1.1 --- /dev/null	Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
     1.2 +++ b/old/stories/ccs-seal01.txt	Fri Feb 19 20:53:12 2010 -0500
     1.3 @@ -0,0 +1,957 @@
     1.4 +Title: Seal Cards
     1.5 +Subtitle: Epitomes of Love
     1.6 +Author: Matthias Engel aka MysticMew
     1.7 +Feedback: Solarsenshi@gmx.de
     1.8 +Status: Alpha
     1.9 +Fandom: Card Captor Sakura (manga)
    1.10 +Rating: PG-13 (with some scenes bordering on R)
    1.11 +Category: Romance, Action/Adventure
    1.12 +Pairing: Sakura/Tomoyo
    1.13 +Timeline: Sequel to "Happy Years"
    1.14 +Summary: There are two more cards Clow created. Our couple must learn 
    1.15 +that even great mages are not prone to mistakes.
    1.16 +Sub-Summary: When a vacation goes a little different than planned, can 
    1.17 +Sakura control herself from loving Tomoyo "too much"?
    1.18 +Distribution: MSD (www.catstrio.de), Shoujo Ai.com (www.shoujoai.com), 
    1.19 +ff.net (www.fanfiction.net), Mediaminer (www.mediaminer.org), Moonlit 
    1.20 +Nights (http://jrem.net/moonlit/tsFics.html) others may follow. If you 
    1.21 +like this fic for your story, please tell me, I'm not likely to put 
    1.22 +stones in your way, but I like to know where it goes.
    1.23 +Legal Disclaimer: This story features two females romantically 
    1.24 +involved with a few (hinted) mature notions. If that is illegal where 
    1.25 +you are or entirely not your thing, turn around and leave now.
    1.26 +Disclaimer: Card Captor Sakura belongs to CLAMP and assorted 
    1.27 +companies, I claim no right on the characters and original storyline.
    1.28 +Story Disclaimer: Seal Cards: Epitomes of Love(c)2003 by Matthias 
    1.29 +Engel
    1.30 +
    1.31 +******************************
    1.32 +
    1.33 +Foreword
    1.34 +
    1.35 +And it's time for the last one. This one will be done in two parts. 
    1.36 +That has more something with style than necessity though. This is the 
    1.37 +first part and this one will have a few more mature themes, the 
    1.38 +delicate stuff will be handled in special, additional file though.
    1.39 +
    1.40 +******************************
    1.41 +
    1.42 +Seal Cards: Epitomes of Love
    1.43 +Based on the works of CLAMP
    1.44 +Story Concept by Matthias Engel
    1.45 +
    1.46 +******************************
    1.47 +
    1.48 +<July of 1997 (Sakura>
    1.49 +There was a lasting silence in the small room. The curtains were 
    1.50 +closed and only the soft glow of daylight shining through their veil 
    1.51 +illuminated the table in front of me. But I could see perfectly well. 
    1.52 +I wouldn't even need to see the eight cards spread in front of me. 
    1.53 +This was a much more complex method of card reading than the simple 
    1.54 +one Kero hat shown me all the years back. Yet, judged by the situation 
    1.55 +at hand, this was rather appropriate.
    1.56 +	I stared intently at the two middle rows and the top card. Once 
    1.57 +again the same. Just like every time I attempted to see what the cards 
    1.58 +could tell me. I had tried this countless times in the past but the 
    1.59 +big picture would just not change, nor would it completely make sense 
    1.60 +to me. There was just one thing that was for sure. The premonition, 
    1.61 +beyond doubt, was about Her.
    1.62 +	I squeezed my eyes shut. I thought I had conquered those 
    1.63 +memories but after telling Tomoyo three months ago, I couldn't help 
    1.64 +but recall some of the horrible scenes that had driven me straight 
    1.65 +from that future into this one. Kuso, I hated myself for making Tomoyo 
    1.66 +worry so much. The accusations had cut right through my heart. I knew 
    1.67 +on some level they were mostly frustration but...
    1.68 +	*Don't you trust me?*
    1.69 +	That one had hurt. Of course I did trust her. She was the cause 
    1.70 +of why I had come back here, she was why Time had even let me, she was 
    1.71 +the sole reason that I was able to settle back into a remotely normal 
    1.72 +life - as normal as life can be for one of the most powerful people on 
    1.73 +Earth. I had long since given up on the notion that I was the most 
    1.74 +powerful person. Maybe being the strongest mage was true. However, in 
    1.75 +my old time I had met enough other groups of magic users to which my 
    1.76 +power seemed to be a trifle... And none of them had stood a chance 
    1.77 +against Pandora.
    1.78 +	Amazingly enough, after the talk with Tomoyo the tension within 
    1.79 +us had pretty much been turned upside down and nowadays we were almost 
    1.80 +inseparable. I feared that closeness a little since that had been one 
    1.81 +of the things that had troubled me back then. It still did. I would 
    1.82 +feel embarrassed but my mind was too old to be ashamed of the 
    1.83 +thoughts. And I wouldn't think twice about letting Tomoyo know just 
    1.84 +how much I loved her if not for the simple fact that we were both only 
    1.85 +fourteen. I had never quite imagined this would become a major problem 
    1.86 +of the transition but it seemed I had miscalculated. Lately my 
    1.87 +feelings for the lavender-haired girl had blossomed more and more into 
    1.88 +something greater and more passionate. My adult mind and teenager body 
    1.89 +were having a hard time coming to terms how to react to this.
    1.90 +	Kami, I am a little pervert!
    1.91 +	Okay, maybe it wasn't this bad but I was wondering what the hell 
    1.92 +was wrong with me. This had begun about a year ago, slowly at first 
    1.93 +but then more steadily. At first I thought it was just my teenage body 
    1.94 +beginning to mature but at times the love, and the desire spreading 
    1.95 +from that love, became so strong I was barely able to keep my hands 
    1.96 +off of Tomoyo when we were snuggling or something. I had to put some 
    1.97 +distances between us, yet I had chosen the wrong method as it seemed. 
    1.98 +The resulting frustration from both sides nearly drove a wedge between 
    1.99 +us. That was dealt with and resolved now, the feelings between us 
   1.100 +though had only been intensified and I was silently already preparing 
   1.101 +a last will, because if I should really lose control and Sonomi-kaasan 
   1.102 +found out...
   1.103 +	I chuckled ruefully. I WAS overreacting, not to mention 
   1.104 +distracting myself from the reading and its expected and depressing 
   1.105 +outcome. Compared to that, my little physical problems were rather 
   1.106 +insignificant. Sighing audibly, I slowly turned around the last card.
   1.107 +	Woody was the association, the first card. Woody stood for many 
   1.108 +things, for which one was nature itself, or Life if you want. In 
   1.109 +short, I assumed, it meant Earth itself would face a crisis soon. At 
   1.110 +least that made the most sense from what I expected to come. So 
   1.111 +basically, it was a call from Earth for help.
   1.112 +	Then came Mirror, Time and Illusion. They were the cause of the 
   1.113 +current situation. From experience I knew that Mirror and Illusion 
   1.114 +often were substitutes for other unknown elements the cards couldn't 
   1.115 +represent, or at least couldn't represent with the cards available. 
   1.116 +Together with Time at the center it would normally not make much 
   1.117 +sense. However, I knew that Mirror and Illusion most likely pointed at 
   1.118 +the two other Forbidden Clow Cards, those that were responsible for 
   1.119 +Pandora's release in my time. I hadn't known that then but I knew now 
   1.120 +after talking to Time - as little as she did reveal -, Kerberos and 
   1.121 +Yue. And the more I learned about this, the more my belief grew that 
   1.122 +Clow was just as imperfect as any other human being and not nearly as 
   1.123 +foreseeing as Eriol said his prior incarnation had been.
