Author’s Notes: Hello, everyone! ^-^ This is a story I’ve wanted to

 do for a while, and it actually focuses on Meiling & Syaoran. ^-^

 They really do make a good couple. ^,^ If Meiling had gotten Syaoran

 and Tomoyo had gotten Sakura, everyone would have been happy. Anyway,

 this story has some.. strange themes. ^-^;; Please read responsibly.

 ^^ This story played hell with what nouns I should use when and

 where, so if it looks a little sloppy, I apologize in advance. ^-^;;;

 If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail me your

 thoughts. I always love to know what people think. ^-^ Please enjoy!

 

 

 The Shape of Things

 By Amazoness Duo

 amazonessduo@hotmail.com

 

 

 	Transcendental silence held the world steadfastly in its grip, only

 a distant bird daring to interrupt the world’s peaceful slumber. The

 spring day was warm and lazy, as if it were trying to lull the

 students inside the large school building to a gentle nap. Even the

 wind didn’t feel like disturbing the peace and quiet. Flowers grew

 and trees stretched out in this quiet interim, in this silent

 purgatory that held the world in a sleepy stasis. 

 	A shrill bell broke all the former pristine silence as students

 burst out of the school doors like water bursting from a dam. Gossip

 and teasing quickly took the place of the lone bird in the distance.

 Students hurried this way and that as everyone met up with friends or

 went to their after-school clubs or just went home. The lazy spring

 day had lost its power over them with the ringing of the final bell.

 Boys and girls hurried about their business, none of which was more

 important than simply escaping the tomblike confines of the classroom

 they had been suffocating in. 

 	Out of this sea of chaos and confusion, walked a pretty, short

 haired brunette. There wasn’t anything particularly surprising about

 her. Not at first sight, at any rate. She could be any girl that went

 to that school, though if you asked anyone, they would have to tell

 you that there was something different about the girl. What exactly,

 they couldn’t quite say. Except for one girl in specific. She could

 answer any question imaginable about the brunette. And what made the

 auburn haired girl stand out at the moment was that her arms were

 entwined around one of the arms of a very pretty lavender haired

 girl. This lavender haired girl was the one that could, indeed, read

 the brunette like a well-written novel. 

 	Talking about the day, Sakura and Tomoyo made their way through the

 moving throng of students, not seeming to notice the crowd

 encompassing them. Stormy blue eyes sparkled in heartfelt joy as they

 gazed lovingly into genki emerald gems. Those eyes didn’t see the

 flurry of students around them, only seeing the energetic young woman

 by her side. And that made the hectic evening all the more enjoyable.

 Her free hand went to her cheek as she let out a soft sigh. Sakura’s

 cute voice played through her mind like beautiful music. As if

 sitting next to the auburn haired girl in class all day wasn’t

 enough, this little touch of heaven certainly made her day. The two

 continued along, completely oblivious to anyone around them.

 	“So I was thinking about trying out for the soccer team, but I’m

 still not sure. It’s been so busy lately that I really don’t know if

 I could fit it in. Especially with onii-chan gone. Dad and I had to

 split the chores, so I haven’t had as much time after school,” Sakura

 continued, still holding onto Tomoyo’s arm. The pale girl leaned

 against her, bringing a smile to Sakura’s lips. Of course, Tomoyo

 would know that she hadn’t had as much time since her brother had

 moved out with Yukito. Tomoyo was there most of the time anyway,

 keeping her company as she did her chores or cooked dinner. And

 Tomoyo was even helping her with her cooking. It had obviously been

 an improvement from some of her father’s compliments about her recent

 dinners. She had Tomoyo to thank for that. So Tomoyo definitely knew

 about her lack of time after school. But it didn’t seem like such a

 bad thing. The pale girl was over more often than not and with Touya

 gone it meant that she could enjoy their time together in peace

 without the teasing he had given her upon finding out that she was

 dating Tomoyo. 

 	“That would be so cute! I’m sure Sakura-chan would be their star

 player. And I could go to all of your games and videotape you

 playing. And then you could watch them to see how you played and to

 get better,” Tomoyo replied, smiling sweetly at her Cardmistress.

 Though she knew full well that she would most likely be the one

 watching the videos, whether or not they could help Sakura’s game.

 Sighing dreamily, she tilted her head to the side, her long,

 currently braided hair spilling over their entwined arms. “I can see

 it now; Sakura-chan bolting across the field like a streak of light,

 looking stylish yet sporty in her team uniform. The crowd cheers as

 Sakura-chan gets the ball, every single detail captured forever in

 film by her loving koibito while her devoted fans pass out in ecstasy.”

 	Her face a bright shade of cherry red, Sakura stared at Tomoyo

 before she began to sweatdrop. She had the distinct feeling as of

 late that Tomoyo had been trying harder to embarrass her. It had been

 easy for the dark haired girl to embarrass her as a child, but now

 that they had been dating, Sakura had grown used to some of the

 things Tomoyo said and what she meant by them. So lately she was

 certain that her pale girlfriend had been going further to bring a

 blush to her cheeks. “Tomoyo-chan...” she got out, a hand behind her

 head as she laughed weakly. "I don’t really think it would be like

 that.”

 	Giggling softly, Tomoyo led the way to the waiting limousine. Her

 bodyguards held the doors open for the pair as they approached. She

 would have preferred to walk, simply to spend the warm day by

 Sakura’s side, but her house was a bit far for that. With Sakura’s

 father out for another convention and no Touya to take care of his

 only daughter, Tomoyo’s mother had been eager to have Sakura over.

 The Daidouji women were both equally thrilled to have Sakura spending

 the next few days. Sonomi had made sure that she could get off early

 that night to spend some time with her daughter and the child of her

 deceased love. She and Tomoyo would be making dinner for the three of

 them. Tomoyo was happy to see her mother enjoying Sakura’s presence

 nearly as much as she did, but it was nice to know that they would

 have some time alone as well. She already had some ideas for that.

 After all, it was nice to plan things out ahead of time. Sakura was

 impulsive, leaping into whatever happened, but Tomoyo liked things to

 go slowly and smoothly. Not that she didn’t love Sakura’s

 impulsiveness, only that she liked to temper it with her thorough

 planning at times. Smiling brightly at the brunette, Tomoyo replied.

 “I think Sakura-chan would make an adorable soccer player. I can come

 over and help out more if Sakura-chan would like, but I think you

 should have enough time for it as it is. And it would be exciting to

 go to all of Sakura-chan’s games.”

 	“Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura whispered softly as she rested her head on

 Tomoyo’s shoulder. Her cheeks flushed faintly, her eyes closing

 slightly as she leaned against the slightly smaller girl. A bright

 smile crossed her lips as they slipped into the limousine. The pale

 girl was always so perceptive about things. And Sakura was always

 glad to follow her advice. Thinking back to the little board that

 held her chores back home, Sakura tried to think if she would have

 the time to be on the soccer team even without Tomoyo’s help. Her

 flush grew a little brighter as the image of Tomoyo in a maid’s

 costume filled her mind. The last time Tomoyo had come over to help

 her out, she had dressed up in a cute maid’s outfit. Of her own

 design, as always. So maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing even if

 she did need her girlfriend’s help. The eccentric heiress’s costume

 fetish (and video fetish and just general Sakura fetish for that

 matter) certainly made things... interesting. “Un, I think I’ll try

 out for it on Thursday, then. I really do think it would be fun. I

 haven’t had the chance to really do anything like that since I was on

 the swim team last year,” Sakura said with a smile. 

 	“Sugoi!!” came Tomoyo’s reply. She would have clasped her hands

 together, but Sakura still held sole possession of her right arm.

 Instead, she began to run her pale finger’s through Sakura’s short,

 firey hair. “I’ll be sure to show up with a fresh videotape after

 classes on Thursday. I don’t want to miss a second of ‘Sakura-chan’s

 Soccer Advance’,” Tomoyo declared. The limousine began it’s path home

 while Tomoyo’s fingers made themselves at home in Sakura’s hair. She

 let a delicious sigh escape her lips as she felt the soft strands

 under her fingertips, marveling at the feeling of Sakura’s strong,

 athletic body pressed against her side. She smiled exquisitely,

 kissing Sakura’s forehead. After a second, she kissed it again, and

 again, all the while moving slowly lower, over her eyelids, down the

 bridge of her nose, sweetly caressing her cheek with kisses.

 	Sakura blushed faintly at Tomoyo’s kisses, but didn’t move to

 distance herself from them. Her lavender haired best friend had such

 soft, sensuous lips. It felt blissful to have them against her. It

 was nice to know that, as always, she had Tomoyo’s love and support

 behind her. It made the decision to try out for the soccer team much

 easier for her. Blinking in confusion, the auburn haired Mistress of

 the Cards looked up to the mistress of her heart. “’Sakura-chan’s

 Soccer Advance’?” Sakura asked curiously, a thin eyebrow raising.

 	“Of course. I like to have titles ahead of time when I can, but

 most of the time you can’t predict what’s going to happen, so I just

 wait until afterwards. So this is more of a working title. It’s

 because Sakura-chan will surely advance through the other girls to

 become the best soccer player on the team. Just like you were the

 best on the cheerleading team and the drama club and the swim team,”

 Tomoyo explained, kissing down Sakura’s left cheek as she paused.

 “Though I may use ‘Sakura-chan, Race for the Goal!’ I’ll have to see

 how it turns out,” Tomoyo said thoughtfully. The heiress smiled

 sweetly and tilted her head to the side at Sakura’s puzzled

 expression. The Cardmistress was just too pretty for her own good.

 Just being with her, talking to her, the lavender haired heiress

 could feel her love growing stronger and stronger.

 	Sweatdropping, Sakura shifted in her seat, still holding onto

 Tomoyo’s arm. “Tomoyo-chan, I think you’re the only one who would

 think that. I really wasn’t even all that good at Drama Club.

 Besides, that was your idea.” Drama Club had been... difficult. With

 so many lines to memorize, it had been almost overwhelming for the

 poor auburn haired girl. She found it much easier to memorize

 routines or warm ups rather than to force script into her mind. But

 Tomoyo had helped her through it with every play she had been in that

 year. Sakura never saw Tomoyo memorizing her own lines, but the pale

 girl always seemed to know them by heart. Tomoyo had thought it would

 be fun to join the club together so they could both join a club that

 year. And even if it had been exhausting, it had also been a lot of

 fun at times, especially practicing her lines with the lavender

 haired girl. 

 	Tomoyo smiled and shook her head briefly. “No, I don’t think so.

 I’m sure I could find someone to agree with me. Like mother. And even

 if I couldn’t, I think you were the best in all of those things and

 more. To me, you are.” Sure, Sakura would drop her baton at times.

 Sure, she would miss a line or two. Sure, she sometimes forgot to

 stretch before swimming. But she had always tried her hardest. And

 Tomoyo had always found that trait to be one of Sakura’s most

 endearing. 

 	Blushing slightly, Sakura felt some of Tomoyo’s gorgeous lavender

 hair brush past her cheek as Tomoyo watched her intently, her face

 mere inches away. “But that’s because you love me,” Sakura whispered

 at last, her cheeks still tinted pink. Tomoyo’s hair smelled

 wonderful, and the silky strands caressed her cheek with the same

 gentleness of the other girl’s pale fingers. 

 	“And I always will,” Tomoyo whispered in reply. She could feel

 Sakura’s arms loosen around her right arm before pulling away

 altogether. She simply watched the beautiful brunette, smiling softly

 at her. She gasped softly as Sakura’s arms went around her waist, the

 distance between them disappearing before Tomoyo could even tell that

 it was gone. Motioning with her free hand for the driver to circle

 the block a few times before they got home, Tomoyo returned the kiss.

 As always, Sakura was the most potent, intoxicating drug she could

 think of. And Tomoyo was happy to lose herself to the affects the

 brunette caused in her heart. 

 

 Just a little behind Sakura and Tomoyo, another brunette left the

 school. This one, too, had a dark haired girl in their personal

 space. This dark haired girl was clinging to her perspective love

 interest like a vice. The object of her affections, however, wore a

 deep scowl. Syaoran frowned as he watched Sakura and Tomoyo leave

 school arm in arm, giggling like... like... like schoolgirls! He had

 only recently returned, but already things weren’t exactly turning

 his way. Sakura and that Daidouji girl were inseparable as of late.

 What with Meiling having shown up only a few days before, it made

 things much more difficult. Sakura seemed to be ignoring her

 affections, which was only made worse by the fact that Meiling was

 almost always there. It made it impossible for him to get to the

 bottom of the situation. How could he ask Sakura what was going on if

 his fiance was right by his side? But now he would find out what was

 going on. He found it strange that Sakura was heading home in a

 limousine. She usually rollerbladed or walked back to her home. So

 was she even heading back there? Why would she be going to the

 Daidouji girl’s house anyway? On a school night, of all nights?

 “So what should we do tonight, Syaoran? I was thinking that I could

 make some dinner and we can let Wei relax for a bit. Then it can be

 just you and me. And maybe some candlelight. And then...” Meiling

 trailed off, not noticing her fiance’s nearly constant scowl or the

 direction of her thoughts, too lost in her own plans for the night.

 “Who knows after that. Maybe we could just talk for a while. I can

 wear that little red dress I bought with me and you can wear that

 cute blue shirt that I bought you a little while back.” Her finger

 began trailing in circles on Syaoran’s back as they walked forward.

 She had been rather pissed off to find that Syaoran had disappeared

 back to Japan for reasons unknown, but now that she was with her

 beloved again, she felt her anger slipping away. Did it matter where

 they were as long as they were there together? Syaoran needed her to

 take care of him at any rate and now she was here to do it. Besides,

 he’d just get himself into trouble on his own.

 “Meiling... Come on, stop it,” Syaoran said, trying not to blush as

 he watched the limousine pull off. This was exactly why he had wanted

 to go on his own. He didn’t want to hurt Meiling. She was important

 to him. She was most likely his best friend. She was the only person

 that he really spent a lot of time with, that really knew him. He

 didn’t want to hurt her over his feelings for Sakura. And with how

 she had always made especially sure to mark Syaoran as her property,

 that made it much more difficult to reach Sakura. How could he when

 everyone at the school already knew he was Meiling’s? A sigh escaped

 his lips as he watched the limo speeding into the distance. He

 finally did blush as he felt Meiling’s supple body pressing tightly

 into his side, his cousin and fiance trying to snag his attention.

 Meiling had certainly blossomed in recent years, but he had a hard

 time seeing her as anything other than the little cousin that had

 always followed him around. Kneeling down both to pick up something

 he had spotted and to get away from Meiling’s tight grip for a

 second, Syaoran pulled up a small piece of paper he had seen fall

 away from Tomoyo’s bookbag. It was a simple sketch of Sakura, but it

 was stunning. It looked so real. Tomoyo’s artistic eye and years of

 drawing costume designs for Sakura had apparently paid off. 

 	“Wow... She’s good,” Meiling commented, her chin on Syaoran’s

 shoulder. The boy blushed and tried to stand up, but she held him in

 place with strength gained from a lot of time spent getting out her

 frustration over the boy she loved while training in the martial

 arts. “I guess Tomoyo finally decided that she couldn’t beat me in

 singing so she should find another talent.” The black haired girl

 nodded thoughtfully. “Good for her. It’s good to see her with

 something to fall back on.” Smiling as she held her hands on

 Syaoran’s shoulders, she finally allowed the boy to stand, her arms

 wrapping around his waist as soon as he did. Yeah, it didn’t matter

 if he did something silly like running back to Tomoeda. She could

 forgive him. After all, she did love him. Just so long as he didn’t

 do anything that stupid again. 

 	“I have to find out what’s going on,” Syaoran said, more for his

 own benefit than anyone else’s. His scowl returned as he watched the

 direction Sakura had disappeared in. Just what had happened? Why

 hadn’t Sakura jumped into his arms already? Why would she rather

 spend her time with the Daidouji girl than with him? Had he done

 something wrong? He’d find out what was going on. He was tired of

 playing games. He would know before the night was through. Crumpling

 up the sketch of Sakura in his fist, he stuffed it in his pocket. 

 	Meiling blinked in confusion. “Huh? What’s going on with what?” She

 stared at Syaoran for a moment, following his gaze. Why was the

 Chinese boy so out of it lately? He seemed so distant, like he was

 always busy with other things. He amber eyes followed to the distant

 horizon. “Ohhh… You mean with Sakura.” The black haired girl’s eyes

 narrowed as she held onto her fiance tighter. She really needed to

 put an end to this whole Sakura thing. And soon. “I’d think that

 would be obvious,” she said nonchalantly. “It’s not like it came as a

 huge surprise, at any rate. I mean, Tomoyo always was pretty

 eccentric about her.”

