rlm@0: Hello! ^-^ This is a Quantum Leap/Cardcaptor Sakura crossover, so I
rlm@0: hope that 
rlm@0: explains why this is so strange. ^^;;; I’m always so worried about
rlm@0: crossovers 
rlm@0: because it’s so difficult to pull off merging two series together.
rlm@0: So I hope this 
rlm@0: goes well. ^-^ The idea has been playing around in my head for quite
rlm@0: a while 
rlm@0: now. Sam’s supposed to ‘put right what once went wrong’ so why can’t
rlm@0: he set 
rlm@0: right the biggest problem in Cardcaptor Sakura? I’d like to thank
rlm@0: Boco the 
rlm@0: Chokobo, who’s ideas helped me quite a bit with this. ^-^ Thanks!
rlm@0: *hugs* I’m 
rlm@0: using the leaping mechanics from Ashley McConnell’s Quantum Leap
rlm@0: novels 
rlm@0: because I like the idea of Sam actually switching bodies with who he
rlm@0: leaps into 
rlm@0: rather than him just taking their aura. Anyway, I really hope you
rlm@0: enjoy this! ^-^ 
rlm@0: I always love feedback, so if you have the time, please e-mail me! ^-^
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Across the Distance
rlm@0: by Amazoness Duo
rlm@0: amazonessduo@hotmail.com
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	Dr. Sam Beckett was always disoriented when he began a leap. Leaping 
rlm@0: from life to life, trying to put right what once went wrong, was a
rlm@0: very stressful 
rlm@0: job.  He always found himself in the strangest situations, with no
rlm@0: knowledge of 
rlm@0: who he was now or what situation he had leapt into. So he had gotten
rlm@0: very good 
rlm@0: at trying to read his surroundings very quickly. But the first few
rlm@0: minutes never 
rlm@0: allowed him such luxuries and it was up to him to wing it. 
rlm@0: 	And he had absolutely no idea how to do so as the good doctor found 
rlm@0: himself locking lips with a teenage, brown haired boy. The kiss
rlm@0: lasted for 
rlm@0: another few seconds but it could very well have been an eternity. As
rlm@0: Dr. Beckett 
rlm@0: stumbled backwards, trying to catch his breath, a quick glimpse down
rlm@0: finished 
rlm@0: putting at least part of this scene together. He was a girl. Again.
rlm@0: And the boy 
rlm@0: that had just been kissing him must be her boyfriend. “Oh boy...”
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	The boy blushed fiercely after Sam backed away. “Daijobu? Sakura-
rlm@0: chan?” He took a few steps closer, finally taking Sam’s, or the body
rlm@0: Sam was 
rlm@0: currently inhabiting, hands and pulling him closer. Sam stumbled
rlm@0: forward, his 
rlm@0: head resting on the boy’s chest. His mind was spinning. Had he ever
rlm@0: leapt out of 
rlm@0: the US before? His swiss cheese memory betrayed him. He had no idea.
rlm@0: The boy 
rlm@0: continued saying something, but it wasn’t making any sense. Wait, it
rlm@0: was. Sam 
rlm@0: couldn’t remember if he’d taken Japanese in school or not, though he
rlm@0: very well 
rlm@0: could have, or if it was something left over from his host, but the
rlm@0: jumbled words 
rlm@0: began to make sense.
rlm@0: 	“Yeah, I’m fine,” Sam said with a nervous smile. “I just... was a
rlm@0: little 
rlm@0: distracted.” How often had he used that excuse? Too many times. But
rlm@0: after all 
rlm@0: these years of leaping, he still hadn’t come up with a better one. 
rlm@0: The boy’s amber eyes stared at Sam skeptically for a long moment, as 
rlm@0: if he didn’t quite believe that. But finally he nodded. “We better
rlm@0: get to school. I 
rlm@0: made sure that I’d be in the same homeroom as you.” He waited for
rlm@0: some 
rlm@0: acknowledgement of his statement, probably wanting to hear a shrill
rlm@0: of joy from 
rlm@0: his girlfriend, but Sam just nodded, still unsure as to how he was
rlm@0: supposed to act 
rlm@0: now. Grasping Sam’s hand, he began leading the way presumably to the
rlm@0: school. 
rlm@0: At least, Sam sure hoped so.
rlm@0: The two walked along in relative silence for a while. Which was fine 
rlm@0: by Sam because it gave him a chance to think. Where was he?
rlm@0: Apparently Japan. 
rlm@0: When was he? It looked pretty recent, but Sam couldn’t remember if
rlm@0: he’d gone 
rlm@0: there or not so it was difficult to be sure of an exact date. It was
rlm@0: much easier 
rlm@0: guessing dates back in the US. Finally, who was he? The boy had
rlm@0: called him 
rlm@0: Sakura, so at least he had a name. And a quick glimpse in a passing
rlm@0: shop 
rlm@0: window gave him a face. She was a very pretty girl with short,
rlm@0: reddish brown 
rlm@0: hair and emerald green eyes. She looked to be about fourteen or
rlm@0: fifteen and was 
rlm@0: wearing her school uniform.  “Oh boy...” he muttered under his
rlm@0: breath. This 
rlm@0: whole thing was too strange for him. If anything could get too
rlm@0: strange for a time 
rlm@0: hopping physicist. And being a girl was always... awkward for him.
rlm@0: When he 
rlm@0: leapt into other men, at least the equipment was still the same. Now
rlm@0: he’d have to 
rlm@0: deal with a teenage girl’s body. He’d ask Ziggy about what affects
rlm@0: that would 
rlm@0: have on his mind, but he knew it would have to go through Al. He
rlm@0: could picture 
rlm@0: the grin on his friend’s face as he asked the question and
rlm@0: immediately dismissed 
rlm@0: it. He’d figure it out on his own.
rlm@0: “I thought I’d come out and surprise you. I was going to send a
rlm@0: letter, 
rlm@0: but I decided to head out here as soon as I could instead,” the boy
rlm@0: was 
rlm@0: explaining. 
rlm@0: 	Sam nodded quickly, offering what he hoped was a sweet smile. So he 
rlm@0: was probably here to make sure things went smoothly between them.
rlm@0: “Oh good. 
rlm@0: I’m really glad you came all this way.” Wherever it was he had come
rlm@0: from. 
rlm@0: 	The two finally happened upon the school gates. Sam gave a sigh of 
rlm@0: relief. He could handle jr. high school. Probably a lot easier than
rlm@0: dealing with a 
rlm@0: lovestruck boyfriend. It would give him a chance to concentrate and
rlm@0: wait for Al. 
rlm@0: Where was Al, anyway? Wasn’t he usually here by now? What was taking
rlm@0: him 
rlm@0: so long?
rlm@0: 	“Ohayo gozimasu, Sakura-chan!” a cute, pale girl with very long,
rlm@0: dark 
rlm@0: hair said as she stepped up, a sweet smile on her face. Her stormy
rlm@0: blue eyes 
rlm@0: were entrancing. Sam wondered for a moment if she was sick to have
rlm@0: such a 
rlm@0: pale complexion, but she seemed to be just fine. She looked a little
rlm@0: surprised to 
rlm@0: see Sam’s new boyfriend there, but she recovered quickly. “Ohayo, Li-
rlm@0: kun! 
rlm@0: Sakura-chan must be very happy to have you back. She’s been talking
rlm@0: about you 
rlm@0: so much lately.” Her smile returned almost as quickly as it had
rlm@0: disappeared, 
rlm@0: leaving Sam to wonder if it had ever left at all. But that did give
rlm@0: Sam a hint, at 
rlm@0: the least. His name was Li. Good.
rlm@0: 	The boy just frowned, beginning to flush slightly before he turned
rlm@0: back 
rlm@0: to Sakura. 
rlm@0: 	“Well, I’m very glad to have Li back. I’m sure everything’s going
rlm@0: to be 
rlm@0: great now,” Sam said quickly, smiling. The looks he got from the
rlm@0: other two 
rlm@0: made him wonder if he’d said that wrong. He sighed. These things
rlm@0: were always 
rlm@0: so difficult. Sam felt him squeeze his hand and then nodded.
rlm@0: 	“It will be. I’m back now. I won’t let anyone force me to go back to 
rlm@0: Hong Kong again. I’ll stay this time, Sakura-chan.”
rlm@0: 	Hong Kong. Okay, at least he was starting to get somewhere with all 
rlm@0: this. So the boy, Li, had come from Hong Kong and had apparently
rlm@0: been away 
rlm@0: for quite some time. “I’m sure, Li. Thanks. I really missed you.”
rlm@0: Sam smiled 
rlm@0: again, and Li seemed to accept it, but he was getting an odd look
rlm@0: from the dark 
rlm@0: haired girl. Her stormy blue eyes seemed to be looking through him.
rlm@0: The 
rlm@0: familiar sound of the Imaging Chamber door opening sent a breath of
rlm@0: relief 
rlm@0: through him. He quickly turned to spot Al. When he finally did, he
rlm@0: was 
rlm@0: surprised. Al’s usually wild attire was much more subdued. He was
rlm@0: wearing a 
rlm@0: black suit and tie. He had dark bags under his eyes and he looked
rlm@0: even older 
rlm@0: than usual. Sam frowned, staring at his holographic friend
rlm@0: concernedly. “I.. 
rlm@0: uhh... I’ll be back in a minute.” He let go of the boy’s hand and
rlm@0: ducked past the 
rlm@0: pale girl and made his way through Al, signaling the observer to
rlm@0: follow over 
rlm@0: near a tree. “Al! What took you so long? Where am I?” He paused for a 
rlm@0: moment, studying the observer. “Are you okay?”
rlm@0: 	Al shook it off, plugging away at the handlink, offering his usual
rlm@0: abuse 
rlm@0: to the poor thing. “It took Ziggy a while to find you, Sam. You’re
rlm@0: only a month 
rlm@0: behind us. Ziggy’s freaking out. She’s never seen anything like this
rlm@0: before so 
rlm@0: she doesn’t know what to do about it. As far as details, we don’t
rlm@0: know why 
rlm@0: you’re here yet. It’s only a month ago and in Japan at that, so we
rlm@0: don’t have a lot 
rlm@0: of information to go on. Donn.. Err...” Al mentally stopped himself
rlm@0: from 
rlm@0: mentioning Donna’s name. She didn’t want Sam knowing that she was
rlm@0: still there 
rlm@0: waiting for him. It would be easier for him this way. “Everyone here
rlm@0: at the 
rlm@0: Project is a little worried about this. I mean, you’ve never been
rlm@0: this close before, 
rlm@0: Sam.”
rlm@0: 	Sam gasped in shock. “Only a month? Al, I’m really that close? Maybe 
rlm@0: I can... No, I shouldn’t, but...” He shook his head, brunette hair
rlm@0: flailing from 
rlm@0: side to side as he did so. This was all too much. He could call up
rlm@0: Project 
rlm@0: Quantum Leap and ask to talk to the Al of this time. Or he could
rlm@0: look up 
rlm@0: material on a Doctor Samuel Beckett and try to replace the swiss
rlm@0: cheese holes in 
rlm@0: his memory. But Al looked less than excited. “So what do you have so
rlm@0: far?” 
rlm@0: 	Al pulled up the handlink again, though by this time he didn’t need
rlm@0: it. 
rlm@0: He’d been reading the information ever since the plane ride back.
rlm@0: Over and over 
rlm@0: and over. He sighed, trying to keep the lack of sleep from showing.
rlm@0: “You are 
rlm@0: Sakura Kinomoto, a fourteen year old school girl in Tomoeda, Japan.
rlm@0: She’s a 
rlm@0: fair student and seems to be pretty athletic. Hey, Sam, you’re on the 
rlm@0: cheerleading team.” Al attempted a grin, but only got a stare from
rlm@0: the younger 
rlm@0: girl that housed the spirit of his best friend. He held up his arms
rlm@0: in defense. “Just 
rlm@0: pointing that out to you. You always want as much information as
rlm@0: we’ve got. 
rlm@0: Anyway, the Chinese boy over there is Syaoran Li, part of some
rlm@0: powerful 
rlm@0: family in Hong Kong.  It looks like he’s your sweety. He was here in
rlm@0: Japan a 
rlm@0: few years ago and left, but not before you two hooked up. You’ve
rlm@0: been sending 
rlm@0: letters back and forth since.” Al wasn’t even looking at the
rlm@0: handlink anymore. 
rlm@0: He’d heard all this days ago, before Ziggy even found out this was
rlm@0: where Sam 
rlm@0: had leapt to. 
rlm@0: 	Sam coughed into his fist and shook his head, the memory of the kiss 
rlm@0: still fresh in his mind. “Well, why am I here, then? What am I here
rlm@0: to change? It 
rlm@0: sounds like they end up alright.”
rlm@0: 	Bringing the handlink up again, Al crammed some buttons at random. 
rlm@0: “Ziggy’s trying to run some simulations and Dr. Beeks is talking to
rlm@0: Sakura right 
rlm@0: now so we’ll try to figure that out.” The retired admiral paused for
rlm@0: a long 
rlm@0: moment. There was something else he wanted to say. Sam waited.
rlm@0: 	“Sakura-chan? Daijobu?” The pale girl asked. She looked very 
rlm@0: concerned for ‘Sakura’. Her hand went to Sam’s forehead, feeling for
rlm@0: a 
rlm@0: temperature. Her stormy blue eyes met the emerald green ones that
rlm@0: replaced 
rlm@0: Sam’s own for a long moment. She leaned forward a bit, whispering
rlm@0: with her 
rlm@0: wonderfully soft voice into Sam’s ear. “Is it because of Li-kun? Are
rlm@0: you 
rlm@0: nervous? You shouldn’t be. He’s happy to see you again. You can be
rlm@0: together 
rlm@0: now.” She stepped back, smiling brightly, her eyes closed.
rlm@0: 	Sam laughed nervously. “Of course! I’m really happy, too. Yeah, I’m 
rlm@0: just a little nervous is all. I’m sure I’ll be fine soon.”
rlm@0: 	“I’m sure Sakura-chan will, too. I know things will work out for the 
rlm@0: best for you.” The smile seemed to come to her quickly, as if she
rlm@0: smiled often, 
rlm@0: or practiced it quite a bit. It was a warm, gentle smile that
rlm@0: somehow eased Sam’s 
rlm@0: spirits. He nodded quickly as she took his arm, the bell ringing to
rlm@0: signify their 
rlm@0: first class. “We better hurry, Sakura-chan.”
rlm@0: 	Sam looked to see Li pulling along beside them, taking his hand. The 
rlm@0: pale girl waited a second before letting go, keeping her distance.
rlm@0: Sam met her 
rlm@0: gaze and she smiled again, ushering him towards the correct class.
rlm@0: Glancing 
rlm@0: back over his shoulder, he looked for Al, but the observer was
rlm@0: already gone. 
rlm@0: What had he wanted to say?
