moonlitnights: old/stories/ccs-ql.txt comparison

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author	rlm
date	Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:53:12 -0500
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-:dbe144217c71
+:fc00894c1d4a
+Hello! ^-^ This is a Quantum Leap/Cardcaptor Sakura crossover, so I
+hope that
+explains why this is so strange. ^^;;; I’m always so worried about
+crossovers
+because it’s so difficult to pull off merging two series together.
+So I hope this
+goes well. ^-^ The idea has been playing around in my head for quite
+a while
+now. Sam’s supposed to ‘put right what once went wrong’ so why can’t
+he set
+right the biggest problem in Cardcaptor Sakura? I’d like to thank
+Boco the
+Chokobo, who’s ideas helped me quite a bit with this. ^-^ Thanks!
+*hugs* I’m
+using the leaping mechanics from Ashley McConnell’s Quantum Leap
+novels
+because I like the idea of Sam actually switching bodies with who he
+leaps into
+rather than him just taking their aura. Anyway, I really hope you
+enjoy this! ^-^
+I always love feedback, so if you have the time, please e-mail me! ^-^
+Across the Distance
+by Amazoness Duo
+amazonessduo@hotmail.com
+	Dr. Sam Beckett was always disoriented when he began a leap. Leaping
+from life to life, trying to put right what once went wrong, was a
+very stressful
+job.  He always found himself in the strangest situations, with no
+knowledge of
+who he was now or what situation he had leapt into. So he had gotten
+very good
+at trying to read his surroundings very quickly. But the first few
+minutes never
+allowed him such luxuries and it was up to him to wing it.
+	And he had absolutely no idea how to do so as the good doctor found
+himself locking lips with a teenage, brown haired boy. The kiss
+lasted for
+another few seconds but it could very well have been an eternity. As
+Dr. Beckett
+stumbled backwards, trying to catch his breath, a quick glimpse down
+finished
+putting at least part of this scene together. He was a girl. Again.
+And the boy
+that had just been kissing him must be her boyfriend. “Oh boy...”
+	The boy blushed fiercely after Sam backed away. “Daijobu? Sakura-
+chan?” He took a few steps closer, finally taking Sam’s, or the body
+Sam was
+currently inhabiting, hands and pulling him closer. Sam stumbled
+forward, his
+head resting on the boy’s chest. His mind was spinning. Had he ever
+leapt out of
+the US before? His swiss cheese memory betrayed him. He had no idea.
+The boy
+continued saying something, but it wasn’t making any sense. Wait, it
+was. Sam
+couldn’t remember if he’d taken Japanese in school or not, though he
+very well
+could have, or if it was something left over from his host, but the
+jumbled words
+began to make sense.
+	“Yeah, I’m fine,” Sam said with a nervous smile. “I just... was a
+little
+distracted.” How often had he used that excuse? Too many times. But
+after all
+these years of leaping, he still hadn’t come up with a better one.
+The boy’s amber eyes stared at Sam skeptically for a long moment, as
+if he didn’t quite believe that. But finally he nodded. “We better
+get to school. I
+made sure that I’d be in the same homeroom as you.” He waited for
+some
+acknowledgement of his statement, probably wanting to hear a shrill
+of joy from
+his girlfriend, but Sam just nodded, still unsure as to how he was
+supposed to act
+now. Grasping Sam’s hand, he began leading the way presumably to the
+school.
+At least, Sam sure hoped so.
+The two walked along in relative silence for a while. Which was fine
+by Sam because it gave him a chance to think. Where was he?
+Apparently Japan.
+When was he? It looked pretty recent, but Sam couldn’t remember if
+he’d gone
+there or not so it was difficult to be sure of an exact date. It was
+much easier
+guessing dates back in the US. Finally, who was he? The boy had
+called him
+Sakura, so at least he had a name. And a quick glimpse in a passing
+shop
+window gave him a face. She was a very pretty girl with short,
+reddish brown
+hair and emerald green eyes. She looked to be about fourteen or
+fifteen and was
+wearing her school uniform.  “Oh boy...” he muttered under his
+breath. This
+whole thing was too strange for him. If anything could get too
+strange for a time
+hopping physicist. And being a girl was always... awkward for him.
+When he
+leapt into other men, at least the equipment was still the same. Now
+he’d have to
+deal with a teenage girl’s body. He’d ask Ziggy about what affects
+that would
+have on his mind, but he knew it would have to go through Al. He
+could picture
+the grin on his friend’s face as he asked the question and
+immediately dismissed
+it. He’d figure it out on his own.
+“I thought I’d come out and surprise you. I was going to send a
+letter,
+but I decided to head out here as soon as I could instead,” the boy
+was
+explaining.
+	Sam nodded quickly, offering what he hoped was a sweet smile. So he
+was probably here to make sure things went smoothly between them.
+“Oh good.
+I’m really glad you came all this way.” Wherever it was he had come
+from.
+	The two finally happened upon the school gates. Sam gave a sigh of
+relief. He could handle jr. high school. Probably a lot easier than
+dealing with a
+lovestruck boyfriend. It would give him a chance to concentrate and
+wait for Al.
+Where was Al, anyway? Wasn’t he usually here by now? What was taking
+him
+so long?
+	“Ohayo gozimasu, Sakura-chan!” a cute, pale girl with very long,
+dark
+hair said as she stepped up, a sweet smile on her face. Her stormy
+blue eyes
+were entrancing. Sam wondered for a moment if she was sick to have
+such a
+pale complexion, but she seemed to be just fine. She looked a little
+surprised to
+see Sam’s new boyfriend there, but she recovered quickly. “Ohayo, Li-
+kun!
+Sakura-chan must be very happy to have you back. She’s been talking
+about you
+so much lately.” Her smile returned almost as quickly as it had
+disappeared,
+leaving Sam to wonder if it had ever left at all. But that did give
+Sam a hint, at
+the least. His name was Li. Good.
+	The boy just frowned, beginning to flush slightly before he turned
+back
+to Sakura.
+	“Well, I’m very glad to have Li back. I’m sure everything’s going
+to be
+great now,” Sam said quickly, smiling. The looks he got from the
+other two
+made him wonder if he’d said that wrong. He sighed. These things
+were always
+so difficult. Sam felt him squeeze his hand and then nodded.
+	“It will be. I’m back now. I won’t let anyone force me to go back to
+Hong Kong again. I’ll stay this time, Sakura-chan.”
+	Hong Kong. Okay, at least he was starting to get somewhere with all
+this. So the boy, Li, had come from Hong Kong and had apparently
+been away
+for quite some time. “I’m sure, Li. Thanks. I really missed you.”
+Sam smiled
+again, and Li seemed to accept it, but he was getting an odd look
+from the dark
+haired girl. Her stormy blue eyes seemed to be looking through him.
+The
+familiar sound of the Imaging Chamber door opening sent a breath of
+relief
+through him. He quickly turned to spot Al. When he finally did, he
+was
+surprised. Al’s usually wild attire was much more subdued. He was
+wearing a
+black suit and tie. He had dark bags under his eyes and he looked
+even older
+than usual. Sam frowned, staring at his holographic friend
+concernedly. “I..
+uhh... I’ll be back in a minute.” He let go of the boy’s hand and
+ducked past the
+pale girl and made his way through Al, signaling the observer to
+follow over
+near a tree. “Al! What took you so long? Where am I?” He paused for a
+moment, studying the observer. “Are you okay?”
+	Al shook it off, plugging away at the handlink, offering his usual
+abuse
+to the poor thing. “It took Ziggy a while to find you, Sam. You’re
+only a month
+behind us. Ziggy’s freaking out. She’s never seen anything like this
+before so
+she doesn’t know what to do about it. As far as details, we don’t
+know why
+you’re here yet. It’s only a month ago and in Japan at that, so we
+don’t have a lot
+of information to go on. Donn.. Err...” Al mentally stopped himself
+from
+mentioning Donna’s name. She didn’t want Sam knowing that she was
+still there
+waiting for him. It would be easier for him this way. “Everyone here
+at the
+Project is a little worried about this. I mean, you’ve never been
+this close before,
+Sam.”
+	Sam gasped in shock. “Only a month? Al, I’m really that close? Maybe
+I can... No, I shouldn’t, but...” He shook his head, brunette hair
+flailing from
+side to side as he did so. This was all too much. He could call up
+Project
+Quantum Leap and ask to talk to the Al of this time. Or he could
+look up
+material on a Doctor Samuel Beckett and try to replace the swiss
+cheese holes in
+his memory. But Al looked less than excited. “So what do you have so
+far?”
+	Al pulled up the handlink again, though by this time he didn’t need
+it.
+He’d been reading the information ever since the plane ride back.
+Over and over
+and over. He sighed, trying to keep the lack of sleep from showing.
+“You are
+Sakura Kinomoto, a fourteen year old school girl in Tomoeda, Japan.
+She’s a
+fair student and seems to be pretty athletic. Hey, Sam, you’re on the
+cheerleading team.” Al attempted a grin, but only got a stare from
+the younger
+girl that housed the spirit of his best friend. He held up his arms
+in defense. “Just
+pointing that out to you. You always want as much information as
+we’ve got.
+Anyway, the Chinese boy over there is Syaoran Li, part of some
+powerful
+family in Hong Kong.  It looks like he’s your sweety. He was here in
+Japan a
+few years ago and left, but not before you two hooked up. You’ve
+been sending
+letters back and forth since.” Al wasn’t even looking at the
+handlink anymore.
+He’d heard all this days ago, before Ziggy even found out this was
+where Sam
+had leapt to.
+	Sam coughed into his fist and shook his head, the memory of the kiss
+still fresh in his mind. “Well, why am I here, then? What am I here
+to change? It
+sounds like they end up alright.”
+	Bringing the handlink up again, Al crammed some buttons at random.
+“Ziggy’s trying to run some simulations and Dr. Beeks is talking to
+Sakura right
+now so we’ll try to figure that out.” The retired admiral paused for
+a long
+moment. There was something else he wanted to say. Sam waited.
+	“Sakura-chan? Daijobu?” The pale girl asked. She looked very
+concerned for ‘Sakura’. Her hand went to Sam’s forehead, feeling for
+a
+temperature. Her stormy blue eyes met the emerald green ones that
+replaced
+Sam’s own for a long moment. She leaned forward a bit, whispering
+with her
+wonderfully soft voice into Sam’s ear. “Is it because of Li-kun? Are
+you
+nervous? You shouldn’t be. He’s happy to see you again. You can be
+together
+now.” She stepped back, smiling brightly, her eyes closed.
+	Sam laughed nervously. “Of course! I’m really happy, too. Yeah, I’m
+just a little nervous is all. I’m sure I’ll be fine soon.”
+	“I’m sure Sakura-chan will, too. I know things will work out for the
+best for you.” The smile seemed to come to her quickly, as if she
+smiled often,
+or practiced it quite a bit. It was a warm, gentle smile that
+somehow eased Sam’s
+spirits. He nodded quickly as she took his arm, the bell ringing to
+signify their
+first class. “We better hurry, Sakura-chan.”
+	Sam looked to see Li pulling along beside them, taking his hand. The
+pale girl waited a second before letting go, keeping her distance.
