Hey almost done! I probably lied with the chapters too. I can't count eh, so what else is new? There will probably be fewer chapters than what I have said but I could be wrong again. It all depends on how many chapters I want to type.-BeautyandYue
"I don't know if we'll ever have a smooth walk home Ruby." Eli said as he came into the living room after checking Sakura over for no ill effects.
"So why did Sakura come after us?" Lee asked as Eli sat down with a sigh while accepting a cup of tea from Ruby.
Eli took a sip and settled more comfortably into the couch before speaking. "I have come to the conclusion that Sakura, somehow had a power locked up inside of her. When there was the black out Kazak switched Sakura out and put Aurora in her place. He must have provoked her enough, the magic broke out in a most violent way, at Sakura's anger at being captured, know doubt."
"But that still doesn't explain why Sakura rounded on us like she did with Yue, Ruby, and I." Lee said.
"Ah, the real reason is this," Eli put a finger up, going into Clow Reed mode, as Madison like to put it. "She was furious that Kazak and Aurora had gotten away and with the magic still in control, Sakura took out her anger on us, unfortunately."
"Will she have as hard of time changing the cards again as she did last time?" Meilin asked from where she sat on Tori's lap in a chair.
"No I don't believe so. When she's up and about I'm going to check out the soundness of her magic and see what happens. Until then, no I don't think she'll have a problem." Eli said as Meilin hid a yawn behind a hand.
Tori yawned hugely. "I don't know about you but these matters can be discussed just as well in the morning when Sakura and you all are more awake." He said lifting Meilin off his lap. "I'll find blankets and pillows for everybody but you'll have to bed down here though."
"No problem, it will be just like one big sleepover." Meilin said. When Eli looked at her like she was crazy, Meilin added, "But we'll be getting sleep in this one."
Ruby looked around the room for Yue. The moon angel had been moody and unresponsive ever since the group had come back from the confrontation with Aurora and Kazak and even Sakura. Ruby slipped out of the living room, out the front door, to walk a little ways in front of the house so she could see the roof. 'Ah ha.' She thought flying upward. There back facing her, was Yue, staring gloomily at the full moon that just kissed the tops of the trees.
Yue turned his head to look to his right as Ruby alighted on the roof. Her footsteps quiet as she walked toward him. A ray of moonlight caught Ruby Moon, lighting up her rich, deep, red hair and pleasing figure. With a small sigh Yue turned his head back to look at the cold, unfeeling moon in the night sky. 'She looks like the autumn moon in human flesh.' He reflected as Ruby sat down beside him.
"What's wrong?" Ruby asked, breaking the silence.
"Nothing." Yue answered, face impassive as he looked straight ahead.
"Are you only going to answer me in one syllable answers?" Ruby said, craning to look at his face better in the dark.
"Maybe." Yue figured if he did this long enough that she would get frustrated with him and go away. But tonight was not the case.
Ruby let out an exasperated breath and went out on a limb. A very shaky one at that; Ruby leaned her head against Yue's shoulder. He stiffened at the unfamiliar and forward gesture. Yue scowled down at the head of the most infuriating yet unique in a attractive sort of way, woman he'd ever met, as she stared at the moon he had been looking at only moments before. "You're bothered by what Sakura said to you earlier, isn't it?" Ruby said looking up at him with understanding eyes. Yue's face closed up the minute she said that. "She didn't mean it you know. Sakura was just under the influence of her magic. My thoughts were that she was captured on purpose, so her magic would break out like that. But that's just my theory." Ruby stated.
"But I can't. The inflection in her voice when she rebuffed my wanting to help that was the first time Sakura had used her power to check me." Yue didn't know why he was pouring out his heart to this silly and sometimes non-sensible creature, who daringly rested up against his shoulder.
"Maybe it's because she or Clow really have never said no to you before." Ruby mused out loud.
"That's not it at all!" Yue exclaimed, jumping up, composure shattered. Ruby drew back startled. "I'm sorry. It's just that I was getting to the point where I could call her by her name. Tonight when she sneered down on me like I was her dog or something, completely destroyed what I was trying to work up the courage to do." Yue's wings ruffled in the slight night air breeze. "Her treatment of you was unacceptable, she told you something I didn't want you knowing." He said so softly that Ruby almost missed it, as he turned away from her arms crossed.
"Whatever Sakura said tonight, to us didn't mean a thing. She didn't even know what she was talking about, right?" Ruby flapped her hand at the foolishness of it all but when Yue did answer her to reaffirm her comment, she repeated, "Right?"
Yue sighed and turned back toward her. "She wasn't when she was talking to you. I am breaking up. Julian and I can not work or live in the same body anymore. No," He corrected himself with almost a trace of bitterness, "Our minds can't"
Ruby had stood up when Yue had made his confession. "What?" was her only reply to the melancholy guardian.
"We don't have long. Sakura strengthen the barrier between our minds but already it weakens as we speak. Soon we will have to make a choice. Let our minds become one or lead our own separate lives." Yue said, a hand unconsciously reaching up to touch his temple, as he looked over the quiet town.
Ruby unexpectedly threw her arms around Yue's slim middle, burying her face into his broad chest. Yue's arms came out in surprise, as this was a new experience for him. He didn't know what to do. Ruby mumbled something into his robes. "I'm sorry Ruby, but what did you say?"
Ruby tilted her head so Yue could see her ruby red eyes glittering at him furiously. "I said, 'you can't disappear! We won't let you!'" with that she promptly burst into tears and buried her head again in the fabric of his clothes. Yue's astonished expression at her outburst changed to wonderment to pleasure as he brought his arms to gather Ruby's shaking frame to him. Yue put his cheek, eyes thoughtful, on top of Ruby's head; stroking her hair tenderly.
"Kazak, what went wrong?" Aurora screeched at her brother.
"Nothing went wrong, sister dear." Kazak replied calmly from his black throne, polishing his sword thoughtfully, not looking up at his agitated, pacing sister. "Everything went according to plan."
"According to plan? According- are you out of your mind? I was pinned to a wall for god's sake! That was not in the plan or fun, let me tell you." Aurora spat at him.
"Yes, it did. Sakura was to come into a new power. I had foreseen it. I didn't realize she would react so smashingly violent to the situation I put her in. But," Kazak shrugged "it served my purpose. No thanks to you."
Aurora put her hands on her hips, jade eyes flashed dangerously as she asked mockingly, "And what purpose was that? Hmm? Mind sharing your thoughts oh great ones?"
Kazak finally looked up from his task. "Sakura was throwing off enough energy to light all of Europe, so I took some when she changed the staff, it only threw her off a little."
Aurora shook her head, red hair flashing in the candlelight of the throne room. "I don't understand. What's so important about Sakura's power?"
"Because Sakura, as of right now, holds the power of the universe in the palm of her hands!" Kazak roared throwing down the cleaning rag, tired of Aurora not getting it.
Aurora visibly flinched. "So we need her power for our plan?" she asked hopefully trying to get it.
"Exactly. You were just bait." Kazak admired himself in the blades mirror like surface.
"Just bait?!" Aurora shrieked, purple fire, edged in black grew at her fingertips.
"Yes, because you are good for nothing else! You cant' fight decent, nor can you keep from having that damned conscious of yours from interfering! Now go before I really lose my temper, you near-sighted twit!" Kazak bellowed advancing down the throne stairs, sword blazing with black, purple edged fire. Aurora flashed out of the room in a purple streak, too frightened of her brother to speak. Kazak sat down again looking at his reflection. "She has the audacity to question the plan? What a moron. She really is." Kazak told his reflection that grinned evilly back at him.
To Be Continued…