 	Frowning, Syaoran turned around in Meiling’s grasp, pulling away.

 “And what’s that supposed to mean?” He didn’t like the sound of this.

 Or where it was going. But apparently Meiling didn’t like his tone,

 because her gaze grew frosty as she crossed her arms. He tried not to

 shudder at her piercing gaze, instead letting his hot anger warm him. 

 	“It means that Tomoyo’s with Sakura now. Guess you weren’t Sakura’s

 type. Not that it’s any of your concern. I am your fiance, after

 all.” Meiling shrugged, tossing a pigtail back over her shoulder.

 Tomoyo had been in much the same situation that she had been in, so

 it hadn’t been too difficult to see who the lavender haired girl’s

 heart belonged to. Actually, by now most of the class should be able

 to tell that with little or no difficulty. Upon returning and seeing

 that her counterpart seemed to have managed to capture the heart of

 the Cardmistress, Meiling had been overjoyed. If Sakura was with the

 eccentric pale girl, then she certainly couldn’t get in the martial

 artist’s way. Unfortunately, everyone but Syaoran seemed to be happy

 with this turn of events.

 	“That’s a lie!” Syaoran shot out angrily. He was not about to be

 beaten out by some... some girl! And some weak little crazy girl at

 that. He was Li Syaoran, heir to the venerable House of Li, and a

 powerful magician at that. That some magic-less, frail, soft spoken

 girl could beat him to the heart of the one he loved was

 inconceivable. It just couldn’t happen. Besides, Meiling was always

 like this. She was just trying to ruin things with Sakura so that he

 would have to stay with her. Part of him felt ashamed for writing off

 Meiling so quickly, but his mind couldn’t accept her words as

 anything but vicious lies. There had to be some other reason that

 Sakura was spending so much time with the Diadouji girl instead of

 him. 

 	Meiling stared at the brown haired boy incredulously. “What did you

 say?” she asked in surprise. Her eyes narrowed in fury as she looked

 into his own amber eyes. “You did come scurrying back here to the

 Cardmistress, didn’t you?! You were going to try and slip out right

 under my nose just so you wouldn’t have to marry me! You’re so stuck

 on that bitch that you’ve blinded yourself to the truth. You won’t

 let yourself see anything you don’t want to.” By now, a few of the

 remaining students had begun to stare, but the black haired Chinese

 girl could care less about them. She was furious. No, it wasn’t just

 that. She was hurt. Her heart had belonged to Syaoran for so long,

 had been his and his alone, but he discarded it at the first

 opportunity. All for some naïve Japanese girl. It hurt so much to

 know that the one she loved could so easily toss her aside. Tears

 threatened to spill from her amber eyes, but her anger held them in

 check. For the time being. 

 	“I’m going to find out for myself. I’ll prove that’s not how it is.

 Sakura-chan wouldn’t do that.” Syaoran was holding onto his last hope

 now. He was trying desperately to hold onto the belief that Meiling

 was lying, that it had all just been a mean spirited way of keeping

 him with her. But doubts started to creep in to his mind little by

 little. Whirling away from his cousin, the Chinese sorcerer leapt

 into the nearby trees. He had to find Sakura. He had to find out what

 was happening.

 	“Syaoran!! I’m not done with you yet!” Meiling called after him,

 her fists balling up as she leapt into the trees behind him. She was

 going to put an end to this once and for all. If he was going to be

 so stubborn, she’d walk into the damn room and snap some photos of

 the two girls doing who knows what just to get him to drop it. And

 then he would never hear the end of all of this, especially making

 her travel all the way to Japan so he could try to get with someone

 else. Hmm... Perhaps there would be a slight change of plans. It sure

 sounded a lot more worthwhile to just kill him.

 

 	It was dark by the time Syaoran finally reached the expansive

 Daidouji estate. He had only been there a handful of times and that

 had been years before. The large gate enclosed a huge, elegant home

 that rivaled even the Li estate. It was ironic that such a home was

 only for two people, a woman and her daughter. And one of them was

 rarely home to begin with. Syaoran didn’t count the maids and

 servants as actually living there, since they weren’t a part of the

 family proper. They had plenty of them back at his own home in China.

 They were a symbol of one’s status, hired to maintain one’s life when

 they were too busy with more important things to do so. Of course,

 Wei didn’t fit this description in his mind. The man had helped to

 raise him, had taken care of him during his time in Japan. The older

 man had been a respected elder that he could think of warmly without

 the same fear that his mother had instilled in him. The Chinese boy

 wondered idly if Tomoyo had a similar surrogate guardian what with

 her mother gone so often, but he decided that he had more important

 things to worry about. 

 	Amber eyes glanced at the front gate that sealed off the vast

 household. Going through the gate wasn’t an option. He had to get in

 quietly, sneaking to Sakura to find out just what was going on. If he

 just confronted them, they’d probably give him some stupid excuse.

 The fact that he was too shy to actually demand Sakura tell him

 didn’t cross his mind. He wouldn’t allow such thoughts to linger. He

 was Li Syaoran, the next head of the House of Li, a sorcerer who had

 helped... He winced a bit at that thought. Helped. He had helped

 Sakura. He hadn’t been good enough to handle the situation on his

 own. Letting a little anger seep into his mind helped him to focus.

 It gave him something to hold onto. Yes, he was mad that he had come

 back here for the sake of his love, Sakura, and had found her

 spending all of her time with the Daidouji girl. He deserved an

 explanation. He had spent years waiting for this time to see her

 again, when he could again be with the Cardmistress. 

 	Ducking around the side, Syaoran tried not to make a noise as he

 heard one of Tomoyo’s bodyguards approaching. This might not be as

 easy as he thought. But he had to find out what was going on, no

 matter what lay in his path. ‘Sakura-chan’s determination sparkles

 like the stars above,’ her heard from deep within his memories. Who

 had said that? It was a soft, sweet voice. The Daidouji girl. Well,

 he would prove that he could be just as determined as Sakura. He

 would prove that he deserved the brunette. She would fly into his

 arms just like he had imagined these last few years when he would lie

 in bed, ever since he had left back to Hong Kong. He had confessed

 his feelings to Sakura before he had left. And she had felt the same,

 hadn’t she? She still felt that way for him, didn’t she? Panic began

 to eat at him, but he burnt it away by drudging up more anger. A

 scowl crossed his face as he waited for the bodyguard to leave. He

 could hear her by the gate, obviously glancing around, dressed in a

 black business suit, he was sure. Finally, briskly, the woman walked

 away calling someone on her cell phone. Letting out a sigh of relief,

 Syaoran let himself relax. But angry amber eyes burned holes into his

 own, startling the poor boy before he could regain his composure.

 “Meiling!!” 

 	The Chinese girl clenched her fist as she glared at her misbehaving

 fiance. “Why are we here, Syaoran? And you better have a good

 reason.” This was Tomoyo’s house, she was fairly certain. And sense

 she knew that Syaoran held no interest in the pale girl, she knew

 what he was here for. Sakura. And that thought brought with it a

 meteor shower of jealousy in the black haired girl. She was his

 fiance, not the Cardmistress. She was the one that loved him, not

 that dense and overly cheerful girl. She felt hurt and disappointed

 that he would come running to her the first chance he got. Syaoran

 had grown closer to her in the past couple years. They spent so much

 time together, had been spending more and more together ever since

 Syaoran’s return to Hong Kong. They had shared several romantic times

 together, and had even kissed. Meiling had been thrilled. It was all

 she had ever wanted, being with the man she loved. But now he was

 running away from that, treating her like some type of door prize.

 She would feel cold and sad about the whole thing, but she had cried

 for him once too often over the years, burying her head in her pillow

 when she knew she was all alone. Now she just felt like beating some

 sense into him and dragging him back home.

 	‘Ko.. Kowaii...’ Syaoran thought to himself, backed against the

 wall as Meiling’s gaze began to bore through him. ‘She’s almost as

 frightening as mother.’ The Chinese boy quickly got himself back in

 control, his eyes narrowing as he stepped away from the wall. He

 shouldn’t be scared of his younger cousin. He was a man now, not just

 some little boy. Even if Meiling was a little scary sometimes, it

 wasn’t like she could do anything. He was the one in charge of all

 this. He’d just have to explain that he loved Sakura and that their

 engagement was off. Later. He’d explain it later. He looked away from

 the black haired girl, busying himself with looking at the wall for a

 way in. A twinge of guilt passed through him at the thought of ending

 his engagement to Meiling. She had been there for him sense they had

 been children, had been there for him back when he would cry after

 meeting his mother’s cold disapproval, back before he had quit crying

 altogether. Meiling had always been there for him, his best friend

 and sometimes something more. She had been his first kiss, had

 accompanied him dancing at all of the school activities back in Hong

 Kong. She had never had a problem talking to him about anything. And

 more over, she loved him. He knew that. It had only become more

 apparent in recent years, growing stronger as she blossomed into

 womanhood. And she had always been eager to shower that love upon

 him. Sure, she frightened away all the other girls at school that

 even looked his way, but it was sweet in its own way. He didn’t want

 to hurt her. He never had. But he was in love with Sakura. He had

 been for a while now. They were supposed to be together, not him and

 Meiling. 

 	“I said, ‘You better have a good explanation for this’,” Meiling

 repeated, her hands on her hips as she stared at Syaoran’s back. She

 thought she saw the boy shudder visibly at the tone of her voice and

 allowed herself a small, quick grin. All that time around Ieran-sama

 was paying off. Her aunt could be cold at times, especially to

 Syaoran, but she sure seemed nicer to the girls in the family.

 Syaoran’s older sisters were all very sweet and energetic, very

 different from their little brother. Ieran had raised them very

 differently from her son, the one who would one day head the Li Clan.

 She even treated Meiling with a gentleness that she seldom afforded

 the chestnut haired boy. Meiling didn’t hold the same fear for the

 older woman that Syaoran did. She looked up to Ieran, the woman’s

 beauty and grace something that she hoped she could one day have

 herself.  She had one day asked Ieran about why things were so

 different when the older woman’s words had obviously cut into Syaoran

 deeply. The black haired girl respected Ieran deeply, but she

 couldn’t stand to see the boy she loved hurting so. She had expected

 a cold admonishment for her disrespect, but Ieran had remained silent

 for a moment. She finally walked over to Meiling, brushing back the

 younger girl’s black pigtails in a motherly gesture. She said that as

 his fiance, Meiling had a right to be concerned about his wellbeing

 like that. The head of the House of Li went on to explain that she

 had to be hard on Syaoran, that as a boy, in Chinese culture, he

 would be the next head of the Li Clan. She had to make him strong

 enough to handle that. Meiling had seen what a huge burden it was for

 Ieran and for the first time, she had actually feared for Syaoran’s

 eventual rise to the head of the House of Li. Such a burden on the

 man she loved... But she had quickly replied to Ieran that Syaoran

 would certainly be able to handle it and any other hardships that

 came his way. Heading for the door, she had been swift to add that

 he’d be able to handle anything because she’d be there by his side.

 So at least she knew why he feared his mother. But that didn’t mean

 she couldn’t use it to her advantage from time to time. Especially

 when he was being so... difficult. 

 	Ignoring Meiling, Syaoran leapt over the wall and landed as quietly

 as he could on the other side. His black haired cousin was just

 moments behind him. He could feel her ire growing. But he had to do

 this. For his sake as well as Sakura’s. He needed to know what kind

 of spell held Sakura in its grasp. Then he would ride to the rescue,

 her prince come to save her. Then he would finally have his love. He

 quickly darted past the neatly trimmed hedges, trying to keep his

 presence from Tomoyo’s bodyguards. His amber eyes locked onto

 Tomoyo’s open bedroom window. At least, he thought that was her room.

 It had been so long ago that he couldn’t quite remember. Hoping that

 his instincts were correct, her dashed in that direction, followed

 closely by Meiling. The two reached the side of the house without

 incident, trying to stay out of view. At least, Syaoran was. Meiling

 stood with her hands on her hips, with that same ‘You owe me an

 explanation’ look on her face. Syaoran scowled and waved her forward,

 out of the line of sight of any passersby. But the Chinese girl stood

 stubbornly where she was, her eyes never leaving him. Sighing in

 frustration, Syaoran looked back up at her. “I’m here to see what’s

 up with Sakura. She’s been acting strangely lately. Are you happy?” 

 	Not exactly pleased, but getting her explanation regardless,

 Meiling ducked out of the way of prying eyes. “That’s not really your

 problem anymore, Syaoran. I’m sure if anything’s wrong with Sakura,

 Tomoyo will be the first to know.” She noticed Syaoran twitch at her

 words, but she didn’t feel like tiptoeing around the subject for him

 when he obviously didn’t care how she felt about this whole thing.

 Smoothing down her skirt, she felt the soft grass tickle her legs as

 she sat down, next to where Syaoran was crouching. An inner sigh

 accompanied her shoulders slumping. She should have seen this coming,

 what with him running off to Japan so suddenly and all. Part of her

 had known, but she hadn’t wanted to believe it. How could he leave

 her alone like that? After all of the beautiful times they had spent

 together? She loved him so much. Why couldn’t he see that? All she

 wanted was to marry him, to spend eternity with him. Why wasn’t she

 good enough for him? It was always someone else. First that white

 haired man and now this naïve little girl. She sighed exasperatedly,

 blinking her eyes quickly to hide the tears that threatened. 

 	Gazing up to the open window, Syaoran tried to get a better view.

 Was that the room? He couldn’t quite tell. Holding his breath, the

 chestnut haired boy tried to listen for any sounds coming from the

 room. He thought he heard something, but he couldn’t quite make it

 out. It was soft, almost like mumbling. He strained harder to hear

 who may be in the room, not wanting to stumble upon Tomoyo’s maids or

 her bodyguards. A squeal escaped the open window, sending a bird

 fluttering away. Syaoran sweatdropped, wondering just what was going

 on up in the mystery room. Did Tomoyo have any pets? He couldn’t

 remember. Tomoyo had just never been important enough for him to

 remember anything about her. He knew she was one of Sakura’s friends

 and that she liked to do crazy things like videotape her and that she

 tried to get him to tell Sakura his feelings, but that was about the

 extent of his knowledge on the Daidouji girl. But she had to have a

 pet. That squeal had given that away. Though it didn’t sound entirely

 animalistic. Crossing his arms, Syaoran arched his head to try to

 take in more of the window while he pondered this situation. 

 	Meiling turned to look back at Syaoran, a curious look etched onto

 her face. What had that been just now? It had sounded like a squeal,

 but she could swear that it had been a girl’s voice. She could dimly

 hear quiet murmurs again, but the sound didn’t reappear. Brushing

 back a black pigtail, she waited. She wasn’t a big fan of waiting for

 things to happen, such as her eventual wedding to Syaoran that she

 would have been plenty happy to have had five years before, but she

 could if the situation called to it. And besides, the scenery wasn’t

 so bad. She smiled to herself as she watched Syaoran while silence

 surrounded them. He really was cute. A frown crossed her lips. When

 he wasn’t being such an asshole. She really hoped he’d get over this

 soon so she could drag him back to Hong Kong so he could marry her.

 The sooner, the better. Her ears suddenly perked up as she heard

 another noise. This one was much more musical, the word filled with

 emotion as it drifted down to her. 

 	“Sakura-chan!”

 	The Chinese sorcerer tensed as he heard Sakura’s name cried out.

 “Sakura-chan...” Darting to a nearby tree, Syaoran struggled to get a

 grip on it. Sakura was in trouble. She needed his help. He couldn’t

 hear Sakura’s voice, so it had to be something horrible for the

 usually quiet Daidouji girl to call out her name. Images of Sakura

 passed out on the floor, injured, entered his head. He forced himself

 further up the tree. Maybe she really was under some strange spell,

 something that was hurting her and keeping her from him. ‘I’m on my

 way, Sakura-chan,’ he thought determinedly.

 	Meiling’s eyes shot open in realization. Moving to her legs

 instantly, she darted to her tree-climbing fiance. She knew exactly

 what was going on. And she wasn’t about to let her Syaoran barge in

 on that. Gripping his ankle, Meiling tried to drag the Chinese boy

 down from the tree. “What are you doing? Get down from there, you

 pervert!” she yelled at him, her voice only slightly hushed. Her

 cheeks were tinted red as she heard more noises coming down from the

 room. She certainly hadn’t expected to hear that while they were at

 the Daidouji home. She and Syaoran hadn’t even... She blushed deeper

 as she tried to get a better grasp on his leg, but she only succeeded

 in pulling his shoe off. “Syaoran!!” she whispered harshly after him. 

