Author's Note: It's been a long week. A very long week. With a midterm and everything. Anyway, I give you the aftermath of the Hong Kong Trip and the following interactions with Eriol & Company. I feel the need to clarify a few things upon a reread of Chapter 13.
Firstly, the memory that Yue unlocked was triggered by memories of his past interaction with Su Yung and is in fact the true cannon explanation of what happened to Yuko Ichihara in the xxxHolic manga.
Secondly, The Libra Card is only in the Cardcaptor Sakura anime. According to wikipedia, this card " is able to determine whether a person is lying or not, though its use is never demonstrated in the anime." Su Yung would have been aware of its ability due to Clow Reed confiding in her about each of his cards.
I sincerely hope that makes the Hong Kong storyline make a bit more sense.
Gemini24: Thanks again for reviewing. I may or may not be giving several pairings some fanservice, whether or not they actually end up being cannon in this 'verse remains to be seen. ;) Yuko is actually still alive. Clow Reed said he wished that she could "open her eyes one last time" and she did. Ironically, what actually happened was Clow Reed stopped her from dying in her last moment of life. So, she's eternally stuck in that moment, alive, until someone gets her time moving once again. For further info see Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle or xxxHolic in the later chapters...or just check out wikipedia. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. I hope my explanation of the Libra Card's abilities clarified everything for you and the other readers. :)
Here's Chapter 14. Enjoy!
"Are you sure?" Touya asked seriously. "You had more memories of Clow hidden away? I know it's happened before, but I can't believe someone like him just gave up completely."
"It was because of the witch" Yue insisted. "He felt he'd wronged her by accidentally trapping her between life and death."
"It makes sense" Kero put in. "I don't remember it, but I'm sure I will sooner or later, now that you've said something. Clow had a twisted personality sometimes and he made enemies. Yuko was one of the only true friends he had. That situation might explain why he left this world."
"What do you mean?" Touya asked curiously.
"Doing what he did might have messed with the balance in some alternate universe and when he found out, he probably felt responsible" Kero explained. "So he went to either mend it or fill the gap that was left behind."
"Keroberos is correct" Yue replied. "That is something Clow would have done. I doubt he had very much control over his emotions at that point. It might explain why he sealed us away so quickly afterwards and arranged for Sakura to find us. He could have given his own life to restore the balance or died in the attempt to mend a plausible dimensional rift."
"Then the person who currently lives in the manor in Tomoeda is definitely only a reincarnation of his past self" Touya surmised.
"Undoubtedly" Yue answered. "We're dealing with someone new."
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"I hope you have a safe trip Sakura" Syaoran said as they said goodbye at the airport. "This is for you."
Then he handed her a small pink flower barrette similar to the one she'd been staring at in the market place.
"No, I couldn't."
"I saw you looking at it. Think of it as a souvenir and don't worry about it" Syaoran insisted.
"Hey Sakura, hurry up!" Touya yelled as he and Yukito grabbed their bags and headed go into line to board the plane. Tomoyo followed close behind with her small carryon.
"Go on. I'll see you at school." Syaoran said blushing slightly.
"O-okay" Sakura said as she felt her face heat up as well. "I'll see you later." Then she noticed Syaoran's cousin standing off to the side, knowing she must have returned from saying farewell to Tomoyo, and waved to her. "Goodbye Meiling. I hope to see you again some time!"
"You too Sakura. It's been fun!" came her answer as Meiling proceeded to drag Syaoran toward the exit.
Sakura watched them go before hurrying to catch up with her brother, Yukito, and Tomoyo.
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The return trip to Japan was uneventful and when the school break was over Touya resumed working his part time jobs. Sakura also began attending extra tutoring sessions in order to prepare her for middle school. She had managed to finish her makeup work before the start of the winter break, however Fujitaka feared her exam scores would suffer if she was not brought up to speed.
"Hoeeeeee!" Sakura said as she hurried out of bed, put on her school uniform, and rushed downstairs.
"You're on time for once monster" Touya said as he flipped the eggs he was cooking on the stove. "Don't tell me you're up early because of the festival."
"Yeah, I want to be ready for tonight" Sakura said excitedly. "I've got my yukata ready and everything."
"I'm sure you'll be as scary as always monster" Touya said smirking.
"Grrr" Sakura said balling up one of her fists. Then she smiled thoughtfully. "I'm sure you can't wait to see how Yukito looks in his festival clothes."
"hep...wha?" Touya said in a startled voice as a light blush dusted his face. "That's none of your business."
"Have you found anymore Clow Cards yet?" Sakura asked after she'd stopped laughing.