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	Class went by strangely. It had been a while since Sam had been 
rlm@0: anyone this young and he found it awkward to be taking classes in
rlm@0: Japanese. But 
rlm@0: he still managed to get along well enough. The teachers even seemed
rlm@0: amazed at 
rlm@0: some of the answers he was giving. Sam had always found academics
rlm@0: calming. 
rlm@0: They didn’t have the same chaos that was inherent in everything
rlm@0: else. Especially 
rlm@0: leaping. So he found it relaxing to lose himself in class, even with
rlm@0: the slight 
rlm@0: difficulty of taking it in another language. 
rlm@0: 	Throughout the day, he kept making little mistakes, but nothing that 
rlm@0: seemed too big. Besides, it was part of every leap. He had to gauge
rlm@0: other 
rlm@0: people’s reactions to him to decide if he was acting properly or
rlm@0: not. He seemed 
rlm@0: to be doing well enough, but the dark haired girl seemed to be
rlm@0: getting 
rlm@0: increasingly concerned. He tried to play it off, but she was always
rlm@0: close by, 
rlm@0: offering help whenever she could and trying to see if anything was
rlm@0: wrong. 
rlm@0: 	Syaoran walked him from class to class, which he found a little 
rlm@0: embarrassing but there wasn’t much he could do about it. He got used
rlm@0: to holding 
rlm@0: the boy’s hand from class to class as lunch finally rolled around. 
rlm@0: 	Stormy blue eyes caught Sam’s attention quickly as the dark haired
rlm@0: girl 
rlm@0: caught up with him. Sam just waited for her. She still held that
rlm@0: warm smile of 
rlm@0: hers as she fell in step with him. “Sakura-chan seems to have
rlm@0: studied a lot last 
rlm@0: night. You should have told me. I would have been happy to help you,
rlm@0: Sakura-
rlm@0: chan.”
rlm@0: 	“Oh, I was bored. I didn’t want to bother you. I thought I’d catch
rlm@0: up in 
rlm@0: class and try to do a little better,” Sam supplied, hoping it
rlm@0: sounded reasonable 
rlm@0: enough. This whole leap was confusing him. Especially this girl. She
rlm@0: must be 
rlm@0: Sakura’s best friend. She was obviously very caring towards her. 
rlm@0: 	The girl nodded thoughtfully, tilting her head to the side. “You
rlm@0: even 
rlm@0: got that engrish poem down that you were worrying about. I knew
rlm@0: Sakura-chan 
rlm@0: would be just fine as long as she did her best.” She smiled happily,
rlm@0: as if waiting 
rlm@0: for Sam to explain something.
rlm@0: 	“I.. uhh... Yeah, I guess it was easier than I thought,” Sam
rlm@0: muttered 
rlm@0: quickly. He looked around after a moment and noticed that he was
rlm@0: going down a 
rlm@0: dead end.
rlm@0: 	“Lunch is this way, Sakura-chan,” the girl said politely, taking
rlm@0: Sam’s 
rlm@0: hand and leading him off down another corridor. Her hand felt soft
rlm@0: and held 
rlm@0: onto Sam’s with a very gentle care. She looked at Sam with that
rlm@0: concerned look 
rlm@0: again, but he just smiled and tried to brush it off. “It’s good that
rlm@0: Li-kun’s back. 
rlm@0: Sakura-chan shouldn’t have to be lonely. The two of you look so cute
rlm@0: together.” 
rlm@0: She squeezed Sam’s hand softly. “You’ll have to let me videotape the
rlm@0: two of 
rlm@0: you later. It can be Sakura-chan’s Happy Reunion.”
rlm@0: 	Sam laughed and nodded. The girl was eccentric, but he liked that.
rlm@0: She 
rlm@0: must be a fun best friend. “Yeah, that sounds good. We should do
rlm@0: that later. I’m 
rlm@0: sure it’ll make for great memories.”
rlm@0: 	“Not for her, Sam.”
rlm@0: 	Sam turned on his heel and spotted Al behind him. Al shook his head 
rlm@0: and motioned for him to keep walking. Sam complied. “Hmm?” Sam asked, 
rlm@0: trying to look interested in the dark haired girl’s explanation of
rlm@0: some outfit for 
rlm@0: him to wear. 
rlm@0: 	“Those obviously won’t make good memories for her, Sam. That's 
rlm@0: Tomoyo Daidouji. Heiress to the Daidouji fortunes and all 
rlm@0: around talented girl. Got the voice of an angel. I heard her sing
rlm@0: one time.” Al 
rlm@0: grew silent for a moment, not even glancing at the handlink. He
rlm@0: didn’t need it 
rlm@0: for this. “She kills herself about a month from now. You could never
rlm@0: tell with all 
rlm@0: those smiles.” Sighing, the observer shook his head, watching the
rlm@0: pale girl for a 
rlm@0: time before continuing. “She drowns in a lake at a park near here.
rlm@0: Left a note 
rlm@0: and went off to take a swim. The problem being that she doesn’t know
rlm@0: how to 
rlm@0: swim," Al explained grimly.
rlm@0: 	“She what?” Sam shot out, his eyes wide. He immediately regretted it 
rlm@0: as Tomoyo looked back at him. He just shook his head quickly.
rlm@0: “Nothing.” Sam 
rlm@0: stared at his friend aghast. It seemed hard to believe that this 
rlm@0: cheery girl would ever consider something quite so drastic.
rlm@0: Al shook his head after a moment, knowing what Sam must be 
rlm@0: thinking. "Ziggy says that's not why you're here. It's a month from
rlm@0: now. If that
rlm@0: was the reason, you'd've leapt in a few days before it happened. She 
rlm@0: says it's more likely got to do with the girl you leapt into."
rlm@0: 	Sam smiled as sweetly as he could and pulled his hand away from 
rlm@0: Tomoyo. “Excuse me for just a second. I need to... take care of
rlm@0: something.” 
rlm@0: They had finally gotten outside and Sam took the chance to head
rlm@0: around the side 
rlm@0: of the building. “No! That can’t be it. Why? What happened? Maybe it
rlm@0: wasn’t a 
rlm@0: suicide. That means it was only a few days ago for you. Maybe Ziggy
rlm@0: doesn’t 
rlm@0: have all the information she needs. She’s too sweet a girl for that.”
rlm@0: 	Al sighed. He knew Sam was going to be like this. And it wasn’t as
rlm@0: if 
rlm@0: he hadn’t been trying to work this out himself. “Ziggy didn’t know
rlm@0: until an hour 
rlm@0: ago. I found out two days ago. Sam, I just got back form her funeral.”
rlm@0: 	That news sent a shock through the leaper. Leaning heavily against
rlm@0: the 
rlm@0: wall, he looked over at Al. “You what? Why?”
rlm@0: 	Al was deep in thought, contemplating an unlit cigar. It had been
rlm@0: days 
rlm@0: since he’d had one, but for some reason he just didn’t feel in the
rlm@0: mood for it. “It 
rlm@0: was a lovely funeral. Her mother really spared no expense. Sakura,
rlm@0: the girl you 
rlm@0: are, was there, too. It was a big thing. Her mother was all broken
rlm@0: up about it. 
rlm@0: Lost her only little girl.” Al closed his eyes, trying to force out
rlm@0: the images. “You 
rlm@0: probably don’t remember this, but back when we were looking for
rlm@0: funding for 
rlm@0: the project, we met with a whole lot of people. One of those people
rlm@0: was Sonomi 
rlm@0: Daidouji. Strong willed woman. But you get to like her. Won’t take
rlm@0: no for an 
rlm@0: answer. Anyway, I got to talking to her about funding for the
rlm@0: project. She runs a 
rlm@0: pretty big business in Japan. We wound up getting picked up by the
rlm@0: government 
rlm@0: for funding, but after I explained what the Project was about, she
rlm@0: was all too 
rlm@0: thrilled to get me all the Japanese technology we needed from the
rlm@0: Amamiya 
rlm@0: Corporation. Hell, half of Ziggy’s thanks to her. She never asked a
rlm@0: thing from 
rlm@0: us, just wanted to know how the Project was going from time to time.
rlm@0: So I’ve 
rlm@0: been staying in touch, talking to her about this and that. But when
rlm@0: I found out 
rlm@0: her daughter killed herself a few days ago, I rushed out there.
rlm@0: She’s really 
rlm@0: broken up, Sam. She doesn’t have anyone else now. Just her business.
rlm@0: She was 
rlm@0: really emotional at the funeral, and she had a right to be. It was
rlm@0: awful to see. I 
rlm@0: wish you had leapt in a few days ago and stopped that. But you’ve
rlm@0: said it 
rlm@0: yourself, you can only change what you’re supposed to.” 
rlm@0: 	“Oh no... That can’t be right. How can I possibly stop that from
rlm@0: here? 
rlm@0: Unless I can find a way to keep it from happening. Something must
rlm@0: have 
rlm@0: happened that made her want to do that. We just need Ziggy to find
rlm@0: out,” Sam 
rlm@0: nodded, thinking deeply. 
rlm@0: 	“Sam, I already know. Her mother told me. I found out while I was 
rlm@0: there. She killed herself over you.” Al rubbed at an ache in his
rlm@0: neck, sighing. 
rlm@0: “She killed herself because she’s in love with you.”
rlm@0: 	“Oh boy...”
rlm@0: 	“Yeah, so it doesn’t look like there’s anything you can do about
rlm@0: it. At 
rlm@0: least for now. I’ll get Ziggy working on those simulations. Maybe
rlm@0: she can come 
rlm@0: up with...” Al’s eyes went wide as he read the handlink. “She’s
rlm@0: what?!” Without 
rlm@0: another word to Sam, Al vanished through the door.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	“What the hell is she doing here?” Al asked to no one in particular
rlm@0: as 
rlm@0: he stormed down the hallway. The former admiral came to a halt when
rlm@0: he 
rlm@0: finally caught sight of the younger Japanese woman. She was flanked
rlm@0: by several 
rlm@0: woman wearing dark clothes and sunglasses. They all looked like they
rlm@0: were 
rlm@0: good at what they did. Which was probably to protect Miss Daidouji.
rlm@0: Al would 
rlm@0: have gawked at the pretty ladies if he wasn’t still in shock.
rlm@0: “Sonomi, why are 
rlm@0: you here? The Project is off limits to all non-essential personal.
rlm@0: Now I 
rlm@0: appreciate all you’ve done for the project, but you certainly aren’t
rlm@0: a member of 
rlm@0: the staff.”
rlm@0: 	“Arru, please... I need to see my little girl again. I know that
rlm@0: she’s here. 
rlm@0: She has to be. You can save her, can’t you?” Sonomi’s eyes were
rlm@0: pleading. She 
rlm@0: looked desperate, grasping at the final string dangling in front of
rlm@0: her. The 
rlm@0: woman had suffered so much in the past few days. 
rlm@0: 	Al remained silent, his lips pursed tightly together. He didn’t
rlm@0: like this at 
rlm@0: all. She shouldn’t be here. This whole leap was already playing with
rlm@0: all the rules 
rlm@0: they’d set up years ago. This wasn’t helping.
rlm@0: 	“Please, Arru. I need to see Tomoyo-chan.” Her eyes conveyed how 
rlm@0: deeply she meant that. She did need to see her. This woman was
rlm@0: strong, but 
rlm@0: losing her only child after that was killing her. He knew that she’d
rlm@0: agreed to 
rlm@0: help the Project in the hopes of one day bringing back her cousin,
rlm@0: her one true 
rlm@0: love, but now she had lost her daughter as well. 
rlm@0: 	He sighed. He had been able to see Beth, his first wife and the only 
rlm@0: woman he had ever truly loved, even if for only a short time. They
rlm@0: may not be 
rlm@0: able to save Tomoyo, but was it fair to rob her of a final chance of
rlm@0: seeing her 
rlm@0: daughter alive? “Sonomi, you’re putting me in a hard spot here. Let
rlm@0: me get you 
rlm@0: and your friends some rooms and we can talk about it.”
rlm@0: 	“He’s there, isn’t he? He’s back with my Tomoyo-chan. He can save 
rlm@0: her, right?” Sonomi had eliminated the distance between herself and
rlm@0: Al. This 
rlm@0: was her last chance. She had to pray it would work. She had barely
rlm@0: survived 
rlm@0: Nadeshiko’s loss, and that was only because she had had Tomoyo. Now
rlm@0: she had 
rlm@0: nothing. She couldn’t let things stay this way. 
rlm@0: 	Looking away, Al frowned. “He’s... Back around then. But not close 
rlm@0: enough to stop it. A month back. We think he’s supposed to fix
rlm@0: something else.”
rlm@0: 	Sonomi balled her fists angrily. “No!! He’s back there to save
rlm@0: Tomoyo-
rlm@0: chan! Maybe he got sent back too far or he needs to fix something
rlm@0: else while 
rlm@0: he’s at it, but he’s there to save my dear Tomoyo-chan!” Her English
rlm@0: was 
rlm@0: heavily accented, the long plane ride making it difficult for her to
rlm@0: concentrate. 
rlm@0: 	“Let me get you a room first and then we can figure everything out.
rlm@0: I 
rlm@0: promise I’ll let you see her. Sam’s back with her now.” Al motioned
rlm@0: for them to 
rlm@0: follow, but Sonomi moved past him. 
rlm@0: 	“I need to see Tomoyo-chan now. I need to see her alive and well. 
rlm@0: Moving and smiling and singing. I need to get the image of her in a
rlm@0: casket out of 
rlm@0: my head. I need to see my baby.” Sonomi stopped as she tried to
rlm@0: remember the 
rlm@0: layout from the blueprints she’d seen. Where was the Imaging Chamber
rlm@0: again?
rlm@0: 	The bodyguards tensed up as Al grabbed her shoulder. Sonomi hardly 
rlm@0: seemed to notice. Al’s hand eased off when he noticed the tears in
rlm@0: her eyes. “It’s 
rlm@0: this way.” 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	Sam blinked as he watched the space his holographic companion had 
rlm@0: occupied moments before. Al had looked pretty shocked about
rlm@0: something, but 
rlm@0: he hadn’t bothered telling Sam about it. And so he was stuck with
rlm@0: the news that 
rlm@0: the best friend of the girl he was currently inhabiting would kill
rlm@0: herself in a 
rlm@0: month’s time and that it didn’t look like there was anything he
rlm@0: could do about it. 
rlm@0: This didn’t make for a very comforting break from classes. A hand on
rlm@0: his 
rlm@0: shoulder nearly sent him into a panic.
rlm@0: 	“Sakura-chan? What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” 
rlm@0: Tomoyo watched the brunette in front of her carefully, brushing some
rlm@0: hair from 
rlm@0: Sam’s eyes. Her stormy blue eyes were so loving, so concerned for
rlm@0: the well 
rlm@0: being of this Sakura. Even if the situation was a little strange, it
rlm@0: still tore at 
rlm@0: Sam’s heart to know where it would lead. 
rlm@0: 	“Err... Yeah, something like that, Tomoyo. Don’t worry about it.