 	Struggling up to the top of the tree, Syaoran started to climb out

 along a limb. The sounds from inside had stopped a short time before,

 back when his shoe had fallen off. It had been silent now for a

 minute or two. Was the Daidouji girl hurt, too? What was in there? He

 had to get to Sakura before it was too late. He didn’t have time to

 deal with Meiling’s jealousy issues. A surge of magic shattered

 Syaoran’s concentration. Sakura’s magic had increased significantly

 since he had last seen her use it. The power was just mind blowing.

 Syaoran barely gripped onto the branch, nearly having lost his

 balance. So Sakura was still inside. Was she fighting someone? He

 couldn’t feel anyone else’s magic. Just one of the Sakura Cards.

 Sakura’s yelp caught his attention, his eyes moving up to the window.

 His cheeks flushed a dark crimson as he saw Sakura. The brunette had

 pink cat ears on and frilly matching stockings. Where the rest of

 Sakura’s clothes had gone seemed to be a mystery. Near Sakura was the

 Daidouji girl, her pale skin starkly contrasted with her long, dark

 hair. She wore nothing, but looked no less elegant than Sakura with

 her beautiful hair draped across her. Syaoran nearly lost his grip

 again, leaves falling below as he scrambled for a purchase. His mind

 tried desperately to make sense of the situation, anger and confusion

 warring with his embarrassment. It didn’t look like they had seen

 him. Then why had Sakura yelped? His eyes latched onto a large

 chameleon-like animal that was running from Sakura. “What?” Syaoran

 got out before realizing the creature was headed right his way.

 Bracing himself on the tree branch, he caught the animal right as it

 leapt towards him. He struggled to hold onto the tree branch with his

 legs, but its momentum was too great. Without time to utter a curse,

 he found himself falling from the tree.

 	“Syaoran!” Meiling got out, her eyes wide as the boy fell. With the

 reflexes of the trained martial artist she was, she quickly got

 beneath her cousin. She had been about to berate him about staring

 into the window like that when she had suddenly seen him grow very

 serious, as if ready to pounce on an attacker. Whatever had lunged at

 him, he still held it in his grasp. Syaoran seemed to fall in slow

 motion, but in retrospect it all felt blindingly fast. Meiling’s

 heart skipped a beat as she watched her beloved plunge. Her arms

 grabbed him tightly as he finally fell into her grasp. The sudden

 weight made her stagger backwards. Her mind was on Syaoran, and not

 on where her feet where going. She was about to ask him if he was all

 right before she toppled backwards onto the grass, Syaoran crumpled

 on top of her. She felt the animal’s tale moving against her stomach

 as the Chinese sorcerer still held it fast. Before Meiling could open

 her mouth, she felt her whole body freeze, energy trailing through

 it. She felt a sudden grip around her, but it didn’t feel physical.

 It was as if someone had snagged her soul. She tried to call out to

 Syaoran, but nothing got out of her lips. 

 	And just as soon as it had begun, the strange feeling came to a

 sudden conclusion. Meiling shifted around, disoriented by the strange

 feeling. She could feel the animal writhing in her arms and

 immediately let go. How did it make its way up to her? Her whole body

 felt strange. But it didn’t hurt as much as it had a moment ago. It

 felt as if something had broken her fall. “Syaoran!” she called out,

 the Chinese boy quickly forcing his way to the forefront of her mind.

 She struggled up into a sitting position when she felt him squirming

 under her. How had they switched places? They must have rolled over

 when that weird feeling passed through her. Her clothes suddenly felt

 awkward on her body, every movement feeling wrong. ‘It must have been

 the fall. I hope I didn’t hurt anything in it. But at least it was to

 save Syaoran,’ she thought to herself. “Syaoran, are you okay?” she

 asked gingerly, reaching out for her fiance. If he was hurt, she

 wanted to make it all better. But her hand froze inches away from the

 boy she had been reaching for. Amber eyes widened in surprise.

 Sitting in front of her, wincing in pain as they sat up, she saw

 herself. Black pigtails and amber eyes, rustled skirt showing off

 more than Meiling would care too because of the awkward way the other

 Meiling was sitting. Her fists whipped out like lightening bolts,

 gripping either side of the imposter’s blouse as she pulled her

 closer. “Where’s Syaoran!? What did you do with him?” she asked

 angrily. 

 	Syaoran struggled to think clearly amidst the pain shooting up and

 down his body. Meiling must’ve dropped him when she’d grabbed him,

 because it certainly hurt. He’d felt something strange when he’d

 gripped the odd little beast, but it had quickly gone away. His body

 still felt strange, as if it weren’t his own, but it didn’t feel like

 there was any permanent damage. He glanced around for Meiling to try

 and see what shape she was in, but before he got a good look he was

 being throttled back and forth. “Wha..? Meiling, what are you tal...”

 His voice trailed off as he saw who was shaking him. He looked up and

 saw himself. Suddenly, everything snapped into place. The chameleon

 like creature, the strange feeling that had coursed through him as he

 and Meiling had been pressed against it. He’d felt that before,

 hadn’t he? “Oh no... The Change...” Syaoran’s eyes shot back up to

 the window. His heart began to pound in his chest as panic really did

 grip him this time. He remembered that the Change’s magic took a day

 to recharge. There was no way he was going to spend a day like this.

 This was worse than being the Seal Beast. He was a girl. His cousin.

 Mortified, Syaoran struggled to his feet. The sudden realization of

 his new body made the lack of something between his legs a horrifying

 feeling as he stood up. He suddenly wasn’t quite as pleased with how

 feminine Meiling’s body had grown in recent years. He still

 remembered when they were children, when there had been little

 difference in that regard. Why couldn’t this have happened back then? 

 	“And who might you be? Most of Tomoyo-sama’s friends use the

 intercom at the gate,” a woman’s voice said. Syaoran and Meiling

 turned to find two woman dressed entirely in black watching them. One

 raised an eyebrow in slight amusement.

 	“Wait! You don’t understand!” Syaraon got out as he watched them

 approach.

 

 	Tomoyo walked towards the window, her lavender hair messily falling

 past her shoulders, some draping across her front. “What was that?”

 She asked curiously, jumping at the sound of her own voice. Shaking

 her head, she reached the window. “There you are. You shouldn’t run

 away like that. I can’t go chase you like this,” the pale girl

 admonished gently. The chameleon-like Change Card simply nodded as it

 sat on the windowsill. “You scared me when you took off like that.

 But you’ll be good now, right?” A smile crossed her lips when she saw

 the Card nod. “Good. Now go back to your normal form for now. And

 thanks.” She added the last as little more than a whisper. Sighing,

 she watched the Card return to its pink rectangular form in front of

 her. Holding it in her hands, she gazed out the window at the

 countless stars above. The little pinpricks of light looked like

 countless diamonds spilt across the night sky. She hadn’t realized

 how late it had gotten. But then, she usually did lose track of time

 when she was with her best friend. It was just so easy to. Those

 beautiful, sensuous eyes, her gentle touch, her musical voice... The

 girl sighed again, her shoulders slumping. How did she let herself

 get talked into this? Arms wrapped around her shoulders as she felt

 an athletic body pull against her back. A dark blush spread across

 her cheeks and down her neck as she felt a soft kiss behind her ear. 

 	“Sakura-chan is so good with the Cards. They trust you even when

 you aren’t Sakura-chan,” the brunette commented, giggling softly. So

 this is what it felt like to be Sakura. It was such a strange feeling

 to be in her energetic girlfriend’s body. It was much more athletic

 than her own, though not quite as graceful. But Tomoyo loved every

 second of it. Not simply for the thrill of seeing Sakura in the

 mirror, but because it was such an intimate thing to share with

 Sakura. It was something most people could never do, that most never

 would do. It was a clear sign of trust, to be able to switch places

 like that, to share the other’s body. It was such a fun little thing

 to do, to be able to delve so deeply into Sakura this way. It would

 certainly let her test her knowledge on Sakura the next day at

 school. Not that she'd probably put much of it to use. She’d much

 rather follow along her beloved, even if Sakura was in her own body.

 It certainly made things interesting. Tomoyo had wanted to try this

 for a while, ever since she had learned that Syaoran had switched

 with Kero so many years before. It sounded like the perfect way to

 get even closer to Sakura, to switch bodies with her. It was like a

 lover’s game of pretend. What better way to get closer than to

 actually be the other? Of course, Sakura had been pretty embarrassed

 about the idea. She still was from the blush Tomoyo could see, which

 stood out quite clearly on her pale skin. She’d finally described it

 as similar to the costumes, that it would be like Sakura putting on a

 Tomoyo costume for a while. Sakura had finally agreed with some

 gentle prodding from Tomoyo, and they now found themselves in a very

 different way than they ever had before. Tomoyo sighed happily as she

 hugged the pale girl in her arms, kissing behind her ear again. 

 	“Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura whispered in reply, blushing deeper.

 Nonetheless, she slowly let herself relax into Tomoyo’s embrace. It

 felt strange, but nice. Tomoyo was always so soft, almost seeming

 delicate. It felt different to have her own body against her. Her

 athletic frame wasn’t quite as soft as Tomoyo’s, though the girl’s

 gentle touch remained the same as it had always been. This whole

 situation had Sakura feeling very confused. She was in Tomoyo’s body,

 inside the pale girl in a way she had never imagined. Meanwhile,

 Tomoyo was in her own body and with the closeness in proximity,

 Sakura couldn’t forget that for a second. She shifted a long, pale

 leg as she felt the frills of the stockings Tomoyo was now wearing

 against the back of her thigh. She turned around against, Tomoyo,

 still shocked to see her own face looking back at her. It was her own

 face, but it looked so different. She could see Tomoyo’s warm smile

 etched into it, her emerald eyes sparkling lovingly. She shivered at

 the sight. Her heart skipped a beat. Seeing Tomoyo like that, even in

 her own body, sent warm ripples through her heart. Leaning forward,

 she kissed the newly christened brunette, feeling her own arms go

 around Tomoyo’s waist. It felt bizarre to be kissing herself, to feel

 short brunette hair teasing her now longer dark hair. But she could

 feel the eccentric girl’s slow, sweet kisses. Even if the body was

 different, that was still the same. And it slowly sent sparks through

 Sakura as they continued to slowly kiss each other. Tomoyo melted

 against her at the kiss, the two ending up on their knees, kissing

 again and again on the floor. Sakura felt herself shudder again when

 Tomoyo’s fingers began brushing through her now long, lavender hair.

 She had always loved Tomoyo’s hair. It was always so gorgeous, no

 matter what style Tomoyo had it in. Feeling it against her shoulders

 and down her back, feeling Tomoyo’s hands running through it, it was

 a very intense feeling. She had to remember to play with Tomoyo’s

 hair more often when they switched back. 

 	The currently brunette heiress sighed inwardly. This was even

 better than she’d imagined. The chance to be with Sakura like this,

 to be together so completely, to share her own body, it was all just

 overwhelming. And Sakura still looked so cute. She still had that

 same genki energy in her eyes, that same sweet look on her face that

 Sakura always got when they kissed. It was heavenly. Her hands went

 down across Sakura’s shoulders, savoring the feeling of Sakura

 shivering against her hands. Kissing herself may have been strange,

 but seeing Sakura underneath it all pushed her further and further.

 Her tongue slowly brushed against Sakura’s as the two held each

 other, kneeling. There was something very magical about this whole

 thing, just seeing Sakura in her own body being enough to play with

 the strings of Tomoyo’s heart. It was so cute to see Sakura trying to

 get used to the longer hair, the different body. The heiress knew

 that with Sakura’s determination, she would get it down before too

 long. She may not make a perfect Tomoyo no matter how long she was

 stuck in that body, but that didn’t matter. She made a perfect Sakura

 even if she didn’t look like Sakura. Her toes curled up in the

 stockings as she felt Sakura’s tongue stroking back against hers and

 let herself sigh into the kiss. Yes, this was fantastic. 

 	“Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura got out after several moments of silence. The

 two sat together in the dark room, the starlight filtering in through

 the open window. Sakura’s arms were still around Tomoyo’s waist,

 curiously following the different feel of the muscles under the skin.

 Tomoyo’s hands were still on her shoulders, her delicate touch moving

 slowly down Sakura’s shoulders and to her back, brushing through the

 lavender hair as she went. Sakura inhaled deeply at the feeling. It

 always felt wonderful when Tomoyo would play with her hair, but this

 was even better. Her fingers running through the silky strands felt

 lovely. It was still strange to be gazing lovingly into emerald eyes

 instead of lavender ones, but she could feel the love in them

 directed at her with the same passion that she could always remember

 in Tomoyo’s eyes. “Isn’t this.. a little awkward?” she asked at last.

 She shook her head quickly, marveling at the way her long hair moved

 with her head. Maybe she should try long hair when she was in her own

 body again. Her mind tried to formulate what she wanted to say. Of

 course it was awkward, but so were some of the other things they had

 done before. Her face flushed in remembrance of some of the costumes

 Tomoyo had made for her that only the two of them ever saw. She

 hadn’t known Tomoyo could make something so cute out of leather.

 Shaking her head again, Sakura fought to remain focussed on the task

 at hand. She could tell that Tomoyo was delighting in her blush and

 that just made her blush deeper. “Isn’t this a little too strange? I

 love being so close to you, but you’re looking at yourself, not at me.”

 	Shaking her head, the brunette heiress dismissed the idea. So was

 that what Sakura was worried about? Oh, her poor Cardmistress.

 Tomoyo’s hand went to Sakura’s cheek, brushing it lightly with her

 fingertips. She smiled softly, watching the pale Cardmistress. “Of

 course not, Sakura-chan. I see my body, but I don’t see me. It’s not

 like looking into the mirror. I see Sakura-chan when I look at you.

 Not the brunette, athletic girl I’m in now, but Sakura-chan herself.

 I see your mannerisms in everything you do. I see you in how you move

 your hands.” Tomoyo trailed off for a second as she took one of

 Sakura’s hands and brought it to her mouth, kissing it. “I see it in

 your eyes.” She leaned forward, kissing Sakura’s eyelids. “I see it

 in your cute little smile.” Tomoyo’s lips brushed Sakura’s as she

 leaned forward, giving her a soft but sweet kiss. “I see my body, but

 I see Sakura-chan. It’s like you’re trussed up in a new costume for

 me. When you’re in the costumes, you look different every time. But

 you’re always the same genki girl that I love,” Tomoyo explained,

 keeping Sakura’s voice gentle as she spoke. She smiled at the

 Cardmistress, her hand going back to her cheek. Sakura was gorgeous,

 whoever she was. That’s why it had never bothered her once that she

 had fallen in love with a girl. That wasn’t important. She had fallen

 in love with Sakura, and little things like that didn’t matter in the

 least. If Sakura was a boy or a girl, in her body or another, she was

 the one that Tomoyo loved. 

 	Sakura could only blush, her hand resting on top of Tomoyo’s as she

 looked deeply into Tomoyo’s now emerald eyes. She could see it. Yes,

 it was Tomoyo, deep in those emerald eyes. She heard her own voice

 ringing in her ears, but those words were certainly Tomoyo’s. She

 always said the sweetest things. It didn’t feel like such a big deal

 anymore, even if it still felt a bit strange. Because it was still

 Tomoyo. Shifting towards Tomoyo, Sakura captured another kiss,

 holding onto Tomoyo in a passionate embrace. “Tomoyo-chan!” Sakura

 got out happily as the two fell back on the floor.

 

 	The gender disoriented Syaoran and Meiling quickly found themselves

 outside of the gates of the Daidouji estate under a large and lonely

 moon. It offered no comfort for the two cousins. Syaoran stared up at

 the sky, sighing. He was frustrated and very embarrassed about the

 situation, but he seemed to be taking it better than Meiling. The

 former black haired girl was still freaking out about the whole

 thing. He slowly got to his feet, trying to get accustomed to his now

 female body. It was still warm out, which he was glad for. He didn’t

 want to see how cold his legs would get in the little protection the

 skirt offered. Crossing his arms, he tried to think. ‘What do we tell

 Wei? Should we even try to tell him anything? And how am I supposed

 to tell Sakura about all this?’ His thoughts were quickly interrupted

 by Meiling gripping his arm tightly. He whirled around to see his own

 face looking back at him, but the amber eyes were wild and worried. 

