Greetings and happy Halloween. It is my pleasure to post this short chapter. Please enjoy and share your thoughts in your reviews.

MistyWing

"Chapter 14"

It was late and yet it was early there at Heaven Pagoda. I guess all first days have that paradoxical feel to them. For my dearest big brother, Governor Touya, he was on cloud nine for discovering that the time-traveling Clow Mistress was his long lost sister from the next life. For me, the time-traveling Clow Mistress, I was content with the fact that Touya in this life no longer had to live with the guilt that he killed his baby sister with his hateful words. Brother and sister were uplifted in a profound way cast by an innocent spell from our father.

"Fujitaka and Nadeshiko died in your world, too," Tomoyo stated quietly, "Right Sakura?"

I paused with what I was doing, which was spoon-feeding Kero some left-over pudding in my sack. Touya also stopped with his task of rummaging through his belongings for something. I was supposed to answer and I didn't mind answering, but at the moment Master Wei Fong stepped in. "They made a wish that would mean they could not walk among the living for long in this world once their children were born."

"They died young in Sakura's world, probably when she was still too young to remember much," Touya stated.

I nodded.

Before I could speak on my behalf, Master Wei Fong interrupted, "Your folks should be remembered for how they lived and not how they died."

"How are people reborn?" Tomoyo asked. I imagine Touya wanted to ask the same thing because that question had also been weighing me down for the better part of the day.

Master Wei Fong leaned forward in his chair, pointing his face steadily in the direction of Tomoyo. "That's a question you may only ask one who could remember being reborn. Not many remember. Half of Clow Reed's soul was in your father, Fujitaka," he said, looking between me and Touya. "Fujitaka could not remember anything, though."

"You say half. The old woman in the spell said the same thing," I said.

"Yes, good call, Sakura," Touya interjected. "Where's the other half of Clow Reed's soul?"

"That would be something I do not know, children. Although Clow Reed was my teacher, he never spoke of his plans, but we must all remember that no man, sorcerer or farmer, may defy the rules that govern nature. There's always a price to pay if you do lose your way."

It was going to take a long time to get used to the way the old man talked to you. He never gave you the direct answers. Later, he told me that he actually never gave any of his students the answers to the riddles of life. He simply and metaphorically pointed you in a direction and told you to go that way in which you would have to figure out how to actually go that way. He usually pointed at the gloomier and tougher paths among the many paths that were laid out before us. Hey, the harder it was the easier the rest of the roads taken would be. For me this was an infuriating load of bull. The old man would've whipped me if he heard me say that out loud.

Touya spun on his heels and spoke with excitement, "This is the kind of material I want Sakura to learn. She may be the next best Sorceress of this time, Master. If you teach her you'll find that her abilities are boundless…"

"I will not take her as my student." Master Wei Fong's voice rumbled in the stillness of the Heaven Pagoda.

Master Wei Fong's declaration had only stilled Touya for a moment. Once my brother found headway he charged forward, "Master, she will be your finest student. I'm sure!"

"No. She won't be anything, but the worst."

I huffed, but I didn't say anything. I just jammed the last spoonful of pudding into Kero's mouth. The toy was oblivious to his surroundings, the pudding bringing him to that heavenly state of pure, unbreakable bliss. See, this was me, people. I keep letting people trample over my feelings and I can't seem to break out of that mindset. Why? In the past I might have blamed my parents, grandfather, and even Touya, but now, this changed woman could only blame herself. Like I said from the start, old habits were hard to break.

"Come on, Sakura. Say something or this might be it," Tomoyo said aloud.

I was watching her just over Kero's fat face, when I noticed her shadow shifting away from her. The darkness scaled from the floor to the bookshelf right behind her. It grabbed at either end of the shelf and shoved.

"Tomoyo, look out!"

Touya was there in an instant. I wasn't aware that he was watching that shelf falling as well. I was only too glad that he was there. The book case looked heavy enough to crush both me and Tomoyo, on the spot, if it had been me who had to run over in the nick of time to save the day.