rlm@0: Let’s 
rlm@0: get some lunch.” Sam offered another smile, but he couldn’t help but
rlm@0: cast 
rlm@0: another glance back at the pale girl as he headed for a bench to eat
rlm@0: at. He 
rlm@0: couldn’t tell that anything so dark could be lurking under Tomoyo’s
rlm@0: peaceful, if 
rlm@0: eccentric, exterior. Could Al have been wrong? No, not likely. So it
rlm@0: seemed that 
rlm@0: she was extremely good at hiding her feelings. Which was probably
rlm@0: why Sakura 
rlm@0: had no idea about them. But that didn’t make it any easier to handle
rlm@0: the 
rlm@0: situation. And what about the long awaited return of Sakura’s
rlm@0: boyfriend? What 
rlm@0: was he supposed to do about it all? 
rlm@0: 	Tomoyo sat down next to Sam, watching him closely as he ate. He 
rlm@0: fumbled with the chopsticks for a moment before she reached over and
rlm@0: helped 
rlm@0: adjust his grip. She smiled pleasantly as he got out a quick thanks.
rlm@0: It went on 
rlm@0: quietly for a few minutes, her eyes never leaving Sam as he ate. She
rlm@0: finally 
rlm@0: tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. 
rlm@0: 	Sam looked back in confusion, some rice half in his mouth. “Is 
rlm@0: something wrong?” he asked after a moment. This girl did act rather
rlm@0: strangely, 
rlm@0: so he wouldn’t be surprised if this sort of behavior was normal for
rlm@0: her. 
rlm@0: 	“You’re not Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo whispered, leaning closer so that 
rlm@0: no one would hear. Her eyes were locked on Sam’s, as if looking past
rlm@0: the body 
rlm@0: and deep into his soul, as if he couldn’t hide in it at all. 
rlm@0: 	Sam dropped the little ball of rice, his eyes wide. He almost
rlm@0: choked on 
rlm@0: what was in his mouth. “What?” he got out quietly, a little above a
rlm@0: chirp. This 
rlm@0: couldn’t be right. No matter how poorly he did as someone, people
rlm@0: rarely ever 
rlm@0: guessed that anything was wrong, let alone that he wasn’t who they
rlm@0: thought he 
rlm@0: was. “What do you mean?” He tried to keep his voice steady this
rlm@0: time, throwing 
rlm@0: in the confusion that was swirling through him.
rlm@0: 	Tomoyo shook her head. “You’re not her. I don’t know who you are. If 
rlm@0: you’re a mage or another Card or something else entirely. But you’re
rlm@0: not 
rlm@0: Sakura-chan. You’ve been acting strangely all morning, nothing like
rlm@0: her. Your 
rlm@0: mannerisms are all wrong. You don’t have the same look in your eyes.
rlm@0: Your 
rlm@0: smile’s different. You aren’t lost in a haze of emotions that ebb
rlm@0: and flow 
rlm@0: rapidly. You don’t have the energy she does. You’re soul’s completely 
rlm@0: different.” She paused, watching his reaction. She could have gone
rlm@0: on for hours 
rlm@0: about the differences between him and her beloved Sakura-chan, but
rlm@0: that 
rlm@0: seemed to be enough. Her panic was suppressed, but barely. If this
rlm@0: person was 
rlm@0: replacing Sakura, then where was the Cardmistress? 
rlm@0: 	“I... uhh... Al...” Sam looked around quickly, hoping for any sort
rlm@0: of 
rlm@0: back up that he could get, even the holographic type. She didn’t
rlm@0: seem to have 
rlm@0: any sort of psychic ability, yet somehow she had seen through him.
rlm@0: And he 
rlm@0: didn’t know what to do about that. So he gave up. A sigh escaped his
rlm@0: lips, or 
rlm@0: Sakura's lips, as the case may be. “Well... No, I’m not. My name is
rlm@0: Dr. Sam 
rlm@0: Beckett. I’m from the future. Or I used to be. But I’m here to fix
rlm@0: things. To put 
rlm@0: right what once went wrong.”
rlm@0: 	Tomoyo clasped her hands together worriedly. “Did something bad 
rlm@0: happen to Sakura-chan? Is that what you’re here to fix? Where is
rlm@0: she? Please tell 
rlm@0: me. I need to know what’s become of her.” Her mind came up with
rlm@0: plenty of 
rlm@0: images of what could have happened to the Cardmistress, but she
rlm@0: pushed them 
rlm@0: back with all of her might. Now wasn’t the time to panic. She had to
rlm@0: stay calm 
rlm@0: so that she could figure out what had happened to Sakura. Her dark
rlm@0: eyes pleaded 
rlm@0: with Sam’s to explain to her.
rlm@0: 	“No, she should be just fine. She’s back in the future right now.
rlm@0: Where 
rlm@0: I come from. We think that something went badly in her life or the
rlm@0: life of 
rlm@0: someone she knows.” ‘Like you,’ Sam mentally added. “So I’m here to
rlm@0: try and 
rlm@0: fix it so that things can go smoothly for her.”
rlm@0: 	“You’re a sweet person to want to fix things for Sakura-chan. But
rlm@0: what 
rlm@0: could be wrong for her? I’ve been keeping a close eye on her and
rlm@0: she’s been 
rlm@0: perfectly fine.” Tomoyo’s fingers gripped the cool grass beneath her
rlm@0: as her mind 
rlm@0: swam, trying to find anything that would have gone wrong. “She’s
rlm@0: been doing 
rlm@0: perfectly well lately. And now that Li-kun’s back...” Her melodious
rlm@0: voice trailed 
rlm@0: off as she began picking up on it. “Now that Li-kun’s back, things
rlm@0: are changing. 
rlm@0: So I don’t know what will happen to her.” This was all so sudden.
rlm@0: She had 
rlm@0: known that something had happened to Sakura when she’d started acting 
rlm@0: strangely this morning. But now her fears were proven by her
rlm@0: replacement. 
rlm@0: What could have gone wrong? Things seemed perfect for Sakura. She
rlm@0: had her 
rlm@0: beloved back in Japan with her and she didn’t have anymore troubles
rlm@0: with the 
rlm@0: Cards and her high school entrance exams were still over a year away.
rlm@0: 	Before Sam could reply, the boy in question sat down next to him.
rlm@0: Sam 
rlm@0: smiled warmly before casting an apologetic glance to Tomoyo. He’d
rlm@0: have to 
rlm@0: explain later. For now he’d have to keep things up with his
rlm@0: boyfriend. Scooting 
rlm@0: closer to the Chinese boy, Sam let out an inward sigh and kept
rlm@0: eating. An arm 
rlm@0: slowly went around his shoulders, pulling him even closer. It did
rlm@0: feel nice and 
rlm@0: warm...
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	Everything was upside down. At least, that’s how Sakura felt. What 
rlm@0: had happened? It took her a moment to fight through the
rlm@0: disorientation and 
rlm@0: finally sit up. She was in a bed with the sheets tangled around her.
rlm@0: So it must 
rlm@0: have all been some horrible dream. She had been in some strange
rlm@0: place all 
rlm@0: alone. No Tomoyo-chan or Syaoran by her side. Her school fuku had
rlm@0: been 
rlm@0: replaced by some white bodysuit. And the body in it was most
rlm@0: certainly not her 
rlm@0: own. It seemed to belong to a much older man. She had screamed and
rlm@0: fainted 
rlm@0: upon her discovery. But now that she was awake in bed, the whole
rlm@0: thing must be 
rlm@0: over. The last thing she could remember before the nightmare had
rlm@0: been seeing 
rlm@0: Syaoran again. He had been just about to kiss her before she found
rlm@0: herself in the 
rlm@0: strange room. A melancholy sigh escaped her lips at that. Syaoran
rlm@0: must have 
rlm@0: been a dream as well. He was probably still in Hong Kong. Oh well.
rlm@0: She’d have 
rlm@0: to tell Tomoyo about her dream and see what she thought. Tomoyo
rlm@0: always made 
rlm@0: her feel better about things when she was confused or nervous. Or
rlm@0: lonely. Which 
rlm@0: was probably why she dreamed up Syaoran being with her in Japan. 
rlm@0: 	Her heart sinking in her chest, Sakura slid off the small bed. She
rlm@0: yelped 
rlm@0: a little when her bare feet touched the cold ground. Where were her
rlm@0: slippers? 
rlm@0: And why was the ground cold? Blinking groggily, her eyes traversed
rlm@0: the room 
rlm@0: she was in. It was empty aside from the small bed in the center and
rlm@0: completely 
rlm@0: white. The lights from above cast dark shadows against the white
rlm@0: floor. Her 
rlm@0: heart started pounding in her chest as she turned around, trying to
rlm@0: find out where 
rlm@0: she was. She was trapped somewhere. That realization brought a
rlm@0: trickle of fear 
rlm@0: through her soul. What was going on? She had all of the Sakura Cards
rlm@0: now, so 
rlm@0: this must be some other form of magic. But who would do this to her?
rlm@0: She 
rlm@0: clutched for the key, but her hand grasped nothing but air. Her eyes
rlm@0: darted down 
rlm@0: in horror to see the all white jumpsuit on again. And a masculine
rlm@0: body 
rlm@0: underneath. Another scream escaped her lips, but this time she
rlm@0: retained 
rlm@0: consciousness. Silence reigned throughout the small room, punctuated
rlm@0: only by 
rlm@0: her rapid breathing.
rlm@0: 	“Where am I? What’s going on?” she asked in a tiny voice. She turned 
rlm@0: around in a circle, looking for some sort of door or any way out.
rlm@0: Anything but 
rlm@0: the constant white cube she was imprisoned in. If she didn’t have
rlm@0: her magic, 
rlm@0: what could she do? No, someone would notice she was missing. They
rlm@0: would 
rlm@0: find her. Tomoyo would know something was wrong. And Syaoran, Yue,
rlm@0: and 
rlm@0: Cerebrus would come to her rescue. Slumping back on the bed,
rlm@0: Sakura’s mind 
rlm@0: raced for some sort of explanation. Her heart nearly stopped when
rlm@0: she heard a 
rlm@0: whooshing sound and a door she hadn’t noticed sliding open. In
rlm@0: walked a 
rlm@0: woman in a lab coat with dark skin. She smiled softly to the
rlm@0: bewildered 
rlm@0: Cardmistress as she stepped forward slowly. The woman’s mouth opened
rlm@0: and 
rlm@0: she began speaking oddly, in a language that Sakura had trouble
rlm@0: following. She 
rlm@0: could make out some of it from her english class, but she wasn’t
rlm@0: fluent enough 
rlm@0: to make it all out. The woman sighed and said something to a
rlm@0: ‘Ziggy’. A female 
rlm@0: voice replied from some point in the roof and then translated what
rlm@0: the woman 
rlm@0: had said into Japanese. Sakura sighed and closed her eyes. This was
rlm@0: getting 
rlm@0: more and more difficult to make any sense out of.
rlm@0: 	“Hello. My name is Doctor Verbeena Beeks. I’m sorry that we didn’t 
rlm@0: have a chance to speak earlier, but you passed out before I could
rlm@0: come in.” She 
rlm@0: had a calm, almost motherly manner about her. Something about the
rlm@0: woman 
rlm@0: helped put Sakura at ease. At least a bit more than she had been.
rlm@0: Dr. Beeks 
rlm@0: gestured for her to take a seat on the bed, holding a notepad under
rlm@0: one arm. 
rlm@0: Sakura complied, sliding up onto the bed, never taking her eyes off
rlm@0: of the only 
rlm@0: other person in the room. “Now maybe I can help make things a little
rlm@0: more 
rlm@0: comfortable for you. And maybe you can give me a little information
rlm@0: so we can 
rlm@0: get you back home sooner.”
rlm@0: 	“What’s happened to me? Why am I here? Where is here? Hoe...” 
rlm@0: Sakura could feel the fear welling up inside of her again, but she
rlm@0: refused to let it 
rlm@0: get a good grip. She had been through too much by now. This was
rlm@0: bizarre, but 
rlm@0: she would make it out all right. Everything would always be all
rlm@0: right. She had to 
rlm@0: believe that. Even if it was hard to sometimes. She heard her words
rlm@0: being 
rlm@0: translated into English and again looked around for the source of
rlm@0: the voice. 
rlm@0: 	The woman spoke again, a slight delay carrying between her words and 
rlm@0: the translation from the voice in the roof. “You’re here in what we
rlm@0: call the 
rlm@0: Waiting Room. It’s a little Spartan, but we never know who will show
rlm@0: up.” She 
rlm@0: paused for a moment as she tried to decide how much she should
rlm@0: divulge to the 
rlm@0: visitor. Some people she had explained their situation to, but most
rlm@0: of them 
rlm@0: wound up thinking they had been kidnapped by aliens or that it had
rlm@0: all been a 
rlm@0: bad dream. It was easier when there wasn’t such a big difference
rlm@0: between the 
rlm@0: bodies. She had already had trouble with a young girl in Sam’s body.
rlm@0: It didn’t 
rlm@0: seem like there had been any permanent mental trauma, thankfully,
rlm@0: but she 
rlm@0: didn’t want to try again with this girl, even if she was a bit
rlm@0: older. She hoped that 
rlm@0: this leap would be over quickly enough. “You’ve been replaced by a
rlm@0: friend of 
rlm@0: mine, a Dr. Sam Beckett. He’s living your life for a few days to fix
rlm@0: something 
rlm@0: that had gone wrong in it the first time around. When he’s done,
rlm@0: you’ll go back 
rlm@0: and everything will be perfectly fine again.” Her voice remained
rlm@0: calm, soothing. 
rlm@0: Even if Ziggy had to translate for the both of them, she still
rlm@0: wanted to convey a 
rlm@0: reassuring tone to the younger girl, something that Ziggy didn’t
rlm@0: always worry 
rlm@0: about. Ziggy was too worried about her calculations at this point
rlm@0: anyway. Sam 
rlm@0: had never leapt this close to home before and she was having
rlm@0: difficulty finding 
rlm@0: any solid information about any of it. Which frustrated the hybrid
rlm@0: super 
rlm@0: computer to no ends. 
rlm@0: 	“Nani!?” Sakura’s emerald eyes went wide as she swallowed the 
rlm@0: information. Her head shook quickly. No, she didn’t like that at
rlm@0: all. This was 
rlm@0: definitely not a good usage of magic at all. “But why? I have Onii-
rlm@0: chan and 
rlm@0: Tomoyo-chan and Yukito-san and Kero-chan and Syaoran all looking out
rlm@0: for 
rlm@0: me. And I’m the Ca... I can take care of myself, too. And why
rlm@0: couldn’t you just 
rlm@0: tell me if something was going to go wrong? You didn’t need to
rlm@0: replace me for 
rlm@0: it.” 