+Sam met her
+gaze and she smiled again, ushering him towards the correct class.
+Glancing
+back over his shoulder, he looked for Al, but the observer was
+already gone.
+What had he wanted to say?
+	Class went by strangely. It had been a while since Sam had been
+anyone this young and he found it awkward to be taking classes in
+Japanese. But
+he still managed to get along well enough. The teachers even seemed
+amazed at
+some of the answers he was giving. Sam had always found academics
+calming.
+They didn’t have the same chaos that was inherent in everything
+else. Especially
+leaping. So he found it relaxing to lose himself in class, even with
+the slight
+difficulty of taking it in another language.
+	Throughout the day, he kept making little mistakes, but nothing that
+seemed too big. Besides, it was part of every leap. He had to gauge
+other
+people’s reactions to him to decide if he was acting properly or
+not. He seemed
+to be doing well enough, but the dark haired girl seemed to be
+getting
+increasingly concerned. He tried to play it off, but she was always
+close by,
+offering help whenever she could and trying to see if anything was
+wrong.
+	Syaoran walked him from class to class, which he found a little
+embarrassing but there wasn’t much he could do about it. He got used
+to holding
+the boy’s hand from class to class as lunch finally rolled around.
+	Stormy blue eyes caught Sam’s attention quickly as the dark haired
+girl
+caught up with him. Sam just waited for her. She still held that
+warm smile of
+hers as she fell in step with him. “Sakura-chan seems to have
+studied a lot last
+night. You should have told me. I would have been happy to help you,
+Sakura-
+chan.”
+	“Oh, I was bored. I didn’t want to bother you. I thought I’d catch
+up in
+class and try to do a little better,” Sam supplied, hoping it
+sounded reasonable
+enough. This whole leap was confusing him. Especially this girl. She
+must be
+Sakura’s best friend. She was obviously very caring towards her.
+	The girl nodded thoughtfully, tilting her head to the side. “You
+even
+got that engrish poem down that you were worrying about. I knew
+Sakura-chan
+would be just fine as long as she did her best.” She smiled happily,
+as if waiting
+for Sam to explain something.
+	“I.. uhh... Yeah, I guess it was easier than I thought,” Sam
+muttered
+quickly. He looked around after a moment and noticed that he was
+going down a
+dead end.
+	“Lunch is this way, Sakura-chan,” the girl said politely, taking
+Sam’s
+hand and leading him off down another corridor. Her hand felt soft
+and held
+onto Sam’s with a very gentle care. She looked at Sam with that
+concerned look
+again, but he just smiled and tried to brush it off. “It’s good that
+Li-kun’s back.
+Sakura-chan shouldn’t have to be lonely. The two of you look so cute
+together.”
+She squeezed Sam’s hand softly. “You’ll have to let me videotape the
+two of
+you later. It can be Sakura-chan’s Happy Reunion.”
+	Sam laughed and nodded. The girl was eccentric, but he liked that.
+She
+must be a fun best friend. “Yeah, that sounds good. We should do
+that later. I’m
+sure it’ll make for great memories.”
+	“Not for her, Sam.”
+	Sam turned on his heel and spotted Al behind him. Al shook his head
+and motioned for him to keep walking. Sam complied. “Hmm?” Sam asked,
+trying to look interested in the dark haired girl’s explanation of
+some outfit for
+him to wear.
+	“Those obviously won’t make good memories for her, Sam. That's
+Tomoyo Daidouji. Heiress to the Daidouji fortunes and all
+around talented girl. Got the voice of an angel. I heard her sing
+one time.” Al
+grew silent for a moment, not even glancing at the handlink. He
+didn’t need it
+for this. “She kills herself about a month from now. You could never
+tell with all
+those smiles.” Sighing, the observer shook his head, watching the
+pale girl for a
+time before continuing. “She drowns in a lake at a park near here.
+Left a note
+and went off to take a swim. The problem being that she doesn’t know
+how to
+swim," Al explained grimly.
+	“She what?” Sam shot out, his eyes wide. He immediately regretted it
+as Tomoyo looked back at him. He just shook his head quickly.
+“Nothing.” Sam
+stared at his friend aghast. It seemed hard to believe that this
+cheery girl would ever consider something quite so drastic.
+Al shook his head after a moment, knowing what Sam must be
+thinking. "Ziggy says that's not why you're here. It's a month from
+now. If that
+was the reason, you'd've leapt in a few days before it happened. She
+says it's more likely got to do with the girl you leapt into."
+	Sam smiled as sweetly as he could and pulled his hand away from
+Tomoyo. “Excuse me for just a second. I need to... take care of
+something.”
+They had finally gotten outside and Sam took the chance to head
+around the side
+of the building. “No! That can’t be it. Why? What happened? Maybe it
+wasn’t a
+suicide. That means it was only a few days ago for you. Maybe Ziggy
+doesn’t
+have all the information she needs. She’s too sweet a girl for that.”
+	Al sighed. He knew Sam was going to be like this. And it wasn’t as
+if
+he hadn’t been trying to work this out himself. “Ziggy didn’t know
+until an hour
+ago. I found out two days ago. Sam, I just got back form her funeral.”
+	That news sent a shock through the leaper. Leaning heavily against
+the
+wall, he looked over at Al. “You what? Why?”
+	Al was deep in thought, contemplating an unlit cigar. It had been
+days
+since he’d had one, but for some reason he just didn’t feel in the
+mood for it. “It
+was a lovely funeral. Her mother really spared no expense. Sakura,
+the girl you
+are, was there, too. It was a big thing. Her mother was all broken
+up about it.
+Lost her only little girl.” Al closed his eyes, trying to force out
+the images. “You
+probably don’t remember this, but back when we were looking for
+funding for
+the project, we met with a whole lot of people. One of those people
+was Sonomi
+Daidouji. Strong willed woman. But you get to like her. Won’t take
+no for an
+answer. Anyway, I got to talking to her about funding for the
+project. She runs a
+pretty big business in Japan. We wound up getting picked up by the
+government
+for funding, but after I explained what the Project was about, she
+was all too
+thrilled to get me all the Japanese technology we needed from the
+Amamiya
+Corporation. Hell, half of Ziggy’s thanks to her. She never asked a
+thing from
+us, just wanted to know how the Project was going from time to time.
+So I’ve
+been staying in touch, talking to her about this and that. But when
+I found out
+her daughter killed herself a few days ago, I rushed out there.
+She’s really
+broken up, Sam. She doesn’t have anyone else now. Just her business.
+She was
+really emotional at the funeral, and she had a right to be. It was
+awful to see. I
+wish you had leapt in a few days ago and stopped that. But you’ve
+said it
+yourself, you can only change what you’re supposed to.”
+	“Oh no... That can’t be right. How can I possibly stop that from
+here?
+Unless I can find a way to keep it from happening. Something must
+have
+happened that made her want to do that. We just need Ziggy to find
+out,” Sam
+nodded, thinking deeply.
+	“Sam, I already know. Her mother told me. I found out while I was
+there. She killed herself over you.” Al rubbed at an ache in his
+neck, sighing.
+“She killed herself because she’s in love with you.”
+	“Oh boy...”
+	“Yeah, so it doesn’t look like there’s anything you can do about
+it. At
+least for now. I’ll get Ziggy working on those simulations. Maybe
+she can come
+up with...” Al’s eyes went wide as he read the handlink. “She’s
+what?!” Without
+another word to Sam, Al vanished through the door.
+	“What the hell is she doing here?” Al asked to no one in particular
+as
+he stormed down the hallway. The former admiral came to a halt when
+he
+finally caught sight of the younger Japanese woman. She was flanked
+by several
+woman wearing dark clothes and sunglasses. They all looked like they
+were
+good at what they did. Which was probably to protect Miss Daidouji.
+Al would
+have gawked at the pretty ladies if he wasn’t still in shock.
+“Sonomi, why are
+you here? The Project is off limits to all non-essential personal.
+Now I
+appreciate all you’ve done for the project, but you certainly aren’t
+a member of
+the staff.”
+	“Arru, please... I need to see my little girl again. I know that
+she’s here.
+She has to be. You can save her, can’t you?” Sonomi’s eyes were
+pleading. She
+looked desperate, grasping at the final string dangling in front of
+her. The
+woman had suffered so much in the past few days.
+	Al remained silent, his lips pursed tightly together. He didn’t
+like this at
+all. She shouldn’t be here. This whole leap was already playing with
+all the rules
+they’d set up years ago. This wasn’t helping.
+	“Please, Arru. I need to see Tomoyo-chan.” Her eyes conveyed how
+deeply she meant that. She did need to see her. This woman was
+strong, but
+losing her only child after that was killing her. He knew that she’d
+agreed to
+help the Project in the hopes of one day bringing back her cousin,
+her one true
+love, but now she had lost her daughter as well.
+	He sighed. He had been able to see Beth, his first wife and the only
+woman he had ever truly loved, even if for only a short time. They
+may not be
+able to save Tomoyo, but was it fair to rob her of a final chance of
+seeing her
+daughter alive? “Sonomi, you’re putting me in a hard spot here. Let
+me get you
+and your friends some rooms and we can talk about it.”
+	“He’s there, isn’t he? He’s back with my Tomoyo-chan. He can save
+her, right?” Sonomi had eliminated the distance between herself and
+Al. This
+was her last chance. She had to pray it would work. She had barely
+survived
+Nadeshiko’s loss, and that was only because she had had Tomoyo. Now
+she had
+nothing. She couldn’t let things stay this way.
+	Looking away, Al frowned. “He’s... Back around then. But not close
+enough to stop it. A month back. We think he’s supposed to fix
+something else.”
+	Sonomi balled her fists angrily. “No!! He’s back there to save
+Tomoyo-
+chan! Maybe he got sent back too far or he needs to fix something
+else while
+he’s at it, but he’s there to save my dear Tomoyo-chan!” Her English
+was
+heavily accented, the long plane ride making it difficult for her to
+concentrate.
+	“Let me get you a room first and then we can figure everything out.
+I
+promise I’ll let you see her. Sam’s back with her now.” Al motioned
+for them to
+follow, but Sonomi moved past him.
+	“I need to see Tomoyo-chan now. I need to see her alive and well.
+Moving and smiling and singing. I need to get the image of her in a
+casket out of
+my head. I need to see my baby.” Sonomi stopped as she tried to
+remember the
+layout from the blueprints she’d seen. Where was the Imaging Chamber
+again?
+	The bodyguards tensed up as Al grabbed her shoulder. Sonomi hardly
+seemed to notice. Al’s hand eased off when he noticed the tears in
+her eyes. “It’s
+this way.”
+	Sam blinked as he watched the space his holographic companion had
+occupied moments before. Al had looked pretty shocked about
+something, but
+he hadn’t bothered telling Sam about it. And so he was stuck with
+the news that
+the best friend of the girl he was currently inhabiting would kill
+herself in a
+month’s time and that it didn’t look like there was anything he
+could do about it.
+This didn’t make for a very comforting break from classes. A hand on
+his
+shoulder nearly sent him into a panic.
+	“Sakura-chan? What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
+Tomoyo watched the brunette in front of her carefully, brushing some
+hair from
+Sam’s eyes. Her stormy blue eyes were so loving, so concerned for
+the well
+being of this Sakura. Even if the situation was a little strange, it
+still tore at
+Sam’s heart to know where it would lead.