   1.124 +	The Light, the Dark and Erase in the next row, presenting the 
   1.125 +solution. Alright, the solution was not so more like a pointer, a 
   1.126 +guide, a way of what had to be done to assure an outcome in the mage's 
   1.127 +favor. The solution could point at powers, people, a lot of things. It 
   1.128 +could also be a gamble, since the solution could also turn into an aid 
   1.129 +for the problem. The combination was a little weird for my taste. 
   1.130 +While I could see Light and Dark together, I couldn't really place 
   1.131 +Erase. Erase could be another substitute or it could mean something 
   1.132 +completely different. I had some vague theories but that is all they 
   1.133 +were. Vague.
   1.134 +	Which leaves the last card. The location, the Where.
   1.135 +	Shadow.
   1.136 +	As expected. Once again, the location was clouded into shadows, 
   1.137 +unrevealing darkness. I had desperately hoped that for once I would 
   1.138 +get a clue where to look for the Seal Cards but once again no hint was 
   1.139 +given to me. The thing was I could feel the distant presence of a card 
   1.140 +but by their sheer magnitude I suppose they were probably very far 
   1.141 +away.
   1.142 +	Picking up the cards, I returned them to the book and stretched. 
   1.143 +This was getting me nowhere and tomorrow we would all make a small 
   1.144 +trip. I had agreed to the idea readily, seeing this as a chance to 
   1.145 +make up it up to Tomoyo for our little fight and just relax for 
   1.146 +awhile. Summer break had just started and the weather was ideal. A 
   1.147 +part of me wished that we could go alone but I didn't really mind the 
   1.148 +rest of the family coming along. This was going to be fun and maybe I 
   1.149 +could forget about the cards, the uncertain future and dark memories 
   1.150 +for awhile.
   1.151 +
   1.152 +******************************
   1.153 +
   1.154 +(Tomoyo)
   1.155 +Whistling a happy tune, I made my way to the front of the Kinomoto 
   1.156 +residence. It had been a nice day and the evening sun was still warm 
   1.157 +and pleasant. Perfect weather for a vacation. Adjusting the bag over 
   1.158 +my shoulder I made a note to myself not to pack so many things the 
   1.159 +next time. Of course I had reminded myself the last time to do so and 
   1.160 +look where it had gotten me
   1.161 +	Not that the little problem was of any significance to the more 
   1.162 +important things in life at the moment. Sakura and I had finally come 
   1.163 +around and while I was pretty sure that she hadn't told me everything, 
   1.164 +I was simply too happy right now to care. I had overreacted after all 
   1.165 +and chided myself enough about it already. I knew deep down that 
   1.166 +questioning Sakura's trust had hurt my girlfriend and I wished 
   1.167 +desperately I could take it back somehow. Being confronted with how 
   1.168 +much Sakura depended on me when she revealed some of her secrets to me 
   1.169 +had made me feel so ashamed of myself. Sakura was quick to scatter 
   1.170 +those worries though. And since we both felt too guilty about the 
   1.171 +whole matter for different reasons we came to the agreement that this 
   1.172 +would simply just not happen again.
   1.173 +	And the make up was definitely exquisite. I never thought you 
   1.174 +could be so close to a person. I had also thought I was already much 
   1.175 +more attached to a person than normal, even back then in Elementary 
   1.176 +School, at an age there that was rather strange. Especially since the 
   1.177 +relationship part hadn't come for another two years. However, seeing 
   1.178 +us now, aside from school we barely spent a minute alone anymore. The 
   1.179 +strength of our feelings was rather overwhelming even by me. Not that 
   1.180 +Sakura wasn't worth every last ounce of attention but it was as if our 
   1.181 +guilt over the whole accident had undergone the drastic change from 
   1.182 +"turning fire into water".
   1.183 +	My thoughts were interrupted as I looked up, coming to a stop a 
   1.184 +few feet from the front door. Touya stood there with a grin. "I 
   1.185 +suppose saying "Welcome" as if you are a guest, just doesn't do it 
   1.186 +anymore, hmm?" It was remarkable how much the two of them had in 
   1.187 +common. While physically not all that similar, Sakura and her older 
   1.188 +brother had a lot of hidden character traits that often made them more 
   1.189 +alike than they'd ever admit being.
   1.190 +	He moved forward, taking the bag not even waiting or actually 
   1.191 +expecting a request. After all this time I was still a little 
   1.192 +surprised - pleasantly so - as how easy Touya had accepted me. 
   1.193 +Compared to Syaoran that is. Knowing me prior probably had helped 
   1.194 +things a little and even with most of his sight gone - Sakura said it 
   1.195 +was returning very slowly - he had always been rather perceptive. 
   1.196 +Something I admired about him in a way.
   1.197 +	"Arigato," I said, following him into the house and slipping out 
   1.198 +of my shoes. Okaasan had made it pretty much clear to Sakura that she 
   1.199 +was to treat our home as hers and while it had never been said this 
   1.200 +way from the Kinomotos before, the offer was obvious in small things 
   1.201 +like this or the way the treatment had gradually changed from that of 
   1.202 +a normal guest to that of a permanent houseguest or resident even. 
   1.203 +Sakura's home had also become my home and it didn't really matter 
   1.204 +anymore where we were or who would stay with whom. Either way, IF we 
   1.205 +were together, we were at home.
   1.206 +	Touya shrugged, putting the bag down next to the staircase. 
   1.207 +"It's okay. I'll bring it up later. The monster has been in her room 
   1.208 +for awhile again, maybe you can get her to come down and eat 
   1.209 +something."
   1.210 +	I wasn't sure whether to give into the humor or the sigh. On one 
   1.211 +hand it saddened me to hear that Sakura obviously was still troubled 
   1.212 +by her worries. I couldn't fault her, knowing what I did learn so far. 
   1.213 +Sakura had such a good heart and she wanted to protect everyone, 
   1.214 +especially the people she loved and feeling so helpless had to be 
   1.215 +hard. I never really realized how hard it had to be until I learned 
   1.216 +the truth of the events of her timeline. Still, I wished she wouldn't 
   1.217 +think that she had to take all the responsibility upon herself, almost 
   1.218 +as if she was desperately trying to do it all alone. That is why I 
   1.219 +insisted so much on the vacation when the idea was brought up one 
   1.220 +evening we had all sat together in this very house. The idea for a 
   1.221 +little boat trip was spontaneous but once everyone had gotten into it, 
   1.222 +the plans were quickly made. Hopefully this could get Sakura's mind 
   1.223 +set on something different at least for a little while.
   1.224 +	I finally managed a small giggle. I found it funny that Touya 
   1.225 +still called her "monster", even more so than when my girlfriend was 
   1.226 +younger. I supposed that it had become more of an affective nickname 
   1.227 +than the gentle teasing it had once been.
   1.228 +	Already a few steps up the stairs I stopped and turned slightly 
   1.229 +to look back at Touya. "Doesn't it bother you at all?" I had meant to 
   1.230 +ask the question for awhile now. Sakura had come clean about her time 
   1.231 +travel by now. While both her brother and father had suspected 
   1.232 +something already, Sakura had felt obligated to talk to them about 
   1.233 +this after realizing how much concern it had caused me and how much it 
   1.234 +had to have an impact on her family. The whole thing was taken 
   1.235 +relatively well, she had let out a few things she told me exclusively, 
   1.236 +but other then that most of what I learned was revealed to the rest of 
   1.237 +the family.
   1.238 +	Touya looked at me thoughtful for a moment. "Not really. It's a 
   1.239 +little weird sometimes. And I admit I feel helpless knowing all that 
   1.240 +has happened already or will happen or... well, you get the point." I 
   1.241 +smiled wryly, knowing full well the confusion talking about this 
   1.242 +caused me sometimes. "I am just amazed that YOU are taking all this so 
   1.243 +well. Doesn't it bother you in the slightest, I mean... She's not 
   1.244 +exactly the girl you fell in love with anymore. I believe it is much 
   1.245 +harder for you, as her girlfriend, than it is for me, as a brother."
