that does see me as Clow Reed's descendant. If their identity is challenged like this, then they're just going to cling even harder to Clow Reed's legacy. And the one expected to bear that burden will be…"

"It will be you. Of course."

Syaoran leaned back into the sofa, pulling his knees up against his chest. He realized that somewhere along the conversation, Stephen- or he- had switched to Cantonese without him realizing it. All of those feelings and fears would have been so difficult to voice in Japanese, thinking about what words to use and how to phrase them. In his native language, it was so much easier to let loose and just say how he was feeling. Had Stephen planned that? Or he he switched of his own accord and Stephen just followed along?

"I haven't spoken to Sakura about this," Syaoran began again, changing back to Japanese. "I think she suspects I have issues with my family, but she's never pushed the issue. She's so considerate about things like that, sometimes I wish she'd just force me to tell her what's wrong."

To Syaoran's surprise, Stephen giggled.

"Sakura-sama is like that, isn't she? There are things I wish she would ask me as well, but I dare not bring them up. It feels oddly taboo in the face of her optimistic attitude, does it not?"

Syaoran sat up straight again, nodding along. "The idea of seeing her worried about you hurts, doesn't it? But what kind of problems are you having? If they have to do with the Warp Cards, it could be dangerous for Sakura not to know."

"Oh! No, it's not that. It's just-"

Before he could finish his statement, the sound of a car driving into the carport interrupted him. They both shot to attention, looking out the back window. Sakura's father wasn't supposed to be home so soon!

"Wh-what am I gonna do?" Syaoran gasped, grabbing up the binder in one arm and his backpack in the other. "How am I gonna explain to Mr. Kinomoto why I'm here alone? How I even got inside?!"

"Try escaping through the backyard! I will stall him in the front hall for a while!"

"My shoes are in the front hall!"

"...ah, that's right…"

As they argued, the front door opened and a pair of familiar voices caught their attention.

"-weird. It was already unlocked."

"Isn't Sakura-chan supposed to be at the Daidoujis' house tonight?"

"Yeah. But there's no way she or Dad would forget to lock it… whose shoes are these?"

"A burglar?"

"There's no way a burglar would leave their shoes that neat-"

Syaoran and Stephen both let out a sigh of relief. Syaoran allowed himself to drop his backpack and set the binder back on the table as Stephen scurried out into the hallway to greet their guests.

"Touya-sama! Yukito-sama! Welcome! You are just in time to join Li Syaoran-sama and myself for some tea."

Touya made it to the hall and stood in the doorway to the living room, glaring at Syaoran.

"What are you doing in my house?"

Syaoran scoffed.

"You don't live here."

"Neither do you!"

Stephen hopped up onto the table, waving his paws. "Please, don't be angry at Li Syaoran-sama! I was the one who invited him here in order to speak privately about Clow Reed's family. He is here only at my request."

Touya's glare was now directed at Stephen, and he stood over the table to look down at him. "What business do you have inviting people in? You live in a dollhouse in my sister's bedroom-"

"Touya!" Yukito hissed, grabbing his arm and pulling him back a few steps. "You should be kind to Stephen. He's working hard to help Sakura-chan."

Touya looked away, the hint of a blush covering his face. "I'm gonna go start dinner. Join this little party if you want."

"I will." Yukito nodded, and then looked back over at Stephen and Syaoran. "I mean, if that's alright with you two."

"Please do!" Stephen chimed. "We could use Yue's input on this matter."

"Oh. Yue. Would you like me to change?"

Syaoran shook his head, moving over on the sofa to give Yukito some room. "Only if you want to. You can relay messages from him, can't you?"

Yukito looked away. "I can, but… er, it's probably better if you speak with him directly. I'll get him for you."

Before Stephen or Syaoran could say anything else, Yukito closed his eyes and disappeared behind a pair of massive, feathery wings. The wings opened a moment later, and Yue lowered himself gently to the floor.

"My apologies for Yukito's behavior. He has been worried about our connection recently, and I believe he does not want to risk further conflict between our consciousnesses."

"Conflict?" Syaoran repeated. "You've been in conflict with your own hidden form?"

"Hm. Perhaps conflict is not the right word. Please disregard those concerns. You instead have questions about Clow Reed's family, yes?"

Stephen hopped up onto the sofa next to Syaoran, motioning to the space that was still open. "Yes. Please, sit down with us."