+	“Err... Yeah, something like that, Tomoyo. Don’t worry about it.
+Let’s
+get some lunch.” Sam offered another smile, but he couldn’t help but
+cast
+another glance back at the pale girl as he headed for a bench to eat
+at. He
+couldn’t tell that anything so dark could be lurking under Tomoyo’s
+peaceful, if
+eccentric, exterior. Could Al have been wrong? No, not likely. So it
+seemed that
+she was extremely good at hiding her feelings. Which was probably
+why Sakura
+had no idea about them. But that didn’t make it any easier to handle
+the
+situation. And what about the long awaited return of Sakura’s
+boyfriend? What
+was he supposed to do about it all?
+	Tomoyo sat down next to Sam, watching him closely as he ate. He
+fumbled with the chopsticks for a moment before she reached over and
+helped
+adjust his grip. She smiled pleasantly as he got out a quick thanks.
+It went on
+quietly for a few minutes, her eyes never leaving Sam as he ate. She
+finally
+tilted her head to the side thoughtfully.
+	Sam looked back in confusion, some rice half in his mouth. “Is
+something wrong?” he asked after a moment. This girl did act rather
+strangely,
+so he wouldn’t be surprised if this sort of behavior was normal for
+her.
+	“You’re not Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo whispered, leaning closer so that
+no one would hear. Her eyes were locked on Sam’s, as if looking past
+the body
+and deep into his soul, as if he couldn’t hide in it at all.
+	Sam dropped the little ball of rice, his eyes wide. He almost
+choked on
+what was in his mouth. “What?” he got out quietly, a little above a
+chirp. This
+couldn’t be right. No matter how poorly he did as someone, people
+rarely ever
+guessed that anything was wrong, let alone that he wasn’t who they
+thought he
+was. “What do you mean?” He tried to keep his voice steady this
+time, throwing
+in the confusion that was swirling through him.
+	Tomoyo shook her head. “You’re not her. I don’t know who you are. If
+you’re a mage or another Card or something else entirely. But you’re
+not
+Sakura-chan. You’ve been acting strangely all morning, nothing like
+her. Your
+mannerisms are all wrong. You don’t have the same look in your eyes.
+Your
+smile’s different. You aren’t lost in a haze of emotions that ebb
+and flow
+rapidly. You don’t have the energy she does. You’re soul’s completely
+different.” She paused, watching his reaction. She could have gone
+on for hours
+about the differences between him and her beloved Sakura-chan, but
+that
+seemed to be enough. Her panic was suppressed, but barely. If this
+person was
+replacing Sakura, then where was the Cardmistress?
+	“I... uhh... Al...” Sam looked around quickly, hoping for any sort
+of
+back up that he could get, even the holographic type. She didn’t
+seem to have
+any sort of psychic ability, yet somehow she had seen through him.
+And he
+didn’t know what to do about that. So he gave up. A sigh escaped his
+lips, or
+Sakura's lips, as the case may be. “Well... No, I’m not. My name is
+Dr. Sam
+Beckett. I’m from the future. Or I used to be. But I’m here to fix
+things. To put
+right what once went wrong.”
+	Tomoyo clasped her hands together worriedly. “Did something bad
+happen to Sakura-chan? Is that what you’re here to fix? Where is
+she? Please tell
+me. I need to know what’s become of her.” Her mind came up with
+plenty of
+images of what could have happened to the Cardmistress, but she
+pushed them
+back with all of her might. Now wasn’t the time to panic. She had to
+stay calm
+so that she could figure out what had happened to Sakura. Her dark
+eyes pleaded
+with Sam’s to explain to her.
+	“No, she should be just fine. She’s back in the future right now.
+Where
+I come from. We think that something went badly in her life or the
+life of
+someone she knows.” ‘Like you,’ Sam mentally added. “So I’m here to
+try and
+fix it so that things can go smoothly for her.”
+	“You’re a sweet person to want to fix things for Sakura-chan. But
+what
+could be wrong for her? I’ve been keeping a close eye on her and
+she’s been
+perfectly fine.” Tomoyo’s fingers gripped the cool grass beneath her
+as her mind
+swam, trying to find anything that would have gone wrong. “She’s
+been doing
+perfectly well lately. And now that Li-kun’s back...” Her melodious
+voice trailed
+off as she began picking up on it. “Now that Li-kun’s back, things
+are changing.
+So I don’t know what will happen to her.” This was all so sudden.
+She had
+known that something had happened to Sakura when she’d started acting
+strangely this morning. But now her fears were proven by her
+replacement.
+What could have gone wrong? Things seemed perfect for Sakura. She
+had her
+beloved back in Japan with her and she didn’t have anymore troubles
+with the
+Cards and her high school entrance exams were still over a year away.
+	Before Sam could reply, the boy in question sat down next to him.
+Sam
+smiled warmly before casting an apologetic glance to Tomoyo. He’d
+have to
+explain later. For now he’d have to keep things up with his
+boyfriend. Scooting
+closer to the Chinese boy, Sam let out an inward sigh and kept
+eating. An arm
+slowly went around his shoulders, pulling him even closer. It did
+feel nice and
+warm...
+	Everything was upside down. At least, that’s how Sakura felt. What
+had happened? It took her a moment to fight through the
+disorientation and
+finally sit up. She was in a bed with the sheets tangled around her.
+So it must
+have all been some horrible dream. She had been in some strange
+place all
+alone. No Tomoyo-chan or Syaoran by her side. Her school fuku had
+been
+replaced by some white bodysuit. And the body in it was most
+certainly not her
+own. It seemed to belong to a much older man. She had screamed and
+fainted
+upon her discovery. But now that she was awake in bed, the whole
+thing must be
+over. The last thing she could remember before the nightmare had
+been seeing
+Syaoran again. He had been just about to kiss her before she found
+herself in the
+strange room. A melancholy sigh escaped her lips at that. Syaoran
+must have
+been a dream as well. He was probably still in Hong Kong. Oh well.
+She’d have
+to tell Tomoyo about her dream and see what she thought. Tomoyo
+always made
+her feel better about things when she was confused or nervous. Or
+lonely. Which
+was probably why she dreamed up Syaoran being with her in Japan.
+	Her heart sinking in her chest, Sakura slid off the small bed. She
+yelped
+a little when her bare feet touched the cold ground. Where were her
+slippers?
+And why was the ground cold? Blinking groggily, her eyes traversed
+the room
+she was in. It was empty aside from the small bed in the center and
+completely
+white. The lights from above cast dark shadows against the white
+floor. Her
+heart started pounding in her chest as she turned around, trying to
+find out where
+she was. She was trapped somewhere. That realization brought a
+trickle of fear
+through her soul. What was going on? She had all of the Sakura Cards
+now, so
+this must be some other form of magic. But who would do this to her?
+She
+clutched for the key, but her hand grasped nothing but air. Her eyes
+darted down
+in horror to see the all white jumpsuit on again. And a masculine
+body
+underneath. Another scream escaped her lips, but this time she
+retained
+consciousness. Silence reigned throughout the small room, punctuated
+only by
+her rapid breathing.
+	“Where am I? What’s going on?” she asked in a tiny voice. She turned
+around in a circle, looking for some sort of door or any way out.
+Anything but
+the constant white cube she was imprisoned in. If she didn’t have
+her magic,
+what could she do? No, someone would notice she was missing. They
+would
+find her. Tomoyo would know something was wrong. And Syaoran, Yue,
+and
+Cerebrus would come to her rescue. Slumping back on the bed,
+Sakura’s mind
+raced for some sort of explanation. Her heart nearly stopped when
+she heard a
+whooshing sound and a door she hadn’t noticed sliding open. In
+walked a
+woman in a lab coat with dark skin. She smiled softly to the
+bewildered
+Cardmistress as she stepped forward slowly. The woman’s mouth opened
+and
+she began speaking oddly, in a language that Sakura had trouble
+following. She
+could make out some of it from her english class, but she wasn’t
+fluent enough
+to make it all out. The woman sighed and said something to a
+‘Ziggy’. A female
+voice replied from some point in the roof and then translated what
+the woman
+had said into Japanese. Sakura sighed and closed her eyes. This was
+getting
+more and more difficult to make any sense out of.
+	“Hello. My name is Doctor Verbeena Beeks. I’m sorry that we didn’t
+have a chance to speak earlier, but you passed out before I could
+come in.” She
+had a calm, almost motherly manner about her. Something about the
+woman
+helped put Sakura at ease. At least a bit more than she had been.
+Dr. Beeks
+gestured for her to take a seat on the bed, holding a notepad under
+one arm.
+Sakura complied, sliding up onto the bed, never taking her eyes off
+of the only
+other person in the room. “Now maybe I can help make things a little
+more
+comfortable for you. And maybe you can give me a little information
+so we can
+get you back home sooner.”
+	“What’s happened to me? Why am I here? Where is here? Hoe...”
+Sakura could feel the fear welling up inside of her again, but she
+refused to let it
+get a good grip. She had been through too much by now. This was
+bizarre, but
+she would make it out all right. Everything would always be all
+right. She had to
+believe that. Even if it was hard to sometimes. She heard her words
+being
+translated into English and again looked around for the source of
+the voice.
+	The woman spoke again, a slight delay carrying between her words and
+the translation from the voice in the roof. “You’re here in what we
+call the
+Waiting Room. It’s a little Spartan, but we never know who will show
+up.” She
+paused for a moment as she tried to decide how much she should
+divulge to the
+visitor. Some people she had explained their situation to, but most
+of them
+wound up thinking they had been kidnapped by aliens or that it had
+all been a
+bad dream. It was easier when there wasn’t such a big difference
+between the
+bodies. She had already had trouble with a young girl in Sam’s body.
+It didn’t
+seem like there had been any permanent mental trauma, thankfully,
+but she
+didn’t want to try again with this girl, even if she was a bit
+older. She hoped that
+this leap would be over quickly enough. “You’ve been replaced by a
+friend of
+mine, a Dr. Sam Beckett. He’s living your life for a few days to fix
+something
+that had gone wrong in it the first time around. When he’s done,
+you’ll go back
+and everything will be perfectly fine again.” Her voice remained
+calm, soothing.
+Even if Ziggy had to translate for the both of them, she still
+wanted to convey a
+reassuring tone to the younger girl, something that Ziggy didn’t
+always worry
+about. Ziggy was too worried about her calculations at this point
+anyway. Sam
+had never leapt this close to home before and she was having
+difficulty finding
+any solid information about any of it. Which frustrated the hybrid
+super
+computer to no ends.
+	“Nani!?” Sakura’s emerald eyes went wide as she swallowed the
+information. Her head shook quickly. No, she didn’t like that at
+all. This was
+definitely not a good usage of magic at all. “But why? I have Onii-
+chan and
+Tomoyo-chan and Yukito-san and Kero-chan and Syaoran all looking out
+for
+me. And I’m the Ca... I can take care of myself, too. And why
+couldn’t you just
+tell me if something was going to go wrong? You didn’t need to
+replace me for
+it.”