   1.246 +	I didn't really need to think about my answer. Staring directly 
   1.247 +into Touya's eyes - well, as much as you can from a higher vantage 
   1.248 +point -, I said softly but with a firm voice nonetheless, "I wouldn't 
   1.249 +be that - her girlfriend - if Sakura-chan hadn't done what she did. 
   1.250 +She is still Sakura, all the little details are still there. You can 
   1.251 +see it too, I know that. When you truly love someone, you love 
   1.252 +everything about that person. The positive as much as the negative. 
   1.253 +Tell me, Touya-oniisan, would you turn down Yukito-san if the same 
   1.254 +would have happened to him."
   1.255 +	The dark-haired, young man stared back stunned for a moment, 
   1.256 +then his eyes softened and he shook his head slowly. "No. Never."
   1.257 +	I smiled fondly. "Good. Then we understand each other." I turned 
   1.258 +back to resume my ascent. "We'll be down for dinner in a few minutes." 
   1.259 +I swear I heard him mumbling something along the lines of "if you were 
   1.260 +able to separate long enough to walk down the stairs", smiled to 
   1.261 +myself and proceeded to Sakura's room.
   1.262 +
   1.263 +******************************
   1.264 +
   1.265 +(Sakura)
   1.266 +As I leaned back after putting the cards back into the book, I 
   1.267 +realized how stiff I had become. This happened a lot. Often I tried to 
   1.268 +figure out a reading for hours not even realizing the passage of time. 
   1.269 +It was a good thing I still did physical activities frequently to keep 
   1.270 +my body in shape. It would be a little early to suffer from back 
   1.271 +problems...
   1.272 +	My eyes had drifted close for a moment and now they only 
   1.273 +fluttered open for a short moment before the movements of skilled 
   1.274 +hands rubbing my shoulders made me sigh blissfully - though I hadn't 
   1.275 +made up my mind if it was involuntary or not yet. I had to be pretty 
   1.276 +absorbed to not even notice Tomoyo coming up or slipping into the 
   1.277 +room. Usually I could tell from far away already when she was present. 
   1.278 +Not to mention that I tried not to show her just how much I took the 
   1.279 +whole thing to heart... and often failing miserable at that task.
   1.280 +	"Do you have to torture yourself. Even a day before vacation?" 
   1.281 +Tomoyo asked softly, her voice barely a whisper and close to my ear. I 
   1.282 +suppressed the shudder wanting to run down my spine at her closeness 
   1.283 +and the feelings her warm breath tickling my skin invoked. I wished 
   1.284 +nothing more than to...
   1.285 +	What was wrong with me?
   1.286 +	Fighting down the primal urges of my - entirely too young - body 
   1.287 +I focused on her question, with some effort. "You know I must. If I 
   1.288 +don't find a way to prevent the seal from breaking than..." I trailed 
   1.289 +off, not wishing to speak further in fear of calling back the haunting 
   1.290 +images of a future long since past. A future that might become reality 
   1.291 +again if I didn't...
   1.292 +	"I know you will find a way. You always do. But that you still 
   1.293 +have a few years, right? Don't push yourself so hard."
   1.294 +	I let go of another content smile as the hands moved from my 
   1.295 +shoulders to my neck and further down my back with patient precision. 
   1.296 +Tomoyo could really give one hell of a massage. "How can you be so 
   1.297 +calm about this. I told you what happened. I stood no chance against 
   1.298 +that... thing. I..." I turned around albeit my body's vehement 
   1.299 +protests, fixing a startled Tomoyo with an intense gaze. "She killed 
   1.300 +you, right in front of my eyes. I... I won't..." I could feel tears 
   1.301 +stinging in my eyes and was a little bit surprised at the emotional 
   1.302 +surge that had triggered such a strong response. I usually was much 
   1.303 +calmer nowadays but Tomoyo managed with her mere presence alone to 
   1.304 +create that overwhelming urge to love, to protect, to cherish and 
   1.305 +always hold onto this incredible gift. I couldn't maintain my shields 
   1.306 +around her for long. "I will never let this happen again," I finished, 
   1.307 +trying to make my voice sound firm but it was more a croaked whisper. 
   1.308 +"Never..."
   1.309 +	Before I even knew what was happening we were kissing. And not 
   1.310 +just the chaste kiss of children or young teenagers but laced with a 
   1.311 +mixture of passion and need. My arms went around Tomoyo's waist on 
   1.312 +instinct drawing her closer, basking in the heat of the contact. Not 
   1.313 +just the physical but also the spiritual one. Our kisses had become 
   1.314 +that much bolder lately and they weren't always initiated by me. 
   1.315 +Tomoyo proved very quickly that this important aspect of life was as 
   1.316 +much one of the skills she was so good with, just like all the others. 
   1.317 +And so I found myself relenting briefly as the kiss began to involve 
   1.318 +tongues rather quickly, that sweet scent, so distinctive Tomoyo, 
   1.319 +filling my mouth, literally drinking up all the troubles, concerns and 
   1.320 +fears of only a few moments ago.
   1.321 +	Finally Tomoyo drew away but only a few inches. I am sure my 
   1.322 +face was flushed since hers definitely was. A part of me was 
   1.323 +disappointed at the lack of contact and wanted to reengage right away, 
   1.324 +taking this to places I steadfastly refused to even let myself think 
   1.325 +about. The beautiful lavender-haired girl had her fingers tangled in 
   1.326 +some strands of my hair falling in disarray over my face. "I know, 
   1.327 +Sakura-chan. I know you will always be there to protect me. I told you 
   1.328 +that a long time ago and my belief has not changed. You have taken all 
   1.329 +those risks and changed your future already. Your beautiful heart will 
   1.330 +find a solution when the time is right. Please, don't burn yourself 
   1.331 +out. That won't get us anywhere and brings you only more pain. I hate 
   1.332 +to see you suffer."
   1.333 +	I stared in amazement at this magnificent creature. What in all 
   1.334 +the world had I done to earn such trust, such loyalty, such love from 
   1.335 +this gentle and kind girl. When I was young and unknowing of her 
   1.336 +feelings I had often felt a little embarrassed. But never scared. I 
   1.337 +knew some people who experienced our interaction wondered why I wasn't 
   1.338 +scared of Tomoyo's devotion. Yet, I could never be scared of such a 
   1.339 +wondrous thing. Now, I was simply amazed and every time she looked at 
   1.340 +me like this, so completely without doubt, utter faith in her gaze 
   1.341 +that I would never let her come to harm, I knew that I wasn't worth 
   1.342 +it. But yet, it always created a confidence in me so strong that I 
   1.343 +felt like being able to strike down any foe ever trying to harm this 
   1.344 +otherworldly creature that I could dare call my girlfriend.
   1.345 +	"I don't deserve you," I whispered, one hand softly stroking the 
   1.346 +pale skin of her cheek. I had never felt like this before. Not with 
   1.347 +Syaoran, never with him. That realization had come gradually but by 
   1.348 +now I was certain that while a part of me would always love him, my 
   1.349 +statement that the love for him and Tomoyo was an equal one had long 
   1.350 +since expired. The magnitude of love I felt for Tomoyo know had 
   1.351 +definitely exceeded what I ever had felt for the Chinese boy. "But I 
   1.352 +love you more than anyone or anything else in this world," I said, 
   1.353 +making sure she understood completely what I was implying.
   1.354 +	Tomoyo's smile was radiant, her blue eyes sparkling as if the 
   1.355 +sun was reflecting on the clear surface of a lake. I leaned forward 
   1.356 +again, touching my lips to hers, leaving my gaze glued on those 
   1.357 +brilliant orbs. Sensual at first I felt that inner fire once again 
   1.358 +igniting with renewed intensity and for several seconds I completely 
   1.359 +lost myself in the feelings, tongues meeting in a slow dance, 
   1.360 +passionate but not forceful. So much unlike Syaoran's kisses. This 
   1.361 +was... softer, slower and at the same much more intense.
   1.362 +	"Hey, monster! Get down here, dinner is ready!"