 	“Syaoran, we have to get back in there!! We need to make Sakura

 change us back!” Meiling felt panicky. This wasn’t at all on her

 plans for the day. She loved Syaoran, but that didn’t mean she wanted

 to be him. She wanted her own body back. She wanted things to be back

 to normal. And this certainly wasn’t helping her opinion of Sakura.

 Not only was the girl trying to steal her boyfriend and fiance, but

 she had also gotten them all mixed up. She could see Syaoran hesitate

 at her urging. Balling up her fists, she leaned towards the former

 boy. “Syaoran!!” She’d drag him back there if she had to. She didn’t

 care how embarrassed he was about telling Sakura what happened, she

 was not going to be spending the night as a boy. 

 	Scowling, Syaoran shook his head. How could this happen to him? It

 was like everything had been against him since he had returned to

 Japan. And Meiling wasn’t exactly helping at the moment. He wasn’t

 too pleased with his new body either. “Crying isn’t going to help the

 situation. Besides, there isn’t anything we can do tonight. The

 Change Card’s magic takes a day to recharge.” He turned around as he

 let that sink in, starting to walk home. It was awkward in this body,

 but right now he just wanted some warm food and to try to ignore

 everything until the next day came.

 	Frozen to the spot, Meiling stared after Syaoran. Her heart seized

 up in her chest. “You mean we’re stuck this way?” she asked

 incredulously. He simply sighed and nodded. Clenching her hands

 tightly, she hurried off after her cousin. She didn’t like this at

 all. It was all Syaoran’s fault for coming to Tomoyo’s house in the

 first place. So why did she have to get punished for him? It wasn’t

 fair! She wanted to be holding on to Syaoran, not to be inside of

 him. “Syaoran! Wait for me!” she insisted, chasing after him. 

 

 	“I can’t stay...” the man said as he turned from the beautiful dark

 haired woman. He couldn’t look her in the eye. His feelings tried

 desperately to betray him but he held them back with all of his will.

 They both knew he had to leave, but his heart begged him to

 reconsider. After all they had been through, leaving felt like he was

 cutting out a piece of himself, the most important piece. But his

 duty lay elsewhere. He couldn’t back down on his word. No matter how

 much he wanted to. 

 	Hao Minh took several steps towards the brave, silent warrior. With

 his stoic appearance, his feelings were a mystery to her. What she

 did know was that it felt like she should have died back in the

 burning village, that being rescued once again by him wasn’t worth it

 if she couldn’t stay by his side. “I.. I could never love anyone

 else,” she got out quietly, stopping a few feet from the soldier. 

 	Closing his eyes, he knew he couldn’t face her. His heart and his

 honor fought to the death inside of him, conflicting emotions warring

 for control. All his life had been nothing but pain and death. He

 could remember nothing besides the cold, expansive depths. But she

 had pulled away the curtains and let in the light in his life,

 chasing away the darkness that latched onto his soul. The prospect of

 plunging once more into the darkness, lit only with swaths of

 crimson, it filled him with hopelessness. Her sobs broke his strength

 and he quickly turned to her. He held her close, her head on his

 chest. No words came to mind to express his sorrow or even to help

 ease her own, but that was all right. Because...

 

 	A knock at the door shook Wei from his writing, dragging him from

 the long ago time he had lost himself in. The caretaker of both

 Syaoran and Meiling Li hurried to the door, leaving his work behind

 him. He had been a faithful servant to Syaoran’s mother, Ieran, for

 many years now. He had known her when she had been but a child. So

 she had trusted him with her son’s care when the boy had been sent to

 Japan years earlier. Now that Syaoran had returned to Japan, Wei had

 come along with Meiling to keep an eye on the young man. Ieran had

 been angry about Syaoran’s disrespect for his engagement to Meiling,

 but Wei could also tell that she worried about her only son. So he

 had promised to take good care of the boy. But what with Meiling and

 Syaoran being older this time around, he had much more time on his

 hands. The two seemed to be fine on their own, and he often worried

 that he was getting in the way. So he had started writing a romance

 novel to while away the time. 

 	Reaching the door, Wei opened it and stood by politely. Sure

 enough, there were the two cousins waiting. “Miss Meiling, Master

 Syaoran, how are you? I trust that your day was pleasant?” he asked,

 bowing his head to the two as they entered. He waited for a response,

 but found that none seemed to be forthcoming. He watched the two

 teenagers looking around awkwardly. Frowning in confusion, he stepped

 forward. “Are you both all right?” They were both acting so

 strangely. He’d known them both from the time they had been born and

 neither seemed to be their normal selves. And Meiling was wearing a

 scowl that looked remarkably like Syaoran’s. It must have rubbed off

 on her. 

 	Syaoran whirled around quickly, the small tie on his uniform

 trailing to the side as he did. He smiled quickly and nodded. “We’re

 both fine, Wei. Today was great. Nothing big. Oh, I’m over that

 Sakura girl now. Maybe we can head back to Hong Kong soon. Like after

 tomorrow or something. Anyway, Meiling and I were going back to my...

 her room. Have a good night, Wei!” The chestnut haired boy waved

 energetically before turning and grabbing his cousin’s arm. 

 	Meiling stopped dead in her tracks, eyes narrowing as she scowled.

 Wei would have sworn that he’d seen that exact same look on Syaoran

 countless times before. He was impressed at how well Meiling pulled

 it off. She did spend most of her time with him, so it made sense

 that she would be able to know him well enough to copy his

 mannerisms. But Meiling wasn’t concerned with Wei’s line of thought

 at the moment. Her amber eyes were instead focused on her fiance.

 “Since when did I say I was going back to Hong Kong? And I never said

 anything about getting over Sakura-chan. I...” The girl trailed off

 as her thoughts returned to earlier that evening. Her shoulders

 slumped and her eyes closed as the image of Sakura with Tomoyo filled

 his mind. So that’s why the Cardmistress had been spending all of her

 time with the heiress lately. They were dating. Meiling had been

 right in the first place. Coming to Japan had been pointless. 

 	Nonplussed by the glare he had received from Meiling, Syaoran

 shrugged. It had been worth a shot, at any rate. Besides, maybe she

 could convince Wei to take them back to Hong Kong while she was

 Syaoran. Not until after they got changed back, of course. Smiling

 wickedly, the woman inhabiting Syaoran’s body smiled. His hand moved

 from Meiling’s arm down to her hand. “Besides, I want to hurry back

 so that I can marry my beloved Meiling. The sooner I can get back,

 the better.” Leaning forward, he kissed the defeated looking Meiling.

 The kiss broke through the black haired girl’s thoughts and brought a

 deep blush to her cheeks. It felt so strange to be kissing herself.

 He had to keep reminding himself that he was kissing Syaoran. But

 despite the awkwardness of the situation, it was surprisingly easy.

 Seeing the former boy blushing so brightly was a nice touch and it

 felt so nice to be able to kiss him again, even if he was a girl at

 the moment. That thought ended the kiss pretty quickly. Maybe this

 was a little more bizarre than she thought. “I just love her so

 much,” he added with a smile. “Sleep well, Wei! See you in the

 morning!” He knew that it wasn’t really Syaoran’s words, but it

 helped to at least hear them for once. Taking Meiling’s arm again, he

 hurried back towards the girl’s room that had previously been his own.

 	Watching in silence, Wei could barely contain his excitement. Ieran

 would certainly want to hear of this sudden development! He had to

 make plans to return to Hong Kong as soon as possible. 

 

 	Meiling sighed as she closed the door to her room behind the two of

 them. Being in Syaoran’s body was getting a little too confusing for

 her. But still... She smiled as a hand went to her lips. It had been

 Syaoran and Meiling kissing, even if it had been a little mixed up

 about who was who. It would’ve been nicer had Syaoran kissed her

 back, but it had been fun to make him blush like that. Sitting on her

 bed, Meiling tried to smooth down her skirt only to find Syaoran’s

 shorts instead. Her hands immediately went to her sides, her own

 blush burning across her cheeks. No, she didn’t like being in a boy’s

 body. She wanted to be in her own again soon. She had been a girl her

 entire life. She had always had such strong feelings for her cousin.

 Now she was trapped in the body of the boy she loved and it was just

 making everything so difficult. Her eyes slowly went over to Syaoran,

 who was still a little flushed from earlier. The former boy was

 having trouble with the skirt, but his mind was obviously elsewhere.

 She giggled a bit at his frustration and scooted over to help him.

 Her hands went to his waist. It felt strange to feel her body like

 that. At least her martial arts training kept her in good shape.

 “Okay, stand up.” Syaoran frowned but complied with her command. She

 pulled the skirt back down and sat Syaoran down again, smoothing it

 out over his legs. “There. See? It’s not so difficult. But you

 shouldn’t have to get too used to it. We should be ourselves

 tomorrow. Then we can put this nightmare behind us.” 

 	Simply nodding, Syaoran looked around Meiling’s room. It wasn’t

 that he hadn’t been there before, but he had been avoiding the room

 since they had kissed in it the night after Meiling had arrived from

 Hong Kong. He knew how she felt about him, but he was supposed to be

 there for Sakura, damn it, and not an obsessive cousin. So he had

 thought it best to try and ignore the room and the girl who slept in

 it as much as possible, at least until he was dating Sakura again.

 Meiling confused him. Even after all this time, she still loved him.

 Despite his pledge of love for Sakura and despite his ignoring most

 of her advances again and again. She was extremely determined, not

 giving up on him. It was something that he had found incredibly

 attractive in Sakura, that determination. And aside from Meiling

 sharing that trait with Sakura, he genuinely liked spending time with

 Meiling. She was probably the only person that he could relax around.

 She made him feel good, like everything was fine. Meiling had been

 his best friend since they had been children, and she still held up

 that position even as she fell in love with him. She was closer to

 him than anyone else could be. And it was for all of those reasons

 that he had tried to stay away from her. Too often, he had felt a

 warm feeling wrapping around his heart, his heart beating faster as

 they were together. Too often, he had found himself nearly lost to

 his beautiful cousin. And he simply couldn’t allow that of himself.

 Not when he was going to make the Cardmistress his bride. Not that

 that seemed like a possibility at all at the moment. But she was the

 one he loved? Right? But he didn’t feel the same conviction he had

 held for the past few years. It felt weaker, empty. How well had he

 ever known Sakura? Why had his feelings for Yukito transferred so

 quickly to her instead? Would he have even liked her had it not been

 for her power, her determination? No, he loved her. It was simple.

 He’d prove that he was the one for the Cardmistress, not that

 backstabbing Diadouji girl. She had been the one who had nursed his

 feelings for Sakura in the first place, had told him to tell her how

 he felt. But now she was the one with Sakura. How could such a weak,

 pathetic girl ever be enough for the powerful and determined Sakura?

 It was just mind boggling. 

 	Watching Syaoran closely, Meiling reached out and pushed back one

 of his new black pigtails behind his shoulder. It was her body, but

 it was so obvious that he was inside of it. That quiet, almost

 irritated look that he always gave shined through even in another

 body. But she knew what was behind all of his machismo, all of his

 manliness. He was shy and uncertain. He always had been, for as long

 as Meiling could remember him. He had never been very good at

 expressing his feelings. They baffled him and he tried to keep them

 all hidden, even from himself. Growing up in a house filled with

 girls and faced with his mother’s high expectations of him, Syaoran

 had overcompensated in his attitude, trying to be as manly as

 possible to make up for the fact that he had no men to look up to, to

 make up for his own shyness and insecurities. That was part of why

 Meiling thought that he had gotten a crush on Yukito, because he was

 a boy that he could really look up to, a boy that was sweet and kind

 and didn’t need to worry about how manly he was. But Syaoran wanted

 to be as masculine as possible, to prove that he was one in a house

 full of women. That he was not one of them. Most of the time, it just

 made him look like a jerk. At least at first glance. But Meiling

 could see under that at the boy underneath it all. And there was

 something almost feminine about him. Which made sense in its way,

 what with him being the only boy in the entire family. It was fine

 with her if Syaoran wanted to hide behind this tough boy image he had

 made up for himself. But sometimes Meiling wondered if that stood in

 her way. Was he so desperate to be strong on his own that he kept

 pushing her away? That he couldn’t let her be strong for him? She

 wasn’t sure, but it had begun to gnaw at her lately. It wasn’t so

 much that he didn’t need her, but that he didn’t want to need her. At

 least, she thought that it might be part of why she was having so

 much trouble getting him to return her feelings. 

 	“Why did you say all of those things to Wei?” Syaoran finally

 asked, a trace of anger in his/Meiling’s voice as he spoke. He had

 been lost in thought, but now he found himself once again facing the

 present. Looking into Meiling’s large mirror, he could see a

 beautiful black haired girl looking back at him. That wasn’t at all

 what he was supposed to see. The feminine image looking back at him

 just served to frustrate him even further. He felt so powerless, so

 trapped by this whole scenario. He couldn’t do a thing until the

 coming day to change back to who he was. “You had no right to say any

 of that. Just because you’re in my body doesn’t mean you can go

 around saying things like that. It’s my choice if I’m going to go

 after Sakura-chan or not. I’m going to decide when I go back to Hong

 Kong.”

 	Lowering her head, Meiling closed her eyes. Hearing Syaoran yelling

 at her, even in her own body, cut her deeply. She hadn’t meant to

 make him angry, only to use her time as Syaoran as best as she could.

 But her moved changed swiftly. Her hands clenched as his words played

 through her head over and over. Her heart suddenly dropped. “So it’s

 all right for you to run off here to chase some other woman while I

 spend my whole life waiting for you? How long do I have to wait,

 Syaoran? If you’re going to end the engagement, just do it already!

 I’m tired of waiting for you, of being the door prize in case things

 don’t work out with Sakura. I want you to love me, but if you can’t

 then you need to tell me that. I won’t always be there for you to

 fall back on, Syaoran.” Her head came up as she looked him in the

 eye. Tears ran down her cheeks, but her amber eyes burned furiously.

 “I’ll always be there to pick up the pieces when you fall, but I

 won’t stand for second best. You know I never could.” She scoffed,

 crossing her arms. “Besides, if you want Sakura so much, now’s the

 time to do it. Dark haired girls are her thing, after all.” Crying

 herself to sleep on her pillow sounded like a great idea at the

 moment, but she was still too pissed off to let Syaoran get away that

 easily. She felt sick inside, crushed by his inability to return the

 feelings that she held for him, by his longing for another woman when

 she was his fiance. “If you don’t want it, I won’t force you. I’m not

 going to trap myself in some loveless marriage the way my mother did.

 I’ll go home to Hong Kong myself and I’ll tell Ieran-sama that the

 engagement’s off, that I’ve given up my claims on you. Just tell me.

 I can get Wei to send me back on the next flight.” The fact that she

 was still in Syaoran’s body didn’t register to her, or that Syaoran

 was sitting across from her as a girl. None of that seemed to matter.

 She was simply staring into Syaoran’s eyes, looking one last time for

 something she had searched a lifetime for. Sometimes there had been

 peeks, little flashes of what might have been, but she could never be

 sure. This was all or nothing. If it wasn’t there this time, then she

 was through. “I won’t love anyone else. I couldn’t,” she whispered.

 “But I’m not your property, Syaoran.”

 	“Mei... Ling...” Syaoran watched Meiling in surprise. He had always

 thought that Meiling would simply be there, waiting, for all time if

 need be. But how could he ever ask that of her? How could she sit by

 while he continued to hurt her by trying to win the love of another?

 And he had been hurting her more and more lately. He had always been

 so careful about not hurting her. He had never simply thrown off her

 advances or told her outright to stop them. He had tried his hardest

 to never hurt her that way. She was too important to him. The thought

 of her in pain because of him was unbearable. But here he was hurting

 her all the same. They had grown closer in their time back in Hong

 Kong, but ever since he had returned to Japan, he had tried to

 distance himself from her as he focused on Sakura. So he had to be

 man enough to accept this. That thought seemed a little strange as he

 glanced back at the mirror, at the female body that currently housed

 him. But that didn’t seem important. None of this seemed important

 any longer. Finding out Sakura was with the heiress, or that he and

 Meiling had switched bodies, none of it seemed all that tragic at the

 moment. The tragic thought was that he might lose Meiling because of

 this. And that frightened him. He couldn’t remember a time when she

 hadn’t been there for him. He had always been too proud to go to her

 with his problems, but she usually came to him and helped him through

 them anyway. It was so much more than just that. She had stood up for

 him in front of his mother before, something even he found almost

 impossible to do. She had given him the strength to face so much. She

 loved him even though he never returned the warmth she gave him. And

 now he had to decide. Would he pull her closer or set her free? Would

 he tug the string that bound her to him, or cut it loose? He looked

 down at his skirt clad lap indecisively. He wasn’t good with things

 like this. It had taken Tomoyo quite a while just to convince him to

 tell Sakura how he felt. How was he supposed to handle a situation

 like this? “Meiling,” he said at last, slowly looking up into her

 tear soaked eyes. He looked directly into the face that had been his

 own up till a few hours before. “I can’t let you go. I don’t want you

 to stop being my fiance. It would be.. harder without you. I... I...”