"I will continue standing, thank you."

"But you need to see these pictures-"

"I know what Clow Reed's family looked like. Do not forget that I lived with Clow Reed for many years."

Syaoran scooped up Stephen and placed him back on the table beside the binder. "Don't pressure Yue. I'm sure he knows way more about this than either of us do." He looked over at Yue again. "I have some questions about my great-great-great grandfather, Li Baoyi."

At the sound of the name, Yue's normally disinterested expression changed. His eyes lit up with an interest that Syaoran had never seen before, and he drew closer to the table.

"So these photos are…?" Yue leaned over and picked up the binder before anyone could protest. His eyes scanned the pages, and there was a softness to his gaze that Syaoran had only ever seen when he was talking about Clow Reed and Sakura. "What questions do you have about him?"

Syaoran looked over to Stephen, waiting for him to reply. He was looking back with the same expression, however, so Syaoran took charge.

"We want to know who his parents were."

Yue looked up from the pictures to narrow his eyes at the two of them. "He was Clow Reed's son."

"Yes-" Syaoran answered with a nod. "-but we're curious about his biological parents-"

"Why does that matter?" Yue snapped, closing the binder with a loud clatter. "It was Clow Reed who cared for him, Clow Reed who taught him magic, Clow Reed who fed him and played with him and treated him when he was sick and tucked him into bed at night and loved him the way no other parent was willing to-!" He stopped himself, relaxing his hold on the binder to show that he'd left nail marks on the outer cover. Embarrassed, he handed it back over to Syaoran, who accepted it. Stephen, meanwhile, hopped up onto the arm of the sofa to get closer to Yue.

"No other parent except Papa Yue, right?"

Yue's scowl deepened.

"Did Kerberos tell you that?"

"Yes. He said you were just as much a father to Baoyi as Clow Reed was."

"...I see." Yue closed his eyes and heaved a long, deep breath. It seemed like he wanted to argue, but couldn't do so without lying. And he couldn't lie about his relationship with Clow Reed, no matter how much it might betray his detached persona. "If you understand that much about our relationship, why ask me about the boy's biological parents? Kerberos could tell you himself, we know nothing about them. Only that Clow Reed's cousin abandoned his child and Clow Reed took him in."

Stephen took a step forward. "Clow Reed's cousin? You mean Li Xiaohe?"

"No. Li Xiaohe left the family of his own accord after his child and wife died in rapid succession."

"That's what Kerberos told me," Stephen agreed with a nod. "He said that Xiaohe and Chioni's child was stillborn. But what if it was not? You knew Baoyi better than anyone here- does his face not resemble Chioni's? Could he not be Xiaohe and Chioni's child?"

Yue stopped, actually taking some time to consider it. Syaoran leaned forward to listen, genuinely curious now that Yue had calmed down. Or, at least lowered his voice. When he spoke up again, his tone was still gravely serious.

"Are you insinuating that Clow Reed lied to me about our son?"

Stephen didn't flinch.

"Yes. I think he did."

"So how is the project coming along? Are you making progress?"

Sonomi was cheerful as usual when Sakura and Tomoyo arrived in the sunroom. It was too cold for them to sit outside in the garden, but the view from the windows allowed them to appreciate the sunshine while still staying warm. There was hot tea waiting for them, as well as finger sandwiches and strawberry scones. Sakura made sure to leave a scone on her plate for Kero- if Sonomi asked, she'd say she was saving it for later because dinner would be late.

"We've made great progress!" Tomoyo replied. "Sakura-chan is such a fast learner. She's mastered the basting stitch already."

Sakura blushed. "That's not so impressive. It's very simple-"

"Even so, it lays the foundation for more complicated stitchwork and helps you get a feel for how the pattern is put together. I think it's good that you've caught onto it so easily. That means you have the ability to learn more techniques in the future."

"Y-you think?"

Tomoyo closed her eyes and nodded with a soft smile. "Seeing you work so hard and make so much progress, it makes me wish I could keep sewing with Sakura-chan forever."

That made Sakura blush, but she smiled too. "I just hope I'll get better at not sticking my finger with the needle all the time."

