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     1.2 +++ b/old/stories/ccs-ql.txt	Fri Feb 19 20:53:12 2010 -0500
     1.3 @@ -0,0 +1,2270 @@
     1.4 +Hello! ^-^ This is a Quantum Leap/Cardcaptor Sakura crossover, so I
     1.5 +hope that 
     1.6 +explains why this is so strange. ^^;;; I’m always so worried about
     1.7 +crossovers 
     1.8 +because it’s so difficult to pull off merging two series together.
     1.9 +So I hope this 
    1.10 +goes well. ^-^ The idea has been playing around in my head for quite
    1.11 +a while 
    1.12 +now. Sam’s supposed to ‘put right what once went wrong’ so why can’t
    1.13 +he set 
    1.14 +right the biggest problem in Cardcaptor Sakura? I’d like to thank
    1.15 +Boco the 
    1.16 +Chokobo, who’s ideas helped me quite a bit with this. ^-^ Thanks!
    1.17 +*hugs* I’m 
    1.18 +using the leaping mechanics from Ashley McConnell’s Quantum Leap
    1.19 +novels 
    1.20 +because I like the idea of Sam actually switching bodies with who he
    1.21 +leaps into 
    1.22 +rather than him just taking their aura. Anyway, I really hope you
    1.23 +enjoy this! ^-^ 
    1.24 +I always love feedback, so if you have the time, please e-mail me! ^-^
    1.25 +
    1.26 +
    1.27 +Across the Distance
    1.28 +by Amazoness Duo
    1.29 +amazonessduo@hotmail.com
    1.30 +
    1.31 +
    1.32 +	Dr. Sam Beckett was always disoriented when he began a leap. Leaping 
    1.33 +from life to life, trying to put right what once went wrong, was a
    1.34 +very stressful 
    1.35 +job.  He always found himself in the strangest situations, with no
    1.36 +knowledge of 
    1.37 +who he was now or what situation he had leapt into. So he had gotten
    1.38 +very good 
    1.39 +at trying to read his surroundings very quickly. But the first few
    1.40 +minutes never 
    1.41 +allowed him such luxuries and it was up to him to wing it. 
    1.42 +	And he had absolutely no idea how to do so as the good doctor found 
    1.43 +himself locking lips with a teenage, brown haired boy. The kiss
    1.44 +lasted for 
    1.45 +another few seconds but it could very well have been an eternity. As
    1.46 +Dr. Beckett 
    1.47 +stumbled backwards, trying to catch his breath, a quick glimpse down
    1.48 +finished 
    1.49 +putting at least part of this scene together. He was a girl. Again.
    1.50 +And the boy 
    1.51 +that had just been kissing him must be her boyfriend. “Oh boy...”
    1.52 +
    1.53 +	The boy blushed fiercely after Sam backed away. “Daijobu? Sakura-
    1.54 +chan?” He took a few steps closer, finally taking Sam’s, or the body
    1.55 +Sam was 
    1.56 +currently inhabiting, hands and pulling him closer. Sam stumbled
    1.57 +forward, his 
    1.58 +head resting on the boy’s chest. His mind was spinning. Had he ever
    1.59 +leapt out of 
    1.60 +the US before? His swiss cheese memory betrayed him. He had no idea.
    1.61 +The boy 
    1.62 +continued saying something, but it wasn’t making any sense. Wait, it
    1.63 +was. Sam 
    1.64 +couldn’t remember if he’d taken Japanese in school or not, though he
    1.65 +very well 
    1.66 +could have, or if it was something left over from his host, but the
    1.67 +jumbled words 
    1.68 +began to make sense.
    1.69 +	“Yeah, I’m fine,” Sam said with a nervous smile. “I just... was a
    1.70 +little 
    1.71 +distracted.” How often had he used that excuse? Too many times. But
    1.72 +after all 
    1.73 +these years of leaping, he still hadn’t come up with a better one. 
    1.74 +The boy’s amber eyes stared at Sam skeptically for a long moment, as 
    1.75 +if he didn’t quite believe that. But finally he nodded. “We better
    1.76 +get to school. I 
    1.77 +made sure that I’d be in the same homeroom as you.” He waited for
    1.78 +some 
    1.79 +acknowledgement of his statement, probably wanting to hear a shrill
    1.80 +of joy from 
    1.81 +his girlfriend, but Sam just nodded, still unsure as to how he was
    1.82 +supposed to act 
    1.83 +now. Grasping Sam’s hand, he began leading the way presumably to the
    1.84 +school. 
    1.85 +At least, Sam sure hoped so.
    1.86 +The two walked along in relative silence for a while. Which was fine 
    1.87 +by Sam because it gave him a chance to think. Where was he?
    1.88 +Apparently Japan. 
    1.89 +When was he? It looked pretty recent, but Sam couldn’t remember if
    1.90 +he’d gone 
    1.91 +there or not so it was difficult to be sure of an exact date. It was
    1.92 +much easier 
    1.93 +guessing dates back in the US. Finally, who was he? The boy had
    1.94 +called him 
    1.95 +Sakura, so at least he had a name. And a quick glimpse in a passing
    1.96 +shop 
    1.97 +window gave him a face. She was a very pretty girl with short,
    1.98 +reddish brown 
    1.99 +hair and emerald green eyes. She looked to be about fourteen or
   1.100 +fifteen and was 
   1.101 +wearing her school uniform.  “Oh boy...” he muttered under his
   1.102 +breath. This 
   1.103 +whole thing was too strange for him. If anything could get too
   1.104 +strange for a time 
   1.105 +hopping physicist. And being a girl was always... awkward for him.
   1.106 +When he 
   1.107 +leapt into other men, at least the equipment was still the same. Now
   1.108 +he’d have to 
   1.109 +deal with a teenage girl’s body. He’d ask Ziggy about what affects
   1.110 +that would 
   1.111 +have on his mind, but he knew it would have to go through Al. He
   1.112 +could picture 
   1.113 +the grin on his friend’s face as he asked the question and
   1.114 +immediately dismissed 
   1.115 +it. He’d figure it out on his own.
   1.116 +“I thought I’d come out and surprise you. I was going to send a
   1.117 +letter, 
   1.118 +but I decided to head out here as soon as I could instead,” the boy
   1.119 +was 
   1.120 +explaining. 
   1.121 +	Sam nodded quickly, offering what he hoped was a sweet smile. So he 
   1.122 +was probably here to make sure things went smoothly between them.
   1.123 +“Oh good. 
   1.124 +I’m really glad you came all this way.” Wherever it was he had come
   1.125 +from. 
   1.126 +	The two finally happened upon the school gates. Sam gave a sigh of 
   1.127 +relief. He could handle jr. high school. Probably a lot easier than
   1.128 +dealing with a 
   1.129 +lovestruck boyfriend. It would give him a chance to concentrate and
   1.130 +wait for Al. 
   1.131 +Where was Al, anyway? Wasn’t he usually here by now? What was taking
   1.132 +him 
   1.133 +so long?
   1.134 +	“Ohayo gozimasu, Sakura-chan!” a cute, pale girl with very long,
   1.135 +dark 
   1.136 +hair said as she stepped up, a sweet smile on her face. Her stormy
   1.137 +blue eyes 
   1.138 +were entrancing. Sam wondered for a moment if she was sick to have
   1.139 +such a 
   1.140 +pale complexion, but she seemed to be just fine. She looked a little
   1.141 +surprised to 
   1.142 +see Sam’s new boyfriend there, but she recovered quickly. “Ohayo, Li-
   1.143 +kun! 
   1.144 +Sakura-chan must be very happy to have you back. She’s been talking
   1.145 +about you 
   1.146 +so much lately.” Her smile returned almost as quickly as it had
   1.147 +disappeared, 
   1.148 +leaving Sam to wonder if it had ever left at all. But that did give
   1.149 +Sam a hint, at 
   1.150 +the least. His name was Li. Good.
   1.151 +	The boy just frowned, beginning to flush slightly before he turned
   1.152 +back 
   1.153 +to Sakura. 
   1.154 +	“Well, I’m very glad to have Li back. I’m sure everything’s going
   1.155 +to be 
   1.156 +great now,” Sam said quickly, smiling. The looks he got from the
   1.157 +other two 
   1.158 +made him wonder if he’d said that wrong. He sighed. These things
   1.159 +were always 
   1.160 +so difficult. Sam felt him squeeze his hand and then nodded.
   1.161 +	“It will be. I’m back now. I won’t let anyone force me to go back to 
   1.162 +Hong Kong again. I’ll stay this time, Sakura-chan.”
   1.163 +	Hong Kong. Okay, at least he was starting to get somewhere with all 
   1.164 +this. So the boy, Li, had come from Hong Kong and had apparently
   1.165 +been away 
   1.166 +for quite some time. “I’m sure, Li. Thanks. I really missed you.”
   1.167 +Sam smiled 
   1.168 +again, and Li seemed to accept it, but he was getting an odd look
   1.169 +from the dark 
   1.170 +haired girl. Her stormy blue eyes seemed to be looking through him.
   1.171 +The 
   1.172 +familiar sound of the Imaging Chamber door opening sent a breath of
   1.173 +relief 
   1.174 +through him. He quickly turned to spot Al. When he finally did, he
   1.175 +was 
   1.176 +surprised. Al’s usually wild attire was much more subdued. He was
   1.177 +wearing a 
   1.178 +black suit and tie. He had dark bags under his eyes and he looked
   1.179 +even older 
   1.180 +than usual. Sam frowned, staring at his holographic friend
   1.181 +concernedly. “I.. 
   1.182 +uhh... I’ll be back in a minute.” He let go of the boy’s hand and
   1.183 +ducked past the 
   1.184 +pale girl and made his way through Al, signaling the observer to
   1.185 +follow over 
   1.186 +near a tree. “Al! What took you so long? Where am I?” He paused for a 
   1.187 +moment, studying the observer. “Are you okay?”
   1.188 +	Al shook it off, plugging away at the handlink, offering his usual
   1.189 +abuse 
   1.190 +to the poor thing. “It took Ziggy a while to find you, Sam. You’re
   1.191 +only a month 
   1.192 +behind us. Ziggy’s freaking out. She’s never seen anything like this
   1.193 +before so 
   1.194 +she doesn’t know what to do about it. As far as details, we don’t
   1.195 +know why 
   1.196 +you’re here yet. It’s only a month ago and in Japan at that, so we
   1.197 +don’t have a lot 
   1.198 +of information to go on. Donn.. Err...” Al mentally stopped himself
   1.199 +from 
   1.200 +mentioning Donna’s name. She didn’t want Sam knowing that she was
   1.201 +still there 
   1.202 +waiting for him. It would be easier for him this way. “Everyone here
   1.203 +at the 
   1.204 +Project is a little worried about this. I mean, you’ve never been
   1.205 +this close before, 
   1.206 +Sam.”
   1.207 +	Sam gasped in shock. “Only a month? Al, I’m really that close? Maybe 
   1.208 +I can... No, I shouldn’t, but...” He shook his head, brunette hair
   1.209 +flailing from 
   1.210 +side to side as he did so. This was all too much. He could call up
   1.211 +Project 
   1.212 +Quantum Leap and ask to talk to the Al of this time. Or he could
   1.213 +look up 
   1.214 +material on a Doctor Samuel Beckett and try to replace the swiss
   1.215 +cheese holes in 
   1.216 +his memory. But Al looked less than excited. “So what do you have so
   1.217 +far?” 
   1.218 +	Al pulled up the handlink again, though by this time he didn’t need
   1.219 +it. 
   1.220 +He’d been reading the information ever since the plane ride back.
   1.221 +Over and over 
   1.222 +and over. He sighed, trying to keep the lack of sleep from showing.
   1.223 +“You are 
   1.224 +Sakura Kinomoto, a fourteen year old school girl in Tomoeda, Japan.
   1.225 +She’s a 
   1.226 +fair student and seems to be pretty athletic. Hey, Sam, you’re on the 
   1.227 +cheerleading team.” Al attempted a grin, but only got a stare from
   1.228 +the younger 
   1.229 +girl that housed the spirit of his best friend. He held up his arms
   1.230 +in defense. “Just 
   1.231 +pointing that out to you. You always want as much information as
   1.232 +we’ve got. 
   1.233 +Anyway, the Chinese boy over there is Syaoran Li, part of some
   1.234 +powerful 
   1.235 +family in Hong Kong.  It looks like he’s your sweety. He was here in
   1.236 +Japan a 
   1.237 +few years ago and left, but not before you two hooked up. You’ve
   1.238 +been sending 
   1.239 +letters back and forth since.” Al wasn’t even looking at the
   1.240 +handlink anymore. 
   1.241 +He’d heard all this days ago, before Ziggy even found out this was
   1.242 +where Sam 
   1.243 +had leapt to. 
   1.244 +	Sam coughed into his fist and shook his head, the memory of the kiss 
   1.245 +still fresh in his mind. “Well, why am I here, then? What am I here
   1.246 +to change? It 
   1.247 +sounds like they end up alright.”
   1.248 +	Bringing the handlink up again, Al crammed some buttons at random. 
   1.249 +“Ziggy’s trying to run some simulations and Dr. Beeks is talking to
   1.250 +Sakura right 
   1.251 +now so we’ll try to figure that out.” The retired admiral paused for
   1.252 +a long 
   1.253 +moment. There was something else he wanted to say. Sam waited.
   1.254 +	“Sakura-chan? Daijobu?” The pale girl asked. She looked very 
   1.255 +concerned for ‘Sakura’. Her hand went to Sam’s forehead, feeling for
   1.256 +a 
   1.257 +temperature. Her stormy blue eyes met the emerald green ones that
   1.258 +replaced 
   1.259 +Sam’s own for a long moment. She leaned forward a bit, whispering
   1.260 +with her 
   1.261 +wonderfully soft voice into Sam’s ear. “Is it because of Li-kun? Are
   1.262 +you 
   1.263 +nervous? You shouldn’t be. He’s happy to see you again. You can be
   1.264 +together 
   1.265 +now.” She stepped back, smiling brightly, her eyes closed.
   1.266 +	Sam laughed nervously. “Of course! I’m really happy, too. Yeah, I’m 
   1.267 +just a little nervous is all. I’m sure I’ll be fine soon.”
   1.268 +	“I’m sure Sakura-chan will, too. I know things will work out for the 
   1.269 +best for you.” The smile seemed to come to her quickly, as if she
   1.270 +smiled often, 
   1.271 +or practiced it quite a bit. It was a warm, gentle smile that
   1.272 +somehow eased Sam’s 
   1.273 +spirits. He nodded quickly as she took his arm, the bell ringing to
   1.274 +signify their 
   1.275 +first class. “We better hurry, Sakura-chan.”
   1.276 +	Sam looked to see Li pulling along beside them, taking his hand. The 
   1.277 +pale girl waited a second before letting go, keeping her distance.
   1.278 +Sam met her 
   1.279 +gaze and she smiled again, ushering him towards the correct class.
   1.280 +Glancing 
   1.281 +back over his shoulder, he looked for Al, but the observer was
   1.282 +already gone. 
   1.283 +What had he wanted to say?
   1.284 +
   1.285 +	Class went by strangely. It had been a while since Sam had been 
   1.286 +anyone this young and he found it awkward to be taking classes in
   1.287 +Japanese. But 
   1.288 +he still managed to get along well enough. The teachers even seemed
   1.289 +amazed at 
   1.290 +some of the answers he was giving. Sam had always found academics
   1.291 +calming. 