   1.363 +	I blinked my eyes, realizing only now that somehow Tomoyo had 
   1.364 +found her way into my lap and my hands were resting on her buttocks, 
   1.365 +Tomoyo's arms were around my neck, clinging tightly as if afraid to 
   1.366 +fall apart if she should let go. I blinked again, slowly drawing away 
   1.367 +and tentatively altering my grip from my girlfriend's behind to hold 
   1.368 +her around the waist again. I didn't want to let go but there was that 
   1.369 +slight spark of embarrassment that I had let myself go so far. But I 
   1.370 +didn't really feel all that bad about it, after all Tomoyo seemed 
   1.371 +quite content where she was.
   1.372 +	"Wow..." I whispered, my breath a little shallow from the 
   1.373 +exchange. I could feel some sweat on my forehead and was rather aware 
   1.374 +that both of our body temperatures had definitely risen to a 
   1.375 +noticeable degree. "That was..." I wanted to say "too close" but 
   1.376 +honestly, I had to agree with Tomoyo's definition.
   1.377 +	"Intense. Amazingly intense..." Tomoyo responded, equally 
   1.378 +breathless and I was fascinated at how much that sparkle in her eyes 
   1.379 +had even more increased but now it was more like... I wasn't sure I 
   1.380 +actually wanted to know the answer to that because I wasn't sure right 
   1.381 +now if I could control the following consequences.
   1.382 +	"We should... uh, get downstairs... Dinner, you know...?" I 
   1.383 +tried lamely, my mind not yet fully restored from one of the most 
   1.384 +passionate moments between us yet. Tomoyo just nodded, also a little 
   1.385 +out of it.
   1.386 +	It was only with a lot of effort and after another few minutes 
   1.387 +of regaining some composure that we managed to follow my brothers 
   1.388 +request. Touya was giving me the most annoying smirk all evening.
   1.389 +
   1.390 +******************************
   1.391 +
   1.392 +<About two days later (Tomoyo)>
   1.393 +There was one thing that was for sure about life with Sakura. It never 
   1.394 +was boring. I had known this right away when I met her. I knew that I 
   1.395 +just had to put an effort into at least befriending the genki brunette 
   1.396 +or my life would be so much duller. This experience had only grown 
   1.397 +when Sakura came back for me and devoted her attention almost solely 
   1.398 +upon me. The things we did on a regular basis when going out, other 
   1.399 +couples probably never even encounter half the excitement and the 
   1.400 +wonders Sakura managed to produce.
   1.401 +	I had noticed that Sakura liked to use the cards rather often 
   1.402 +for those special occasion but also other everyday life stuff. For 
   1.403 +example creating a nice atmosphere with Glow or Flower, lightening 
   1.404 +candles with Firery or often just flying around with Fly. Sakura had 
   1.405 +developed a close bond with her cards, that much was for sure. "Don't 
   1.406 +they mind doing all those things for you?" I asked, turning my head 
   1.407 +towards Sakura. The question was more a rhetorical one with just a 
   1.408 +touch of curiosity I could guess the answer already.
   1.409 +	Sakura laughed lightly and I could feel just the tiny bits of a 
   1.410 +ripple around us that felt like... giggling. "Don't worry about that. 
   1.411 +The cards actually want to get out and play whenever I let them. While 
   1.412 +they don't mind being in the book, they like to do things outside, 
   1.413 +interact with the world, you know." Sakura gazed at me adoringly and I 
   1.414 +felt my cheeks flush, a reaction the lovely girl had managed to bring 
   1.415 +forth more and more in the last days. The passionate scene from the 
   1.416 +evening two days ago was still present in my mind and this hasn't been 
   1.417 +the only occasion. "And they like you, too, so they like to do things 
   1.418 +that make you happy." The blush deepened and I melted into the 
   1.419 +following kiss that was much to brief and chaste for my taste...
   1.420 +	Blinking I tried to clear my foggy mind, snuggling closer to 
   1.421 +Sakura who had one arm around my waist so that we wouldn't be 
   1.422 +separated, not that any of us minded the contact. The water around us 
   1.423 +was cool but not freezing. I believed this to be an added side effect 
   1.424 +of Watery other than providing an air bubble to breath and right now 
   1.425 +the movement as well. We already had been swimming quite some while 
   1.426 +but right now we were content to enjoy each other's presence and let 
   1.427 +Watery do the stirring, so to say.
   1.428 +	The ocean down here was a captivating sight. Especially this 
   1.429 +way, without diving gear or other such limitations. Only our bodies 
   1.430 +and normal senses experiencing what no ordinary human would usually be 
   1.431 +able to do. Not for that long and surely enough not as deep as we were 
   1.432 +already. This definitely had been one of Sakura's best ideas involving 
   1.433 +the cards up to now. We had left the world above the surface already 
   1.434 +far behind, exploring the wondrous depths of the ocean.
   1.435 +	I hadn't expected something like that - Sakura always managed to 
   1.436 +surprise me with those things - when we set out yesterday morning for 
   1.437 +the beach and then a trip with our family yacht. Okaasan had actually 
   1.438 +been glad to have a use for it after all that time. In all my life we 
   1.439 +had only gotten to make use of it once and I had been almost too 
   1.440 +little to remember it then. Now, the yacht served as the perfect tool 
   1.441 +for some nice, relaxing days. Okaasan had been excited to participate 
   1.442 +in the family vacation and readily provided the boat even though it 
   1.443 +visibly got to her to spend so much time in close company to Sakura's 
   1.444 +father. They managed to behave most of the trip but a few hours ago 
   1.445 +the tension had escalated and everyone had retreated hastily to other 
   1.446 +parts of the yacht to evade the coming war zone. Yukito and Touya had 
   1.447 +went below deck and Sakura came up that we should probably go even 
   1.448 +deeper with a twinkle in her eyes. I had had barely enough time to 
   1.449 +prepare myself - thankfully we already had been in our bathing suits 
   1.450 +for the purpose of sun bathing - before Sakura grabbed me and jumped 
   1.451 +into the calm ocean, activating Watery in the process.
   1.452 +	The feeling was extraordinary. The ocean was calm on this clear 
   1.453 +summer day and the flow was gentle, encompassing the two of us. 
   1.454 +Somehow Watery had managed to make it so that we could breathe 
   1.455 +underwater but still feel the water and move freely. Therefore we were 
   1.456 +treated by the embrace of the wet element, washing over our skin. It 
   1.457 +didn't even sting in the eyes!
   1.458 +	Right now we were resting from swimming so much, gently floating 
   1.459 +through the vast ocean, letting Watery push us forward. And once again 
   1.460 +we found ourselves in one of those moments. The place was a little 
   1.461 +odd, I admit, but as usual neither of us cared very much and while we 
   1.462 +weren't even kissing, just the contact was enough to hold us captured 
   1.463 +in the moment. I could feel Sakura's hand lightly stroking my bare 
   1.464 +skin and shivered. Not from the cold of the water but from the sudden 
   1.465 +heat coursing through my body, making my skin tingle.
   1.466 +	Oh, I wasn't stupid. I was pretty much aware of the sexual 
   1.467 +tension. There was just no other way to describe it. Both of us were 
   1.468 +rather mature for our physical age and that was even more true in 
   1.469 +Sakura's case. It had taken me some time to figure out that the whole 
   1.470 +Pandora issue hadn't been all that had my girlfriend bothered lately. 
   1.471 +I hadn't been totally sure at first but the level of passion in our 
   1.472 +kisses, the lingering touches, the closeness. The encounter the 
   1.473 +evening before our departure wasn't the only one and they had become 
   1.474 +even more heated. No, by now I was pretty sure that Sakura had 
   1.475 +definitely trouble suppressing urges she surely felt entirely to 
   1.476 +improper for our physical age.
   1.477 +	How did I feel about this? I honestly wasn't sure. I would lie 
   1.478 +if I said that the rising passion between us didn't scare me a little. 
