ATTENTION ALL READERS!

I, Miss Takin, am going to be rewriting this story in the future. It won't be deleted, but all of this chapters, up to and possibly including this one, will be replaced. The reason for this is because I like the plot of this story, I really do, but the characterization, writing style and pacing (especially the pacing) all need serious revision. If you're a purist, and you really like the story as it is, give me a shout and I'll e-mail you the whole damn thing. I want to rewrite it so that future readers who find the story through some wierd chain of events (C2, my profile, whatever), will just...like it better. I feel like I've made leaps and bounds of improvement since I started this story, and I want to be proud of it, because I like the concepts.

So again, if you want to have the story up until now as it is, you can just ask me. I don't bite, honest.

Thank you for reading. Onto the story.

Sakura and Tomoyo had walked across this street hundreds of times on their way to Sakura's house. Today was no different. They were on their way to the Card Mistress' house for dinner and so that Tomoyo could finally measure Sakura for a new costume that she was to make.

"Ow!" Sakura exclaimed, stopping mid-step.

"What is it, Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo inquired.

"Sakura looked down at her leg. "A rock just hit my foot.

The two girls peered around in suspicion. "Could someone have thrown it?" Tomoyo said. She bent down to pick up the offending pebble, but it moved away from her hand and she let out a gasp.

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

"The pebble moved," Tomoyo replied.

"It moved?" Sakura repeated. She bent down to stare at it. It moved again, this time rolling a good half-metre before stopping. The two best friends looked at each other.

"I'm going to follow it," Sakura said. Tomoyo nodded – quickly taking out her camera – and they looked at the rock again. It began moving and didn't stop until it had rolled down the road and onto the doorstep of an empty looking house. Sakura held up her hand to knock, but before she had the chance, a pair of hands grabbed them both and they found themselves in a very unexpected, very tight hug; one that could only be administered by one individual.

"Akizuki-san…?" Tomoyo asked, struggling for breath and attempting to catch anything on camera.

"I'm so glad you two are here!" Nakuru squealed, keeping her voice strangely low. She finally let the two girls down and they stepped back to look at her. She hardly looked any different for how they remembered her, except perhaps for the trendy clothes instead of a school uniform.

"Akizuki-san, where—" Sakura started.

"Call me Nakuru!" Nakuru exclaimed, her voice still low.

"Nakuru-san… where is Eriol-san?" Sakura asked.

Nakuru brightened even more at Eriol's name. "Oh, he's in the library! I'll go get him, he'll be so glad to–"

"I'm here," a voice from behind Nakuru said. She moved aside to reveal a dashing young man. As a twelve-year-old, he had appeared mature for his age, but now it was obvious how much of Clow Reed there was in Eriol's appearance now.

A look of extreme relief had seemed to overcome his otherwise devious features, and he stepped forward to take Sakura into a wordless hug. Sakura was rather stunned by the gesture, but she smiled and hugged him in return.

"It's good to see you two," he said as he pulled away.

"Eriol-san, what is going on here?" Sakura asked.

Eriol's smirk fell into place. "Now's not the time for questions like that. Come into the kitchen and I'll make some tea. Then we can talk."

"… And now the annoying little brat is staying at our house half of the time," Touya finished angrily. "That kid gives me the creeps."

"Well, to be fair, you don't even really live here. You're only staying here because you're worried about your sister," Yukito said, smiling up at Touya. The older man gave a "hmph."

"Oh Touya-kun, it's for his safety. Aren't you just a little worried about what could happen if the opponent got a hold of Clow Reed-sama's power?"

Touya shrugged and went back to his cooking.

"So what are you making exactly?" he asked.

"Nothing all that special. Tomoyo-chan said it's her favourite and she's coming over tonight with Sakura and Hiiragizawa-kun," Touya explained.

"Ah. Sakura-chan is certainly very lucky to have friends like Tomoyo-chan, isn't she?"

"Mhmm…"

Yukito pouted a little. Touya had been ignoring him like this inadvertently a lot lately. "I think I'm going to go home."

"You don't want dinner?" Touya said, astonished. "At least stay for dinner."

"No thanks. Michiro-san called me earlier and I plan on calling her back, so I'll get going."

Touya watched wordlessly as Yukito gathered up his things and headed out the door. Suddenly the food didn't matter much anymore, but he went back to it in bewilderment, unsure of what had just happened between he and his best friend.

"Onii-san! We're home!"

Touya heard a shuffling in the entranceway as Sakura came in, passing by Yukito.

"Is 'Tou-san home yet?" Sakura asked.

"No, he'll be home a little later. He has a meeting," Touya replied.