 He wanted to look away, to trail off, but he forced himself to try

 again. His fingers clutched onto the fabric of the skirt as amber

 eyes met amber eyes. “I.. I need you, Meiling,” he got out at last.

 Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. It had been one of the

 hardest things he had ever said, but he suddenly felt like a weight

 had been lifted off of his shoulders. It felt nice to finally admit

 that to himself and to Meiling.

 	The currently brown haired boy looked on in astonishment. Had

 Syaoran actually said that he needed her? That he wanted to stay her

 fiance? “You really mean it?” she asked quickly, her hands on her

 knees. He nodded, dark hair fluttering about his back. A giddy thrill

 shot through Meiling, her heart swelling with joy. She had waited so

 long to hear that, to hear him finally accept her. So often in recent

 years, she had wondered if he ever would, if she would ever be able

 to marry the boy she loved. Her arms wrapped around him joyously as

 she clutched on tightly to her betrothed. It didn’t matter if he was

 a girl at the moment or if she was currently a boy. It didn’t matter

 if she was looking into her own eyes as long as Syaoran was on the

 other side of them. Such things were of little importance to her. She

 was in love, and that blinding light made everything else seem

 insignificant. Tears spilt down her cheeks as she felt his arms go

 around her neck. She had been on the razor’s edge just a moment

 before, torn apart at the thought of leaving her cousin behind.

 Relief flooded through her in a torrent, mixed with the delicious

 love that poured over her heart and soul. Hesitating for only a

 second, Meiling kissed Syaoran again, but this time without the

 concerns that had brought her earlier kiss to an early conclusion. A

 moment like this wouldn’t feel right without a kiss. It signified so

 much in that sweet meeting of lips. Meiling was delighted to feel

 Syaoran return the kiss this time. Though she wasn’t exactly

 narcissistic, Meiling had plenty of confidence in herself. And one of

 the things she was fairly certain of was that she was a pretty young

 woman. Seeing Syaoran in her body just strengthened that belief

 because she sure thought Syaoran looked pretty in it. She didn’t know

 if it was from the euphoria of the moment or if it was just a simple

 as being in love, but it really didn’t matter that Syaoran was a girl

 at the moment. 

 	Syaoran blushed as he tried to catch his breath from the kiss with

 Meiling. It felt so nice not to have to worry about how manly he

 seemed or whether or not he was in charge of things. It was such a

 relief to leave it in Meiling’s very capable hands. And what hands

 they were. Syaoran blushed a darker shade of red as Meiling’s hands

 trailed up and down his back, holding him close. Meiling was always

 so sure of what she wanted, so determined and ready to go for it. For

 once in his life, he didn’t feel wrong for just wanting her to lead

 him wherever she wanted to. He felt so free, to just give up and let

 it happen, to know that Meiling would handle things. Part of him

 almost didn’t want to go see Sakura to switch bodies the next day. He

 thought that he had to act certain ways as a boy, that he had to hide

 his own insecurities and shyness behind a picture of confidence and

 bravado. As a girl, he could finally let go of them. His mind drifted

 back to his sisters and how happy and carefree they always seemed. As

 a girl, he didn’t have to live up to his mother’s high demands of

 him. He didn’t have the entire weight of the Li Clan resting solely

 on his shoulders. His mother had always treated him so harshly in

 comparison to his sisters. It almost felt a shame that he would have

 to go back to all that when he regained his own body. Besides,

 Meiling was already so confident, so self-assured. He envied that in

 her, but it was also something that he loved about her. Loved? Had he

 just thought that? Well, yes... Yes, he did love her. This

 beautiful... err… handsome boy that was currently holding him,

 kissing him again and again. He had to admit, Meiling did make a nice

 boy. And he felt so peaceful in Meiling’s arms. It felt like he was

 floating along in a crystal stream, flowing deeper and deeper.

 	“I love you, Syaoran,” Meiling whispered breathlessly as her lips

 finally parted from her cousin's. This felt like a dream, a

 hopelessly wonderful yet admittedly bizarre dream. She just prayed

 that she would never have to awaken from it. It didn’t matter who

 Syaoran was so long as he was Syaoran and as long as he was hers. Her

 heart burned passionately for her more introverted fiance, driving

 her ever forward. Her hands gently followed her old body’s curves,

 moving over every inch of Syaoran that she could. It felt so

 different now. It wasn’t like when she would bathe or dress or

 anything. No, then it was just her body, nothing special. Now it was

 Syaoran, and that made all the difference in the world. She blushed

 as Syaoran let out a gasp, finding her hand on his now more ample

 chest. Looking over at him, she saw that his eyes were closed, his

 face red. She should stop. Who knew where this could go? She had been

 wanting to be with Syaoran for so long that it was almost

 irresistible to continue. Besides, they were in each other’s bodies

 at the moment. She’d stop before she got too far with anything. It

 wasn’t like she wanted to do anything to her own body. She just...

 wanted to be close to him for as long as she could.

 	

 	Wei could see the two cousins kissing in Meiling’s room through the

 slightly ajar door and couldn’t help but grin. Ieran had made an

 excellent choice in engaging the two. They really made a perfect

 match. He had been hoping that they would eventually work out, for

 both of their sakes. “They seem to be... They’re both asleep at the

 moment, Miss Ieran. But I’m sure they’ll love to speak with you as

 soon as they can. I have the tickets, so that will be very soon.”

 Smiling, the older man shut the door the rest of the way and returned

 to his conversation with the head of the House of Li. He remembered

 when he had been that young, so he didn’t wish to disturb the two of

 them. It looked like Master Syaoran was feeling a bit adventurous.

 They would have such beautiful children. He hoped he could be around

 to help that generation as well. A lifetime of service to the Li

 family had endeared him to them very much. He was glad to see it

 continuing on.

 

 	“Master Syaoran, Miss Meiling, it’s time to wake up,” Wei called

 from somewhere that sounded extremely far off to the still sleepy

 Meiling.

 	Shifting in bed, Meiling was surprised to find one of her arms

 pinned under something warm. A flush spread across her cheeks as she

 felt the soft skin against her arm. ‘Syaoran!!’ she thought

 excitedly. ‘So he must have stayed with me last night.’ She rolled

 back on her side and hugged the sleeping form of her fiance with all

 of her might. “Syaoran,” she sang into his ear. “Time to wake up. We

 have school.” Kissing the side of his head, she felt his hair brush

 against her face. “You need a haircut soon,” she said, yawning. Her

 hand finally paused on Syaoran’s stomach. Something was wrong. Having

 grappled onto Syaoran more than a thousand times in her lifetime, she

 knew what it felt like to hold onto him. She was more or less an

 expert on the subject. And this felt.. different. “Syaoran?” Sitting

 up in bed, the blanket slid down past her, leaving her sitting naked

 in the cold air and Syaoran only half covered by it. Next to her, she

 saw herself, lying with the blanket around her waist and her black

 hair in disarray. Looking down slowly, she saw Syaoran’s body, along

 with something she hadn’t seen very often currently between her legs.

 “Syaoran!!!!” She cried out, standing up on the bed. Her eyes were

 wide with panic. She was still Syaoran. Which meant that Syaoran was

 still her. Well, in her body, at any rate. Which meant that.. What

 had happened last night? They had been kissing and holding each other

 and they had slumped back on the bed together and... She nearly

 toppled off the bed as the realization struck her. She had slept with

 Syaoran the night before. That would have been a cause for

 celebration under most other circumstances seeing as how she had

 wanted to be with him for the longest time. But slowly, the night

 began returning to her and it wasn’t exactly what she had fantasized

 about. Not that it hadn’t been intense. But the fact that she had

 slept with Syaoran as a girl suddenly had her disoriented. It was

 only made worse by the fact that she had been a boy at the time. What

 had she been thinking? ‘Those eyes,’ she thought dreamily. She shook

 her head instantly, trying to banish the thought. How could she have

 let that happen? Let alone, how could she have actually been the one

 to bring it about? Why the hell would she want to sleep with her own

 body? Why would she want to have sex as a boy? Those eyes once again

 came back as her answer. Because it had been Syaoran. Because she had

 seen it in them. Because she wanted nothing more than to be with him,

 even if he wasn’t a he at the moment. Slumping back on the bed,

 Meiling stared at the roof. This was going to take a while to get

 over. 

 	Stirring in bed, Syaoran slowly blinked himself awake. Seconds

 later, a scream shook the household.

 

 	A playful morning breeze meandered through the still sleepy

 students as they all made their way towards their inevitable

 destination as if by drawn by the hand of Fate. The warm wind worked

 its gentle fingers on the tired students, easing the anxiety over the

 school day laid out before them. Most of the teenagers lazily made

 their way to the vast complex that would house their young minds for

 the majority of the day, stopping to wave hello to fellow students or

 to stop and chat with friends in an attempt to stall the awaiting

 judgement. But two students stood out from the crowd, not at all

 sedated by the early morning breeze and the still low lying sun.

 Syaoran and Meiling Li hurried through the crowd with single-minded

 intent. Meiling’s hair lay draped across her shoulders, her usual

 pigtails abandoned, but no one thought it wise to ask the admittedly

 short tempered Chinese girl about it. 

 	“Where is she?” Meiling asked anxiously, scouring the crowd for the

 Cardmistress but to no avail. After that morning’s little ‘surprise’,

 she was in no mood for games. She just wanted to end the whole thing.

 She wanted her own body back. She was supposed to be on the other end

 of things the night before, not the other way around. A slight blush

 crossed Meiling’s cheeks as she tried to force back the thoughts from

 the night before. Her almond eyes darted back to Syaoran despite

 their current mission. Seeing the boy she had longed to marry for

 most of her life in her body was a very strange sight indeed. He

 looked so awkward in the skirt, shifting around uneasily in it and

 holding it down tightly whenever any breeze would threaten to ruffle

 it. But there was something cute about that, seeing him as herself,

 long hair, skirt, and all. He looked so much more vulnerable in her

 body, something that the Chinese boy always tried desperately to hide

 beneath a rough and uncaring exterior. He had grown up with the

 expectations that he was supposed to be a man in a family full of

 women. And he didn’t know how. So he tried far too hard,

 overcompensating in an attempt to prove his worth. Sometimes amusing,

 sometimes frustrating, Meiling always stayed by his side. It wasn’t

 his exterior she was interested in. He could be as quiet or as

 haughty as he wanted. It was the shy, emotionally troubled boy inside

 that had always captivated Meiling. And it showed through exquisitely

 while he was trapped in her body. Just as it had shown through the

 night before. Sighing, Meiling tried to force the blush away from her

 cheeks. But just like her search for Sakura, it proved to be

 fruitless. 

 	Syaoran, meanwhile, was wondering how in the world he was supposed

 to keep his skirt down with the wind mischievously tugging at it

 every few seconds. What used to be a mild interest now turned

 irritating. Short skirts were definitely more fun to look at on

 others than to wear himself, he decided. He was still desperately

 searching for the Cardmistress, hoping that Sakura could put

 everything right again. And then he could try to forget all about the

 night before. He scowled as images and sounds flooded back from

 memory of his time with his fiance. Meiling’s hands all over his

 body, her lips gently caressing his own, her murmurs and whispers of

 love as they writhed together on her bed. The electrical feelings

 that tingled through him as Meiling’s body reacted in ways that his

 never could. Balling his hands into fists, he tried to fight back his

 embarrassment the way he always did, with anger. This was all

 Daidouji’s fault. Somehow. If she hadn’t lured Sakura back to her

 place... But then, if he hadn’t follwed them... Damn it, he didn’t

 care whose fault it was. He just wanted to get things back to normal.

 He certainly wasn’t supposed to be fooling around with himself like

 the night before. Even if it was Meiling. And even if thoughts of

 those sweet kisses threatened to send a shiver down his spine.

 Blushing and scowling in unison, Syaoran threw himself into finding

 Sakura.

 	The two cousins finally spotted Sakura under a tree near the gates

 to the school. The brunette was joined by her lavender haired

 companion as usual. But oddly enough, Tomoyo looked to be the

 embarrassed one this time around. Sakura was smiling brightly, her

 hands on her cheeks as she spoke to the blushing pale girl. Meiling

 was the first to react, practically dragging Syaoran over to the two

 girls. She didn’t care if they were both acting flaky that morning or

 what they were up to. She wanted things set back to normal before

 anything else happened. There were already enough problems she had to

 handle with only the night before. If this went on any longer, who

 know what might happen? Noticing Syaoran’s typical scowl crossing his

 face as he waited, she realized that her quiet cousin wasn’t sure of

 how to proceed. With a sigh, Meiling decided to handle things

 herself. Stepping forward, she crossed her arms. “Sakura, we need to

 talk.”

 	Turning to face the Chinese Sorcerer and his martial artist cousin,

 the brunette smiled Tomoyo’s patented eerie smile. “Hello, Li-kun,

 Meiling-chan. Is there anything I can do for the both of you?” she

 asked politely, looking from one to the other. It didn’t surprise her

 to hear Syaoran asking to speak to her so seriously. She’d been

 waiting for him to ask Sakura about what was going on. Sakura was

 obviously his reason for returning to Japan. Sakura treated him like

 one of her friends, kindly and happily just like Sakura always did.

 But this surprised the sorcerer who had been expecting something more

 from the Cardmistress. Tomoyo had actually expected him to ask Sakura

 earlier, but she supposed that with how long it took for him to

 confess his feelings for Sakura, it must take a while to ask about

 Sakura’s feelings. But now it appeared he was ready to ask her, and

 sense she was in Sakura’s body, she was the one he had come to. But

 as she waited for his response, she began to reevaluate the

 situation. Why would Syaoran come to ask about the brunette’s

 feelings with Meiling in tow? That would just be cruel to Meiling and

 with her temper, she wouldn’t be very happy to hear her fiance asking

 about Sakura’s love life. On top of that, Meiling appeared to be

 acting strangely. She was scowling very familiarly, letting Syaoran

 do the talking. She was oddly quiet, wrapped up in her thoughts. Just

 like someone else. Tomoyo brought her hand to her chin thoughtfully,

 never once losing her smile. 

 	Meiling frowned for a moment, at a loss for words. This seemed a

 lot easier when she’d been running around the house in a panic,

 getting an odd stare from Wei when she walked out of her room wearing

 the girl’s uniform. Things had been very straightforward. They would

 find Sakura and make her change them back. But how was she supposed

 to say that? She suddenly felt very self-conscious, shifting around

 under the boy’s uniform. She was a girl trapped in a boy’s body and

 she somehow had to explain that. This wasn’t at all like when Syaoran

 had been trapped in Kero’s body. At least that whole event had been

 mostly painless. This time she was directly involved. “Sakura, we’ve

 got a problem. Last night...” She glared over at Syaoran. She’d bop

 him right now if she wasn’t so nervous. If he hadn’t gone after that

 Japanese hussy, she’d be in her own body at the moment, clinging to

 her cousin’s arm lovingly. Just like how Sakura was leaning happily

 against Tomoyo at the moment, a contented look on her face as she

 held her chin in thought. Meiling placed her hands on her hips,

 frowning as she tried to describe what had happened. “You need to fix

 things,” she got out at last, frustrated with how difficult this was

 turning out.

 	Syaoran sighed. This wasn’t turning out as well as he’d planned.

 Then again, he hadn’t had much time to plan anything. Upon waking up,

 he had found himself in a very awkward position with memories of the

 night before returned shortly thereafter. The whole morning felt more

 like a haze than reality. He couldn’t even remember walking to

 school, having been too lost in his thoughts. The night before

 blurred together with images and thoughts and feelings, all

 compounding together until the poor boy was thoroughly confused. His

 feelings for Meiling burned inside of him in a way that they never

 had with Sakura. She didn’t have Sakura’s limitless magic, something

 that demanded his attention, but Meiling had a magic all her own, a

 will that managed to grab his attention whether or not he wanted to

 give it. He had grown much closer to his fiery cousin in the past few

 years during his time back in Hong Kong, her unswerving loyalty and

 beautiful presence always keeping him company through even the

 roughest waters. And what did he give her in return? Nothing. He had

 always assumed that he would return to Japan and claim Sakura, even

 as he and Meiling would talk in the garden under the stars back home.

