Namaste!

A/N: I'm sorry! Really! You have no idea how much I hate not posting when I'm supposed to, but I had my internet cut and nearly lost a motherboard in a series of unfortunate events. So I'm sorry for those who were disappointed last week. I'll do my best to avoid this sort of incident in the future. Thanks for your understanding... and your reviews.

Disclaimer: Yep... they still own it.

The plot thickens: Sakura and Syaoran found out that the Change's powers went beyond switching their bodies. It also created a link between their minds. This link left their thoughts exposed to each other and soon Syaoran accidentally showed Sakura all the truth about the spell. From the day he'd found out about it, through all the confusion he'd been through, to the day he found out that the only way to get rid of it without going insane would be to find something that he felt for Sakura that he could be sure wasn't caused by the spell. Sakura was paralyzed from the shock, after all it all seemed unimaginable to her.

I recommend re-reading the excerpt from Clow's diary and the flashback from the past chapter, but you don't have to if you don't feel like it. It's just that they are both very relevant for the next few chapters. And remember the little important thing we talked about? Sakura means Sakura in Syaoran's body. Keep remembering that and you'll have a much better experience with this chapter.

"Character Talking"

Character Thinking

(Me Talking)

All the life on the planet is based on a magical energy called 'Mana'. The Sun and the Moon provide this mana to every corner of the planet. Those who learn to manipulate the mana are called magicians. A long time ago, Clow Reed mastered the use of both Sun and Moon mana and created his masterpiece in the use of these types of magic, the Clow Cards. Half of them used the mana from the sun and half from the Moon. Now, after accidentally setting those cards on the loose, Kinomoto Sakura must help Li Syaoran, a descendant of Clow, and Kerberos, the guardian of the cards, to capture the cards which, not having Clow to provide them with mana anymore, are going on a rampage after the magical energy they need to live.

Card Captor Sakura

Chapter 9: Sakura and Syaoran - Act IV

Part 1: Who are you? Who, who?

To Syaoran's surprise he could only hear the voice coming out of his body's mouth. The one in his head that had paired with it until now was completely gone. None of that mattered however. He had a much bigger concern in mind.

"...do I even know you?" Sakura asked, being that the first thing that came to her mind.

Syaoran felt like screaming. Why does it have to be so sudden?

"No... You never did." He said with sorrow, but preserving a straight expression. "From the day we met not a single word that came out of my mouth..." He was still putting his sneakers on, but faster now. He was in a rush to get away.

Sakura felt her eyes start to burn. If what she had understood was true. Syaoran had never meant to protect her, nor had he ever really cared about her. Once again that shelter, the memory of the Syaoran in her dream, was crumbling down to being just a dream.

The boy, on the other hand, was worried if he was ever going to get back the chance the puppet master had given him to break the spell. At least that's what he was concerned about until taking his eyes off his sneakers and looking at Sakura. Her eyes were watering up and her lips were trembling. If she were still in her own body Syaoran was sure it would have reminded him of when she had asked him to stay in Japan.

Is she going to cry? I don't think I can watch myself crying. He thought as Sakura rubbed her eye with the back of her hand. His hand rather.

Silence set in. Syaoran finally grabbed his jacket, turned around and headed outside the apartment.

Sakura watched him push the elevator button with tears still forming in her eyes. It took a long uncomfortable moment for the elevator to climb all the way to the apartment. When a ringing sound announced its arrival Sakura finally gathered the courage to speak up.

"I don't believe you!" She shouted, frowning.

That shocked Syaoran. He had never seen Sakura shouting like that, with so much feeling. He had to stop and listen, though he didn't look at Sakura in the eye, and that annoyed her more now than it ever had before.

"You said you've never shown the real you, but that's a lie!" Sakura stated. "I understand perfectly now."

Syaoran snorted. "I don't think you do. Whenever I was around you, that guy was pulling his strings and making me do whatever he wanted me to." He said, losing his composure and letting emotion take over. "I could feel him doing it every time; I just didn't know it was him back then."

Sakura shook her head hardly. "No. He wasn't there all the time. I know." She said. "I always knew that there was something wrong with your aura, but whenever I asked Kero-chan, he'd avoid the subject. Now I know why your mana was so cold most of the time."

Syaoran nodded. "See? I'm telling you."