   1.292 +They didn’t have the same chaos that was inherent in everything
   1.293 +else. Especially 
   1.294 +leaping. So he found it relaxing to lose himself in class, even with
   1.295 +the slight 
   1.296 +difficulty of taking it in another language. 
   1.297 +	Throughout the day, he kept making little mistakes, but nothing that 
   1.298 +seemed too big. Besides, it was part of every leap. He had to gauge
   1.299 +other 
   1.300 +people’s reactions to him to decide if he was acting properly or
   1.301 +not. He seemed 
   1.302 +to be doing well enough, but the dark haired girl seemed to be
   1.303 +getting 
   1.304 +increasingly concerned. He tried to play it off, but she was always
   1.305 +close by, 
   1.306 +offering help whenever she could and trying to see if anything was
   1.307 +wrong. 
   1.308 +	Syaoran walked him from class to class, which he found a little 
   1.309 +embarrassing but there wasn’t much he could do about it. He got used
   1.310 +to holding 
   1.311 +the boy’s hand from class to class as lunch finally rolled around. 
   1.312 +	Stormy blue eyes caught Sam’s attention quickly as the dark haired
   1.313 +girl 
   1.314 +caught up with him. Sam just waited for her. She still held that
   1.315 +warm smile of 
   1.316 +hers as she fell in step with him. “Sakura-chan seems to have
   1.317 +studied a lot last 
   1.318 +night. You should have told me. I would have been happy to help you,
   1.319 +Sakura-
   1.320 +chan.”
   1.321 +	“Oh, I was bored. I didn’t want to bother you. I thought I’d catch
   1.322 +up in 
   1.323 +class and try to do a little better,” Sam supplied, hoping it
   1.324 +sounded reasonable 
   1.325 +enough. This whole leap was confusing him. Especially this girl. She
   1.326 +must be 
   1.327 +Sakura’s best friend. She was obviously very caring towards her. 
   1.328 +	The girl nodded thoughtfully, tilting her head to the side. “You
   1.329 +even 
   1.330 +got that engrish poem down that you were worrying about. I knew
   1.331 +Sakura-chan 
   1.332 +would be just fine as long as she did her best.” She smiled happily,
   1.333 +as if waiting 
   1.334 +for Sam to explain something.
   1.335 +	“I.. uhh... Yeah, I guess it was easier than I thought,” Sam
   1.336 +muttered 
   1.337 +quickly. He looked around after a moment and noticed that he was
   1.338 +going down a 
   1.339 +dead end.
   1.340 +	“Lunch is this way, Sakura-chan,” the girl said politely, taking
   1.341 +Sam’s 
   1.342 +hand and leading him off down another corridor. Her hand felt soft
   1.343 +and held 
   1.344 +onto Sam’s with a very gentle care. She looked at Sam with that
   1.345 +concerned look 
   1.346 +again, but he just smiled and tried to brush it off. “It’s good that
   1.347 +Li-kun’s back. 
   1.348 +Sakura-chan shouldn’t have to be lonely. The two of you look so cute
   1.349 +together.” 
   1.350 +She squeezed Sam’s hand softly. “You’ll have to let me videotape the
   1.351 +two of 
   1.352 +you later. It can be Sakura-chan’s Happy Reunion.”
   1.353 +	Sam laughed and nodded. The girl was eccentric, but he liked that.
   1.354 +She 
   1.355 +must be a fun best friend. “Yeah, that sounds good. We should do
   1.356 +that later. I’m 
   1.357 +sure it’ll make for great memories.”
   1.358 +	“Not for her, Sam.”
   1.359 +	Sam turned on his heel and spotted Al behind him. Al shook his head 
   1.360 +and motioned for him to keep walking. Sam complied. “Hmm?” Sam asked, 
   1.361 +trying to look interested in the dark haired girl’s explanation of
   1.362 +some outfit for 
   1.363 +him to wear. 
   1.364 +	“Those obviously won’t make good memories for her, Sam. That's 
   1.365 +Tomoyo Daidouji. Heiress to the Daidouji fortunes and all 
   1.366 +around talented girl. Got the voice of an angel. I heard her sing
   1.367 +one time.” Al 
   1.368 +grew silent for a moment, not even glancing at the handlink. He
   1.369 +didn’t need it 
   1.370 +for this. “She kills herself about a month from now. You could never
   1.371 +tell with all 
   1.372 +those smiles.” Sighing, the observer shook his head, watching the
   1.373 +pale girl for a 
   1.374 +time before continuing. “She drowns in a lake at a park near here.
   1.375 +Left a note 
   1.376 +and went off to take a swim. The problem being that she doesn’t know
   1.377 +how to 
   1.378 +swim," Al explained grimly.
   1.379 +	“She what?” Sam shot out, his eyes wide. He immediately regretted it 
   1.380 +as Tomoyo looked back at him. He just shook his head quickly.
   1.381 +“Nothing.” Sam 
   1.382 +stared at his friend aghast. It seemed hard to believe that this 
   1.383 +cheery girl would ever consider something quite so drastic.
   1.384 +Al shook his head after a moment, knowing what Sam must be 
   1.385 +thinking. "Ziggy says that's not why you're here. It's a month from
   1.386 +now. If that
   1.387 +was the reason, you'd've leapt in a few days before it happened. She 
   1.388 +says it's more likely got to do with the girl you leapt into."
   1.389 +	Sam smiled as sweetly as he could and pulled his hand away from 
   1.390 +Tomoyo. “Excuse me for just a second. I need to... take care of
   1.391 +something.” 
   1.392 +They had finally gotten outside and Sam took the chance to head
   1.393 +around the side 
   1.394 +of the building. “No! That can’t be it. Why? What happened? Maybe it
   1.395 +wasn’t a 
   1.396 +suicide. That means it was only a few days ago for you. Maybe Ziggy
   1.397 +doesn’t 
   1.398 +have all the information she needs. She’s too sweet a girl for that.”
   1.399 +	Al sighed. He knew Sam was going to be like this. And it wasn’t as
   1.400 +if 
   1.401 +he hadn’t been trying to work this out himself. “Ziggy didn’t know
   1.402 +until an hour 
   1.403 +ago. I found out two days ago. Sam, I just got back form her funeral.”
   1.404 +	That news sent a shock through the leaper. Leaning heavily against
   1.405 +the 
   1.406 +wall, he looked over at Al. “You what? Why?”
   1.407 +	Al was deep in thought, contemplating an unlit cigar. It had been
   1.408 +days 
   1.409 +since he’d had one, but for some reason he just didn’t feel in the
   1.410 +mood for it. “It 
   1.411 +was a lovely funeral. Her mother really spared no expense. Sakura,
   1.412 +the girl you 
   1.413 +are, was there, too. It was a big thing. Her mother was all broken
   1.414 +up about it. 
   1.415 +Lost her only little girl.” Al closed his eyes, trying to force out
   1.416 +the images. “You 
   1.417 +probably don’t remember this, but back when we were looking for
   1.418 +funding for 
   1.419 +the project, we met with a whole lot of people. One of those people
   1.420 +was Sonomi 
   1.421 +Daidouji. Strong willed woman. But you get to like her. Won’t take
   1.422 +no for an 
   1.423 +answer. Anyway, I got to talking to her about funding for the
   1.424 +project. She runs a 
   1.425 +pretty big business in Japan. We wound up getting picked up by the
   1.426 +government 
   1.427 +for funding, but after I explained what the Project was about, she
   1.428 +was all too 
   1.429 +thrilled to get me all the Japanese technology we needed from the
   1.430 +Amamiya 
   1.431 +Corporation. Hell, half of Ziggy’s thanks to her. She never asked a
   1.432 +thing from 
   1.433 +us, just wanted to know how the Project was going from time to time.
   1.434 +So I’ve 
   1.435 +been staying in touch, talking to her about this and that. But when
   1.436 +I found out 
   1.437 +her daughter killed herself a few days ago, I rushed out there.
   1.438 +She’s really 
   1.439 +broken up, Sam. She doesn’t have anyone else now. Just her business.
   1.440 +She was 
   1.441 +really emotional at the funeral, and she had a right to be. It was
   1.442 +awful to see. I 
   1.443 +wish you had leapt in a few days ago and stopped that. But you’ve
   1.444 +said it 
   1.445 +yourself, you can only change what you’re supposed to.” 
   1.446 +	“Oh no... That can’t be right. How can I possibly stop that from
   1.447 +here? 
   1.448 +Unless I can find a way to keep it from happening. Something must
   1.449 +have 
   1.450 +happened that made her want to do that. We just need Ziggy to find
   1.451 +out,” Sam 
   1.452 +nodded, thinking deeply. 
   1.453 +	“Sam, I already know. Her mother told me. I found out while I was 
   1.454 +there. She killed herself over you.” Al rubbed at an ache in his
   1.455 +neck, sighing. 
   1.456 +“She killed herself because she’s in love with you.”
   1.457 +	“Oh boy...”
   1.458 +	“Yeah, so it doesn’t look like there’s anything you can do about
   1.459 +it. At 
   1.460 +least for now. I’ll get Ziggy working on those simulations. Maybe
   1.461 +she can come 
   1.462 +up with...” Al’s eyes went wide as he read the handlink. “She’s
   1.463 +what?!” Without 
   1.464 +another word to Sam, Al vanished through the door.
   1.465 +
   1.466 +	“What the hell is she doing here?” Al asked to no one in particular
   1.467 +as 
   1.468 +he stormed down the hallway. The former admiral came to a halt when
   1.469 +he 
   1.470 +finally caught sight of the younger Japanese woman. She was flanked
   1.471 +by several 
   1.472 +woman wearing dark clothes and sunglasses. They all looked like they
   1.473 +were 
   1.474 +good at what they did. Which was probably to protect Miss Daidouji.
   1.475 +Al would 
   1.476 +have gawked at the pretty ladies if he wasn’t still in shock.
   1.477 +“Sonomi, why are 
   1.478 +you here? The Project is off limits to all non-essential personal.
   1.479 +Now I 
   1.480 +appreciate all you’ve done for the project, but you certainly aren’t
   1.481 +a member of 
   1.482 +the staff.”
   1.483 +	“Arru, please... I need to see my little girl again. I know that
   1.484 +she’s here. 
   1.485 +She has to be. You can save her, can’t you?” Sonomi’s eyes were
   1.486 +pleading. She 
   1.487 +looked desperate, grasping at the final string dangling in front of
   1.488 +her. The 
   1.489 +woman had suffered so much in the past few days. 
   1.490 +	Al remained silent, his lips pursed tightly together. He didn’t
   1.491 +like this at 
   1.492 +all. She shouldn’t be here. This whole leap was already playing with
   1.493 +all the rules 
   1.494 +they’d set up years ago. This wasn’t helping.
   1.495 +	“Please, Arru. I need to see Tomoyo-chan.” Her eyes conveyed how 
   1.496 +deeply she meant that. She did need to see her. This woman was
   1.497 +strong, but 
   1.498 +losing her only child after that was killing her. He knew that she’d
   1.499 +agreed to 
   1.500 +help the Project in the hopes of one day bringing back her cousin,
   1.501 +her one true 
   1.502 +love, but now she had lost her daughter as well. 
   1.503 +	He sighed. He had been able to see Beth, his first wife and the only 
   1.504 +woman he had ever truly loved, even if for only a short time. They
   1.505 +may not be 
   1.506 +able to save Tomoyo, but was it fair to rob her of a final chance of
   1.507 +seeing her 
   1.508 +daughter alive? “Sonomi, you’re putting me in a hard spot here. Let
   1.509 +me get you 
   1.510 +and your friends some rooms and we can talk about it.”
   1.511 +	“He’s there, isn’t he? He’s back with my Tomoyo-chan. He can save 
   1.512 +her, right?” Sonomi had eliminated the distance between herself and
   1.513 +Al. This 
   1.514 +was her last chance. She had to pray it would work. She had barely
   1.515 +survived 
   1.516 +Nadeshiko’s loss, and that was only because she had had Tomoyo. Now
   1.517 +she had 
   1.518 +nothing. She couldn’t let things stay this way. 
   1.519 +	Looking away, Al frowned. “He’s... Back around then. But not close 
   1.520 +enough to stop it. A month back. We think he’s supposed to fix
   1.521 +something else.”
   1.522 +	Sonomi balled her fists angrily. “No!! He’s back there to save
   1.523 +Tomoyo-
   1.524 +chan! Maybe he got sent back too far or he needs to fix something
   1.525 +else while 
   1.526 +he’s at it, but he’s there to save my dear Tomoyo-chan!” Her English
   1.527 +was 
   1.528 +heavily accented, the long plane ride making it difficult for her to
   1.529 +concentrate. 
   1.530 +	“Let me get you a room first and then we can figure everything out.
   1.531 +I 
   1.532 +promise I’ll let you see her. Sam’s back with her now.” Al motioned
   1.533 +for them to 
   1.534 +follow, but Sonomi moved past him. 
   1.535 +	“I need to see Tomoyo-chan now. I need to see her alive and well. 
   1.536 +Moving and smiling and singing. I need to get the image of her in a
   1.537 +casket out of 
   1.538 +my head. I need to see my baby.” Sonomi stopped as she tried to
   1.539 +remember the 
   1.540 +layout from the blueprints she’d seen. Where was the Imaging Chamber
   1.541 +again?
   1.542 +	The bodyguards tensed up as Al grabbed her shoulder. Sonomi hardly 
   1.543 +seemed to notice. Al’s hand eased off when he noticed the tears in
   1.544 +her eyes. “It’s 
   1.545 +this way.” 
   1.546 +
   1.547 +	Sam blinked as he watched the space his holographic companion had 
   1.548 +occupied moments before. Al had looked pretty shocked about
   1.549 +something, but 
   1.550 +he hadn’t bothered telling Sam about it. And so he was stuck with
   1.551 +the news that 
   1.552 +the best friend of the girl he was currently inhabiting would kill
   1.553 +herself in a 
   1.554 +month’s time and that it didn’t look like there was anything he
   1.555 +could do about it. 
   1.556 +This didn’t make for a very comforting break from classes. A hand on
   1.557 +his 
   1.558 +shoulder nearly sent him into a panic.
   1.559 +	“Sakura-chan? What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” 
   1.560 +Tomoyo watched the brunette in front of her carefully, brushing some
   1.561 +hair from 
   1.562 +Sam’s eyes. Her stormy blue eyes were so loving, so concerned for
   1.563 +the well 
   1.564 +being of this Sakura. Even if the situation was a little strange, it
   1.565 +still tore at 
   1.566 +Sam’s heart to know where it would lead. 
   1.567 +	“Err... Yeah, something like that, Tomoyo. Don’t worry about it.
   1.568 +Let’s 
   1.569 +get some lunch.” Sam offered another smile, but he couldn’t help but
   1.570 +cast 
   1.571 +another glance back at the pale girl as he headed for a bench to eat
   1.572 +at. He 
   1.573 +couldn’t tell that anything so dark could be lurking under Tomoyo’s
   1.574 +peaceful, if 
   1.575 +eccentric, exterior. Could Al have been wrong? No, not likely. So it
   1.576 +seemed that 
   1.577 +she was extremely good at hiding her feelings. Which was probably
   1.578 +why Sakura 
   1.579 +had no idea about them. But that didn’t make it any easier to handle
   1.580 +the 
   1.581 +situation. And what about the long awaited return of Sakura’s
   1.582 +boyfriend? What 
   1.583 +was he supposed to do about it all? 
