Chapter Forty-Eight

Sakura woke at a knock on her door. It's morning already? It can't be, it's still dark outside. She blinked sleepily, rubbing the corners of her eyes with her thumb and letting her legs slide over the edge of the bed. "Come in," she called softly, hoping she'd be able to avoid putting weight on her crippled leg.

The door opened with a faint click. Kurogane peeked his head inside, his expression unreadable. "The witch is calling."

Why is Yuuko up at this hour? she wondered before remembering the time differences in each world. "Coming."

The door clicked shut, and she donned a floor-length robe that concealed both her nightgown and her leg brace. Trying to make herself presentable, she ran a comb through her hair and spent another moment rubbing the sand from her eyes. When she could find nothing else to do, she pressed her hands against the headboard and let her good leg drop to the floor, bearing her weight. After a long moment, the other came down with an audible clunk. She winced.

She hobbled over to the door, hearing every footfall her crippled leg made across the hardwood floor, and went out to the living room. All the others were already there, watching her as she entered. She averted her eyes, drawing the robe tighter around herself. "Good evening, Yuuko-san," she said, looking into the circle of light. The witch nodded in greeting, then spoke.

"I have a message to pass on to all of you, from Seishirou."

A ripple of movement passed across the circle. Fai flinched, his nails jutting out several inches before he regained control of his body. Kurogane shifted his weight, seeming almost resigned to the news. Sakura felt an unfamiliar rush of anger at the object of their conversation. He got what he wanted. He took Syaoran. Why does he want to talk to us?

Yuuko smiled and lifted something up off the floor. Sakura gasped. "My feather!"

"Don't take it back," Kurogane said. "He could've put a spell on it."

"I've checked," Yuuko said, eyes narrowing a little at the implication. "Seishirou gave it to me as payment for saving Syaoran-kun's life."

Another ripple, this one more intense than the last. Kurogane slammed a hand down on the edge of the table, and Fai had to steady himself to keep from falling over. "Do you mean—"the magician began.

"You still fulfilled the requirements of your curse. You stopped his heart, however briefly. The curse will not plague you a second time."

Fai blinked and slowly sank to the floor.

Sakura realized how close she'd come to the circle. "So he's alive?"

The witch nodded. "Syaoran is alive, though not in the same state he was previously."

The expressions of joy got stuck in her throat. "Not in the . . . What do you mean?"

"You will find out, next time you meet him. Don't worry; he's fine."

Kurogane interrupted for the first time. "But he was dead."

"The definition of death carries different connotations in every dimension. In some dimensions, such as Fai's, the moment the heart stops, death is permanent. In more advanced worlds such as Infinity, there are techniques that can keep a body alive after the heart has stopped beating—chest compressions, life support, and the like. Since Fai was cursed under the rules on his own world, the requirements of his curse were met when Syaoran's heart stopped. Because Syaoran's heart stopped in Infinity, however, his body obeyed the laws of that world, and he was given a slim chance to survive—a chance which Seishirou turned into certainty."

Everyone stared at the witch, rapt. She smiled mischievously. "The ways of the multiverse are strange, but because so many possible outcomes exist, there are opportunities to manipulate the natural order of things in your favor. It is Hitsuzen, you see."

"Hitsuzen," Sakura echoed. Something about her tone must've alarmed the others because each of them glanced over to her.

"All things happen for a reason. If Hitsuzen wills it, you will see Syaoran again."

Sakura felt like her lungs were about to implode. Fresh tears burned down her cheeks. She barely made it to the kitchen chair without falling. If Hitsuzen wills it? she thought bitterly. Since when has Hitsuzen ever helped us? Did it stop the other Syaoran from hurting Fai? Did it stop us from landing in Tokyo? Did it stop me from becoming a cripple?

"Sakura . . ." Mokona whispered, alarmed by her sudden emotional turmoil. "Why are you so sad?"

She just shook her head, pressing her hand against her face to stop the flow of tears. If there had ever been a time when she'd wept out of sheer rage, she couldn't remember it.

"Sakura-chan," Fai said—the first words he'd dared to say to her since he'd . . .

Syaoran's not dead, she thought, her fury dying as swiftly as it had come. That's something, at least. You can pick up the pieces.

She thought of her leg brace, of her failures at sword practice, of Fai telling her how he'd killed Syaoran. Her shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "It's just a bit much."

"Don't you get all weepy now," Kurogane grumbled. "That kid'll need you most of all when we track him down."

She shook her head. "He doesn't need me." He never would've left, if he had.

"Bullshit."

Sakura winced.

Yuuko went on, sensing a lull in the conversation. "If you are ready, I can send the feather. The price has already been paid."

"By who?" Fai asked.

"By all of you. In exchange for your suffering, you will receive the feather without further payment."

Kurogane looked at her suspiciously. "That's generous."

Yuuko ignored him, turning toward Sakura. "Are you ready to receive your feather?"

Sakura stood up, straightening her shoulders and wiping the last of the tears from her eyes. "I'm ready."

The witch held the long, white object up. It seemed to disintegrate, the particles dispersing in the air before they shot out of Mokona's mouth. Normally, Syaoran would've plucked the feather from the air and presented it to her, standing by her side to catch her when she fell.

Syaoran was not here, and when the feather sunk into her chest, a different pair of hands caught her. She looked up to see a single blue eye above her before the world disappeared into darkness.

"These will keep the dreams away," Seishirou told him, handing him an orange bottle. Pills rattled within, shifting around as the bottle changed hands. "One pill an hour before bed, and you'll sleep free of dreams."

Syaoran tucked the little bottle in his pocket, wanting it close in case they had to change dimensions on short notice. He'd learned that whatever didn't fit in your pockets had to go in Mokona's mouth if there was any reason to bring it to the next world. Anything left behind was as good as gone. And since Mokona wasn't here, he had to keep it on his person. "Thank you, Sensei."

Seishirou smiled. "You don't have to be quite so polite. Call me Seishirou."

He frowned, remembering a similar conversation with Sakura. So long ago, and not even my own memories. "Okay."

"I stocked up. We've got five more bottles of those, in case we can't find any in the next few worlds. We'll be leaving tomorrow, at first light."

Syaoran nodded in acquiescence. The sooner they finished their business in each world, the sooner he could get back to the others. If they'll have me. They may name me a traitor instead. "Seishirou . . ." he began, tasting the name uncertainly.

"Yes?"

"Do you think . . . Do you think they hate me?"

"Who?"

Syaoran didn't buy his teacher's innocence for a second. "Kurogane-san. Fai-san. Princess Sakura. Do you think they hate me?"

Seishirou's answer was swift, brutal. "That's one reason for them to rip out your heart, I suppose."

He flinched and felt a gentle pressure on his shoulder. "You know what I think, Little Wolf? I think they were only using you to help the princess. Oh sure, they liked the Other well enough, but they resented you. They've likely been plotting ways to get rid of you since Tokyo."

The words seemed to rend his insides apart, like the claws of a wolf. It was probably the cruelest thing Seishirou had told him since they'd met in Infinity.

And, given everything that had happened, it was probably the most honest.