10. Sunrise
There was one thing that rarely changed between different dimensions.
It had been months since Syaoran had left Clow, months since he'd seen Princess Sakura, months since she'd smiled at him. But there was one element, in every world, that was almost always the same: the sunrise.
It varied somewhat. In cold climates, the sun looked small, distant. In temperate climates, the sun rarely peeked through the clouds. In desert lands like Clow, the sun beat down hard on their group. But wherever he landed, it was still recognizably the sun.
Are you watching the sunrise too, Sakura? he wondered.
11. Book
"What are you writing?" Kurogane asked, peering over the mage's shoulder.
"A book."
"A book?"
The blond nodded. "I've been thinking about it ever since we landed in Jade country, when Syaoran brought it up. I mean, wouldn't it be interesting to write down our adventures so that someday, other people can read them?"
Kurogane frowned. "No one would believe it."
Fai smiled. "I know. People will think it's just an ordinary novel. But it might become popular someday."
"Yeah? And what then?"
The mage grinned wider. "Then I'll have hundreds of loyal fans to write fan fiction for it."
12. Traitor (200 words)
She did not feel fear.
"So you sent him to the witch," her master grumbled, circling her like a vulture. Xing Huo continued staring at the spot where Syaoran had stood a moment ago.
"Yes," she answered in a monotone. It wasn't that she'd wanted to go against her master. She didn't want anything. Desire was a human emotion, and so she did not feel it. Yet some part of her had been compelled to send the boy away, so he wouldn't be imprisoned again. Some buried sense of kinship. They'd been Reed's pets for so long.
"I cannot allow such actions to go unpunished," her master said, pausing in front of her with his hands behind his back. His spectacles glinted as he faced her. "But truly, I regret this. You were such a loyal servant up until now."
Xing Huo said nothing. She knew the price of betrayal.
Her master approached, footsteps heavy against the stone floor. He raised one hand from his side, and summoned his sword—the sword with the bat-shaped hilt, the sword that had slain the Miko in Nihon.
"Farewell," her master said, as the steel parted her dress and buried itself in her heart.
Author's Note:
I couldn't resist the story in the middle. It seemed so perfect, considering who I was writing for.
Regarding the last drabble: I didn't really expect to write something like this. The idea came to me when I was looking for a darker scene in the manga and saw the page where Xing Huo had a sword sticking out of her chest. Since they kind of glazed over it, I thought it would be interesting to think about.
Requests and prompts are still welcome, by the way. Any feedback at all would be nice, though.