+	Dr. Beeks sighed, pulling up her notebook and the information Ziggy
+had given her on fourteen year old Sakura Kinomoto. The man on the
+bed that
+looked exactly like Sam Beckett looked uncertain and confused, a
+tinge of fright
+in his eyes. But there was also a determination laced underneath it
+all, even
+amidst the swirling emotions. And with the way he was sitting, he
+looked very
+much like a little girl that had been lost in a store. After all
+this time of working
+with Sam’s body and whatever soul was currently inhabiting it, she
+had learned
+to ignore the fact that it always looked the same and to look for
+the mannerisms
+of the person underneath. “I’m afraid that it just doesn’t work like
+that. We don’t
+have any control where he goes. He just replaces the person for a
+little while to
+fix something in their life.”
+	“But there’s nothing wrong in my life!” Sakura said in frustration.
+She
+knew she was close to tears, but she didn’t care. This whole thing
+was just too
+much for her to be taking at the moment. She wanted to be back home
+with the
+ones that loved her. There was nothing in her life that needed
+fixing. At least,
+nothing she couldn’t handle. This place was all wrong.
+	Smiling a little sadly, the doctor shook her head. “I’m afraid God,
+Fate,
+Time, or whoever’s leaping Sam around through time doesn’t seem to
+think so.
+But try not to worry too much. It usually works out for the best.”
+Pulling up the
+notes again, she thought to herself, ‘Let’s hope this isn’t one of
+the few times it
+doesn’t.’
+	“Ziggy, I need you to draw some more power for the Imaging
+Chamber. I need enough so that someone else can be seen, too,” Al
+said as he
+brushed past Gooshie and Tina. The two watched in confusion as the
+Japanese
+woman and her entourage of bodyguards followed close behind.
+	“But Admiral, what would the purpose be of allowing Dr. Beckett to
+see Ms. Daidouji?” the female voice that was Ziggy asked from
+everywhere and
+nowhere in particular.
+	“Just do it, Ziggy. I don’t have time for this. Unless you want to
+give
+me some information on what’s going on.” Al paused in front of the
+Imaging
+Chamber door, waiting for a response. He knew he’d hurt Ziggy’s
+feelings as
+the computer paused for a moment. There was no other reason for the
+pause
+because the computer worked at unimaginably high speeds. But she was
+very
+tempermental, especially about this leap.
+	“Admiral, may I remind you that with the leap taking place little
+more
+than a month ago, I am highly limited in my abilities to gain
+information about
+the situation Dr. Beckett finds himself in. He shouldn’t be this
+close to us. How
+am I supposed to find the necessary data when I have nothing to base
+any of it
+on? A young Japanese school girl from the past month is difficult to
+find
+information on, especially anything vital enough to require Dr.
+Beckett’s
+immediate attention. I’m putting all available resources to
+discovering the
+reason for this leap as well as why Dr. Beckett is so close to our
+time. Perhaps
+we could switch jobs and you could perform mine to your liking,
+Admiral.”
+Ziggy’s calm voice still managed to showcase her frustration and her
+bruised
+ego.
+	Al sighed, rubbing his temples. He was getting too old for this.
+“Nevermind, Ziggy. Just draw up some more power, will ya?” This leap
+was
+getting to everyone. Ziggy was having trouble because of the near
+impossibility
+of this leap, Donna because Sam was so close to home, and he was
+still trying to
+hold the whole circus together.
+	“So that is Ziggy? How remarkable.” Sonomi looked at the oddly put
+together computer. She had heard of some of the design
+specifications for the
+hybrid super computer and had heard Al’s complaints about her ego,
+but she had
+never actually thought she was this advanced. But she had a feeling
+she liked the
+computer’s personality already.
+	“This way, Sonomi-san,” Al said, gesturing to the door with the
+handlink. Punching in a button, the door slid open. He sighed and
+took a step
+into the glowing light. He may not like this, but he understood. It
+had torn him
+up to see Beth that one last time when she couldn’t see or hear him,
+but he knew
+that he had needed it. He missed her so much, that he treasured even
+that one
+bittersweet moment with her. He knew that Sonomi had gone through
+the same
+with someone named Nadeshiko. That was part of why they had stayed
+in touch.
+They had both suffered through losing their only true love and had
+somehow
+managed to continue on through the pain. In a way, it was why both
+of them had
+put faith into Project Quantum Leap. And now Sonomi had lost the
+last thing
+keeping her going. So despite his doubts, he had to let her see.
+Especially if Sam
+couldn’t fix things for her. Then this might be the last time she
+would see her
+alive.
+	Sonomi stopped for only a moment to motion the bodyguards to stay
+where they were before stepping after Al. Her heart pounded with
+anxiety. What
+would happen? Would she be there? She needed to see her little girl
+again. The
+past few days had been hell for her. First Nadeshiko and now her own
+daughter,
+who reminded her so much of her dearly departed cousin. She had no
+idea why
+she was still going on or what was holding her together. Her pain
+was getting
+ever more acute, and she had no place for it to go. She couldn’t
+hate Sakura, not
+the way she hated Fujitaka. Yet both had taken away those she loved,
+albeit
+Sakura had done so unknowingly. But she still couldn’t quite forgive
+the
+brunette for taking away her loving daughter, even if she was
+Nadeshiko’s
+daughter.
+	And suddenly, everything was different. They were standing outside
+of
+Tomoyo’s school. It appeared to be around lunchtime, with all of the
+students
+sitting in groups, eating. It was as if they had stepped directly
+from that door in
+Project Quantum Leap out into Tomoeda. Sonomi stood in shock as a
+student
+walked right through her. She knew this was all one big hologram,
+but it seemed
+so real.
+	Sam stared at the observer and the woman standing next to him. A boy
+had passed right through her. Which meant she was in the Imaging
+Chamber
+with him. He tried to extricate himself from Syaoran’s grasp, but
+the Chinese
+boy continued holding on. He mouthed ‘What is she doing here?’ to
+Al, who
+shook his head uncomprehendingly for a moment before nodding.
+	Taking a few steps closer, Al hunched next to Sam, out of Sonomi’s
+range of hearing. “Ohhh... She’s Sonomi Daidouji, Sam. Your best
+friend’s
+mother. She wanted to see Tomoyo again. And don’t argue, you big boy
+scout. It
+won’t change my mind. I’m still in charge of the Project from here.
+Besides, she
+misses her daughter. You have to understand that. I couldn’t just
+send her away
+without ever being able to see her again.”
+	Sam sighed in defeat and nodded. It did make sense, even if he
+didn’t
+really like the idea. But if he couldn’t stop Tomoyo from killing
+herself, then
+this was for the best. How would he feel if she never saw her again?
+	“Is your friend here?” Tomoyo whispered to Sam, unknowingly also
+next to Al’s ear. Al stared at Sam incredulously. “You told her?
+Sam! You know
+you’re not supposed to tell anybody. Great. This is just great.”
+	“She guessed,” Sam got out through a nervous smile. He went back to
+eating as Syaoran looked at him oddly. He nodded in acknowledgement
+of
+Tomoyo’s question.
+	“Guessed?” Turning his attention to the pale girl, he could see her
+stormy blue eyes, deep and intelligent. Sonomi had always told him
+that she was
+very perceptive and the few times he had met her had proven that. He
+just hadn’t
+guessed to what extent.
+	“Tomoyo-chan...” Tears dripped down Sonomi’s cheeks as she saw her
+daughter, alive and well before her eyes once again. It hadn’t been
+that long ago
+that she had seen the young girl in a coffin, her soul already gone
+from her
+beautiful body. But here she was again, shining the way she always
+had, an
+ephemeral shimmer that seemed to encompass her sweet spirit. “Oh,
+Tomoyo-
+chan... My baby, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there when you
+needed me.
+You’re the most precious thing in my life. Honey, I never should
+have left you
+alone when I saw you breaking. I noticed the cracks in your shell
+and I tried to
+help, but you kept insisting that everything was all right. I wanted
+to help, but I
+thought that all I could do was be there for you when you needed me.
+I never
+thought that you’d...” Her fists clenched, her nails digging into
+her palms
+painfully as she fell to her knees beside the young heiress. “Tomoyo-
+chan, I love
+you, my little daughter. I never wanted to see you get hurt the way
+I was. I never
+wanted you to have to live through that. But now... My baby...” Her
+body shook
+as she reached out to Tomoyo, her fingers slipping through the
+hologram.
+Tomoyo still looked happy, but Sonomi could see that it was masking
+her
+nervousness and fear underneath. For what? Probably for Sakura.
+Sonomi’s gaze
+fell on the girl with the emerald eyes, her tears still streaming
+down her cheeks.
+Her heart rolled over as she watched, still being held by Syaoran.
+And yet
+Tomoyo was still pretending to be happy. She had kept up that mask of
+happiness for her friend until the day she had died.
+	“It’s not her, Sonomi,” Al explained as he stood up. “That’s Sam. We
+don’t know why he leapt back into Sakura yet, but we’re looking into
+it.”
+	Shaking her head, Sonomi tried to compose herself, not moving from
+Tomoyo’s side. “To keep Tomoyo-chan from killing herself, of course!
+Why
+else would he be back here?” She was still nearly frantic, finally
+able to see her
+daughter again but unable to even talk to her. “It will be all
+right, Tomoyo-chan.
+I promise. We’ll fix everything. You just stay strong for your
+mother. I promise
+I’ll make everything better,” She said reassuringly, trying to
+stroke her
+daughter’s hair. Her fingers went through the empty space, but it
+almost looked
+like she had heard her. “Oh, Tomoyo-chan...” It hurt to look at her,
+but she
+couldn’t take her eyes away. The last time she had seen that face,
+her eyes had
+been closed for the last time. Sonomi’s heart paused with every
+blink.
+	Al watched from the side for a moment, glancing down to the handlink
+and back up. He knew what torture it was to finally see someone
+you’d lost and
+not be able to interact with them. In a way, this would have been
+easier to handle
+had Sonomi been here to see Nadeshiko. When she had lost Tomoyo, she
+had
+lost everything. This was a woman in huge amounts of pain. He only
+hoped that
+the sight would give her hope. Turning his attention back to Sam,
+the handlink
+gave its usual squeak of protest as Al slapped it on the side.
+“Still no new
+information, Sam. And Ziggy’s not very happy about this at all. She
+says you
+shouldn’t be leaping so close to us. I’ll tell you what we figure
+out as soon as we
+find it. Whatever it is. I’ve got Beeks talking to Sakura right now
+and maybe
+Sonomi can help us figure out what you’re here to fix.” His eyes
+went back to
+the grieving woman, not noticing Sam’s slow nod of approval. He
+shook his
+head and punched up the door. With all that she had been through, he
+didn’t
+want to interrupt her. He would come back in a bit.
+	Sitting next to her daughter, watching her intently as if afraid
+that she
+would soon enough drop dead in front of her very eyes, Sonomi
+continued
+whispering assurances to the smiling dark haired girl. And unknowing
+of the
+guardian angel watching over her, Tomoyo continued her lunch.