Touya heaved and pushed the bookcase back in place. Some of the books laid splayed across the floor. Tomoyo was shaken up and I was ready to rush over to her side to comfort her, but then I felt something holding my ankle.

"Kero!" I cried helplessly.

Finally Kero snapped out of his pudding-stupor and examined my helpless face. "What's wrong, Sakura?"

"There's something fascinating," Wei Fong murmured. "This power's very familiar."

"Master, it's a Clow Card," Touya announced. "Sakura move!"

If I could, I would've, but something now had me by both ankles. I tried to break free before the statue behind me could crush me, but it was pointless. This thing was much stronger than me and Kero, who was trying to pull me out with all his might. I thought I was a goner until a flash of lightning sizzled in the air within the room. I felt myself being lifted and I could see Kero just spinning out of the way.

When I was dropped to the floor next to Wei Fong's chair I looked up to see who had saved me. It was Syoaran! He was angry, a little unkempt, and maybe a hint tired, but he was here and I was overflowing with joy just to see him, never mind I was being attacked by a Clow Card.

"This would be the work of Shadow," he said, looking disgruntled at me. "Do something about it."

His command snapped me to attention. "Like what?"

"Use your imagination, Clow Mistress."

Wei Fong was thwacking at the ground with his stick in enthusiasm. He was rejoicing over a life or death situation and I was beginning to believe that I would be better off going back with Touya and Tomoyo. I hate to stick around and get pulled into his silly notions of what's fun and stuff. He obviously thought this Clow Card catching business was some grand amusement park ride.

Syaoran looped his arm around my midsection and pulled me up to my feet. His arm was still around me as I cast The Thunder and watched The Shadow cower from the blaze of neon-blue light.

"Okay, Clow Card, return to your power confined. I command you, Shadow!"

I wished I could have impressed the master of Heaven Pagoda with the dazzling vibrancy of my sealing magic, but the man was blind. There was no proving to him that I was not going to be his worst student, but what was I thinking?! I didn't want to be his student at all. I didn't want to be the student of a man, who was having a ball when I was in danger.

"Well done, Sakura. Splendid," he said.

My hands settled on the flesh of Syaoran's forearm held firmly around me. I looked at the old man, plain aghast. "You saw."

"I saw how I see everything. I might have been born blind, child, but I was born blind to the way most people see. The way I see you is through the living energy that pulses from you. That's how I tell apart humans from boars."

"Then, how do you tell humans apart from other humans?" I asked.

"By the sound of your voice," Syaoran answered. "If he had not heard you speak, he can also tell you apart from others by the color and strength of your aura. It's much harder to differentiate mortals who are not magically inclined. Am I right, Master?"

"Excellent explanation, child," Master Wei Fong replied, beaming at the both of us. "And the both of you have beautiful and complementing auras; well-matched in every way, indeed."

"Let go of her, Brat!" Touya hollered from the other side of the room. His voice echoed loudly.

Syaoran abruptly released me without warning and I found myself sprawled at Master Wei Fong's feet. He was smiling over the crown of my head and asking, "Now, where's my cup of tea?"

Kero flew across the room brandishing a porcelain cup filled to the brim with some herbal tea. I knelt as I took the cup from his paws and handed it to Master Wei Fong. I bowed respectfully and waited. "Master, your tea," I croaked.

"Welcome to a fine class of sorcerer-warriors," He raised the cup and drank. When he finished with a smack of his lips he spoke again. "Touya, Tomoyo, and Zen may stay for the night, but I want all three of you gone by tomorrow morning."

"That's not fair, Master! We must stay," Touya argued.

"Two's company. Three's a crowd," Master Wei Fong said.