"Not yet, but they're close. I can feel some of them." Touya answered pouring the eggs onto two plate, before setting them on the table and taking a seat near Sakura. "The plushie keeps complaining about being stuck in his current form. So he's been searching for them while we're at school. Yukito thinks there's one by the pond."
"We could go there during the festival and check it out" Sakura suggested.
"We'll see. I'd rather not use Sleep or Erase if I don't have to."
"Then we'll just be extra careful." Sakura insisted as she took a bite of her eggs.
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"Nii-san I want to play that one!" Sakura said pointing emphatically toward the booth containing a shooting game.
Syaoran was eyeing it as well.
Touya rolled his eyes and handed his sister some yen.
"They seem to be having fun" Yukito said brightly.
"That's what annoys me" Touya retorted. "That brat's getting too close to her."
"Touya, you told me a few months ago that you knew he and Sakura were going to become friends" Yukito said with a sigh. "She seems happy right now. Do you really want to make her sad by pushing him away?"
"Fine, but that doesn't mean I have to like it the brat" Touya grumbled. "He still needs to learn when to mind his own business."
"Why don't we take a walk around the pond, Touya" Yukito suggested smiling mischievously. "Spend some time alone while the kids are having fun."
"That's not a bad idea" the Cardmaster replied, grinning.
They stayed there for a while on the quieter side of the pond, enjoying each other's company, and watched as the fireflies spark mixed with the glow of the festival lanterns.
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"Finally!" Kero said as he transformed into a giant cat-like creature with wings the size of Yue's. "My seal's broken!"
"Apparently it was the Earthy Card" Yukito commented. "He certainly seems happy."
"He would" Touya muttered as he added the Earthy card to the deck. "At least he'll stop complaining now."
"Wow, I never expected him to be so big" Sakura exclaimed.
"So, do I look fearsome or what?" Kero asked.
"Not even close" Touya told the guardian as he shook his head. "You look like an oversized cat with wings."
"You just can't appreciate how awesome I look" Kero retorted.
"Let's not fight" Yukito said coming to stand between them. "We just defeated another card after all."
"There's only four more to go, we'll have to confront Clow after that" Touya said looking down the card in his hand. "I hope a Clow Card isn't the reason for those strange happenings around town."
"I've heard about that. Things keep disappearing." Yukito put in. "Do you think Clow's reincarnation knows about it? Yue seems to think it isn't an ability that any of the Clow Cards have."
"I don't know of any that can make whole buildings disappear either" Kero commented.
"Maybe we could ask the witch about it?" Sakura suggested.
"No!" Touya and Yukito said in unison.
"Ah-okay." Sakura said, clearly surprised by their reaction. "She seemed nice when she came to our house that time."
"Well she isn't" Touya said. "We can't afford to give up anything if we're going to track down the last of the Clow Cards and confront Clow Reed's reincarnation. Don't forget that Kaho and Ruby Moon are with him."
"It will be safer, Sakura" Yukito explained. "We don't want her asking for something that it might hurt someone to be without."
"Like that picture of Mom we keep on that table in the front hall" Touya put in. "I don't like the idea of her having anything that important. We'll stick to what we know and try to work it out for ourselves."
"I'll ask Ioryogi if he's noticed anything" Kero said. "I'm supposed to hang out with him next week to play a new video game."
"You two seem to get along well" Yukito put in. "I was surprised to hear that there were other magical beings in Tomoeda."
"Clow Reed wasn't the only sorcerer out there" Kero told him. "Only the strongest. Ioryogi is the sealed in that form for a different reason though. He won't tell me why, but I think it has something to do with Kobato. He always seems really worried about her."
"I can sense another person inside of her" Touya said quietly. "It's like another soul is sharing her body."
"Is it similar to the situation with Yue and I?" Yukito asked curiously.
The Cardmaster shook his head.
"No. Kobato and this other soul are two different people entirely, while you and Yue are two halves of the same soul" Touya explained.
Then a loud swishing noise rang out and everyone turned to listen just in time to see a stone wall a few yards away disappear right before their eyes.
"This is getting creepy" Tomoyo said folding her arms against her chest.
"I completely agree" Touya said twirling his staff between his fingers. "There has to be-"
"Touya look!" Yukito exclaimed pointing to Touya's left pocket.
Three Clow Cards swiftly rushed out it and sped off in a southerly direction.
"What does this mean?" Sakura asked nervously.
"It means we have another thing to worry about" Kero said. "I sensed a tremendous amount of negative magical energy just now."