Sonomi leaned one elbow against the table, sighing as she looked out at the garden. "Nadeshiko always stuck her finger when she was trying to sew. She never could get the hang of using a thimble, so she ended up always having bandages on her thumb when our home economics class did sewing projects. It made her modeling agent so angry, but I thought it was charming…"

Tomoyo giggled and Sakura blushed. "Thankfully, I haven't stuck myself badly enough to need a bandage yet, but…"

"You're far more coordinated than Nadeshiko was. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it soon enough."

"Besides," Tomoyo offered, "when we finish basting the pattern, we'll start work with the sewing machine. That should be safer for your fingers."

"Oh! That reminds me of when Nadeshiko used grandfather's sewing machine for the first time. She got the thread so tangled, we could barely pull the fabric free, even with the shears…"

Sonomi continued her story, and Sakura listened with interest. She loved hearing stories about her mother's childhood, and it seemed like every time she visited, Tomoyo's mother had something new to tell her. Grandfather too, when they got to see each other, but that was far rarer. No matter who it was, everyone who'd known her mother talked about her with so much love, and that made her incredibly happy. Hearing these stories really made it feel like she knew her mother too.

As they finished up their tea and Sakura stashed the scone away for Kero, Sonomi stood up and motioned to the hallway.

"I still have a few minutes before my conference call starts. Would you mind if I took a look at your project so far?"

"I'd love that!" Tomoyo replied. "Is that alright with you, Sakura-chan?"

"Of course! As long as you don't judge it too harshly."

Sonomi winked. "I know that you two always do your best, and that makes the end product perfect in my eyes."

Tomoyo and her mother started down the hall, and Sakura pulled out her phone to send a quick text to Kero, assuring him she had a scone for him and warning him not to pop out until Tomoyo's mother was gone. She managed to catch up with the other two about halfway down the hallway, and was beside them once they reached Tomoyo's bedroom. Tomoyo reached for the knob to open the door, but-

Sakura stopped in her tracks.

Something was wrong.

"Sakura-chan?" Sonomi asked, seeing Sakura's stiff posture. "Is something the matter?"

"Oh, no, no!" Sakura waved her hands. "Just, uh, got a sudden chill, is all."

"That's no good. I'll have the maintenance worker check for drafts in this area."

"Right. Sounds like a good idea."

Meanwhile, Tomoyo had already entered the room. "Our project is here on the table, if you'd like to-"

Tomoyo froze.

"...er, I thought it was on the table, but…"

On the table in the center of the room, where the in-progress apron had been, there were now only neatly-folded pieces of fabric and the whole, untouched pattern. Sakura and Tomoyo approached, eyeing the scene with dismay. This was definitely not how they'd left it. The pattern and fabric were uncut, everything looking as new as when they'd first bought it. It didn't make any sense. Three hours of work, and yet…

"Hm? Did you leave it somewhere else?" Sonomi asked, her eyes scanning the room. "Perhaps you moved it to the sewing machine."

"No, we hadn't finished basting it yet." Tomoyo shook her head. "But how could it have-?"

She was interrupted by a buzzing noise, and Sonomi pulled her cell phone from her pocket. She looked at the text message and frowned.

"Ugh, not again. How many times do they need to have these pre-meeting checks to be sure the software works?" She pocketed the phone again, shaking her head. "Sorry, but I have to go. You can show me your progress after dinner, alright?"

"Yes, of course! Good luck with your call!"

"Y-yeah! Good luck…"

The two watched as Sonomi exited the room, and once she had fully closed the door behind her, turned to one another.

"...we definitely cut and basted the pattern, didn't we?" Tomoyo ventured. Sakura nodded, turning as she scanned the room again.

"I felt something strange when we were walking down the hall. It could be a Warp Card, but I'm not sure what card it could be. Muse interferes with art, but Noboru-sensei has that one, and there's no way he'd use it against us in a situation like this."

"Where is Kero-chan? Maybe we could ask him if he's sensed anything." Tomoyo approached the home theater and rapped on the door. "Kero-chan? Are yo-"

"The coast is clear?! Finally!"

Kero burst out from the other side of the door, rushing first to Tomoyo's side and then to Sakura's. Sakura flinched and stepped back, but Kero followed her, hovering over the napkin-wrapped item she was holding.

"Is that what you brought me? Oh, it smells so good! There's strawberries in it, right? I'm so excited-"

"Kero-chan, wait," Sakura interrupted, holding out the scone in the opposite direction. "There's something important we need to talk to you about first. Have you sensed anything strange?"