 Though he didn’t say it, he was grateful for her presence. She was

 truly his best friend, the only person to really know him for who he

 was and not for the masculine façade he tried to hold up. Life would

 be too lonely without her. Even if she was rather forceful in staying

 with him no matter how quiet and aloof he generally was. He had had

 some rather doki doki, romantic moments with Meiling over the past

 few years, but they were always left unfinished as the Chinese boy

 found one way or another to get away. How many half kisses, embraces,

 and deep looks had they shared since his return to Hong Kong? The

 night before just felt like a natural conclusion to things, a long

 drawn out consummation of the unspoken feelings between the two.

 Syaoran had actually felt relieved when it was all done, glad to have

 finally broken the barrier that had held back his heart for so long.

 The small, unfinished moments they had shared beforehand had been

 teasing him for what felt like an eternity. It was so nice to finally

 have it behind him, to have it out in the open. Being a girl at the

 time gave the whole thing a freakish spin that threatened to twist

 the whole thing out of perception, but he was slowly coming to grips

 with it. Just like how the night before felt like a forgone

 conclusion, so did his being a girl during it. In fact, Meiling being

 a boy at the time had made it easier for him. He hadn’t been so

 worried, so overwhelmed by what he should by doing or how he was

 supposed to act. He hadn’t felt so pressured to be the cold, aloof

 man he thought he was expected to be. He had just gone along with her

 wishes. Meiling always was so much better at deciding things than he

 was anyway. The thought of the night before and Meiling herself was

 like warm, delicious honey coating his heart, no matter how hard he

 tried to deny it to himself. Meiling loved him in a way Sakura and

 Yukito never could, bringing out feelings in him that neither of his

 previous crushes had elicited. 

 Sighing again, he scowled and crossed his arms over his now more

 ample chest. At least he was getting used to the girl’s clothes. He

 hadn’t worn girl’s clothes since he was a kid, back when his crazy

 older sisters had dressed him up often in their old clothes. They had

 all loved it, treating him like their little doll. He had complained,

 but he secretly loved how they would call him their little sister,

 giving him a taste of the love and care that had been denied him as

 the male heir to the Li Clan. He had been raised with the explicit

 purpose of becoming head of the Li Clan, groomed for that position.

 All the while, his sisters had been granted all the love and

 attention that his sometimes distant mother could afford them. They

 all looked so happy while he was always scowling. It hadn’t seemed

 fair at all. Sometimes he had envied his sisters, wishing his mother

 would treat him as she did his siblings. But he had grown angry and

 introverted, his feelings all looping back into himself. He had tried

 to be exactly what his mother wanted him to be, a strong man. But

 sometimes all he wanted was for her to look at him the way she looked

 at his sisters...

 	Tomoyo brushed away some of the brunette hair from her face,

 studying the two cousins with her now jade eyes. Having a penchant

 for trying new hairstyles, she didn’t let being in Sakura’s body stop

 her. The short auburn hair was done up in two short pigtails, little

 lacy ribbons interspersed all through her hair. She had done Sakura’s

 now long, dark hair on the way to school in the limousine as well,

 giving her longer pigtails so they would match. It was still a bit

 different for her to be in her love’s body, but she was enjoying

 every single second of it, thrilling at the smallest details like

 watching the muscles under soft skin as she moved Sakura’s legs. It

 was so incredibly different to watch Sakura from outside. Now she saw

 Sakura the same way that the Cardmistress saw herself and it was a

 fascinating experience. And seeing Sakura trying to get used to her

 old body was just so incredibly adorable! The way she moved, the way

 she talked, it was all so cute. Tomoyo’s body wasn’t as athletic as

 Sakura’s, but the Cardmistress continued to move with an almost

 blinding amount of energy, always letting her genki spirit shine

 through. Hearing Sakura use her voice and watching Sakura moving

 around so enthusiastically was better than seeing Sakura in any

 simple costume. It was like she had put Sakura in a Tomoyo costume

 and let her run free. Tomoyo was still trying to videotape as much of

 Sakura as possible, wanting to capture it all for posterity and her

 own viewing pleasure later on. 

 	Thoughts flowed serenely in Tomoyo’s head as she listened to

 Syaoran, watching the two cousins as she rested against Sakura. The

 answer to the puzzle she found herself looking at was just on the tip

 of her tongue, the picture almost making sense for her. Something

 finally clicked into place while she saw Meiling’s long hair flutter

 in the wind. Smiling sweetly, she turned to the Chinese boy, his

 hands still on his hips. “What can I do to help, Meiling-chan?” she

 asked the boy curiously, though she had a fair idea what that would

 be. The boy’s eyes went wide and then closed in relief. Tomoyo felt

 Sakura shift against her, long lavender hair teasing her face when

 the Cardmistress moved.

 	Breathing a sigh of relief, Meiling’s eyes fluttered open. This

 whole thing would be over soon enough and she could forget all about

 it. But did she want to? She had given her love to Syaoran and for

 once her fiance had accepted it. Well, that hardly mattered. First

 things first, after all. She grinned from ear to ear at Sakura’s

 words. Things would be back to normal soon. “We need you to change us

 back. Now.”

 	Sakura looked from Meiling to Syaoran and back, dark hair obscuring

 her vision for a moment before she moved a pigtail to the side. What

 had just transpired? Did Tomoyo really say that Syaoran was Meiling?

 Then that meant... “Syaoran-kun?” Sakura asked, turning to the dark

 haired girl. Syaoran looked miserable, but he nodded. “Hoe...” The

 Cardmistress nearly felt dizzy. As if things weren’t usually

 confusion enough, now everyone appeared to be someone that they

 weren’t. What next? Chiharu telling all kinds of crazy stories while

 Yamazaki got frustrated and said she was lying? Syaoran being Meiling

 was certainly a little more bizarre than when the boy had switched

 places with Kero. How was he handling being a girl? Sakura was

 curious to ask, but now didn’t feel like the appropriate time. She

 followed Meiling’s gaze to Tomoyo. So they still thought that Tomoyo

 was her. “Ano... I’m Sakura-chan,” she said hastily, sweatdropping.

 She felt both of the Li’s eyes turning to her and immediately

 regretted saying anything. She probably should have waited for a

 better opportunity to explain things. Oh well. Too late for that now.

 	“Sakura-chan?” Syaoran asked in confusion. So that’s what had

 happened with the Change Card... Sakura must have been using it on

 herself and Tomoyo. His shoulders slumped as his mind went back to

 what he had seen in Tomoyo’s window. He felt a flash of anger at

 that, but he tried to focus on the important part of the situation,

 getting the whole thing sorted out. “So you got switched with

 Daidouji-san, Sakura-chan? How did that happen?” He nearly bit out

 the last part, anger building up at Sakura’s choice in Tomoyo over

 him. That, however, was short lived. As soon as it was out of his

 mouth, Meiling’s elbow connected with his ribs none too gently, her

 currently brown eyes shooting him a glance. Scowling again, he

 crossed his arms and waited.

 	Pale cheeks turned a dark shade of scarlet as Sakura struggled for

 a reply. She could remember the events that had led up to her

 switching places with Tomoyo in crystal clarity, but she didn’t

 exactly want to share the explanation. She could remember Tomoyo and

 stockings and video cameras and lace and kisses and warm skin and...

 No, she definitely didn’t think an exact recollection of the night’s

 events was called for. Luckily, Tomoyo came to her rescue, not

 seeming at all fazed by the mention of the night before.

 	“Sakura-chan was staying at my house last night because her

 father’s out of town at a conference,” Tomoyo stated with a smile.

 Her gentle voice didn’t betray her as her thoughts replayed her time

 with Sakura in vivid detail. “We finished our homework early and

 decided to play a game. I thought it would be fun to trade places

 with Sakura-chan for a while, so she used her magic,” the heiress

 explained, head tilted to the side. She wasn’t technically lying.

 What she said was all true. It just lacked some of the meatier

 details that led up to their switching places. “The Change Card

 switched us and then hopped out the window for a moment.” Tomoyo

 turned to Sakura and smiled brilliantly, holding onto a blushing

 Sakura. “Isn’t Sakura-chan gorgeous even when she’s in another body?

 Sakura-chan can pull off any look!” Noting the even more embarrassed

 look on Sakura’s face, Tomoyo smiled happily, though she didn’t

 release Sakura from her embrace. “How did the Change get a hold of

 the two of you?” she asked curiously. She already had a pretty good

 idea of what on her own. Syaoran must have followed them, Meiling

 giving chase. Syaoran must have been somewhere very near the house

 when the Change jumped out the window because it had come back to

 Sakura rather quickly. 

 	Meiling stepped forward and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. We

 just need to fix this right now. I don’t care if you two want to run

 around like this, but Syaoran and I would kindly like to have our own

 bodies back. I just want this whole nightmare to be over with.” That

 wasn’t exactly true, as Meiling couldn’t honestly say it was a

 nightmare. But nevertheless, she longed to return to her own body. 

 	Looking down nervously, Sakura placed a hand behind her and

 laughed. It was a nervous laugh, but she hoped they wouldn’t catch

 on. From the looks on their faces, it appeared that they had. “Hoe...

 I can’t,” she mumbled. 

 	“What?” Syaoran asked. He tried to catch Sakura’s now stormy blue

 eyes, but Tomoyo was obviously distracting her, keeping her

 attention. His heart seemed to be pounding in slow motion, panic

 struggling within his brain. But it wasn’t time for that yet. He had

 to know what was going on. Maybe he had misunderstood. “What do you

 mean?”

 	“I can’t change everyone back yet,” Sakura began, taking a deep

 breath before looking up. She smiled weakly, her hand still behind

 her head. She scratched through her long, lavender hair as she tried

 to go on. “The Change Card needs a day to recharge when I use it. It

 takes a lot for it to switch the souls of two people.”

 	“But it’s already been a day. Almost,” Syaoran added quickly,

 waiting for Sakura to continue.

 	“Un. But that’s when it’s only changing two people. This time, it

 switched all four of us. And I was using a lot of magic at the time

 because I was… excited about the whole thing.” Her cheeks burned as

 she fought for words. She had been in a very excited state of mind at

 the time she had used the Card, so her magic had come pouring forth

 in vast quantities. “So it’s going to take longer for it to

 recharge,” she finished quietly. 

 	“What?!?” Meiling’s eyes went wide as she stared at the pale girl

 that was now the Cardmistress. Her hopes for a speedy resolution to

 the situation were now dashed beyond recognition. “You mean we’re

 stuck this way? For how long?”

 	The world spun around Syaoran as he replayed Sakura’s words. The

 logic was sound. Even if logic could be a funny thing when applied to

 magic. This was much, much worse than getting stuck in the body of

 the Seal Beast. He was stuck in the body of the girl who loved him,

 his own cousin, and he somehow had to deal with it for however long

 it took the Card to recharge. Did Fate think he hadn’t been

 humiliated enough by finding out that some weak girl was the

 Cardcaptor, that she held the limitless power of his great ancestor?

 Was his role as her sidekick simply not enough of a slap in the face

 to the heir to the Li Clan? 

 	Sakura smiled, trying to put a brighter slant on the situation.

 This just meant they’d all have to spend a little time in different

 bodies. And besides, she was getting used to Tomoyo’s body. It was so

 much prettier than her own, a gorgeous look that always left her

 breathless when she was in Tomoyo’s presence. A few more days as

 Tomoyo didn’t feel like such a bad thing. Then again, Syaoran and

 Meiling didn’t seem to be as happy about the situation. She and

 Tomoyo had been exploring what it was like to be in the others body,

 almost treating it like a game. How were Syaoran and Meiling handling

 it? Her smile faltered a bit as she spoke up. “The Change Card

 probably needs another day or two to recharge before I can use it

 again. Maybe a little longer. I did use a lot of magic with it.”

 Syaoran and Meiling both looked devastated by the news, shock

 registering on Syaoran’s face while mute horror etched itself onto

 Meiling. Sakura sighed, brushing more lavender hair from her eyes.

 Sometimes being a magical girl was not what it was cracked up to be.

 	“So what do we do in the meantime? Are we just stuck this way? I

 don’t want to be a boy!!” Meiling slumped to her knees on the grass

 miserably. Students stared oddly for her comment, but she wasn’t

 paying them any attention. 

 	“We just have to wait for the Change Card to recharge. It’s not

 like we’re stuck this way. Besides, there’s no other option, so we

 have to wait,” Syaoran explained, crossing his arms. To his surprise,

 he felt cool relief spread through him. The thought that they

 wouldn’t be changing back right away was a soothing one. Like finding

 out a dentist appointment was cancelled or postponed, he was glad to

 know they wouldn’t be going through with it. He couldn’t quite

 understand it, but he didn’t want to be in his own body again, at

 least for the moment. Playing dress up with his sisters came to mind,

 but this felt much stronger. Back then there was the knowledge that

 they were simply playing, that he wasn’t a girl like his sisters. But

 now... He felt free in Meiling’s body. He was free from his mother’s

 coldness and the responsibilities that had been thrust on him simply

 for the mistake of his being born as a boy. Fanren, his oldest

 sister, would make a better head of the Li Clan than he would anyway.

 Syaoran didn’t even mind Meiling being in his own body. He had always

 had an interest in boys, especially when he had met Yukito, and

 Meiling made an excellent boy in his mind, even if she was rather

 feminine for one. So maybe it wasn’t all that bad. Maybe they

 wouldn’t have to Change back for a few days. Heck, maybe even a week.

 A sigh escaped Syaoran’s lips, his worry dissipating. He would have

 been more concerned about his feelings regarding the whole matter,

 but he simply didn’t feel like dealing with them at the moment. 

 	“And in the meantime, we can try to get to know the one we love

 better while we’re in their place,” Tomoyo said happily. She was

 already enjoying sharing this with Sakura, and it could easily help

 Syaoran and Meiling to grow closer if they were stuck as each other. 

 	Getting back to her feet, Meiling scoffed. “I already know my

 Syaoran just fine. I don’t need to know him any better.” She grabbed

 Syaoran’s arm, yanking her cousin close by and holding onto him. 

 Syaoran sighed as Meiling manhandled him. He really did need to get

 used to that. She’d been doing it since they were little kids and she

 didn’t seem to be in any hurry to stop. 

 “I’ll tell you when the Change Card recharges. Then we can all meet

 at the park and I can switch us all back,” Sakura said hopefully. It

 was weird but a little fun to be Tomoyo, but she was starting to

 worry. If the Change Card didn’t recharge soon, she’d miss the soccer

 tryouts. And with all of Tomoyo’s encouragement, she was really

 looking forward to trying out for the team. She could always try out

 as Tomoyo, but it just didn’t feel right to be throwing her fragile

 friend out on a soccer field. It was like putting a piece of fine

 china on the edge of a building. Delicately beautiful things should

 be held reverently, not in the way of flying soccer balls. So she’d

 just have to hope she could fix things in time. With Tomoyo as her

 personal cheerleader, she knew she could get on the soccer team. Now

 it was all up to whether or not the Card would be ready in time.

 The bell rang shrilly, giving the students a sense of urgency as

 people began rushing to class. “All right. We’ll meet back when the

 Card’s ready.” Nodding, Syaoran hurried off with Meiling, leaving the

 Cardmistress and the heiress. At least something was solved, even if

 it would take a few days. But inside, he still couldn’t explain his

 feelings. Struggling with his inner turmoil, Meiling dragged him off

 towards class. 

 	

 	“I never should have let you do that for me, Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura

 reiterated for what had to be the hundredth time as she held onto her

 injured girlfriend. Tomoyo rubbed her back as she murmured her

 apologies over and over again. Sakura had always felt a strong urge

 to protect her best friend from harm, saving her above all of the

 others back in Hong Kong one time and asking Tomoyo to stop coming

 along when she was capturing Cards for fear that Tomoyo would get

 hurt another time. And so she always kicked herself when, despite her

 efforts, Tomoyo sometimes got hurt or in trouble. But the gentle

 heiress always soothed away her worries before too long. 

 	Shifting on her crutches, Tomoyo continued to caress Sakura’s back.