   1.584 +	Tomoyo sat down next to Sam, watching him closely as he ate. He 
   1.585 +fumbled with the chopsticks for a moment before she reached over and
   1.586 +helped 
   1.587 +adjust his grip. She smiled pleasantly as he got out a quick thanks.
   1.588 +It went on 
   1.589 +quietly for a few minutes, her eyes never leaving Sam as he ate. She
   1.590 +finally 
   1.591 +tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. 
   1.592 +	Sam looked back in confusion, some rice half in his mouth. “Is 
   1.593 +something wrong?” he asked after a moment. This girl did act rather
   1.594 +strangely, 
   1.595 +so he wouldn’t be surprised if this sort of behavior was normal for
   1.596 +her. 
   1.597 +	“You’re not Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo whispered, leaning closer so that 
   1.598 +no one would hear. Her eyes were locked on Sam’s, as if looking past
   1.599 +the body 
   1.600 +and deep into his soul, as if he couldn’t hide in it at all. 
   1.601 +	Sam dropped the little ball of rice, his eyes wide. He almost
   1.602 +choked on 
   1.603 +what was in his mouth. “What?” he got out quietly, a little above a
   1.604 +chirp. This 
   1.605 +couldn’t be right. No matter how poorly he did as someone, people
   1.606 +rarely ever 
   1.607 +guessed that anything was wrong, let alone that he wasn’t who they
   1.608 +thought he 
   1.609 +was. “What do you mean?” He tried to keep his voice steady this
   1.610 +time, throwing 
   1.611 +in the confusion that was swirling through him.
   1.612 +	Tomoyo shook her head. “You’re not her. I don’t know who you are. If 
   1.613 +you’re a mage or another Card or something else entirely. But you’re
   1.614 +not 
   1.615 +Sakura-chan. You’ve been acting strangely all morning, nothing like
   1.616 +her. Your 
   1.617 +mannerisms are all wrong. You don’t have the same look in your eyes.
   1.618 +Your 
   1.619 +smile’s different. You aren’t lost in a haze of emotions that ebb
   1.620 +and flow 
   1.621 +rapidly. You don’t have the energy she does. You’re soul’s completely 
   1.622 +different.” She paused, watching his reaction. She could have gone
   1.623 +on for hours 
   1.624 +about the differences between him and her beloved Sakura-chan, but
   1.625 +that 
   1.626 +seemed to be enough. Her panic was suppressed, but barely. If this
   1.627 +person was 
   1.628 +replacing Sakura, then where was the Cardmistress? 
   1.629 +	“I... uhh... Al...” Sam looked around quickly, hoping for any sort
   1.630 +of 
   1.631 +back up that he could get, even the holographic type. She didn’t
   1.632 +seem to have 
   1.633 +any sort of psychic ability, yet somehow she had seen through him.
   1.634 +And he 
   1.635 +didn’t know what to do about that. So he gave up. A sigh escaped his
   1.636 +lips, or 
   1.637 +Sakura's lips, as the case may be. “Well... No, I’m not. My name is
   1.638 +Dr. Sam 
   1.639 +Beckett. I’m from the future. Or I used to be. But I’m here to fix
   1.640 +things. To put 
   1.641 +right what once went wrong.”
   1.642 +	Tomoyo clasped her hands together worriedly. “Did something bad 
   1.643 +happen to Sakura-chan? Is that what you’re here to fix? Where is
   1.644 +she? Please tell 
   1.645 +me. I need to know what’s become of her.” Her mind came up with
   1.646 +plenty of 
   1.647 +images of what could have happened to the Cardmistress, but she
   1.648 +pushed them 
   1.649 +back with all of her might. Now wasn’t the time to panic. She had to
   1.650 +stay calm 
   1.651 +so that she could figure out what had happened to Sakura. Her dark
   1.652 +eyes pleaded 
   1.653 +with Sam’s to explain to her.
   1.654 +	“No, she should be just fine. She’s back in the future right now.
   1.655 +Where 
   1.656 +I come from. We think that something went badly in her life or the
   1.657 +life of 
   1.658 +someone she knows.” ‘Like you,’ Sam mentally added. “So I’m here to
   1.659 +try and 
   1.660 +fix it so that things can go smoothly for her.”
   1.661 +	“You’re a sweet person to want to fix things for Sakura-chan. But
   1.662 +what 
   1.663 +could be wrong for her? I’ve been keeping a close eye on her and
   1.664 +she’s been 
   1.665 +perfectly fine.” Tomoyo’s fingers gripped the cool grass beneath her
   1.666 +as her mind 
   1.667 +swam, trying to find anything that would have gone wrong. “She’s
   1.668 +been doing 
   1.669 +perfectly well lately. And now that Li-kun’s back...” Her melodious
   1.670 +voice trailed 
   1.671 +off as she began picking up on it. “Now that Li-kun’s back, things
   1.672 +are changing. 
   1.673 +So I don’t know what will happen to her.” This was all so sudden.
   1.674 +She had 
   1.675 +known that something had happened to Sakura when she’d started acting 
   1.676 +strangely this morning. But now her fears were proven by her
   1.677 +replacement. 
   1.678 +What could have gone wrong? Things seemed perfect for Sakura. She
   1.679 +had her 
   1.680 +beloved back in Japan with her and she didn’t have anymore troubles
   1.681 +with the 
   1.682 +Cards and her high school entrance exams were still over a year away.
   1.683 +	Before Sam could reply, the boy in question sat down next to him.
   1.684 +Sam 
   1.685 +smiled warmly before casting an apologetic glance to Tomoyo. He’d
   1.686 +have to 
   1.687 +explain later. For now he’d have to keep things up with his
   1.688 +boyfriend. Scooting 
   1.689 +closer to the Chinese boy, Sam let out an inward sigh and kept
   1.690 +eating. An arm 
   1.691 +slowly went around his shoulders, pulling him even closer. It did
   1.692 +feel nice and 
   1.693 +warm...
   1.694 +
   1.695 +	Everything was upside down. At least, that’s how Sakura felt. What 
   1.696 +had happened? It took her a moment to fight through the
   1.697 +disorientation and 
   1.698 +finally sit up. She was in a bed with the sheets tangled around her.
   1.699 +So it must 
   1.700 +have all been some horrible dream. She had been in some strange
   1.701 +place all 
   1.702 +alone. No Tomoyo-chan or Syaoran by her side. Her school fuku had
   1.703 +been 
   1.704 +replaced by some white bodysuit. And the body in it was most
   1.705 +certainly not her 
   1.706 +own. It seemed to belong to a much older man. She had screamed and
   1.707 +fainted 
   1.708 +upon her discovery. But now that she was awake in bed, the whole
   1.709 +thing must be 
   1.710 +over. The last thing she could remember before the nightmare had
   1.711 +been seeing 
   1.712 +Syaoran again. He had been just about to kiss her before she found
   1.713 +herself in the 
   1.714 +strange room. A melancholy sigh escaped her lips at that. Syaoran
   1.715 +must have 
   1.716 +been a dream as well. He was probably still in Hong Kong. Oh well.
   1.717 +She’d have 
   1.718 +to tell Tomoyo about her dream and see what she thought. Tomoyo
   1.719 +always made 
   1.720 +her feel better about things when she was confused or nervous. Or
   1.721 +lonely. Which 
   1.722 +was probably why she dreamed up Syaoran being with her in Japan. 
   1.723 +	Her heart sinking in her chest, Sakura slid off the small bed. She
   1.724 +yelped 
   1.725 +a little when her bare feet touched the cold ground. Where were her
   1.726 +slippers? 
   1.727 +And why was the ground cold? Blinking groggily, her eyes traversed
   1.728 +the room 
   1.729 +she was in. It was empty aside from the small bed in the center and
   1.730 +completely 
   1.731 +white. The lights from above cast dark shadows against the white
   1.732 +floor. Her 
   1.733 +heart started pounding in her chest as she turned around, trying to
   1.734 +find out where 
   1.735 +she was. She was trapped somewhere. That realization brought a
   1.736 +trickle of fear 
   1.737 +through her soul. What was going on? She had all of the Sakura Cards
   1.738 +now, so 
   1.739 +this must be some other form of magic. But who would do this to her?
   1.740 +She 
   1.741 +clutched for the key, but her hand grasped nothing but air. Her eyes
   1.742 +darted down 
   1.743 +in horror to see the all white jumpsuit on again. And a masculine
   1.744 +body 
   1.745 +underneath. Another scream escaped her lips, but this time she
   1.746 +retained 
   1.747 +consciousness. Silence reigned throughout the small room, punctuated
   1.748 +only by 
   1.749 +her rapid breathing.
   1.750 +	“Where am I? What’s going on?” she asked in a tiny voice. She turned 
   1.751 +around in a circle, looking for some sort of door or any way out.
   1.752 +Anything but 
   1.753 +the constant white cube she was imprisoned in. If she didn’t have
   1.754 +her magic, 
   1.755 +what could she do? No, someone would notice she was missing. They
   1.756 +would 
   1.757 +find her. Tomoyo would know something was wrong. And Syaoran, Yue,
   1.758 +and 
   1.759 +Cerebrus would come to her rescue. Slumping back on the bed,
   1.760 +Sakura’s mind 
   1.761 +raced for some sort of explanation. Her heart nearly stopped when
   1.762 +she heard a 
   1.763 +whooshing sound and a door she hadn’t noticed sliding open. In
   1.764 +walked a 
   1.765 +woman in a lab coat with dark skin. She smiled softly to the
   1.766 +bewildered 
   1.767 +Cardmistress as she stepped forward slowly. The woman’s mouth opened
   1.768 +and 
   1.769 +she began speaking oddly, in a language that Sakura had trouble
   1.770 +following. She 
   1.771 +could make out some of it from her english class, but she wasn’t
   1.772 +fluent enough 
   1.773 +to make it all out. The woman sighed and said something to a
   1.774 +‘Ziggy’. A female 
   1.775 +voice replied from some point in the roof and then translated what
   1.776 +the woman 
   1.777 +had said into Japanese. Sakura sighed and closed her eyes. This was
   1.778 +getting 
   1.779 +more and more difficult to make any sense out of.
   1.780 +	“Hello. My name is Doctor Verbeena Beeks. I’m sorry that we didn’t 
   1.781 +have a chance to speak earlier, but you passed out before I could
   1.782 +come in.” She 
   1.783 +had a calm, almost motherly manner about her. Something about the
   1.784 +woman 
   1.785 +helped put Sakura at ease. At least a bit more than she had been.
   1.786 +Dr. Beeks 
   1.787 +gestured for her to take a seat on the bed, holding a notepad under
   1.788 +one arm. 
   1.789 +Sakura complied, sliding up onto the bed, never taking her eyes off
   1.790 +of the only 
   1.791 +other person in the room. “Now maybe I can help make things a little
   1.792 +more 
   1.793 +comfortable for you. And maybe you can give me a little information
   1.794 +so we can 
   1.795 +get you back home sooner.”
   1.796 +	“What’s happened to me? Why am I here? Where is here? Hoe...” 
   1.797 +Sakura could feel the fear welling up inside of her again, but she
   1.798 +refused to let it 
   1.799 +get a good grip. She had been through too much by now. This was
   1.800 +bizarre, but 
   1.801 +she would make it out all right. Everything would always be all
   1.802 +right. She had to 
   1.803 +believe that. Even if it was hard to sometimes. She heard her words
   1.804 +being 
   1.805 +translated into English and again looked around for the source of
   1.806 +the voice. 
   1.807 +	The woman spoke again, a slight delay carrying between her words and 
   1.808 +the translation from the voice in the roof. “You’re here in what we
   1.809 +call the 
   1.810 +Waiting Room. It’s a little Spartan, but we never know who will show
   1.811 +up.” She 
   1.812 +paused for a moment as she tried to decide how much she should
   1.813 +divulge to the 
   1.814 +visitor. Some people she had explained their situation to, but most
   1.815 +of them 
   1.816 +wound up thinking they had been kidnapped by aliens or that it had
   1.817 +all been a 
   1.818 +bad dream. It was easier when there wasn’t such a big difference
   1.819 +between the 
   1.820 +bodies. She had already had trouble with a young girl in Sam’s body.
   1.821 +It didn’t 
   1.822 +seem like there had been any permanent mental trauma, thankfully,
   1.823 +but she 
   1.824 +didn’t want to try again with this girl, even if she was a bit
   1.825 +older. She hoped that 
   1.826 +this leap would be over quickly enough. “You’ve been replaced by a
   1.827 +friend of 
   1.828 +mine, a Dr. Sam Beckett. He’s living your life for a few days to fix
   1.829 +something 
   1.830 +that had gone wrong in it the first time around. When he’s done,
   1.831 +you’ll go back 
   1.832 +and everything will be perfectly fine again.” Her voice remained
   1.833 +calm, soothing. 
   1.834 +Even if Ziggy had to translate for the both of them, she still
   1.835 +wanted to convey a 
   1.836 +reassuring tone to the younger girl, something that Ziggy didn’t
   1.837 +always worry 
   1.838 +about. Ziggy was too worried about her calculations at this point
   1.839 +anyway. Sam 
   1.840 +had never leapt this close to home before and she was having
   1.841 +difficulty finding 
   1.842 +any solid information about any of it. Which frustrated the hybrid
   1.843 +super 
   1.844 +computer to no ends. 
   1.845 +	“Nani!?” Sakura’s emerald eyes went wide as she swallowed the 
   1.846 +information. Her head shook quickly. No, she didn’t like that at
   1.847 +all. This was 
   1.848 +definitely not a good usage of magic at all. “But why? I have Onii-
   1.849 +chan and 
   1.850 +Tomoyo-chan and Yukito-san and Kero-chan and Syaoran all looking out
   1.851 +for 
   1.852 +me. And I’m the Ca... I can take care of myself, too. And why
   1.853 +couldn’t you just 
   1.854 +tell me if something was going to go wrong? You didn’t need to
   1.855 +replace me for 
   1.856 +it.” 
   1.857 +	Dr. Beeks sighed, pulling up her notebook and the information Ziggy 
   1.858 +had given her on fourteen year old Sakura Kinomoto. The man on the
   1.859 +bed that 
   1.860 +looked exactly like Sam Beckett looked uncertain and confused, a
   1.861 +tinge of fright 
   1.862 +in his eyes. But there was also a determination laced underneath it
   1.863 +all, even 
   1.864 +amidst the swirling emotions. And with the way he was sitting, he
   1.865 +looked very 
   1.866 +much like a little girl that had been lost in a store. After all
   1.867 +this time of working 
   1.868 +with Sam’s body and whatever soul was currently inhabiting it, she
   1.869 +had learned 
   1.870 +to ignore the fact that it always looked the same and to look for
   1.871 +the mannerisms 
   1.872 +of the person underneath. “I’m afraid that it just doesn’t work like
   1.873 +that. We don’t 
   1.874 +have any control where he goes. He just replaces the person for a
   1.875 +little while to 
   1.876 +fix something in their life.”
   1.877 +	“But there’s nothing wrong in my life!” Sakura said in frustration.