rlm@0: 	Dr. Beeks sighed, pulling up her notebook and the information Ziggy 
rlm@0: had given her on fourteen year old Sakura Kinomoto. The man on the
rlm@0: bed that 
rlm@0: looked exactly like Sam Beckett looked uncertain and confused, a
rlm@0: tinge of fright 
rlm@0: in his eyes. But there was also a determination laced underneath it
rlm@0: all, even 
rlm@0: amidst the swirling emotions. And with the way he was sitting, he
rlm@0: looked very 
rlm@0: much like a little girl that had been lost in a store. After all
rlm@0: this time of working 
rlm@0: with Sam’s body and whatever soul was currently inhabiting it, she
rlm@0: had learned 
rlm@0: to ignore the fact that it always looked the same and to look for
rlm@0: the mannerisms 
rlm@0: of the person underneath. “I’m afraid that it just doesn’t work like
rlm@0: that. We don’t 
rlm@0: have any control where he goes. He just replaces the person for a
rlm@0: little while to 
rlm@0: fix something in their life.”
rlm@0: 	“But there’s nothing wrong in my life!” Sakura said in frustration.
rlm@0: She 
rlm@0: knew she was close to tears, but she didn’t care. This whole thing
rlm@0: was just too 
rlm@0: much for her to be taking at the moment. She wanted to be back home
rlm@0: with the 
rlm@0: ones that loved her. There was nothing in her life that needed
rlm@0: fixing. At least, 
rlm@0: nothing she couldn’t handle. This place was all wrong.
rlm@0: 	Smiling a little sadly, the doctor shook her head. “I’m afraid God,
rlm@0: Fate, 
rlm@0: Time, or whoever’s leaping Sam around through time doesn’t seem to
rlm@0: think so. 
rlm@0: But try not to worry too much. It usually works out for the best.”
rlm@0: Pulling up the 
rlm@0: notes again, she thought to herself, ‘Let’s hope this isn’t one of
rlm@0: the few times it 
rlm@0: doesn’t.’ 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	“Ziggy, I need you to draw some more power for the Imaging 
rlm@0: Chamber. I need enough so that someone else can be seen, too,” Al
rlm@0: said as he 
rlm@0: brushed past Gooshie and Tina. The two watched in confusion as the
rlm@0: Japanese 
rlm@0: woman and her entourage of bodyguards followed close behind. 
rlm@0: 	“But Admiral, what would the purpose be of allowing Dr. Beckett to 
rlm@0: see Ms. Daidouji?” the female voice that was Ziggy asked from
rlm@0: everywhere and 
rlm@0: nowhere in particular.
rlm@0: 	“Just do it, Ziggy. I don’t have time for this. Unless you want to
rlm@0: give 
rlm@0: me some information on what’s going on.” Al paused in front of the
rlm@0: Imaging 
rlm@0: Chamber door, waiting for a response. He knew he’d hurt Ziggy’s
rlm@0: feelings as 
rlm@0: the computer paused for a moment. There was no other reason for the
rlm@0: pause 
rlm@0: because the computer worked at unimaginably high speeds. But she was
rlm@0: very 
rlm@0: tempermental, especially about this leap.
rlm@0: 	“Admiral, may I remind you that with the leap taking place little
rlm@0: more 
rlm@0: than a month ago, I am highly limited in my abilities to gain
rlm@0: information about 
rlm@0: the situation Dr. Beckett finds himself in. He shouldn’t be this
rlm@0: close to us. How 
rlm@0: am I supposed to find the necessary data when I have nothing to base
rlm@0: any of it 
rlm@0: on? A young Japanese school girl from the past month is difficult to
rlm@0: find 
rlm@0: information on, especially anything vital enough to require Dr.
rlm@0: Beckett’s 
rlm@0: immediate attention. I’m putting all available resources to
rlm@0: discovering the 
rlm@0: reason for this leap as well as why Dr. Beckett is so close to our
rlm@0: time. Perhaps 
rlm@0: we could switch jobs and you could perform mine to your liking,
rlm@0: Admiral.” 
rlm@0: Ziggy’s calm voice still managed to showcase her frustration and her
rlm@0: bruised 
rlm@0: ego.  
rlm@0: 	Al sighed, rubbing his temples. He was getting too old for this. 
rlm@0: “Nevermind, Ziggy. Just draw up some more power, will ya?” This leap
rlm@0: was 
rlm@0: getting to everyone. Ziggy was having trouble because of the near
rlm@0: impossibility 
rlm@0: of this leap, Donna because Sam was so close to home, and he was
rlm@0: still trying to 
rlm@0: hold the whole circus together. 
rlm@0: 	“So that is Ziggy? How remarkable.” Sonomi looked at the oddly put 
rlm@0: together computer. She had heard of some of the design
rlm@0: specifications for the 
rlm@0: hybrid super computer and had heard Al’s complaints about her ego,
rlm@0: but she had 
rlm@0: never actually thought she was this advanced. But she had a feeling
rlm@0: she liked the 
rlm@0: computer’s personality already.
rlm@0: 	“This way, Sonomi-san,” Al said, gesturing to the door with the 
rlm@0: handlink. Punching in a button, the door slid open. He sighed and
rlm@0: took a step 
rlm@0: into the glowing light. He may not like this, but he understood. It
rlm@0: had torn him 
rlm@0: up to see Beth that one last time when she couldn’t see or hear him,
rlm@0: but he knew 
rlm@0: that he had needed it. He missed her so much, that he treasured even
rlm@0: that one 
rlm@0: bittersweet moment with her. He knew that Sonomi had gone through
rlm@0: the same 
rlm@0: with someone named Nadeshiko. That was part of why they had stayed
rlm@0: in touch. 
rlm@0: They had both suffered through losing their only true love and had
rlm@0: somehow 
rlm@0: managed to continue on through the pain. In a way, it was why both
rlm@0: of them had 
rlm@0: put faith into Project Quantum Leap. And now Sonomi had lost the
rlm@0: last thing 
rlm@0: keeping her going. So despite his doubts, he had to let her see.
rlm@0: Especially if Sam 
rlm@0: couldn’t fix things for her. Then this might be the last time she
rlm@0: would see her 
rlm@0: alive.
rlm@0: 	Sonomi stopped for only a moment to motion the bodyguards to stay 
rlm@0: where they were before stepping after Al. Her heart pounded with
rlm@0: anxiety. What 
rlm@0: would happen? Would she be there? She needed to see her little girl
rlm@0: again. The 
rlm@0: past few days had been hell for her. First Nadeshiko and now her own
rlm@0: daughter, 
rlm@0: who reminded her so much of her dearly departed cousin. She had no
rlm@0: idea why 
rlm@0: she was still going on or what was holding her together. Her pain
rlm@0: was getting 
rlm@0: ever more acute, and she had no place for it to go. She couldn’t
rlm@0: hate Sakura, not 
rlm@0: the way she hated Fujitaka. Yet both had taken away those she loved,
rlm@0: albeit 
rlm@0: Sakura had done so unknowingly. But she still couldn’t quite forgive
rlm@0: the 
rlm@0: brunette for taking away her loving daughter, even if she was
rlm@0: Nadeshiko’s 
rlm@0: daughter. 
rlm@0: 	And suddenly, everything was different. They were standing outside
rlm@0: of 
rlm@0: Tomoyo’s school. It appeared to be around lunchtime, with all of the
rlm@0: students 
rlm@0: sitting in groups, eating. It was as if they had stepped directly
rlm@0: from that door in 
rlm@0: Project Quantum Leap out into Tomoeda. Sonomi stood in shock as a
rlm@0: student 
rlm@0: walked right through her. She knew this was all one big hologram,
rlm@0: but it seemed 
rlm@0: so real. 
rlm@0: 	Sam stared at the observer and the woman standing next to him. A boy 
rlm@0: had passed right through her. Which meant she was in the Imaging
rlm@0: Chamber 
rlm@0: with him. He tried to extricate himself from Syaoran’s grasp, but
rlm@0: the Chinese 
rlm@0: boy continued holding on. He mouthed ‘What is she doing here?’ to
rlm@0: Al, who 
rlm@0: shook his head uncomprehendingly for a moment before nodding. 
rlm@0: 	Taking a few steps closer, Al hunched next to Sam, out of Sonomi’s 
rlm@0: range of hearing. “Ohhh... She’s Sonomi Daidouji, Sam. Your best
rlm@0: friend’s 
rlm@0: mother. She wanted to see Tomoyo again. And don’t argue, you big boy
rlm@0: scout. It 
rlm@0: won’t change my mind. I’m still in charge of the Project from here.
rlm@0: Besides, she 
rlm@0: misses her daughter. You have to understand that. I couldn’t just
rlm@0: send her away 
rlm@0: without ever being able to see her again.”
rlm@0: 	Sam sighed in defeat and nodded. It did make sense, even if he
rlm@0: didn’t 
rlm@0: really like the idea. But if he couldn’t stop Tomoyo from killing
rlm@0: herself, then 
rlm@0: this was for the best. How would he feel if she never saw her again? 
rlm@0: 	“Is your friend here?” Tomoyo whispered to Sam, unknowingly also 
rlm@0: next to Al’s ear. Al stared at Sam incredulously. “You told her?
rlm@0: Sam! You know 
rlm@0: you’re not supposed to tell anybody. Great. This is just great.”
rlm@0: 	“She guessed,” Sam got out through a nervous smile. He went back to 
rlm@0: eating as Syaoran looked at him oddly. He nodded in acknowledgement
rlm@0: of 
rlm@0: Tomoyo’s question. 
rlm@0: 	“Guessed?” Turning his attention to the pale girl, he could see her 
rlm@0: stormy blue eyes, deep and intelligent. Sonomi had always told him
rlm@0: that she was 
rlm@0: very perceptive and the few times he had met her had proven that. He
rlm@0: just hadn’t 
rlm@0: guessed to what extent. 
rlm@0: 	“Tomoyo-chan...” Tears dripped down Sonomi’s cheeks as she saw her 
rlm@0: daughter, alive and well before her eyes once again. It hadn’t been
rlm@0: that long ago 
rlm@0: that she had seen the young girl in a coffin, her soul already gone
rlm@0: from her 
rlm@0: beautiful body. But here she was again, shining the way she always
rlm@0: had, an 
rlm@0: ephemeral shimmer that seemed to encompass her sweet spirit. “Oh,
rlm@0: Tomoyo-
rlm@0: chan... My baby, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there when you
rlm@0: needed me. 
rlm@0: You’re the most precious thing in my life. Honey, I never should
rlm@0: have left you 
rlm@0: alone when I saw you breaking. I noticed the cracks in your shell
rlm@0: and I tried to 
rlm@0: help, but you kept insisting that everything was all right. I wanted
rlm@0: to help, but I 
rlm@0: thought that all I could do was be there for you when you needed me.
rlm@0: I never 
rlm@0: thought that you’d...” Her fists clenched, her nails digging into
rlm@0: her palms 
rlm@0: painfully as she fell to her knees beside the young heiress. “Tomoyo-
rlm@0: chan, I love 
rlm@0: you, my little daughter. I never wanted to see you get hurt the way
rlm@0: I was. I never 
rlm@0: wanted you to have to live through that. But now... My baby...” Her
rlm@0: body shook 
rlm@0: as she reached out to Tomoyo, her fingers slipping through the
rlm@0: hologram. 
rlm@0: Tomoyo still looked happy, but Sonomi could see that it was masking
rlm@0: her 
rlm@0: nervousness and fear underneath. For what? Probably for Sakura.
rlm@0: Sonomi’s gaze 
rlm@0: fell on the girl with the emerald eyes, her tears still streaming
rlm@0: down her cheeks. 
rlm@0: Her heart rolled over as she watched, still being held by Syaoran.
rlm@0: And yet 
rlm@0: Tomoyo was still pretending to be happy. She had kept up that mask of 
rlm@0: happiness for her friend until the day she had died. 
rlm@0: 	“It’s not her, Sonomi,” Al explained as he stood up. “That’s Sam. We 
rlm@0: don’t know why he leapt back into Sakura yet, but we’re looking into
rlm@0: it.”
rlm@0: 	Shaking her head, Sonomi tried to compose herself, not moving from 
rlm@0: Tomoyo’s side. “To keep Tomoyo-chan from killing herself, of course!
rlm@0: Why 
rlm@0: else would he be back here?” She was still nearly frantic, finally
rlm@0: able to see her 
rlm@0: daughter again but unable to even talk to her. “It will be all
rlm@0: right, Tomoyo-chan. 
rlm@0: I promise. We’ll fix everything. You just stay strong for your
rlm@0: mother. I promise 
rlm@0: I’ll make everything better,” She said reassuringly, trying to
rlm@0: stroke her 
rlm@0: daughter’s hair. Her fingers went through the empty space, but it
rlm@0: almost looked 
rlm@0: like she had heard her. “Oh, Tomoyo-chan...” It hurt to look at her,
rlm@0: but she 
rlm@0: couldn’t take her eyes away. The last time she had seen that face,
rlm@0: her eyes had 
rlm@0: been closed for the last time. Sonomi’s heart paused with every
rlm@0: blink. 
rlm@0: 	Al watched from the side for a moment, glancing down to the handlink 
rlm@0: and back up. He knew what torture it was to finally see someone
rlm@0: you’d lost and 
rlm@0: not be able to interact with them. In a way, this would have been
rlm@0: easier to handle 
rlm@0: had Sonomi been here to see Nadeshiko. When she had lost Tomoyo, she
rlm@0: had 
rlm@0: lost everything. This was a woman in huge amounts of pain. He only
rlm@0: hoped that 
rlm@0: the sight would give her hope. Turning his attention back to Sam,
rlm@0: the handlink 
rlm@0: gave its usual squeak of protest as Al slapped it on the side.
rlm@0: “Still no new 
rlm@0: information, Sam. And Ziggy’s not very happy about this at all. She
rlm@0: says you 
rlm@0: shouldn’t be leaping so close to us. I’ll tell you what we figure
rlm@0: out as soon as we 
rlm@0: find it. Whatever it is. I’ve got Beeks talking to Sakura right now
rlm@0: and maybe 
rlm@0: Sonomi can help us figure out what you’re here to fix.” His eyes
rlm@0: went back to 
rlm@0: the grieving woman, not noticing Sam’s slow nod of approval. He
rlm@0: shook his 
rlm@0: head and punched up the door. With all that she had been through, he
rlm@0: didn’t 
rlm@0: want to interrupt her. He would come back in a bit. 
rlm@0: 	Sitting next to her daughter, watching her intently as if afraid
rlm@0: that she 
rlm@0: would soon enough drop dead in front of her very eyes, Sonomi
rlm@0: continued 
rlm@0: whispering assurances to the smiling dark haired girl. And unknowing
rlm@0: of the 
rlm@0: guardian angel watching over her, Tomoyo continued her lunch.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	It had been difficult for Sam to ignore Tomoyo’s mother for the
rlm@0: rest of 
rlm@0: lunch, but he was the only one who could see her. He wanted to help,
rlm@0: to say 
rlm@0: something that could take that terrible pain from her eyes, but he
rlm@0: couldn’t with 
rlm@0: everyone around. She had finally left a little after lunch had
rlm@0: ended, talking to Al 
rlm@0: for a bit before the Observer had finally convinced her to leave the
rlm@0: Imaging 
rlm@0: Chamber. Sam had considered telling Tomoyo, but thought it would only 
rlm@0: complicate matters if she knew her mother was there. Let alone why
rlm@0: she was 
rlm@0: there. 
