All warnings were given first chapter… please refer to it!

The Crow
(Second Arc: The witch from the Eastern lands)
(Part 11)

XxxxXxxxX

Later that evening, as was custom, Clow invited Violet so they could dine together – no matter how busy he was during the day, he'd make an effort to have his little treasure for dinner.

…

"Would you accompany me today for something unusual?" He asked with a low voice, pleased by the small bumps that rose on her arms.

"It depends… how unusual?" His witch's flirting almost undid him, but Clow smiled reassuringly. "Oh fine! But it better not be something weird!"

…

This time, he'd ask for John – his major domo – to adjourn the meal to the larger dining room. The walls were decorated with paintings his father spent years collecting, and the large crystal chandelier hovering over the main table casted lovely hues of light around it.

It was definitely more formal than what Violet was used to have with him, but he felt the need to impose upon her this modal setting, if anything, it was a new experience that he hoped would please them both.

'Plus, it is an excuse to see my dear gift wrapped gorgeously in clothes meant for her station' As in, rich fabrics and beautiful designs meant for the formality of court. 'Though she could be wearing a rag and I'd still find her beautiful' Because the light he could see and feel shining from the witch's breast toppled everything else he's known in this life so far.

And it was a very valid and pleasurable way to put his overwhelmed mind off of his recent talk with Yuuko – and the realization that with Violet, he gained a very blatant and sore weakness.

"Whatever you received that day can't be seen by anyone. Clow… the risks are too great" His old friend warned, and Clow was taking the threat seriously. 'I cannot worry Violet with this old sorcerer's paranoia… she doesn't know the extent of my powers and the consequences of harboring someone exempt from it'

So Clow wanted to provide his precious guest with a nice night.

Violet didn't like formality, he could understand the circumstances she came from - a hundred years in the future sounded awfully distant, like another world altogether - but he was certain even one as headstrong as she would feel lovely and beautiful in a nice lady's dress.

So when Katya – the maid assigned to Violet - came back to the dining room he'd have secluded for just the two of them, with Violet shyly following after her, it took a fair share of self-control for Clow not to pounce.

Gorgeous didn't even begin to describe how his gift looked at that moment.

Her hair pinned up by a simple comb, with ringlets framing her face adoringly. Eyes bright and slightly shy, with her cheeks painted a delightful rose color and moist lips only a shade darker. The dress she chose was obviously different from the day-to-day wardrobe Violet preferred, being a deep, opaque, ocean blue with little golden accents, a heart shaped neckline and princess cut, with flowing, romantic skirts.

'If she constantly presented herself like the queen she is, I suppose I wouldn't be able to focus on anything else' Not that he already wanted to. Having the other half of his soul on reaching distance was overpoweringly distracting.

Under his heavy stare, the young woman broke into a nervous fidget "Isn't this a bit much?" Violet complained halfheartedly, blushing furiously when Clow made it a point to rise from his seat and pull the chair for her.

"It is good to dress up in occasions" He told her honestly, hazy eyes drinking in her simple beauty, the scent of her hair invading his senses and testing his control.

"And what is the occasion?" Violet asked back with a suspicious tilt to her head. It was obvious by her posture that she felt uncomfortable in a setting such as he had planned, but there was this giddy happiness flashing in her eyes that bellied her true feelings.

'Born to be a queen' Clow thought adoringly to himself, seating himself in the place opposite to hers – intimate and romantic. His attempt at wooing Violet had to be painfully clear by now, and if she wasn't resisting more profoundly, than she had to be open to him.

'Wishful thinking deserves consideration' Since he technically is able to conjure things instantly – even living things, though those actually come from alternative universes – with a mere thought when the Stars aligned just right.

"Our little trip" Clow answered automatically, finding the excuse quickly and sending her a cheeky smile. 'She knows it's a flimsy reason for throwing this grand supper when we usually dine in my study' Yet, she didn't protest even knowing he was… skewing the truth a little bit.

So while they ate the delicious food prepared caringly by his cooks for this special occasion, Violet finally wrestled her blush down enough to start a conversation.

"What is the real reason you want to go to that festival?" Violet questioned daringly. 'Well… am I that predictable?' Clow thought with amusement, half happy that his other half was learning enough about him to know when he was plotting, and half dreading the length of her understanding of him.

Because 'What happens when she finally learns what kind of monster I am? She can deny all she wants, but her sins come nothing close to mine'. For all that he heard from her own lips that she trusts him, he didn't really trust himself.

But that is just years of breaking the norm speaking. Clow thought himself a very controlled sort of man.

"Heh, you caught me, my dear" The sorcerer chuckled, shoulders shaking from his mirth – strained as it was. The witch blushed once more, the red becoming on her cheeks, spreading down slowly and consuming the upper curves of her breasts visible from the daring neckline, which showed a little of her cleavage.

"Not… not yours, not your dear" His other half stammered awkwardly.

The setting, a clearly attempt at a romantic dinner for two, and the fact that both of them were wearing their best clothes waiting just for the music to start so he could sweep her off her feet and into a dance.