   1.878 +She 
   1.879 +knew she was close to tears, but she didn’t care. This whole thing
   1.880 +was just too 
   1.881 +much for her to be taking at the moment. She wanted to be back home
   1.882 +with the 
   1.883 +ones that loved her. There was nothing in her life that needed
   1.884 +fixing. At least, 
   1.885 +nothing she couldn’t handle. This place was all wrong.
   1.886 +	Smiling a little sadly, the doctor shook her head. “I’m afraid God,
   1.887 +Fate, 
   1.888 +Time, or whoever’s leaping Sam around through time doesn’t seem to
   1.889 +think so. 
   1.890 +But try not to worry too much. It usually works out for the best.”
   1.891 +Pulling up the 
   1.892 +notes again, she thought to herself, ‘Let’s hope this isn’t one of
   1.893 +the few times it 
   1.894 +doesn’t.’ 
   1.895 +
   1.896 +	“Ziggy, I need you to draw some more power for the Imaging 
   1.897 +Chamber. I need enough so that someone else can be seen, too,” Al
   1.898 +said as he 
   1.899 +brushed past Gooshie and Tina. The two watched in confusion as the
   1.900 +Japanese 
   1.901 +woman and her entourage of bodyguards followed close behind. 
   1.902 +	“But Admiral, what would the purpose be of allowing Dr. Beckett to 
   1.903 +see Ms. Daidouji?” the female voice that was Ziggy asked from
   1.904 +everywhere and 
   1.905 +nowhere in particular.
   1.906 +	“Just do it, Ziggy. I don’t have time for this. Unless you want to
   1.907 +give 
   1.908 +me some information on what’s going on.” Al paused in front of the
   1.909 +Imaging 
   1.910 +Chamber door, waiting for a response. He knew he’d hurt Ziggy’s
   1.911 +feelings as 
   1.912 +the computer paused for a moment. There was no other reason for the
   1.913 +pause 
   1.914 +because the computer worked at unimaginably high speeds. But she was
   1.915 +very 
   1.916 +tempermental, especially about this leap.
   1.917 +	“Admiral, may I remind you that with the leap taking place little
   1.918 +more 
   1.919 +than a month ago, I am highly limited in my abilities to gain
   1.920 +information about 
   1.921 +the situation Dr. Beckett finds himself in. He shouldn’t be this
   1.922 +close to us. How 
   1.923 +am I supposed to find the necessary data when I have nothing to base
   1.924 +any of it 
   1.925 +on? A young Japanese school girl from the past month is difficult to
   1.926 +find 
   1.927 +information on, especially anything vital enough to require Dr.
   1.928 +Beckett’s 
   1.929 +immediate attention. I’m putting all available resources to
   1.930 +discovering the 
   1.931 +reason for this leap as well as why Dr. Beckett is so close to our
   1.932 +time. Perhaps 
   1.933 +we could switch jobs and you could perform mine to your liking,
   1.934 +Admiral.” 
   1.935 +Ziggy’s calm voice still managed to showcase her frustration and her
   1.936 +bruised 
   1.937 +ego.  
   1.938 +	Al sighed, rubbing his temples. He was getting too old for this. 
   1.939 +“Nevermind, Ziggy. Just draw up some more power, will ya?” This leap
   1.940 +was 
   1.941 +getting to everyone. Ziggy was having trouble because of the near
   1.942 +impossibility 
   1.943 +of this leap, Donna because Sam was so close to home, and he was
   1.944 +still trying to 
   1.945 +hold the whole circus together. 
   1.946 +	“So that is Ziggy? How remarkable.” Sonomi looked at the oddly put 
   1.947 +together computer. She had heard of some of the design
   1.948 +specifications for the 
   1.949 +hybrid super computer and had heard Al’s complaints about her ego,
   1.950 +but she had 
   1.951 +never actually thought she was this advanced. But she had a feeling
   1.952 +she liked the 
   1.953 +computer’s personality already.
   1.954 +	“This way, Sonomi-san,” Al said, gesturing to the door with the 
   1.955 +handlink. Punching in a button, the door slid open. He sighed and
   1.956 +took a step 
   1.957 +into the glowing light. He may not like this, but he understood. It
   1.958 +had torn him 
   1.959 +up to see Beth that one last time when she couldn’t see or hear him,
   1.960 +but he knew 
   1.961 +that he had needed it. He missed her so much, that he treasured even
   1.962 +that one 
   1.963 +bittersweet moment with her. He knew that Sonomi had gone through
   1.964 +the same 
   1.965 +with someone named Nadeshiko. That was part of why they had stayed
   1.966 +in touch. 
   1.967 +They had both suffered through losing their only true love and had
   1.968 +somehow 
   1.969 +managed to continue on through the pain. In a way, it was why both
   1.970 +of them had 
   1.971 +put faith into Project Quantum Leap. And now Sonomi had lost the
   1.972 +last thing 
   1.973 +keeping her going. So despite his doubts, he had to let her see.
   1.974 +Especially if Sam 
   1.975 +couldn’t fix things for her. Then this might be the last time she
   1.976 +would see her 
   1.977 +alive.
   1.978 +	Sonomi stopped for only a moment to motion the bodyguards to stay 
   1.979 +where they were before stepping after Al. Her heart pounded with
   1.980 +anxiety. What 
   1.981 +would happen? Would she be there? She needed to see her little girl
   1.982 +again. The 
   1.983 +past few days had been hell for her. First Nadeshiko and now her own
   1.984 +daughter, 
   1.985 +who reminded her so much of her dearly departed cousin. She had no
   1.986 +idea why 
   1.987 +she was still going on or what was holding her together. Her pain
   1.988 +was getting 
   1.989 +ever more acute, and she had no place for it to go. She couldn’t
   1.990 +hate Sakura, not 
   1.991 +the way she hated Fujitaka. Yet both had taken away those she loved,
   1.992 +albeit 
   1.993 +Sakura had done so unknowingly. But she still couldn’t quite forgive
   1.994 +the 
   1.995 +brunette for taking away her loving daughter, even if she was
   1.996 +Nadeshiko’s 
   1.997 +daughter. 
   1.998 +	And suddenly, everything was different. They were standing outside
   1.999 +of 
  1.1000 +Tomoyo’s school. It appeared to be around lunchtime, with all of the
  1.1001 +students 
  1.1002 +sitting in groups, eating. It was as if they had stepped directly
  1.1003 +from that door in 
  1.1004 +Project Quantum Leap out into Tomoeda. Sonomi stood in shock as a
  1.1005 +student 
  1.1006 +walked right through her. She knew this was all one big hologram,
  1.1007 +but it seemed 
  1.1008 +so real. 
  1.1009 +	Sam stared at the observer and the woman standing next to him. A boy 
  1.1010 +had passed right through her. Which meant she was in the Imaging
  1.1011 +Chamber 
  1.1012 +with him. He tried to extricate himself from Syaoran’s grasp, but
  1.1013 +the Chinese 
  1.1014 +boy continued holding on. He mouthed ‘What is she doing here?’ to
  1.1015 +Al, who 
  1.1016 +shook his head uncomprehendingly for a moment before nodding. 
  1.1017 +	Taking a few steps closer, Al hunched next to Sam, out of Sonomi’s 
  1.1018 +range of hearing. “Ohhh... She’s Sonomi Daidouji, Sam. Your best
  1.1019 +friend’s 
  1.1020 +mother. She wanted to see Tomoyo again. And don’t argue, you big boy
  1.1021 +scout. It 
  1.1022 +won’t change my mind. I’m still in charge of the Project from here.
  1.1023 +Besides, she 
  1.1024 +misses her daughter. You have to understand that. I couldn’t just
  1.1025 +send her away 
  1.1026 +without ever being able to see her again.”
  1.1027 +	Sam sighed in defeat and nodded. It did make sense, even if he
  1.1028 +didn’t 
  1.1029 +really like the idea. But if he couldn’t stop Tomoyo from killing
  1.1030 +herself, then 
  1.1031 +this was for the best. How would he feel if she never saw her again? 
  1.1032 +	“Is your friend here?” Tomoyo whispered to Sam, unknowingly also 
  1.1033 +next to Al’s ear. Al stared at Sam incredulously. “You told her?
  1.1034 +Sam! You know 
  1.1035 +you’re not supposed to tell anybody. Great. This is just great.”
  1.1036 +	“She guessed,” Sam got out through a nervous smile. He went back to 
  1.1037 +eating as Syaoran looked at him oddly. He nodded in acknowledgement
  1.1038 +of 
  1.1039 +Tomoyo’s question. 
  1.1040 +	“Guessed?” Turning his attention to the pale girl, he could see her 
  1.1041 +stormy blue eyes, deep and intelligent. Sonomi had always told him
  1.1042 +that she was 
  1.1043 +very perceptive and the few times he had met her had proven that. He
  1.1044 +just hadn’t 
  1.1045 +guessed to what extent. 
  1.1046 +	“Tomoyo-chan...” Tears dripped down Sonomi’s cheeks as she saw her 
  1.1047 +daughter, alive and well before her eyes once again. It hadn’t been
  1.1048 +that long ago 
  1.1049 +that she had seen the young girl in a coffin, her soul already gone
  1.1050 +from her 
  1.1051 +beautiful body. But here she was again, shining the way she always
  1.1052 +had, an 
  1.1053 +ephemeral shimmer that seemed to encompass her sweet spirit. “Oh,
  1.1054 +Tomoyo-
  1.1055 +chan... My baby, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there when you
  1.1056 +needed me. 
  1.1057 +You’re the most precious thing in my life. Honey, I never should
  1.1058 +have left you 
  1.1059 +alone when I saw you breaking. I noticed the cracks in your shell
  1.1060 +and I tried to 
  1.1061 +help, but you kept insisting that everything was all right. I wanted
  1.1062 +to help, but I 
  1.1063 +thought that all I could do was be there for you when you needed me.
  1.1064 +I never 
  1.1065 +thought that you’d...” Her fists clenched, her nails digging into
  1.1066 +her palms 
  1.1067 +painfully as she fell to her knees beside the young heiress. “Tomoyo-
  1.1068 +chan, I love 
  1.1069 +you, my little daughter. I never wanted to see you get hurt the way
  1.1070 +I was. I never 
  1.1071 +wanted you to have to live through that. But now... My baby...” Her
  1.1072 +body shook 
  1.1073 +as she reached out to Tomoyo, her fingers slipping through the
  1.1074 +hologram. 
  1.1075 +Tomoyo still looked happy, but Sonomi could see that it was masking
  1.1076 +her 
  1.1077 +nervousness and fear underneath. For what? Probably for Sakura.
  1.1078 +Sonomi’s gaze 
  1.1079 +fell on the girl with the emerald eyes, her tears still streaming
  1.1080 +down her cheeks. 
  1.1081 +Her heart rolled over as she watched, still being held by Syaoran.
  1.1082 +And yet 
  1.1083 +Tomoyo was still pretending to be happy. She had kept up that mask of 
  1.1084 +happiness for her friend until the day she had died. 
  1.1085 +	“It’s not her, Sonomi,” Al explained as he stood up. “That’s Sam. We 
  1.1086 +don’t know why he leapt back into Sakura yet, but we’re looking into
  1.1087 +it.”
  1.1088 +	Shaking her head, Sonomi tried to compose herself, not moving from 
  1.1089 +Tomoyo’s side. “To keep Tomoyo-chan from killing herself, of course!
  1.1090 +Why 
  1.1091 +else would he be back here?” She was still nearly frantic, finally
  1.1092 +able to see her 
  1.1093 +daughter again but unable to even talk to her. “It will be all
  1.1094 +right, Tomoyo-chan. 
  1.1095 +I promise. We’ll fix everything. You just stay strong for your
  1.1096 +mother. I promise 
  1.1097 +I’ll make everything better,” She said reassuringly, trying to
  1.1098 +stroke her 
  1.1099 +daughter’s hair. Her fingers went through the empty space, but it
  1.1100 +almost looked 
  1.1101 +like she had heard her. “Oh, Tomoyo-chan...” It hurt to look at her,
  1.1102 +but she 
  1.1103 +couldn’t take her eyes away. The last time she had seen that face,
  1.1104 +her eyes had 
  1.1105 +been closed for the last time. Sonomi’s heart paused with every
  1.1106 +blink. 
  1.1107 +	Al watched from the side for a moment, glancing down to the handlink 
  1.1108 +and back up. He knew what torture it was to finally see someone
  1.1109 +you’d lost and 
  1.1110 +not be able to interact with them. In a way, this would have been
  1.1111 +easier to handle 
  1.1112 +had Sonomi been here to see Nadeshiko. When she had lost Tomoyo, she
  1.1113 +had 
  1.1114 +lost everything. This was a woman in huge amounts of pain. He only
  1.1115 +hoped that 
  1.1116 +the sight would give her hope. Turning his attention back to Sam,
  1.1117 +the handlink 
  1.1118 +gave its usual squeak of protest as Al slapped it on the side.
  1.1119 +“Still no new 
  1.1120 +information, Sam. And Ziggy’s not very happy about this at all. She
  1.1121 +says you 
  1.1122 +shouldn’t be leaping so close to us. I’ll tell you what we figure
  1.1123 +out as soon as we 
  1.1124 +find it. Whatever it is. I’ve got Beeks talking to Sakura right now
  1.1125 +and maybe 
  1.1126 +Sonomi can help us figure out what you’re here to fix.” His eyes
  1.1127 +went back to 
  1.1128 +the grieving woman, not noticing Sam’s slow nod of approval. He
  1.1129 +shook his 
  1.1130 +head and punched up the door. With all that she had been through, he
  1.1131 +didn’t 
  1.1132 +want to interrupt her. He would come back in a bit. 
  1.1133 +	Sitting next to her daughter, watching her intently as if afraid
  1.1134 +that she 
  1.1135 +would soon enough drop dead in front of her very eyes, Sonomi
  1.1136 +continued 
  1.1137 +whispering assurances to the smiling dark haired girl. And unknowing
  1.1138 +of the 
  1.1139 +guardian angel watching over her, Tomoyo continued her lunch.
  1.1140 +
  1.1141 +	It had been difficult for Sam to ignore Tomoyo’s mother for the
  1.1142 +rest of 
  1.1143 +lunch, but he was the only one who could see her. He wanted to help,
  1.1144 +to say 
  1.1145 +something that could take that terrible pain from her eyes, but he
  1.1146 +couldn’t with 
  1.1147 +everyone around. She had finally left a little after lunch had
  1.1148 +ended, talking to Al 
  1.1149 +for a bit before the Observer had finally convinced her to leave the
  1.1150 +Imaging 
  1.1151 +Chamber. Sam had considered telling Tomoyo, but thought it would only 
  1.1152 +complicate matters if she knew her mother was there. Let alone why
  1.1153 +she was 
  1.1154 +there. 
  1.1155 +	School had finally ended and he had absolutely no idea where his
  1.1156 +home 
  1.1157 +was. And no Al to tell him either. He sighed and glanced around,
  1.1158 +hoping to see 
  1.1159 +the Imaging Chamber door opening and the always oddly dressed Al
  1.1160 +walking 
  1.1161 +out. No such luck. A hand grabbing his own shook him from his
  1.1162 +thoughts. 
  1.1163 +Turning, he saw Syaoran’s face in it’s usual impassive look. But he
  1.1164 +could notice 
  1.1165 +a slight blush coloring his cheeks. Sam smiled a bit. It looked like
  1.1166 +the body he 
  1.1167 +was in gave a good impression at the least. 