   1.479 +Just a little. I hadn't thought in this direction at all until a few 
   1.480 +months ago but now I found myself wishing at times that Sakura would 
   1.481 +just go ahead and... See, that's what I meant. Where I could 
   1.482 +understand and tolerate that Sakura's older mind might harbor such 
   1.483 +thoughts, I know that for me they were rather... early. Not 
   1.484 +impossible, but early in their appearance. And entirely too strong to 
   1.485 +be natural.
   1.486 +	At the same time the feelings were exhilarating and I felt 
   1.487 +myself craving the attention, the sensations of drowning in Sakura's 
   1.488 +love and passion, wishing nothing more than to just let go and feel. 
   1.489 +This was frightening in itself but more like a thrill, a good, 
   1.490 +exciting thrill I had entirely no idea how to deal with. I just knew 
   1.491 +if Sakura as much as asked I would jump at the chance and that scared 
   1.492 +me again, just a little.
   1.493 +	Out of the corner of my eye I spotted something and was 
   1.494 +partially grateful for the interruption of the moment. Because as much 
   1.495 +as a big part of me wouldn't object I think the setting would be more 
   1.496 +than a little awkward. Not too mention, we'd probably traumatize poor 
   1.497 +Watery!
   1.498 +	"Hey, there's a cave down there!"
   1.499 +	Sakura blinked, a look of disappoint crossing her features that 
   1.500 +almost made me giggle. I suppressed that reaction though and pointed 
   1.501 +down. We were rather close to the bottom I think. The water was 
   1.502 +getting murkier here. Less light was reaching us from the surface and 
   1.503 +it was a little hard to make out the cave's entrance. Sakura and I 
   1.504 +looked at each other, confirming our mutual curiosity and made our way 
   1.505 +into the cave.
   1.506 +
   1.507 +******************************
   1.508 +
   1.509 +(Sakura)
   1.510 +Emerging from the water we were both surprised and amazed to find a 
   1.511 +cave that huge. Sure, there probably were enough on the ocean floor 
   1.512 +but when did you ever get the chance to see them. Not that any of us 
   1.513 +was paying much attention to our surroundings. Watery went back into 
   1.514 +card form and then to subspace for the moment with nothing more than a 
   1.515 +thought. My eyes were pretty much glued to Tomoyo and there was a 
   1.516 +conflict inside of me whether to praise or curse myself for my 
   1.517 +impromptu idea. Kuso, Tomoyo was sexy in that dark blue bikini, 
   1.518 +drenched by the ocean water and therefore highlighting the young 
   1.519 +girl's curves pretty well.
   1.520 +	This was ridiculous. Something was definitely going on here. I 
   1.521 +mean something other than my dirty adult mind and developing teenage 
   1.522 +body. As much as I did love Tomoyo this was getting out of hand and I 
   1.523 +was pretty sure that my control was only a few percent from 
   1.524 +evaporating into thin air. I mean, I had actually kicked Touya for 
   1.525 +flirting with Tomoyo. He did that sometimes and I know very well that 
   1.526 +it was never more than teasing. And still I had actually hit him, he 
   1.527 +had been throwing wary glances my way the whole trip. And the poor boy 
   1.528 +from when we arrived at the beach who dared to... wanted to ask Tomoyo 
   1.529 +out or something. I swear he must have run straight to his mommy after 
   1.530 +the menacing look I had given him - thankfully that had been all. My 
   1.531 +emotions couldn't suddenly be so out of control. Not naturally...
   1.532 +	"Sakura?"
   1.533 +	Gah!
   1.534 +	Tomoyo was standing right in front of me, blue eyes focused on 
   1.535 +me in a wordless, yet demanding expression. I was being drawn into the 
   1.536 +liquid pools, drowned in a sea of happiness and love. I might have 
   1.537 +jumped at the touch, her hand on my cheek, caressing slightly in a 
   1.538 +circular pattern. "What are you afraid of?"
   1.539 +	Crap, she always knew me so well, that hadn't changed in the 
   1.540 +most aspects of my life even after traveling back in time. With the 
   1.541 +exception of the Pandora happenings and my growing desires she had 
   1.542 +always managed to read me like a book. It seemed the latter was about 
   1.543 +to experience the same fate.
   1.544 +	"Tomo-chan... I..." I breathed, my voice taking on a husky tone, 
   1.545 +feeling her other coming around me, one hand settling on my back. A 
   1.546 +surge of immediate desire rushed through me and my mouth couldn't 
   1.547 +decide whether to be dry or the complete opposite. I couldn't finish 
   1.548 +the sentence but looking into her eyes, I knew it wasn't necessary.
   1.549 +	"You don't have to be afraid for my sake, Sakura-chan." I gasped 
   1.550 +when she dipped her head slightly to the side and moved forward to run 
   1.551 +her lips over the skin on my neck. My arms tightened around her, 
   1.552 +almost crushing her lithe form against mine even if that small voice 
   1.553 +that was calling me names was still there. It was fading fast.
   1.554 +	"I... I don't want to hurt you... This is not how..."
   1.555 +	Tomoyo looked up again and before I could even guess her 
   1.556 +intentions her lips were upon mine. The kiss was sending hot waves of 
   1.557 +tiny flames through my whole body. Her lips were crushed against mine 
   1.558 +and I leaned into the passionate, desperate contact without even 
   1.559 +thinking. The last bit of rational thought was more or less leaving me 
   1.560 +right now.
   1.561 +	Coming up for air after almost a full minute, I realized that 
   1.562 +our hands had become much bolder. Tomoyo's hands were just resting 
   1.563 +under the hem of my bikini top and mine were already all the way 
   1.564 +there. The desire created between us had reached the force of a 
   1.565 +tornado. I could see the desperation and need reflected in Tomoyo's 
   1.566 +eyes.
   1.567 +	"Do you really want to fight this?" Tomoyo asked in her usual 
   1.568 +soft, lightly musical voice but still somehow managing to let it sound 
   1.569 +seductive. "We can't fight this any longer, you know that."
   1.570 +	Can't fight...? A jolting sensation of recognition passed 
   1.571 +through me and for just a single moment I managed to tear myself away 
   1.572 +from the powerful thrall both of us were under. No, not so much a 
   1.573 +thrall as the rise of emotions to its maximum. Right here, right now, 
   1.574 +around us...
   1.575 +	Love was here.
   1.576 +	Love, one of the Seal Cards. Time had told me that the reason I 
   1.577 +felt its presence nearing was because the original seal was more or 
   1.578 +less encompassing the whole planet, both elemental powers overlapping 
   1.579 +each other. It had been a steady stream, unyielding and without a 
   1.580 +flaw. Until Clow tempered with those ancient archtypes and bound 
   1.581 +powers where he should have not. After realizing his mistake and that 
   1.582 +he couldn't control the elemental powers, he had placed the cards 
   1.583 +inside the original seal, reestablishing the power but not the flow. 
   1.584 +The flow had been destroyed, its flawlessness lost. To make the flaw 
   1.585 +as tiny as possible the cards were moving around in the seal in a more 
   1.586 +or less stable orbit. It was no surprise to realize that this had 
   1.587 +given Pandora her opportunity. Clow's actions to fix his mistake had 
   1.588 +not been enough after all.
   1.589 +	The realization came at a rather bad moment though and most of 
   1.590 +my thoughts on the matter were just like a background image. I was 
   1.591 +aware of it, I was aware of the enormous presence so similar to Time 
   1.592 +back then, yet I couldn't do anything about it. I didn't have the 
   1.593 +willpower anymore to call upon some counter spell. I simply didn't 
   1.594 +want to stop!
   1.595 +	And with a groan of resignation I brought my hands up around 
   1.596 +Tomoyo's neck, drawing her in. My breath was creating tiny goose bumps 
   1.597 +against her skin, my voice long since having lost the battle to hold 
   1.598 +pack the passion and longing. "I love you so much, Tomo-chan. Even if 
   1.599 +this is not entirely our doing, I want to make you happy. Do you trust 
   1.600 +me enough with this?" I said the last bit with the utmost seriousness 
   1.601 +I could still muster in this situation, yet I was unsure if I could 
   1.602 +take a negative answer anymore.