"That smells good," Tomoyo said, walking over to stand beside him. Touya nodded as he watched Eriol and his guardians poured into the house, wincing at the sight of Nakuru.

"Thanks," he said absent-mindedly. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Eriol stumble a little. Strange, the little English know-it-all always seemed to keep his utmost composure, no matter what.

"Is there something wrong?" Nakuru asked quietly.

Eriol smiled down at her. "No, I'm fine," he said, but the moment it came out of his mouth, he was fainting, and the kitchen was in a flurry.

"Get him onto the couch!"

"Someone should call the hospital!"

"He seemed fine before!"

Touya carried him over to the couch and laid him down as the girls went on worrying.

"He's getting cold…" Nakuru said in a shaky voice, a hand on his cheek.

"Check his pulse," Tomoyo volunteered anxiously.

The phone rang and Touya swore under his breath. "Who the hell is that?" He answered angrily; "Hello?"

"Kinomoto-san?"

"Yes."

"I've called to let you know that your father is being brought to the hospital…"

"What?" Touya snapped.

"He had a fainting spell and we're sure he's going to be alright, but we thought you should know."

"I'll be right there."

Touya hung up and reached for his jacket. "I'm going out," he told the rest.

"It's Otou-san, isn't it?" Sakura said.

Touya didn't say anything.

"It's Clow Reed-sama's aura, not Eriol-kun's that has left his body," Sakura explained. "Clow Reed-sama must have pressing business if he needs to leave without his bodies."

Touya opened the door. "I've got to go," he said. And then he was gone.

"Clow Reed-sama's aura is gone?" Nakuru asked, panicking.

Sakura nodded. "Eriol-kun is surviving on the pieces of his soul that are his own, but that won't sustain him for long."

"This happened in England, right before we left to come here. He didn't tell me what actually happened," Nakuru told them.

Tomoyo looked up at Sakura curiously. "Sakura-chan, has this happened to your father before?"

"He never told me," Sakura replied.

The three looked down at Eriol. His skin was sickly pale and his breath had slowed to almost nothing.

Tomoyo frowned. "I just hope he'll be okay."

"Aiko-san."

"So, you've finally come," the young girl said maliciously.

"Only because you asked so politely."

Clow Reed's spirit floated before her, as grand as ever, smiling in an odd condescending manner.

Aiko smirked at his sarcasm.

"I have a proposal for you."

"Oh?"

"Join me," Aiko said. "Lend me your strength."

"And what do I get in return? A loss of freedom? The defeat of my successor? Not to mention, my reincarnations die and when you're done with me I'll have no where to go."

"If you join me, I won't ever be done with you. I have a long journey ahead of me, and you could use your power once again, through me."

Clow Reed stared down at her through amused eyes. "Don't for one moment think that I take pity on you for having a slightly haunted past."

"I don't want pity!" Aiko shouted, suddenly enraged. "I want power! I want to show them that I have something to be admired!"

"Ah, them," Clow said knowingly. "Your parents? They're dead, Aiko-san. You killed them. They burned with the rest of the village."

"I know that!" Aiko snapped. "I don't care about them, I want to show everyone what I can do."

"Everyone didn't have a daughter who didn't live up to their expectations. Everyone didn't have amazing magical abilities only to produce an heir with nothing but a sixth sense."

"Shut up!" Aiko screamed.

Clow Reed remained contently silent.

Aiko glared at him. "I don't need you. I'll defeat the Senshi and your Card Mistress without you. The only thing left is to set a date for their destruction."

Clow Reed nodded. "Then I will leave. But before I go…"

"What do you want?" Aiko snapped.

"Release Nadeshiko-san, would you? You no longer have a need for her."

Aiko sneered. "Fine. Now leave me alone."

Clow Reed faded away slowly, leaving Aiko standing there miserably. She took out the key to Mamoru's prison and looked over it fondly.

"I will win, you'll see."

Touya felt his eyelids drop once again as he sat in the armchair by his father's hospital bed.

"Nade…"

He snapped his eyes open, hearing his father's voice.

"Nadeshiko…"

He saw his mother leaning over his father lovingly, as his father reached up to her.

"O-okaa-san…"

She smiled. "I'm proud of you Touya-kun," she said. "Take care of your sister for me."

She leaned over to give her husband a kiss on his forehead and then she was gone.

Touya got up and his father looked at him.

"How long have I been here?"

"Almost an hour," Touya replied.

Fujitaka nodded. "I guess we should get home then. Sakura-chan must be worried."

"I'll go get the nurse."

I like the ending, so I didn't add more to this chapter. That's how it'll be in the rewrite: chapters will end because they have ended and not according to word count. Sorry Sailor Moon fans.

Word Count: 1,557