  1.1168 +	“Do you want to come with me? I still have some unpacking to do, but 
  1.1169 +I thought we could do something when I’m done with that,” the
  1.1170 +Chinese boy 
  1.1171 +said after a moment’s hesitation. 
  1.1172 +	“I’m sure she would love to, Li-kun, but Sakura-chan’s not feeling
  1.1173 +very 
  1.1174 +well. I just cancelled her cheerleading for today and I’m going to
  1.1175 +take her right 
  1.1176 +home. But Sakura-chan would love to go see it when she’s feeling
  1.1177 +better. I’m 
  1.1178 +afraid all of the excitement today has taken its toll on her. You
  1.1179 +know how 
  1.1180 +worked up girls can get over their boyfriends, Li-kun.” Tomoyo’s
  1.1181 +sweet voice 
  1.1182 +drifted to the two as she exited the front door to the school and
  1.1183 +approached 
  1.1184 +Sam’s other side. She was smiling her usual insanely cute smile.
  1.1185 +Syaoran didn’t 
  1.1186 +seem impressed with it. 	
  1.1187 +	Sam nodded in agreement quickly. “Yeah, I really should get some
  1.1188 +rest. 
  1.1189 +I haven’t been feeling like myself all day. I’ll see you soon,
  1.1190 +Syaoran.” He felt 
  1.1191 +bad to be leaving Sakura’s boyfriend behind the day he had returned
  1.1192 +to Japan to 
  1.1193 +see her, but it was so much easier that way. He didn’t want to think
  1.1194 +about all of 
  1.1195 +the problems of going over to his house and dealing with it all. 
  1.1196 +	Shrugging noncommittally, Syaoran looked at Sam. “Okay. I’ll see you 
  1.1197 +then. Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you home instead?”
  1.1198 +	“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it. You just finish
  1.1199 +packing,” Sam 
  1.1200 +answered with a smile. The last thing he needed right now was to
  1.1201 +talk about the 
  1.1202 +‘old times’ that he had no idea about. 
  1.1203 +	“And the sooner you finish packing, the sooner you can come and see 
  1.1204 +Sakura-chan in bed. I’ll do my best to nurse her back to health for
  1.1205 +you,” 
  1.1206 +Tomoyo added kindly, taking Sam’s other hand. The fingers
  1.1207 +intertwined with 
  1.1208 +those of Sakura’s body in a smooth, unconscious movement. 
  1.1209 +	Syaoran frowned and shook his head. He had finally gotten back and 
  1.1210 +now Sakura had to get sick. It wasn’t fair. She was the whole reason
  1.1211 +he had 
  1.1212 +come back in the first place. “I’ll try to see you later tonight,
  1.1213 +Sakura-chan. Feel 
  1.1214 +better soon.” Hesitating for a moment, but getting a look of
  1.1215 +reassurance from 
  1.1216 +Tomoyo the same way she had always tried to get him to tell Sakura
  1.1217 +how he felt, 
  1.1218 +he leaned forward and kissed Sakura.
  1.1219 +	Sam’s eyes went wide as he felt the boy’s lips against his own
  1.1220 +again. 
  1.1221 +Well, the one’s he was using at the moment anyway. But it didn’t
  1.1222 +feel altogether 
  1.1223 +unpleasant as his lips pressed against those of the Japanese girl he
  1.1224 +was 
  1.1225 +inhabiting. And he needed to keep things together until his host
  1.1226 +returned. 
  1.1227 +Sighing inwardly, Sam kissed back slightly. Syaoran finally pulled
  1.1228 +away, 
  1.1229 +blushing a bit. Saying their goodbyes, he hurried off for home. Sam
  1.1230 +stood where 
  1.1231 +he was for a few moments, trying to shake the whole feeling off. But
  1.1232 +being in a 
  1.1233 +hormone ridden teenage body really didn’t help matters. 
  1.1234 +	“Are you ready, Sakura-chan?” Tomoyo’s voice asked from Sam’s left. 
  1.1235 +When she saw him nod, she began to lead him back home. It was
  1.1236 +strange seeing 
  1.1237 +Sakura’s body, but not Sakura in it. It was like seeing someone
  1.1238 +wearing a 
  1.1239 +friend’s clothes. They clothes may look the same, but the person
  1.1240 +underneath was 
  1.1241 +different. It was the same watching Sam in Sakura’s body. It looked
  1.1242 +like Sakura, 
  1.1243 +but everything was off. The movements, the way he spoke, everything.
  1.1244 +All of it 
  1.1245 +strengthened her longing to have her friend back. Her mind had been
  1.1246 +centered 
  1.1247 +on the Cardmistress all day, barely keeping from panic. She needed
  1.1248 +to know that 
  1.1249 +Sakura-chan was all right. 
  1.1250 +	It took Sam a moment to realize that they were moving. At least 
  1.1251 +someone knew where his home was. That solved one problem. As they
  1.1252 +walked, 
  1.1253 +Tomoyo chatted pleasantly about all sorts of things, from camcorders
  1.1254 +to sewing 
  1.1255 +to how cute Sakura was. He wondered how Sakura hadn’t noticed the
  1.1256 +girl’s love 
  1.1257 +for her. It seemed obvious enough and she was so warm and caring
  1.1258 +towards her, 
  1.1259 +even if Sam was occupying the body for the time being. “Why didn’t
  1.1260 +you tell 
  1.1261 +her how you feel?” Sam interrupted as she was in the middle of
  1.1262 +explaining how 
  1.1263 +difficult it was to videotape someone on a flying staff that was
  1.1264 +dodging magic. 
  1.1265 +	Silence grew between the two for a moment. Tomoyo was smiling 
  1.1266 +again when she looked at Sam. “Did your friend tell you? They must
  1.1267 +have a lot 
  1.1268 +of information on Sakura-chan.”
  1.1269 +	Sam nodded quietly. He felt a cold chill as he remembered Al’s 
  1.1270 +explanation of why she had killed herself. “Yeah, he did. We have
  1.1271 +some 
  1.1272 +information, but not as much as we’d like. But he did tell me that
  1.1273 +you’re in love 
  1.1274 +with her. Why didn’t you tell her?”
  1.1275 +	Tomoyo looked away, concentrating on their surroundings instead of 
  1.1276 +the body of her best friend. Her smile was still there, but it
  1.1277 +looked marginally 
  1.1278 +weaker, as if Sam had hit on a weak spot. “Because she loves Li-kun.
  1.1279 +There’s no 
  1.1280 +reason to tell her how I feel. That would only complicate things for
  1.1281 +her. She’s 
  1.1282 +happy now. As long as the one I love is happy, I’m happy, too.”
  1.1283 +	“But it can’t be healthy to keep all of that inside all the time.
  1.1284 +Don’t you 
  1.1285 +ever talk to anyone about it? Don’t you think that she would want to
  1.1286 +know how 
  1.1287 +you felt?” Sam asked, wanting desperately to change the pale girl’s
  1.1288 +apparent 
  1.1289 +fate. How could he make her understand?
  1.1290 +	“I think Sakura-chan was very confused about Li-kun’s feelings for
  1.1291 +her. 
  1.1292 +But she finally decided that she returned his feelings. And she’s
  1.1293 +happy with that. 
  1.1294 +I think telling her how I feel would confuse poor Sakura-chan and
  1.1295 +she would 
  1.1296 +feel bad about rejecting me, so it would just hurt her. If that’s
  1.1297 +the case, then 
  1.1298 +there really isn’t a reason to tell her. I’ll always love her,
  1.1299 +whether or not she 
  1.1300 +knows that. So if it comes between telling Sakura-chan and hurting
  1.1301 +her or 
  1.1302 +keeping it to myself and holding it all inside, I would much rather
  1.1303 +keep it locked 
  1.1304 +up inside. I never want her to suffer because of me.” Tomoyo’s
  1.1305 +gentle voice held 
  1.1306 +a tinge of sadness in it, but her smile didn’t falter again. She had
  1.1307 +made her 
  1.1308 +decision a long time ago. She would live her entire life alone if
  1.1309 +she had to. But 
  1.1310 +she wouldn’t hurt Sakura out of selfishness. Even if she did want
  1.1311 +Sakura to 
  1.1312 +know, no good could come from it.
  1.1313 +	Sam watched the pale girl closely for a few seconds. No wonder she 
  1.1314 +tried to kill herself. She was keeping it all pent up inside. Not
  1.1315 +only her love, but 
  1.1316 +all of her pain as well. It had no place to go, building up as it
  1.1317 +ate away at her. It 
  1.1318 +finally must have grown too much for her to carry. “But don’t you
  1.1319 +think killing 
  1.1320 +yourself would make her sad? If you’re her best friend, do you
  1.1321 +really think she’d 
  1.1322 +be happy about that?” He locked eyes with Tomoyo, trying to get
  1.1323 +through 
  1.1324 +somehow.
  1.1325 +	Tomoyo paused for only a moment before replying with another smile, 
  1.1326 +her head tilted to the side. “I’m here for Sakura-chan for as long
  1.1327 +as she needs 
  1.1328 +me. I will stay by her side for as long as I’m necessary to her. But
  1.1329 +now she has 
  1.1330 +Li-kun. And she’ll probably move back to Hong Kong with him. He’s
  1.1331 +going to 
  1.1332 +be the one that she’ll run to from now on. He’s the one who will be
  1.1333 +the most 
  1.1334 +important person in her life. She doesn’t need me anymore. He’ll be
  1.1335 +the support 
  1.1336 +that I always gave her. And he’ll protect her in ways I never could.
  1.1337 +He’ll give 
  1.1338 +her a child. So I understand that I couldn’t stay important to
  1.1339 +Sakura-chan 
  1.1340 +forever. I knew that she’d leave eventually and that I would just be
  1.1341 +a memory. 
  1.1342 +And that’s okay. Because I want her to be happy. But she doesn’t
  1.1343 +need me 
  1.1344 +anymore.” It did hurt inside. It hurt so badly. She wanted to stay
  1.1345 +important to 
  1.1346 +Sakura forever, to always be by her side. But now that was Li-kun’s
  1.1347 +job. She 
  1.1348 +had vowed to stay by Sakura for as long as Sakura needed her, but
  1.1349 +that wouldn’t 
  1.1350 +be much longer now that Syaoran was back. And so Tomoyo had thought
  1.1351 +it best 
  1.1352 +to fade into the background, letting herself slowly slip from Sakura
  1.1353 +so that it 
  1.1354 +wouldn’t hurt the other girl. Sakura wouldn’t need to miss her
  1.1355 +because she’d 
  1.1356 +only be a memory soon enough. A vague memory. But her heart would
  1.1357 +always 
  1.1358 +hold Sakura very close, always loving her. No matter what. There was
  1.1359 +no reason 
  1.1360 +for her to stay outside of Sakura’s life. 
  1.1361 +	“No, that’s not true! She does need you. Even if she’s in love with 
  1.1362 +some other boy, that doesn’t mean you aren’t important to her.
  1.1363 +You’re her 
  1.1364 +friend. You’ll still remain important to her whether or not other
  1.1365 +things become 
  1.1366 +important in her life. You can still be happy. You can find someone
  1.1367 +else and 
  1.1368 +stay friends,” Sam argued, wanting something to shake the dark
  1.1369 +future that lay 
  1.1370 +ahead. 
  1.1371 +	Shaking her head almost imperceptibly, Tomoyo stopped. Her long, 
  1.1372 +dark hair fluttered behind her in the wind. “I don’t want anyone
  1.1373 +else. I love 
  1.1374 +Sakura-chan. And I always will. It doesn’t matter if I’m with her.
  1.1375 +Why would 
  1.1376 +that change my love for her? Why would I want to find someone else?
  1.1377 +To 
  1.1378 +replace her? No, I’m perfectly content to hold her deep in my heart
  1.1379 +for eternity. 
  1.1380 +And I’ll always be her friend. Whether or not I’m here.” She smiled
  1.1381 +again at 
  1.1382 +Sam and continued on before he could answer. “Your brother’s
  1.1383 +probably home. 
  1.1384 +Try to act angry at his taunts, but don’t worry about them. He
  1.1385 +really looks out 
  1.1386 +for you. We’ll get you to your room before he can notice that
  1.1387 +anything’s 
  1.1388 +wrong.” Pulling up Sakura’s backpack, she reached in and grabbed the
  1.1389 +key. 
  1.1390 +	Sam sighed as she opened the door and motioned for him to follow. 
  1.1391 +This leap wasn’t offering him any easy answers. Feeling Tomoyo’s
  1.1392 +hand still 
  1.1393 +holding his own, he let her pull him inside. 
  1.1394 +
  1.1395 +“You... You killed her. You killed my precious daughter all because 
  1.1396 +you were too blind to see her devotion to you. You never saw the
  1.1397 +pain in her that 
  1.1398 +I would always see seeping around the edges whenever I would get
  1.1399 +home. Why? 
  1.1400 +Why did you have to take away my daughter?” Sonomi asked
  1.1401 +incredulously. 
  1.1402 +Sakura sobbed on the bed as her friend’s mother came closer, a look
  1.1403 +of pure 
  1.1404 +torment on her face. 
  1.1405 +“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Sakura cried in protest.
  1.1406 +She 
  1.1407 +had been so happy to see Sonomi, to see anyone at all that she
  1.1408 +actually knew. 
  1.1409 +But after running to her and hugging her, Sonomi had broken down
  1.1410 +into tears, 
  1.1411 +blaming Sakura for Tomoyo’s death. Sakura was completely taken by
  1.1412 +surprise. 
  1.1413 +Tomoyo was dead? What had happened? What had she done? 
  1.1414 +“She loved you so much. She was always there for you. Why weren’t 
  1.1415 +you there when she needed you, Sakura-chan? How could you hurt her so 
  1.1416 +badly?” Shaking her head, the distraught mother paused for a moment,
  1.1417 +trying to 
  1.1418 +get a grip on herself. She was trying desperately to remember that
  1.1419 +this was 
  1.1420 +Nadeshiko’s daughter as well as Fujitaka’s. It pained her greatly
  1.1421 +just to be there 
  1.1422 +with her. She knew damn well why Tomoyo had killed herself. She knew
  1.1423 +how 
  1.1424 +much her little girl loved Nadeshiko’s daughter. It was almost
  1.1425 +impossible to 
  1.1426 +think clearly. She had thought she would be able to handle seeing
  1.1427 +Sakura this 
  1.1428 +time. At the funeral she had brushed her aside, barely able to stand
  1.1429 +the sight of 
  1.1430 +her even though Sakura had been trying to offer comfort. But now, it
  1.1431 +all came 
  1.1432 +back to her. The phone call after they had found her daughter’s cold
  1.1433 +body in the 
  1.1434 +lake, the letter from Tomoyo telling her not to be sad, the entire
  1.1435 +funeral flashing 
  1.1436 +before her eyes. 
  1.1437 +“Sonomi-san, please tell me what’s going on,” Sakura begged, wiping 
  1.1438 +at her eyes. “Tomoyo-chan... She’s not...” The words refused to
  1.1439 +leave her 
  1.1440 +mouth. No, that couldn’t be it. Tomoyo had to be all right. That
  1.1441 +couldn’t be why 
  1.1442 +she was here. But she had never seen anyone in so much pain before.