"...strange?" Kero calmed down, settling onto the surface of the table next to the fabric. "Like, while we've been here?"

"Yes, particularly while we were at tea," Tomoyo answered. "Just look at our project."

Kero turned, finally seeming to notice the neat pile of fabric sitting next to him. He eyed it suspiciously for a moment before looking back at the two of them. "No offense, but that ain't lookin' any closer to an apron than it did when we started. You sure you're following the instructions right?"

"We were!" Sakura defended with a pout. "We cut out all the pieces and I had started stitching them together the way Tomoyo-chan taught me. When we left for tea, we were almost ready to take it to the sewing machine. But now it's as if we hadn't touched it at all!"

Kero frowned, narrowing his eyes and looking over the pile of fabric with a scathing glare. "...look, I was playin' video games this whole time, so I can't confirm what you're saying. Are you sure you did all that stuff ya said? Maybe you got so caught up in the fun of it that you're remembering wrong."

"Absolutely not!" Sakura shot back. "We definitely, definitely cut and basted the apron-!"

She stopped mid-sentence as Tomoyo grabbed her free hand. "Sakura-chan, do you still sense the strange presence you felt earlier?"

"Huh? ...no, come to think of it, I don't."

"If whatever it was is gone now, we can't do anything about it. We'll just have to start over." Her serious expression softened and turned back into a smile. "With the skills you gained the first time around, I'm sure we can have it ready for the sewing machine by dinnertime. Want to try again?"

Sakura let out a defeated sigh. "I suppose that's all we can do." She took a step back and perked up again. "Alright! Making it a second time means we'll be able to do it even better than the first! Let's go!"

"That's my Sakura-chan!"

"...hey, you're still gonna give me that strawberry thing, right?"

Tomoyo and Sakura laughed, but happily handed over Kero's scone.

"And… there! Oh, it looks so cute on you, Sakura-chan!"

Tomoyo pinned the back of the apron in place and stepped away from Sakura so that she could get a better view in the mirror. Sakura had to admit, it looked even better than their first version. The basting stitches were a little loose in places, but it already looked like a proper apron, complete with the pleated frills that had seemed so daunting at first. Sakura twirled around and looked to Tomoyo.

"We can start on the sewing machine now, right?"

"Yes, but it's almost dinner time. We should probably tidy up and head to the dining room to meet Mother. Oh! But first, Kero-chan needs to see how beautiful you look!"

Before Sakura could protest, Tomoyo was already calling into the theater for Kero. At the moment, Sakura couldn't sense anything strange. Perhaps she really had imagined the presence earlier. But, then, what could account for the fabric being put back together while they were at tea? Both she and Tomoyo knew they hadn't imagined cutting out the apron the first time, and Sakura's stitching skill the second time around also suggested that she'd had a few hours of practice before having to start all over. What kind of magic- what kind of Warp Card- would do something like that? She hadn't brought her study cards with her, so all she could do was wrack her memory with little success.

"Whoa! Check it out!" Kero's voice chimed from across the room as he flew over to Sakura. "I can't believe that went from a pile'a fabric on a table to a whole apron in only a few hours!"

"It's not finished yet," Sakura corrected. "Right now it's only held together by a loose stitch so that we can get the sizing right. After dinner, Tomoyo-chan will teach me how to use the sewing machine so that we can sew it together properly."

Kero flew over and perched on Sakura's head, looking into the mirror. Sakura was still wearing her school shirt and skirt, and the simple design worked oddly well with the bright colors of the apron. "Yanno, this apron on top'a yer school outfit could honestly be a card-capturin' getup. I like it."

"Y-you really think so?"

"Kero-chan!" Tomoyo hissed. "If Sakura-chan starts making her own card-capturing outfits, she won't have the opportunity to wear mine…" She let out a dramatic, tearful sigh, though her voice trailed off and she perked up a bit with a sudden realization. "...but… to see the kind of outfits Sakura-chan would make… modeled herself… oh, that would be wonderful…"

Sakura waved her arms. "R-really, Tomoyo-chan! I'll leave the sewing to you, I promise!"

Tomoyo opened her eyes again, coming out of her melodramatic reverie. "Are you sure? I'd be happy to give you more lessons."