"But that's exactly the point." Sakura said. "There were times when I could feel your real aura. I could see the real you beneath the shell."

Syaoran's attention was caught. He turned slowly to face Sakura. "You..."

Sakura smiled, she had eye contact with him now and that made her feel much more secure. "Ever since you saved me from the Shot, I thought you were different, now I know why. The one who saved me back there was the real you." She said, feeling Syaoran's heart warming up along with hers. "That's the aura I've felt whenever I thought that we were becoming better friends." Her eyes looked up to Syaoran and, for a moment, Syaoran was sure that he was seeing Sakura and not himself standing in front of him. He could hear her voice in his head again as she talked. "That's the you that protected me in my dream. If I've seen that side of you before then it can't have been all a lie. Somewhere inside, the real you has been struggling with this spell all along. That's why I do know you, and If I knew of this spell sooner I'm sure that I'd be doing my best to help you get rid of it... the real you."

Syaoran stared at Sakura's eyes with disbelief. All she had said was new to him. She had faced the spell so firmly and had managed to cope with it so quickly that it made him feel stupid in wanting to run away from it before. After all, even though his feelings were being manipulated, he could still look at that situation and notice it was wrong. From the beginning he knew his behavior towards Sakura was strange and he tried to understand it. Something inside him would always fight back this kind of thing even if the spell directly told him not to.

He felt himself filled with energy.

"Kinomoto-san..." He started, trying not to get overexcited. "I... I really wish I could agree with you completely on that, and maybe I should, but I'll never be able to ask you to trust me, or even trust myself, until I'm free of this spell. For now all I can assure you is that I'm trying to get rid of it."

Sakura's smile fell. "Li-kun..."

"We should split up and look for the card." Syaoran said looking away from Sakura again. Sakura immediately felt the effects of loosing eye contact with him. He seemed distant again, but she could still hear his voice in her mind when he spoke. "It'll be easier since we can connect our thoughts." He entered the elevator. "Come on, close that door and get in. It's cold outside, so you can grab one of those jackets by the door."

"What about Kero-chan?" Sakura asked, looking at the dizzy beast lying on the couch. "You go ahead, I'll stay with him and we'll follow you when he wakes up."

Syaoran nodded. "Ok." He entered the elevator and the doors closed behind him when he pressed the button. The curious thing was that he didn't feel like he and Sakura had split up. It was as if they were still right beside each other. He could even see Sakura's surroundings, though very vaguely.

Sakura went back inside and sat beside Kero. She started thinking about all that had just happened. Of course, she couldn't even try to hide it from Syaoran, and once again they started thinking in harmony. That strange method of thinking proved itself to be far more effective than any conversation. Instead of long sentences, their thoughts traveled in intentions or ideas, allowing a quick and precise communication. A wordless dialog between them ensued.

Sakura was wondering how exactly it felt to see someone through eyes that weren't yours. Not in the way she was seeing through Syaoran's eyes right now, but in a more metaphorical sense, like the way Syaoran was seeing things through the puppet master's eyes. Syaoran wouldn't have found any words to explain it, but through his thoughts Sakura could understand just how confused he'd been. He remembered some of the strangest moments in the past month, unintentionally. Sakura easily grasped how Syaoran had been dealing with that and why he'd behaved so coldly in the past.

Next, Syaoran thought how it displeased him to have his thoughts so vulnerable to Sakura. He wanted to tell her about the spell in a subtle way, but the Change was turning him into an open book. He wasn't the kind to show his emotional side to anyone. Now, he had no choice but to take Sakura's mind in his and let her search him for any personal feeling he could have. It wasn't Sakura's fault; after all, she did it as involuntarily as him.

Sakura, despite being more outgoing, agreed with Syaoran on that. They weren't allowed to have any private thoughts. Not even one. That takes the individuality out of anybody. Though she had noticed that as long as they remained in that flowing mix of thoughts it was easier to regulate her mind not to think of anything she would regret latter. It was as if one was holding the other's mind in a calm, controlled place.

Syaoran agreed with that, and even thought that such experience was probably unique. Something transcedental. He thought. Sakura agreed, though she noted that it was as scary as it was mysterious, and Clow had to be very powerful to make something like this.

By that time, the elevator doors had opened and part of Syaoran's mind was occupied with walking and looking for any trace of the card, which severely cut their mind connection.