   1.603 +	"I told you already," Tomoyo whispered back, her voice mirroring 
   1.604 +my own open desire. "I will always be safe with Sakura-chan. I have 
   1.605 +faith that Sakura-chan will always save me and keep me safe." 
   1.606 +Proceeding to kiss me again, I simply let go, my body almost sighing 
   1.607 +in relief, welcoming whatever shall come.
   1.608 +
   1.609 +******************************
   1.610 +
   1.611 +(Tomoyo)
   1.612 +Slowly, with the speed of a turtle climbing a hill my senses returned 
   1.613 +to awareness, my spirit floating back down from that place somewhere 
   1.614 +far above the heavens where it had climbed to... some time... ago. I 
   1.615 +really had NO idea how much time had passed, how long we had been in 
   1.616 +the cave or lying on the cold ground warmed by a small friction of 
   1.617 +magic - but I really didn't care where it came from right now.
   1.618 +	The tremors had finally subsided and my body lay in total peace, 
   1.619 +every muscle relaxed and surely not able to obey any command in the 
   1.620 +near future. And I felt GOOD. Kami, did I feel good. I had really been 
   1.621 +a little... unsure when I gave in to my desires. Yet, seeing Sakura 
   1.622 +suffer even more, trying to hold herself back, inhabitations had been 
   1.623 +thrown out of the window. Very, very far away. And it wasn't like I 
   1.624 +had not wanted. We loved each other after all, so it couldn't be a bad 
   1.625 +thing, just... a little early maybe. It wasn't like we were still ten 
   1.626 +or something. That would have been rather illogical.
   1.627 +	Feeling Sakura move slightly from her position spooned up behind 
   1.628 +me, I shifted slightly and craned my neck to look behind me. Her face 
   1.629 +was producing a stronger result than the Glow card could... even 
   1.630 +though I was sure the expression was mirrored on my own. I smiled 
   1.631 +widely, feeling giddy and in a state of utter bliss. I've never felt 
   1.632 +so much in the right place like now. I was sure that was what I was 
   1.633 +meant to be, where I belonged to be. Right here, in Sakura's arms, 
   1.634 +enveloped in a warm blanket of love. Body, mind and soul.
   1.635 +	I could see the hint of regret and shame in Sakura's eyes though 
   1.636 +and was quick to dispel these feelings. With some effort I managed to 
   1.637 +command my body to turn around in the tight embrace. Brushing some of 
   1.638 +the brown hair that had fallen into Sakura's face out of the way, I 
   1.639 +leaned in to place a soft, lingering kiss on her lips, gazing 
   1.640 +adoringly into green eyes. Sakura smiled faintly. "You keep giving the 
   1.641 +most special gifts in the most special ways. You are such an amazing 
   1.642 +person."
   1.643 +	Sakura's smiled turned into a more genuine one. "That wasn't all 
   1.644 +my doing. Don't you feel different somehow?"
   1.645 +	I was puzzled at her question. "What do you mean? Of course I 
   1.646 +feel different!" I said lightly teasing.
   1.647 +	Sakura laughed heartedly and the sound was such a lovely thing 
   1.648 +to my ears. "No, no, I mean. About the desire between us. Just until a 
   1.649 +few minutes ago..." She let the sentence linger and I suddenly 
   1.650 +realized what she meant. The whirlwind of feelings had ceased to be 
   1.651 +more gradual, more normal. I had first though this was only and effect 
   1.652 +of the afterglow but there was a little more to it. I didn't know how 
   1.653 +I could tell the difference, I just did. So when Sakura said this 
   1.654 +wasn't completely her doing then did that mean...
   1.655 +	I blinked almost audibly and was already in the process of 
   1.656 +sitting up despite the protests of my body before Sakura pulled me 
   1.657 +down again gently but persistent. "Yes, I am sure its one of the Seal 
   1.658 +Cards. I told you about them, right?" I nodded, wondering why we were 
   1.659 +still lying here. Not that I WANTED to move, mind you. "It must be 
   1.660 +Love. But its moving very slowly. We can easily catch up, don't rush 
   1.661 +now. I, personally, feel like being defiant and not rush after it the 
   1.662 +way it played with us." Sakura chuckled and run one hand through my 
   1.663 +open hair, drawing out a sigh from me in the process. I had went to 
   1.664 +tie it into a ponytail in the last months but was seriously 
   1.665 +considering to leave it open again in order to experience the 
   1.666 +wonderful sensations my girlfriend's fingers in my hair produced more 
   1.667 +often. Hmm, girlfriend didn't seem right anymore. Lover? Mate? It had 
   1.668 +felt a lot like mating on a level and I couldn't quite believe that 
   1.669 +this all had been the card's doing.
   1.670 +	"You mean Love made us do all this?" I asked curiously, showing 
   1.671 +my disbelief at the possibility.
   1.672 +	Sakura shook her head slightly, drawing me closer until my head 
   1.673 +rested contently under her chin, almost nestled comfortingly in her 
   1.674 +small chest. I let go of another sigh and could practically feel 
   1.675 +Sakura's smile in response. "No, the way I understand it is that Love 
   1.676 +cannot produce false feelings. It can only take what is there and 
   1.677 +amplify them. The stronger the feelings the more they are amplified. 
   1.678 +And Love doesn't do something on its own since the card is embedded in 
   1.679 +the seal. It is a natural side effect. Clow played with something you 
   1.680 +can't just simply control. The magic he bound into a card was so 
   1.681 +strong that, even ineffective, it puts out incredible power."
   1.682 +	I listened carefully and would have nodded, had I not been so 
   1.683 +comfortable right now. Instead I said in a lightly teasing voice, "So 
   1.684 +you DID want me THIS way..." I grinned to myself, feeling Sakura shift 
   1.685 +a little... not uncomfortably but surely enough embarrassed. Even if 
   1.686 +her mind was older she was still such an innocent creature at times. 
   1.687 +"It's okay. You didn't hurt me and it was the most wonderful gift 
   1.688 +other than your heart that you could ever have given me."
   1.689 +	Sakura's arms tightened around me even more. "I love you. I 
   1.690 +really do. More than anything. That wasn't just because of Love. I 
   1.691 +promise you, I will always love you, forever."
   1.692 +	I lifted my head slightly, meeting her downward gaze of 
   1.693 +unrestrained, unconditional love with one of my own. "I love you, too. 
   1.694 +More than I could ever put into words."
   1.695 +
   1.696 +******************************
   1.697 +
   1.698 +(Sakura)
   1.699 +You'd expect after the whole mess I'd feel guilty. You'd expect I 
   1.700 +would want to harm myself for ever letting my urges get the better of 
   1.701 +me. You know what? I really didn't care anymore. The experience was 
   1.702 +just so... glorious. And Tomoyo didn't regret it either. You could see 
   1.703 +it in her body language or every other part of her. She could probably 
   1.704 +be lightening a Christmas tree right now and I surely wasn't very far 
   1.705 +behind.
   1.706 +	I wasn't sure whether or not to give Love a piece of my mind 
   1.707 +when we caught up with it though. On the one hand I knew that 
   1.708 +logically seen the card had pretty much no control over its effect. 
   1.709 +Yet, the timing was rather... inappropriate. I still couldn't believe 
   1.710 +we did THAT down THERE. I mean, sure, I love to treat Tomoyo to 
   1.711 +special things in special places. The cards really like to be useful 
   1.712 +and they really like to make Tomoyo happy too, both of us actually. 
   1.713 +However, this was rather shooting over the top. As I said, now I 
   1.714 +didn't regret it anymore. It was done with and I was not about to 
   1.715 +destroy this eternal memory of a first time with thoughts of 
   1.716 +self-blame and guilt when my... lover looks like I couldn't have 
   1.717 +possibly made her happier today.