"What about him? I'm not fond of the fact that the brat who keeps making sheep's eyes at Sakura gets to stay," Touya demanded, jabbing his finger in Syaoran's direction. I let out a breath through my nose and glanced over at Syaoran stiffening at Touya's accusation. Nobody was making any kind of eyes at anybody. I would notice these things.

"Syaoran's one of my protégés. I won't deny any past student of mine refuge in my home. Even with that said, I believe Syaoran does not wish to stay with me." The old man briefly closed his eyes as he rested palms on top of one another over his walking stick.

It was settled, then. I would stay and undergo training with the old man, while Syaoran and Touya had their chance to run along.

"I'm sorry, Lady Tomoyo. I don't want you to be pampering the Clow Mistress during her training. None of my students have had that pleasure, so the rule stands. The lessons will last as long as it takes. Accept it or run away and never reach your true potential," he said all this with a stern face. He was addressing the whole room at the time, which meant that we all had some "true potential" we had to meet.

"She will not lay at night with the lot of male monks in this confinement! I forbid it!" Touya sneered, forgetting that he was talking to The Great Master Wei Fong.

"She will retire with the women and the children at night," Wei Fong said patiently. "There will be no more utterance of your disapprovals, Governor, or you will be kicked out immediately."

Touya's jaw snapped shut, but he was still very unsatisfied.

He hardly slept that night. He was a worrywart as usual and I had no clue how to reassure him that I was going to be okay wherever I ended up. As a promise that I would return to the Governor's House stronger and smarter, I gave him Naeshiko's bouquet. Touya recognized the present and snatched it out of my hands.

"This was mother's wedding bouquet," he exclaimed. He wanted to know where I got it.

"It came with the bracelet. Speaking of that, there's some spell on the bouquet, too," I said.

"Yes, that's why they're still alive."

"It really belongs with you, Touya. Take care of it until I return."

That was enough to ease him just a smidgeon. He had to understand that I wasn't going to be alone at Heaven Pagoda during my training.

I still had Kero. I didn't mention that I also had Syaoran because, for some odd reason, the mention of Syaoran made the vein in Touya's temple bulge. What was I thinking? Of course these two would never get along. They had been mortal enemies since the day Syaoran was born.

I hung around the background with Tomoyo when those two snuck around to the back of the pagoda. I hurriedly finished my goodbyes with Tomoyo and we both moved in on the two men. We remained low and hidden in the shadow of Heaven Pagoda as we watched the two men face each other. I wish I heard their exchange of words, but all I could truly catch was the extreme loathing boiling from either side of the conversation. It was more like a verbal fight than a friendly conversation judging by the fighting stance the both of them had taken. Tomoyo was about to step out from hiding, but I pulled her back and shook my head at her.

Then, I showed her The Flower card in my hand. She gave me an encouraging nod.

"Flower," I whispered, "Give these two their favorite flower."

Cherry blossoms fell from the sky and fluttered in a gentle spiral around the two men. I watched with bated breath as they both stopped to look at the petals in the air; they both caught a fistful in their hands. They looked at each other, this time not glaring. Their demeanors changed drastically. There was nothing I could understand in their expressions, but once I knew they weren't going to kill each other anymore, I kind of dragged Tomoyo away.

It took hours to see them off. Syaoran and I stood shoulder to shoulder as we waved farewell to the moving carriages. Actually, I was the only one doing the waving. Syaoran was doing what he did best, which was to remain remotely detached to every touching moment in our lives. I looked at him and noticed that he was still holding the cherry blossoms.

"What's that?" I asked, acting as if I didn't know what it was. My eyes staring at him were very penetrating.

He snapped his hand back to hide his fist behind him and stepped away from me. Now that his fist was hidden, he bounced back with a, "What's what?"

I deprecatingly smiled at him and waited a while to see the discomfort reach his face. When I relented because I thought it was enough torture on the poor fellow, I turned from him and took a few quick steps forward onto the trail. I kept waving at Tomoyo and Touya until I couldn't see their carriages anymore.