+	It had been difficult for Sam to ignore Tomoyo’s mother for the
+rest of
+lunch, but he was the only one who could see her. He wanted to help,
+to say
+something that could take that terrible pain from her eyes, but he
+couldn’t with
+everyone around. She had finally left a little after lunch had
+ended, talking to Al
+for a bit before the Observer had finally convinced her to leave the
+Imaging
+Chamber. Sam had considered telling Tomoyo, but thought it would only
+complicate matters if she knew her mother was there. Let alone why
+she was
+there.
+	School had finally ended and he had absolutely no idea where his
+home
+was. And no Al to tell him either. He sighed and glanced around,
+hoping to see
+the Imaging Chamber door opening and the always oddly dressed Al
+walking
+out. No such luck. A hand grabbing his own shook him from his
+thoughts.
+Turning, he saw Syaoran’s face in it’s usual impassive look. But he
+could notice
+a slight blush coloring his cheeks. Sam smiled a bit. It looked like
+the body he
+was in gave a good impression at the least.
+	“Do you want to come with me? I still have some unpacking to do, but
+I thought we could do something when I’m done with that,” the
+Chinese boy
+said after a moment’s hesitation.
+	“I’m sure she would love to, Li-kun, but Sakura-chan’s not feeling
+very
+well. I just cancelled her cheerleading for today and I’m going to
+take her right
+home. But Sakura-chan would love to go see it when she’s feeling
+better. I’m
+afraid all of the excitement today has taken its toll on her. You
+know how
+worked up girls can get over their boyfriends, Li-kun.” Tomoyo’s
+sweet voice
+drifted to the two as she exited the front door to the school and
+approached
+Sam’s other side. She was smiling her usual insanely cute smile.
+Syaoran didn’t
+seem impressed with it.
+	Sam nodded in agreement quickly. “Yeah, I really should get some
+rest.
+I haven’t been feeling like myself all day. I’ll see you soon,
+Syaoran.” He felt
+bad to be leaving Sakura’s boyfriend behind the day he had returned
+to Japan to
+see her, but it was so much easier that way. He didn’t want to think
+about all of
+the problems of going over to his house and dealing with it all.
+	Shrugging noncommittally, Syaoran looked at Sam. “Okay. I’ll see you
+then. Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you home instead?”
+	“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it. You just finish
+packing,” Sam
+answered with a smile. The last thing he needed right now was to
+talk about the
+‘old times’ that he had no idea about.
+	“And the sooner you finish packing, the sooner you can come and see
+Sakura-chan in bed. I’ll do my best to nurse her back to health for
+you,”
+Tomoyo added kindly, taking Sam’s other hand. The fingers
+intertwined with
+those of Sakura’s body in a smooth, unconscious movement.
+	Syaoran frowned and shook his head. He had finally gotten back and
+now Sakura had to get sick. It wasn’t fair. She was the whole reason
+he had
+come back in the first place. “I’ll try to see you later tonight,
+Sakura-chan. Feel
+better soon.” Hesitating for a moment, but getting a look of
+reassurance from
+Tomoyo the same way she had always tried to get him to tell Sakura
+how he felt,
+he leaned forward and kissed Sakura.
+	Sam’s eyes went wide as he felt the boy’s lips against his own
+again.
+Well, the one’s he was using at the moment anyway. But it didn’t
+feel altogether
+unpleasant as his lips pressed against those of the Japanese girl he
+was
+inhabiting. And he needed to keep things together until his host
+returned.
+Sighing inwardly, Sam kissed back slightly. Syaoran finally pulled
+away,
+blushing a bit. Saying their goodbyes, he hurried off for home. Sam
+stood where
+he was for a few moments, trying to shake the whole feeling off. But
+being in a
+hormone ridden teenage body really didn’t help matters.
+	“Are you ready, Sakura-chan?” Tomoyo’s voice asked from Sam’s left.
+When she saw him nod, she began to lead him back home. It was
+strange seeing
+Sakura’s body, but not Sakura in it. It was like seeing someone
+wearing a
+friend’s clothes. They clothes may look the same, but the person
+underneath was
+different. It was the same watching Sam in Sakura’s body. It looked
+like Sakura,
+but everything was off. The movements, the way he spoke, everything.
+All of it
+strengthened her longing to have her friend back. Her mind had been
+centered
+on the Cardmistress all day, barely keeping from panic. She needed
+to know that
+Sakura-chan was all right.
+	It took Sam a moment to realize that they were moving. At least
+someone knew where his home was. That solved one problem. As they
+walked,
+Tomoyo chatted pleasantly about all sorts of things, from camcorders
+to sewing
+to how cute Sakura was. He wondered how Sakura hadn’t noticed the
+girl’s love
+for her. It seemed obvious enough and she was so warm and caring
+towards her,
+even if Sam was occupying the body for the time being. “Why didn’t
+you tell
+her how you feel?” Sam interrupted as she was in the middle of
+explaining how
+difficult it was to videotape someone on a flying staff that was
+dodging magic.
+	Silence grew between the two for a moment. Tomoyo was smiling
+again when she looked at Sam. “Did your friend tell you? They must
+have a lot
+of information on Sakura-chan.”
+	Sam nodded quietly. He felt a cold chill as he remembered Al’s
+explanation of why she had killed herself. “Yeah, he did. We have
+some
+information, but not as much as we’d like. But he did tell me that
+you’re in love
+with her. Why didn’t you tell her?”
+	Tomoyo looked away, concentrating on their surroundings instead of
+the body of her best friend. Her smile was still there, but it
+looked marginally
+weaker, as if Sam had hit on a weak spot. “Because she loves Li-kun.
+There’s no
+reason to tell her how I feel. That would only complicate things for
+her. She’s
+happy now. As long as the one I love is happy, I’m happy, too.”
+	“But it can’t be healthy to keep all of that inside all the time.
+Don’t you
+ever talk to anyone about it? Don’t you think that she would want to
+know how
+you felt?” Sam asked, wanting desperately to change the pale girl’s
+apparent
+fate. How could he make her understand?
+	“I think Sakura-chan was very confused about Li-kun’s feelings for
+her.
+But she finally decided that she returned his feelings. And she’s
+happy with that.
+I think telling her how I feel would confuse poor Sakura-chan and
+she would
+feel bad about rejecting me, so it would just hurt her. If that’s
+the case, then
+there really isn’t a reason to tell her. I’ll always love her,
+whether or not she
+knows that. So if it comes between telling Sakura-chan and hurting
+her or
+keeping it to myself and holding it all inside, I would much rather
+keep it locked
+up inside. I never want her to suffer because of me.” Tomoyo’s
+gentle voice held
+a tinge of sadness in it, but her smile didn’t falter again. She had
+made her
+decision a long time ago. She would live her entire life alone if
+she had to. But
+she wouldn’t hurt Sakura out of selfishness. Even if she did want
+Sakura to
+know, no good could come from it.
+	Sam watched the pale girl closely for a few seconds. No wonder she
+tried to kill herself. She was keeping it all pent up inside. Not
+only her love, but
+all of her pain as well. It had no place to go, building up as it
+ate away at her. It
+finally must have grown too much for her to carry. “But don’t you
+think killing
+yourself would make her sad? If you’re her best friend, do you
+really think she’d
+be happy about that?” He locked eyes with Tomoyo, trying to get
+through
+somehow.
+	Tomoyo paused for only a moment before replying with another smile,
+her head tilted to the side. “I’m here for Sakura-chan for as long
+as she needs
+me. I will stay by her side for as long as I’m necessary to her. But
+now she has
+Li-kun. And she’ll probably move back to Hong Kong with him. He’s
+going to
+be the one that she’ll run to from now on. He’s the one who will be
+the most
+important person in her life. She doesn’t need me anymore. He’ll be
+the support
+that I always gave her. And he’ll protect her in ways I never could.
+He’ll give
+her a child. So I understand that I couldn’t stay important to
+Sakura-chan
+forever. I knew that she’d leave eventually and that I would just be
+a memory.
+And that’s okay. Because I want her to be happy. But she doesn’t
+need me
+anymore.” It did hurt inside. It hurt so badly. She wanted to stay
+important to
+Sakura forever, to always be by her side. But now that was Li-kun’s
+job. She
+had vowed to stay by Sakura for as long as Sakura needed her, but
+that wouldn’t
+be much longer now that Syaoran was back. And so Tomoyo had thought
+it best
+to fade into the background, letting herself slowly slip from Sakura
+so that it
+wouldn’t hurt the other girl. Sakura wouldn’t need to miss her
+because she’d
+only be a memory soon enough. A vague memory. But her heart would
+always
+hold Sakura very close, always loving her. No matter what. There was
+no reason
+for her to stay outside of Sakura’s life.
+	“No, that’s not true! She does need you. Even if she’s in love with
+some other boy, that doesn’t mean you aren’t important to her.
+You’re her
+friend. You’ll still remain important to her whether or not other
+things become
+important in her life. You can still be happy. You can find someone
+else and
+stay friends,” Sam argued, wanting something to shake the dark
+future that lay
+ahead.
+	Shaking her head almost imperceptibly, Tomoyo stopped. Her long,
+dark hair fluttered behind her in the wind. “I don’t want anyone
+else. I love
+Sakura-chan. And I always will. It doesn’t matter if I’m with her.
+Why would
+that change my love for her? Why would I want to find someone else?
+To
+replace her? No, I’m perfectly content to hold her deep in my heart
+for eternity.
+And I’ll always be her friend. Whether or not I’m here.” She smiled
+again at
+Sam and continued on before he could answer. “Your brother’s
+probably home.
+Try to act angry at his taunts, but don’t worry about them. He
+really looks out
+for you. We’ll get you to your room before he can notice that
+anything’s
+wrong.” Pulling up Sakura’s backpack, she reached in and grabbed the
+key.
+	Sam sighed as she opened the door and motioned for him to follow.
+This leap wasn’t offering him any easy answers. Feeling Tomoyo’s
+hand still
+holding his own, he let her pull him inside.
+“You... You killed her. You killed my precious daughter all because
+you were too blind to see her devotion to you. You never saw the
+pain in her that
+I would always see seeping around the edges whenever I would get
+home. Why?
+Why did you have to take away my daughter?” Sonomi asked
+incredulously.
+Sakura sobbed on the bed as her friend’s mother came closer, a look
+of pure
+torment on her face.
+“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Sakura cried in protest.
+She
+had been so happy to see Sonomi, to see anyone at all that she
+actually knew.
+But after running to her and hugging her, Sonomi had broken down
+into tears,
+blaming Sakura for Tomoyo’s death. Sakura was completely taken by
+surprise.
+Tomoyo was dead? What had happened? What had she done?
+“She loved you so much. She was always there for you. Why weren’t
+you there when she needed you, Sakura-chan? How could you hurt her so
+badly?” Shaking her head, the distraught mother paused for a moment,
+trying to
+get a grip on herself. She was trying desperately to remember that
+this was
+Nadeshiko’s daughter as well as Fujitaka’s. It pained her greatly
+just to be there
+with her. She knew damn well why Tomoyo had killed herself. She knew
+how
+much her little girl loved Nadeshiko’s daughter. It was almost
+impossible to
+think clearly. She had thought she would be able to handle seeing
+Sakura this
+time. At the funeral she had brushed her aside, barely able to stand
+the sight of
+her even though Sakura had been trying to offer comfort. But now, it
+all came
+back to her. The phone call after they had found her daughter’s cold
+body in the
+lake, the letter from Tomoyo telling her not to be sad, the entire
+funeral flashing
+before her eyes.