   1.718 +	Anyway, after resting a few minutes longer, we finally returned 
   1.719 +to the surface. The recovery was only one reason why I wanted to stay 
   1.720 +down there for awhile. No, and the other was NOT to enjoy the feel of 
   1.721 +Tomoyo's naked form against mine... Kami, I must be blushing madly at 
   1.722 +this thought, I could tell from Tomoyo's almost smug look - Tomoyo and 
   1.723 +smug! No, that had not been the reason... although it was an added 
   1.724 +bonus. Staying still for a short while would allow Love to pass on a 
   1.725 +little further and therefore lessening the chance of a fallback into 
   1.726 +emotional overload.
   1.727 +	I was very glad I decided on that because I REALLY didn't want 
   1.728 +to know what happened up here on - and mostly likely in - the yacht a 
   1.729 +few minutes ago while we had our own encounter below the surface. We 
   1.730 +might have just stood there for another minute or so before either of 
   1.731 +us could override the shock to our system at the scene playing in 
   1.732 +front of us. I glanced at Tomoyo with a totally bewildered look and 
   1.733 +saw my girlfriend - I would stick with that for now, the other term 
   1.734 +sounded TOO mature for our physical age - equally flabbergasted. 
   1.735 +"Didn't you say Love only amplifies what is already there?" she asked.
   1.736 +	I turned pack to the couple at the helm of the yacht, engaged in 
   1.737 +a - pretty intense - lip lock, blissfully unaware of having an 
   1.738 +audience... and probably just as unaware of what they were doing in 
   1.739 +the first place. I shrugged at Tomoyo's question, rather perplexed 
   1.740 +myself. "I honestly have no idea. It's not like even Clow himself 
   1.741 +understood what exactly he created there." Grinning slightly I put my 
   1.742 +hands on my hips and cleared my throat loud enough for the two adults 
   1.743 +to hear.
   1.744 +	There was a very short silence and it seemed as if the world 
   1.745 +itself just stopped breathing for a timeliness moment, awaiting the 
   1.746 +inevitable apocalypse. Then, as if someone dropped a sledgehammer 
   1.747 +between them the two parental figures of our group literally jumped 
   1.748 +several feet apart. Otousan looked rather baffled... well, stupefied 
   1.749 +actually and I could see from the look on Sonomi-kaasan's face that 
   1.750 +was just about turning from speechless consternation into smoldering 
   1.751 +rage that he would probably not survive the following moments if I 
   1.752 +didn't intervene.
   1.753 +	"Save it!" I shouted, drawing their attention immediately and 
   1.754 +succeeding in flustering both of them speech- and motionless again. 
   1.755 +Right now I regretted not explaining to them about the Seal Cards as I 
   1.756 +had done for Tomoyo but I really didn't want to waste anymore time. I 
   1.757 +could sense Love was actually picking up speed... which was strange 
   1.758 +since the paths of the cards were supposed to be stable. "We don't 
   1.759 +have time for this now. There is a card here I need to catch and its 
   1.760 +moving away right now. So if any of you would be kind enough to get us 
   1.761 +moving." Granted, I would normally never take such a... commanding 
   1.762 +tone with my father or Tomoyo's mother. But I knew where this was 
   1.763 +leading when I didn't intervene and I really had no time for this. I 
   1.764 +could feel in every fiber of my being that this was my chance, my only 
   1.765 +chance to change something about the future I had experienced.
   1.766 +	Just that moment Kero-chan choose to make his appearance, coming 
   1.767 +from below deck and looking rather agitated. "What's going on?" He 
   1.768 +looked around at the scene, arching a tiny eyebrow at the still rather 
   1.769 +shell-shocked-looking adults and then turned to me. "Sakura? I felt 
   1.770 +the presence of a card. Is that...?"
   1.771 +	I nodded at his unfinished question, already trying to track 
   1.772 +Love. That was funny, I cold feel something else too. Was that the 
   1.773 +other one? If yes, that would be more coincidence when I believed in. 
   1.774 +Isolating Love for now I felt it rapidly moving westwards.
   1.775 +	"Quick, Otousan, turn the boat around, its picking up speed for 
   1.776 +some reason!" I yelled running to the back of the yacht, staring out 
   1.777 +over the ocean intently. I could see something moving in the distance. 
   1.778 +It was to tiny to really make out and for someone without magic 
   1.779 +probably impossible to see at all.
   1.780 +	Otousan meanwhile had snapped out of his shocked state long 
   1.781 +enough to take over the controls and pull the boat around, pushing the 
   1.782 +engine to top speed. "Tomoyo, get Yukito, I'd rather like everyone 
   1.783 +together and who knows if I might need Yue. Love isn't actually 
   1.784 +dangerous - I think - but I'd rather be safe." Tomoyo nodded and took 
   1.785 +off. I was pretty sure Yue must have sensed what was going on too and 
   1.786 +was probably already on his way. Hopefully he was because I could more 
   1.787 +or less guess what Love did to him and Touya, considering what it did 
   1.788 +to the rest of us. I really hoped Tomoyo wouldn't catch them in an 
   1.789 +embarrassing situation.
   1.790 +	"I better take care of this before we all go crazy trying to go 
   1.791 +near that thing," I said more to myself, only realizing Kero was next 
   1.792 +to me at his squeak when he obviously figured out what exactly I was 
   1.793 +implying. Well, that couldn't be helped now.
   1.794 +	Taking the key from its resting place I invoked its ancient 
   1.795 +powers and drew Time from subspace. Better to fight Fire with Fire, or 
   1.796 +something like that. "Time!" I called out. "Encase us in a bubble of 
   1.797 +your power!" There was a bright flash of crimson-purple energy and the 
   1.798 +sensitive eye could see the dim, almost completely transparent field 
   1.799 +of temporal energy enveloping the yacht. I heard Otousan gasp and 
   1.800 +realized suddenly that he actually could see all this. Of course he 
   1.801 +could, I told myself, since he has part of Clow's magic now.
   1.802 +	"Don't worry, just stay on course." I reached out once again, 
   1.803 +confirming my earlier observation. "See the small object in the 
   1.804 +distance?" Otousan nodded. "Follow it!"
   1.805 +	If I could have it any other way I really wouldn't want to 
   1.806 +endanger everyone. But seeing as if I might never be able to come so 
   1.807 +close again, I had hardly a choice left. Besides, the Seal Cards were 
   1.808 +not really... active. Therefore I hoped it wouldn't be all that 
   1.809 +dangerous.
   1.810 +
   1.811 +******************************
   1.812 +
   1.813 +(Tomoyo)
   1.814 +I found them alright. And I found them just as expected in their cabin 
   1.815 +doing... err, the same that we did... Not that I would tell them that. 
   1.816 +Of course I had had the decency to knock or wanted to... until the 
   1.817 +cabin door was flung open and I was almost flattened by an agitated 
   1.818 +Yue. Thinking back on it I should really not be surprised but the 
   1.819 +sudden change from the powerful yet sweet experience below the surface 
   1.820 +and the serious situation above was rather sudden and I was a little 
   1.821 +nervous, I admit. I knew this was important for Sakura - heck, it was 
   1.822 +important for all of us in the long run. I didn't think I've seen 
   1.823 +Sakura so... confident before. She usually was not the type to give 
   1.824 +commands like that. That was a fact that was easily reflected onto her 
   1.825 +cards who she treated more as friends than as tools.
   1.826 +	I hadn't even realized I complied with her order without a 
   1.827 +question before I was halfway below the deck. That was an amazing 
   1.828 +discovery in itself because I found out just then that there was 
   1.829 +something else to Sakura I was sure neither of us had seen so far. The 
   1.830 +attributes of a natural leader. Not some great military genius or 
   1.831 +whatever you want to call the equivalent for a mage. No, years of 
   1.832 +training had given her an air of confidence that often leaked through 
   1.833 +in many aspects of every day life but really developed in a serious 
   1.834 +situation like this one. Making new discoveries about Sakura has 
   1.835 +always been one of my favorite things, especially since I knew so much 
   1.836 +about her already, seeing new things was rare and often served to add 
   1.837 +another special flair to her magnificent personality.