'My beautiful gift is reciprocating my attentions and looking at me as a woman looks upon a man' Oh, how precious… love swelled in his heart, magic curled around him like wisps of starless skies and reached out for her, anxious to crawl to her and be cradled by her hands.

"As you wish, Violet" Clow accented, only half willingly. 'I can wait until she stops protesting being mine' It was only a matter of time… he was also looking quite forward for her acknowledging that yes, he did belong to her. "And we're going to China for two reasons" He confessed.

"Only two?" His companion queried musingly, staring at him with a knowing glint in her eyes.

He'd have found the look more endearing on her, if it wasn't for the nervousness rising up his chest. 'I did say I would not lie to Violet' Clow remembered, it was one of the things that facilitated her trust in him. 'And she is not a child'

"Two" The sorcerer nodded slowly, collecting his thoughts and looking for the right words. "First, there are a couple of objects that I am procuring, they can be found in the fair. Second is, I suddenly have the urge to visit an old student of mine"

Violet looked briefly surprised.

It must be surprising indeed since he's never shown interest in his students before. His blood cooled as he thought about his reasons… Should he share? He promised not to lie to Violet, but this was a harsh reality he didn't want her exposed to.

'She has the right to know, and you're dragging her there anyway you foolish old sorcerer'

"A student? Why?" As he expected, his gift's voice was tinted with suspicion.

Clow smiled, he'd try to diffuse her curiosity by teasing her a little "My, aren't we filled with questions today" his voice sounded empty even to his own ears. It worked though, his witch sputtered indignantly into her wine cup, hastily drawing a napkin to wipe at her mouth with.

"Clow!" Violet snapped, huffing after she finished composing herself "Just answer!"

'Such a demanding witch' The sorcerer thought lovingly like an infatuated fool. He could feel his end of their bond thrumming and humming, bolstered by the strength of his conviction.

His witch was now looking at him with a raised eyebrow. Clow kept smiling, concealing what turbulence lied inside.

Now, how to put the correct answer into words… if only he could actually see Violet, he'd know perfectly what to say… Delicate could describe accurately what the situation was.

'But I had to have Violet along. I can't leave her behind, not when she's still so naïve to how this world works and the dogs grow even more anxious to have the bone'

Miss Dubois attempt earlier was proof enough.

"Her name is Su Yung. A few years ago we met in that same fair. She is a very talented hydromancer, a purely water elemental mage. Through her mastery over water, she gained a level of clairvoyance powers." Clow started to explain, measuring his words carefully. "Su Yung was a good magician. Kind, powerful and controlled. I taught her how to better use her gifts and we became lovers for a while and parted ways so she could grow on her own… recently however, I feel like we should meet again"

He could feel the moment their bond trembled, as if being bathed by a freezing cold rain. It almost hurt physically, and unexplainable the raw anguish radiating from Violet was almost palpable.

'She's jealous…?' A man of his age and rich past could easily recognize the emotional ribbon tightening around Violet's heart and lungs. It was troubling, and Clow grieved privately for a moment before he allowed himself to meet her eyes again. 'It means that in some level, she doesn't trust me with her emotional well being'

"O-oh…" Violet stuttered, fighting down to control herself and undoubtedly thinking nonsense things. "So she's your girlfriend?"

'Is she jealous because of insecurity?' Clow realized suddenly, as if that fact have slapped him in the face.

So far, the hope that Violet might reciprocate his feelings was only that, a hope 'but it might not be as farfetched as I thought… there is a chance she will chose to stay'

If she was feeling even remotely hurt about his past lover, it means the green eyed witch harbored a level of romantic interest in him.

"You mean lover?" He corrected, because only Violet knew what a girlfriend is... must be an expression from her time or world. "I don't think the tittle applies anymore since it's been quite a while we last spoke" He said back with a little amusement, gaining him a glare from his ruffled witch. 'I need to assure her somehow' Clow thought himself wise, but playing with Violet's feelings was the epitome of foolishness in his eyes. "I do not care for her anymore, Violet. You're still my first and only apprentice, and I would not have brought her up if I knew it would matter so much"

His eyes softened as he gazed at her. Her tense shoulders relaxed a little, though the green of her eyes were still darkened in thought. He wanted to tell her how dear she was to him, how deeply he wanted her, how absolutely precious she was. 'It is not the time yet' He knew, if Clow opened himself fully to this young woman right now, she'd run away.

"Fake apprentice" She said after a long silence, lips moving into a wobbly grin.

"Whom I am still teaching" He answered back with a smile of his own, though her reactions to Su Yung still weighed in his mind. He'd have to be more careful about Violet's feelings from now own. "Above all else, I still like to think you and I are friends"

"Y-yeah. I think that too" Relief made her glow.

The bond relaxed minutely. It still rumbled tremulously, but more like an angry, teased cat than a storm.

'My dear Violet, what has caused you to lose so much confidence in yourself?' She's powerful, brilliant, intuitive and a whole other slew of things that he couldn't even begin to describe. 'You mean more to me than you know' He told her silently, though his lips moved to form another sentence.