"More lessons would be nice, but my goal isn't to make my own clothes. Honestly, the clothes you create for me have so much love in them, they make me so happy. I feel like I can't fail when I'm wearing something you made. So…"

The clock in the corner began to chime the hour, and Kero perked up.

"Eight o'clock! Sounds like dinnertime to me!"

"Yes, let's go to dinner," Tomoyo said, taking Sakura's hand and pulling her toward the door. It took her a moment to realize that Sakura was still wearing the apron, and she stopped with a giggle. "Oh! You can put the apron back on the table there."

"Kero-chan, will you look after the apron so that it doesn't get un-made while we're gone?" Sakura asked as she pulled the pins out of the back and placed them into the pincushion. "If you do, we'll bring you back some dessert."

Kero snapped to attention and made a salute. "You have my word, Sakura! I won't let it outta my sight!"

Tomoyo saluted back. "We're counting on you, guardian beast."

"You can leave it ta me!"

Or so he said.

But Sakura and Tomoyo were taking such a long time, and playing video games in front of such a large screen had left his eyes tired- even a magical beast suffered from eye strain at times. He figured it would be okay if he slept just a little bit. If anything happened, he'd wake up… right?

Syaoran sat back on the sofa, staring at the empty surface of the table as the silence set in. He didn't want to look directly at Yue or Stephen after a statement like that, afraid of the outburst that was going to follow. But, to his surprise, Yue was calm when he answered.

"...Clow was a prideful man, with few qualms about voicing the truth whether those around him wanted to hear it or not. When he did keep secrets, it was to protect those he cared about. He did not tell me he would be reincarnated because he knew I would never be able to pledge loyalty to the new master if I knew his magic still existed in this world. Perhaps it was the same way, not telling Kerberos and myself the truth about Baoyi's parents so that we would not consider ourselves secondary caregivers... but…"

"Clow Reed also might have wanted to protect his son from digging into his biological parents' past," Syaoran offered, finally finding the courage to speak up. There was something still bugging him about his family's archives, and he wondered if this somehow fit into it. "My family doesn't have anything information about Warp Neon. It's as if they've purged all references to him in Clow Reed's writings. There are definitely holes in his records during that time period, and while I'd never questioned it before, I'm wondering about it now. Are we afraid to acknowledge Warp Neon's existence because… we not only carry Clow Reed's blood but Warp Neon's too?"

Yue crossed his arms as he replied, staring back at Syaoran with a serious expression. "Clow's uncle, Li Zhixiong was head of the family during Clow's conflict with Warp Neon. He would have been the one responsible for compiling family records during that time, and perhaps for curating Clow Reed's writings too, given that Clow wasn't a very organized man himself. If Master Zhixiong decided it was in his grandson's best interest- the best interest of the next head of the family- to remove Warp Neon from the records, he would have done so without hesitation. However, I cannot say for sure that it was because Baoyi was Chioni's son. He might have simply wanted to erase Warp Neon from history as a form of revenge. It was Warp Neon's doing that drove Master Zhixiong's eldest son from the family, after all."

Stephen was quiet for a moment and then reached out to place his paw against the top of the binder.

"Is… is it wrong for me to believe it? To believe the child Chioni loved so dearly grew up to lead a happy, fulfilling life?"

Syaoran didn't answer. He looked over to Yue, whose face had softened once again to that vaguely affectionate expression.

"It does not matter to me what you believe. Li Baoyi was Clow Reed's son, and that is all I will ever need to know. The one you should be asking is his descendant, Li Syaoran."

That sent Syaoran jumping to attention again. "I-!" He began, feeling his face turning red. "I'm not going to tell Stephen how to feel!"

"That is not the point. The point is to tell Stephen how you feel. Is it disturbing, having someone believe that you share blood with Warp Neon?"

"No."

"Then that is your answer."

Before either of them could say anything else, Yue disappeared behind a wall of white feathers and was soon replaced with Yukito. He looked around in surprise and then smiled at Syaoran and Stephen.

"Oh, is it over already?"

"Yes," Syaoran answered with a nod. "Thanks for your help."

"I didn't do anything," Yukito assured them, waving his hands. "I'm just glad that the other me was able to support your theory. You're an amazing person, Li-kun, no matter who your ancestors were, and I'm glad you realize that."