 Sakura was still in her pale body while she was still enshrined in

 Sakura’s athletic body. Unfortunately, athletic body or not, Tomoyo

 simply wasn’t athlete material. The sweet, soft-spoken girl was much

 more at ease singing or sewing than she was out running. So even with

 Sakura’s swift form, she had managed to sprain her ankle during

 soccer tryouts. “I’m sorry that I hurt Sakura-chan’s cute body,”

 Tomoyo whispered in reply as she returned her needy girlfriend’s warm

 embrace. Sakura needed plenty of love and attention, which Tomoyo was

 more than happy to supply. She would do anything for the

 Cardmistress, after all. Which is how she had ended up with a

 sprained ankle in the first place. They hadn’t been able to change

 back before the soccer tryouts that Sakura had so eagerly

 anticipated. Sakura had been disappointed that she couldn’t tryout

 for the team. Wanting to help her darling Sakura, Tomoyo had tried

 out for the soccer team herself while in Sakura's body. As she had

 discovered, however, watching soccer and playing soccer were two

 completely different things. Not much sooner had she showed up on the

 field than she had slipped on the soccer ball, landing awkwardly on

 her ankle. One doctor’s visit and plenty of concern from an

 overprotective parent later, Tomoyo was hobbling around on crutches

 with support from her sweet Sakura. 

 	“Poor Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura lamented, helping Tomoyo onto her bed.

 She had blamed herself for Tomoyo’s injury, as she often did when

 something bad would happen to Tomoyo. Somehow she felt that she

 should be able to protect Tomoyo from everything, that she alone

 could keep her safe from all the pain and troubles in the world.

 Sometimes she wasn’t as successful as other times. This was one of

 them. Even though it seemed like she was looking in a mirror, Sakura

 could still see Tomoyo’s ever-present smile on her lips. The

 currently pale girl found herself relaxing as Tomoyo’s gestures

 slowly began to affect her. Her gentle fingers rubbing her back, her

 soft voice, her soothing smile; they all managed to numb the worry

 that ate at her. Brushing dark hair from her eyes that she still

 wasn’t completely used to, Sakura sat down next to her eccentric

 friend. The bed shifted as Tomoyo made her way behind Sakura. The

 Cardmistress was about to ask the other girl what she was up to when

 she felt Tomoyo’s hands in her currently long hair, stroking back the

 long silken hair in her gentle hands. Feeling Tomoyo’s fingers

 through her hair, Sakura held her breath for a long moment as her

 heart pounded in her chest. Tomoyo had such long, beautiful hair. Her

 own was usually so much shorter. But it felt so nice to have Tomoyo

 focusing so intently on her hair. The heiress always spent so much

 attention on her and she always came up with such beautiful styles

 for her own hair. So it was nice for Sakura to have Tomoyo trying out

 those styles on her. Just like seeing herself in Tomoyo’s gorgeous

 costume designs, it was stunning to see what Tomoyo could do with her

 hair. She had never been able to do much with her own hair, but

 Tomoyo’s was like an art form. 

 	Slowly letting Sakura’s hair out of the high ponytail she had put

 it into earlier, Tomoyo let the lavender hair cascade through her

 fingers. She could make out a faint blush on Sakura’s pale cheeks and

 felt a blush spreading across her own. “Sakura-chan is so gorgeous,”

 she whispered in awe, letting her fingers roam through Sakura’s

 silken locks. And it was true. Even in Tomoyo’s body, Sakura was

 still so deliciously herself. She pulled it off beautifully, like an

 elegant costume, Sakura’s cute and energetic charm sparkling out from

 underneath it. Sakura was always the most crucial part of her

 costumes. She was what truly made them shine. And so Sakura did the

 same with her body. Tomoyo always loved dressing up her genki friend,

 trying out all sorts of styles on her with different costumes and

 things. And so she was loving the moment, being able to try new

 hairstyles out on Sakura. She enjoyed trying new hairstyles herself,

 but it was so much more fun for her to try them out on her precious

 Sakura, to see how they fit the Mistress of the Cards. Sakura was

 like a life size doll for her to dress up and style. And it made

 perfect sense to dress up the girl she loved, to see her in such

 dazzling clothes and costumes. Because she loved her. Who better to

 dress up than the one you love, to see them in all manner of designs?

 Sakura was lovelier than any doll could hope to be, so it would

 simply be a shame if she weren’t dressed prettily. All of Tomoyo’s

 designs were for Sakura, her lovely, spirited doll. Now she got to

 play with her hair, a new thing for Tomoyo. Sakura’s hair was a

 little too short for her to do much with, but now it was perfect. She

 could try out all of her hairstyles and more on the pretty

 Cardmistress. Sighing contentedly, Tomoyo rested against Sakura. “I

 love my Sakura-chan.”

 	Blushing deeper at Tomoyo’s touch and her words, Sakura shifted on

 the bed, feeling Tomoyo’s head on her shoulder as the heiress hugged

 her from behind. Sakura relaxed against her, hands resting on

 Tomoyo’s arms that were still encircling her waist. It was so strange

 to have everything switched around, but when they were all alone, not

 much had changed. It was just her and Tomoyo. Sure, she saw green

 eyes and auburn hair when she gazed at her lover instead of stormy

 blue eyes and lavender hair, but that was really a minute thing

 overall. It was still Tomoyo. And it was easy to forget that anything

 was different at all when they kissed, aside from Tomoyo’s fingers in

 her now longer hair. “Hanyaan...” What had started out as an

 extremely bizarre thing now barely mattered to the Cardmistress.

 Sure, she wanted her own body back. But it wasn’t all that important

 to her when she did. As usual, Tomoyo’s idea turned out rather well

 in the end. Which was nice what with how... experimental the heiress

 could be. A crimson blush crept down to her shoulders as she thought

 back through a number of other incidents that had turned out

 similarly. For being so quiet and gentle, Tomoyo was certainly

 eccentric and ready to try new things. Well, as long as said new

 things involved Sakura in some way, shape, or form. “Hoe..?” Sakura

 turned back to face her girlfriend when she felt Tomoyo’s arms pull

 away from her, but only managed to get a face full of hair. Shaking

 her head to get the lavender strands away from her eyes, she tried to

 see what the heiress was doing only to find fingers once again at

 home in her hair. Sakura quickly looked forward again, feeling Tomoyo

 carefully braiding the dark hair. Tomoyo sure had some interesting

 tastes, but Sakura was very happy to be one of them. “Aren’t I

 supposed to be taking care of you, Tomoyo-chan? You’re the one who

 got hurt.”

 	“Sakura-chan is taking care of Tomoyo-chan. One way or another,”

 Tomoyo replied, smiling as she held up Sakura’s long, dark hair for

 inspection. It brushed past her own auburn hair, tickling past her

 forehead. “All I could want is to have you here with me, Sakura-chan.

 I can’t move around much because of my ankle, so I’m just happy to

 have you close by. And it does give me the chance to play with your

 hair, so maybe it was a good thing.” She gave Sakura a soft kiss on

 the neck, secretly delighting at the darker blush that spread across

 Sakura’s pale skin. If she was going to sprain her ankle, this was

 certainly the way to go about recuperating. So close to Sakura,

 braiding her hair, could she be any closer to heaven? Holding the

 soft hair against her nose, she inhaled the wonderful scent of

 lavenders. 

 	“I still feel bad that you got hurt for me,” Sakura said with a

 sigh, her shoulder slumping. The image of Tomoyo holding onto her

 ankle once again felt her mind. Sakura had felt helpless as she ran

 to her, stuck in a much slower body than her old one. There had to be

 some way to make it up to Tomoyo. The beautiful heiress had gotten

 hurt while trying to help her join the soccer team. Even if she had

 failed, it was a very sweet thought. The least Sakura could do was to

 repay the favor. Somehow. Her eyes lit up as she sat up straight

 against Tomoyo again. “Sense you’re stuck in bed, I can try on some

 of those costumes you’ve finished lately. I can model them for you

 while you videotape.” Being videotaped in different costumes wasn’t

 exactly her favorite thing in the world. It was always so

 embarrassing. And some of Tomoyo’s designs had become a little more

 grown up in recent years. But the way Tomoyo looked when she

 videotaped her or watched her in the costumes was enough to send

 Sakura’s heart fluttering. She was the full focus of Tomoyo’s

 attention, the only thing in her world. So even if it was

 embarrassing, it was something she would always do for Tomoyo.

 “Oooph!!” Sakura felt Tomoyo’s now stronger arms squeeze her tightly

 in a warm hug. Apparently the other girl liked her idea.

 	“Sugoi! I don’t have to leave the bed to videotape, so I can

 capture all of Sakura from here. That would be perfect, Sakura-chan.

 And I get to see you in a whole new light.” Tomoyo sighed happily, a

 hand on her cheek and stars in her eyes. She had thought that the

 costumes would have to wait until they changed back, but this

 afforded the perfect opportunity to get plenty of videotape she

 wouldn’t otherwise have. “You’ll have to try on the costumes again

 when you’re back to your old body so I can compare both videos of

 you,” Tomoyo said excitedly. 

 	“Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura sweatdropped. Tomoyo had a lot of costumes

 she would need to wear. This would take a while. And it would all be

 on video for Tomoyo’s later perusal. Sakura was about to continue,

 but Tomoyo’s soft lips on her own silenced her. Kissing back, Sakura

 decided she’d wear whatever Tomoyo wanted.

 

 	“This isn’t fair!” Meiling said angrily as she and Syaoran got out

 of the limousine that had picked them up at the airport. “We need to

 get back, Syaoran!” If anyone found it strange that the boy was

 calling his cousin by his name, they didn’t say anything. But Meiling

 didn’t care. She pushed short brown hair out of her eyes as she got

 out of the limousine. Ahead of them lay the impressive Li household.

 Meiling lived with her parents elsewhere, but she spent much of her

 time there with Syaoran. It was usually a pleasant sight, but now it

 looked so ominous and foreboding. She didn’t want to admit it, but

 she was afraid. Afraid of what would happen and of how long she would

 be stuck in her cousin’s body. Nothing was certain any longer and she

 wasn’t taking it very well. She felt an icy pit in her stomach,

 uncertainty and worry trying to drag her down. She fought it off with

 difficulty, hurrying towards the house. “We have to tell Ieran-sama

 what happened so we can go back.”

 	Upon returning home from school, Meiling and Syaoran had been

 shocked to find everything neatly packed up. Wei had explained to

 them that he had told Ieran of their growing feelings for each other

 and that the Li matriarch had decided to have them return home

 immediately. After all, if Syaoran was no longer after Sakura then

 there was no reason for them to remain. The two cousins had been

 mortified, but there had been nothing they could do as they rapidly

 got shuttled off towards far away Hong Kong. The past few hours were

 little more than a blur as they made their way back home. All because

 of Meiling’s pretending that Syaoran was in love with her earlier.

 Now they were stranded far away from their chance to return to their

 own bodies, stuck as each other and about to meet with Syaoran’s

 expectant mother. And neither cousin was overly eager to tell her the

 bad news. As Syaoran had come to realize quite a long time ago, his

 mother could be an extremely imposing figure. 

 	“Syaoran! Meiling!” An energetic figure met the two at the door,

 waving brightly. “I was wondering when you two would finally get

 back. Fuutie will have to stop using your closet to hold her extra

 clothes, Syaoran. Everyone’s so excited to know your both back.

 Mother already has a banquet planned in your honor. It’s going to be

 a huge affair. Everyone will be attending. That’s where Shiefa is

 right now.” Fanren gave Syaoran a warm hug as the girl reached the

 top of the stairs, believing that her brother was Meiling. Her

 brother wasn’t much for emotional displays, so she didn’t bother

 ruffling him up for once, but her younger cousin usually didn’t mind.

 Which is why she found it odd that the girl she was hugging tensed up

 in her grasp, the same way Syaoran usually did when she’d hug him.

 Deciding it didn’t matter, Fanren grinned. “So you finally dragged my

 little brother back home, eh, Meiling? I can’t wait to hear how you

 did that. Mother’s already planning the wedding. She was so pleased

 to hear that you two were finally ready to start a life together.”

 She held the younger girl at arms length, still smiling. “And you

 must be absolutely thrilled. You’ve wanted this for years. Oh, I

 can’t believe my little brother’s getting married before me! It’s

 just not fair.” The eldest of the Li children laughed. “But I’m sure

 it will be beautiful. You’ll make a wonderful bride, Meiling.”

 	Unsure of what to say, Syaoran could only nod as he watched his

 sister. Fanren never treated him like this normally. She treated him

 differently. Like a boy. No, a man. The distant, aloof man that he

 had always tried to be. It was for the sake of the Li Clan. His

 mother had always treated him like that and his sisters had slowly

 grown to treat him the same. Because that was how he acted. But now

 Fanren was being as expressive and loving as she usually was around

 others. It felt... nice. It felt very nice to be held by his big

 sister, to see her smiling so warmly at him. Blinking back a stinging

 sensation in his eyes, Syaoran hugged his older sister again.

 “...Thanks, Fanren.”

 	“Anytime, sweetie. You always were like another little sister. Now

 you will be.” Fanren smiled sweetly as she wiped away the tears from

 the edges of Syaoran’s eyes. The scowl that had been on his face

 faded away, replaced by a look of reverence. He had always seen

 Fanren’s emotional displays to be pointless, childish, and weak. But

 now he had to reconsider. Could it be that he was just jealous, that

 he was spiteful that he was left out while his sister’s grew up to be

 so happy and emotional? He wasn’t sure. 

 	Meiling, in the meantime, was still not very pleased with the

 situation she found herself in. Syaoran was still blushing from the

 mention of marriage. If the boy wasn’t scowling, he was blushing.

 Sometimes Meiling wondered if he had any other expressions. Sighing,

 she hurried inside past Fanren. She had to speak to Ieran. The Li

 family matriarch had to hear what was going on before it was too

 late. She wanted to be the one in the wedding dress, damn it! She

 wanted to marry Syaoran with all of her heart, but she really would

 rather marry him in her own body. Her eyes darted around the vast

 interior of the Li household, trying to discern where Syaoran’s

 mother may be.

 	Finally noticing Meiling disappearing into the house, Syaoran

 pulled away from Fanren and hurried after her, scowling. “Meiling!

 Wait!” Meiling was much more impulsive than he himself was. And being

 impulsive wasn’t always a good thing. Especially around his mother.

 “We need to wait until she asks for us. I’m sure she’ll want to see

 us soon.” He had to admit that he was a trifle concerned about seeing

 her. How was he supposed to explain this to her? He was supposed to

 be the strongest mage in the Li Clan and yet he had accidentally

 gotten switched with his fiancee. He could only imagine how angry she

 would be. A shudder ran through his spine at the thought. She was

 always calm, never letting her anger shatter her placid exterior. But

 it was quite evident when she was mad. And he had been at the center

 of her cold, cutting scrutiny enough to fear her. Disappointing her

 had never been an option in his life. Which is why it had taken all

 of his will to sneak off to Japan to see Sakura again when Ieran

 wanted him to marry Meiling. So she wouldn’t be pleased about that to

 say the least. And finding out that he wasn’t ready to marry Meiling,

 that it had all been a misunderstanding, and that he had in fact

 gotten stuck in her body would not smooth things over with the

 matriarch. 

 	“I don’t want to wait. She needs to know now. She’s a strong

 sorceress. She’ll understand. And then we can go back to Japan, fix

 this up, come back and get married. Hopefully by the end of the

 week.” Meiling continued down the hallway, ignoring Syaoran’s

 frustrated sigh. She wasn’t in the mood to worry about such trivial

 things. Her mind was set. She had her game plan. Now all she had to

 do was find... Ieran’s study seemed to beckon to the two of them, the

 door left slightly ajar. Meiling hurried to it, ducking into the

 room. Syaoran paused for a moment before following. Meiling glanced

 around the room, her lungs releasing a breath that she hadn’t even

 known she was holding when she spotted the beautiful head of the Li

 Clan at the other end of the study. “Ieran-sama!” 

 	“Please forgive us, mother. We didn’t mean to intrude. We’ll wait

 in the parlor until you wish to see us,” Syaoran said quickly, bowing

 low before grabbing Meiling’s arm. As if things weren’t bad enough,

 Meiling seemed intent on angering his mother. He could only guess

 where that would go. Vivid images popped into his mind, none of them

 good. He pulled again on Meiling’s arm, but the girl in his body

 simply pulled away from his grasp, stepping towards Ieran. 

 	“Ieran-sama, I’m sorry for being so forward, but I have to talk to

 you. I’m not Syaoran. I’m Meiling.” Gesturing back towards Syaoran,

 Meiling continued. “That’s Syaoran.” She could feel her heart

 lighten, a weight lifting off of her. At least that was out of the

 way. Ieran would know what to do. She always did. 

 	Syaoran, on the other hand, felt an icy hand clamp onto his heart,

 clutching deep inside of him. His head slumped as he waited for

 Ieran’s harsh words. They would come, he was sure. Of course,

 sometimes it was worse when she would greet him with only silence.