  1.1443 +It was 
  1.1444 +frightening. Her own heart was on the verge of breaking. If she lost
  1.1445 +Tomoyo, 
  1.1446 +what would she do? Tomoyo was always there for her, always sweetly 
  1.1447 +supporting whatever she did. She always went to Tomoyo for
  1.1448 +everything. 
  1.1449 +Tomoyo was the sun in her sky, keeping everything in her life lit
  1.1450 +brightly. The 
  1.1451 +brunette couldn’t fathom a world without her brilliantly smiling
  1.1452 +face. That 
  1.1453 +would just be too lonely. Like a world without stars in the sky or a
  1.1454 +big, shining 
  1.1455 +moon. Darkness would encompass her life. She needed Tomoyo.
  1.1456 +Somehow managing to grasp a hold of her composure for a moment, 
  1.1457 +Sonomi glared at Sakura as she stood up to her full height. “Tomoyo-
  1.1458 +chan died 
  1.1459 +two days ago. She drowned in a lake at the park.” Sakura gasped at
  1.1460 +Sonomi’s 
  1.1461 +words, tears spilling down the cheeks of the quantum physicist whose
  1.1462 +body she 
  1.1463 +was inhabiting. Closing her eyes, Sonomi continued. “She killed
  1.1464 +herself over 
  1.1465 +you, Sakura-chan. She couldn’t live without you. And I don’t blame
  1.1466 +her. You 
  1.1467 +meant the world to her. She loved you with all of her heart.” Her
  1.1468 +words echoed 
  1.1469 +in her head as she choked past them. She could almost see Tomoyo’s
  1.1470 +sad ghost 
  1.1471 +shaking her head, pleading with her not to be angry with Sakura.
  1.1472 +Sonomi 
  1.1473 +couldn’t blame Tomoyo for killing herself. But Tomoyo wouldn’t want
  1.1474 +her to 
  1.1475 +blame Sakura either. 
  1.1476 +“No...” Crying into her hands, Sakura tried desperately to find a way 
  1.1477 +out of this nightmare. It couldn’t be true. Things were getting
  1.1478 +worse and worse 
  1.1479 +in this horrible dream. First she was stuck all alone in some man’s
  1.1480 +body while he 
  1.1481 +tried to fix something that went badly in her life, then Sonomi came
  1.1482 +and got mad 
  1.1483 +at her and now she found out that her best friend was dead. And that
  1.1484 +it was her 
  1.1485 +fault. Her body shook as she was wracked with sobs. ‘Please let me
  1.1486 +wake up 
  1.1487 +from this! Please...’ she thought weakly to herself, her thoughts to
  1.1488 +painful to 
  1.1489 +continue on rationally. Her only thought was Tomoyo’s smiling face,
  1.1490 +glowing 
  1.1491 +brighter and brighter as she faded until all that was left was a
  1.1492 +vague outline. Her 
  1.1493 +hands dropped to her sides as the brunette woman grabbed her
  1.1494 +shoulders, 
  1.1495 +forcing her to look up. 
  1.1496 +“Sakura-chan, she would never tell you because she wanted to be 
  1.1497 +happy, no matter how much I told her she should. Because she thought
  1.1498 +you 
  1.1499 +shouldn’t know. But damn it, I can’t let you keep on ignoring my
  1.1500 +daughter 
  1.1501 +forever. She deserves for you to know, even if you can’t love her
  1.1502 +back. Sakura-
  1.1503 +chan, she loves you. She still does, my sweet little angel. She’s
  1.1504 +probably 
  1.1505 +watching over you just as surely as Nadeshiko-chan is.” Sonomi’s
  1.1506 +gaze was 
  1.1507 +piercing, the same stormy blue eyes that Tomoyo had inherited from
  1.1508 +her looking 
  1.1509 +deep into Sakura’s soul, unflinching in their determination.
  1.1510 +	Bursting into sobs at the intense gaze, Sakura’s eyes clenched shut 
  1.1511 +again. Tomoyo’s voice chorused in her head, hundreds of different
  1.1512 +things she 
  1.1513 +had said tumbling end over end through her mind. She had filed them
  1.1514 +all away 
  1.1515 +as just strange things Tomoyo had said, but now they all began
  1.1516 +making sense, as 
  1.1517 +if Tomoyo was saying them all from right behind her.
  1.1518 +	“Not only is she fast, but she’s cute, too!”
  1.1519 +	“I guess you can hear the name of the person you like no matter what 
  1.1520 +the circumstances.”
  1.1521 +	“Sakura-chan is so cute and happy now, so I’m happy, too.”
  1.1522 +	“Of course I would be happy if my special person liked me. But I’ll
  1.1523 +be 
  1.1524 +happy as long as my special person is.” 
  1.1525 +	And most painfully, “I love you, Sakura-chan.”
  1.1526 +	“I love you, too, Tomoyo-chan,” she had replied with a smile.
  1.1527 +	“I don’t think my love is the same as Sakura-chan’s,” Tomoyo had 
  1.1528 +replied, looking at her sweetly as she often did when she would say
  1.1529 +such things. 
  1.1530 +And shortly after Sakura’s confused response, “I’ll explain when
  1.1531 +you’re older.” 
  1.1532 +But Tomoyo never did. Sakura had forgotten all about it and Tomoyo
  1.1533 +hadn’t 
  1.1534 +tried to explain to her, always being kind and loving but never
  1.1535 +telling her as the 
  1.1536 +years went by and she grew closer to Syaoran. And apparently, Tomoyo
  1.1537 +never 
  1.1538 +would have the chance to explain it to her.
  1.1539 +“Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura cried quietly, shuddering. They had grown 
  1.1540 +even closer over the past few years while Syaoran was back in Hong
  1.1541 +Kong. The 
  1.1542 +thought of living without her left her feel freezing cold inside.
  1.1543 +Her heart felt like 
  1.1544 +a wasteland. 
  1.1545 +The older woman pulled her cousin’s daughter close, unable to watch 
  1.1546 +her tears anymore. She couldn’t feel angry at Sakura any longer, the
  1.1547 +tears 
  1.1548 +showing her own pain at losing Tomoyo. Sonomi kissed her forehead
  1.1549 +gently, 
  1.1550 +stroking her back as she held her close, the older male body making
  1.1551 +the whole 
  1.1552 +scene seem awkward. “She loved you very much, Sakura-chan. She
  1.1553 +always did.” 
  1.1554 +Right now, she didn’t see Nadeshiko in Sakura. Nor did she see
  1.1555 +Fujitaka. She 
  1.1556 +saw herself, crying over the loss of her beloved Nadeshiko. She saw
  1.1557 +that same 
  1.1558 +pain in Sakura. Her own soul was mirrored in Sakura’s sobs and
  1.1559 +tearful eyes. 
  1.1560 +"Oh, Sakura-chan...”  
  1.1561 +Dr. Verbeena Beeks sighed and let the door slide closed again. She
  1.1562 +had 
  1.1563 +been about to enter to put a stop to the whole fiasco, but it looked
  1.1564 +like she 
  1.1565 +wasn’t needed after all.
  1.1566 +
  1.1567 +	Sam sighed as he sat down on his host’s bed. Glancing around the 
  1.1568 +room, her noticed that it looked nice and fairly organized, a
  1.1569 +television in the 
  1.1570 +corner with a gaming system that a little yellow stuffed bear was
  1.1571 +placed in front 
  1.1572 +of and other stuffed animals placed around the room. There was
  1.1573 +another stuffed 
  1.1574 +bear on the bed as well as a little doll that looked a little like
  1.1575 +Sakura in a 
  1.1576 +costume. Overall, it was a very nice, cute room. Not much like
  1.1577 +Sam’s, if he 
  1.1578 +could remember it at all. 
  1.1579 +	Sitting elegantly next to him, Tomoyo smoothed down her skirt and 
  1.1580 +smiled softly. “You did pretty well with Touya-san. I don’t think he
  1.1581 +noticed that 
  1.1582 +too much was different about you. But you should probably stay away
  1.1583 +from him. 
  1.1584 +He can be very perceptive about things, especially concerning people
  1.1585 +around his 
  1.1586 +sister,” she suggested helpfully. 
  1.1587 +	Kero ignored the two girls talking behind him. He had more important 
  1.1588 +things to think about, like finally beating the game he was
  1.1589 +currently playing. He 
  1.1590 +hadn’t saved a single time yet and he was already so very near the
  1.1591 +end. “Jump!! 
  1.1592 +C’mon!!” 
  1.1593 +	Staring at the little bear over by the gaming console, Sam began 
  1.1594 +crawling across the bed. He felt a hand readjust the skirt as it had
  1.1595 +gotten 
  1.1596 +bunched up. Blushing a bit, the leaper shrugged it off and
  1.1597 +concentrated on the 
  1.1598 +stuffed animal. “It just talked, didn’t it?” He sincerely hoped he
  1.1599 +wasn’t going 
  1.1600 +insane. After so many leaps, he would not be at all surprised if he
  1.1601 +was. But that 
  1.1602 +was the last thing he needed.
  1.1603 +	“That’s Kero-chan. He’s the Seal Beast for Sakura-chan’s Sakura 
  1.1604 +Cards. She’s the world’s best magical girl,” Tomoyo explained
  1.1605 +cheerfully, 
  1.1606 +smiling. 
  1.1607 +	“She’s the only magical girl you know,” Kero pointed out, only
  1.1608 +paying 
  1.1609 +half attention to her. “But yeah, Sakura-chan’s the best.”
  1.1610 +	“That’s amazing...” Sam breathed in wonder. In all his years of
  1.1611 +leaping, 
  1.1612 +all of the technological wonders he had worked on, this was like
  1.1613 +nothing he had 
  1.1614 +seen before. Walking over to the stuffed animal, Sam knelt down,
  1.1615 +watching it 
  1.1616 +play the video game. He poked lightly at the small wings on its
  1.1617 +back. They 
  1.1618 +fluttered in irritation at the touch. 
  1.1619 +	“Sakura-chan, I’m a little busy right now. I just have to...
  1.1620 +Almost!! 
  1.1621 +C’mon!! Just wait till I show you my hurricane special move, the
  1.1622 +Kero-chan 
  1.1623 +Special!!” Kero yelled enthusiastically. 
  1.1624 +	Shaking his head, Sam sat back and laughed. “I can’t believe it.
  1.1625 +It’s 
  1.1626 +real. I mean, it actually talks.” He shook his head, laughing again.
  1.1627 +Sam Beckett, 
  1.1628 +for all of his knowledge, had always been driven by his childlike
  1.1629 +curiosity. It 
  1.1630 +had always pushed him forward. And he was delighted to see the
  1.1631 +magical being 
  1.1632 +in front of him, entirely absorbed in a video game.
  1.1633 +	Giggling softly, Tomoyo watched the person that looked like Sakura. 
  1.1634 +“Hai, he has a lot to say.” She looked thoughtful for a moment,
  1.1635 +tilting her head 
  1.1636 +to the side. “So if you don’t know that she’s a magical girl, how
  1.1637 +much do you 
  1.1638 +know about Sakura-chan?”
  1.1639 +	“Not an awful lot, I’m afraid.” Sam sighed, finally turning back to
  1.1640 +the 
  1.1641 +pale girl. “Not enough to know what I’m here to fix yet.” Averting
  1.1642 +his gaze, his 
  1.1643 +mind questioned his answer. 
  1.1644 +	“But you have an idea,” Tomoyo supplied, watching his reaction. “You 
  1.1645 +need to help Sakura-chan. I’ll do whatever I can to help you. I just
  1.1646 +want her to 
  1.1647 +be happy.” Her eyes closed and a weak sigh escaped her suddenly
  1.1648 +fragile 
  1.1649 +looking form. The day had taken quite a bit of her strength. She
  1.1650 +just wanted to 
  1.1651 +see Sakura again.
  1.1652 +	“But what about you? Why can’t you be happy, too?” Sam shot back, 
  1.1653 +regretting it as the words left his mouth. But he still couldn’t
  1.1654 +understand how 
  1.1655 +that one person could mean so much to her that she would end her
  1.1656 +life. Not the 
  1.1657 +way Al seemed to, at least. She was such a sweet, innocent girl. He
  1.1658 +couldn’t let 
  1.1659 +that fate befall her. There had to be a way for him to stop it.
  1.1660 +	Tomoyo smiled softly and brushed back some of her lavender hair from 
  1.1661 +her eyes. “But I am happy. I’m happy knowing that Sakura-chan will
  1.1662 +be happy 
  1.1663 +with the one she loves.” Before Sam could argue, she continued.
  1.1664 +“That doesn’t 
  1.1665 +mean that I don’t hurt as well. I love her so much. I would do
  1.1666 +anything for 
  1.1667 +Sakura-chan. To be in her arms, I would certainly have to be in
  1.1668 +Heaven with its 
  1.1669 +most beautiful angel, Sakura-chan. But I can’t have that. And I
  1.1670 +understand. So I 
  1.1671 +will do whatever I can to make Sakura-chan happy. That means much
  1.1672 +more to 
  1.1673 +me than my own happiness.”
  1.1674 +	Sam shook his head in confusion. “But how can you do that when it 
  1.1675 +hurts you so much? When you can’t survive the outcome? It doesn’t
  1.1676 +make sense. 
  1.1677 +Don’t do this to yourself! You can stop it all from happening. You
  1.1678 +can still be 
  1.1679 +happy without her.”
  1.1680 +	Her smile faded slightly but it remained on the pale girl as she
  1.1681 +closed 
  1.1682 +her eyes, clasping her hands together. “It’s like I have fallen in
  1.1683 +love with the 
  1.1684 +stars in the sky. They shine down in our lives, twinkling happily
  1.1685 +and giving us 
  1.1686 +glimmers of dreams. But you can never reach them. Just as I have
  1.1687 +fallen in love 
  1.1688 +with Sakura-chan. Even if I can’t quite reach her the way I would
  1.1689 +like to, she 
  1.1690 +shines on me and makes me feel so blessed just to have known her. To
  1.1691 +repay her 
  1.1692 +for all of the wonderful dreams and happiness she has granted me
  1.1693 +through my 
  1.1694 +years with her, I will repay her as best I can, by making her happy.
  1.1695 +And if I can’t 
  1.1696 +be the one to make her happy, then I’ll be glad that Li-kun can.
  1.1697 +Even if I don’t 
  1.1698 +want to stay here without her, I’m eternally grateful to her for
  1.1699 +being in my life 
  1.1700 +for as along as she was. And I will not burden her by staying in
  1.1701 +hers. But I will 
  1.1702 +watch over her happily when I’m gone, the knowledge that she is
  1.1703 +happy filling 
  1.1704 +my heart.”
  1.1705 +	Blinking in surprise, Sam looked away. He was speechless. He really 
  1.1706 +didn’t know how to respond to Tomoyo. She was so convincing, even if
  1.1707 +he 
  1.1708 +believed that she was wrong. 
  1.1709 +	“Sam!!” Al yelled out as soon as he stepped out of the Imaging 
  1.1710 +Chamber door. “Ziggy’s got something! You’ve gotta get down to
  1.1711 +Syaoran’s 
  1.1712 +house now!” 
  1.1713 +	Standing up quickly, Sam ignored the fluttering skirt around him and 
  1.1714 +nodded. “Where is it, Al? What’s going on?”