+“Sonomi-san, please tell me what’s going on,” Sakura begged, wiping
+at her eyes. “Tomoyo-chan... She’s not...” The words refused to
+leave her
+mouth. No, that couldn’t be it. Tomoyo had to be all right. That
+couldn’t be why
+she was here. But she had never seen anyone in so much pain before.
+It was
+frightening. Her own heart was on the verge of breaking. If she lost
+Tomoyo,
+what would she do? Tomoyo was always there for her, always sweetly
+supporting whatever she did. She always went to Tomoyo for
+everything.
+Tomoyo was the sun in her sky, keeping everything in her life lit
+brightly. The
+brunette couldn’t fathom a world without her brilliantly smiling
+face. That
+would just be too lonely. Like a world without stars in the sky or a
+big, shining
+moon. Darkness would encompass her life. She needed Tomoyo.
+Somehow managing to grasp a hold of her composure for a moment,
+Sonomi glared at Sakura as she stood up to her full height. “Tomoyo-
+chan died
+two days ago. She drowned in a lake at the park.” Sakura gasped at
+Sonomi’s
+words, tears spilling down the cheeks of the quantum physicist whose
+body she
+was inhabiting. Closing her eyes, Sonomi continued. “She killed
+herself over
+you, Sakura-chan. She couldn’t live without you. And I don’t blame
+her. You
+meant the world to her. She loved you with all of her heart.” Her
+words echoed
+in her head as she choked past them. She could almost see Tomoyo’s
+sad ghost
+shaking her head, pleading with her not to be angry with Sakura.
+Sonomi
+couldn’t blame Tomoyo for killing herself. But Tomoyo wouldn’t want
+her to
+blame Sakura either.
+“No...” Crying into her hands, Sakura tried desperately to find a way
+out of this nightmare. It couldn’t be true. Things were getting
+worse and worse
+in this horrible dream. First she was stuck all alone in some man’s
+body while he
+tried to fix something that went badly in her life, then Sonomi came
+and got mad
+at her and now she found out that her best friend was dead. And that
+it was her
+fault. Her body shook as she was wracked with sobs. ‘Please let me
+wake up
+from this! Please...’ she thought weakly to herself, her thoughts to
+painful to
+continue on rationally. Her only thought was Tomoyo’s smiling face,
+glowing
+brighter and brighter as she faded until all that was left was a
+vague outline. Her
+hands dropped to her sides as the brunette woman grabbed her
+shoulders,
+forcing her to look up.
+“Sakura-chan, she would never tell you because she wanted to be
+happy, no matter how much I told her she should. Because she thought
+you
+shouldn’t know. But damn it, I can’t let you keep on ignoring my
+daughter
+forever. She deserves for you to know, even if you can’t love her
+back. Sakura-
+chan, she loves you. She still does, my sweet little angel. She’s
+probably
+watching over you just as surely as Nadeshiko-chan is.” Sonomi’s
+gaze was
+piercing, the same stormy blue eyes that Tomoyo had inherited from
+her looking
+deep into Sakura’s soul, unflinching in their determination.
+	Bursting into sobs at the intense gaze, Sakura’s eyes clenched shut
+again. Tomoyo’s voice chorused in her head, hundreds of different
+things she
+had said tumbling end over end through her mind. She had filed them
+all away
+as just strange things Tomoyo had said, but now they all began
+making sense, as
+if Tomoyo was saying them all from right behind her.
+	“Not only is she fast, but she’s cute, too!”
+	“I guess you can hear the name of the person you like no matter what
+the circumstances.”
+	“Sakura-chan is so cute and happy now, so I’m happy, too.”
+	“Of course I would be happy if my special person liked me. But I’ll
+be
+happy as long as my special person is.”
+	And most painfully, “I love you, Sakura-chan.”
+	“I love you, too, Tomoyo-chan,” she had replied with a smile.
+	“I don’t think my love is the same as Sakura-chan’s,” Tomoyo had
+replied, looking at her sweetly as she often did when she would say
+such things.
+And shortly after Sakura’s confused response, “I’ll explain when
+you’re older.”
+But Tomoyo never did. Sakura had forgotten all about it and Tomoyo
+hadn’t
+tried to explain to her, always being kind and loving but never
+telling her as the
+years went by and she grew closer to Syaoran. And apparently, Tomoyo
+never
+would have the chance to explain it to her.
+“Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura cried quietly, shuddering. They had grown
+even closer over the past few years while Syaoran was back in Hong
+Kong. The
+thought of living without her left her feel freezing cold inside.
+Her heart felt like
+a wasteland.
+The older woman pulled her cousin’s daughter close, unable to watch
+her tears anymore. She couldn’t feel angry at Sakura any longer, the
+tears
+showing her own pain at losing Tomoyo. Sonomi kissed her forehead
+gently,
+stroking her back as she held her close, the older male body making
+the whole
+scene seem awkward. “She loved you very much, Sakura-chan. She
+always did.”
+Right now, she didn’t see Nadeshiko in Sakura. Nor did she see
+Fujitaka. She
+saw herself, crying over the loss of her beloved Nadeshiko. She saw
+that same
+pain in Sakura. Her own soul was mirrored in Sakura’s sobs and
+tearful eyes.
+"Oh, Sakura-chan...”
+Dr. Verbeena Beeks sighed and let the door slide closed again. She
+had
+been about to enter to put a stop to the whole fiasco, but it looked
+like she
+wasn’t needed after all.
+	Sam sighed as he sat down on his host’s bed. Glancing around the
+room, her noticed that it looked nice and fairly organized, a
+television in the
+corner with a gaming system that a little yellow stuffed bear was
+placed in front
+of and other stuffed animals placed around the room. There was
+another stuffed
+bear on the bed as well as a little doll that looked a little like
+Sakura in a
+costume. Overall, it was a very nice, cute room. Not much like
+Sam’s, if he
+could remember it at all.
+	Sitting elegantly next to him, Tomoyo smoothed down her skirt and
+smiled softly. “You did pretty well with Touya-san. I don’t think he
+noticed that
+too much was different about you. But you should probably stay away
+from him.
+He can be very perceptive about things, especially concerning people
+around his
+sister,” she suggested helpfully.
+	Kero ignored the two girls talking behind him. He had more important
+things to think about, like finally beating the game he was
+currently playing. He
+hadn’t saved a single time yet and he was already so very near the
+end. “Jump!!
+C’mon!!”
+	Staring at the little bear over by the gaming console, Sam began
+crawling across the bed. He felt a hand readjust the skirt as it had
+gotten
+bunched up. Blushing a bit, the leaper shrugged it off and
+concentrated on the
+stuffed animal. “It just talked, didn’t it?” He sincerely hoped he
+wasn’t going
+insane. After so many leaps, he would not be at all surprised if he
+was. But that
+was the last thing he needed.
+	“That’s Kero-chan. He’s the Seal Beast for Sakura-chan’s Sakura
+Cards. She’s the world’s best magical girl,” Tomoyo explained
+cheerfully,
+smiling.
+	“She’s the only magical girl you know,” Kero pointed out, only
+paying
+half attention to her. “But yeah, Sakura-chan’s the best.”
+	“That’s amazing...” Sam breathed in wonder. In all his years of
+leaping,
+all of the technological wonders he had worked on, this was like
+nothing he had
+seen before. Walking over to the stuffed animal, Sam knelt down,
+watching it
+play the video game. He poked lightly at the small wings on its
+back. They
+fluttered in irritation at the touch.
+	“Sakura-chan, I’m a little busy right now. I just have to...
+Almost!!
+C’mon!! Just wait till I show you my hurricane special move, the
+Kero-chan
+Special!!” Kero yelled enthusiastically.
+	Shaking his head, Sam sat back and laughed. “I can’t believe it.
+It’s
+real. I mean, it actually talks.” He shook his head, laughing again.
+Sam Beckett,
+for all of his knowledge, had always been driven by his childlike
+curiosity. It
+had always pushed him forward. And he was delighted to see the
+magical being
+in front of him, entirely absorbed in a video game.
+	Giggling softly, Tomoyo watched the person that looked like Sakura.
+“Hai, he has a lot to say.” She looked thoughtful for a moment,
+tilting her head
+to the side. “So if you don’t know that she’s a magical girl, how
+much do you
+know about Sakura-chan?”
+	“Not an awful lot, I’m afraid.” Sam sighed, finally turning back to
+the
+pale girl. “Not enough to know what I’m here to fix yet.” Averting
+his gaze, his
+mind questioned his answer.
+	“But you have an idea,” Tomoyo supplied, watching his reaction. “You
+need to help Sakura-chan. I’ll do whatever I can to help you. I just
+want her to
+be happy.” Her eyes closed and a weak sigh escaped her suddenly
+fragile
+looking form. The day had taken quite a bit of her strength. She
+just wanted to
+see Sakura again.
+	“But what about you? Why can’t you be happy, too?” Sam shot back,
+regretting it as the words left his mouth. But he still couldn’t
+understand how
+that one person could mean so much to her that she would end her
+life. Not the
+way Al seemed to, at least. She was such a sweet, innocent girl. He
+couldn’t let
+that fate befall her. There had to be a way for him to stop it.
+	Tomoyo smiled softly and brushed back some of her lavender hair from
+her eyes. “But I am happy. I’m happy knowing that Sakura-chan will
+be happy
+with the one she loves.” Before Sam could argue, she continued.
+“That doesn’t
+mean that I don’t hurt as well. I love her so much. I would do
+anything for
+Sakura-chan. To be in her arms, I would certainly have to be in
+Heaven with its
+most beautiful angel, Sakura-chan. But I can’t have that. And I
+understand. So I
+will do whatever I can to make Sakura-chan happy. That means much
+more to
+me than my own happiness.”
+	Sam shook his head in confusion. “But how can you do that when it
+hurts you so much? When you can’t survive the outcome? It doesn’t
+make sense.
+Don’t do this to yourself! You can stop it all from happening. You
+can still be
+happy without her.”
+	Her smile faded slightly but it remained on the pale girl as she
+closed
+her eyes, clasping her hands together. “It’s like I have fallen in
+love with the
+stars in the sky. They shine down in our lives, twinkling happily
+and giving us
+glimmers of dreams. But you can never reach them. Just as I have
+fallen in love
+with Sakura-chan. Even if I can’t quite reach her the way I would
+like to, she
+shines on me and makes me feel so blessed just to have known her. To
+repay her
+for all of the wonderful dreams and happiness she has granted me
+through my
+years with her, I will repay her as best I can, by making her happy.
+And if I can’t
+be the one to make her happy, then I’ll be glad that Li-kun can.
+Even if I don’t
+want to stay here without her, I’m eternally grateful to her for
+being in my life
+for as along as she was. And I will not burden her by staying in
+hers. But I will
+watch over her happily when I’m gone, the knowledge that she is
+happy filling
+my heart.”
+	Blinking in surprise, Sam looked away. He was speechless. He really
+didn’t know how to respond to Tomoyo. She was so convincing, even if
+he
+believed that she was wrong.