 All he could do for now was wait. She would know doubt be angry at

 him for his mistake, for causing so much trouble for the Li Clan. 

 	Watching the two cousins contemplatively, Ieran thought for a

 moment. “Is this true?” she asked the dark haired girl. Syaoran

 nodded in response, long hair draping past her face. The older woman

 nodded, rolling this information over in her head. “I thought that

 something of the sort had happened. I could feel Syaoran’s magic in

 Meiling’s body, whereas Syaoran’s body currently has no magic.” She

 paused, letting an uneasy silence reign over the room. The two

 shifted uncomfortably as they waited for her to continue. She simply

 raised an eyebrow and continued to watch the gender switched cousins.

 Syaoran’s head was still lowered like a sad puppy, obviously

 expecting some sort of negative reaction on her part. Her daughters

 were all much happier, none of them nearly as afraid of her as

 Syaoran was. But it was necessary. She had raised Syaoran to fill his

 role. He was to be the head of the family. He had to grow up to be

 strong, to be the pillar of the family. So she had raised him very

 differently from his sisters. It was his duty as the male heir. Just

 as it had been her duty to assume the role as head of the Li Clan,

 not having any male siblings herself. She knew how difficult it was

 and she had tried to raise him accordingly. And also to fulfill his

 duties to the Li Clan by becoming as strong a mage as he could to aid

 the true Cardcaptor, and later the Cardmistress. She had known early

 on that he would not be the Cardcaptor, nor could he handle the

 situation on his own. The most he could hope to do would be to help.

 But she had instilled in him a lust for power, to force him to be as

 strong as he could be when the Cardcaptor needed him. At times like

 this, seeing Syaoran cower before her, it was a sad sight. But it was

 necessary. She couldn’t allow herself to regret it. Regrets only

 mired one in the past. “I think I’ll set the wedding in two months.

 That should be a nice enough time to get everything ready. I would

 wait longer, but I really don’t think that will be necessary.” 

 	Meiling and Syaoran both looked up in surprise. “What? Wait, Ieran-

 sama, we need to go back to Japan soon so we can switch back to our

 old bodies. We don’t have time to worry about a wedding,” Meiling

 argued. “Yet,” she added quickly. Oh, a wedding sounded absolutely

 lovely. But she had more immediate concerns. 

 	“And I never agreed to marry Meiling. Wei heard Meiling talking and

 thought that she was me,” Syaoran shot in, stepping up next to

 Meiling. He immediately regretted the words as he saw Meiling wince.

 He didn’t mean to hurt her. And he hadn’t meant it like that. He...

 loved Meiling? Yes... Yes, he did. But he wanted his mother to know

 that he hadn’t decided on this yet. 

 	“I forbid it. You are not going back to Japan. You will not return

 to your old bodies. We will leave things like this,” Ieran stated

 calmly. She could see the two react in shock, but kept up her cold

 composure. Their reaction was of no concern for her. She was simply

 doing what was best for the Li Clan. And she had quickly realized how

 this would benefit them. It was her decision to make. It may not be

 what they would choose, but it hardly mattered. Things would be nicer

 if they agreed, but you couldn’t always have things run perfectly.

 This bit of luck actually quelled quite a number of her worries about

 the future of the venerable House of Li. 

 	Syaoran was left speechless as he watched his mother. She wasn’t

 angry with him. She was actually pleased with the situation. Why

 would she want things to turn out this way? What was going on? So he

 was stuck this way? Forever? He suddenly felt dizzy, as if he was

 spinning at a blinding rate. His fate seemed sealed with her words.

 He would spend the rest of his life as Meiling. He would see Meiling

 in his body from now on. He felt angry and sad and... elated? He

 couldn’t deny that he once again felt relieved. His mind flashed back

 to Fanren, to his bright and cheerful sisters, to the warm manner

 that his mother showed them and kept from him. No!! He didn’t want

 any of that. He was Li Syaoran, powerful sorcerer and the next head

 of the House of Li. And he was not a girl! He would not spend the

 rest of his life trapped in a girl’s body, in the body of his fiancee. 

 	“What? But... Ieran-sama, why?” Meiling asked, near panic in her

 voice. Her hopes were once again slipping away from her, this time

 waving goodbye for what could be an eternity. This didn’t make any

 sense. She had thought that Ieran would be eager to have this sorted

 out, but instead the matriarch wanted to leave things as they were.

 Meiling could see her wedding dress flying off into the distance. She

 shook her head, balling up her fists as she looked pleadingly at

 Syaoran’s mother. “Why are you doing this?”

 	Ieran allowed a small smile to cross her lips as she looked at

 Meiling. The girl was extremely strong willed. In some ways, Meiling

 reminded her of herself at that age. “Very well. Though my reasons do

 no concern you, I will concede that to you.” She stood up, walking to

 the two cousins. She placed her hands on Meiling’s shoulders, looking

 the girl in her son’s body in the eyes. “Meiling, you have the

 strength to hold the Li Clan together. You have the will it takes to

 be the head of the House of Li. I believe that if anyone can handle

 whatever tragedies face our clan in the future, it will be you. You

 do not give up, you are willing to go the distance to achieve your

 goals. You are a bit impetuous, but I’m hoping that will mellow with

 age. That is one of the reasons why I set you as Syaoran’s fiancee.

 You and he are the best match for each other. I have seen that. Which

 is why I wish that Syaoran had listened to my decision rather than

 looking for someone not half as well suited to him.” She gave Syaoran

 a quick glance before looking back to Meiling. “You are the one I

 would choose to head the Li Clan. But Syaoran is the male heir, so it

 is his duty, not yours. This way, you can head the Li Clan after

 all.” She turned from Meiling, stepping in front of Syaoran. Her son

 kept his eyes averted for some time before she tilted his chin up to

 see his eyes. To his surprise, she smiled gently at him. “Syaoran,

 I’m afraid that you weren’t suited to many of the tasks I gave you.

 In some ways, I wonder why you weren’t born as a girl to begin with.

 I think a lot of this could have been avoided had that happened. But

 we do not choose how we are born, so we must all play with the hand

 we are dealt. You are shy and emotional, even if your emotions are

 all twisted inside of you as you repress them. But I must take the

 blame for that. I have pushed you to be something that you are not.

 Now we have the chance to remedy that. Your heart is like that of a

 girl who has striven to be the boy she cannot be. I think you may

 have turned out much like your sisters had things gone another way.

 But regrets will get us nowhere. I wish to leave things as they are

 because I believe it is best for the Li Clan. Even in your

 relationship with Meiling, she is dominant in it over you. You are

 too shy and unsure, though you pretend to be otherwise. Which is why

 I wonder why you ever assumed you could handle the Cardmistress, who

 can also be very shy and unsure. But all of this points to this being

 the best possible solution. You get to be my daughter as you should

 have been while Meiling will be my successor as she rightfully should

 be.”

 	Meiling’s mind reeled as Ieran’s words spun round and around

 through her thoughts. ‘She wants me to be the next head of the Li

 Clan? But how can I? I always thought I’d marry Syaoran, but I never

 thought that I’d have the weight of the Li Clan on my shoulders. I

 thought that would be Syaoran’s responsibility.’ Her mind was too

 consumed with these new revelations to realize what else was going

 on. She was still trying to understand the full extent of Ieran’s

 words. 

 	“I... I...” Syaoran struggled for words, choking back the tears

 that threatened. He wasn’t weak. He was strong. His mother was wrong

 about Meiling being the right head of the Li Clan. He was the one.

 How could he get replaced again? By another girl? First Sakura and

 now Meiling. And what did she mean about him being a girl? No, he was

 a man. Just like he’d always grown up to be. But... Ieran was smiling

 at him. Warmly. It was so different from the cold looks she usually

 gave him. It was the motherly smile she would bestow upon his

 sisters, the love that she seldom gave him. “Mother...” he got out

 weakly. The older woman held him as he trembled. He could be like his

 sisters... He could stop worrying, stop holding everything inside. He

 could stop trying so hard to be strong and unemotional. Tears burned

 in his vision as visions of he eternally cheerful, flighty sisters

 danced through his head along with the warmth his mother would show

 them. But... But he couldn’t... No, he was Li Syaoran... Li Syaoran.

 	Slowly pulling away from his mother, Syaoran quickly wiped away his

 tears, composing himself. He knew who he was. His mother was wrong.

 He would be the head of the House of Li. He would be the man he was.

 “Mother, please let us go back to Japan. I promise you that I’ll

 marry Meiling as soon as I get back, just like you’ve wanted for me,”

 he vowed. He knew that it wasn’t much of a deal, that Ieran could

 probably find a way to force him to marry Meiling anyway, but he

 hoped it would be enough. He had to get back, to end this.

 	Ieran sighed inwardly, but didn’t let anything show through.

 “Meiling, do you wish the same? If you both wish to return to Japan,

 I won’t stop you.” She couldn’t help but let her disapproval of the

 idea drift through, but there was no use forcing the both of them. 

 	Nodding quickly, Meiling took Syaoran’s hand. “Yes, Ieran-sama. We

 want to go back to Japan to get our own bodies back. And then I want

 to marry Syaoran.” Her eyes went over to her cousin, hopes somehow

 returning to her. She almost felt giddy, though she tried not to let

 it get the best of her. Not only could she be herself again, but she

 could have Syaoran at that. She couldn’t think of a happier ending.

 She squeezed Syaoran’s hand in her own and was surprised to feel him

 squeeze back. 

 	“All right,” Ieran conceded, turning from the two. It looked like

 the Li Clan’s problems wouldn’t be solved so easily after all. But at

 least she could have the marriage problem dealt with. “But I want you

 to stay for a week or two. Everyone’s looking forward to the banquet

 and I want to speak with you both a bit before you return.”

 	“Thank you, Ieran-sama!” Meiling felt relief flood through her

 body. Ieran simply nodded in reply, dismissing the two of them.

 Anxiously awaiting both a return to her own body and her impending

 marriage to Syaoran, she quickly dragged her cousin out of the study.

 	

 	It took some time, but Syaoran and Meiling had finally returned to

 Japan once more, for what Syaoran had promised would be the last

 time. They would only be there for a short time, to get themselves

 changed back by Cardmistress Sakura. With several weeks having passed

 from the time the Change Card had been used, it had recharged back to

 it’s full power long before the cousins had returned to Tomoeda. They

 had all met outside of Tomoyo’s house, where it had all began in the

 first place to finally put an end to the long nightmare.

 “Are we almost ready?” Meiling asked impatiently, her arms crossed.

 She was eager to have her own body back, to be a girl again. It had

 been almost impossible to last the past few weeks with the knowledge

 that she would soon be in her own body again. She wasn’t the most

 patient individual, but somehow she survived. But she seriously

 doubted she could last another few seconds. 

 “Un, just about,” Sakura said happily. Sakura and Tomoyo were both

 in their normal bodies, if the two could be called normal. Tomoyo was

 recording Sakura who was decked out in a flashy feather design

 costume. Why such an elaborate setup was needed for the Cards,

 Meiling couldn’t fathom. Tomoyo tried to explain that the

 Cardmistress had to be professional and that she had to take it all

 down for posterity. 

 “Perfect, Sakura-chan. You look so cute! Sakura-chan makes such a

 beautiful magical girl,” Tomoyo said with a sweet yearning in her

 voice as she zoomed in on the Cardmistress. Sakura blushed at her

 comments, but modeled for the video camera nonetheless. Tomoyo only

 swooned further, videotaping every inch of her magical girlfriend.

 “Sakura-chan is both gorgeous and cool in her costume, a flurry of

 feathers. The Card will certainly heed Sakura-chan’s call.”

 “Can we please just get this over with?” Syaoran growled irritably.

 He had already been sick that morning and he wasn’t feeling all that

 well now. He wanted to switch bodies and have this whole even behind

 him. He felt a tinge of sadness that he’d lose the chance that his

 mother had mentioned, but he forcibly pushed it out of his mind. This

 would be over soon enough.

 “Oh, right!” Sakura sweatdropped. Looking forward with her

 determined emerald eyes, the Mistress of the Cards through a pink

 Card on the air, letting it spin for a moment before hitting it with

 her staff. “Change! Put these two back to the way they should be!”

 the brunette called out, magic swirling around her. She could see

 Tomoyo moving to the side to get a better shot out of the corner of

 her eye and smiled a bit, waving her fingers at her eccentric best

 friend. 

 The Change leapt out of the Card, jumping towards the embracing

 Syaoran and Meiling. They both braced for the Sakura Card as it

 headed towards them.

 “Wait!!” Tomoyo called out, halting even the Sakura Cards advance. A

 confused pair of jade eyes and two angry sets of amber and brown eyes

 shot her way. 

 “What is it this time? Do you need more film or something?” Meiling

 asked in frustration. Why couldn’t they just get this over with? She

 didn’t want to wait another second. 

 “I think that it would be a lot more touching if the two of you

 weren’t just embracing as the Change affects you. You both learned

 quite a bit throughout all this and with the wedding approaching, you

 both have to be very excited. It would be much more romantic and

 meaningful if you were kissing when you change back. Then you will

 shift from one side of the kiss to the other, returning to your old

 body but still joined,” Tomoyo explained with a smile. She pulled up

 her camcorder to see the two, adjusting the picture. Having a flare

 for the aesthetic, it just seemed to fit much better on tape that way. 

 “What?” 

 “Tomoyo-chan does have a point,” Sakura said with a giggle,

 motioning for the Change to stay still for a moment. 

 Meiling looked back to Syaoran, still holding onto her fiancee. He

 sighed as they held each other. It did seem to make enough sense,

 Meiling reasoned. Licking her lips, she leaned forward slowly.

 Syaoran blushed as she touched her lips against his. The two began to

 kiss softly, growing more passionate as they forgot about the Change

 Card and their audience. 

 Looking back to the Change Card, Sakura smiled and gave a nod. The

 chameleon-looking Sakura Card sped towards the kissing couple,

 pressing into their legs as it’s magic lit up the area around them.

 Magic coalesced around the two, a small sun covering them with

 blinding intensity. And then, just as suddenly, it was gone. The

 Change Card reappeared in Sakura’s hand. 

 Syaoran felt Meiling’s lips against his own as they kissed, holding

 each other. The kiss dragged on as he finally felt the magic around

 him. It gripped him like it did the last time, maintaining its hold

 for a second before pulling away. He could still feel the kiss, their

 lips never leaving the other even as Sakura’s magic overtook them.

 Relieved, Syaoran kissed Meiling deeper, in a passionate kiss that

 let out all of the worry and tension that had built up inside of him.

 He could feel their tongues dancing as their victory kiss continued.

 Meiling’s hands shifted down his sides. He made a soft gasp into

 their kiss as he felt her hand on his breast, feeling the fingers

 through the blouse and bra. His arms went around her as their lips

 met again and again. His hand slipped down her back as he.. Wait..

 His eyes shot open in terror. His hands went to Meiling’s still flat

 chest. “What the hell?” Pulling away, he gazed at Meiling, still in

 his body. “What happened?” He asked frantically, whirling towards the

 Mistress of the Cards.

 	Shrugging helplessly, Sakura looked down at the Card. “I don’t

 know. It should be charged by now. I know I used enough magic. And

 the Change seems to be doing fine. I don’t know what could have gone

 wrong.” 

 Kero nodded thoughtfully. The Seal beast had his arms crossed, his

 brow furrowed. “The Change can’t work it’s magic if someone’s

 pregnant. It might accidentally switch the baby’s soul, too, so it’s

 too dangerous.”

 Syaoran’s eyes were the size of saucers. Meiling was blushing a

 cherry red while Sakura sweatdropped and Tomoyo looked on with a

 smile. Syaoran looked down at his female body, still too in shock to

 utter a word. “I’m... pregnant?!” His mind was still having trouble

 registering the thought. ‘Pregnant?’ he thought, staring down. His

 first night with Meiling in each other’s bodies raced to the front of

 his mind. He’d gotten pregnant from Meiling...

 “Congratulations, Li-kun! Meiling-chan!” Tomoyo said cheerfully, a

 hand on her cheek. She seemed to find the situation a lovely one

 indeed. Her camcorder panned from one of the cousins to the other,

 trying to get both of their reactions for the tape in case they

 wanted one later. 

 “Seems so, kiddo,” Kero replied, grinning from ear to ear. “And ya

 should stop yelling like that. It can’t be good for the baby.” As if

 it hadn’t been good enough to hear that Syaoran had switched bodies

 with Meiling, this was icing on Kero’s cake.

 “Syaoran...” Meiling got out, still too embarrassed to say anything

 else. She watched as Syaoran fainted dead away.