They were done with dinner. There was only one thing left to do.

"My lady, would you care for a dance?"

XxxxxXxxxxX

"He… cares for her" A lone woman sat under a cherry tree, the wind rustling through her half unbound hair. She hoped no one would find her here, though it was improbable that anyone else would brave this deeply into Clow Reed's garden without the right amount of caution and/or magical mastery… The very land was loyal to him, absorbing his will and intent and translating it to the varied fauna and flora that proliferated in the property. "That's why Clow chose her as apprentice despite them having opposite magics"

Xiao Ling Li curled her hands tightly into fists, letting the illusion of flawlessness to fail and reveal the myriad of calluses adorning her knuckles. She's trained in martial arts for years, studied under the best tutor her family could find, begged her father to let her foster under cousin Clow and now…

"What did baba say again?" The raven haired Asian beauty tried to remember the word of the old family seer. An unrelated, promising magician that had an uncanny talent for precognition – married into the clan by one of Xiao Ling's great uncles, the old woman was the one who taught Xiao Ling a little bit about divination, and her parting words still rung in the young woman's ears.

…

"You will have the most powerful sorcerer of all times… he will have you as well, and you shall swell three times with his children every spring. Your union will not be long, and his magic will not pass on to the Li clan"

"That doesn't sound right" Xiao Ling's face was blank, though her heart thudded loudly in her chest. She grew up with stories about Clow Reed – his deeds and misdeeds and the vast might of his powers.

Her mother sang enchantments in Xiao Ling's ears, promising the powerful man would be hers. And now grandmother promised the same.

And yet… Xiao Ling feared. She remembers her mother' songs just as well as she remembers Clow Reed's wrath… It happened a decade and a half ago, when grandfather tried to press Clow into marrying back into the clan.

The sight of the sorcerer enshrouded by living darkness, slithering from under his robes and burning scathing trails on the flooring. Every shadow pulsed ominously, every breath she took was painful – the pressure extorted in the room she was peeking in took its' toll, and not even the promising of having that powerful, frightening man as hers soothed Xiao Ling's fears.

"It isn't" Grandmother said back. "Us with the gift have seen the future. Clow Reed's legacy is destined to come back to the Li clan, but everything depends on you"

"How?"

"Your children will grow and spread true, and your descendants will meet Clow Reed's measure of worthiness. There is a daughter in his heart, and it is to that child he leaves everything he creates"

"I marry him, but don't bring him into the Li clan?" And from the sounds of it, she doesn't even have him for long.

"In due time, what once belonged to us shall belong again. Clow Reed is stubborn and powerful enough to deny his roots, but no tree survives without roots for long" Were the foreboding words Xiao Ling heard that sealed her fate.

…

And so she came to the Reed estate, nervous and anxious and scared. The last thing she wanted was to fall in love with her nightmares.

His long fingers trailing over the strands of her hair, a mysterious smile curving his thin lips, the aura of power he effortlessly emitted, the sheer press of his presence… Xiao Ling remembers the monster from her childhood. The one that intimidated even grandfather... But she also grew up into a woman, and that woman can find no flaws in a powerful, arbitrary man.

"And yet… grandmother's prophecy was wrong" Because if it was truth, than they should have already married. Her grandfather made sure to send a nuptial contract to Clow. He should have signed and taken her as wife. 'What happened that changed Clow's mind?'

The answer was frighteningly clear.

Violet Potter.

"No… grandmother's words can't be wrong" Xiao Ling unfurled from her hunched position and laid back against the bark of the cherry tree. Magic swirled around her, a golden brown hue bellying her earthen affinity. "I just got derailed and am not trying hard enough" the young battle mage told herself firmly. "Clow Reed is mine, and I won't let that witch sink her claws any further into him"

XxxxxXxxxxX

TBC~

Final notes: Sometimes useless, but this one carries extra, important information!
1) Su Yung is cannon... she's knonw as the Madoushi, and Sakura has to fight her (one of the movies). It was implied heavily that she was Clow's lover, but aside from her obcession with him, nothing was proved. Originally, I think Clow confronts her along with Cero and Yui, since Cero is the one who tells Sakura who Su Yung is. Clow eventually seals Su Yung in another dimension locked in a book because she was corrupted or something.. it was also sort of implied that he'd come back to unseal her later, but he kind of died before doing that...

2) In this AU, Clow has yet to create the cards and guardians, since he's been distracted with dreams of Violet, and later with Violet herself - in my timeline, he'd have created his cards the same year he met Violet (1856), later, he'd seal his creations and sort of fade, cause I couldn't find anything about Clow's death... I hope this answers questions Preemptively!

3) I feel like I'm being buttered up by a well meaning reviewer, lol! I'd like to say that I'm not offended by the lack of reviews in this story! I wasn't expecting it to be popular so I'm happy with whatever input I receive - I do HOPE that this inspires more ships with poor Clow! he needs more loving! hhaha!