+	“Sam!!” Al yelled out as soon as he stepped out of the Imaging
+Chamber door. “Ziggy’s got something! You’ve gotta get down to
+Syaoran’s
+house now!”
+	Standing up quickly, Sam ignored the fluttering skirt around him and
+nodded. “Where is it, Al? What’s going on?”
+	“Just get outside! I’ll show you from there. And I’ll explain along
+the
+way.” With a few buttons on the handlink, I’ll repositioned himself
+outside.
+	“I need to get to Syaoran’s house,” Sam said hastily, heading out
+the
+door.
+	“Sakura-chan, matte! I’ll show you where it is.” Taking Sam’s hand,
+Tomoyo hurried with him down the stairs, leaving an oblivious Kero
+to the last
+level of his game. She watched the person inhabiting her beloved
+Sakura
+carefully, wondering what the invisible friend could have said to
+get his
+attention this way.
+	“Where are you headed off to so quickly, monster?” Touya asked
+conversationally from the kitchen.
+	“We’ve got to go study!” came Sam’s response as the rushed out the
+door.
+	Touya watched after the two girl’s curiously, sipping his tea. His
+attention turned to the white haired boy sitting next to him at the
+table. “Since
+when did Sakura ever hurry to go study?”
+	Yukito smiled pleasantly, his glasses shimmering in the afternoon
+light
+filtering in through the window. “Maybe it’s not the studying, but
+being able to
+study with Tomoyo-chan. Studying seems to be the last thing on your
+mind
+when we study,” the snow bunny commented thoughtfully, earning him a
+dirty
+look from Touya. He just grinned even further.
+	“So what’s going on, Al? What did Ziggy find out?” Sam asked
+impatiently as Tomoyo led the way to Syaoran’s house while the
+holographic
+observer followed along. It had been decided that she should lead,
+knowing the
+area much better than Al, even with the maps displayed on the
+handlink.
+	“It took forever to find, but she finally found some records that
+were of
+some interest. Okay, okay. She wants me to say what a supreme effort
+it took on
+her part to obtain the information. Alright!” Al grimaced at the
+handlink and
+pounded on the side. “And that she found it right in time because
+this window of
+opportunity is rapidly shrinking. Egomaniacal hunk of...” he
+muttered under his
+breath. Looking back up, Al continued on. “Syaoran’s getting a visit
+right now
+from someone important to all of this. His fiancee, a girl named
+Meiling. After
+finding out he went back to Japan to be with you, she booked a
+flight and
+headed out to try to convince him otherwise. They get into a huge
+argument and
+she leaves, apparently broken up by the whole thing. Seems she
+really had it big
+for your boyfriend.”
+	“Can you please quit calling him my boyfriend?” Sam asked
+exasperatedly. Shaking his head, he looked back at Al. He was glad
+for Sakura’s
+athletic body during the long walk, but Tomoyo seemed to be
+breathing with
+difficulty. He hoped they would get there soon. “All right, so what
+happens with
+Meiling?”
+	“Well, she doesn’t kill herself, but she doesn’t seem to take it
+much
+better than Tomoyo other than that. Ziggy says there’s a 73%
+probability that
+you’re here to make sure that she gets with Syaoran and that he
+doesn’t ruin
+things with her. She says that things probably won’t work out with
+you and him
+and that the relationship will eventually fall apart, but by then
+it’ll be too
+shattered to pick up any of the pieces for anyone involved.”
+Motioning towards
+Tomoyo with the handlink, he sighed. “Especially for her.”
+	Sam stopped dead in his tracks, nearly dragging the dark haired
+girl off
+of her feet at the sudden stop. “Only 73%? Al, can’t you give me
+something a
+little better than that? I can’t ruin Sakura’s relationship with him
+over that. What
+if they can work things out? What if they’re meant to have kids? How
+can I do
+that, Al?” A sigh escaped his lips. This leap was really starting to
+wear him
+down.
+	“It’s all right, Fake Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo said with a warm smile
+and
+a gentle squeeze of Sam’s hand. “If you worry like that, then you
+won’t be able
+to help Sakura-chan out when she needs it. I trust you to fix things
+for her.
+Please believe in yourself. Whatever you decide.” Her eyes took on a
+pleading
+look. “Please make sure that Sakura-chan can be happy.”
+	“I promise that I’ll try my hardest to make sure she can be,” Sam
+promised, smiling a little in return. Turning his attention back to
+Al, his eyes
+narrowed. “Even if the odds are only 73%.”
+	Sighing, Al shook his head as a loud trill came from the handlink.
+“Ziggy’s not too pleased with your attitude about this, Sam. She had
+to hack into
+a whole lot of systems to get the information that she did. And
+besides, why do
+you always have to be this way about the odds? I give you bad odds
+and you beg
+for better ones. I give you good odds and you’ll say that’s not why
+you’ve leapt
+in and do something boneheaded on your gut instinct.”
+	Sam frowned and looked away. “But most of the time I’m right when
+it’s my instinct,” he argued. Closing his eyes, he sighed. “But we
+don’t have
+time for that. Especially if we don’t have much time left. Besides,
+this sounds
+like it could hurt a lot of people in the end.”
+	A door flew open near them and a black haired girl stepped out,
+tears in
+her eyes and fists clenched. “And if that’s what you want, Syaoran,
+then you can
+go ahead and have it!! I’m going back to Hong Kong, you selfish
+asshole!! I
+hope I never see you again!”
+	Sam winced as he watched her gaze icily at him. Of course, he was
+the
+reason she was angry. Syaoran stumbled out the door after her,
+holding his
+stomach as if he had been punched there. Which, surprisingly, he had
+been.
+Meiling seemed to be a very... fiery woman. Not someone he wanted
+mad at
+him. He nearly backpedaled as he approached.
+	“Sam... Don’t get into a catfight with her, okay? I know you know
+some martial arts, but trust me, you don’t know anything compared to
+her,” Al
+warned from Sam’s side, punching up information on the handlink.
+“Ziggy says
+not to piss her off. Oh, thanks, Queen Ziggy. That’s something he
+couldn’t have
+figured out for himself.”
+	“Sakura-chan..?” Syaoran asked in surprise, standing up straight
+when
+he saw Sam. He looked at her in confusion before looking back to the
+still angry
+Meiling.
+	“I’m going home. I hope you two are happy with each other!” Meiling
+turned, wiping at her eyes as she began to walk away from the house.
+Syaoran
+stood on the sidewalk, frozen with indecision. He shouldn’t go to
+stop Meiling
+with Sakura here. He had made his decision and he would have to
+stand by it. So
+he would have to let Meiling leave, possibly never to speak with her
+again. But
+there was nothing else he could do. He never had been good at
+expressing his
+emotions and this situation was no different. If anything, it just
+made it more
+difficult. But he didn’t want to see Meiling leave like this.
+	“Wait, Meiling!” Sam grabbed her arm, trying to stall her. She
+easily
+pulled from his grasp, turning on an agile foot and glaring directly
+at the
+displaced time traveler.
+	“What the hell do you want, Sakura? You already have Syaoran. Leave
+me alone. I’m leaving.” The rest of what she said was in Chinese and
+didn’t
+make any sense to Sam. She was obviously very upset, masking her
+pain with
+sheer, seething anger. She was not going to be easy to deal with at
+all. Her
+beloved had just fled to Japan to be with another woman, leaving her
+all alone.
+And arguing with him had just made things worse, painful words
+flying both
+ways as it raged on. Right now she wanted to be on an airplane back
+home
+where she could forget about sorcerer’s that didn’t keep their
+promises to wed
+and magical girls that weave spells and steal fiancees.
+	“Please, don’t go, Meiling. You’ll regret it if you leave today. I
+promise. We have to talk about things,” Sam urged softly, hoping
+that he could
+contain the situation. If Meiling wanted to leave, there was
+absolutely no way he
+could stop her. And that was possibly his only chance to fix things.
+“Please?”
+	“I already regret coming here. What’s another regret?” Meiling shot
+back angrily, her eyes still bloodshot from her tears. But she
+seemed to at least
+consider it, making no move to leave. Her eyes darted back towards
+Syaoran
+who refused to look at her. He had no idea why Sakura was doing
+this, but it
+was only making things harder. He had done this for her. Why was she
+making
+it more difficult than it had to be? Meiling looked away again, her
+heart torn in
+two at the sight of the boy she loved waiting to be with the
+Japanese girl.
+	Sam took a deep breath, looking from face to face to face. Did
+Sakura
+know how many lives she could affect? All of these people could be
+hurt terribly
+by an innocent sin that Sakura had no idea to prevent. Sam only
+hoped he still
+had time. Tomoyo would die at her own hands out of grief, Meiling
+would be
+broken over the loss of her fiancee, and Syaoran and Sakura would
+probably get
+hurt by the personal loss of the two girls, even if Meiling didn’t
+leave in the
+same way. Now how did he fix all that? He glanced to Al, hoping for
+some idea.
+The Observer had to know some way to resolve this, right? Otherwise
+he
+wouldn’t be able to do anything. But how could he break up Sakura and
+Syaoran? It hardly seemed fair to do that to them. The sound of the
+Imaging
+Chamber door whooshing open shook him from his thoughts. He stared
+in shock
+as he saw himself standing next to Al wearing the all white fermi
+suit that was
+used for multiple purposes at Project Quantum Leap. He hadn’t seen
+himself in
+so long. But what was he doing there?
+	“Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura whispered softly as she looked at the dark
+haired girl standing next to her body. It took all she had to keep
+from bursting
+into tears after what Sonomi had told her earlier. She sniffled
+slightly but smiled
+at the brown haired boy standing a bit away from her. None of them
+could see
+her, which was a bit eerie. “Thank you, Syaoran-kun. You were right.
+I
+shouldn’t cry. It won’t fix anything. Thank you for teaching me
+that. I need to
+solve my problems.”
+	“Sakura?” Sam asked in shock. What was she doing here? Why was Al
+parading people through the Imaging Chamber? If they were all going
+to see
+Tomoyo before she died, couldn’t the watch from Ziggy’s monitors?
+	Sakura bowed to Sam, a little awkward in his taller body. “Gomen
+nasai. Thank you for trying to fix my life. But I need to fix my own
+problems.
+It’s not right to have you fix them all for me. Then I won’t have
+learned
+anything. If you run away from your problems, you will regret them
+for years
+afterwards. I learned that from Sonomi-san.”
+	“I... uhhh... sure..” Sam nodded, still a little confused about the
+whole
+situation. He hoped this leap would start making sense soon.
+	“Sakura-chan, are you okay?” Syaoran asked, his eyes narrowing as he
+looked around for who Sakura was talking to. “Who is it?”
+	Sam shook his head quickly, brushing back some reddish brown hair
+that got in his eyes. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it. I’m just
+trying to think
+about what to say.” He glanced back to Sakura, hoping that she had
+some idea
+about how to resolve this whole thing.
+	Sakura’s hands went to her chest, her eyes closing. She sighed
+deeply,
+trying to concentrate. This would be difficult to do, but she knew
+she had to.
+Opening her eyes, determination flared through them. She smiled
+sadly at
+Syaoran, stepping up to him even if he couldn’t see her. “Syaoran-
+kun, thank
+you so much for coming back to see me. I missed you so much. You
+were such a
+great help with the Cards and with all of the dangers that I faced.