"Yue seems to think it has something to do with the cards themselves" Yukito added. "I think we should ask whoever is living in that manor if they know anything about it. We won't be able to find the missing cards otherwise."
"I guess we'll have to" Touya agreed reluctantly. "We just need to find the other cards first. I have a feeling we'll be needing them later."
"This person who lives in the manor you mentioned, does he have blue hair and glasses?" Sakura asked. "There's this boy at school who was asking about you today Nii-san."
"I mentioned Eriol before" Tomoyo said. "It was him that asked us to pass on a message."
"So he is the one" Touya said. It wasn't a question.
"We're pretty sure" Tomoyo confirmed.
"Eriol said he wanted to meet with you and gave us this phone number" Sakura said taking a small slip of paper out of her bag. "I forgot all about it when the Clow Card appeared."
"I'll call him later just to see what this about" Touya said picking his backpack up off the ground and hefting it onto his back. "Just be careful around him."
"We will Nii-san" Sakura replied.
After that they all went back to the Kinomoto's house, hoping that it wouldn't disappear too. Yukito ended up spending the night on Touya's insistence rather than going back to any empty house.
"I don't want you to disappear in the night if your house goes missing" Touya explained. "I care too much about you to ever let that happen."
Yukito smiled up at him before kissing him on the cheek and going to sleep. Touya followed suit after finding a comfortable position and wrapping his arms around Yukito, who shifted his head onto his companion's shoulder.
"Thank you To-ya. I don't want you to disappear either." The grey haired teen whispered softly into the other's ear.
Touya blushed slightly before closing his eyes and drifting off to the sound of Yukito's shallow breathing against his neck.
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"Can I go to the bazaar too Sakura?" Kero asked as he watched her get ready for school.
"As long as Nii-san says it's okay" Sakura told him. "He'll get mad if he finds out I took you somewhere without asking."
Kero flew down to the kitchen at breakneck speed.
"Touya! Can I got to Sakura's school fair? Can I? Can I? Please?!" the cat guardian said excitedly bouncing around the kitchen.
"Dammit, keep your voice down. Dad's in the other room." Touya said as he dodged Kero's attempts to get in his face.
"He looks so much like a stuffed toy, I doubt it would be too much of a problem" Fujitaka said from the doorway.
"Dad!" Touya said almost dropping the pan in surprise. "You...you know about him?"
Fujitaka smiled enigmatically.
"I always know what you children are up to" he said. "It should be easy for him to hide in Sakura's back pack and pretend to be one of Sakura's toys. Provided you don't get yourself stolen, Kero."
"When did you find out?"
"The first week" Fujitaka said idly. "He was looking for food in the fridge, so I offered him something to eat."
Not for the first time in his life, Touya put a hand to his head in a gesture of utter disbelief.
"Why the hell didn't you say anything?" the Cardmaster asked finally.
"Because you seemed so set on keeping it a secret and I knew you still had other things to worry about" Fujitaka explained. "Sonomi knows as well. She came over to deliver something for Sakura once and spotted him raiding the fridge."
"What?! She...how did she take it?" Touya asked looking over at Kero who was flying just below his ear, staring back and forth between father and son.
"It took a bit of explaining, but she did eventually understand. I think that's why she allowed you kids to sneak out on your little daytrip without sending Tomoyo's bodyguards after her."
"That woman has a good poker face" Touya said with chagrin. "You knew the whole time."
"She's the CEO of a company, she has to" Fujitaka answered with a small smile. "And yes, I understand more than you might think about these types of things. The woman at the orphanage claimed that just appeared in front of her one day. She claimed it was magic or the oni, but no one believed her except me. For some reason I always knew that I didn't quite belong anywhere."
"Dad are you saying that you...?"
"When I met your mother that changed and I've always felt I belonged here with you kids" Fujitaka said with a sigh. "Sonomi seems to understand as well. I was surprised, but apparently she's had encounters of her own over the years. She says she can see Nakeshiko sometimes, just like you can."
"So it really does run in the family" Touya said feeling a bit calmer. "Do you know about Yuki too?"
"I've caught small bits of conversation" Fujitaka admitted "and I noticed him fly in your window that one time."
"That's Yue. He needed to tell me about one of the Clow Cards" Touya explained. "It was an emergency."
"And is that the reason objects and buildings keep disappearing around Tomoeda?" Fujitaka inquired.
"We're not sure. Kero and Yue seem to think it's something else. They claim none of the Clow Cards has the ability to do that type of thing."
Fujitaka nodded.
"I'd like to hear the full story at some point" he said.
"We'll talk after everything's over" Touya agreed.