rlm@0: 	School had finally ended and he had absolutely no idea where his
rlm@0: home 
rlm@0: was. And no Al to tell him either. He sighed and glanced around,
rlm@0: hoping to see 
rlm@0: the Imaging Chamber door opening and the always oddly dressed Al
rlm@0: walking 
rlm@0: out. No such luck. A hand grabbing his own shook him from his
rlm@0: thoughts. 
rlm@0: Turning, he saw Syaoran’s face in it’s usual impassive look. But he
rlm@0: could notice 
rlm@0: a slight blush coloring his cheeks. Sam smiled a bit. It looked like
rlm@0: the body he 
rlm@0: was in gave a good impression at the least. 
rlm@0: 	“Do you want to come with me? I still have some unpacking to do, but 
rlm@0: I thought we could do something when I’m done with that,” the
rlm@0: Chinese boy 
rlm@0: said after a moment’s hesitation. 
rlm@0: 	“I’m sure she would love to, Li-kun, but Sakura-chan’s not feeling
rlm@0: very 
rlm@0: well. I just cancelled her cheerleading for today and I’m going to
rlm@0: take her right 
rlm@0: home. But Sakura-chan would love to go see it when she’s feeling
rlm@0: better. I’m 
rlm@0: afraid all of the excitement today has taken its toll on her. You
rlm@0: know how 
rlm@0: worked up girls can get over their boyfriends, Li-kun.” Tomoyo’s
rlm@0: sweet voice 
rlm@0: drifted to the two as she exited the front door to the school and
rlm@0: approached 
rlm@0: Sam’s other side. She was smiling her usual insanely cute smile.
rlm@0: Syaoran didn’t 
rlm@0: seem impressed with it. 	
rlm@0: 	Sam nodded in agreement quickly. “Yeah, I really should get some
rlm@0: rest. 
rlm@0: I haven’t been feeling like myself all day. I’ll see you soon,
rlm@0: Syaoran.” He felt 
rlm@0: bad to be leaving Sakura’s boyfriend behind the day he had returned
rlm@0: to Japan to 
rlm@0: see her, but it was so much easier that way. He didn’t want to think
rlm@0: about all of 
rlm@0: the problems of going over to his house and dealing with it all. 
rlm@0: 	Shrugging noncommittally, Syaoran looked at Sam. “Okay. I’ll see you 
rlm@0: then. Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you home instead?”
rlm@0: 	“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it. You just finish
rlm@0: packing,” Sam 
rlm@0: answered with a smile. The last thing he needed right now was to
rlm@0: talk about the 
rlm@0: ‘old times’ that he had no idea about. 
rlm@0: 	“And the sooner you finish packing, the sooner you can come and see 
rlm@0: Sakura-chan in bed. I’ll do my best to nurse her back to health for
rlm@0: you,” 
rlm@0: Tomoyo added kindly, taking Sam’s other hand. The fingers
rlm@0: intertwined with 
rlm@0: those of Sakura’s body in a smooth, unconscious movement. 
rlm@0: 	Syaoran frowned and shook his head. He had finally gotten back and 
rlm@0: now Sakura had to get sick. It wasn’t fair. She was the whole reason
rlm@0: he had 
rlm@0: come back in the first place. “I’ll try to see you later tonight,
rlm@0: Sakura-chan. Feel 
rlm@0: better soon.” Hesitating for a moment, but getting a look of
rlm@0: reassurance from 
rlm@0: Tomoyo the same way she had always tried to get him to tell Sakura
rlm@0: how he felt, 
rlm@0: he leaned forward and kissed Sakura.
rlm@0: 	Sam’s eyes went wide as he felt the boy’s lips against his own
rlm@0: again. 
rlm@0: Well, the one’s he was using at the moment anyway. But it didn’t
rlm@0: feel altogether 
rlm@0: unpleasant as his lips pressed against those of the Japanese girl he
rlm@0: was 
rlm@0: inhabiting. And he needed to keep things together until his host
rlm@0: returned. 
rlm@0: Sighing inwardly, Sam kissed back slightly. Syaoran finally pulled
rlm@0: away, 
rlm@0: blushing a bit. Saying their goodbyes, he hurried off for home. Sam
rlm@0: stood where 
rlm@0: he was for a few moments, trying to shake the whole feeling off. But
rlm@0: being in a 
rlm@0: hormone ridden teenage body really didn’t help matters. 
rlm@0: 	“Are you ready, Sakura-chan?” Tomoyo’s voice asked from Sam’s left. 
rlm@0: When she saw him nod, she began to lead him back home. It was
rlm@0: strange seeing 
rlm@0: Sakura’s body, but not Sakura in it. It was like seeing someone
rlm@0: wearing a 
rlm@0: friend’s clothes. They clothes may look the same, but the person
rlm@0: underneath was 
rlm@0: different. It was the same watching Sam in Sakura’s body. It looked
rlm@0: like Sakura, 
rlm@0: but everything was off. The movements, the way he spoke, everything.
rlm@0: All of it 
rlm@0: strengthened her longing to have her friend back. Her mind had been
rlm@0: centered 
rlm@0: on the Cardmistress all day, barely keeping from panic. She needed
rlm@0: to know that 
rlm@0: Sakura-chan was all right. 
rlm@0: 	It took Sam a moment to realize that they were moving. At least 
rlm@0: someone knew where his home was. That solved one problem. As they
rlm@0: walked, 
rlm@0: Tomoyo chatted pleasantly about all sorts of things, from camcorders
rlm@0: to sewing 
rlm@0: to how cute Sakura was. He wondered how Sakura hadn’t noticed the
rlm@0: girl’s love 
rlm@0: for her. It seemed obvious enough and she was so warm and caring
rlm@0: towards her, 
rlm@0: even if Sam was occupying the body for the time being. “Why didn’t
rlm@0: you tell 
rlm@0: her how you feel?” Sam interrupted as she was in the middle of
rlm@0: explaining how 
rlm@0: difficult it was to videotape someone on a flying staff that was
rlm@0: dodging magic. 
rlm@0: 	Silence grew between the two for a moment. Tomoyo was smiling 
rlm@0: again when she looked at Sam. “Did your friend tell you? They must
rlm@0: have a lot 
rlm@0: of information on Sakura-chan.”
rlm@0: 	Sam nodded quietly. He felt a cold chill as he remembered Al’s 
rlm@0: explanation of why she had killed herself. “Yeah, he did. We have
rlm@0: some 
rlm@0: information, but not as much as we’d like. But he did tell me that
rlm@0: you’re in love 
rlm@0: with her. Why didn’t you tell her?”
rlm@0: 	Tomoyo looked away, concentrating on their surroundings instead of 
rlm@0: the body of her best friend. Her smile was still there, but it
rlm@0: looked marginally 
rlm@0: weaker, as if Sam had hit on a weak spot. “Because she loves Li-kun.
rlm@0: There’s no 
rlm@0: reason to tell her how I feel. That would only complicate things for
rlm@0: her. She’s 
rlm@0: happy now. As long as the one I love is happy, I’m happy, too.”
rlm@0: 	“But it can’t be healthy to keep all of that inside all the time.
rlm@0: Don’t you 
rlm@0: ever talk to anyone about it? Don’t you think that she would want to
rlm@0: know how 
rlm@0: you felt?” Sam asked, wanting desperately to change the pale girl’s
rlm@0: apparent 
rlm@0: fate. How could he make her understand?
rlm@0: 	“I think Sakura-chan was very confused about Li-kun’s feelings for
rlm@0: her. 
rlm@0: But she finally decided that she returned his feelings. And she’s
rlm@0: happy with that. 
rlm@0: I think telling her how I feel would confuse poor Sakura-chan and
rlm@0: she would 
rlm@0: feel bad about rejecting me, so it would just hurt her. If that’s
rlm@0: the case, then 
rlm@0: there really isn’t a reason to tell her. I’ll always love her,
rlm@0: whether or not she 
rlm@0: knows that. So if it comes between telling Sakura-chan and hurting
rlm@0: her or 
rlm@0: keeping it to myself and holding it all inside, I would much rather
rlm@0: keep it locked 
rlm@0: up inside. I never want her to suffer because of me.” Tomoyo’s
rlm@0: gentle voice held 
rlm@0: a tinge of sadness in it, but her smile didn’t falter again. She had
rlm@0: made her 
rlm@0: decision a long time ago. She would live her entire life alone if
rlm@0: she had to. But 
rlm@0: she wouldn’t hurt Sakura out of selfishness. Even if she did want
rlm@0: Sakura to 
rlm@0: know, no good could come from it.
rlm@0: 	Sam watched the pale girl closely for a few seconds. No wonder she 
rlm@0: tried to kill herself. She was keeping it all pent up inside. Not
rlm@0: only her love, but 
rlm@0: all of her pain as well. It had no place to go, building up as it
rlm@0: ate away at her. It 
rlm@0: finally must have grown too much for her to carry. “But don’t you
rlm@0: think killing 
rlm@0: yourself would make her sad? If you’re her best friend, do you
rlm@0: really think she’d 
rlm@0: be happy about that?” He locked eyes with Tomoyo, trying to get
rlm@0: through 
rlm@0: somehow.
rlm@0: 	Tomoyo paused for only a moment before replying with another smile, 
rlm@0: her head tilted to the side. “I’m here for Sakura-chan for as long
rlm@0: as she needs 
rlm@0: me. I will stay by her side for as long as I’m necessary to her. But
rlm@0: now she has 
rlm@0: Li-kun. And she’ll probably move back to Hong Kong with him. He’s
rlm@0: going to 
rlm@0: be the one that she’ll run to from now on. He’s the one who will be
rlm@0: the most 
rlm@0: important person in her life. She doesn’t need me anymore. He’ll be
rlm@0: the support 
rlm@0: that I always gave her. And he’ll protect her in ways I never could.
rlm@0: He’ll give 
rlm@0: her a child. So I understand that I couldn’t stay important to
rlm@0: Sakura-chan 
rlm@0: forever. I knew that she’d leave eventually and that I would just be
rlm@0: a memory. 
rlm@0: And that’s okay. Because I want her to be happy. But she doesn’t
rlm@0: need me 
rlm@0: anymore.” It did hurt inside. It hurt so badly. She wanted to stay
rlm@0: important to 
rlm@0: Sakura forever, to always be by her side. But now that was Li-kun’s
rlm@0: job. She 
rlm@0: had vowed to stay by Sakura for as long as Sakura needed her, but
rlm@0: that wouldn’t 
rlm@0: be much longer now that Syaoran was back. And so Tomoyo had thought
rlm@0: it best 
rlm@0: to fade into the background, letting herself slowly slip from Sakura
rlm@0: so that it 
rlm@0: wouldn’t hurt the other girl. Sakura wouldn’t need to miss her
rlm@0: because she’d 
rlm@0: only be a memory soon enough. A vague memory. But her heart would
rlm@0: always 
rlm@0: hold Sakura very close, always loving her. No matter what. There was
rlm@0: no reason 
rlm@0: for her to stay outside of Sakura’s life. 
rlm@0: 	“No, that’s not true! She does need you. Even if she’s in love with 
rlm@0: some other boy, that doesn’t mean you aren’t important to her.
rlm@0: You’re her 
rlm@0: friend. You’ll still remain important to her whether or not other
rlm@0: things become 
rlm@0: important in her life. You can still be happy. You can find someone
rlm@0: else and 
rlm@0: stay friends,” Sam argued, wanting something to shake the dark
rlm@0: future that lay 
rlm@0: ahead. 
rlm@0: 	Shaking her head almost imperceptibly, Tomoyo stopped. Her long, 
rlm@0: dark hair fluttered behind her in the wind. “I don’t want anyone
rlm@0: else. I love 
rlm@0: Sakura-chan. And I always will. It doesn’t matter if I’m with her.
rlm@0: Why would 
rlm@0: that change my love for her? Why would I want to find someone else?
rlm@0: To 
rlm@0: replace her? No, I’m perfectly content to hold her deep in my heart
rlm@0: for eternity. 
rlm@0: And I’ll always be her friend. Whether or not I’m here.” She smiled
rlm@0: again at 
rlm@0: Sam and continued on before he could answer. “Your brother’s
rlm@0: probably home. 
rlm@0: Try to act angry at his taunts, but don’t worry about them. He
rlm@0: really looks out 
rlm@0: for you. We’ll get you to your room before he can notice that
rlm@0: anything’s 
rlm@0: wrong.” Pulling up Sakura’s backpack, she reached in and grabbed the
rlm@0: key. 
rlm@0: 	Sam sighed as she opened the door and motioned for him to follow. 
rlm@0: This leap wasn’t offering him any easy answers. Feeling Tomoyo’s
rlm@0: hand still 
rlm@0: holding his own, he let her pull him inside. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: “You... You killed her. You killed my precious daughter all because 
rlm@0: you were too blind to see her devotion to you. You never saw the
rlm@0: pain in her that 
rlm@0: I would always see seeping around the edges whenever I would get
rlm@0: home. Why? 
rlm@0: Why did you have to take away my daughter?” Sonomi asked
rlm@0: incredulously. 
rlm@0: Sakura sobbed on the bed as her friend’s mother came closer, a look
rlm@0: of pure 
rlm@0: torment on her face. 
rlm@0: “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Sakura cried in protest.
rlm@0: She 
rlm@0: had been so happy to see Sonomi, to see anyone at all that she
rlm@0: actually knew. 
rlm@0: But after running to her and hugging her, Sonomi had broken down
rlm@0: into tears, 
rlm@0: blaming Sakura for Tomoyo’s death. Sakura was completely taken by
rlm@0: surprise. 
rlm@0: Tomoyo was dead? What had happened? What had she done? 
rlm@0: “She loved you so much. She was always there for you. Why weren’t 
rlm@0: you there when she needed you, Sakura-chan? How could you hurt her so 
rlm@0: badly?” Shaking her head, the distraught mother paused for a moment,
rlm@0: trying to 
rlm@0: get a grip on herself. She was trying desperately to remember that
rlm@0: this was 
rlm@0: Nadeshiko’s daughter as well as Fujitaka’s. It pained her greatly
rlm@0: just to be there 
rlm@0: with her. She knew damn well why Tomoyo had killed herself. She knew
rlm@0: how 
rlm@0: much her little girl loved Nadeshiko’s daughter. It was almost
rlm@0: impossible to 
rlm@0: think clearly. She had thought she would be able to handle seeing
rlm@0: Sakura this 
rlm@0: time. At the funeral she had brushed her aside, barely able to stand
rlm@0: the sight of 
rlm@0: her even though Sakura had been trying to offer comfort. But now, it
rlm@0: all came 
rlm@0: back to her. The phone call after they had found her daughter’s cold
rlm@0: body in the 
rlm@0: lake, the letter from Tomoyo telling her not to be sad, the entire
rlm@0: funeral flashing 
rlm@0: before her eyes. 