+I couldn’t have
+asked for a better rival. I’m glad that we stopped that and that we
+got to grow
+closer. You’re really sweet when you let it show through. I’m glad I
+got to see
+you again. But I’m afraid that I can’t say I feel the same way I
+used to. Or that I
+ever did. I never really got to decide for myself who I was in love
+with.
+Everyone seemed to think it was you. Tomoyo-chan, Yukito-san, Eriol-
+kun, they
+all seemed to lead me to you. So when you told me how you felt, I
+felt like they
+already had told me. So I thought I had to return your feelings. But
+they didn’t
+know my heart. Neither did I, back then. I’m so sorry. I think you
+belong with
+Meiling-chan. She really does love you very much and she’s so open
+about it. I
+think you’d be sad if you never see her again or if she’s mad at you
+about this. I
+hope things work out. Hoe... I’m so sorry about all this. But I’m
+really happy I
+got to meet you. And that we had all of the adventures that we did.
+You’ll
+always be an important friend to me, Syaoran-kun.” She tried to hug
+him,
+smiling weakly, but she nearly fell through him. Sighing, she
+stepped back,
+watching the sad look on his face as Sam repeated what she had said
+to him. He
+didn’t want to understand. He didn’t want it to be true. Her heart
+went out to
+him, but she knew that she had to continue.
+	“What?” Meiling asked in shock. Why would Sakura give up Syaoran
+all of the sudden? She never would in Sakura’s position. A slow
+smile crept
+along her lips. Who cared if Sakura had suddenly gone insane? This
+meant
+Syaoran would be all hers after all. It had been worth coming to
+Japan again.
+“Poor Syaoran,” she said, mock pouting as she took the still shocked
+boy’s arm.
+“Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of you.” She smiled sweetly and
+rested her
+head on his shoulder, delighting at the way it felt to be next to
+him again. Yes,
+she’d make sure that Syaoran never did anything that stupid again.
+Or else.
+	Still in Sam’s body, Sakura blushed a bit, wringing her hands as she
+looked at Tomoyo. While in the Waiting Room, Sakura had had quite a
+bit of
+time to think. And Sonomi’s explanations had given her a chance to
+realize a
+horrible mistake that she would have made. She only hoped that she
+was in time
+to fix it. “Tomoyo-chan, I finally understand what you meant. I.. I
+love you, too,
+Tomoyo-chan. I need you. More than you could ever know. Tomoyo-chan,
+you
+make me feel so warm and happy inside. So hanyaa. Whenever I feel
+bad,
+you’re right there to help me back up again. When I’m happy, you’re
+there with
+me recording it all and watching me. And that makes me even happier,
+that you
+can be there to share it with me. Tomoyo-chan, you don’t have to
+just watch
+your special person be happy. Because I don’t think I could be happy
+without
+you. I... I want to make you happy, too.” Clasping her hands
+together, Sakura
+looked down at her friend, watching her intently. Finding out how
+Tomoyo felt
+about her hadn’t surprised her as much as she would have thought it
+should
+have. But it just made sense now that she looked back on all that
+Tomoyo had
+said and done for her. It didn’t take long to realize that her own
+feelings had
+begun to flow along with Tomoyo’s long ago. She had begged them to
+let her
+see Tomoyo when she had finally found the love hiding in her own
+heart.
+	Tomoyo listened in disbelief to her friend’s sweet voice. That
+couldn’t
+be right. Could it just be the person who was in Sakura saying that?
+The
+mannerisms showed that it was still the fake Sakura, but those words
+were the
+Cardmistress’s. So that meant Sakura was here. Saying this to her.
+Her cheeks
+brightened as she looked around for her best friend. In desperation,
+she grabbed
+onto the person impersonating Sakura, holding on tightly to the body
+of her best
+friend. “Sakura-chan...!” Her stormy blue eyes closed tightly, her
+heart pouring
+out to Sakura, wherever she was. Sakura had been gone all day and
+this was the
+first time she had the chance to be near her, to know that she was
+there. The real
+her. It left the pale girl feeling weak inside, especially at
+Sakura’s words. She
+would have just been happy to know that the magical girl was back.
+This set her
+soul afire, almost too much for her weary body to handle. A dam had
+broken in
+her heart, letting all of the love she kept pent up inside for
+Sakura flow out,
+nearly drowning her in its strength. Everything disappeared in the
+storm, Sakura
+the calm at its center. “I know you’re there, Sakura-chan. I love
+you, too. I
+always have, Sakura-chan.”
+	Blushing at Tomoyo’s declaration of love, Sakura let her eyes fall
+closed as she stood in the same spot as Sam. Wanting so much to be
+there, to
+feel the small dark haired girl, Sakura’s arms went around the
+hologram of
+Tomoyo in the Imaging Chamber.
+	Sighing, Syaoran shook his head. He couldn’t believe any of this. He
+certainly hadn’t been expecting it. He never should have come back to
+Tomoeda. Not if this was going to happen. But he should have known
+that
+Sakura didn’t feel that way about him anymore. Especially with how
+strange she
+had been acting all day. He suddenly regretted what he had said to
+Meiling just a
+short time earlier. He opened his mouth, trying to apologize, but
+she shook her
+head. Leaning forward, she kissed him softly, the rest of his
+conscious thought
+melting away as he stared at the floor, too embarrassed to utter a
+word. Meiling
+giggled in triumph.
+	Al motioned over towards the two members of the Li Clan with a
+flourish of his cigar. “Looks like things just might work out after
+all. Ziggy’s
+finally breathing a sigh of relief.”
+	Shooting the Observer a skeptical look, Sam motioned his head
+towards Tomoyo. He was still a bit concerned about this whole leap.
+It had
+definitely been bizarre all the way around. “But what about...?”
+	“I wouldn’t worry about that, Sam. Something tells me she’ll live
+for a
+good long time now that she’s got a reason to.” Grinning, the
+observer made
+room for Sonomi, ignoring the trill of the handlink.
+	“I’ll see you soon, my baby girl,” Sonomi whispered softly, her
+fingers
+fading through Tomoyo’s holographic hair. She smiled softly, finally
+feeling at
+ease for the first time since the funeral. Soon enough this would be
+all over and
+the funeral would never have happened now that Tomoyo wouldn’t wind
+up in
+that position in the first place. Though there was no breeze in the
+Imaging
+Chamber, she could almost feel it just by watching Tomoyo’s dark
+gray hair
+flutter near her fingertips. A lighter gray caught her eye nearby. A
+faint image, a
+smiling angel looked back at her. Unseen to the group just as surely
+as the
+holograms were, the woman watched over the two young girls. So much
+like
+herself and someone else at that age. “Nadeshiko-chan...”
+	Smiling softly, Sam returned the hug to the overjoyed heiress. He
+knew
+he’d be gone soon enough, but he had the feeling that Al was right,
+that things
+would work out. He was glad he had come, even if it was only for a
+short time.
+“Good luck, Tomoyo.” For just a moment, after setting things right
+that had
+once gone wrong, Doctor Sam Beckett felt at peace. For just one
+moment, his
+journey didn’t seem so incredibly long. Home didn’t seem quite so
+far away.
+With that, he leapt.
+	With a tingle that Sakura couldn’t quite tell if it was caused by
+magic
+or by the feeling of being in Tomoyo’s arms, the Cardmistress was
+back. She
+couldn’t really remember from where, but she felt relieved to know
+that she was
+home again. With a furious blush, she could remember telling Sakura
+the
+feelings that rose up inside her heart. She clutched onto the pale
+girl tightly,
+feeling Tomoyo buried against her, her fingers lightly stroking
+Sakura’s back.
+Tomoyo almost stumbled back but quickly regained her balance,
+whispering
+Sakura’s name over and over in her ear. Tomoyo’s gentle touch
+quickly forced
+away the disorientation that had lingered in the brunette’s mind.
+All that
+mattered was that she was with Tomoyo once more. And for once, the
+warm
+feelings in her heart made sense to their owner. It tossed her like
+a balloon,
+turning her around and around until she didn’t know where she was.
+But it
+didn’t matter. Now she wouldn’t ever be lost again. She wasn’t fully
+aware of
+when she had come to the realization that Tomoyo had captured her
+heart, but
+she knew Tomoyo had as surely as Sakura had captured any cards.
+Tomoyo had
+bound her heart to her long ago. “I love you, too,” she whispered in
+response to
+Tomoyo sweet voice in her ear.
+	It was her again. Tomoyo knew it. She was enveloped in Sakura. Her
+warm touch, her soft hair, her wonderful scent. It wrapped Tomoyo up
+in
+ribbons of sheer joy. She never wanted to be free of the ribbons
+that wound
+themselves tightly around her heart and soul. The pain, the cracks
+in her soul
+began to heal from Sakura’s presence, soothing her battered spirit
+and warming
+the icy chill that had threatened to consume her heart. Her pain
+meant nothing in
+the face of Sakura’s love. It was as if it had never been there at
+all. Sakura’s
+hands slowly began running through Tomoyo’s hair, smoothing away all
+of
+Tomoyo’s worries at the same time. “Sakura-chan... I knew that you
+would
+rescue me,” she whispered softly. Stormy blue eyes opened to meet
+emerald
+orbs gazing back into them. The dark haired girl smiled contentedly,
+her heart
+almost overflowing with the outpouring of her love and the influx of
+Sakura’s.
+She had been the princess locked up in the castle, cursed to an
+eternal night. And
+like she had always hoped, Sakura had pulled her out into the
+sunshine. Leaning
+closer, Tomoyo marveled at the even deeper blush that colored
+Sakura’s face as
+Sakura realized what she intended. Sakura met her softly, their lips
+pressing
+together. The two girls held each other as if afraid the other would
+slip away.
+Tomoyo was surprised at the vigor with which Sakura returned the
+kiss,
+shattering the cage that had held Tomoyo completely and setting her
+adrift in
+Sakura’s arms. Kissing back as passionately as she could, the dark
+haired girl’s
+arms went around Sakura’s shoulders, pulling her closer. “Sakura-
+chan is a very
+good kisser,” Tomoyo said breathlessly as their lips finally parted.
+	“Tomoyo-chan, was that your tongue?” Sakura asked quietly, her
+cheeks flushing scarlet. “Hoe...” Resting her head on Tomoyo’s
+shoulder, she
+felt Tomoyo’s gentle embrace as her musical giggle filled Sakura’s
+mind.
+Whatever had happened, she was glad for it. She had to have a
+guardian angel.
+	Sam found himself kneeling in a church in prayer when he finally
+came
+to his senses. That didn’t seem too awkward. He had been a priest
+before during
+another leap, after all. But he didn’t seem to be a priest this
+time. The long white
+dress seemed to indicate that he was a nun instead. Another girl
+stood in front of
+him, her mousey brown hair done up in a high pony tail with a black
+bow. She
+wore what looked like a black magician’s outfit with a pink skirt
+and held a top
+hat in one hand. “Seira-chan? You don’t look so well.”
+	“Oh boy...”

Mercurial > moonlitnights

comparison old/stories/ccs-ql.txt @ 2:fc00894c1d4a moonlitnights