  1.1715 +	“Just get outside! I’ll show you from there. And I’ll explain along
  1.1716 +the 
  1.1717 +way.” With a few buttons on the handlink, I’ll repositioned himself
  1.1718 +outside.
  1.1719 +	“I need to get to Syaoran’s house,” Sam said hastily, heading out
  1.1720 +the 
  1.1721 +door.
  1.1722 +	“Sakura-chan, matte! I’ll show you where it is.” Taking Sam’s hand, 
  1.1723 +Tomoyo hurried with him down the stairs, leaving an oblivious Kero
  1.1724 +to the last 
  1.1725 +level of his game. She watched the person inhabiting her beloved
  1.1726 +Sakura 
  1.1727 +carefully, wondering what the invisible friend could have said to
  1.1728 +get his 
  1.1729 +attention this way.
  1.1730 +	“Where are you headed off to so quickly, monster?” Touya asked 
  1.1731 +conversationally from the kitchen. 
  1.1732 +	“We’ve got to go study!” came Sam’s response as the rushed out the 
  1.1733 +door.
  1.1734 +	Touya watched after the two girl’s curiously, sipping his tea. His 
  1.1735 +attention turned to the white haired boy sitting next to him at the
  1.1736 +table. “Since 
  1.1737 +when did Sakura ever hurry to go study?”
  1.1738 +	Yukito smiled pleasantly, his glasses shimmering in the afternoon
  1.1739 +light 
  1.1740 +filtering in through the window. “Maybe it’s not the studying, but
  1.1741 +being able to 
  1.1742 +study with Tomoyo-chan. Studying seems to be the last thing on your
  1.1743 +mind 
  1.1744 +when we study,” the snow bunny commented thoughtfully, earning him a
  1.1745 +dirty 
  1.1746 +look from Touya. He just grinned even further. 
  1.1747 +
  1.1748 +	“So what’s going on, Al? What did Ziggy find out?” Sam asked 
  1.1749 +impatiently as Tomoyo led the way to Syaoran’s house while the
  1.1750 +holographic 
  1.1751 +observer followed along. It had been decided that she should lead,
  1.1752 +knowing the 
  1.1753 +area much better than Al, even with the maps displayed on the
  1.1754 +handlink. 
  1.1755 +	“It took forever to find, but she finally found some records that
  1.1756 +were of 
  1.1757 +some interest. Okay, okay. She wants me to say what a supreme effort
  1.1758 +it took on 
  1.1759 +her part to obtain the information. Alright!” Al grimaced at the
  1.1760 +handlink and 
  1.1761 +pounded on the side. “And that she found it right in time because
  1.1762 +this window of 
  1.1763 +opportunity is rapidly shrinking. Egomaniacal hunk of...” he
  1.1764 +muttered under his 
  1.1765 +breath. Looking back up, Al continued on. “Syaoran’s getting a visit
  1.1766 +right now 
  1.1767 +from someone important to all of this. His fiancee, a girl named
  1.1768 +Meiling. After 
  1.1769 +finding out he went back to Japan to be with you, she booked a
  1.1770 +flight and 
  1.1771 +headed out to try to convince him otherwise. They get into a huge
  1.1772 +argument and 
  1.1773 +she leaves, apparently broken up by the whole thing. Seems she
  1.1774 +really had it big 
  1.1775 +for your boyfriend.”
  1.1776 +	“Can you please quit calling him my boyfriend?” Sam asked 
  1.1777 +exasperatedly. Shaking his head, he looked back at Al. He was glad
  1.1778 +for Sakura’s 
  1.1779 +athletic body during the long walk, but Tomoyo seemed to be
  1.1780 +breathing with 
  1.1781 +difficulty. He hoped they would get there soon. “All right, so what
  1.1782 +happens with 
  1.1783 +Meiling?”
  1.1784 +	“Well, she doesn’t kill herself, but she doesn’t seem to take it
  1.1785 +much 
  1.1786 +better than Tomoyo other than that. Ziggy says there’s a 73%
  1.1787 +probability that 
  1.1788 +you’re here to make sure that she gets with Syaoran and that he
  1.1789 +doesn’t ruin 
  1.1790 +things with her. She says that things probably won’t work out with
  1.1791 +you and him 
  1.1792 +and that the relationship will eventually fall apart, but by then
  1.1793 +it’ll be too 
  1.1794 +shattered to pick up any of the pieces for anyone involved.”
  1.1795 +Motioning towards 
  1.1796 +Tomoyo with the handlink, he sighed. “Especially for her.”
  1.1797 +	Sam stopped dead in his tracks, nearly dragging the dark haired
  1.1798 +girl off 
  1.1799 +of her feet at the sudden stop. “Only 73%? Al, can’t you give me
  1.1800 +something a 
  1.1801 +little better than that? I can’t ruin Sakura’s relationship with him
  1.1802 +over that. What 
  1.1803 +if they can work things out? What if they’re meant to have kids? How
  1.1804 +can I do 
  1.1805 +that, Al?” A sigh escaped his lips. This leap was really starting to
  1.1806 +wear him 
  1.1807 +down.
  1.1808 +	“It’s all right, Fake Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo said with a warm smile
  1.1809 +and 
  1.1810 +a gentle squeeze of Sam’s hand. “If you worry like that, then you
  1.1811 +won’t be able 
  1.1812 +to help Sakura-chan out when she needs it. I trust you to fix things
  1.1813 +for her. 
  1.1814 +Please believe in yourself. Whatever you decide.” Her eyes took on a
  1.1815 +pleading 
  1.1816 +look. “Please make sure that Sakura-chan can be happy.”
  1.1817 +	“I promise that I’ll try my hardest to make sure she can be,” Sam 
  1.1818 +promised, smiling a little in return. Turning his attention back to
  1.1819 +Al, his eyes 
  1.1820 +narrowed. “Even if the odds are only 73%.”
  1.1821 +	Sighing, Al shook his head as a loud trill came from the handlink. 
  1.1822 +“Ziggy’s not too pleased with your attitude about this, Sam. She had
  1.1823 +to hack into 
  1.1824 +a whole lot of systems to get the information that she did. And
  1.1825 +besides, why do 
  1.1826 +you always have to be this way about the odds? I give you bad odds
  1.1827 +and you beg 
  1.1828 +for better ones. I give you good odds and you’ll say that’s not why
  1.1829 +you’ve leapt 
  1.1830 +in and do something boneheaded on your gut instinct.”
  1.1831 +	Sam frowned and looked away. “But most of the time I’m right when 
  1.1832 +it’s my instinct,” he argued. Closing his eyes, he sighed. “But we
  1.1833 +don’t have 
  1.1834 +time for that. Especially if we don’t have much time left. Besides,
  1.1835 +this sounds 
  1.1836 +like it could hurt a lot of people in the end.”
  1.1837 +	A door flew open near them and a black haired girl stepped out,
  1.1838 +tears in 
  1.1839 +her eyes and fists clenched. “And if that’s what you want, Syaoran,
  1.1840 +then you can 
  1.1841 +go ahead and have it!! I’m going back to Hong Kong, you selfish
  1.1842 +asshole!! I 
  1.1843 +hope I never see you again!” 
  1.1844 +	Sam winced as he watched her gaze icily at him. Of course, he was
  1.1845 +the 
  1.1846 +reason she was angry. Syaoran stumbled out the door after her,
  1.1847 +holding his 
  1.1848 +stomach as if he had been punched there. Which, surprisingly, he had
  1.1849 +been. 
  1.1850 +Meiling seemed to be a very... fiery woman. Not someone he wanted
  1.1851 +mad at 
  1.1852 +him. He nearly backpedaled as he approached. 
  1.1853 +	“Sam... Don’t get into a catfight with her, okay? I know you know 
  1.1854 +some martial arts, but trust me, you don’t know anything compared to
  1.1855 +her,” Al 
  1.1856 +warned from Sam’s side, punching up information on the handlink.
  1.1857 +“Ziggy says 
  1.1858 +not to piss her off. Oh, thanks, Queen Ziggy. That’s something he
  1.1859 +couldn’t have 
  1.1860 +figured out for himself.”
  1.1861 +	“Sakura-chan..?” Syaoran asked in surprise, standing up straight
  1.1862 +when 
  1.1863 +he saw Sam. He looked at her in confusion before looking back to the
  1.1864 +still angry 
  1.1865 +Meiling. 
  1.1866 +	“I’m going home. I hope you two are happy with each other!” Meiling 
  1.1867 +turned, wiping at her eyes as she began to walk away from the house.
  1.1868 +Syaoran 
  1.1869 +stood on the sidewalk, frozen with indecision. He shouldn’t go to
  1.1870 +stop Meiling 
  1.1871 +with Sakura here. He had made his decision and he would have to
  1.1872 +stand by it. So 
  1.1873 +he would have to let Meiling leave, possibly never to speak with her
  1.1874 +again. But 
  1.1875 +there was nothing else he could do. He never had been good at
  1.1876 +expressing his 
  1.1877 +emotions and this situation was no different. If anything, it just
  1.1878 +made it more 
  1.1879 +difficult. But he didn’t want to see Meiling leave like this.
  1.1880 +	“Wait, Meiling!” Sam grabbed her arm, trying to stall her. She
  1.1881 +easily 
  1.1882 +pulled from his grasp, turning on an agile foot and glaring directly
  1.1883 +at the 
  1.1884 +displaced time traveler. 
  1.1885 +	“What the hell do you want, Sakura? You already have Syaoran. Leave 
  1.1886 +me alone. I’m leaving.” The rest of what she said was in Chinese and
  1.1887 +didn’t 
  1.1888 +make any sense to Sam. She was obviously very upset, masking her
  1.1889 +pain with 
  1.1890 +sheer, seething anger. She was not going to be easy to deal with at
  1.1891 +all. Her 
  1.1892 +beloved had just fled to Japan to be with another woman, leaving her
  1.1893 +all alone. 
  1.1894 +And arguing with him had just made things worse, painful words
  1.1895 +flying both 
  1.1896 +ways as it raged on. Right now she wanted to be on an airplane back
  1.1897 +home 
  1.1898 +where she could forget about sorcerer’s that didn’t keep their
  1.1899 +promises to wed 
  1.1900 +and magical girls that weave spells and steal fiancees. 
  1.1901 +	“Please, don’t go, Meiling. You’ll regret it if you leave today. I 
  1.1902 +promise. We have to talk about things,” Sam urged softly, hoping
  1.1903 +that he could 
  1.1904 +contain the situation. If Meiling wanted to leave, there was
  1.1905 +absolutely no way he 
  1.1906 +could stop her. And that was possibly his only chance to fix things.
  1.1907 +“Please?”
  1.1908 +	“I already regret coming here. What’s another regret?” Meiling shot 
  1.1909 +back angrily, her eyes still bloodshot from her tears. But she
  1.1910 +seemed to at least 
  1.1911 +consider it, making no move to leave. Her eyes darted back towards
  1.1912 +Syaoran 
  1.1913 +who refused to look at her. He had no idea why Sakura was doing
  1.1914 +this, but it 
  1.1915 +was only making things harder. He had done this for her. Why was she
  1.1916 +making 
  1.1917 +it more difficult than it had to be? Meiling looked away again, her
  1.1918 +heart torn in 
  1.1919 +two at the sight of the boy she loved waiting to be with the
  1.1920 +Japanese girl. 
  1.1921 +	Sam took a deep breath, looking from face to face to face. Did
  1.1922 +Sakura 
  1.1923 +know how many lives she could affect? All of these people could be
  1.1924 +hurt terribly 
  1.1925 +by an innocent sin that Sakura had no idea to prevent. Sam only
  1.1926 +hoped he still 
  1.1927 +had time. Tomoyo would die at her own hands out of grief, Meiling
  1.1928 +would be 
  1.1929 +broken over the loss of her fiancee, and Syaoran and Sakura would
  1.1930 +probably get 
  1.1931 +hurt by the personal loss of the two girls, even if Meiling didn’t
  1.1932 +leave in the 
  1.1933 +same way. Now how did he fix all that? He glanced to Al, hoping for
  1.1934 +some idea. 
  1.1935 +The Observer had to know some way to resolve this, right? Otherwise
  1.1936 +he 
  1.1937 +wouldn’t be able to do anything. But how could he break up Sakura and 
  1.1938 +Syaoran? It hardly seemed fair to do that to them. The sound of the
  1.1939 +Imaging 
  1.1940 +Chamber door whooshing open shook him from his thoughts. He stared
  1.1941 +in shock 
  1.1942 +as he saw himself standing next to Al wearing the all white fermi
  1.1943 +suit that was 
  1.1944 +used for multiple purposes at Project Quantum Leap. He hadn’t seen
  1.1945 +himself in 
  1.1946 +so long. But what was he doing there?
  1.1947 +	“Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura whispered softly as she looked at the dark 
  1.1948 +haired girl standing next to her body. It took all she had to keep
  1.1949 +from bursting 
  1.1950 +into tears after what Sonomi had told her earlier. She sniffled
  1.1951 +slightly but smiled 
  1.1952 +at the brown haired boy standing a bit away from her. None of them
  1.1953 +could see 
  1.1954 +her, which was a bit eerie. “Thank you, Syaoran-kun. You were right.
  1.1955 +I 
  1.1956 +shouldn’t cry. It won’t fix anything. Thank you for teaching me
  1.1957 +that. I need to 
  1.1958 +solve my problems.”
  1.1959 +	“Sakura?” Sam asked in shock. What was she doing here? Why was Al 
  1.1960 +parading people through the Imaging Chamber? If they were all going
  1.1961 +to see 
  1.1962 +Tomoyo before she died, couldn’t the watch from Ziggy’s monitors? 
  1.1963 +	Sakura bowed to Sam, a little awkward in his taller body. “Gomen 
  1.1964 +nasai. Thank you for trying to fix my life. But I need to fix my own
  1.1965 +problems. 
  1.1966 +It’s not right to have you fix them all for me. Then I won’t have
  1.1967 +learned 
  1.1968 +anything. If you run away from your problems, you will regret them
  1.1969 +for years 
  1.1970 +afterwards. I learned that from Sonomi-san.” 
  1.1971 +	“I... uhhh... sure..” Sam nodded, still a little confused about the
  1.1972 +whole 
  1.1973 +situation. He hoped this leap would start making sense soon. 
  1.1974 +	“Sakura-chan, are you okay?” Syaoran asked, his eyes narrowing as he 
  1.1975 +looked around for who Sakura was talking to. “Who is it?”
  1.1976 +	Sam shook his head quickly, brushing back some reddish brown hair 
  1.1977 +that got in his eyes. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it. I’m just
  1.1978 +trying to think 
  1.1979 +about what to say.” He glanced back to Sakura, hoping that she had
  1.1980 +some idea 
  1.1981 +about how to resolve this whole thing.
  1.1982 +	Sakura’s hands went to her chest, her eyes closing. She sighed
  1.1983 +deeply, 
  1.1984 +trying to concentrate. This would be difficult to do, but she knew
  1.1985 +she had to. 
  1.1986 +Opening her eyes, determination flared through them. She smiled
  1.1987 +sadly at 
  1.1988 +Syaoran, stepping up to him even if he couldn’t see her. “Syaoran-
  1.1989 +kun, thank 
  1.1990 +you so much for coming back to see me. I missed you so much. You
  1.1991 +were such a 
  1.1992 +great help with the Cards and with all of the dangers that I faced.