"Y-you heard all that?!" Syaoran mentally cursed how easy it was for him to blush. His face had turned red far too many times today, and he was getting tired of it. "I mean… th-thanks…"

"Yuki, you back? Come help me with these vegetables, will you?"

Touya's voice called out from the kitchen, and Yukito waved to Syaoran and Stephen. "Is it alright if I go help Touya with dinner? You're welcome to stay and eat with us, Li-kun. There's room for four at the table."

"I'd, uh, feel weird eating with you when Sakura isn't around."

"Nonsense! You're family too. There's no need to go make a meal all by yourself, is there?"

Well, much as he disliked Touya, Syaoran was fond of Yukito and Mr. Kinomoto. Eating alone in his apartment every night was lonely, and it would be nice not to have to worry about cooking for once. Maybe he ought to stay.

"...thanks for the invitation… I'd like that a lot…"

Touya groaned from in the kitchen, but Yukito laughed it off. "Why don't you help us with the prep work, Li-kun?"

"I will!"

Stephen watched with a smile as the two disappeared into the kitchen again. He took the front cover of the binder in his paws and tugged it open, curious about what else was in it. It would be interesting to get inside Clow Reed's head, of course, but that very thought reminded him of something else.

If the Li family had erased their records of Warp Neon to keep from acknowledging that they were descended from him, then it was done completely independent of Clow Reed.

Why, then, did Eriol Hiiragizawa not have any memories of Warp Neon?

"Kero-chan! We're back! Sorry it took so long."

Tomoyo pushed the bedroom door open and Sakura followed, carrying a plate of tiramisu with her. The first thing they noticed was Kero splayed out on the bed, fast asleep, and then-

"Kero-chan! Wake up!"

It was such a heartfelt scream, it frightened him back to reality. He sat up, looking around in surprise as he tried to figure out what was going on.

"Wha-? What's going on? Did somethin' happen…?"

"Just look at our fabric! It's all gone back to the way it was! Didn't you sense something?!"

Kero's eyes darted over to the table, where the fabric and pattern were folded neatly, untouched as though Sakura hadn't been wearing them in the form of an apron almost an hour before. Kero shot into the air, stammering weakly.

"No, no, no-! It can't have! I was only resting my eyes! I would'a sensed if anything came through and affected it! At least, I should've!"

"Unbelievable," Sakura huffed. "We asked you to keep watch, and you fell asleep. Now we have to start over again!"

"I-I'm sorry… I really am…"

Tomoyo patted Kero on the head and took the plate from Sakura. She handed it over to Kero, whose eyes sparkled in gratitude.

"D-do I really deserve to have dessert after I fell asleep on the job…?"

"Sakura-chan and I couldn't eat another bite, and I'd hate for our chef's hard work to go to waste. Just tell us what you saw and sensed, even if it was just something small. Anything helps."

Kero settled down on the table next to the fabric, picking up the spoon and sinking it into the tiramisu. "Basically, I was sittin' on the bed watching the fabric, just like ya told me to," he began, stuffing a bite into his mouth and pausing to chew it before continuing. "I watched for a while and nothin' happened. I started to get bored, and my eyes were tired from starin' at the movie screen all afternoon-"

"Whose fault is that?" Sakura scolded, but Tomoyo waved a hand to cut her off.

"And then what?"

"Well, I decided to rest my eyes for just a little bit. I wasn't planning to sleep, I swear, it just happened! Nothing was goin' on, and I was certain I'd wake up if anything moved, but…" Kero sighed and shook his head, putting the spoon down again. "The next thing I knew, the two'a you were coming back in the room and the fabric looked like that."

"Hm. I see." Tomoyo nodded along. "So whatever did this, it's powerful enough to hide its presence from Kero-chan, at least while he was asleep."

Sakura crossed her arms, leaning back against the bed. "A Warp Card is our best candidate, right?"

"That or a vengeful spirit who hates aprons-"

Sakura didn't let Kero's sentence go any further. "A Warp Card is our best candidate! Since I don't know what it is, I should call Stephen! I'm gonna do that right now!"

Tomoyo's giggling was audible as Sakura shuffled into the hallway, already dialing Stephen's number on her phone. She waited for a few seconds as it rang, and eventually the familiar sound of Stephen's voice picked up. a robotic voice picked up.