   1.838 +	As I said, I literally bumped into Yue, Touya following looking 
   1.839 +a little as if he just woke up - which might be true. I shot him a 
   1.840 +knowing smirk - to which the older Kinomoto sibling just shrugged and 
   1.841 +grumbled something - before I turned back to Yue. "You better go up. 
   1.842 +Sakura wanted you there just in case. I get it, you are quite aware 
   1.843 +what just passed us?" The faint blush tingling on his cheeks was 
   1.844 +answer enough for me.
   1.845 +	Yue nodded and was already up the stairs before I could make any 
   1.846 +more comments. I glanced back at Tomoyo and raised an eyebrow at his 
   1.847 +questioning stare. Oops, he isn't suspecting anything, is he? The 
   1.848 +young man didn't elaborate on the look, just grinned and then shrugged 
   1.849 +his shoulders. "Let's go up as well. I must admit I am curious. I have 
   1.850 +heard about all this from Sakura and you but I've never really had the 
   1.851 +opportunity to see it."
   1.852 +	Emerging outside a short while later I spotted Sakura standing 
   1.853 +in the middle of the spacious deck, her star wand transformed into a 
   1.854 +size I had never seen before. It was reaching a bit over her head and 
   1.855 +was planted firmly into the ground below. Sakura had her eyes closed, 
   1.856 +seemingly in deep concentration. Kerberos - transformed into his real 
   1.857 +form - and Yue stood a couple of feet behind her and seemed a bit 
   1.858 +unsure about their actual purpose.
   1.859 +	"What's that?" Touya asked next to me and pointed ahead of the 
   1.860 +yacht speeding westwards towards the small group of little isles in 
   1.861 +the distance. Funny, I hadn't noticed them before. There were several 
   1.862 +things I took note of that I know I definitely shouldn't. First of all 
   1.863 +their was a very faint glimmer around the ship. Like a force field of 
   1.864 +some kind. I had felt the emotional increase fade when I went under 
   1.865 +deck and was pretty sure now that whatever Sakura did was responsible 
   1.866 +for it. But I didn't think I should be able to see the magic at all.
   1.867 +	Yet I did and I also saw the sparkling sphere in the distance, 
   1.868 +coming closer very quickly. The orange-golden orb seemed to radiate 
   1.869 +purest light to my eyes.
   1.870 +	"Um... That's Love, I think. I hope the shield is going to hold 
   1.871 +its effects off." I said, not sure why I revealed my knowledge of 
   1.872 +actually seeing all this. I guess I was subtly seeking confirmation 
   1.873 +that I wasn't going crazy. Sakura had told me that Touya's second 
   1.874 +sight was gradually returning so he should be able to pick up those 
   1.875 +things.
   1.876 +	"Yeah, it's heading straight for that isle. I have the feeling 
   1.877 +that is no... wait a second... You can see all this?"
   1.878 +	I shrugged helplessly.
   1.879 +	There was no time for further research on the subject though. 
   1.880 +Sakura's father had finally managed to catch up with what was 
   1.881 +apparently the card. Suddenly the boat jerked, the engine almost 
   1.882 +coming to a complete spot. I flashed Touya a grateful smile for the 
   1.883 +steadying hand but my attention was quickly drawn back to the glowing 
   1.884 +sphere. Love was hanging in the air looking for all it was worth like 
   1.885 +a tiny star in the middle of the day. I was a little surprised at the 
   1.886 +sudden stop in movement but either the card realized that she couldn't 
   1.887 +escape - not that the term was accurate in the first place - or she 
   1.888 +sort of knew what was going to happen. Kero-chan told Sakura once and 
   1.889 +she told me in return that all the Clow Cards were automatically drawn 
   1.890 +to the new Master or Mistress. There was a connection between the one 
   1.891 +that was chosen to become their wielder and the cards themselves. I 
   1.892 +had no idea if this was the case with Love but I believed it to be 
   1.893 +very likely.
   1.894 +	I could see the sprite-form of the card - another thing I wasn't 
   1.895 +sure whether I was supposed to do this or no - and Love looked a 
   1.896 +little confused and uncertain. There was something else there though. 
   1.897 +I didn't know how I could tell. It wasn't my observations skills that 
   1.898 +much I was sure of. However, somehow I just KNEW that Love was 
   1.899 +tremendously lonely.
   1.900 +	Glancing at Sakura I waited to see what she would do or if she 
   1.901 +detected the same thing I just did. The Card Mistress had applied a 
   1.902 +lot of unorthodox methods capturing some of the Clow Cards, often 
   1.903 +rather trying to make the cards trust her and let themselves be 
   1.904 +captured rather than to engage into a heated battle. Therefore I 
   1.905 +wasn't really surprised seeing Sakura's tense and concentrated 
   1.906 +demeanor suddenly change. For a moment confusion crossed her features 
   1.907 +before she relaxed, her eyes softening and her grip around the staff 
   1.908 +not so firm anymore.
   1.909 +	Kerberos and Yue were about to move forward when without even a 
   1.910 +command Fly's wings materialized on Sakura's back. My girlfriend 
   1.911 +looked back with a reassuring smile that halted the two guardians even 
   1.912 +though one could tell they weren't really fond off the idea.
   1.913 +	The winged girl was about to ascend, then stopped and turned a 
   1.914 +look in my direction. Her eyes finding mine. Quite frankly I had no 
   1.915 +idea what exactly happened but when Sakura held out a hand towards me 
   1.916 +I stepped forward and took it in my own without a word. There was not 
   1.917 +even the thought of hesitation or surprise when I felt something wash 
   1.918 +over and through my body. Identical wings to the ones Sakura was 
   1.919 +sporting burst into existence but my movements were almost 
   1.920 +trance-like. Only one thing was for sure that I trusted Sakura, 
   1.921 +complete and unconditional trust. The level of communication at this 
   1.922 +moment was higher than anything before and somehow we just knew what 
   1.923 +we had to do.
   1.924 +	To the casual observers though - even the magical-apt ones - the 
   1.925 +moment we were on a level with the spectral figure of Love, we 
   1.926 +literally vanished from sight.
   1.927 +
   1.928 +TBC (soon)
   1.929 +
   1.930 +Author's Notes
   1.931 +
   1.932 +Yes, I know I am evil.
   1.933 +I said it would be two parts and I actually planned this out a little 
   1.934 +differently. The second part was supposed to take place some time 
   1.935 +later. Love was supposed to be captured already... I just realized 
   1.936 +that for what I wanted to do I had to do it in a shorter period of 
   1.937 +time and the ending was just such a nice point to end the first part. 
   1.938 +Don't worry though. I suppose I'll be out with the next part very 
   1.939 +soon. Maybe even before Christmas (don't hold me to that).
   1.940 +I hope I managed to describe the emotions in here in the way I wanted 
   1.941 +them to be represented. This installment started a little slow on the 
   1.942 +writing side but began to pick up pace and intensity fast.
   1.943 +I admit the moment I chose to reveal about what the Seal Cards are was 
   1.944 +rather... odd. Forgive me please, Maia decided to let this story run 
   1.945 +wild halfway through, I actually planned on... say, two more scenes 
   1.946 +from the start of the trip... I really think it's awkward and maybe I 
   1.947 +actually add those later on. Please tell me if it seems too out of 
   1.948 +place and I change that.
   1.949 +Anyway, things are slowly picking up on the suspense end. The last 
   1.950 +part will probably actually have some action and wrap things up for 
   1.951 +that little pre-series.
   1.952 +I am not sure if I’ll write the actual lemon scene or not. I planned 
   1.953 +to but am not so certain right now.
   1.954 +
   1.955 +I hope you enjoyed yourselves again. If you did, then leave me a note 
   1.956 +(mail, review whatever).
   1.957 +
   1.958 +Ja ne, yours
   1.959 +
   1.960 +Matthias
   1.961 \ No newline at end of file