Fujitaka smiled at his son before turning to walk down the hall toward Sakura's room.
"Your Dad's a smart guy" Kero commented as he eyed Touya's breakfast.
Touya sighed and put one his eggs on a separate plate before handing it to cat guardian.
"I know" he replied.
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"Something's up at Sakura's school, I can feel it" Touya told Yukito during their lunch period. "I'm going to sneak over there and see what's going on."
"I'll go with you" Yukito said. "You might need Yue's help if it's a Clow Card."
The two got their things and left school, glad that it was a relatively quiet day with no tests for them to worry about.
Touya entered the bazaar and managed to locate Sakura after asking around. Her class, 6-2, was running a small cafe as well as a booth selling sweets in the school yard. Sakura was currently working at the cafe.
"I gave him a basket of sweets and sent him out to the school's backyard" she explained when they asked about Kero. "I haven't seen anything strange going on."
"Maybe we should check on Kero just in case" Yukito commented.
Sakura decided to come along as well and when they reached the yard, which was covered in small trees, it took them while to Sakura's basket. It turned out to be empty and Kero wasn't anywhere to be found.
Touya narrowed his eyes as he felt a presence back in the main schoolyard. The three of them walked back to the fair, amid complaints from people nearby about a candy shortage and were just in time to see a small black cat with blue wings being tailed by Kero, attempt to fly off with even more. Yukito acted quickly and caught the black cat by the tail.
"His name is Suppy. He ate some of my sweets and went crazy. I thought he was a monster" Kero explained. "I mean this is Japan. You do have all sorts of legends about the Oni."
"Spinel wants more!" the black cat cried out.
"Well that answers that question" Sakura said with an awkward expression.
"So this is what ate half of the sweets Sakura's class set out for the fair" Touya said nodding as he watched Yukito hold an energetic Spinel by the tail. "From the look of him I'd say it was a safe bet he that isn't an Oni."
"He looks just like you, Kero" Yukito commented. "Even his wings are the same."
"That's suspicious" Sakura put in. "Do you think he's belongs to Eriol?"
"I'd say it was very likely" Touya replied. "I think I'll give him a call when we get home. Keep a good hold on him, Yuki."
"Okay."
"I want MORE!" Spinel said, face still red and eerily cheerful.
"Exactly how much candy did you give him, Kero?" Yukito asked as Spinel attempted to free himself.
"Five or six chocolate bars and a few other things" Kero admitted.
"That probably wasn't the best idea" Sakura commented. "I think the sugar effected him too much."
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"Hello. Is this Eriol Hiiragizawa?" Touya asked.
"Depends on whose asking" came a voice on the other line.
"Touya Kinomoto. You wanted to meet with me."
"That is correct" the voice replied and Touya could hear the smug laughter in his tone.
"I believe I have something of yours" Touya commented lightly.
"And what might that be?" the voice inquired.
"Your black cat" the Cardmaster answered coolly as he looked over at Spinel, who was fast asleep on a cushion beneath an upturned laundry basket.
"I...see" the voice answered. He evidently he hadn't expected this.
"You should keep better track of your minions" Touya chided him.
"I'll meet you at Penguin Park tonight at eight." Eriol replied.
"We'll be there. And tell Akizuki, no funny business or I clip her wings."
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Eriol hung up the phone and chucked. Apparently Touya Kinomoto was more perceptive than he'd thought.
"Who was that?" Kaho asked stepping into the room.
"It was one of your students" Eriol said turning to her and smiling lightly. "Apparently he has Spinel."
Kaho stared his with wide eyes.
"Is he alright?"
"Spinel? Oh he's fine." Eriol replied with a light chuckle. "It seems our straight-laced Spinel strayed away from Ruby Moon and went exploring. Touya Kinomoto managed to find him, by accident I'd assume."
"I'll come with you" Kaho insisted. "He might be a bit less prickly if I'm there."
"You're welcome to join me" the blue haired wizard said. "Though I very much doubt Touya will take it any better. He might see it as another betrayal."
"He's psychic after all, he might already be aware that here I'm with you" Kaho pointed out.
"True, but I'm unsure if he's gotten over your abrupt departure years ago. He may still feel some resentment because of it." Eriol reminded her. "I think it would also be best if we left Ruby Moon behind. Her presence seems to annoy Yue and Touya both."
"She'll find us anyway" Kaho put in.
"I know, but I'd rather not start our meeting off on the wrong foot. Touya's ability to convert the cards through his own magical ability has negated the need for me to play the villain in this situation. We're also going to need their help to defeat the final card before it erases Tomoeda completely."