"You have reached Stephanos. I am unable to answer the phone at this moment, but please leave a message and I will return your call promptly. Thank you for your time. ...alright, Sakura-sama, I have recorded the message. What should I do no-"

His question was cut off with a metallic beep. Sakura sighed and spoke up.

"Stephen? Please call me back if you can. Something strange is going on here, and I don't know what it is. Tomoyo-chan and I have cut and sewed the basting stitches on our project twice already, but each time we stepped away for a while, all the fabric and thread was returned to the way it was when we started. Does that sound like a Warp Card to you? Please let me know. Thanks."

She hung up with a sigh, slipping the phone back into her pocket. Why did Stephen have to be unavailable now of all times? He usually loved visiting Tomoyo's house and seeing all her high-tech gadgets- what had been so important today that he didn't want to come?

"Heeey! Sakura!"

Kero's voice called out from inside Tomoyo's room, and Sakura slipped back inside, closing the door behind her. "Stephen didn't pick up. I left him a message, but-"

"You may not need him! Tonight's a full moon, remember?"

Sakura looked back and forth between Kero and Tomoyo. "Is it? I didn't realize…"

"I just remembered it," Tomoyo replied, holding up her phone. Sure enough, the calendar listed the moon phase beside the date. "If the woman in your dreams helps you with capturing Warp Cards, she'll probably help you with this one."

The thought of the woman in her dreams brought a smile to her face. "You're right… that's right! She's always known what Warp Card I'm facing! She'll definitely be able to help me!"

Tomoyo set her phone aside and Kero hopped back onto the table, returning to his tiramisu. "So," he began, picking up the spoon again, "there's nothin' to worry about, right? We'll just wait until tomorrow when we know more. When is this project due anyway?"

"Next Friday."

"Hah! Then you've got tons'a time! Just relax and get some shut-eye, and Miss Moon will help you with the rest."

"...Miss Moon…?" Sakura murmured, and Tomoyo giggled.

"Shall we get ready for bed, then?"

"Yeah. That sounds like all we can do for now."

Sakura wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep. Working on the same project over and over had mentally exhausted her, and she'd drifted off almost immediately after she and Tomoyo had climbed into bed. The soft mattress, the warm blankets, the sound of Tomoyo's gentle breathing on one side of her and Kero's snoring on the other… Sakura was lulled easily into sleep and almost didn't realize it when she found herself in the dream once again.

"...Sakura… Sakura…?"

It was the woman's voice, gently calling her as if trying to get her attention without waking her up. She looked over to the woman's face, illuminated from below as if the ground beneath their feet was glowing. Specks of reflected light gleamed from the woman's cheeks, and Sakura drew in a sharp breath as she got a better look.

The woman was crying.

"Wha-? What's wrong-?" Sakura began, and then remembered to switch to English. "What is wrong?"

Without answering, the woman ran to Sakura's side, throwing her arms around her. It was a powerful, almost desperate hug, and Sakura couldn't do anything more than hug back. She allowed the woman to sob onto her shoulder for a few moments, running her fingers through the thick, wavy hair.

"It's okay," she whispered, hoping the woman would understand the tone of voice regardless of the language. "I'm here. Everything will surely be alright."

The woman finally let go, stepping back with a sniffle. Her usual smile, the one that still gave Sakura that floaty feeling, had returned, and she pulled a scroll from the interior of her robe.

"This is what you need, right?" she asked, and Sakura nodded. She understood that much.

The woman retrieved her calligraphy brush and got to work, her slow, elegant brushstrokes fascinating to watch. Yes, the woman was writing something for Sakura to read, but her technique made her seem more like an artist at work on a masterpiece. Eventually, she turned the scroll toward Sakura for her to see.

"...wall….." Sakura began, reading the first character but failing as she reached the second. Its components were oddly simple, so she'd know for sure if she'd seen it before. "...if it's something on the wall, then… then-"

Sakura sat up in bed, not used to waking up from these dreams so suddenly. She hadn't had time to thank the woman for her help, much less try to figure out what was wrong with her.

But she had figured out something.

"...Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo whispered. "Did you figure something out?"

"I did-!"

"Let's talk about it in the mornin'," Kero groaned. "There ain't any progress on your project for it to erase now, right?"

"Not on our apron, but if there's no apron to attack, it might go after other things! Tomoyo-chan has been working so hard on all my costumes, I couldn't stand it if the card undid all her hard work."