Sakura wondered if maybe they weren't a hundred percent connected after all, remembered how distant Syaoran had felt a minute ago. The fact that Syaoran's thoughts on that possibility never came confirmed her theory.

Kero opened his eyes and looked around him, adjusting his pupils to the light and putting them in focus. "Huh? Brat?" He asked, looking at Sakura.

Sakura woke up from her small trance. "Kero-chan, it's me. Have you forgotten?"

Kero slapped his forehead. "Oh yeah. The Change." He said. "Where's the brat?"

"He's out looking for the card; but guess what? I think I've figured out a way to stop reading Li-kun's mind." She said excitedly. "We just have to focus on our senses instead of our thoughts."

Kero smirked. "Good." He said. "Now about the brat, he's not going to find the card by himself you know?"

Sakura's smile disappeared, giving place to curiosity. "Why not?"

"The Change is hiding somewhere, waiting patiently for the moment it decides to change you back. It's not shaped like a chameleon for just any reason." Kero said. "It wouldn't have wasted mana with his magic on you if it didn't have a reason."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Hoe! You mean it actually chose me and Li-kun for something?"

Kero nodded, frowning to pretend he was thinking hard. "It's not the kind of card that likes to do pranks. It probably sensed some sort of conflict between you two that needed resolution." He said with a deep voice.

Sakura blinked twice. "Conflict?"

Kero nodded again. He made a long dramatic pause. "Sakura, there's something I have to tell you." He said in a deep voice, which he judged as extremely cool. "There's something about the brat that you don't know." He declared dramatically

"The spell that controls his thoughts?" Sakura asked blatantly.

Kero face faulted. "How did you..."

Sakura giggled. "Our minds are connected, remember? He just happened to think about it." She paused, looking a little less happy. "He couldn't really help it I guess."

"That means you're not shocked or anything?" Kero asked.

Sakura shook her head. "I was surprised at first, but when I stopped to think about it, it explained a lot of weird things that happened. Like Li-kun's two auras for instance." She said. "Now I know that the aura from my dream was the real one. I'm pretty happy with that actually."

Kero was as surprised as he expected Sakura to be. "But... that means you don't have any problems with everything that it implies?" He insisted. "That magic used on him was forbidden back when Clow was alive because it would usually cause serious problems to the psyche of those involved."

Sakura shook her head again. "It's not that complicated if you stop to think about it." She said. "Li-kun is still Li-kun. I've been thinking that a part of him was him, but it was a fake. But I've also known the true side of him. It's easy to tell the difference."

Kero laughed to himself. "You're really full of surprises, Sakura." He said. "But anyway, as I was saying, the card will only change you back when it thinks you two have gotten over your conflict. It will discreetly watch you until then."

"Hoe? You mean it could be watching me right now?" Sakura asked, looking around herself.

Kero nodded. "Yes, and you'll never be able to find it."

Sakura fell on her knees. "I feel so impotent."

Kero sighed. "I know. That's why I wanted to tell you and the brat that the best way to find it was to let it show itself, by solving your conflict that is."

"But that's the problem. I don't have any conflict now that I understand Li-kun's problem." Sakura protested.

"Or so you think. Our conflicts are mostly stored in the back of our head, Sakura. In places we don't even have access to sometimes." Kero stated. "Can you really say that you aren't a bit bothered by the fact that the brat is not really who you thought he was? Can you really say that you don't wish he hadn't hidden it from you?"

"But..."

"I'm just saying that the card will only show when you really are free of any problems."

"You mean we have to get rid of the spell first?" Sakura asked.

"Exactly."

"Alright!" Sakura exclaimed with determination. "I'll find a way to help Li-kun!"

Upon completing her sentence Sakura felt a wave of dizziness run through her head. She lost her balance and fell on the floor.

"Sakura!" Kero yelled, flying to the girl's side. "Are you ok?" He called. There was no response. Upon closer inspection he noticed that the girl was unconscious "What the... Sakura!"

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A/N: Yes, I know it's short, and yes, I know that I used that cliffhanger before. The curious thing is that it wasn't really meant to be a cliffhanger over here since all the parts of 'Sakura and Syaoran Act IV' were originally conceived as one big chapter. And I'm not just about to change my story, so get over it and accept thatsomething happened to Sakura and I have a good reason for killing her... I mean... uh... hehe...

Bye!