rlm@0: “Sonomi-san, please tell me what’s going on,” Sakura begged, wiping 
rlm@0: at her eyes. “Tomoyo-chan... She’s not...” The words refused to
rlm@0: leave her 
rlm@0: mouth. No, that couldn’t be it. Tomoyo had to be all right. That
rlm@0: couldn’t be why 
rlm@0: she was here. But she had never seen anyone in so much pain before.
rlm@0: It was 
rlm@0: frightening. Her own heart was on the verge of breaking. If she lost
rlm@0: Tomoyo, 
rlm@0: what would she do? Tomoyo was always there for her, always sweetly 
rlm@0: supporting whatever she did. She always went to Tomoyo for
rlm@0: everything. 
rlm@0: Tomoyo was the sun in her sky, keeping everything in her life lit
rlm@0: brightly. The 
rlm@0: brunette couldn’t fathom a world without her brilliantly smiling
rlm@0: face. That 
rlm@0: would just be too lonely. Like a world without stars in the sky or a
rlm@0: big, shining 
rlm@0: moon. Darkness would encompass her life. She needed Tomoyo.
rlm@0: Somehow managing to grasp a hold of her composure for a moment, 
rlm@0: Sonomi glared at Sakura as she stood up to her full height. “Tomoyo-
rlm@0: chan died 
rlm@0: two days ago. She drowned in a lake at the park.” Sakura gasped at
rlm@0: Sonomi’s 
rlm@0: words, tears spilling down the cheeks of the quantum physicist whose
rlm@0: body she 
rlm@0: was inhabiting. Closing her eyes, Sonomi continued. “She killed
rlm@0: herself over 
rlm@0: you, Sakura-chan. She couldn’t live without you. And I don’t blame
rlm@0: her. You 
rlm@0: meant the world to her. She loved you with all of her heart.” Her
rlm@0: words echoed 
rlm@0: in her head as she choked past them. She could almost see Tomoyo’s
rlm@0: sad ghost 
rlm@0: shaking her head, pleading with her not to be angry with Sakura.
rlm@0: Sonomi 
rlm@0: couldn’t blame Tomoyo for killing herself. But Tomoyo wouldn’t want
rlm@0: her to 
rlm@0: blame Sakura either. 
rlm@0: “No...” Crying into her hands, Sakura tried desperately to find a way 
rlm@0: out of this nightmare. It couldn’t be true. Things were getting
rlm@0: worse and worse 
rlm@0: in this horrible dream. First she was stuck all alone in some man’s
rlm@0: body while he 
rlm@0: tried to fix something that went badly in her life, then Sonomi came
rlm@0: and got mad 
rlm@0: at her and now she found out that her best friend was dead. And that
rlm@0: it was her 
rlm@0: fault. Her body shook as she was wracked with sobs. ‘Please let me
rlm@0: wake up 
rlm@0: from this! Please...’ she thought weakly to herself, her thoughts to
rlm@0: painful to 
rlm@0: continue on rationally. Her only thought was Tomoyo’s smiling face,
rlm@0: glowing 
rlm@0: brighter and brighter as she faded until all that was left was a
rlm@0: vague outline. Her 
rlm@0: hands dropped to her sides as the brunette woman grabbed her
rlm@0: shoulders, 
rlm@0: forcing her to look up. 
rlm@0: “Sakura-chan, she would never tell you because she wanted to be 
rlm@0: happy, no matter how much I told her she should. Because she thought
rlm@0: you 
rlm@0: shouldn’t know. But damn it, I can’t let you keep on ignoring my
rlm@0: daughter 
rlm@0: forever. She deserves for you to know, even if you can’t love her
rlm@0: back. Sakura-
rlm@0: chan, she loves you. She still does, my sweet little angel. She’s
rlm@0: probably 
rlm@0: watching over you just as surely as Nadeshiko-chan is.” Sonomi’s
rlm@0: gaze was 
rlm@0: piercing, the same stormy blue eyes that Tomoyo had inherited from
rlm@0: her looking 
rlm@0: deep into Sakura’s soul, unflinching in their determination.
rlm@0: 	Bursting into sobs at the intense gaze, Sakura’s eyes clenched shut 
rlm@0: again. Tomoyo’s voice chorused in her head, hundreds of different
rlm@0: things she 
rlm@0: had said tumbling end over end through her mind. She had filed them
rlm@0: all away 
rlm@0: as just strange things Tomoyo had said, but now they all began
rlm@0: making sense, as 
rlm@0: if Tomoyo was saying them all from right behind her.
rlm@0: 	“Not only is she fast, but she’s cute, too!”
rlm@0: 	“I guess you can hear the name of the person you like no matter what 
rlm@0: the circumstances.”
rlm@0: 	“Sakura-chan is so cute and happy now, so I’m happy, too.”
rlm@0: 	“Of course I would be happy if my special person liked me. But I’ll
rlm@0: be 
rlm@0: happy as long as my special person is.” 
rlm@0: 	And most painfully, “I love you, Sakura-chan.”
rlm@0: 	“I love you, too, Tomoyo-chan,” she had replied with a smile.
rlm@0: 	“I don’t think my love is the same as Sakura-chan’s,” Tomoyo had 
rlm@0: replied, looking at her sweetly as she often did when she would say
rlm@0: such things. 
rlm@0: And shortly after Sakura’s confused response, “I’ll explain when
rlm@0: you’re older.” 
rlm@0: But Tomoyo never did. Sakura had forgotten all about it and Tomoyo
rlm@0: hadn’t 
rlm@0: tried to explain to her, always being kind and loving but never
rlm@0: telling her as the 
rlm@0: years went by and she grew closer to Syaoran. And apparently, Tomoyo
rlm@0: never 
rlm@0: would have the chance to explain it to her.
rlm@0: “Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura cried quietly, shuddering. They had grown 
rlm@0: even closer over the past few years while Syaoran was back in Hong
rlm@0: Kong. The 
rlm@0: thought of living without her left her feel freezing cold inside.
rlm@0: Her heart felt like 
rlm@0: a wasteland. 
rlm@0: The older woman pulled her cousin’s daughter close, unable to watch 
rlm@0: her tears anymore. She couldn’t feel angry at Sakura any longer, the
rlm@0: tears 
rlm@0: showing her own pain at losing Tomoyo. Sonomi kissed her forehead
rlm@0: gently, 
rlm@0: stroking her back as she held her close, the older male body making
rlm@0: the whole 
rlm@0: scene seem awkward. “She loved you very much, Sakura-chan. She
rlm@0: always did.” 
rlm@0: Right now, she didn’t see Nadeshiko in Sakura. Nor did she see
rlm@0: Fujitaka. She 
rlm@0: saw herself, crying over the loss of her beloved Nadeshiko. She saw
rlm@0: that same 
rlm@0: pain in Sakura. Her own soul was mirrored in Sakura’s sobs and
rlm@0: tearful eyes. 
rlm@0: "Oh, Sakura-chan...”  
rlm@0: Dr. Verbeena Beeks sighed and let the door slide closed again. She
rlm@0: had 
rlm@0: been about to enter to put a stop to the whole fiasco, but it looked
rlm@0: like she 
rlm@0: wasn’t needed after all.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	Sam sighed as he sat down on his host’s bed. Glancing around the 
rlm@0: room, her noticed that it looked nice and fairly organized, a
rlm@0: television in the 
rlm@0: corner with a gaming system that a little yellow stuffed bear was
rlm@0: placed in front 
rlm@0: of and other stuffed animals placed around the room. There was
rlm@0: another stuffed 
rlm@0: bear on the bed as well as a little doll that looked a little like
rlm@0: Sakura in a 
rlm@0: costume. Overall, it was a very nice, cute room. Not much like
rlm@0: Sam’s, if he 
rlm@0: could remember it at all. 
rlm@0: 	Sitting elegantly next to him, Tomoyo smoothed down her skirt and 
rlm@0: smiled softly. “You did pretty well with Touya-san. I don’t think he
rlm@0: noticed that 
rlm@0: too much was different about you. But you should probably stay away
rlm@0: from him. 
rlm@0: He can be very perceptive about things, especially concerning people
rlm@0: around his 
rlm@0: sister,” she suggested helpfully. 
rlm@0: 	Kero ignored the two girls talking behind him. He had more important 
rlm@0: things to think about, like finally beating the game he was
rlm@0: currently playing. He 
rlm@0: hadn’t saved a single time yet and he was already so very near the
rlm@0: end. “Jump!! 
rlm@0: C’mon!!” 
rlm@0: 	Staring at the little bear over by the gaming console, Sam began 
rlm@0: crawling across the bed. He felt a hand readjust the skirt as it had
rlm@0: gotten 
rlm@0: bunched up. Blushing a bit, the leaper shrugged it off and
rlm@0: concentrated on the 
rlm@0: stuffed animal. “It just talked, didn’t it?” He sincerely hoped he
rlm@0: wasn’t going 
rlm@0: insane. After so many leaps, he would not be at all surprised if he
rlm@0: was. But that 
rlm@0: was the last thing he needed.
rlm@0: 	“That’s Kero-chan. He’s the Seal Beast for Sakura-chan’s Sakura 
rlm@0: Cards. She’s the world’s best magical girl,” Tomoyo explained
rlm@0: cheerfully, 
rlm@0: smiling. 
rlm@0: 	“She’s the only magical girl you know,” Kero pointed out, only
rlm@0: paying 
rlm@0: half attention to her. “But yeah, Sakura-chan’s the best.”
rlm@0: 	“That’s amazing...” Sam breathed in wonder. In all his years of
rlm@0: leaping, 
rlm@0: all of the technological wonders he had worked on, this was like
rlm@0: nothing he had 
rlm@0: seen before. Walking over to the stuffed animal, Sam knelt down,
rlm@0: watching it 
rlm@0: play the video game. He poked lightly at the small wings on its
rlm@0: back. They 
rlm@0: fluttered in irritation at the touch. 
rlm@0: 	“Sakura-chan, I’m a little busy right now. I just have to...
rlm@0: Almost!! 
rlm@0: C’mon!! Just wait till I show you my hurricane special move, the
rlm@0: Kero-chan 
rlm@0: Special!!” Kero yelled enthusiastically. 
rlm@0: 	Shaking his head, Sam sat back and laughed. “I can’t believe it.
rlm@0: It’s 
rlm@0: real. I mean, it actually talks.” He shook his head, laughing again.
rlm@0: Sam Beckett, 
rlm@0: for all of his knowledge, had always been driven by his childlike
rlm@0: curiosity. It 
rlm@0: had always pushed him forward. And he was delighted to see the
rlm@0: magical being 
rlm@0: in front of him, entirely absorbed in a video game.
rlm@0: 	Giggling softly, Tomoyo watched the person that looked like Sakura. 
rlm@0: “Hai, he has a lot to say.” She looked thoughtful for a moment,
rlm@0: tilting her head 
rlm@0: to the side. “So if you don’t know that she’s a magical girl, how
rlm@0: much do you 
rlm@0: know about Sakura-chan?”
rlm@0: 	“Not an awful lot, I’m afraid.” Sam sighed, finally turning back to
rlm@0: the 
rlm@0: pale girl. “Not enough to know what I’m here to fix yet.” Averting
rlm@0: his gaze, his 
rlm@0: mind questioned his answer. 
rlm@0: 	“But you have an idea,” Tomoyo supplied, watching his reaction. “You 
rlm@0: need to help Sakura-chan. I’ll do whatever I can to help you. I just
rlm@0: want her to 
rlm@0: be happy.” Her eyes closed and a weak sigh escaped her suddenly
rlm@0: fragile 
rlm@0: looking form. The day had taken quite a bit of her strength. She
rlm@0: just wanted to 
rlm@0: see Sakura again.
rlm@0: 	“But what about you? Why can’t you be happy, too?” Sam shot back, 
rlm@0: regretting it as the words left his mouth. But he still couldn’t
rlm@0: understand how 
rlm@0: that one person could mean so much to her that she would end her
rlm@0: life. Not the 
rlm@0: way Al seemed to, at least. She was such a sweet, innocent girl. He
rlm@0: couldn’t let 
rlm@0: that fate befall her. There had to be a way for him to stop it.
rlm@0: 	Tomoyo smiled softly and brushed back some of her lavender hair from 
rlm@0: her eyes. “But I am happy. I’m happy knowing that Sakura-chan will
rlm@0: be happy 
rlm@0: with the one she loves.” Before Sam could argue, she continued.
rlm@0: “That doesn’t 
rlm@0: mean that I don’t hurt as well. I love her so much. I would do
rlm@0: anything for 
rlm@0: Sakura-chan. To be in her arms, I would certainly have to be in
rlm@0: Heaven with its 
rlm@0: most beautiful angel, Sakura-chan. But I can’t have that. And I
rlm@0: understand. So I 
rlm@0: will do whatever I can to make Sakura-chan happy. That means much
rlm@0: more to 
rlm@0: me than my own happiness.”
rlm@0: 	Sam shook his head in confusion. “But how can you do that when it 
rlm@0: hurts you so much? When you can’t survive the outcome? It doesn’t
rlm@0: make sense. 
rlm@0: Don’t do this to yourself! You can stop it all from happening. You
rlm@0: can still be 
rlm@0: happy without her.”
rlm@0: 	Her smile faded slightly but it remained on the pale girl as she
rlm@0: closed 
rlm@0: her eyes, clasping her hands together. “It’s like I have fallen in
rlm@0: love with the 
rlm@0: stars in the sky. They shine down in our lives, twinkling happily
rlm@0: and giving us 
rlm@0: glimmers of dreams. But you can never reach them. Just as I have
rlm@0: fallen in love 
rlm@0: with Sakura-chan. Even if I can’t quite reach her the way I would
rlm@0: like to, she 
rlm@0: shines on me and makes me feel so blessed just to have known her. To
rlm@0: repay her 
rlm@0: for all of the wonderful dreams and happiness she has granted me
rlm@0: through my 
rlm@0: years with her, I will repay her as best I can, by making her happy.
rlm@0: And if I can’t 
rlm@0: be the one to make her happy, then I’ll be glad that Li-kun can.
rlm@0: Even if I don’t 
rlm@0: want to stay here without her, I’m eternally grateful to her for
rlm@0: being in my life 
rlm@0: for as along as she was. And I will not burden her by staying in
rlm@0: hers. But I will 
rlm@0: watch over her happily when I’m gone, the knowledge that she is
rlm@0: happy filling 
rlm@0: my heart.”
rlm@0: 	Blinking in surprise, Sam looked away. He was speechless. He really 
rlm@0: didn’t know how to respond to Tomoyo. She was so convincing, even if
rlm@0: he 
rlm@0: believed that she was wrong. 