  1.1993 +I couldn’t have 
  1.1994 +asked for a better rival. I’m glad that we stopped that and that we
  1.1995 +got to grow 
  1.1996 +closer. You’re really sweet when you let it show through. I’m glad I
  1.1997 +got to see 
  1.1998 +you again. But I’m afraid that I can’t say I feel the same way I
  1.1999 +used to. Or that I 
  1.2000 +ever did. I never really got to decide for myself who I was in love
  1.2001 +with. 
  1.2002 +Everyone seemed to think it was you. Tomoyo-chan, Yukito-san, Eriol-
  1.2003 +kun, they 
  1.2004 +all seemed to lead me to you. So when you told me how you felt, I
  1.2005 +felt like they 
  1.2006 +already had told me. So I thought I had to return your feelings. But
  1.2007 +they didn’t 
  1.2008 +know my heart. Neither did I, back then. I’m so sorry. I think you
  1.2009 +belong with 
  1.2010 +Meiling-chan. She really does love you very much and she’s so open
  1.2011 +about it. I 
  1.2012 +think you’d be sad if you never see her again or if she’s mad at you
  1.2013 +about this. I 
  1.2014 +hope things work out. Hoe... I’m so sorry about all this. But I’m
  1.2015 +really happy I 
  1.2016 +got to meet you. And that we had all of the adventures that we did.
  1.2017 +You’ll 
  1.2018 +always be an important friend to me, Syaoran-kun.” She tried to hug
  1.2019 +him, 
  1.2020 +smiling weakly, but she nearly fell through him. Sighing, she
  1.2021 +stepped back, 
  1.2022 +watching the sad look on his face as Sam repeated what she had said
  1.2023 +to him. He 
  1.2024 +didn’t want to understand. He didn’t want it to be true. Her heart
  1.2025 +went out to 
  1.2026 +him, but she knew that she had to continue.
  1.2027 +	“What?” Meiling asked in shock. Why would Sakura give up Syaoran 
  1.2028 +all of the sudden? She never would in Sakura’s position. A slow
  1.2029 +smile crept 
  1.2030 +along her lips. Who cared if Sakura had suddenly gone insane? This
  1.2031 +meant 
  1.2032 +Syaoran would be all hers after all. It had been worth coming to
  1.2033 +Japan again. 
  1.2034 +“Poor Syaoran,” she said, mock pouting as she took the still shocked
  1.2035 +boy’s arm. 
  1.2036 +“Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of you.” She smiled sweetly and
  1.2037 +rested her 
  1.2038 +head on his shoulder, delighting at the way it felt to be next to
  1.2039 +him again. Yes, 
  1.2040 +she’d make sure that Syaoran never did anything that stupid again.
  1.2041 +Or else.
  1.2042 +	Still in Sam’s body, Sakura blushed a bit, wringing her hands as she 
  1.2043 +looked at Tomoyo. While in the Waiting Room, Sakura had had quite a
  1.2044 +bit of 
  1.2045 +time to think. And Sonomi’s explanations had given her a chance to
  1.2046 +realize a 
  1.2047 +horrible mistake that she would have made. She only hoped that she
  1.2048 +was in time 
  1.2049 +to fix it. “Tomoyo-chan, I finally understand what you meant. I.. I
  1.2050 +love you, too, 
  1.2051 +Tomoyo-chan. I need you. More than you could ever know. Tomoyo-chan,
  1.2052 +you 
  1.2053 +make me feel so warm and happy inside. So hanyaa. Whenever I feel
  1.2054 +bad, 
  1.2055 +you’re right there to help me back up again. When I’m happy, you’re
  1.2056 +there with 
  1.2057 +me recording it all and watching me. And that makes me even happier,
  1.2058 +that you 
  1.2059 +can be there to share it with me. Tomoyo-chan, you don’t have to
  1.2060 +just watch 
  1.2061 +your special person be happy. Because I don’t think I could be happy
  1.2062 +without 
  1.2063 +you. I... I want to make you happy, too.” Clasping her hands
  1.2064 +together, Sakura 
  1.2065 +looked down at her friend, watching her intently. Finding out how
  1.2066 +Tomoyo felt 
  1.2067 +about her hadn’t surprised her as much as she would have thought it
  1.2068 +should 
  1.2069 +have. But it just made sense now that she looked back on all that
  1.2070 +Tomoyo had 
  1.2071 +said and done for her. It didn’t take long to realize that her own
  1.2072 +feelings had 
  1.2073 +begun to flow along with Tomoyo’s long ago. She had begged them to
  1.2074 +let her 
  1.2075 +see Tomoyo when she had finally found the love hiding in her own
  1.2076 +heart. 
  1.2077 +	Tomoyo listened in disbelief to her friend’s sweet voice. That
  1.2078 +couldn’t 
  1.2079 +be right. Could it just be the person who was in Sakura saying that?
  1.2080 +The 
  1.2081 +mannerisms showed that it was still the fake Sakura, but those words
  1.2082 +were the 
  1.2083 +Cardmistress’s. So that meant Sakura was here. Saying this to her.
  1.2084 +Her cheeks 
  1.2085 +brightened as she looked around for her best friend. In desperation,
  1.2086 +she grabbed 
  1.2087 +onto the person impersonating Sakura, holding on tightly to the body
  1.2088 +of her best 
  1.2089 +friend. “Sakura-chan...!” Her stormy blue eyes closed tightly, her
  1.2090 +heart pouring 
  1.2091 +out to Sakura, wherever she was. Sakura had been gone all day and
  1.2092 +this was the 
  1.2093 +first time she had the chance to be near her, to know that she was
  1.2094 +there. The real 
  1.2095 +her. It left the pale girl feeling weak inside, especially at
  1.2096 +Sakura’s words. She 
  1.2097 +would have just been happy to know that the magical girl was back.
  1.2098 +This set her 
  1.2099 +soul afire, almost too much for her weary body to handle. A dam had
  1.2100 +broken in 
  1.2101 +her heart, letting all of the love she kept pent up inside for
  1.2102 +Sakura flow out, 
  1.2103 +nearly drowning her in its strength. Everything disappeared in the
  1.2104 +storm, Sakura 
  1.2105 +the calm at its center. “I know you’re there, Sakura-chan. I love
  1.2106 +you, too. I 
  1.2107 +always have, Sakura-chan.”
  1.2108 +	Blushing at Tomoyo’s declaration of love, Sakura let her eyes fall 
  1.2109 +closed as she stood in the same spot as Sam. Wanting so much to be
  1.2110 +there, to 
  1.2111 +feel the small dark haired girl, Sakura’s arms went around the
  1.2112 +hologram of 
  1.2113 +Tomoyo in the Imaging Chamber. 
  1.2114 +	Sighing, Syaoran shook his head. He couldn’t believe any of this. He 
  1.2115 +certainly hadn’t been expecting it. He never should have come back to 
  1.2116 +Tomoeda. Not if this was going to happen. But he should have known
  1.2117 +that 
  1.2118 +Sakura didn’t feel that way about him anymore. Especially with how
  1.2119 +strange she 
  1.2120 +had been acting all day. He suddenly regretted what he had said to
  1.2121 +Meiling just a 
  1.2122 +short time earlier. He opened his mouth, trying to apologize, but
  1.2123 +she shook her 
  1.2124 +head. Leaning forward, she kissed him softly, the rest of his
  1.2125 +conscious thought 
  1.2126 +melting away as he stared at the floor, too embarrassed to utter a
  1.2127 +word. Meiling 
  1.2128 +giggled in triumph.
  1.2129 +	Al motioned over towards the two members of the Li Clan with a 
  1.2130 +flourish of his cigar. “Looks like things just might work out after
  1.2131 +all. Ziggy’s 
  1.2132 +finally breathing a sigh of relief.” 
  1.2133 +	Shooting the Observer a skeptical look, Sam motioned his head 
  1.2134 +towards Tomoyo. He was still a bit concerned about this whole leap.
  1.2135 +It had 
  1.2136 +definitely been bizarre all the way around. “But what about...?”
  1.2137 +	“I wouldn’t worry about that, Sam. Something tells me she’ll live
  1.2138 +for a 
  1.2139 +good long time now that she’s got a reason to.” Grinning, the
  1.2140 +observer made 
  1.2141 +room for Sonomi, ignoring the trill of the handlink.
  1.2142 +	“I’ll see you soon, my baby girl,” Sonomi whispered softly, her
  1.2143 +fingers 
  1.2144 +fading through Tomoyo’s holographic hair. She smiled softly, finally
  1.2145 +feeling at 
  1.2146 +ease for the first time since the funeral. Soon enough this would be
  1.2147 +all over and 
  1.2148 +the funeral would never have happened now that Tomoyo wouldn’t wind
  1.2149 +up in 
  1.2150 +that position in the first place. Though there was no breeze in the
  1.2151 +Imaging 
  1.2152 +Chamber, she could almost feel it just by watching Tomoyo’s dark
  1.2153 +gray hair 
  1.2154 +flutter near her fingertips. A lighter gray caught her eye nearby. A
  1.2155 +faint image, a 
  1.2156 +smiling angel looked back at her. Unseen to the group just as surely
  1.2157 +as the 
  1.2158 +holograms were, the woman watched over the two young girls. So much
  1.2159 +like 
  1.2160 +herself and someone else at that age. “Nadeshiko-chan...”
  1.2161 +	Smiling softly, Sam returned the hug to the overjoyed heiress. He
  1.2162 +knew 
  1.2163 +he’d be gone soon enough, but he had the feeling that Al was right,
  1.2164 +that things 
  1.2165 +would work out. He was glad he had come, even if it was only for a
  1.2166 +short time. 
  1.2167 +“Good luck, Tomoyo.” For just a moment, after setting things right
  1.2168 +that had 
  1.2169 +once gone wrong, Doctor Sam Beckett felt at peace. For just one
  1.2170 +moment, his 
  1.2171 +journey didn’t seem so incredibly long. Home didn’t seem quite so
  1.2172 +far away. 
  1.2173 +With that, he leapt. 
  1.2174 +	With a tingle that Sakura couldn’t quite tell if it was caused by
  1.2175 +magic 
  1.2176 +or by the feeling of being in Tomoyo’s arms, the Cardmistress was
  1.2177 +back. She 
  1.2178 +couldn’t really remember from where, but she felt relieved to know
  1.2179 +that she was 
  1.2180 +home again. With a furious blush, she could remember telling Sakura
  1.2181 +the 
  1.2182 +feelings that rose up inside her heart. She clutched onto the pale
  1.2183 +girl tightly, 
  1.2184 +feeling Tomoyo buried against her, her fingers lightly stroking
  1.2185 +Sakura’s back. 
  1.2186 +Tomoyo almost stumbled back but quickly regained her balance,
  1.2187 +whispering 
  1.2188 +Sakura’s name over and over in her ear. Tomoyo’s gentle touch
  1.2189 +quickly forced 
  1.2190 +away the disorientation that had lingered in the brunette’s mind.
  1.2191 +All that 
  1.2192 +mattered was that she was with Tomoyo once more. And for once, the
  1.2193 +warm 
  1.2194 +feelings in her heart made sense to their owner. It tossed her like
  1.2195 +a balloon, 
  1.2196 +turning her around and around until she didn’t know where she was.
  1.2197 +But it 
  1.2198 +didn’t matter. Now she wouldn’t ever be lost again. She wasn’t fully
  1.2199 +aware of 
  1.2200 +when she had come to the realization that Tomoyo had captured her
  1.2201 +heart, but 
  1.2202 +she knew Tomoyo had as surely as Sakura had captured any cards.
  1.2203 +Tomoyo had 
  1.2204 +bound her heart to her long ago. “I love you, too,” she whispered in
  1.2205 +response to 
  1.2206 +Tomoyo sweet voice in her ear. 
  1.2207 +	It was her again. Tomoyo knew it. She was enveloped in Sakura. Her 
  1.2208 +warm touch, her soft hair, her wonderful scent. It wrapped Tomoyo up
  1.2209 +in 
  1.2210 +ribbons of sheer joy. She never wanted to be free of the ribbons
  1.2211 +that wound 
  1.2212 +themselves tightly around her heart and soul. The pain, the cracks
  1.2213 +in her soul 
  1.2214 +began to heal from Sakura’s presence, soothing her battered spirit
  1.2215 +and warming 
  1.2216 +the icy chill that had threatened to consume her heart. Her pain
  1.2217 +meant nothing in 
  1.2218 +the face of Sakura’s love. It was as if it had never been there at
  1.2219 +all. Sakura’s 
  1.2220 +hands slowly began running through Tomoyo’s hair, smoothing away all
  1.2221 +of 
  1.2222 +Tomoyo’s worries at the same time. “Sakura-chan... I knew that you
  1.2223 +would 
  1.2224 +rescue me,” she whispered softly. Stormy blue eyes opened to meet
  1.2225 +emerald 
  1.2226 +orbs gazing back into them. The dark haired girl smiled contentedly,
  1.2227 +her heart 
  1.2228 +almost overflowing with the outpouring of her love and the influx of
  1.2229 +Sakura’s. 
  1.2230 +She had been the princess locked up in the castle, cursed to an
  1.2231 +eternal night. And 
  1.2232 +like she had always hoped, Sakura had pulled her out into the
  1.2233 +sunshine. Leaning 
  1.2234 +closer, Tomoyo marveled at the even deeper blush that colored
  1.2235 +Sakura’s face as 
  1.2236 +Sakura realized what she intended. Sakura met her softly, their lips
  1.2237 +pressing 
  1.2238 +together. The two girls held each other as if afraid the other would
  1.2239 +slip away. 
  1.2240 +Tomoyo was surprised at the vigor with which Sakura returned the
  1.2241 +kiss, 
  1.2242 +shattering the cage that had held Tomoyo completely and setting her
  1.2243 +adrift in 
  1.2244 +Sakura’s arms. Kissing back as passionately as she could, the dark
  1.2245 +haired girl’s 
  1.2246 +arms went around Sakura’s shoulders, pulling her closer. “Sakura-
  1.2247 +chan is a very 
  1.2248 +good kisser,” Tomoyo said breathlessly as their lips finally parted.
  1.2249 +	“Tomoyo-chan, was that your tongue?” Sakura asked quietly, her 
  1.2250 +cheeks flushing scarlet. “Hoe...” Resting her head on Tomoyo’s
  1.2251 +shoulder, she 
  1.2252 +felt Tomoyo’s gentle embrace as her musical giggle filled Sakura’s
  1.2253 +mind. 
  1.2254 +Whatever had happened, she was glad for it. She had to have a
  1.2255 +guardian angel.
  1.2256 +
  1.2257 +	Sam found himself kneeling in a church in prayer when he finally
  1.2258 +came 
  1.2259 +to his senses. That didn’t seem too awkward. He had been a priest
  1.2260 +before during 
  1.2261 +another leap, after all. But he didn’t seem to be a priest this
  1.2262 +time. The long white 
  1.2263 +dress seemed to indicate that he was a nun instead. Another girl
  1.2264 +stood in front of 
  1.2265 +him, her mousey brown hair done up in a high pony tail with a black
  1.2266 +bow. She 
  1.2267 +wore what looked like a black magician’s outfit with a pink skirt
  1.2268 +and held a top 
  1.2269 +hat in one hand. “Seira-chan? You don’t look so well.”
  1.2270 +	“Oh boy...”
  1.2271 +	
  1.2272 +
  1.2273 +