Sakura pulled herself from the bed, rushing toward the sewing room. Tomoyo followed, dragging Kero along with her while he complained.

"Tomoyo's good at sewing, right…? Whatever the card unsews, she can just sew again, right-?"

Sakura ignored him. She was too busy with flipping the light switch and looking over the projects that Tomoyo had showed her earlier, examining them for any sign of damage- or, perhaps, the opposite. They didn't look any different from how they'd appeared earlier, but perhaps that was a good thing.

"What kind of card is it?" Tomoyo asked, stepping in beside Sakura.

"It's one that Stephen told me about way at the beginning. I forgot about it because it isn't as dangerous as most of the others, but it can do a lot of damage." Sakura took a piece of fabric and held it up. "There's an ancient Greek story about a queen whose husband is lost at sea. She knows her husband is alive out there somewhere, but the pressure to remarry is so great, she can only keep her suitors at bay by telling them that she'll choose one to marry once she finishes the tapestry she's weaving."

"I've heard this one!" Tomoyo chimed. "Every night, in secret, she sneaks in and un-does all the weaving that she did that day. That way, she's able to continue working on the same tapestry for years until her true love finally comes home."

"Exactly. The Tapestry card was made to secretly get rid of people's hard work and set them back to square one."

Kero hopped over to Sakura's shoulder. "I can see that bein' a powerful weapon in the wrong hands, but how do we catch it? It only strikes when nobody's around."

"Then we'll just have to make sure Nobody is around."

"What d'you-? Ooooh! I get it!" Kero let out a laugh. "Alrighty, then! It's time to catch a card-!"

"Wait!"

Tomoyo broke in before he could finish, and Kero flinched. "What's wrong?"

"I want to film it! Please, Sakura-chan, will you wear one of my costumes? You can choose whichever one you like."

Sakura beamed. "Of course! If I'm wearing something Tomoyo-chan made for me, then capturing the card will be easy!"

It didn't take long for Sakura to change into one of the outfits- a pink, frilly getup that reminded her of the apron they were making- and put Nobody's power into effect. She had turned off the lights in the sewing room, but the moonlight from the overhead windows streamed in and illuminated the furniture around them. It was a long time before anything happened, and Sakura was momentarily worried that the infrared light on Tomoyo's camera was somehow visible even with Nobody's power. But eventually there was a spark of light from the corner of the room, and several pieces of cut, pinned fabric began to float in the air. The pins began to remove themselves one by one, and Sakura rose to her feet, staff at the ready. As soon as Nobody's power dissipated, she could strike.

"Card by evil's hand designed, reveal your power and form confined, reject the hold of evil's blight, and draw your power from my light! SAKURA CARD!"

The very fabric itself seemed to struggle against Sakura's magic, but it eventually calmed and settled back onto the table. The energy that had been possessing it materialized into a card form, and it flew to Sakura's side.

"Tapestry…" she murmured, reaching out to take it. Tomoyo waved and Sakura turned to pose. "We did it! Now we can work on our project without worry-"

As she spoke, The Nobody flew up from its place on the desk, cutting her off as it zipped past her and began hovering around The Tapestry. Kero laughed at the sight.

"Looks like somebody's happy."

"I thought so," Tomoyo murmured. "You see, the hero who defeated the cyclops as 'Nobody' is actually the true love that finally returned to the queen who wove and unwove the tapestry. Though it seems that, in this case, it's the queen who has come home to her king."

Sakura giggled as she watched the two cards dancing around each other. They then approached her, each nuzzling one of her cheeks. "Are you happy to be reunited? I'm happy for you!"

"So now that it's purified, you can use it for good, right?" Kero asked, moving over to examine the cards. "It's like a real-life 'undo' button. Of all the Warp Cards you've caught so far, this might be the most handy!"

"That might be true," Sakura said, holding out her deck of cards so that Nobody and Tapestry could join the rest of them, "but being able to see the results of your hard work is important too."

There was a soft beep as Tomoyo put away her camera. "I agree. I know earlier I said I'd like to spend forever sewing with Sakura-chan, but…" She walked over and took Sakura's hand in hers. "The chance to finish something together and then move on to making new memories… that is more important to me than anything."

Sakura squeezed her hand back.

"Me too."