rlm@0: 	“Sam!!” Al yelled out as soon as he stepped out of the Imaging 
rlm@0: Chamber door. “Ziggy’s got something! You’ve gotta get down to
rlm@0: Syaoran’s 
rlm@0: house now!” 
rlm@0: 	Standing up quickly, Sam ignored the fluttering skirt around him and 
rlm@0: nodded. “Where is it, Al? What’s going on?”
rlm@0: 	“Just get outside! I’ll show you from there. And I’ll explain along
rlm@0: the 
rlm@0: way.” With a few buttons on the handlink, I’ll repositioned himself
rlm@0: outside.
rlm@0: 	“I need to get to Syaoran’s house,” Sam said hastily, heading out
rlm@0: the 
rlm@0: door.
rlm@0: 	“Sakura-chan, matte! I’ll show you where it is.” Taking Sam’s hand, 
rlm@0: Tomoyo hurried with him down the stairs, leaving an oblivious Kero
rlm@0: to the last 
rlm@0: level of his game. She watched the person inhabiting her beloved
rlm@0: Sakura 
rlm@0: carefully, wondering what the invisible friend could have said to
rlm@0: get his 
rlm@0: attention this way.
rlm@0: 	“Where are you headed off to so quickly, monster?” Touya asked 
rlm@0: conversationally from the kitchen. 
rlm@0: 	“We’ve got to go study!” came Sam’s response as the rushed out the 
rlm@0: door.
rlm@0: 	Touya watched after the two girl’s curiously, sipping his tea. His 
rlm@0: attention turned to the white haired boy sitting next to him at the
rlm@0: table. “Since 
rlm@0: when did Sakura ever hurry to go study?”
rlm@0: 	Yukito smiled pleasantly, his glasses shimmering in the afternoon
rlm@0: light 
rlm@0: filtering in through the window. “Maybe it’s not the studying, but
rlm@0: being able to 
rlm@0: study with Tomoyo-chan. Studying seems to be the last thing on your
rlm@0: mind 
rlm@0: when we study,” the snow bunny commented thoughtfully, earning him a
rlm@0: dirty 
rlm@0: look from Touya. He just grinned even further. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	“So what’s going on, Al? What did Ziggy find out?” Sam asked 
rlm@0: impatiently as Tomoyo led the way to Syaoran’s house while the
rlm@0: holographic 
rlm@0: observer followed along. It had been decided that she should lead,
rlm@0: knowing the 
rlm@0: area much better than Al, even with the maps displayed on the
rlm@0: handlink. 
rlm@0: 	“It took forever to find, but she finally found some records that
rlm@0: were of 
rlm@0: some interest. Okay, okay. She wants me to say what a supreme effort
rlm@0: it took on 
rlm@0: her part to obtain the information. Alright!” Al grimaced at the
rlm@0: handlink and 
rlm@0: pounded on the side. “And that she found it right in time because
rlm@0: this window of 
rlm@0: opportunity is rapidly shrinking. Egomaniacal hunk of...” he
rlm@0: muttered under his 
rlm@0: breath. Looking back up, Al continued on. “Syaoran’s getting a visit
rlm@0: right now 
rlm@0: from someone important to all of this. His fiancee, a girl named
rlm@0: Meiling. After 
rlm@0: finding out he went back to Japan to be with you, she booked a
rlm@0: flight and 
rlm@0: headed out to try to convince him otherwise. They get into a huge
rlm@0: argument and 
rlm@0: she leaves, apparently broken up by the whole thing. Seems she
rlm@0: really had it big 
rlm@0: for your boyfriend.”
rlm@0: 	“Can you please quit calling him my boyfriend?” Sam asked 
rlm@0: exasperatedly. Shaking his head, he looked back at Al. He was glad
rlm@0: for Sakura’s 
rlm@0: athletic body during the long walk, but Tomoyo seemed to be
rlm@0: breathing with 
rlm@0: difficulty. He hoped they would get there soon. “All right, so what
rlm@0: happens with 
rlm@0: Meiling?”
rlm@0: 	“Well, she doesn’t kill herself, but she doesn’t seem to take it
rlm@0: much 
rlm@0: better than Tomoyo other than that. Ziggy says there’s a 73%
rlm@0: probability that 
rlm@0: you’re here to make sure that she gets with Syaoran and that he
rlm@0: doesn’t ruin 
rlm@0: things with her. She says that things probably won’t work out with
rlm@0: you and him 
rlm@0: and that the relationship will eventually fall apart, but by then
rlm@0: it’ll be too 
rlm@0: shattered to pick up any of the pieces for anyone involved.”
rlm@0: Motioning towards 
rlm@0: Tomoyo with the handlink, he sighed. “Especially for her.”
rlm@0: 	Sam stopped dead in his tracks, nearly dragging the dark haired
rlm@0: girl off 
rlm@0: of her feet at the sudden stop. “Only 73%? Al, can’t you give me
rlm@0: something a 
rlm@0: little better than that? I can’t ruin Sakura’s relationship with him
rlm@0: over that. What 
rlm@0: if they can work things out? What if they’re meant to have kids? How
rlm@0: can I do 
rlm@0: that, Al?” A sigh escaped his lips. This leap was really starting to
rlm@0: wear him 
rlm@0: down.
rlm@0: 	“It’s all right, Fake Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo said with a warm smile
rlm@0: and 
rlm@0: a gentle squeeze of Sam’s hand. “If you worry like that, then you
rlm@0: won’t be able 
rlm@0: to help Sakura-chan out when she needs it. I trust you to fix things
rlm@0: for her. 
rlm@0: Please believe in yourself. Whatever you decide.” Her eyes took on a
rlm@0: pleading 
rlm@0: look. “Please make sure that Sakura-chan can be happy.”
rlm@0: 	“I promise that I’ll try my hardest to make sure she can be,” Sam 
rlm@0: promised, smiling a little in return. Turning his attention back to
rlm@0: Al, his eyes 
rlm@0: narrowed. “Even if the odds are only 73%.”
rlm@0: 	Sighing, Al shook his head as a loud trill came from the handlink. 
rlm@0: “Ziggy’s not too pleased with your attitude about this, Sam. She had
rlm@0: to hack into 
rlm@0: a whole lot of systems to get the information that she did. And
rlm@0: besides, why do 
rlm@0: you always have to be this way about the odds? I give you bad odds
rlm@0: and you beg 
rlm@0: for better ones. I give you good odds and you’ll say that’s not why
rlm@0: you’ve leapt 
rlm@0: in and do something boneheaded on your gut instinct.”
rlm@0: 	Sam frowned and looked away. “But most of the time I’m right when 
rlm@0: it’s my instinct,” he argued. Closing his eyes, he sighed. “But we
rlm@0: don’t have 
rlm@0: time for that. Especially if we don’t have much time left. Besides,
rlm@0: this sounds 
rlm@0: like it could hurt a lot of people in the end.”
rlm@0: 	A door flew open near them and a black haired girl stepped out,
rlm@0: tears in 
rlm@0: her eyes and fists clenched. “And if that’s what you want, Syaoran,
rlm@0: then you can 
rlm@0: go ahead and have it!! I’m going back to Hong Kong, you selfish
rlm@0: asshole!! I 
rlm@0: hope I never see you again!” 
rlm@0: 	Sam winced as he watched her gaze icily at him. Of course, he was
rlm@0: the 
rlm@0: reason she was angry. Syaoran stumbled out the door after her,
rlm@0: holding his 
rlm@0: stomach as if he had been punched there. Which, surprisingly, he had
rlm@0: been. 
rlm@0: Meiling seemed to be a very... fiery woman. Not someone he wanted
rlm@0: mad at 
rlm@0: him. He nearly backpedaled as he approached. 
rlm@0: 	“Sam... Don’t get into a catfight with her, okay? I know you know 
rlm@0: some martial arts, but trust me, you don’t know anything compared to
rlm@0: her,” Al 
rlm@0: warned from Sam’s side, punching up information on the handlink.
rlm@0: “Ziggy says 
rlm@0: not to piss her off. Oh, thanks, Queen Ziggy. That’s something he
rlm@0: couldn’t have 
rlm@0: figured out for himself.”
rlm@0: 	“Sakura-chan..?” Syaoran asked in surprise, standing up straight
rlm@0: when 
rlm@0: he saw Sam. He looked at her in confusion before looking back to the
rlm@0: still angry 
rlm@0: Meiling. 
rlm@0: 	“I’m going home. I hope you two are happy with each other!” Meiling 
rlm@0: turned, wiping at her eyes as she began to walk away from the house.
rlm@0: Syaoran 
rlm@0: stood on the sidewalk, frozen with indecision. He shouldn’t go to
rlm@0: stop Meiling 
rlm@0: with Sakura here. He had made his decision and he would have to
rlm@0: stand by it. So 
rlm@0: he would have to let Meiling leave, possibly never to speak with her
rlm@0: again. But 
rlm@0: there was nothing else he could do. He never had been good at
rlm@0: expressing his 
rlm@0: emotions and this situation was no different. If anything, it just
rlm@0: made it more 
rlm@0: difficult. But he didn’t want to see Meiling leave like this.
rlm@0: 	“Wait, Meiling!” Sam grabbed her arm, trying to stall her. She
rlm@0: easily 
rlm@0: pulled from his grasp, turning on an agile foot and glaring directly
rlm@0: at the 
rlm@0: displaced time traveler. 
rlm@0: 	“What the hell do you want, Sakura? You already have Syaoran. Leave 
rlm@0: me alone. I’m leaving.” The rest of what she said was in Chinese and
rlm@0: didn’t 
rlm@0: make any sense to Sam. She was obviously very upset, masking her
rlm@0: pain with 
rlm@0: sheer, seething anger. She was not going to be easy to deal with at
rlm@0: all. Her 
rlm@0: beloved had just fled to Japan to be with another woman, leaving her
rlm@0: all alone. 
rlm@0: And arguing with him had just made things worse, painful words
rlm@0: flying both 
rlm@0: ways as it raged on. Right now she wanted to be on an airplane back
rlm@0: home 
rlm@0: where she could forget about sorcerer’s that didn’t keep their
rlm@0: promises to wed 
rlm@0: and magical girls that weave spells and steal fiancees. 
rlm@0: 	“Please, don’t go, Meiling. You’ll regret it if you leave today. I 
rlm@0: promise. We have to talk about things,” Sam urged softly, hoping
rlm@0: that he could 
rlm@0: contain the situation. If Meiling wanted to leave, there was
rlm@0: absolutely no way he 
rlm@0: could stop her. And that was possibly his only chance to fix things.
rlm@0: “Please?”
rlm@0: 	“I already regret coming here. What’s another regret?” Meiling shot 
rlm@0: back angrily, her eyes still bloodshot from her tears. But she
rlm@0: seemed to at least 
rlm@0: consider it, making no move to leave. Her eyes darted back towards
rlm@0: Syaoran 
rlm@0: who refused to look at her. He had no idea why Sakura was doing
rlm@0: this, but it 
rlm@0: was only making things harder. He had done this for her. Why was she
rlm@0: making 
rlm@0: it more difficult than it had to be? Meiling looked away again, her
rlm@0: heart torn in 
rlm@0: two at the sight of the boy she loved waiting to be with the
rlm@0: Japanese girl. 
rlm@0: 	Sam took a deep breath, looking from face to face to face. Did
rlm@0: Sakura 
rlm@0: know how many lives she could affect? All of these people could be
rlm@0: hurt terribly 
rlm@0: by an innocent sin that Sakura had no idea to prevent. Sam only
rlm@0: hoped he still 
rlm@0: had time. Tomoyo would die at her own hands out of grief, Meiling
rlm@0: would be 
rlm@0: broken over the loss of her fiancee, and Syaoran and Sakura would
rlm@0: probably get 
rlm@0: hurt by the personal loss of the two girls, even if Meiling didn’t
rlm@0: leave in the 
rlm@0: same way. Now how did he fix all that? He glanced to Al, hoping for
rlm@0: some idea. 
rlm@0: The Observer had to know some way to resolve this, right? Otherwise
rlm@0: he 
rlm@0: wouldn’t be able to do anything. But how could he break up Sakura and 
rlm@0: Syaoran? It hardly seemed fair to do that to them. The sound of the
rlm@0: Imaging 
rlm@0: Chamber door whooshing open shook him from his thoughts. He stared
rlm@0: in shock 
rlm@0: as he saw himself standing next to Al wearing the all white fermi
rlm@0: suit that was 
rlm@0: used for multiple purposes at Project Quantum Leap. He hadn’t seen
rlm@0: himself in 
rlm@0: so long. But what was he doing there?
rlm@0: 	“Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura whispered softly as she looked at the dark 
rlm@0: haired girl standing next to her body. It took all she had to keep
rlm@0: from bursting 
rlm@0: into tears after what Sonomi had told her earlier. She sniffled
rlm@0: slightly but smiled 
rlm@0: at the brown haired boy standing a bit away from her. None of them
rlm@0: could see 
rlm@0: her, which was a bit eerie. “Thank you, Syaoran-kun. You were right.
rlm@0: I 
rlm@0: shouldn’t cry. It won’t fix anything. Thank you for teaching me
rlm@0: that. I need to 
rlm@0: solve my problems.”
rlm@0: 	“Sakura?” Sam asked in shock. What was she doing here? Why was Al 
rlm@0: parading people through the Imaging Chamber? If they were all going
rlm@0: to see 
rlm@0: Tomoyo before she died, couldn’t the watch from Ziggy’s monitors? 
rlm@0: 	Sakura bowed to Sam, a little awkward in his taller body. “Gomen 
rlm@0: nasai. Thank you for trying to fix my life. But I need to fix my own
rlm@0: problems. 
rlm@0: It’s not right to have you fix them all for me. Then I won’t have
rlm@0: learned 
rlm@0: anything. If you run away from your problems, you will regret them
rlm@0: for years 
rlm@0: afterwards. I learned that from Sonomi-san.” 
rlm@0: 	“I... uhhh... sure..” Sam nodded, still a little confused about the
rlm@0: whole 
rlm@0: situation. He hoped this leap would start making sense soon. 
rlm@0: 	“Sakura-chan, are you okay?” Syaoran asked, his eyes narrowing as he 
rlm@0: looked around for who Sakura was talking to. “Who is it?”
rlm@0: 	Sam shook his head quickly, brushing back some reddish brown hair 
rlm@0: that got in his eyes. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it. I’m just
rlm@0: trying to think 
rlm@0: about what to say.” He glanced back to Sakura, hoping that she had
rlm@0: some idea 
rlm@0: about how to resolve this whole thing.
rlm@0: 	Sakura’s hands went to her chest, her eyes closing. She sighed
rlm@0: deeply, 
rlm@0: trying to concentrate. This would be difficult to do, but she knew
rlm@0: she had to. 
rlm@0: Opening her eyes, determination flared through them. She smiled
rlm@0: sadly at 
rlm@0: Syaoran, stepping up to him even if he couldn’t see her. “Syaoran-
rlm@0: kun, thank 
rlm@0: you so much for coming back to see me. I missed you so much. You
rlm@0: were such a 
rlm@0: great help with the Cards and with all of the dangers that I faced.
rlm@0: I couldn’t have 
rlm@0: asked for a better rival. I’m glad that we stopped that and that we
rlm@0: got to grow 
rlm@0: closer. You’re really sweet when you let it show through. I’m glad I
rlm@0: got to see 
rlm@0: you again. But I’m afraid that I can’t say I feel the same way I
rlm@0: used to. Or that I 
rlm@0: ever did. I never really got to decide for myself who I was in love
rlm@0: with. 
rlm@0: Everyone seemed to think it was you. Tomoyo-chan, Yukito-san, Eriol-
rlm@0: kun, they 
rlm@0: all seemed to lead me to you. So when you told me how you felt, I
rlm@0: felt like they 
rlm@0: already had told me. So I thought I had to return your feelings. But
rlm@0: they didn’t 
rlm@0: know my heart. Neither did I, back then. I’m so sorry. I think you
rlm@0: belong with 
rlm@0: Meiling-chan. She really does love you very much and she’s so open
rlm@0: about it. I 
rlm@0: think you’d be sad if you never see her again or if she’s mad at you
rlm@0: about this. I 
rlm@0: hope things work out. Hoe... I’m so sorry about all this. But I’m
rlm@0: really happy I 
rlm@0: got to meet you. And that we had all of the adventures that we did.
rlm@0: You’ll 
rlm@0: always be an important friend to me, Syaoran-kun.” She tried to hug
rlm@0: him, 
rlm@0: smiling weakly, but she nearly fell through him. Sighing, she
rlm@0: stepped back, 
rlm@0: watching the sad look on his face as Sam repeated what she had said
rlm@0: to him. He 
rlm@0: didn’t want to understand. He didn’t want it to be true. Her heart
rlm@0: went out to 
rlm@0: him, but she knew that she had to continue.
rlm@0: 	“What?” Meiling asked in shock. Why would Sakura give up Syaoran 
rlm@0: all of the sudden? She never would in Sakura’s position. A slow
rlm@0: smile crept 
rlm@0: along her lips. Who cared if Sakura had suddenly gone insane? This
rlm@0: meant 
rlm@0: Syaoran would be all hers after all. It had been worth coming to
rlm@0: Japan again. 
rlm@0: “Poor Syaoran,” she said, mock pouting as she took the still shocked
rlm@0: boy’s arm. 
rlm@0: “Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of you.” She smiled sweetly and
rlm@0: rested her 
rlm@0: head on his shoulder, delighting at the way it felt to be next to
rlm@0: him again. Yes, 
rlm@0: she’d make sure that Syaoran never did anything that stupid again.
rlm@0: Or else.
rlm@0: 	Still in Sam’s body, Sakura blushed a bit, wringing her hands as she 
rlm@0: looked at Tomoyo. While in the Waiting Room, Sakura had had quite a
rlm@0: bit of 
rlm@0: time to think. And Sonomi’s explanations had given her a chance to
rlm@0: realize a 
rlm@0: horrible mistake that she would have made. She only hoped that she
rlm@0: was in time 
rlm@0: to fix it. “Tomoyo-chan, I finally understand what you meant. I.. I
rlm@0: love you, too, 
rlm@0: Tomoyo-chan. I need you. More than you could ever know. Tomoyo-chan,
rlm@0: you 
rlm@0: make me feel so warm and happy inside. So hanyaa. Whenever I feel
rlm@0: bad, 
rlm@0: you’re right there to help me back up again. When I’m happy, you’re
rlm@0: there with 
rlm@0: me recording it all and watching me. And that makes me even happier,
rlm@0: that you 
rlm@0: can be there to share it with me. Tomoyo-chan, you don’t have to
rlm@0: just watch 
rlm@0: your special person be happy. Because I don’t think I could be happy
rlm@0: without 
rlm@0: you. I... I want to make you happy, too.” Clasping her hands
rlm@0: together, Sakura 
rlm@0: looked down at her friend, watching her intently. Finding out how
rlm@0: Tomoyo felt 
rlm@0: about her hadn’t surprised her as much as she would have thought it
rlm@0: should 
rlm@0: have. But it just made sense now that she looked back on all that
rlm@0: Tomoyo had 
rlm@0: said and done for her. It didn’t take long to realize that her own
rlm@0: feelings had 
rlm@0: begun to flow along with Tomoyo’s long ago. She had begged them to
rlm@0: let her 
rlm@0: see Tomoyo when she had finally found the love hiding in her own
rlm@0: heart. 
rlm@0: 	Tomoyo listened in disbelief to her friend’s sweet voice. That
rlm@0: couldn’t 
rlm@0: be right. Could it just be the person who was in Sakura saying that?
rlm@0: The 
rlm@0: mannerisms showed that it was still the fake Sakura, but those words
rlm@0: were the 
rlm@0: Cardmistress’s. So that meant Sakura was here. Saying this to her.
rlm@0: Her cheeks 
rlm@0: brightened as she looked around for her best friend. In desperation,
rlm@0: she grabbed 
rlm@0: onto the person impersonating Sakura, holding on tightly to the body
rlm@0: of her best 
rlm@0: friend. “Sakura-chan...!” Her stormy blue eyes closed tightly, her
rlm@0: heart pouring 
rlm@0: out to Sakura, wherever she was. Sakura had been gone all day and
rlm@0: this was the 
rlm@0: first time she had the chance to be near her, to know that she was
rlm@0: there. The real 
rlm@0: her. It left the pale girl feeling weak inside, especially at
rlm@0: Sakura’s words. She 
rlm@0: would have just been happy to know that the magical girl was back.
rlm@0: This set her 
rlm@0: soul afire, almost too much for her weary body to handle. A dam had
rlm@0: broken in 
rlm@0: her heart, letting all of the love she kept pent up inside for
rlm@0: Sakura flow out, 
rlm@0: nearly drowning her in its strength. Everything disappeared in the
rlm@0: storm, Sakura 
rlm@0: the calm at its center. “I know you’re there, Sakura-chan. I love
rlm@0: you, too. I 
rlm@0: always have, Sakura-chan.”
rlm@0: 	Blushing at Tomoyo’s declaration of love, Sakura let her eyes fall 
rlm@0: closed as she stood in the same spot as Sam. Wanting so much to be
rlm@0: there, to 
rlm@0: feel the small dark haired girl, Sakura’s arms went around the
rlm@0: hologram of 
rlm@0: Tomoyo in the Imaging Chamber. 
rlm@0: 	Sighing, Syaoran shook his head. He couldn’t believe any of this. He 
rlm@0: certainly hadn’t been expecting it. He never should have come back to 
rlm@0: Tomoeda. Not if this was going to happen. But he should have known
rlm@0: that 
rlm@0: Sakura didn’t feel that way about him anymore. Especially with how
rlm@0: strange she 
rlm@0: had been acting all day. He suddenly regretted what he had said to
rlm@0: Meiling just a 
rlm@0: short time earlier. He opened his mouth, trying to apologize, but
rlm@0: she shook her 
rlm@0: head. Leaning forward, she kissed him softly, the rest of his
rlm@0: conscious thought 
rlm@0: melting away as he stared at the floor, too embarrassed to utter a
rlm@0: word. Meiling 
rlm@0: giggled in triumph.
rlm@0: 	Al motioned over towards the two members of the Li Clan with a 
rlm@0: flourish of his cigar. “Looks like things just might work out after
rlm@0: all. Ziggy’s 
rlm@0: finally breathing a sigh of relief.” 
rlm@0: 	Shooting the Observer a skeptical look, Sam motioned his head 
rlm@0: towards Tomoyo. He was still a bit concerned about this whole leap.
rlm@0: It had 
rlm@0: definitely been bizarre all the way around. “But what about...?”
rlm@0: 	“I wouldn’t worry about that, Sam. Something tells me she’ll live
rlm@0: for a 
rlm@0: good long time now that she’s got a reason to.” Grinning, the
rlm@0: observer made 
rlm@0: room for Sonomi, ignoring the trill of the handlink.
rlm@0: 	“I’ll see you soon, my baby girl,” Sonomi whispered softly, her
rlm@0: fingers 
rlm@0: fading through Tomoyo’s holographic hair. She smiled softly, finally
rlm@0: feeling at 
rlm@0: ease for the first time since the funeral. Soon enough this would be
rlm@0: all over and 
rlm@0: the funeral would never have happened now that Tomoyo wouldn’t wind
rlm@0: up in 
rlm@0: that position in the first place. Though there was no breeze in the
rlm@0: Imaging 
rlm@0: Chamber, she could almost feel it just by watching Tomoyo’s dark
rlm@0: gray hair 
rlm@0: flutter near her fingertips. A lighter gray caught her eye nearby. A
rlm@0: faint image, a 
rlm@0: smiling angel looked back at her. Unseen to the group just as surely
rlm@0: as the 
rlm@0: holograms were, the woman watched over the two young girls. So much
rlm@0: like 
rlm@0: herself and someone else at that age. “Nadeshiko-chan...”
rlm@0: 	Smiling softly, Sam returned the hug to the overjoyed heiress. He
rlm@0: knew 
rlm@0: he’d be gone soon enough, but he had the feeling that Al was right,
rlm@0: that things 
rlm@0: would work out. He was glad he had come, even if it was only for a
rlm@0: short time. 
rlm@0: “Good luck, Tomoyo.” For just a moment, after setting things right
rlm@0: that had 
rlm@0: once gone wrong, Doctor Sam Beckett felt at peace. For just one
rlm@0: moment, his 
rlm@0: journey didn’t seem so incredibly long. Home didn’t seem quite so
rlm@0: far away. 
rlm@0: With that, he leapt. 
rlm@0: 	With a tingle that Sakura couldn’t quite tell if it was caused by
rlm@0: magic 
rlm@0: or by the feeling of being in Tomoyo’s arms, the Cardmistress was
rlm@0: back. She 
rlm@0: couldn’t really remember from where, but she felt relieved to know
rlm@0: that she was 
rlm@0: home again. With a furious blush, she could remember telling Sakura
rlm@0: the 
rlm@0: feelings that rose up inside her heart. She clutched onto the pale
rlm@0: girl tightly, 
rlm@0: feeling Tomoyo buried against her, her fingers lightly stroking
rlm@0: Sakura’s back. 
rlm@0: Tomoyo almost stumbled back but quickly regained her balance,
rlm@0: whispering 
rlm@0: Sakura’s name over and over in her ear. Tomoyo’s gentle touch
rlm@0: quickly forced 
rlm@0: away the disorientation that had lingered in the brunette’s mind.
rlm@0: All that 
rlm@0: mattered was that she was with Tomoyo once more. And for once, the
rlm@0: warm 
rlm@0: feelings in her heart made sense to their owner. It tossed her like
rlm@0: a balloon, 
rlm@0: turning her around and around until she didn’t know where she was.
rlm@0: But it 
rlm@0: didn’t matter. Now she wouldn’t ever be lost again. She wasn’t fully
rlm@0: aware of 
rlm@0: when she had come to the realization that Tomoyo had captured her
rlm@0: heart, but 
rlm@0: she knew Tomoyo had as surely as Sakura had captured any cards.
rlm@0: Tomoyo had 
rlm@0: bound her heart to her long ago. “I love you, too,” she whispered in
rlm@0: response to 
rlm@0: Tomoyo sweet voice in her ear. 
rlm@0: 	It was her again. Tomoyo knew it. She was enveloped in Sakura. Her 
rlm@0: warm touch, her soft hair, her wonderful scent. It wrapped Tomoyo up
rlm@0: in 
rlm@0: ribbons of sheer joy. She never wanted to be free of the ribbons
rlm@0: that wound 
rlm@0: themselves tightly around her heart and soul. The pain, the cracks
rlm@0: in her soul 
rlm@0: began to heal from Sakura’s presence, soothing her battered spirit
rlm@0: and warming 
rlm@0: the icy chill that had threatened to consume her heart. Her pain
rlm@0: meant nothing in 
rlm@0: the face of Sakura’s love. It was as if it had never been there at
rlm@0: all. Sakura’s 
rlm@0: hands slowly began running through Tomoyo’s hair, smoothing away all
rlm@0: of 
rlm@0: Tomoyo’s worries at the same time. “Sakura-chan... I knew that you
rlm@0: would 
rlm@0: rescue me,” she whispered softly. Stormy blue eyes opened to meet
rlm@0: emerald 
rlm@0: orbs gazing back into them. The dark haired girl smiled contentedly,
rlm@0: her heart 
rlm@0: almost overflowing with the outpouring of her love and the influx of
rlm@0: Sakura’s. 
rlm@0: She had been the princess locked up in the castle, cursed to an
rlm@0: eternal night. And 
rlm@0: like she had always hoped, Sakura had pulled her out into the
rlm@0: sunshine. Leaning 
rlm@0: closer, Tomoyo marveled at the even deeper blush that colored
rlm@0: Sakura’s face as 
rlm@0: Sakura realized what she intended. Sakura met her softly, their lips
rlm@0: pressing 
rlm@0: together. The two girls held each other as if afraid the other would
rlm@0: slip away. 
rlm@0: Tomoyo was surprised at the vigor with which Sakura returned the
rlm@0: kiss, 
rlm@0: shattering the cage that had held Tomoyo completely and setting her
rlm@0: adrift in 
rlm@0: Sakura’s arms. Kissing back as passionately as she could, the dark
rlm@0: haired girl’s 
rlm@0: arms went around Sakura’s shoulders, pulling her closer. “Sakura-
rlm@0: chan is a very 
rlm@0: good kisser,” Tomoyo said breathlessly as their lips finally parted.
rlm@0: 	“Tomoyo-chan, was that your tongue?” Sakura asked quietly, her 
rlm@0: cheeks flushing scarlet. “Hoe...” Resting her head on Tomoyo’s
rlm@0: shoulder, she 
rlm@0: felt Tomoyo’s gentle embrace as her musical giggle filled Sakura’s
rlm@0: mind. 
rlm@0: Whatever had happened, she was glad for it. She had to have a
rlm@0: guardian angel.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	Sam found himself kneeling in a church in prayer when he finally
rlm@0: came 
rlm@0: to his senses. That didn’t seem too awkward. He had been a priest
rlm@0: before during 
rlm@0: another leap, after all. But he didn’t seem to be a priest this
rlm@0: time. The long white 
rlm@0: dress seemed to indicate that he was a nun instead. Another girl
rlm@0: stood in front of 
rlm@0: him, her mousey brown hair done up in a high pony tail with a black
rlm@0: bow. She 
rlm@0: wore what looked like a black magician’s outfit with a pink skirt
rlm@0: and held a top 
rlm@0: hat in one hand. “Seira-chan? You don’t look so well.”
rlm@0: 	“Oh boy...”
rlm@0: 	
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: