rlm@0: Title: Seal Cards
rlm@0: Subtitle: Corruption of Silence
rlm@0: Author: Matthias Engel aka MysticMew
rlm@0: Feedback: Solarsenshi@gmx.de
rlm@0: Status: Alpha
rlm@0: Fandom: Card Captor Sakura (manga), Slayers, Bishoujo Senshi 
rlm@0: Sailormoon (minor implications)
rlm@0: Rating: PG-13
rlm@0: Category: Romance, Action/Adventure, slight Crossover elements
rlm@0: Pairing: Sakura/Tomoyo
rlm@0: Timeline: Sequel to "Happy Years"
rlm@0: Summary: There are two more cards Clow created. Our couple must learn 
rlm@0: that even great mages are not prone to mistakes.
rlm@0: Sub-Summary: Caught in events Sakura finds herself face to face with 
rlm@0: the nightmare of her own timeline sooner than she would have liked. As 
rlm@0: events draw to an epic end, Sakura and Tomoyo are forced to risk 
rlm@0: everything, including their lives to prevent a catastrophe.
rlm@0: Distribution: MSD (www.catstrio.de), Shoujo Ai.com (www.shoujoai.com), 
rlm@0: ff.net (www.fanfiction.net), Mediaminer (www.mediaminer.org), Moonlit 
rlm@0: Nights (http://jrem.net/moonlit/tsFics.html) others may follow. If you 
rlm@0: like this fic for your story, please tell me, I'm not likely to put 
rlm@0: stones in your way, but I like to know where it goes.
rlm@0: Legal Disclaimer: This story features two females romantically 
rlm@0: involved. If that is illegal where you are or entirely not your thing, 
rlm@0: turn around and leave now.
rlm@0: Disclaimer: Card Captor Sakura belongs to CLAMP and assorted 
rlm@0: companies, I claim no right on the characters and original storyline, 
rlm@0: neither do I claim any right on the small crossover elements in this 
rlm@0: story, they belong to their respective owners.
rlm@0: Story Disclaimer: Seal Cards: Corruption Silence(c)2003 by Matthias 
rlm@0: Engel
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Note: Names in () indicate the POV. If there is no name the scene is 
rlm@0: written in third person.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ******************************
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Foreword
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Not much to say. The last part in the Forbidden Cards series. Takes up 
rlm@0: directly after the first part of Seal Cards (Epitomes of Love). Next 
rlm@0: in line will be the BSSM pre-story though that one will also have 
rlm@0: slight Crossover indications, so if you want to stay for the whole 
rlm@0: ride you might want to look out for it.
rlm@0: I hope you've got some time, it turned out to be a longer part than 
rlm@0: originally intended.... Not that that is something new for the little 
rlm@0: terror...
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ******************************
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Seal Cards: Corruption of Silence
rlm@0: Based on the works of CLAMP
rlm@0: Story Concept by Matthias Engel
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ******************************
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: (Sakura)
rlm@0: To describe exactly what the place looked like I would have to assume 
rlm@0: that the observer had to possess not only magical sight but also a 
rlm@0: fine understanding of the different layers of reality. On first glance 
rlm@0: all you might see was a field of orange-gold light, shining with the 
rlm@0: intensity that had you thinking you were right in the center of a sun. 
rlm@0: Yet, it wasn't actually blinding. Bright, yes. Even brighter than the 
rlm@0: human eye should be able to handle but at the same time gentle, filled 
rlm@0: with a certain harmony that inspired awe.
rlm@0: 	I, with my limited skill, felt tiny in comparison to the sheer 
rlm@0: beauty of the place. This was much more magnificent than the 
rlm@0: experience of Love's simple energy output reflected on the outside 
rlm@0: world. Much like in a mother's womb I felt sheltered from the tainted 
rlm@0: world outside. The absolute purity of emotion was overwhelming. 
rlm@0: However, compared to our reaction outside to this increase in positive 
rlm@0: feelings, here I was at total peace, not compiled to act in certain 
rlm@0: ways. I basked in the ultimate experience of love, sinking into its 
rlm@0: embrace.
rlm@0: 	Glancing over at Tomoyo, I noticed that she was equally 
rlm@0: overwhelmed. Wherever exactly we were, we had left Time's safety 
rlm@0: bubble behind and I didn't quite believe that it would have survived 
rlm@0: in here. I was a little perplexed actually to see Tomoyo. My actions 
rlm@0: of the last moments had been like watching a movie of myself. In a way 
rlm@0: it was me acting but in another I also was only watching my body move. 
rlm@0: I had realized on a certain level that I couldn't just simply capture 
rlm@0: Love, that this wasn't the right way and that there had to be a 
rlm@0: different approach. And I knew deep down that we had to face Love 
rlm@0: together. As a couple bond by her own element.
rlm@0: 	Before either of us could speak, a faint glimmer attracted our 
rlm@0: attention. Turning towards the white sparkle of light I watched it 
rlm@0: brighten, expanding slightly. Slowly the shape of the card's sprite 
rlm@0: form became visible. I had seen it before but this time the features 
rlm@0: were much more defined. Golden-blond hair ran down the woman's back. 
rlm@0: She wore a simple yet elegant orange dress and her eyes sparkled a 
rlm@0: clear blue so enticingly beautiful that I felt the urge to kneel in 
rlm@0: humbleness, unworthy of that creature's attention. This was 
rlm@0: fascinating, none of the card's spiritual forms ever had been so 
rlm@0: vivid, so human... No, human didn't sound right. The woman seemed more 
rlm@0: like a goddess actually. A goddess that was incredibly lonely...
rlm@0: 	Love looked at us with a warm smile that made my heart skip a 
rlm@0: beat. Cocking her head slightly to the side she seemed to be deep in 
rlm@0: thought for a moment, then her eyes brightened in obvious recognition. 
rlm@0: Yet the greeting was not exactly as I expected. "Greetings, Lina-dono, 
rlm@0: Amelia-dono. I had not expected you here."
rlm@0: 	I blinked and traded a glance with Tomoyo who mirrored my own 
rlm@0: confusion. "Excuse us but I think you are mistaking..."
rlm@0: 	Love laughed lightly and the sound was angelic to the ears. I 
rlm@0: realized that a lot of those effects were due to the fact we were in 
rlm@0: her realm of power. It had been similar with Time. Outside the sealing 
rlm@0: chamber her presence didn't seem to be so enormous all the time. "Oh, 
rlm@0: I know, I know. I apologize for that. It appears you are not awakened 
rlm@0: yet."
rlm@0: 	Awakened? What the...? My surprise must have been visible since 
rlm@0: Love let go of another giggle, echoing throughout the surreal space.
rlm@0: 	"Ah, don't worry about it. The time will come that you 
rlm@0: understand. Now though. I understand that you are Clow's successor and 
rlm@0: therefore technically my new Mistress." I nodded a little dumbly, 
rlm@0: still not quite grasping what exactly the words of the card's sprite 
rlm@0: had done to me. I had felt something stir inside of me at her words. 
rlm@0: Faint, tiny and almost impossible to notice but it was there.
rlm@0: 	Love's happy, smiling expression didn't change but her tone of 
rlm@0: voice did as she continued. "Clow was a fool. If it wasn't for him, 
rlm@0: the Feared One would not be on the verge of breaking through our seal. 
rlm@0: He gave us form and therefore made us targets for her power. This form 
rlm@0: is limiting and it is only a matter of time before the Feared One will 
rlm@0: be able to take advantage of the disrupted flow," she stated bitterly. 
rlm@0: I could guess without a problem who the "Feared One" was supposed to 
rlm@0: be and the confirmation that my worst fears were proving true sent a 
rlm@0: shiver down my spine.
rlm@0: 	"But Sakura-chan isn't like Clow! I'm sure she can fix things! 
rlm@0: She always does!" I turned a surprised look at Tomoyo and felt a wave 
rlm@0: of pride wash through me. The lavender-haired girl stared at Love 
rlm@0: intently, silently daring her to challenge the statement. She didn't 
rlm@0: seem to shy away from the otherworldly being but instead stood up for 
rlm@0: her faith in me. I really didn't deserve someone so incredible like 
rlm@0: her but I would certainly cherish that gift forever.
rlm@0: 	Love didn't seem to mind the outburst at all. Instead her 
rlm@0: features softened even more as she regarded Tomoyo with a look, 
rlm@0: searching her eyes for some sort of confirmation for a moment, then 
rlm@0: turned back to me. "No, she is not like Clow. I could tell from the 
rlm@0: very first moment." The blue eyes flashed for a moment and I shrunk a 
rlm@0: little under the intense gaze. "So, what will you do now that you 
rlm@0: stand before me. What will you do to fix what Clow has damaged?"
rlm@0: 	The question was genuine and honestly curious... and it took me 
rlm@0: totally off guard. I had not planned on any of this happening now. 
rlm@0: Yes, I had devoted so much time to search for the Seal Cards but 
rlm@0: hadn't actually given much thought to what exactly I wanted to do if I 
rlm@0: found them. They were the center of what held the seal on Pandora 
rlm@0: together after all and I couldn't just remove them without endangering 
rlm@0: the whole planet. I felt foolish at not really having thought about 
rlm@0: that, about rushing into this without a decent plan of action. And 
rlm@0: right now I wasn't quite sure how to answer Love's question.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ******************************
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: (Tomoyo)
rlm@0: Sakura was clearly struggling with an answer to Love's question. I 
rlm@0: could tell she hadn't given it much thought which surprised me a 
rlm@0: little. Other than in her earlier childhood the Sakura of now was much 
rlm@0: more focused on her actions. What she did, she did with purpose. I 
rlm@0: should know since I had been treated to some of the happier moments 
rlm@0: that showed this change. Then again. Sakura also carried some great 
rlm@0: grief over everything that was tied to the current situation with her. 
rlm@0: And grief often served to easily cloud your common sense and rational 
rlm@0: judgment.
rlm@0: 	I had thought about it myself for a while after Sakura revealed 
rlm@0: that bit of her timeline to me. When we were younger I had always 
rlm@0: tried to help out the brunette with her problems, trying to ease some 
rlm@0: of the weight off of her shoulders. She had often been so innocent and 
rlm@0: with such a pure heart that it was hard for her to come up with how to 
rlm@0: deal with serious situations that called for the possibility of 
rlm@0: hurting someone in the process if the decision she made was the wrong 
rlm@0: one... or especially the situation where someone would likely get hurt 
rlm@0: nonetheless.
rlm@0: 	Sakura now was no longer afraid or incompetent to make these 
rlm@0: decision on her own which she showed quite impressively about four 
rlm@0: years ago - more or less relatively seen. Yet, I knew what a deep 
rlm@0: emotional scar the events of her timeline had left on my girlfriend. 
rlm@0: As much as she tried - successfully for the most part - to be cheerful 
rlm@0: for me and everyone else. So, although I did not know all the details 
rlm@0: - that much I was sure of - I had been thinking about the situation, 
rlm@0: trying to help Sakura in those small ways. I had somehow anticipated 
rlm@0: that moment might come and she might need my support then.
rlm@0: 	Thinking had sparked some ideas but also some questions that 
rlm@0: needed to be answered first. And so, gathering my courage - since I 
rlm@0: was still rather impressed and awed by the sudden transition from the 
rlm@0: real world into this... other realm - I spoke up quietly, "Can I ask a 
rlm@0: question?"
rlm@0: 	Both Love and Sakura turned to me, the latter raising an eyebrow 
rlm@0: a bit surprised while the former merely smiled and nodded. Taking this 
rlm@0: as a "Yes" I managed to bring my jumbled thoughts into some sort of 
rlm@0: order. "Sakura-chan told me that by creating you and the other card 
rlm@0: Clow made a mistake. I take it he was... aware of it because he put 
rlm@0: you... um, here." I gestured around us, not quite sure where exactly 
rlm@0: we were other than inside the seal which for some reason didn't sound 
rlm@0: appropriate enough for me. Love nodded. "Well," I asked tentatively, 
rlm@0: "I don't mean to offend your existence but... Couldn't Clow just 
rlm@0: have... returned you to what you were before?"
rlm@0: 	At that Sakura also looked visibly curious and turned a 
rlm@0: questioning glance towards Love. The sprite looked a tad bit miffed at 
rlm@0: the question, obviously not really happy with the reply she was about 
rlm@0: to give. "That is a hard question to answer. You must understand that 
rlm@0: when Clow created us he invented an art of magic lore previously 
rlm@0: unheard of in such quality. In the old days - which have been long 
rlm@0: lost to human history - magic was drawn upon directly and so were the 
rlm@0: elements. They were used temporally. Clow, however, bound an element 
rlm@0: to an inanimate object, giving both the object and the element an 
rlm@0: independent personality in a way. That is what you see as our 
rlm@0: human-like appearance. We are a small portion of the larger thing but 
rlm@0: we can also interact and draw upon the flow of elemental power that we 
rlm@0: were once a part of. A lot like an Elemental but we are not as 
rlm@0: natural." Love paused, waiting for us to absorb this. I saw that 
rlm@0: Sakura seemed to have less trouble following while I had a hard time 
rlm@0: comprehending all of this. The gist of it wasn't lost on me though and 
rlm@0: I nodded to Love to continue.
rlm@0: 	"When Clow created his first set of cards he bound a great 
rlm@0: amount of already pre-bound elemental flows - a mistake he did 
rlm@0: thankfully not repeat with the cards you own now - and by doing so 
rlm@0: unknowingly tapped into us who we have made up the seal for ancient 
rlm@0: times. I cannot really fault him since our nature is already 
rlm@0: complicated as it is and he must not have understood exactly what we 
rlm@0: there. The problem is that after creating us, he disrupted the flow of 
rlm@0: the seal. Yes, he did try to return the elements after realizing that 
rlm@0: grievous mistake. But Clow was a Black Mage for the most part. I do 
rlm@0: not mean that he was evil but he believed more in power and the use of 
rlm@0: dark magic for his purpose and that magic is also easier to force 
rlm@0: things rather than to patiently coax a power into doing one's will. 
rlm@0: And you cannot force healing. So fixing something, returning what he 
rlm@0: took by force, was much harder for him than the initiate action. 
rlm@0: Simply put, he put so much effort into creating us that with his 
rlm@0: personal affiliation it was impossible for him to simply undo it 
rlm@0: again." Love sighed mournfully. "He put us into the seal the way we 
rlm@0: are now to try and reduce the damage. But the Feared One is quite 
rlm@0: patient and we will not be able to hold her off much longer. Does that 
rlm@0: answer your question?"
rlm@0: 	I nodded, my mind hard at work to process all this but I had 
rlm@0: gotten the answer to what I needed to know indeed. "Is it still 
rlm@0: possible to return the flow now?" I caught Sakura's eyes light up in 
rlm@0: the beginning of comprehension and smiled at her faithfully.
rlm@0: 	Love considered the question for a moment. "I would believe so, 
rlm@0: given the right circumstances. Why?"
rlm@0: 	At this point Sakura intervened. "I think I get where Tomo-chan 
rlm@0: is going. Clow's reincarnation said I was already much stronger than 
rlm@0: he was and my power is different from his, so is the way I treat the 
rlm@0: rest of the cards. I... I don't know if I can do it but if... if it's 
rlm@0: possible..." She looked down at her feet, almost appearing a little 
rlm@0: meek but I could tell from her posture and slightly shaking hands how 
rlm@0: much she wished to be able to make that difference.
rlm@0: 	"I am certain Sakura-chan can make it," I put in reassuringly, 
rlm@0: squeezing my girlfriend's hand tightly. Sakura flashed me a grateful 
rlm@0: smile.
rlm@0: 	Love smiled faintly but for the first time you could really tell 
rlm@0: it was fake. There was a deep melancholy in the sprite's eyes and once 
rlm@0: again I could see that soul-shattering loneliness. "Something is 
rlm@0: happening right now. My mate has left her path and moves into a 
rlm@0: specific direction. I was worried that is why I moved as well to meet 
rlm@0: her."
rlm@0: 	"Mate?" I asked curiously. It was obvious Love was referring to 
rlm@0: the second card but the choice of word stroke me as odd.
rlm@0: 	"In ancient times before the seal was created our power belonged 
rlm@0: to those that eventually fueled it into this layer. They were soul 
rlm@0: mates, so to say, and we are more or less mirror images of our former 
rlm@0: selves." A troubled look crossed her beautiful features and I could 
rlm@0: hardly think of anything else that had ever looked so out of place. "I 
rlm@0: do not doubt your abilities," Love addressed Sakura, "but if you claim 
rlm@0: me now, you must seek my mate with utmost haste or I fear the seal 
rlm@0: will break before the next sunrise. I do not know what happened to 
rlm@0: Silence but I worry for her well-being..." My heart reached out to the 
rlm@0: gentle sprite, looking so fragile and vulnerable at the moment. Not 
rlm@0: knowing what happened to her beloved had to be a terrible experience.
rlm@0: 	I glanced at Sakura who had her eyes closed for a moment before 
rlm@0: moving forward with an expression of firm resolve in her face. I had 
rlm@0: seen it so often before but every time it fascinated me anew. Gently 
rlm@0: taking the sprite's hands in her own, Sakura smiled at her gently. 
rlm@0: "This is why I am here. I understand now about the consequences of 
rlm@0: unsealing Time." Love gasped at that. "I know now that this is what I 
rlm@0: was meant to do, why I am here now. I will set you free, both of you, 
rlm@0: that I promise." For a moment card and Card Mistress looked at each 
rlm@0: other and after almost a full minute - though I could not be sure how 
rlm@0: the passage of time was handled here - Love gave a slight nod. Sakura 
rlm@0: let go of her hands and stepped - or better floated - back slightly, 
rlm@0: never letting her gaze leave that of the card's spiritual form. Her 
rlm@0: star wand reappeared in her right hand from wherever it had gone and 
rlm@0: she brought it forward in a smooth but not at all forceful motion. 
rlm@0: "Return to your original form," the brunette almost whispered, "Clow 
rlm@0: Card."
rlm@0: 	Somehow the whole thing was rather anti-climatic for a card that 
rlm@0: powerful. But then again, the real challenge was still to come.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ******************************
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: (Sakura)
rlm@0: An hour later our small - relatively seen - yacht dropped anchor at 
rlm@0: one of the small island in the middle of the archipelago. Otousan 
rlm@0: pointed out that those small islands were not on any chart and Sonomi 
rlm@0: declared that she hadn't seen them until we were almost at shore. My 
rlm@0: suspicion was that all those small isles were either protected by a 
rlm@0: strong field of illusion or not entirely in the same dimension as 
rlm@0: ours. I didn't know that much about dimensional theory but I wouldn't 
rlm@0: exclude the possibility. Not that the issue was really relevant in 
rlm@0: light of the situation.
rlm@0: 	"It's almost dusk already," I commented, looking over the small 
rlm@0: isle roughly a few miles in diameter. It would probably not take long 
rlm@0: to walk from one end to the other - even less flying. The most 
rlm@0: imposing landmark was the single mountain, rather thin but probably 
rlm@0: higher than the whole island. Up at the peak I could sense the 
rlm@0: unmistakable power of the second Seal Card. Silence.
rlm@0: 	"It's up there," Tomoyo stated my thoughts quietly, making 
rlm@0: everyone look at her in surprise. Except me that is. Quite frankly I 
rlm@0: had only been mildly surprised that there obviously was some sort of 
rlm@0: magical gift inside my girlfriend. I had felt it on occasions before, 
rlm@0: especially during our... mating. While the intensity had me focused on 
rlm@0: other things more interesting I knew that feeling from Syaoran and my 
rlm@0: lovemaking on my timeline. In those moments you were the most exposed 
rlm@0: and your magic could run wild. No, I wasn't really surprised. More 
rlm@0: like curious since her magic seemed so different from my own. Older 
rlm@0: somehow, which might be a good explanation why neither of us had 
rlm@0: sensed anything yet. Ever since... claiming Love - it wasn't like I 
rlm@0: really had to return her to her original form since it wasn't really 
rlm@0: wild to begin with - the magic around Tomoyo was actually tangible.
rlm@0: 	To my surprise someone else put the general surprise into words. 
rlm@0: "I am surprised you can see it."
rlm@0: 	I blinked, turning sideways. That voice... Clad in long white 
rlm@0: and green Chinese robes a young boy around Tomoyo and my age had 
rlm@0: stepped up to our group. Unlike the ten-year old or the boy who once 
rlm@0: held my heart on my old timeline he had his brown hair tied into a 
rlm@0: ponytail falling lightly over one shoulder. A sword was stripped to 
rlm@0: the simple belt and he wore an expression that was hard to read.
rlm@0: 	"Syaoran-kun," I whispered, a bit dumbstruck, rather floored by 
rlm@0: his sudden appearance. I had been so concentrated on what lay ahead 
rlm@0: off me that I had not even sensed his presence and therefore was not 
rlm@0: quite prepared for the conflicting emotions his appearance managed to 
rlm@0: stir in my heart. Those lasted only for a moment though. It surprised 
rlm@0: me a little how quickly I managed to get my feelings under control yet 
rlm@0: the last months - even if a bit under Love's influence - I had come to 
rlm@0: the unmistakable realization that my feelings for Tomoyo went far 
rlm@0: beyond what I had ever felt for Syaoran. And therefore, even before my 
rlm@0: girlfriend could react to his presence in any possible manner, I had 
rlm@0: reached out, lacing my fingers through her own and giving her hand a 
rlm@0: reassuring squeeze.
rlm@0: 	"Sakura," Syaoran nodded, his voice not betraying his stoic 
rlm@0: demeanor for any other than me who got to know him pretty well in all 
rlm@0: the years we - well, his other self and I - had spent together. He did 
rlm@0: notice the clear gesture obviously and there was the barest hint of 
rlm@0: sadness, gone the next moment, but I was sure about its existence. 
rlm@0: That couldn't be helped though.
rlm@0: 	"Where are many types of magic that Clow's family didn't even 
rlm@0: know about. You shouldn't be that surprised," I answered his question. 
rlm@0: "Excuse my bluntness. Not that I am not... happy to see you again but 
rlm@0: I am kind of in a hurry. While I can guess part of it already, why are 
rlm@0: you here?"
rlm@0: 	Syaoran sighed and glanced up towards where Tomoyo had pointed. 
rlm@0: "Yes, it is quite obvious, isn't it. my mother and I both felt the 
rlm@0: disturbance in the seal's flow when Silence passed over China. I 
rlm@0: followed it all the way until here. It's been hovering there for the 
rlm@0: better part of an hour already, doing... well, nothing."
rlm@0: 	I raised an eyebrow at Syaoran's obvious knowledge about the 
rlm@0: seal since the one of my timeline had only learned about it from his 
rlm@0: mother when there was little to do anymore. Something we both had been 
rlm@0: quite angry about. "So, your mother let you in on Clow's dirty, little 
rlm@0: secret, huh?"
rlm@0: 	With a shrug the Chinese boy turned back to me. "Only the most 
rlm@0: necessary I am afraid. You seem to know what is going on for some 
rlm@0: reason though, so why don't you tell me?"
rlm@0: 	Turning away I started to walk in the general direction of the 
rlm@0: mountain. "I don't have time to stand around. If you want to come 
rlm@0: along we can talk while walking." Glancing back at the rest of my 
rlm@0: family I asked, "Maybe you should wait here. This is going to be 
rlm@0: dangerous enough."
rlm@0: 	Touya, as expected, wanted to protest, being the overprotective 
rlm@0: brother he always had been and still was most of the time, but Otousan 
rlm@0: was faster. "I saw a small building, looked like a shrine, at the base 
rlm@0: of the mountain. Maybe we should go there first. I'm sure there is a 
rlm@0: reason for a shrine to in the middle of an obviously uninhabited 
rlm@0: island."
rlm@0: 	Syaoran nodded in agreement. "I spotted it too. But I wanted to 
rlm@0: wait for you before checking it out. Maybe it has some meaning for 
rlm@0: what is going on. What do you think, Sakura?"
rlm@0: 	I traded a brief look with Tomoyo. The reasoning was logical. If 
rlm@0: a battle ensured, I wasn't sure about the effects. A building might 
rlm@0: provide more shelter than staying out at the open or in the ship. I 
rlm@0: really had not wanted to pull all of my assembled family along into 
rlm@0: this but that option was taken from me. Love had been clear about it 
rlm@0: that I couldn't return the flows individually. I had to have both 
rlm@0: cards to make this work and there was only a short time limit in 
rlm@0: between. I could have send them back with the ship and use Fly, of 
rlm@0: course. On the other hand I had no idea how much magic I had to spend 
rlm@0: in resealing the seal.
rlm@0: 	There was not much helping it, as it seemed. "Alright. Let's 
rlm@0: go."
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ******************************
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: (Tomoyo
rlm@0: To say that Syaoran was shocked to learn how exactly it had come to 
rlm@0: the turning point in our lives about four years ago would have been an 
rlm@0: understatement. A big understatement. He was, I noted, quite furious 
rlm@0: at his mother for not telling him more about the seal but I suppose 
rlm@0: that was really not something the proud family of Clow's descendants 
rlm@0: liked to talk about. Also there was no telling how much Syaoran's 
rlm@0: mother really knew and how much she was just pretending to.
rlm@0: 	I kept silent most of the way, letting Sakura explain. Yes, I 
rlm@0: was pretty surprised at seeing the Chinese boy here but after all that 
rlm@0: happened, especially under Love's gentle coaxing, I wasn't about to 
rlm@0: suddenly turn into a jealous, mistrusting bitch just because my 
rlm@0: girlfriend's ex-boyfriend turned up without warning. Going back and 
rlm@0: reviewing that last thought I had to suppress a giggle in spite of the 
rlm@0: serious situation. That sounded rather awful.
rlm@0: 	That's just it though. The situation was serious. I should have 
rlm@0: known better than to think it would be that easy. Of course Sakura 
rlm@0: couldn't just claim the two Seal Cards one by one and return the flow 
rlm@0: in a similar fashion. They were like Light and Dark. Always bonded 
rlm@0: together. If it was even possible to return one power flow by itself, 
rlm@0: the result could very well be a greater disharmony as there had been 
rlm@0: through Clow's meddling. Now Sakura only had a few hours to catch the 
rlm@0: other card and return the seal's old strength. I wasn't one to doubt 
rlm@0: her ability to pull that off but the time limit was rather thin. 
rlm@0: Therefore it was necessary that all of us concentrated on the task at 
rlm@0: hand, not losing ourselves in personal quarrels.
rlm@0: 	I was seriously glad that Yue had turned back to Yukito for the 
rlm@0: moment who managed to divert Touya's attention quite nicely. The older 
rlm@0: Kinomoto sibling kept throwing dark glances in Syaoran's direction, 
rlm@0: giving me the idea that the tension between him and the Chinese mage 
rlm@0: was not necessarily because of Sakura. They just simply didn't like it 
rlm@0: each other.
rlm@0: 	I was amazed at how... relaxed the rest of the family took all 
rlm@0: this. Especially Sakura's father and Okaasan. They had obviously 
rlm@0: gotten the hint very quickly that keeping distraction at bay for the 
rlm@0: moment was the best thing to do. For Sakura and everyone else. This 
rlm@0: was the first time all of us have been card hunting together, 
rlm@0: especially our parents. It might have been involuntary but that 
rlm@0: couldn't be helped right now. And seeing all this loyalty and support 
rlm@0: my heart fluttered at the thought that I was an accepted part of this 
rlm@0: family.
rlm@0: 	The sun had already disappeared behind the mountain, beginning 
rlm@0: to sink into the ocean behind it at any given time now. There were a 
rlm@0: few stars already visible in the sky. I felt a little tired but didn't 
rlm@0: want to complain right now. It was apparent Sakura wouldn't get any 
rlm@0: rest before sunrise and I would be there with her all the way. I 
rlm@0: always had been and always would be. There might not be much that I 
rlm@0: could do but Sakura herself had said that she depended on my support 
rlm@0: and faith for her strength. And if that was how I could help, I had 
rlm@0: sworn that I would always be there to give Sakura a reason to show her 
rlm@0: beautiful strength.
rlm@0: 	"Hey, look! That must be it!" Kero-chan cried out from the front 
rlm@0: of our small group. He had taken the lead with Touya and Yukito, the 
rlm@0: adults behind them and then the three of us in order to give Sakura 
rlm@0: and Syaoran some time to talk... and to keep Touya and Syaoran out of 
rlm@0: each others' hairs. That arrangement had more or less worked since 
rlm@0: Okaasan and Fujitake-tousan had taken to give each other flustered and 
rlm@0: embarrassed looks instead of verbally bringing up what had happened 
rlm@0: under Love's influence. I doubted there really was any hidden feelings 
rlm@0: there. That was quite frankly impossible. Sakura had explained that 
rlm@0: Love sends out positive emotion. Feelings like jealousy - and in a way 
rlm@0: you could call it that, at least from Okaasan's part - were more or 
rlm@0: less also emotions associated with Love. What the card's power did was 
rlm@0: take that emotion and more or less return the opposite much stronger. 
rlm@0: I wasn't sure though if Sakura just said that for our parents piece of 
rlm@0: mind alone.
rlm@0: 	At Kero's shout I tore my eyes away from Sakura and Syaoran who 
rlm@0: had stopped talking as well. The temple was hard to miss at first 
rlm@0: glance. Built under a ledge that covered the whole building in 
rlm@0: shadows. The design was quite unfamiliar to me and I was pretty sure 
rlm@0: the structure was one of its kind in the world. Dark blue stone 
rlm@0: sustained thick pillars who were built side by side in a way that it 
rlm@0: was rather impossible to actually pass through in between. At the 
rlm@0: sides the structure widened, stretching out to both sides like wings 
rlm@0: of some gigantic creature. There was a single entrance with something 
rlm@0: resembling a golden eye looking down at those who dared approach it. I 
rlm@0: really would like to know about the building's material and I was 
rlm@0: quite sure that eye was some form of crystal that was worth a lot of 
rlm@0: money.
rlm@0: 	"Quite impressive," Okaasan stated as we all came to a stop at 
rlm@0: the base of the few stairs leading up to the entrance. "Looks rather 
rlm@0: lonely to me. I doubt someone is living out here."
rlm@0: 	Sakura's father shook his head at this, scratching his chin 
rlm@0: thoughtfully. "I don't know. This place looks old and it is too clean 
rlm@0: and well taken care of to be abandoned." I had to agree with him on 
rlm@0: that one. The shrine looked neat and without a spot of cobwebs or 
rlm@0: dust, no debris lying around either.
rlm@0: 	"Someone's coming," Sakura said and everyone stiffened 
rlm@0: automatically. I noticed Syaoran sending Sakura a surprised look at 
rlm@0: the statement but couldn't quite fathom why. Didn't he sense anything 
rlm@0: at all? I knew I was new to that kind of thing and if I could feel the 
rlm@0: presence then he should as well.
rlm@0: 	I didn't have time to give that much more thought since whoever 
rlm@0: Sakura and I had sensed coming was just appearing in the entrance. The 
rlm@0: woman's features were striking. Clad in a white and blue traditional 
rlm@0: miko robe, with long blond-golden hair falling over her back, and 
rlm@0: enchanting blue eyes. Compared to Love's sprite form though this woman 
rlm@0: looked... older. Wiser, might be a better word. Her whole appearance 
rlm@0: spoke of a long lifespan and great experience collected in her years. 
rlm@0: But just like Love there was also a certain loneliness. It was harder 
rlm@0: to see than in the card's eyes but nevertheless was there. And while 
rlm@0: Love's loneliness had touched me I felt a heavy sadness tightening 
rlm@0: around my heart for a brief moment inspired from that of the woman. 
rlm@0: Something familiar and in a way compassionate that shouldn't be 
rlm@0: possible for strangers.
rlm@0: 	Were we strangers? That was a more logical question than one 
rlm@0: might think because the moment I had seen the woman there was that 
rlm@0: undeniable feeling that I should... that I DID know her. That was 
rlm@0: absurd, of course, since I had always had a good memory and would 
rlm@0: surely have recognized someone as impressive as her. Yet I could not 
rlm@0: deny those feelings and this only served to really confuse me.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ******************************
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: (Sakura)
rlm@0: Long blond hair, like a waterfall cascading down the back of a subtly 
rlm@0: powerful body. Blue eyes deep and enchanting. A lot like Tomoyo's at 
rlm@0: times but still different in their own way. They stroke a feeling of 
rlm@0: familiarity in my heart that was so strong it shook my very worldview. 
rlm@0: For a moment the older, wise but in a way rather lonely face was 
rlm@0: overlapped by something younger, more innocent, more kind and... 
rlm@0: happy. For a moment it was as if there was only me and that woman, our 
rlm@0: bodies pressed together, our lips...
rlm@0: 	What the heck?
rlm@0: 	The image had sent a shock through my system that managed to 
rlm@0: bring me out of whatever weird trance I had been in. I couldn't, for 
rlm@0: the life of me, figure out what exactly just happened there. It wasn't 
rlm@0: a fantasy. I didn't fantasize about other girls - especially strangers 
rlm@0: - like that. I had Tomoyo, I was perfectly happy with Tomoyo. In fact 
rlm@0: seeing and talking with Syaoran again had not changed a single thing 
rlm@0: about it. The feelings I once held for him had subsided. Some kind of 
rlm@0: love would forever be there. But it was dull and - as painfully as it 
rlm@0: sounded - negligible compared to the fulfillment being with Tomoyo 
rlm@0: gave me. But the feelings that had erupted in my heart for just a 
rlm@0: brief moment at this... this... image... they were almost just as 
rlm@0: strong. It didn't feel like a mind-produced possibility. It felt 
rlm@0: like... a memory.
rlm@0: 	And that was rather disturbing, to say the least.
rlm@0: 	"Welcome, I have been expecting you, Lina-san, Amelia-san," the 
rlm@0: voice of the woman shook me completely out of my momentary shock. She 
rlm@0: bowed her head respectfully and smiled up at me almost... apologetic.
rlm@0: 	I was seriously glad that Tomoyo for some reason had also been 
rlm@0: intently focused on the woman because I was pretty sure she could have 
rlm@0: SEEN all that had went through my head just now with but a glance. She 
rlm@0: had always been able to do that. Also I was glad that although my 
rlm@0: girlfriend... mate, I corrected myself mentally - feeling a need to 
rlm@0: put an emphasis on our relationship -, was equally captivated by the 
rlm@0: blond-haired shrine keeper - I presumed -, Tomoyo was still able to 
rlm@0: formulate words. An ability I didn't feel quite content about right 
rlm@0: now. "That is funny. This is the second time someone called us that. 
rlm@0: Love did so, too..." Tomoyo trailed off but her words struck me as 
rlm@0: true and a wild thought entered my mind just then.
rlm@0: 	What did Love say? We were not "awakened" yet? I've read a bit 
rlm@0: about reincarnation. Heck, Eriol was living proof for the whole thing. 
rlm@0: I knew through some brief acquaintances in my future, when everything 
rlm@0: went to hell, that there were a lot of people on this planet who were 
rlm@0: quite aware of a former life, even drawing power and knowledge from 
rlm@0: it. Was that what Love meant? Could this be what I just experienced? A 
rlm@0: flashback of some former life? I didn't really want to think about it 
rlm@0: but quite frankly the names used by both Love and the stranger 
rlm@0: sounded... right somehow.
rlm@0: 	"I am sorry. As is true for Love's current form, my mind still 
rlm@0: lingers in the past sometimes." The woman smiled, yet it was a sad, 
rlm@0: wistful smile. One that made me feel... guilty somehow. It almost 
rlm@0: confirmed my theory. The smile quickly faded to a more serious 
rlm@0: expression, one that told of years... heck, probably centuries of 
rlm@0: experience. "My apologies again. My name is Filia. Before you ask. 
rlm@0: Yes, I am quite aware of why you are here and what is going on. We 
rlm@0: have little time indeed but there are things that I would wish you to 
rlm@0: know. If you would please follow me." She gestured towards the shrine 
rlm@0: entrance behind her.
rlm@0: 	Numbly I felt myself follow, grasping Tomoyo's hand tightly as 
rlm@0: if to reassure myself that she wasn't going to disappear. I had the 
rlm@0: feeling that whatever those things were that Filia - the name stirred 
rlm@0: something in my heart as well - wanted us to know would start a chain 
rlm@0: of events that might jeopardize everything that I worked so hard to 
rlm@0: achieve. That somehow it would disturb the relationship between Tomoyo 
rlm@0: and me.
rlm@0: 	She must have felt it because while we walked through a series 
rlm@0: of hallways, the lavender-haired girl next to me had moved a lot 
rlm@0: closer, her presence managing to calm myself down enough to think 
rlm@0: rationally again. Well, as rationally as possible in this situation. A 
rlm@0: situation that was quickly spinning out of control. Everything 
rlm@0: happened so fast, one shock after another. This was a turning point in 
rlm@0: our lives. A nexus of events to come. I could feel it. Whatever was 
rlm@0: done and discussed here on this island tonight would have an impact on 
rlm@0: the future. A heavy impact. And everyone seemed to feel it somehow 
rlm@0: because they mostly kept quiet, just the occasional question directed 
rlm@0: at our guide regarding the age of the structure or if she lived here 
rlm@0: all by herself. From which both answers only strengthened my rebirth 
rlm@0: theory.
rlm@0: 	Really, for the rest of us the whole thing was probably just 
rlm@0: confusing. They were pulled along by the tidal wave Love's capture - 
rlm@0: or was it even further back than that? - had started. They could 
rlm@0: probably feel the rising tension and that something important was 
rlm@0: happening. But without a sufficiently trained magical sense... When I 
rlm@0: was just beginning all this, I doubt I would have sensed the coming - 
rlm@0: practically inevitable - change. But now I did. I saw that from 
rlm@0: Syaoran's somewhat grim expression he did too to some extent. Yet, I 
rlm@0: was pretty sure it didn't touch him as much as it did... us. Yes, us. 
rlm@0: From what I could see Tomoyo was deep in thought as well, trying to 
rlm@0: figure all this out. She was probably feeling now what I would have 
rlm@0: felt about twelve years ago - including two senses of time.
rlm@0: 	And for some reason that DID reassure me. We were in on this 
rlm@0: together, somehow. There were ties between us even outside of this 
rlm@0: life. And I could FEEL these ties were strong.
rlm@0: 	After walking for a bit, we reached a bigger chamber. Not really 
rlm@0: gigantic but the vibe I got from this room was of high importance and 
rlm@0: a sense of nostalgia. The presence from the young woman was rather 
rlm@0: active here. Heck, I wasn't even sure about her age. This Filia was a 
rlm@0: complete mystery to me. I couldn't get anything detailed from her 
rlm@0: aura. Her shields were nearly perfect, just showing glimpses of 
rlm@0: emotion on the outside every now and then. And I knew it took a very 
rlm@0: long time to hone your mental defenses like that.
rlm@0: 	My observation was cut short though as my gaze settled on the 
rlm@0: interior of the room. Well... What was inside the room was rather 
rlm@0: sparse. More important were the various... pictures lining the wall. 
rlm@0: It was hard to describe them with proper terms because I'm not sure 
rlm@0: those terms existed in this time period. They seemed futuristic 
rlm@0: somehow, a bit like holograms, but also had a sort of ancient touch. 
rlm@0: Like paintings, or wall drawings. They actually looked like they were 
rlm@0: part of the wall.
rlm@0: 	There were so many I had a hard time deciding where to look 
rlm@0: first, awed by the vividness of the pictures. There were a few though 
rlm@0: that caught my eye immediately and... well, not really surprised me. 
rlm@0: There were some of Her, making it painfully clear that this was some 
rlm@0: kind of memorial of a time long past. Probably of the time when 
rlm@0: Pandora was first imprisoned.
rlm@0: 	What drew my attention like a moth to the flame though was a 
rlm@0: single picture, showing three young woman standing in a sort of 
rlm@0: triangle around an enormous structure, in poses of deep concentration. 
rlm@0: There were auras of power drawn around them. But that didn't really 
rlm@0: interest me right away. Those figures were familiar, so damn familiar. 
rlm@0: A woman in long robes with a staff and purple hair that I couldn't 
rlm@0: immediately place but knew deep down that she was... had been... 
rlm@0: important to me... us. A slightly younger woman who carried a somewhat 
rlm@0: child-like experience in white garb with a white cape and a necklace. 
rlm@0: She had shorter, black hair with a few purple highlights running 
rlm@0: through it. Her eyes, her eyes were much like... no, EXACTLY like 
rlm@0: Tomoyo's. And then there was the redheaded one. The most striking of 
rlm@0: the three. Dressed in similar clothing as the other two with a black 
rlm@0: cape I felt like looking in a mirror. Outwardly there were a lot of 
rlm@0: difference between her and me but still I just knew that...
rlm@0: 	"Is that..." I whispered, speaking up for the first time since 
rlm@0: meeting Filia at the entrance and getting here. "... us?"
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ******************************
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: (Tomoyo)
rlm@0: "Is that... us?"
rlm@0: 	Sakura's words shattered the tranquil atmosphere that had 
rlm@0: settled on the group since reaching the island. In the empty hallways 
rlm@0: of the shrine the silence had become more than just a little uneasy. 
rlm@0: Barely bearable. More like suffocating actually. At any other given 
rlm@0: time I would have enjoyed the rich style of art with which the shrine 
rlm@0: was built, its true beauty kept more to the inside than the outside. I 
rlm@0: would have been excited, would have loved to ask more questions...
rlm@0: 	But they were inappropriate. And deep down I knew that those 
rlm@0: things were irrelevant. They simply did not matter right now. Not only 
rlm@0: because of the current situation that was still looming over our heads 
rlm@0: like the Grim Reaper's glaive. No, that wasn't all there was to it. I 
rlm@0: couldn't explain it. I lacked the words or Sakura's understanding of 
rlm@0: the mythical. I did not have her experience. But I KNEW that there was 
rlm@0: something much bigger going on here. Sakura's unease was evident and 
rlm@0: even a totally insensitive jerk could have seen it.
rlm@0: 	And now that feelings actually had a name. And the feelings 
rlm@0: Sakura's statement evoked were confusing, conflicting even. I realized 
rlm@0: that I had been staring at the exact same picture for the entire time, 
rlm@0: trying to figure out why those three woman looked so familiar and why 
rlm@0: my mind constantly tried to draw associations to Filia and Love's 
rlm@0: manner of address. However, a part of me was SCARED of that 
rlm@0: association. And to a degree that was because that part KNEW that the 
rlm@0: association was TRUE.
rlm@0: 	"Nani?" Syaoran exclaimed next to us, looking incredulous. "You 
rlm@0: don't mean..."
rlm@0: 	"Yes. This shrine was built in memory of a war that took place a 
rlm@0: very, very long time ago. And yes, you Kinomoto Sakura, as well as you 
rlm@0: Daidouji Tomoyo were a part of this war. At least your past lives have 
rlm@0: been as I am sure you have figured out by now." Even before the woman 
rlm@0: named Filia confirmed Sakura's statement, I knew it was that way. 
rlm@0: There was no denying it and doing so would only do more harm than 
rlm@0: good. That much I was certain of.
rlm@0: 	"Is this from when the seal was made," Kero-chan asked from his 
rlm@0: place on Yuki... Yue's shoulder - darn, he really unnerved me with 
rlm@0: those changes sometimes. Kero's voice had grown deeper, more like his 
rlm@0: true self. More serious. For the first time I tore my gaze away from 
rlm@0: the picture of the three woman and noticed in various others the 
rlm@0: presence of a sinister vaguely female figure, often accompanied by an 
rlm@0: aura of evil that seemed to be alive, tangible in this artificial 
rlm@0: state. Sakura had never given me a clear description of how this 
rlm@0: Pandora looked, but there was no doubt that this had to be her.
rlm@0: 	Filia nodded solemnly. She glanced at Sakura for a moment before 
rlm@0: launching into the tale and I really wished I wasn't so damn observant 
rlm@0: all the time. I could deal with Syaoran's looks directed at my 
rlm@0: girlfriend. It was to be expected that their was sadness, pain and 
rlm@0: probably some jealousy too. I could deal with that because Sakura had 
rlm@0: made her choice between us. But the same things that I saw in 
rlm@0: Syaoran's covered glances, it was there with the older woman too. Yet 
rlm@0: with Filia it was to a degree as much wistful as it was almost 
rlm@0: painfully intense. And what really got to me was that as hard as I 
rlm@0: wanted to be jealous, I couldn't be. Because some part of me knew this 
rlm@0: woman and this part just couldn't harbor any negative feelings towards 
rlm@0: her. It was confusing and frustrating and...
rlm@0: 	I shoved it to the back of my mind, reminding myself that there 
rlm@0: were more important things to deal with right now. Besides, Sakura had 
rlm@0: been rather adamant about her faithfulness on more than one occasion. 
rlm@0: I had nothing to fear for the moment. I had time to dwell on that 
rlm@0: later when I knew more and the current mess was dealt with.
rlm@0: 	"Time is short I know that." Filia looked up briefly out of the 
rlm@0: huge window above that showed the top of the mountain from where one 
rlm@0: magically gifted - which all of us except Okaasan were - could see 
rlm@0: Silence's presence hovering just above the tip. And those dark clouds 
rlm@0: that were gathering, slowly beginning to cover the Moon's light were 
rlm@0: more than just unsettling.
rlm@0: 	"Those clouds aren't natural," I said quietly, more to myself 
rlm@0: than anyone else. But the quiet surrounding the group carried the 
rlm@0: words to everyone else without me even meaning them to.
rlm@0: 	Sakura nodded grimly. "Yes, and it's getting worse. I don't 
rlm@0: think we have time to stand around here and talk. I really like to 
rlm@0: know more of this but it has to wait until after I finished what I 
rlm@0: started. There are only a few hours left. And I seriously have no idea 
rlm@0: how long this will take."
rlm@0: 	Filia shook her head. "Please, trust me. You must know all that 
rlm@0: has happened back then. If not to awaken your past life's memories, 
rlm@0: then at least to truly know all that is at stake here. This must be 
rlm@0: hard for you to comprehend but please understand that I will not 
rlm@0: jeopardize all those years of lonely vigil to see you sacrifice 
rlm@0: yourself because you did not know all that there needs to be known."
rlm@0: 	At this I studied the woman incredulously. From how she worded 
rlm@0: it, it was apparent that with "years" she didn't just mean, say a 
rlm@0: decade or more. No, it sounded more like she had been around the whole 
rlm@0: time, ever since the ancient war of which the pictures spoke. And that 
rlm@0: had to be a very LONG time. A pang of sympathy once again made me 
rlm@0: aware of how much that woman meant to me... had meant to me once.
rlm@0: 	Filia turned away from us, glancing at the very picture that had 
rlm@0: Sakura and my attention captured moments ago and her voice was thick 
rlm@0: with emotion, lacking that certain element of control that had 
rlm@0: dominated her whole being for the few minutes I knew her. "I could not 
rlm@0: stand to see all of this happen again because I failed in my task. So 
rlm@0: many lives were lost to Her back then. The world must never experience 
rlm@0: this horror again."
rlm@0: 	Sakura and I looked at each other and for the first time I 
rlm@0: really got a good look at my girlfriend's face and how much the whole 
rlm@0: thing affected her, how much that stranger affected her. And I also 
rlm@0: saw the fear there, the fear of things to come. But also the knowledge 
rlm@0: that this was an inevitable event and that she had to eventually face 
rlm@0: it. We had to eventually face it. I smiled at her reassuringly, 
rlm@0: briefly reaching up to brush some hair out of her face. Sakura knew I 
rlm@0: trusted her but as was the case so often she wasn't sure she was worth 
rlm@0: that trust. An unspoken understanding passed between us and Sakura 
rlm@0: slowly nodded.
rlm@0: 	Whatever happened or had happened in the past, it was never 
rlm@0: going to destroy us. There was simply no turning back now after the 
rlm@0: events of just a few hours ago. The love that was between us was as 
rlm@0: vibrant as before and it would not weaken by whatever was to come in 
rlm@0: the future.
rlm@0: 	Sakura turned back to Filia. "Alright," she said softly. "Then 
rlm@0: please tell us everything." She paused briefly, then added, "Anything 
rlm@0: that is needed to know."
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ******************************
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: (Filia)
rlm@0: I had been ready for that meeting. I had been forewarned by several 
rlm@0: sources but now that the time was really at hand I felt horribly 
rlm@0: unprepared, meager and insignificant. Seeing the two girls, even after 
rlm@0: all this long time still fond in my memory, standing before me again 
rlm@0: so young and vivid, so... different... I became painfully aware that 
rlm@0: they were not and probably would never be Lina Inverse and Amelia Wil 
rlm@0: Tesla Saillune again. My cherished friends and comrades. Their 
rlm@0: memories would eventually return but their personalities were so 
rlm@0: different that I could hardly expect them to be the same girls.
rlm@0: 	Glancing at Sakura out of the corner of my eye, I added 
rlm@0: mournfully that She would definitely never be the same again. It was 
rlm@0: ironic but in the way there was not much difference to the situation 
rlm@0: of the past. I would always be a substitute anyway, as harsh as this 
rlm@0: might sound and as much as their old selves would probably protest. I 
rlm@0: never really belonged with them. And yet I had hoped and it was that 
rlm@0: hope that had kept me sane all these years.
rlm@0: 	There was no time for that now. I had time to pity myself later. 
rlm@0: Silence was getting darker and I really didn't want to risk too much 
rlm@0: by keeping them here any longer than necessary. But even if they 
rlm@0: succeeded today, it would just be a small victory and they had to be 
rlm@0: prepared for the coming war. I desperately hoped that it wouldn't come 
rlm@0: to that, I prayed every day, but yet I knew that ultimately there 
rlm@0: would be no way to change the inevitable. Just prolong it until they 
rlm@0: were ready.
rlm@0: 	Composing myself I nodded at the two girls who were standing 
rlm@0: rather close together, hand in hand. I hope I could do this well. I 
rlm@0: was never really good at storytelling and spending most of my time in 
rlm@0: solitude didn't help that skill any. "Eons ago, in a time long before 
rlm@0: the current evolution cycle of this planet, the universe was a rather 
rlm@0: dark place to live in. Life was scarce and lived in constant fear by 
rlm@0: the various entities and beings of darkness terrorizing the stars 
rlm@0: everywhere. Nobody knew where she came from, she came literally out of 
rlm@0: nowhere, wiping out whole civilizations with but a wave of her hand. 
rlm@0: Or so the stories were told among the stars. She is a being born from 
rlm@0: the negative side of Chaos. Chaos is what we deem the beginning as 
rlm@0: much as the end, where we come from and where we will eventually 
rlm@0: return to. It is neither Good or Evil. She, who was named Pandora, has 
rlm@0: practically no light in her. She is the embodiment of Darkness. All 
rlm@0: the negative emotions you can name and even those you can't. Hate, 
rlm@0: despair, malevolence. The races feared her everywhere."
rlm@0: 	I paused gauging their reaction slowly. I realized that Li... 
rlm@0: Sakura must have told them from her own experience already and 
rlm@0: therefore the faces looking back to me were mostly grim but I could 
rlm@0: see the fear in the young brunette's eyes and I knew where it stemmed 
rlm@0: from. I knew very well what that monster was capable of, remembered it 
rlm@0: vividly even after all that time. Every time I went to sleep I saw the 
rlm@0: lives lost at her hands and the sacrifices made back then, including 
rlm@0: theirs and my own. Sad enough that what Sakura had witnessed was just 
rlm@0: a portion of what that being was really capable of.
rlm@0: 	I turned around, gesturing at various of the holographic 
rlm@0: recordings associated with the last big war. "Then Pandora came to us. 
rlm@0: Earth was a torn planet back then, populated by many creatures who 
rlm@0: fought each other for dominance. We were rather ignorant for what was 
rlm@0: going on in the universe and were really not prepared for the terror 
rlm@0: Pandora brought upon us..."
rlm@0: 	I moved over to a picture showing a young woman with silver hair 
rlm@0: bound in two ponytails with a crescent moon on her forehead. Next to 
rlm@0: her stood a younger girl with a similar hairstyle in blue tones. To 
rlm@0: the duo's left and right stood three others in their formal warrior 
rlm@0: uniforms. A blonde with long hair and blue eyes, a dark-haired shorter 
rlm@0: girl with a menacing-looking glaive and a taller woman with 
rlm@0: black-green hair and a long staff. From Sakura's reaction I could tell 
rlm@0: she did recognize the uniforms at least. Not to surprising considering 
rlm@0: from where she came. They ought to have met.
rlm@0: 	"However, Earth has always had been a nexus of sorts. The 
rlm@0: mythical energy filling this planet and especially what is known as 
rlm@0: the Tokyo area in this time has a high concentration of power that 
rlm@0: attracts all sorts of gifted mages or other magical individuals. There 
rlm@0: was one girl who had a heart as pure as Pandora's was black though. 
rlm@0: She managed to unite as well the gifted as much as the God and Demon 
rlm@0: races of Earth to stand up to Pandora. A war ensured that was long and 
rlm@0: bloody. It claimed many deaths." I closed my eyes for a brief moment, 
rlm@0: trying hard to banish the memories rising to the surface. "But 
rlm@0: eventually we managed to seal the evil being away in a gigantic effort 
rlm@0: bringing peace to not only the world but the universe as well."
rlm@0: 	I finally arrived at the image that - not surprisingly - held 
rlm@0: the most attention for the two girls who were now listening intently. 
rlm@0: "Despite all of our efforts the best we could do was seal her away. 
rlm@0: She was to powerful to just destroy. The seal consisted of two layers 
rlm@0: to ensure that Pandora would never break free again and terrorize 
rlm@0: future generations. Those three woman you see here were the most 
rlm@0: gifted human mages of our time and they used their powers to bind 
rlm@0: Pandora into her prison between the dimensions. They literally sealed 
rlm@0: her with their very life force knowing there was no other way and as a 
rlm@0: result..." I trailed off, for a moment not able to hold my composure. 
rlm@0: All those millennia had done nothing for my heart to forget that day. 
rlm@0: It was still as intensely painful as it was back then.
rlm@0: 	Everyone was silent and Sakura and Tomoyo looked rather 
rlm@0: uncomfortable, holding each other now more tightly. They were so 
rlm@0: close. Just like them and in this time there seemed to be no big 
rlm@0: social complications. I was happy for them. I really was. Even if I 
rlm@0: had no place in their lives anymore, at least they were happy. I just 
rlm@0: hoped they would accept Sylphiel when the time came. I could deal with 
rlm@0: the loneliness, I had done so for thousands of years. She though...
rlm@0: 	"The three became known as Children of the Seal, their power 
rlm@0: sustaining the barrier that made Pandora's own useless. As you have 
rlm@0: guessed already you are two of those three brave girls, reborn in this 
rlm@0: time."
rlm@0: 	At this point Sakura interrupted. "Matte, how can we be their 
rlm@0: rebirth if they... we are supposed to keep the seal in place? And what 
rlm@0: about the powers that Clow converted into Cards..."
rlm@0: 	I nodded, the question was to be expected. "The seal consists of 
rlm@0: two layers. As strong as your previous selves were their power was not 
rlm@0: unlimited and there were holes in the seal. Tiny but they were. For 
rlm@0: that reason the warriors of our leader used a portion of their given 
rlm@0: power and made a second layer. It was supposed to be like a safety 
rlm@0: net. However, as you said correctly already, when Clow tempered with 
rlm@0: those powers he disrupted their natural flow. By placing the cards he 
rlm@0: created back into the seal most of the damage was repaired but the 
rlm@0: seal wasn't flawless anymore. I can only guess but I suppose that 
rlm@0: might be the reason why you were reborn and why you have become the 
rlm@0: new Card Mistress. Because no one else could possibly be able to undo 
rlm@0: the damage. The sealing power is still active, inside of you. You are 
rlm@0: not aware of it but your mere presence is sustaining the inner seal."
rlm@0: 	Of course that also meant that they had become less untouchable 
rlm@0: by Pandora and I had the feeling that Sakura at least understood that 
rlm@0: as well. Neither of us said a thing though. There was no need to cause 
rlm@0: even more troubled feelings as it was.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ******************************
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: (Sakura)
rlm@0: I found the whole story strangely familiar. As if I really had been 
rlm@0: there. Well, given that what Filia just told us was the truth - and I 
rlm@0: could just tell it was - I HAD been there. At least my past self. I 
rlm@0: wondered if I had dreams about it sometimes that I didn't remember 
rlm@0: after waking up in the morning. That happened sometimes. As the Card 
rlm@0: Mistress my dreams usually were vivid and I remembered most of them, 
rlm@0: as stupid as they might be. I had gotten used to that. Sometimes 
rlm@0: though I could try as I might but I couldn't remember what I dreamed 
rlm@0: about, similar to the dream about Clow all those years ago. But with 
rlm@0: Clow I at least had a feeling that I did dream something important. 
rlm@0: Yet, at those occasions there was practically no recollection. I used 
rlm@0: to pay it not much mind, figuring that even a mage needed some normal 
rlm@0: dreams at times that faded from memory with the morning light. Now 
rlm@0: though, now I couldn't help but wonder if there was some sort of 
rlm@0: connection.
rlm@0: 	A loud thunderclap suddenly vibrated high from the mountain top 
rlm@0: and made us all look up. Tomoyo flinched a little and I pulled her 
rlm@0: closer to my body while observing as the dark, unnatural clouds began 
rlm@0: to block out even the last light of the night above the little isle. I 
rlm@0: could SEE the dark power at work, I could SEE the horrible wrongness, 
rlm@0: yet I couldn't quite detect what exactly was going on. Only that it 
rlm@0: was really, really bad.
rlm@0: 	I really couldn't just stand around here. Past be damned, I 
rlm@0: needed to do something!
rlm@0: 	"As I feared," Filia stated and I turned back to her 
rlm@0: momentarily. "She is trying to corrupt Silence."
rlm@0: 	"Corrupt?" Tomoyo echoed and I narrowed my eyes. I really didn't 
rlm@0: like the sound of that.
rlm@0: 	"There is nothing you could have done about it," the shrine 
rlm@0: maiden - or whatever she actually was - said sadly, as if reading my 
rlm@0: mind. It unnerved me with how much casual skill that woman managed to 
rlm@0: get past my defenses. There was some sort of strong connection between 
rlm@0: us in that past life of mine but I had stubbornly pushed it back for 
rlm@0: the time being. This was not the moment to dwell on those or other 
rlm@0: such things - I glanced briefly at the picture of the three moment, 
rlm@0: feeling a pang of longing once again race through me at the vivid 
rlm@0: portrait of the purple-haired woman...
rlm@0: 	"You must understand that Silence power is a destructive one. It 
rlm@0: is not Evil - if you want to use the term - just destructive. A power 
rlm@0: much closer to the Feared One than that of Love. Love has been the 
rlm@0: total opposite even though not as powerful in terms of strength and as 
rlm@0: long as the two powers were in harmony there was not much Pandora 
rlm@0: could do against them." But now Clow's meddling had separated them by 
rlm@0: creating magical spirits of their essence. They were no longer in 
rlm@0: direct, steady contact, I understood at that moment. The pieces began 
rlm@0: to fall into place and that loneliness I saw in Love's eyes was also 
rlm@0: making sense.
rlm@0: 	"Clow gave the power's form, their spiritual bodies are a mirror 
rlm@0: reflection of their former wielders and since they have a form now on 
rlm@0: the Astral Plane She can make use of that. It's a long and tenacious 
rlm@0: process but She seemed to have managed to lure Silence here. Here 
rlm@0: where the Warrior's layer originated."
rlm@0: 	Flashes of dark lightning illuminated the sky briefly, an eerie 
rlm@0: glow of a dark foreboding. "Then I have no time to lose. There's only 
rlm@0: a few hours left until dawn. Not to mention if Pandora is really 
rlm@0: trying to break through, I have to do something about it."
rlm@0: 	"And how will you do that?" Filia asked calmly. The question let 
rlm@0: me stop in half-turn. Yes, what was I going to do about it? Sure, I 
rlm@0: had managed to capture Time and Love but they had more or less wanted 
rlm@0: to be caught. A hostile card as powerful as Silence, possibly blinded, 
rlm@0: corrupted and even empowered by that beast... Could I really just go 
rlm@0: in there and... and... yes, what? Catch it? I had no idea what that 
rlm@0: would do with Pandora controlling the card's spirit. I could 
rlm@0: accidentally even provide her with a means of escape. That would mean 
rlm@0: cutting off the influence first. But how should I do that? I knew how 
rlm@0: powerful that being was and even if her influence was just minor it 
rlm@0: would cost probably all of my powers. And then I would have no power 
rlm@0: left to restore the seal in time...
rlm@0: 	I glanced sideways at Tomoyo who had gently squeezed my hand. "I 
rlm@0: am sure Sakura-chan will find a solution." I marveled once again at 
rlm@0: this infinite belief. The words were said with so much conviction that 
rlm@0: everyone hearing would immediately lose any doubt if they were the 
rlm@0: truth. Coming from her there was really no question at all. That 
rlm@0: unconditional trust and love she gave me had always been my silent 
rlm@0: strength, the fuel for my determination, her love...
rlm@0: 	Of course!
rlm@0: 	To Tomoyo's complete surprise I suddenly pulled the 
rlm@0: lavender-haired girl into a brief but nonetheless deep kiss. I didn't 
rlm@0: really care about the others right now. I felt so incredibly glad that 
rlm@0: I had this wonderful, inspiring girl at my side that I just had to 
rlm@0: show her. I really doubted I wouldn't even be standing here at all if 
rlm@0: not for her constant support and advise. Even when she didn't really 
rlm@0: mean to give anyway, she had always inspired me.
rlm@0: 	Tomoyo blushed, a little flustered, as I released her. "Arigato, 
rlm@0: Tomoyo-chan. I think I know now what I have to do."
rlm@0: 	"A-Anytime..." Tomoyo whispered and I couldn't suppress a little 
rlm@0: smirk at the look on her face.
rlm@0: 	Someone cleared his throat and I turned to look at Syaoran, 
rlm@0: looking clearly uncomfortable. I felt a little guilty for doing that 
rlm@0: in his presence but I really didn't care right now. "If you have a 
rlm@0: plan, then we should get going," he said seriously, his face schooled 
rlm@0: into concentrated features.
rlm@0: 	I was a little amazed at his silent offer but knew that even if 
rlm@0: things between us had changed, he still wanted to help in some way. 
rlm@0: And also, he had made all the way here without even knowing that we 
rlm@0: would probably meet. I could need the help though. I hoped to get this 
rlm@0: done as peacefully as possible but there was no guarantee for my 
rlm@0: sketchy plan to work out flawlessly. They rarely did.
rlm@0: 	I nodded slowly, releasing Tomoyo and turning to the rest. 
rlm@0: "Alright. Yue you come with me and Syaoran. Kero you stay here with 
rlm@0: the rest..." I was quick to ward of his protest. "Yue's powers are 
rlm@0: greater at night. Yes, I could empower you easily but I really don't 
rlm@0: want to waste more energy than absolutely necessary."
rlm@0: 	The little stuffed animal pouted but after a short period of 
rlm@0: holding my gaze, he nodded in defeat. "You are probably right. I 
rlm@0: wouldn't be of much help."
rlm@0: 	I motioned for Yue and Syaoran to follow me but was stopped by a 
rlm@0: gentle hand on my shoulder. I glanced back at Tomoyo's worried face. 
rlm@0: "I'll be careful, I promise," I stated with the confidence she herself 
rlm@0: had given me just a few moments ago.
rlm@0: 	Tomoyo hesitated for a moment, but then spoke up softly. "I... I 
rlm@0: want to go with you."
rlm@0: 	I blinked startled at the request. This was not like Tomoyo at 
rlm@0: all. She would normally never be that unreasonable and reckless. 
rlm@0: Granted, we hadn't come in any dangerous situations since we got 
rlm@0: together until now but usually she knew better than to needlessly 
rlm@0: bring herself into danger, thus distracting me from the actual 
rlm@0: situation. Therefore my first reaction was to be a vehement denial, 
rlm@0: however, that look in her blue eyes made me stop. There was 
rlm@0: something... something that made me reconsider. I had the feeling she 
rlm@0: had no idea why she made that demand just now. Like an instinct one 
rlm@0: couldn't really explain.
rlm@0: 	I thought back on the events of the last hours. Tomoyo had been 
rlm@0: there than I had confronted Love. For some reason both of us knew that 
rlm@0: only together it could be done. Tomoyo had clearly developed some sort 
rlm@0: of magical sense. And after Filia's revelations it was rather obvious 
rlm@0: that this magic was from her past life. We were in this together. I 
rlm@0: really didn't like to put her into danger but... The more I thought 
rlm@0: about it, the feeling grew stronger in me that I absolutely needed her 
rlm@0: to come with me. If only for her presence, only for her being there 
rlm@0: and the confidence she managed to always instill within me...
rlm@0: 	Closing my eyes briefly, I made a choice.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ******************************
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: (Tomoyo)
rlm@0: Grasping tightly onto Sakura this time it had not much to do with 
rlm@0: seeking closeness since I was much more concerned with holding on for 
rlm@0: dear life. This really was a stupid idea, I mused for the thousandth 
rlm@0: time. Not that Sakura actually agreeing with me was a much better 
rlm@0: idea, I added. I had really not been sure why I insisted to tag along 
rlm@0: with Sakura and Syaoran - who was right now carried by Yue. No, I 
rlm@0: absolutely could not explain what had overcome me. Normally I knew 
rlm@0: that all that would achieve was me turning out to be liability in the 
rlm@0: end, getting Sakura into trouble for my sake. Yet, something made me 
rlm@0: speak up. There was this indefinable, STRONG urge telling me that I 
rlm@0: had to be there.
rlm@0: 	Somehow Sakura had understood it, probably better than I did. 
rlm@0: And Filia had even agreed, saying that only our power together could 
rlm@0: have a chance to stand up to an influenced Silence. Heck, I had NO 
rlm@0: idea what the hell I could even DO!
rlm@0: 	No, this definitely wasn't a good idea. The wind was more than 
rlm@0: just a hassle. It had risen to the strength and speed of a tornado, 
rlm@0: whipping through our hair and entirely unfitting clothes. Out in the 
rlm@0: summer we had not expected to fly through a chilling storm in the 
rlm@0: middle of the night. At least I had not.
rlm@0: 	Sakura was struggling to hold the wand steady. She had cast Fly 
rlm@0: on her staff as she had done before transforming the cards. This both 
rlm@0: for my sake as for her own. The strain of flying up to the mountain in 
rlm@0: this wind - even without my added ballast - would have been great 
rlm@0: enough. That didn't make the task easier now though. Yue was having a 
rlm@0: hard time moving as well.
rlm@0: 	"We are not getting any further," I cried over the thunderous 
rlm@0: wind. A few lightning bolts flashed left and right, much too close for 
rlm@0: my taste. "Either we'll be ripped apart before we are up or it will at 
rlm@0: least take us hours!"
rlm@0: 	I wasn't sure if Sakura heard me but she had obviously come to 
rlm@0: the same conclusion. One of the cards appeared in her hands and she 
rlm@0: held it up into the air. "Windy, clear a path through the storm for 
rlm@0: us!" I wasn't really certain if that would work but not one to doubt 
rlm@0: Sakura's abilities I snuggled even tighter against her as the storm 
rlm@0: for a moment seemed to reach another new height but then the strong 
rlm@0: winds were magically pressed back, creating a calm zone around us and 
rlm@0: Yue who had barely managed to close the distance before Windy's magic 
rlm@0: took effect.
rlm@0: 	Losing not a single second Sakura pulled the winged wand almost 
rlm@0: completely vertical. I let out a startled yelp as she flew us upwards 
rlm@0: inside the calm zone at blinding speed. I would love to see what 
rlm@0: happened around us but I had my eyes closed and was really glad that 
rlm@0: moment that Sakura had insisted to sit behind me. I'd probably have 
rlm@0: fallen of right now.
rlm@0: 	After what seemed a small eternity we slowed down again and as I 
rlm@0: reopened my eyes I realized that Sakura's reckless maneuver had 
rlm@0: brought us straight up to the summit, just a little bit away from the 
rlm@0: center and where Silence... raged. Touching down on the peak Sakura 
rlm@0: banished Fly while Syaoran jumped from Yue's arms - who in turn took a 
rlm@0: moment to regain his breathing from the flight. "That was fun," 
rlm@0: Syaoran commented dryly. "Now what?"
rlm@0: 	Sakura glanced up towards Silence. It was really a frightening 
rlm@0: sight. All that one could see right now was a deep purple glow. Not 
rlm@0: bright but dark, at some points even fading into obsidian black. I 
rlm@0: squinted my eyes, trying to see a bit clearer, trying to make out 
rlm@0: anything of importance. The funny thing was I did see something. Once 
rlm@0: again I couldn't really explain how I knew but I did. "It's hurting. 
rlm@0: Hurting badly," I said, the feeling barely bearable. There was so much 
rlm@0: pain, so much... agony.
rlm@0: 	Both Sakura and Syaoran looked at me as if I had seen something 
rlm@0: they couldn't. Then it hit me. They really couldn't. Not like me. 
rlm@0: Filia had told us just before we went up that my past life had not 
rlm@0: only been a good healer but also had developed a gift to see things on 
rlm@0: the astral plane when she grew older. Quite frankly I had no idea what 
rlm@0: she was talking about but there hadn't been much time.
rlm@0: 	"Can you see where exactly something is... wrong," Sakura asked 
rlm@0: tentatively.
rlm@0: 	I tried to concentrate hard. The necklace around my neck that 
rlm@0: Filia had given me glowed softly. It was hard to hold the 
rlm@0: concentration though and there was so much different things to see. 
rlm@0: Silence had such a huge presence and the energy released all around it 
rlm@0: didn't help at all. After a few moments I sighed and shook my head 
rlm@0: sadly, feeling drained by the effort. "No. I can see that something is 
rlm@0: wrapped around her... spirit. Something that doesn't belong there."
rlm@0: 	"That would be Pandora then," Syaoran said. "So the woman was 
rlm@0: right. She actually managed to push this far forward." He looked at 
rlm@0: Sakura. "I guess you want to severe the connection somehow?"
rlm@0: 	The Card Mistress nodded, her brown hair now blowing roughly in 
rlm@0: the strong winds. "I'm not sure I can do it forcefully. But Silence 
rlm@0: should be able to do it herself." At both of our confused expressions 
rlm@0: she pulled out a card. It was Love. "You reminded me of it, 
rlm@0: Tomoyo-chan. Love said that they are mates since their former wielders 
rlm@0: were. I'm sure if something can calm Silence down to a degree where 
rlm@0: she can fight back, it would be Love. THEN we should have a chance."
rlm@0: 	Syaoran chuckled a little. "In a situation like this your trump 
rlm@0: card is the surreal love of two magical spirits?" With a smirk, he 
rlm@0: finished, "That's so like you." Squaring his shoulders he was about 
rlm@0: ready to move on. "Well then, I suppose you need a distraction to get 
rlm@0: close enough. Coming, Yue-san?"
rlm@0: 	The silver-haired man nodded stoically, having kept silent while 
rlm@0: we discussed the plan of action. I bet he had some comments of his own 
rlm@0: but held them to himself obviously. I doubted he had a better idea 
rlm@0: anyway. Sakura's made sense though and from what I could see Silence 
rlm@0: was just as lonely as Love. They just dealt with it differently, much 
rlm@0: differently.
rlm@0: 	I cried out as suddenly a rumble shook the entire mountain. My 
rlm@0: eyes barely registered that a gigantic bolt of black lightning had 
rlm@0: crashed through several layers of stone, nearly splitting the small 
rlm@0: mountain apart. Instinctively I reached out for Sakura's hand but with 
rlm@0: horror realized that the storm blow had not only affected me. All four 
rlm@0: of us were slammed back by the incredible force that definitely was 
rlm@0: not just that of a natural element. Obviously Silence didn't like 
rlm@0: company.
rlm@0: 	The whole thing happened far too quickly. Bah, time slowing down 
rlm@0: in moments like this! It was rather the opposite. One moment we were 
rlm@0: standing atop the mountain, the next we were slammed over the side, 
rlm@0: surely tumbling to our deaths...
rlm@0: 	And yet again the next moment, everything was over and I found 
rlm@0: myself held by something that felt like some animal's skin. I blinked, 
rlm@0: the shock from what nearly happened just setting in as I sat up 
rlm@0: slowly. Well, animal would probably really understate things. The 
rlm@0: creature that I was currently riding was of a deep golden color with 
rlm@0: massive wings. While I had never seen one - in this life at least - 
rlm@0: there was no mistaking it that the creature was a full-fledged, 
rlm@0: golden-colored dragon. A big, strong, impressive dragon...
rlm@0: 	"Are you alright," the dragon rumbled in a voice while a little 
rlm@0: different in volume and tone was rather easy to identify.
rlm@0: 	"F-Filia-san?" I gasped, still numb with shock from the near 
rlm@0: death experience.
rlm@0: 	The dragon chuckled... well, at least it sounded like a chuckle. 
rlm@0: Probably a snort but I really didn't care about details right now. "I 
rlm@0: thought you could need some help." The wind once again picked up, 
rlm@0: nearly blowing me from the human-turned-dragon's back again. I buried 
rlm@0: my fingers tightly into the back of the creature who had obvious 
rlm@0: troubles to maintain her balance in the turbulent winds.
rlm@0: 	Glancing to the side I saw Sakura hovering next to us - Fly's 
rlm@0: wings on her back this time - faring not much better. Yue, holding 
rlm@0: Syaoran were on the other side. Sakura shot me a truly worried look 
rlm@0: and I could see the still visible panic that must have filled her when 
rlm@0: we were flung from the mountain.
rlm@0: 	"Look!" Yue cried out over the crescendo of the storm and we all 
rlm@0: did as he said. The strong pressure had obviously forced all flying 
rlm@0: parties to keep a strict distance. We were rather far away from the 
rlm@0: island now but even from here one could see that the storm had become 
rlm@0: almost one giant twister, laced with purple lightning and as black as 
rlm@0: the darkest night. The sight sent shivers down my spine and I felt 
rlm@0: numb with a sudden cold. It was like the icy breath of death.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ******************************
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: (Sakura)
rlm@0: The shockwave of power was even stronger than the one that had blown 
rlm@0: us from the mountain top. Yet, it wasn't really a forceful, brute 
rlm@0: power. No, this one came subtly, silent like a whisper in the wind and 
rlm@0: still with a force as strong as all of my cards combined, probably 
rlm@0: stronger. That enormous presence was Silence but it was also much 
rlm@0: more. I felt it even from here and the fear rising in my heart, I 
rlm@0: could not suppress. I had tried to deny it but there was no mistaking 
rlm@0: it now. That terror-inflicting presence could only belong to one being 
rlm@0: in existence.
rlm@0: 	The whole island was enveloped in a cocoon of pitch blackness, 
rlm@0: only occasional lighted by the eerie lightning and a barely visible 
rlm@0: glow of energy that I suspected belonged to Silence. Right now the 
rlm@0: high concentration of magic was just that. A concentration. But if it 
rlm@0: was released...
rlm@0: 	"With that much power, the whole planet is going to burst if it 
rlm@0: erupts unhindered!" Yue shouted. I wished I could disagree but frankly 
rlm@0: that were my thoughts exactly. Suddenly I remembered something vital 
rlm@0: and for a moment I felt terrible ill. Stretching out my senses I tried 
rlm@0: to locate the familiar auras in the black tornado but couldn't find 
rlm@0: anything. Then there was a faint echo, a little outside the danger 
rlm@0: zone. I glanced down to see a small spot that had to be our ship 
rlm@0: racing away from the isle.
rlm@0: 	"I had a feeling something big would happen and brought them 
rlm@0: back to your boat," the dragon rumbled. There was no mistaking it by 
rlm@0: now that it was really Filia. It didn't surprise me very much. From 
rlm@0: the beginning I had sensed something supernatural in her. No human 
rlm@0: being should be able to hide their aura so well. And the dragon part 
rlm@0: was familiar, probably glimpses of my past life again. I really didn't 
rlm@0: know what to make of all of this. For the moment I was just glad that 
rlm@0: she had saved Tomoyo when I hadn't been able to. Those were long, 
rlm@0: horrible moments for me. I felt so damn helpless, barely able to stop 
rlm@0: my own fall. If it hadn't been for her...
rlm@0: 	"This is not good. I don't think any of us can break through 
rlm@0: there," Filia stated darkly and I had to once again agree. Fly's power 
rlm@0: was barely able to hold me anymore and Filia's wings looked not that 
rlm@0: good either, Yue wasn't better off. Not to mention that the sheer 
rlm@0: power Silence was emitting was as good as any barrier.
rlm@0: 	Before I could respond there was a glow in front of me and 
rlm@0: Love's sprite form appeared in the air before us. "Silence..." she 
rlm@0: whispered hoarsely. One could hear her voice breaking with pain at the 
rlm@0: sight. I didn't even dare to try and understand how she felt. That 
rlm@0: would mean I had to picture Tomoyo in a similar state, controlled and 
rlm@0: corrupted by Her. Thinking of the thought alone was sickening. And 
rlm@0: even more so I was amazed when Love seemed to practically glow with 
rlm@0: confidence, staring ahead into the darkness with sheer determination. 
rlm@0: I would do the same, of course. In her place I would do everything to 
rlm@0: save the one I loved. I had experienced the consequences of 
rlm@0: helplessness before and I'd swore myself never to let this happen 
rlm@0: again.
rlm@0: 	And that left me with only one path to follow now.
rlm@0: 	"Can you break through there and take me inside? There is still 
rlm@0: a faint presence left. If we act quickly, we might be able to severe 
rlm@0: the connection. But I have to get inside first," I said, gripping my 
rlm@0: staff in a tight grip. I ignored the shouts of the others that t was 
rlm@0: too dangerous. There was no other solution to this. Truth be told, in 
rlm@0: the face of such gigantic power I felt small and useless. But rather 
rlm@0: would I die trying before waiting for destruction once again.
rlm@0: 	Love was quiet for a few seconds, then she turned and fixed me 
rlm@0: with a stern gaze. "No, Mistress. I cannot take you alone. Pandora's 
rlm@0: influence over my mate has grown too strong already for me to 
rlm@0: withstand alone. I need someone else's strong love to support my own. 
rlm@0: Together there may be a chance to pass through unharmed."
rlm@0: 	I gasped as realization set it. The way Love said it, there was 
rlm@0: no question who exactly she was referring to. "You mean..." I started, 
rlm@0: turning fearful eyes in Tomoyo's direction. There was no way I could 
rlm@0: jeopardize her life even further than I had already. I should have 
rlm@0: left her with the others in the first place. Because of me she almost 
rlm@0: died once already. This was my mess, my battle. I couldn't put her in 
rlm@0: danger because I wasn't strong enough alone...
rlm@0: 	Tomoyo blinked, puzzled for a few seconds before comprehension 
rlm@0: dawned in her eyes. I was wondering at first if I really saw the flash 
rlm@0: of panic, just for a moment, but even if, it was gone almost 
rlm@0: immediately, replaced by an almost solemn expression. Guessing from 
rlm@0: her usual selfless behavior, I could guess already what she wanted to 
rlm@0: say. "Tomo-chan, don't..." I flew closer to her until I could reach 
rlm@0: out and touch her face, my eyes gazing into hers. "I can't put you in 
rlm@0: danger like this. Please... I..." Words pretty much failed me at this 
rlm@0: point and the grip I maintained on her shoulders must have become 
rlm@0: painful. There was that scene again, flashing before my mind's eye. 
rlm@0: Tomoyo, in my arms, dying...
rlm@0: 	Gently, pale hands reached up to take my own into them, making 
rlm@0: me glance down for a moment before hesitantly meeting her eyes again. 
rlm@0: "This is not your future, Sakura-chan. You have been given another 
rlm@0: chance to make it better. Believe in that, believe in yourself, just 
rlm@0: like I do."
rlm@0: 	I was paralyzed in amazement. I had witnessed it so many times. 
rlm@0: But now, in this situation Tomoyo's true strength shone so bright it 
rlm@0: could light the zone of darkness. Immediately a warm, soothing 
rlm@0: sensation spread through my whole self and I welcomed it openly. 
rlm@0: "Aren't you scared?" I was scared. Just a moment ago, I was so scared 
rlm@0: I rather wanted to turn and fly the other way than facing this 
rlm@0: nightmare... again. Now it was only a dull sensation. A bearable 
rlm@0: background feeling. Because of her.
rlm@0: 	"Of course I am," Tomoyo said gently. "But I know everything 
rlm@0: will be alright." I was pulled forward suddenly but didn't resist when 
rlm@0: Tomoyo pulled me into a brief hug. "Because I believe in you."
rlm@0: 	I was defeated. I had known the moment that Tomoyo looked at me 
rlm@0: that I wasn't able to win this argument. When her arms went around me, 
rlm@0: with so much trust and love, I gently flapped my wings and lifted her 
rlm@0: from the dragon's back. "Only with you I can be strong," I said, 
rlm@0: realizing once again how true those words were. How much confidence 
rlm@0: the knowledge of their truth brightened my soul.
rlm@0: 	There wasn't a further word said but it wasn't necessary. The 
rlm@0: orb of light surrounding us, making maintaining Fly unnecessary, was 
rlm@0: of a bright golden radiance. I could feel the purity and the love, our 
rlm@0: own feelings mingling with the magical force created by the card. It 
rlm@0: was magnificent and much stronger than what it felt like before.
rlm@0: 	Hand's clasped tightly, we turned around and with a slight nod 
rlm@0: Love shot forward right into the darkness ahead.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ******************************
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: (Tomoyo)
rlm@0: A void of total blackness. Not a light fell anywhere, not even a 
rlm@0: glimmer. If not for the illuminating shine of Love's protective 
rlm@0: barrier it would be impossible to see one's own hand. And the void was 
rlm@0: not only pitch black but also cold, so cold that it would probably be 
rlm@0: warm at the North Pole. Not so much a temperature-induced coldness but 
rlm@0: one that threatened to freeze your very soul. An icy breath of 
rlm@0: foreboding, of promised annihilation. And not even a sound penetrated 
rlm@0: the thick veil of darkness, causing even the simple of action of 
rlm@0: breathing to sound like tiny sonic booms in the deathly quiet.
rlm@0: 	When I said that I was scared, I had meant it. But now, now I 
rlm@0: felt actual fear. This place was... No, there wasn't a word to aptly 
rlm@0: describe it. However, everything in me shied away from the 
rlm@0: incomprehensible... evil filling the very air - if there was even air 
rlm@0: outside the bubble. Something in me told me that it wasn't supposed to 
rlm@0: be evil. That Silence alone wasn't evil. Filia had pointed this out. 
rlm@0: Which only meant that Pandora's control had to be more or less 
rlm@0: ultimate inside this zone already. If not for Sakura's presence and 
rlm@0: the tight contact we kept, I wasn't sure if even Love's powers could 
rlm@0: have kept me from running away.
rlm@0: 	I felt Sakura tighten her grip to an almost painful level and 
rlm@0: saw her face contorted in deep concentration. "I can barely bear it. 
rlm@0: All that hate, fear, terror... it's... it's like the dead are being 
rlm@0: tortured." A shiver run through the other girl and I realized that I 
rlm@0: wasn't much better off. Sakura's comparison might be a little crude 
rlm@0: but that was just how I felt right now.
rlm@0: 	"Unfortunately, that is the case," we could hear Love reply 
rlm@0: softly. At her words I glanced around and almost jumped at the shock. 
rlm@0: I could see them. Tiny wisp-like forms. Suspended in the space around 
rlm@0: us, bound by tendrils of the darkness, they were the only thing that 
rlm@0: indicated that there was indeed color around us and not just void. 
rlm@0: Looking at one closely I could SEE their torment, I could see the 
rlm@0: utter agony tearing them apart inside out but yet never ending their 
rlm@0: peril. It was sickening and I wanted to scream but my voice had been 
rlm@0: caught in my throat. For a moment I felt a glimpse of what they were 
rlm@0: going through and... and...
rlm@0: 	"Don't look!" I felt myself being turned away from the sight at 
rlm@0: Love's sharp warning, Sakura pulling my face against her body and I 
rlm@0: was instantly grateful for that. I had been frozen in place, alone I 
rlm@0: might have been caught in the moment forever. Desperately I tried to 
rlm@0: regain my composure but couldn't help a few tears slipping out, 
rlm@0: drenching Sakura's clothes as the horrible realization set in what 
rlm@0: exactly I had seen.
rlm@0: 	Only gradually I managed to quell the terror in my soul, still 
rlm@0: weeping for the fate of those around me. Sakura was rocking me gently 
rlm@0: and it helped somewhat to calm my nerves, I could draw strength from 
rlm@0: her presence. It was a hard fight for control though. "It's... it's so 
rlm@0: horrible..." I breathed, clutching tightly at Sakura for fear of being 
rlm@0: left alone in here.
rlm@0: 	"I am sorry," Love said, sounding guilty. "I had not expected 
rlm@0: that the Feared One had such control over my mate already. Even with 
rlm@0: my power I can only dim the experience."
rlm@0: 	"What happened just there? I can feel so much terror all around 
rlm@0: us, What did Tomoyo see?" Sakura asked, worry clearly evident in her 
rlm@0: voice. I would have answered but I was unable to voice the horror I 
rlm@0: had unintentionally witnessed.
rlm@0: 	"Lost souls," Love replied solemnly, her voice telling of her 
rlm@0: own sadness. "The Feared One feasts on them. It has always been her 
rlm@0: greatest pleasure to convert the souls of living beings, strip of all 
rlm@0: their positive feelings and only leaving the darkness that every life 
rlm@0: form possesses as pure as they might be. They are left alone, in a 
rlm@0: state of utter torment, forced to spent eternity with their own 
rlm@0: terror. It is worse than Hell." Love was silent for a moment as Sakura 
rlm@0: hugged me even tighter. I could feel her trying to pour her own love 
rlm@0: into me but she was struggling as well, now that the evil presence 
rlm@0: around us had a name. "Tomoyo's abilities to see the Astral Plane must 
rlm@0: be returning slowly when she can actually see them. But believe me, 
rlm@0: seeing it might be very traumatic, actually experiencing it though..." 
rlm@0: Love trailed off and I could hear something that sounded like a gasp, 
rlm@0: followed by a deep wail that threatened to wrench my heart right out 
rlm@0: of my chest.
rlm@0: 	Startled I turned around to glance at what had inspired such 
rlm@0: terror in the gentle card spirit and SAW. I damned that ability 
rlm@0: already. I saw Silence up ahead, glowing a very faint purple, almost 
rlm@0: consumed already by the thick chains of darkness covering more or less 
rlm@0: every inch of her spiritual body. It was like with the souls I had 
rlm@0: seen but on a much larger scale. I had to fight myself not to look 
rlm@0: further, knowing that I surely would become lost in the process. While 
rlm@0: the tormenters of the souls had merely been mindless, a part of 
rlm@0: something bigger, this... this... thing was the epitome of terror, the 
rlm@0: very incarnation of horror. At this moment I really understood why 
rlm@0: everyone feared it so much. My understanding of those latent abilities 
rlm@0: was small, most based upon instinct, but what I could see was enough 
rlm@0: to scare a god, that much I was sure of.
rlm@0: 	"Phoebe!" Love cried out in terror and I could really not blame 
rlm@0: her. I didn't pay that much attention to the name but instead was 
rlm@0: focused on what to my eyes was best described as something like a 
rlm@0: black hole. Always devouring everything around it. I knew somehow that 
rlm@0: in reality - or better on the physical plane - where was not much to 
rlm@0: be seen. That being wasn't present in this world, it wasn't tangible. 
rlm@0: The only body ir had was that of the Card's spirit and to say those 
rlm@0: had actually physical bodies would be stretching the term. Sakura had 
rlm@0: once explained that she didn't really know the border between what was 
rlm@0: physically and what spiritual about the cards. They could interact 
rlm@0: with their environment but their sprite form was the only thing that 
rlm@0: really gave them some sort of solid shape on this plane.
rlm@0: 	That being, Pandora, was so huge that Silence's sprite - which I 
rlm@0: could dimly see slowly drowning in the ocean of darkness - was not 
rlm@0: more than an insect in comparison. And it was unrelenting, holding the 
rlm@0: card's spirit mercilessly, not giving it even an inch to move.
rlm@0: 	At the shout though I could see just a little quiver, rebelling 
rlm@0: briefly against the tainted presence. The being simply tightened its 
rlm@0: hold and I could literally feel the pain resulting from that action. 
rlm@0: With a lot effort I tore my gaze away slightly, trying to divert my 
rlm@0: focus.
rlm@0: 	"Foolish humans. Did you think you could stop my release?" The 
rlm@0: voice echoed all around us. It wasn't at all what I expected. I had 
rlm@0: thought it would be something more... sinister. Not that quiet, 
rlm@0: controlled voice that was neither soft, nor loud. For all I knew it 
rlm@0: was... normal. Controlled to a degree as if this was just a normal 
rlm@0: conversation and not bragging about the coming freedom and how she 
rlm@0: would be destroying everything or something like that. I felt Sakura 
rlm@0: clasp my hand tightly but it seemed she wasn't really surprised which 
rlm@0: had to mean that this seemed to be a normal thing for that feared 
rlm@0: entity.
rlm@0: 	"What did you do to her?" demanded Love vehemently, the glow 
rlm@0: around us intensifying to nearly blinding levels.
rlm@0: 	There was a pause and then Pandora's voice came again, almost as 
rlm@0: if not paying the question any mind at all. "I owe that whelp a lot. 
rlm@0: Before his meddling you were just energies, perfect power flowing 
rlm@0: steadily. He gave you a spirit, feelings of your own. Just mirror 
rlm@0: images of your former owners' but that was enough already. You became 
rlm@0: independent in a way, be it even so small. I had spent so long in 
rlm@0: slumber I could wait the few more centuries it would take to work my 
rlm@0: way into this one's mind. With Silence's power I can finally burst the 
rlm@0: seal. You cannot change that anymore. Your efforts will all be in 
rlm@0: vain. Your mate is already mine, and the rest of you will follow 
rlm@0: soon."
rlm@0: 	No, that wasn't true. I risked another glance at Silence and saw 
rlm@0: her struggling weakly. Obviously Love's presence seemed to get through 
rlm@0: to her despite the powerful control. "Don't listen to her," I shouted, 
rlm@0: "Silence is still there. She can sense you!" An idea had hatched in my 
rlm@0: mind and while it was more like a piece of straw in a raging river I 
rlm@0: grasped onto it. Sakura had put her faith into this in the first place 
rlm@0: and from what I saw thee still was a possibility that it might work. I 
rlm@0: looked up at Sakura, our eyes met while I grabbed her other hand 
rlm@0: tightly. Concentrating on the love in my heart for the beautiful girl 
rlm@0: I let it flow out. I didn't hold back and let it fill me, my whole 
rlm@0: self vibrating from the intensity. Only a moment later Sakura followed 
rlm@0: suit and I could feel our hearts beating in synchrony. The glow of 
rlm@0: magic erupted into a shade too bright to look at. Closing my eyes, I 
rlm@0: held firm onto the feelings inside me, hoping that it would be enough 
rlm@0: for Love to reach her mate.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ******************************
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: (Sakura)
rlm@0: The experience was one of the most surreal I ever had... and really... 
rlm@0: those were a lot. Sensing what Tomoyo was trying to do, I quickly 
rlm@0: joined her efforts and being more experienced, took all that love 
rlm@0: created at this very moment and channeled it directly into Love's own 
rlm@0: protective sphere. The star key in my hand glowed softly, the effort 
rlm@0: not really all that noteworthy since all it had to do was focus 
rlm@0: energy.
rlm@0: 	I thought back on all of the time spent with Tomoyo, both in my 
rlm@0: old timeline as her best friend and now in this in something much 
rlm@0: more. How much the feelings between us had blossomed beyond my 
rlm@0: furthest imagination after my choice. I felt my spirit slipping away 
rlm@0: into a sea of brilliant gold. It wasn't suffocating, no. Instead it 
rlm@0: was comforting, an embrace of absolute happiness. This was a plane 
rlm@0: where the physical self didn't really exist anymore and all the soul 
rlm@0: and spirit felt was pure love.
rlm@0: 	Only about a decade of training enabled me to hear the voices, 
rlm@0: the desperate pleading and the silent war for control going on.
rlm@0: 	"Phoebe!" Love called out to Silence. I figured since they were 
rlm@0: mirror images of the ones who released their power in the first place, 
rlm@0: the name was probably that of the assorted Senshi. It was at least a 
rlm@0: logical explanation and I had more important matters to think about 
rlm@0: than that.
rlm@0: 	"Is that you, my love..." The reply was faint and with the thin 
rlm@0: concentration I managed in this plane while my main focus was still on 
rlm@0: focusing and channeling our feelings into Love I was for a moment not 
rlm@0: sure if I really heard it. But then it came again, a bit stronger, 
rlm@0: desperate now. "I thought you were... She said she took you from 
rlm@0: me..."
rlm@0: 	"I am here," Love quickly reassured. "Pandora tricked us. She 
rlm@0: used our brief separation to claim your spirit. You have to fight 
rlm@0: back."
rlm@0: 	"I can't..." There was a flare of helpless fury, a spark of 
rlm@0: power that was more senseless defiance than any real threat to the 
rlm@0: control of the dark being. "She's too strong. I can't fight back... 
rlm@0: not without you..."
rlm@0: 	There was a brief pause and then I felt Tomoyo's feelings 
rlm@0: change, concentrating on another aspect of our relationship and I 
rlm@0: welcomed it thankfully. Those feelings of trust and sincere faith I 
rlm@0: had discovered to be my greatest strength, something that had been 
rlm@0: shown in the last few hours many times again. Feeling my own 
rlm@0: confidence rise, I relayed it all to Love, knowing that a Clow Card 
rlm@0: could increase its strength then the wielder increased their will.
rlm@0: 	"I know you can do it. I trust it," Love said, picking up on the 
rlm@0: delivered feeling. A ripple went through the darkness outside the 
rlm@0: protective bubble. I could nearly see Love's power filling the zone 
rlm@0: almost completely. I could sense Silence mobilizing enormous powers, 
rlm@0: pushing back the control over her spirit, slowly but steadily. I 
rlm@0: redoubled my efforts and Tomoyo responded in kind. It was working it 
rlm@0: was really working. Pandora was struggling with the only control she 
rlm@0: had of the physical plane as of now. I knew that logically beating her 
rlm@0: that easily was impossible. However, what we had her was just an 
rlm@0: extension of her true self. A part of her spirit. There wasn't much 
rlm@0: more the seal allowed... yet. That had been my only real hope in that 
rlm@0: matter, that maybe she wouldn't be strong enough to withstand a 
rlm@0: focused assault in this state and would be forced to retreat.
rlm@0: 	And then everything shattered. I was amazed at myself that I had 
rlm@0: even the time to push Tomoyo away when the bolt of darkness crashed 
rlm@0: right through Love's bubble with a destructive force that could have 
rlm@0: easily shattered the planet if we still were fully on the earthly 
rlm@0: plane.
rlm@0: 	And where before had been absolute love, the embrace of safety 
rlm@0: and utter calm, like a mother's womb, where before in the state we 
rlm@0: entered was only a bit of discomfort at our surroundings and what were 
rlm@0: the echoes of the lost souls all around us, all that had transferred 
rlm@0: into the total opposite now, amplified several times and then doubled 
rlm@0: again. When the pitch blackness touched me I could feel all the terror 
rlm@0: this plane emitted and now I really fully understood what Tomoyo must 
rlm@0: have seen when she had looked at one of the tormented souls. The 
rlm@0: experience was only of a mere moment but I felt such fear in the 
rlm@0: presence of such... sickening... WRONGNESS that I would have been glad 
rlm@0: if someone just ran me through with a sword, ending the horror.
rlm@0: 	"TIME!" I cried out, not able to give any more clear orders or 
rlm@0: form equally coherent thoughts. Thankfully enough Time might be a 
rlm@0: mysterious card that rarely told me anything and if, then often in 
rlm@0: rather mysterious terms, but she was also the most intelligent card I 
rlm@0: had ever come across. I still didn't know what her role in all this 
rlm@0: was and firmly believed that there was a lot more to her when she let 
rlm@0: on. As it was Time did exactly what was necessary.
rlm@0: 	I sank to my knees and hands when I felt the protective bubble 
rlm@0: of temporal energy flicker into existence. I could hear the quiet 
rlm@0: whimpers from Tomoyo and wanted to do nothing more than to comfort my 
rlm@0: girlfriend. Yet, I was still much to paralyzed from that brief - but 
rlm@0: still much too long - ordeal. Frantically I reached out, trying to 
rlm@0: locate Love's presence. I had felt the bond ripped apart and feared 
rlm@0: for the worst. If Love was... destroyed - and I really had no idea if 
rlm@0: that was even possible - then the seal would be void. Relived I noted 
rlm@0: that there was a faint glimmer, signaling that Love was still there 
rlm@0: and as I raised my head I saw that it wasn't going to be any longer at 
rlm@0: this point.
rlm@0: 	The sprite form of Love drifted almost lifelessly towards the 
rlm@0: darkened form of her companion, an easy target for Pandora to capture. 
rlm@0: Soon they were united again but probably in a way both would have 
rlm@0: liked to avoid. Silence's power had risen to a cold flare of anger but 
rlm@0: without Love's support it lacked conviction. The card was struggling, 
rlm@0: unrestrained fury pulsating around her. But the will to fight back had 
rlm@0: been broken the moment Love's power had been.
rlm@0: 	"You thought you could push me back this easily. In here where 
rlm@0: there is chaos. Chaos fueled by everything you term negative. Every 
rlm@0: positive emotion is as weak as a candle in the wind. This plane is my 
rlm@0: creation and as long as I have Silence as my anchor where is nothing 
rlm@0: that can make me return to my prison."
rlm@0: 	Was that it? Was that the end?
rlm@0: 	Love had been my last hope. I had really BELIEVED that it would 
rlm@0: work. That was so unfair. I had been so close. If I had gotten to 
rlm@0: Silence a bit earlier, I could have repaired the seal and ended that 
rlm@0: nightmare once and for all. I knew I could do it. With Tomoyo's love 
rlm@0: and support behind me I could accomplish everything. It might have 
rlm@0: taken all my power but compared to fighting Pandora, repairing the 
rlm@0: seal seemed like mere child's play. What I could I do against 
rlm@0: something like this? Even that small part of her was so vastly 
rlm@0: powerful that fear was paralyzing my body. All the magic at my 
rlm@0: disposal meant nothing. What good did it do to be stronger than Clow 
rlm@0: when I couldn't even protect the few people I loved dearly? There was 
rlm@0: no way anyone could defeat her...
rlm@0: 	"Sakura-chan..." Tomoyo rasped out behind me and I felt slender 
rlm@0: arms encircling me, drawing me against her body. A jolt of pure 
rlm@0: devotion traveled through me, crashing into my spirit that already 
rlm@0: admitted defeat a moment ago, filling it with that awesome feeling I 
rlm@0: had come to cherish so much. Slowly at first, it was like a volcano, 
rlm@0: the lava bubbling just underneath the surface trying to get out. 
rlm@0: Questions shot through my mind, hard and unrestrained. What would 
rlm@0: happen to those that I loved? What would happen to my family? To my 
rlm@0: friends in Tomoeda? To Syaoran and Filia? To Yue and Kero? What would 
rlm@0: happen to Tomoyo if I... if WE failed here?
rlm@0: 	They would all die a horrible, painful death. Just like in the 
rlm@0: future I had escaped.
rlm@0: 	No.
rlm@0: 	Never.
rlm@0: 	I would not... I absolutely could not give up here!
rlm@0: 	Slowly reaching up to take Tomoyo's hands in mine I clasped them 
rlm@0: tightly for a brief moment. There was a mutual silence, then the 
rlm@0: familiar sentence spilled from both of our lips in sincere harmony, 
rlm@0: filled with renewed faith. "Everything will surely be alright."
rlm@0: 	I separated from Tomoyo without looking back, basking in her 
rlm@0: love as long as I could, keeping those feelings close to my heart in 
rlm@0: hope they would preserve me, channeling them directly to Light and 
rlm@0: mentally commanding her to secure my heart and soul, while I slipped 
rlm@0: Dark around my mind, to calm my fear and any doubts if they should 
rlm@0: arise again.
rlm@0: 	Then I stepped outside Time's bubble.
rlm@0: 	But not before giving one last command. If someone had directly 
rlm@0: asked me when Filia made the revelations about her past life, I would 
rlm@0: have told them that the surprise had only been brief. I had been aware 
rlm@0: of the power inside of me, the presence of arcane magic older than 
rlm@0: anything Kero or Yue could ever teach me. I had discovered it years 
rlm@0: ago but had been afraid of the change I felt would come. I was afraid 
rlm@0: of the consequences releasing the seal on that power would entitle and 
rlm@0: I knew deep down that doing so would change me. Not only magically but 
rlm@0: as a person as well.
rlm@0: 	Until now there was no need to even attempt it. Until Pandora 
rlm@0: there never had been the necessity for something greater than my own 
rlm@0: given magic. And the fear of consequences had outweighed the 
rlm@0: temptation by far. With great power comes great responsibility. 
rlm@0: Nothing happens without a reason, no power was ever given without 
rlm@0: taking something in return.
rlm@0: 	Light, Dark, Kero, Yue, even Time herself had told me where 
rlm@0: would be consequences for changing history. They never told me what 
rlm@0: consequences because they either didn't know or didn't want to tell. I 
rlm@0: had pondered it for a long time but only now. Only now did I 
rlm@0: understand. In the face of my greatest fear, I understood that the 
rlm@0: consequence would either be the destruction of this planet and 
rlm@0: probably the whole universe afterwards or...
rlm@0: 	"Time," I spoke softly, "release the seal on the memories of my 
rlm@0: past life."
rlm@0: 	And with that I opened myself completely to the bubbling power I 
rlm@0: had been secretly tempted to utilize more than once since traveling 
rlm@0: back in time. I held firm to Tomoyo's image in my mind and hoped that 
rlm@0: if something remained untouched by the ordeal it would be our love. I 
rlm@0: needed that power now, I needed the ancient wisdom of someone who had 
rlm@0: already helped seal Pandora in the first place. If my past life really 
rlm@0: had been as strong as Filia said, I needed her help now.
rlm@0: 	As the magic burst forward and I felt the flood of memories 
rlm@0: beginning a silent onslaught, I relented and accepted it all with the 
rlm@0: one thought in mind to protect those that I loved.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ******************************
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: (Tomoyo)
rlm@0: It was like losing a part of myself. When I let Sakura go, I felt as 
rlm@0: if something was irreversible taken from me. While I had not much 
rlm@0: experience with supernatural encounters I had learned to trust my 
rlm@0: instincts since this mess started. My heart wanted to deny that 
rlm@0: something could... would happen to Sakura but yet my instincts told me 
rlm@0: otherwise.
rlm@0: 	At the same time though I could also tell that while I lost 
rlm@0: something, I would gain something, in the long run maybe even more 
rlm@0: than I would lose. Of course I couldn't really make much sense to me 
rlm@0: that moment and all I could think about was that I had such a really 
rlm@0: bad, sinking feeling in my stomach. I had no idea what exactly she was 
rlm@0: planning, hanging there in the void, just hovering for a moment. Wisps 
rlm@0: of white and black that I identified briefly as Light and Dark 
rlm@0: circling around her. I hadn't wanted to let her go. I really had not. 
rlm@0: I was far more worried about her life when to care about what might 
rlm@0: happen when nothing was done about Pandora. That brief experience 
rlm@0: outside in the void, unprotected and exposed to the horror of dark 
rlm@0: emotions had left me a frightened mess. I really had no idea where I 
rlm@0: had pulled the strength from to even move. But I had known that Sakura 
rlm@0: needed my support now, that she was on the verge of breaking and that 
rlm@0: I had to be strong for her. She depended on me giving her confidence. 
rlm@0: And as much the feelings of fear threatened to overwhelm me any moment 
rlm@0: now, the need to be there for Sakura was far greater.
rlm@0: 	And then Sakura spoke and everything began to make sense. I 
rlm@0: stood there on shaky legs, watching transfixed as a faint glimmer of 
rlm@0: crimson red formed around Sakura's form. Where it touched, the 
rlm@0: darkness recoiled for a moment. For a few, timeless moments that was 
rlm@0: all that happened. Sakura had her head thrown back and I could guess 
rlm@0: that her eyes were closed. Then suddenly the faint aura literally 
rlm@0: exploded in a bright flare, crackling and hissing like an angry flame 
rlm@0: ready to consume whatever lay in its path. It began to completely 
rlm@0: surround... no, swallow Sakura from head to toe, expanding in size and 
rlm@0: intensity until I had to look away as another bright flash of light 
rlm@0: temporally lit up the darkness.
rlm@0: 	When my eyes managed to finally adjust again, the darkness had 
rlm@0: mostly returned except for the purple shimmer of Time's bubble. Then 
rlm@0: there was Sakura. On first glance you might not see the changes, 
rlm@0: especially in the dim light. But for me, for someone who had known 
rlm@0: Sakura for so long, I spotted them immediately. The hair was longer, 
rlm@0: falling a little past her shoulders and of a darker shade of red, 
rlm@0: somewhere between the fiery orange-red that was in my memories from 
rlm@0: the picture in the shrine and Sakura's natural chocolate-brown. Since 
rlm@0: I couldn't see her eyes from here, those were all the physical changes 
rlm@0: visible, yet there were small things, things that were more 
rlm@0: appreciated on a subconscious area that I had learned to read and 
rlm@0: interpret for about five years. Subtle movements of muscles, body 
rlm@0: posture and her very aura that told me that this was not just Sakura 
rlm@0: anymore. Not just Sakura, but not fully someone else either. And what 
rlm@0: really made the difference from me was that the bond of love between 
rlm@0: us, that sense of awareness for the other was still there, not in the 
rlm@0: least damaged. No, it had actually warped a little and seemed to be 
rlm@0: even more defined than before.
rlm@0: 	I could have sworn I heard a gasp and when Pandora spoke up, 
rlm@0: somewhat disbelievingly I was pretty sure it came from her. "You?"
rlm@0: 	Sakura lifted her head up to gaze at what could barely be 
rlm@0: recognized as the sprite form of Silence. Both her and Love had been 
rlm@0: almost completely swallowed. While you literally felt the fear 
rlm@0: radiating from my girlfriend whenever confronted with the infernal 
rlm@0: being, now there was an air of calmness around her. Nothing in her 
rlm@0: body language spoke of doubt. There was a strong confidence in her 
rlm@0: abilities that for all her advances in magic my Sakura had never shown 
rlm@0: before. This Sakura - I really couldn't bring myself to think of her 
rlm@0: as anyone else even though I knew she probably was as much her past 
rlm@0: self again right now as she was Sakura - didn't show any fear in the 
rlm@0: face of the situation before her, there was no hesitation.
rlm@0: 	Briefly Sakura glanced back and I gasped as I felt myself 
rlm@0: captured in the most enchanting pair of gold eyes, sparkling with the 
rlm@0: fire of a miniature sun, a passion as vivid as the genki spirit of 
rlm@0: Sakura but mixed with something much more mature, maybe a little 
rlm@0: darker. I felt myself trembling and leaned against the inner wall of 
rlm@0: Time's bubble. Sakura sent a reassuring smile down towards me but even 
rlm@0: though her new appearance had stunned me to immobility I could detect 
rlm@0: a bit of sadness and regret there. I wanted to reach out, to say 
rlm@0: something, anything... But my mouth felt dry and denied me the favor 
rlm@0: of speech.
rlm@0: 	Then the now-redhead turned back towards her foe. "Not entirely. 
rlm@0: I am more now when I have been before." The wand in her hand flared 
rlm@0: with a bright white for a moment. "As you will see soon." Sakura 
rlm@0: really didn't waste much words. With one gesture she pointed the wand 
rlm@0: down at where Love and Silence were entangled in the mass of darkness 
rlm@0: that by now was rather hard to distinguish from the rest of the void 
rlm@0: if you didn't know where to look. I gasped in amazement as a beam of 
rlm@0: white light - on closer inspection turning out to be more like tiny 
rlm@0: little stars - struck the duo of card sprites that were holding each 
rlm@0: other tightly.
rlm@0: 	There was a startled exclamation of Pandora before she had to 
rlm@0: suddenly shift all her attention to the mix of orange and purple light 
rlm@0: erupting from within her. It was not nearly strong enough to burst 
rlm@0: their bonds but they were fighting back again, furiously. And that 
rlm@0: gave Sakura time and the diversion she needed for... Well, for 
rlm@0: whatever she had planned.
rlm@0: 	Sakura crossed her hands before her chest and I could see a deep 
rlm@0: red glow spreading from where she had put the four talismans Filia had 
rlm@0: given her. Then she began the incantation with the same calmness now 
rlm@0: dominating all her actions at the moment.
rlm@0: 	"Shikai no yami wo suberu oo, nanji no kakera no enishi ni 
rlm@0: sitagai
rlm@0: 	Nanjira subete no chikara mote ware ni saranaru chikara wo atae 
rlm@0: yo"
rlm@0: 	Ever since entering the zone of darkness it had really been like 
rlm@0: in the eye of a storm. It was silent, an eerie quietness, and all that 
rlm@0: could remotely be considered wind was the icy death breath filling 
rlm@0: everything around us. Now there was a gentle breeze, slowly gaining in 
rlm@0: force as Sakura continued her spell. And as the wind grew in intensity 
rlm@0: the darkness seemed to... move. I knew it was stupid. I knew it was 
rlm@0: technically impossible - but then again what was not commonly termed 
rlm@0: impossible of the things I experienced since Sakura had become a 
rlm@0: Cardcaptor? - yet the vast emptiness around us practically seemed to 
rlm@0: gather around the Card Mistress and then flow between her cupped 
rlm@0: hands, slowly taking shape.
rlm@0: 	"Akumu no ou no hitokake yo
rlm@0: 	Sora no imashime tokihanatareshi kooreru kuroki utsuro no yaiba 
rlm@0: yo
rlm@0: 	Waga chikara waga mi to narite tomo ni horobi no michi o ayuman
rlm@0: 	Kamigami no tamashii sura mo uchikudak"
rlm@0: 	Sakura's voice grew in strength as she chanted, the words 
rlm@0: beginning to almost vibrate with the power forming between her hands. 
rlm@0: There was a short startled scream as Pandora obviously took note of 
rlm@0: what was happening but something told me that it was already too late. 
rlm@0: The darkness between the redhead's hands had taken shape already. I 
rlm@0: wasn't sure if you could declare the blade of pitch blackness solid 
rlm@0: though. It was livid, wavering, always changing shape, never really 
rlm@0: stopping in its chaotic motion. I stared in stunned disbelief at the 
rlm@0: phenomena, something familiar stirring inside of me at the sight. And 
rlm@0: there was that feeling again that Sakura was risking more with that 
rlm@0: spell than was obvious at first glance.
rlm@0: 	And then I saw it. I saw the subtle shaking, the tensed muscled, 
rlm@0: squared shoulders, I felt more than saw the pain of concentration in 
rlm@0: her face that the spell demanded from her. It was a wild thought, yet 
rlm@0: I knew even more so that it was true. While the spell probably wasn't 
rlm@0: lethal. Sakura, reincarnation or not, was not used to it. Her body was 
rlm@0: mot used to the demands the arcane magic obviously put on her body and 
rlm@0: spirit.
rlm@0: 	I jerked back in slight shock when Sakura's head snapped around 
rlm@0: to look at me and right now her eyes were more a taint of red than the 
rlm@0: prior gold. "Amelia, where is the connection that roots her to the 
rlm@0: physical plane?" she shouted desperately. Her teeth were clenched and 
rlm@0: the eyes were turning more into slits right now. One even totally 
rlm@0: inexperienced with magic would see the colossal effort it caused the 
rlm@0: young girl to maintain the spell.
rlm@0: 	I didn't really pay the name much attention, on a level already 
rlm@0: understanding that Sakura probably couldn't distinguish between past 
rlm@0: and present right now. The desperation in her voice quickly snapped me 
rlm@0: out of my shocked state and I looked over at the tangled mass of 
rlm@0: semi-solid darkness and the rebelling card sprites. I had not dared to 
rlm@0: look directly again ever since the first time but now I knew what I 
rlm@0: had to do. I let instincts complete control and SAW. Spotting what 
rlm@0: seemed to my eyes like a big ball of the infernal presence that was 
rlm@0: Pandora I was pretty sure that this was exactly what Sakura wanted.
rlm@0: 	"There!" I pointed at the spot and mentally willed it for Sakura 
rlm@0: to be visible. I was surprised myself when the spot flashed with a 
rlm@0: faint blue light around the edges and for a moment thought it was just 
rlm@0: by my imagination, but judged by Pandora's startled exclamation, it 
rlm@0: must have really been there.
rlm@0: 	Glancing back to my girlfriend, I saw all the remaining cards 
rlm@0: dancing in a circle around Sakura, supplying tiny beams of magic that 
rlm@0: were absorbed immediately by the morphing blade of blackness, now held 
rlm@0: high over the Card Mistress' head, her gaze fixed on the one spot I 
rlm@0: had pointed out. Then, with a force creating a sonic boom, she brought 
rlm@0: it down on the knot of darkness that anchored Pandora to this plane.
rlm@0: 	"RAGNA BLADE!"
rlm@0: 	Absolute silence fell over the area when the blade came crushing 
rlm@0: down. For a frightening long moment disbelief and shock pushed to the 
rlm@0: forefront when the magical sword seemed to stop just inches from 
rlm@0: cracking the so tiny seeming knot apart.
rlm@0: 	"You... won't beat me... so easily..." Pandora could be heard, 
rlm@0: gasping out in obvious strain.
rlm@0: 	Then Love and Silence pushed upwards with a wave of joined 
rlm@0: power, drawing a scream from Pandora. At the same time Sakura pushed 
rlm@0: forward with all her might, a murdering scream of her own spilling 
rlm@0: from her lips. There was another moment in which nothing seemed to 
rlm@0: happen, then slowly the black blade pushed through the knot and 
rlm@0: everything exploded into bright white, accompanied by a shrill shriek 
rlm@0: that could have sent a dragon running.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ******************************
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Blinking my eyes my senses gradually returned one by one. I had no 
rlm@0: idea how much time had went by or if even any time at all had passed. 
rlm@0: My mind began to catch up with my senses and I began to remember what 
rlm@0: happened. There was a giant explosion when Sakura severed Pandora's 
rlm@0: connection to the physical plane and after that I remembered nothing. 
rlm@0: At first I wasn't sure if the release of powerful magic hadn't damaged 
rlm@0: my sight somehow because all around me was nothing but white. It was a 
rlm@0: stark contrast to the vast blackness from before. For a brief moment I 
rlm@0: wondered if we might have all just died and this was heaven or 
rlm@0: something.
rlm@0: 	But, I felt too alive to be dead. And then I became aware of the 
rlm@0: soft glows to my left and turned to see the sprite forms of Love and 
rlm@0: Silence. I gave a sigh of relief, walking over to them, all the while 
rlm@0: looking around in the infinite light for some sign of Sakura. "Where 
rlm@0: are we?" I asked curiously.
rlm@0: 	"In a small zone where our mutual energy flows met. We are in 
rlm@0: the only existing focal point of the seal," Love explained.
rlm@0: 	"I had been drawn and corrupted here by the Feared One," Silence 
rlm@0: stated in an emotional voice. But as emotionless as it seemed, her 
rlm@0: companion was obviously able to detect something more in it, squeezing 
rlm@0: her hand gently in comfort. I guess she had been feeling rather guilty 
rlm@0: about the whole thing. For the first I got a really good look at 
rlm@0: Silence's appearance, untainted by the influence of Pandora. Her skin 
rlm@0: was probably an even lighter tone of albino white, framed by short 
rlm@0: dark hair and somewhat cold and distant purple eyes.
rlm@0: 	That just left one question and I couldn't get that awful 
rlm@0: feeling in my chest to disappear that I wouldn't like the answer. 
rlm@0: "Where is...?" I started, but before I could finish my gaze traveled 
rlm@0: down to the figure on the ground. At first I didn't recognize the 
rlm@0: disheveled shape with the messy reddish hair and slightly torn 
rlm@0: clothing. But then I got a good look at her now pale, unmoving face 
rlm@0: and an anguished outcry left my lips. "Sakura!"
rlm@0: 	With one step I crossed the distance and was already on my knees 
rlm@0: before the last syllable even left my mouth. Gently, afraid to break 
rlm@0: her delicate form upon contact, I reached out to touch her face, 
rlm@0: searching for some sign of life, any reaction at all. My emotions were 
rlm@0: in turmoil and I couldn't think straight at all as all sort of 
rlm@0: nonsense bubbled from my lips. I tried to feel for a pulse but in my 
rlm@0: frantic state wasn't able to find it, only heightening the panic 
rlm@0: welling up inside of me.
rlm@0: 	"Pandora fought back against Mistress' spell. She had to put all 
rlm@0: of her magic and that of the cards into it to succeed," Love said 
rlm@0: quietly.
rlm@0: 	"Lina-dono was not ready for that amount of magic in such a 
rlm@0: young and inexperienced body. It not only drained her magic but her 
rlm@0: life force as well," Silence added, sadness this time audibly without 
rlm@0: much restraint.
rlm@0: 	However, I didn't want to hear it. "No," I rasped out, tears 
rlm@0: brimming in my eyes. I didn't want to hear the sadness or their 
rlm@0: explanations, I didn't want to hear it because... "She can't be dead. 
rlm@0: I don't believe she's dead!" I screamed at them making both card 
rlm@0: sprites recoil slightly at the bitterness and anguish in my voice. The 
rlm@0: cold and numbness I experienced in Pandora's void was nothing compared 
rlm@0: to what my heart felt like right now. "She promised me! She promised 
rlm@0: me everything would be alright..." I said, my voice turning into a 
rlm@0: whisper, silent tears spilled from my eyes as the truth slowly worked 
rlm@0: its way through my denial. "She promised..."
rlm@0: 	"To-Tomoyo..." My head jerked up and I stared at the girl in my 
rlm@0: arms, tears clouding my vision. Had I just heard...? I didn't dare to 
rlm@0: believe, I didn't dare to hope that... Sakura's eyes fluttered open 
rlm@0: weakly, barely on the brink of consciousness.
rlm@0: 	I felt my heart make a giant leap that could have crossed the 
rlm@0: whole planet with that one jump. Putting her hand against my cheek I 
rlm@0: smiled happily. "I am here Sakura-chan."
rlm@0: 	"D-Did I... beat her...?" Sakura choked out. I had to strain to 
rlm@0: even hear the voice but that was okay. She was tired. That was 
rlm@0: understandable. Just a bit of sleep and everything would be fine. We 
rlm@0: could go home and that would be the end of the whole ordeal. Just as 
rlm@0: Sakura said. Everything was alright.
rlm@0: 	"Of course," I managed to reply, a sob disrupting what I had 
rlm@0: planned to be proud and reassuring. Why was I still crying. Sakura was 
rlm@0: alright, wasn't she? There was no need for the tears anymore. They 
rlm@0: would only bother Sakura and I didn't need her to worry now. She was 
rlm@0: supposed to be resting.
rlm@0: 	"Good..." Sakura breathed with relief, her eyes slowly yielding 
rlm@0: to fatigue. I felt her fingers caress my cheek and sighed contently at 
rlm@0: the familiar feeling. "I am sorry..." The words, followed by the 
rlm@0: violent cough ripped me right out of my self-induced denial. All at 
rlm@0: once I became aware of how cold Sakura's body was, I became aware of 
rlm@0: the beat of her heart having slowed to an alarming rate. I became 
rlm@0: aware that the faint connection between us began to weaken to a point 
rlm@0: where it would be severed at any moment. I became aware that Sakura 
rlm@0: really WAS dying.
rlm@0: 	"Sa-Sakura..." I whispered fearfully, not wanting to hear the 
rlm@0: truth, not wanting to accept the fact that my best friend, my 
rlm@0: girlfriend, my lover, my mate was so brutally taken away from me, 
rlm@0: beyond my control, beyond anything I could do. However, I was unable 
rlm@0: to resist the truth anymore and that truth was like a sharp icicle 
rlm@0: bored right into my heart, draining all my life force. It was only a 
rlm@0: question whether I'd go from the pain or from the coldness.
rlm@0: 	"Dawn is approaching," Love said quietly, tears of her own 
rlm@0: glistering in her spiritual eyes. "When the flow is not returned, 
rlm@0: everything that has been done, every sacrifice would be pointless."
rlm@0: 	Pointless. The word echoed in my mind, crushing my already 
rlm@0: mortally wounded heart even further. Not only would I lose Sakura but 
rlm@0: it would all be in vain. Pandora would break free, Sakura's efforts 
rlm@0: without any effect, her death meaningless... Something inside that 
rlm@0: dead place that was my heart stirred, a tiny spark, not nearly enough 
rlm@0: to break through the ice covering it, but it was growing, growing 
rlm@0: slowly.
rlm@0: 	"N-No..." I glanced back at Sakura at her words, so faint now 
rlm@0: they were almost like the wind whispering. She brought her other hand 
rlm@0: that was still clutching the star wand up slowly. "Tomoyo... you have 
rlm@0: to... finish it..." My eyes widened in shock, my hands moving more on 
rlm@0: autopilot than actually wanting to as I took the staff from Sakura's 
rlm@0: limb fingers. "The... the cards love you... You have the magic... You 
rlm@0: can do it... I... I trust you..." Her breathing was getting shallow 
rlm@0: and the next breath was taking so long I was afraid it was already her 
rlm@0: last, but from somewhere she mustered the strength and a detached part 
rlm@0: of me analyzed with some sort of morbid amusement that this was just 
rlm@0: like Sakura, stubborn until the end.
rlm@0: 	"I love you... I am sorry that I have failed you... so badly... 
rlm@0: But I could not... let you die... again..."
rlm@0: 	Was that the consequence? Was that the consequences of using 
rlm@0: Time? If so, then that wasn't fair. If Sakura died here, all that 
rlm@0: would have really changed would be the four years we spent together. 
rlm@0: She wouldn't have saved anyone because the seal would break anyway, 
rlm@0: the same horror repeating again that she had tried to correct. Maybe 
rlm@0: that hadn't been her initial wish but her initial wish was to make me 
rlm@0: happy and how would having her sacrificed devoid any sense and as a 
rlm@0: result the entire Earth lost - including me -  make me happy?!
rlm@0: 	It wasn't fair.
rlm@0: 	It was not fair!
rlm@0: 	I didn't really understand why I was more angry than sad. I 
rlm@0: should be crying, screaming, anything, but all that I could do was 
rlm@0: holding the soft gaze of my dying beloved. Gold eyes meeting blue, not 
rlm@0: letting go until the last moment. The spark had become a small flame 
rlm@0: and was growing in size. An unnatural calmness began to fill me and as 
rlm@0: I sat staring into those eyes that despite the change were still so 
rlm@0: much Sakura I slowly began to understand. I began to understand why I 
rlm@0: had insisted on joining Sakura in the first place, despite the danger, 
rlm@0: despite my usual good-natured common sense. It wasn't because of Love 
rlm@0: and feeding her our feelings, it wasn't because I could suddenly see 
rlm@0: spirits and help to point out Pandora's weakness, it wasn't even 
rlm@0: really to lend the support Sakura needed so much.
rlm@0: 	No, I had made my request because of this moment, because of 
rlm@0: this very moment. Not because I knew Sakura would die but because I 
rlm@0: knew Sakura would die if I wasn't here. Filia's revelations had 
rlm@0: frightened me, I hadn't allowed myself to think about them, I had not 
rlm@0: wanted to face some of the implications albeit sensing that they might 
rlm@0: not be all that bad. And I was pretty sure Sakura had had similar 
rlm@0: troubles. However, my mate had not hesitated when there was no other 
rlm@0: choice. She had not hesitated to risk losing her very self in the 
rlm@0: process if it ensured the safety of those she loved.
rlm@0: 	And now it was my turn. If there was anything powerful in me, if 
rlm@0: Filia's tale about the strength of my past life was even remotely 
rlm@0: true, then... then... Then there had to be SOMETHING I could do to 
rlm@0: help Sakura. The other girl had saved my life so often. If I had this 
rlm@0: power, couldn't I just once, just this ONE time save her life? Was it 
rlm@0: too much to be asking that one favor? Had she not done enough already 
rlm@0: to earn some damn gratitude?
rlm@0: 	I refused to believe that this was the ultimate consequence of 
rlm@0: her actions. I refused to acknowledge that Sakura would be taken from 
rlm@0: me after only four years spent together like this. I refused to 
rlm@0: believe that everything that she had done, everything she had 
rlm@0: sacrificed would in the end be MEANINGLESS.
rlm@0: 	I simply did not accept it...
rlm@0: 	I wanted to help her...
rlm@0: 	I would help her...
rlm@0: 	I was able to help her...
rlm@0: 	Because...
rlm@0: 	My vision blurred without warning and I felt myself being drawn 
rlm@0: into the golden eyes of my lover...
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ******************************
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ()
rlm@0: The sky was a clear blue, a few soft white clouds strolled across the 
rlm@0: wonderful spring morning scenery, not doing much to obscure the warm - 
rlm@0: not hot - sun from illuminating the ground below. The various plants 
rlm@0: and flowers in the vast green field below seemed to actually stretch 
rlm@0: to take in as much of the sun's rays as possible.
rlm@0: 	Upon closer inspection one could see that the large field was 
rlm@0: not so much open space but a majestic garden, surrounding half of a 
rlm@0: grand palace. A figure sat in the middle of that vast garden, clad in 
rlm@0: white robes she appeared to be almost childlike and one not knowing 
rlm@0: could have mistaken her for one. But the blue eyes spoke of not only 
rlm@0: maturity but also a deep concentration. Short black hair fell slightly 
rlm@0: into her face as she kneeled by a single, lonely sprout of a tree. She 
rlm@0: had her hands placed over the pretty unhealthy looking sprout.
rlm@0: 	A second figure approached behind the girl and silently stood, 
rlm@0: watching as the first began to speak words of power. Not of force but 
rlm@0: of healing. Gentle, softly, the single syllables flowing like a 
rlm@0: beautiful ballad. The first girl's hand glowed a bright white but it 
rlm@0: immediately dimmed again after only a short time and the single green 
rlm@0: leaf that had spread from the efforts seemed to wither away. The girl 
rlm@0: let out a sigh and her shoulders dropped miserably.
rlm@0: 	The other girl smiled fondly, shaking her head in a mix of 
rlm@0: amusement and disappointed. Placing a hand on the dark-haired girl's 
rlm@0: shoulder she made her look up. "You still force it too much, 
rlm@0: Amelia-chan. Didn't they teach you patience at all?"
rlm@0: 	The last question was spoken with the hint of a teasing smile 
rlm@0: making the girl called Amelia pout. "Patience was never much of my 
rlm@0: greatest strengths. You know I trained in White Magic because it was 
rlm@0: expected of me as the Princess of Saillune. I don't think it ever was 
rlm@0: really my specialty." She reached up to touch the other girl's cheek, 
rlm@0: letting her hand linger in the soft purple hair falling slightly past 
rlm@0: the other girl's shoulder. "You've always been much better with this, 
rlm@0: Sylphiel-chan."
rlm@0: 	Sylphiel smiled sympathetically. "I know. But you want to be 
rlm@0: able to help if the situation should ever come up. You said so 
rlm@0: yourself. There might be a time when I am not available and you have 
rlm@0: an amazing talent, Amelia. You just have to learn how to use it 
rlm@0: properly."
rlm@0: 	Amelia nodded quietly, a look of determination entering her 
rlm@0: eyes, replacing the pout. "Thanks, with you guys supporting me like 
rlm@0: this I feel like I can do everything." With that she turned back to 
rlm@0: the withered tree sprout, once again concentrating solely on it, 
rlm@0: beginning to chant anew.
rlm@0: 	Sylphiel watched quietly, pride clearly visible in her eyes but 
rlm@0: also adoration for the other girl... no, almost young woman already 
rlm@0: that she held so dear. Her eyes closed for a moment and a happy sigh 
rlm@0: escaped her lips when a pair of arms encircled her waist from behind, 
rlm@0: drawing her against a third girl, slightly shorter than herself with 
rlm@0: distinctive orange-red hair and scarlet red eyes.
rlm@0: 	"How is she doing?" the redhead asked, nuzzling Sylphiel for a 
rlm@0: moment before moving her attention to Amelia who was lost in her 
rlm@0: spell, the white glow from her palms growing in intensity.
rlm@0: 	The purple-haired woman chuckled. "Amazingly well, considering 
rlm@0: we've only been training seriously for a few weeks. She doesn't 
rlm@0: realize it but she's learning this high level magic faster than I 
rlm@0: did." As if wanting to prove her words Amelia finished the spell and 
rlm@0: the magical light spread out from her hands in a steady flow, encasing 
rlm@0: the sickly looking sprout. Green leaves began to spread, the bark's 
rlm@0: color was returning to a more normal shade. All in all the sprout 
rlm@0: looked like it would grow into a very healthy tree one day.
rlm@0: 	Amelia released her held breath in a soft sigh and sank back to 
rlm@0: sit in the green grass. The redhead moved from Sylphiel, kneeling 
rlm@0: behind Amelia and pulled the pleasantly surprised girl into her lap. 
rlm@0: The taller woman sat next to them, resting her head on the redhead's 
rlm@0: shoulder and stroking softly through Amelia's dark hair. "That was 
rlm@0: very well done, Amelia. Just a bit more training and you can do it as 
rlm@0: good as I can."
rlm@0: 	Amelia shook her head in an adoringly cute display of 
rlm@0: stubbornness. "No way, I'll never be as good as you in White Magic or 
rlm@0: Lina in Black Magic."
rlm@0: 	The redhead, Lina, smiled lovingly. "Maybe, but you have more 
rlm@0: talent in all three magic categories than most normal humans, probably 
rlm@0: including us. I couldn't cast a healing spell like that in a hundred 
rlm@0: years and Sylphiel probably couldn't use attack magic to save her 
rlm@0: life." With a chuckle she added. "Except a Dragon Slave that is."
rlm@0: 	Sylphiel sent the redhead a mock glare at that but quickly 
rlm@0: joined in with her own soft laughter.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ******************************
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: (Tomoyo/Amelia)
rlm@0: And just like in the memory the words flowed from my lips.
rlm@0: 	"Seinaru iyashi no mite yo, hahanaru daichi no ibuki yo
rlm@0: 	Negawakuba waga mae ni yokoyawarishi kono mono o
rlm@0: 	Sono ooinaru jihi ni te sukui tamae"
rlm@0: 	Recalling all those lessons, the hours spend with a gentle and 
rlm@0: patient, much more experienced shrine maiden learning the ultimate 
rlm@0: form of healing. Not forceful like a Black Magic spell, not wild and 
rlm@0: somewhat chaotic like an elemental spell. No, slowly, with steady 
rlm@0: precision touching each damaged area, healing what was injured, curing 
rlm@0: what was sick. A process not hastened but patient with the faith set 
rlm@0: in mind that even if it seemed much too slow, the pace would be just 
rlm@0: right. Healing was like that. It needed precision, it needed to be 
rlm@0: flawless, or otherwise a tiny mistake in an unimportant area could 
rlm@0: cause all the effort to be in vain.
rlm@0: 	White magical energy flowed into my hands from all around us, 
rlm@0: the seal's power obviously an even stronger supply of life force than 
rlm@0: I had initially thought. There was so much, I actually had to damper 
rlm@0: the flow a little in order to not be overwhelmed. All my concentration 
rlm@0: was on the redhead, the one I HAD TO save. My mate, in this life as 
rlm@0: much as in my previous. My mind was detached and I wasn't quite sure 
rlm@0: who I was anymore since all my focus was on the other girl.
rlm@0: 	I could feel the magic reach its peak. I had already patched up 
rlm@0: everything physical, now it was time for the last touch, the crucial 
rlm@0: point, to return the life to Sakura/Lina... to breathe new life into 
rlm@0: her almost dead body.
rlm@0: 	"RESURRECTION!"
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ******************************
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ()
rlm@0: Far away, back in Tokyo, close to Tomoeda actually, a young girl not 
rlm@0: older than Sakura and Tomoyo stopped in her mundane task of sweeping 
rlm@0: the yard of her family's shrine. Long purplish hair was blown back in 
rlm@0: a soft breeze when the young miko looked up into the sky with a look 
rlm@0: of puzzlement in her green eyes. For a moment there she had felt 
rlm@0: something oddly familiar.
rlm@0: 	After a moment, the girl shrugged and returned her work in 
rlm@0: patient acceptance.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ******************************
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: (Sakura)
rlm@0: An angel.
rlm@0: 	That was the first thing I thought when I opened my eyes. After 
rlm@0: all I was pretty sure I just died and the face hovering above me was 
rlm@0: truly angelic. The delicate, pale features so much like Tomoyo, those 
rlm@0: eyes so deep and full of compassion, blue as a deep ocean or vast sky. 
rlm@0: The hair was a little darker, somewhere between black and deep purple. 
rlm@0: The happy smile and the glow in the angel's face were heartwarming, 
rlm@0: filling me entirely with love, completing me with just that single 
rlm@0: action. Only one person ever managed that - not including past lives 
rlm@0: right now.
rlm@0: 	"Sakura-chan," the angel whispered and my heart skipped a beat 
rlm@0: at the melodic, oh so familiar voice I thought never to hear again.
rlm@0: 	I blinked in confusion, wondering what was going on. 
rlm@0: "Tomo-chan?"
rlm@0: 	Before I could actually react I was pulled upwards into a 
rlm@0: crushing hug that threatened to split bones upon contact. The embrace 
rlm@0: was without doubt Tomoyo's. Nowhere else I could feel so at home, 
rlm@0: nowhere else I wanted to belong. Once in Tomoyo's arms I never wanted 
rlm@0: to leave again. Yet, this embrace was fierce, screaming with a mixture 
rlm@0: of burning emotions. Relief, happiness, longing. I could hear the 
rlm@0: other girls' heart beating in synchrony with my own. Soft, steady 
rlm@0: beats. They were the most heavenly music I had heard in my life 
rlm@0: because they told me one thing. Tomoyo wasn't dead... and neither was 
rlm@0: I.
rlm@0: 	"Tomo-chan, what...?" I started but never managed to finish, 
rlm@0: finding much more pleasant things to occupy my mouth with. The other 
rlm@0: girl had brought her lips to mine in a kiss that was full of 
rlm@0: desperation, conveying all the fear and sadness of not to long ago but 
rlm@0: also all the happiness and relief coursing through her. It mingled 
rlm@0: with my own mirrored feelings and was returned with an equally strong 
rlm@0: favor. Our spirits seemed to join for that single timeless moment and 
rlm@0: I began to understand partly what had happened.
rlm@0: 	When the kiss ended, I pulled back and stared into Tomoyo's 
rlm@0: eyes. Seeing not only the unconditional love of the one person I would 
rlm@0: give... had given anything for, but also something else, someone else. 
rlm@0: Dormant, not really awakened as the soul inside of me when Time 
rlm@0: released my past life's memories. "You saved me," I said softly, 
rlm@0: tracing the other girl's face with one finger, mesmerizing the few 
rlm@0: subtle changes. She was still mostly Tomoyo but there was a bit of 
rlm@0: Amelia there too. Before I had made that step, I would have been a 
rlm@0: little scared of the change that could mean for us. However, now with 
rlm@0: the full recollection of my past life, I realized how foolish that 
rlm@0: fear was. For us, there never had been any danger of losing something 
rlm@0: important. On the contrary there was actually more to gain.
rlm@0: 	"I had to," Tomoyo said simply but her eyes were still moist 
rlm@0: with unshed tears of happiness. I reached up to gently brush them away 
rlm@0: with one of my sleeves and smiled with unrestrained pride.
rlm@0: 	We could have stood there for ages, neither caring about the 
rlm@0: world around us. Unfortunately where was still one thing to attend to, 
rlm@0: as Love chose to remind us - of the matter and her presence that is. 
rlm@0: "Dawn is almost upon us."
rlm@0: 	I didn't cast my eyes away from Tomoyo. An understanding passed 
rlm@0: between us that went far beyond simple words. It was an understanding 
rlm@0: born from the ordeal we had just experienced and survived. With a 
rlm@0: simple mental command the forgotten star wand floated into my 
rlm@0: outstretched hand. I stepped back slightly and held it out between us, 
rlm@0: waiting. Tomoyo nodded and wordlessly clasped her own hands around the 
rlm@0: staff. There wasn't even a hint of hesitation. Both of us knew exactly 
rlm@0: what to do.
rlm@0: 	I closed my eyes, seeing more with my heart than I needed with 
rlm@0: my eyes, letting the power flow. I had understood that power at my 
rlm@0: disposal when facing Pandora with my full memories. The still 
rlm@0: untouched source I had never really given much thought. Up to now the 
rlm@0: wand had merely been a focus for using the cards, empowering them with 
rlm@0: my own magic. Never had I truly used the Star Magic on its own. Yet, 
rlm@0: stars were the essence of life. They gave birth to life, nurtured 
rlm@0: life, sustained life. They were the first children of creation and in 
rlm@0: them slumbered an almost unlimited power.
rlm@0: 	And the seal, Love and Silence were nothing more and nothing 
rlm@0: less than energy released by those who wielded the power of the stars, 
rlm@0: protecting life with their strength.
rlm@0: 	"Key that holds the power of the stars
rlm@0: 	Infinite source of light, brilliantly shining in the darkest 
rlm@0: night"
rlm@0: 	The chant, spoken from both us was done without preparation, yet 
rlm@0: with the conviction of certain success. The staff between our hands 
rlm@0: flared, warming to the touch, almost too hot to touch but never 
rlm@0: burning in the slightest. I could feel its form expanding. I could 
rlm@0: feel Love and Silence hovering just above us. Magic began to swirl in 
rlm@0: a beautiful dance all around us.
rlm@0: 	"Release the slumbering power of creation
rlm@0: 	Bless these lost souls and return them to their true path"
rlm@0: 	The dance began to quicken, turning into a maelstrom of power, a 
rlm@0: storm of creation that where it touched every life lost was restored, 
rlm@0: where it touched new life was born. In a small area around the coast 
rlm@0: lines of Japan entirely new life was born in what would later surely 
rlm@0: be titled as miracles. I wasn't really aware of this. My mind was 
rlm@0: focused on the task at hand.
rlm@0: 	Slowly I reached out, feeling Tomoyo join me in the effort. In a 
rlm@0: way it was much like a healing spell and I realized with quiet 
rlm@0: fascination that while my past life had not been able to do much in 
rlm@0: this area, Kinomoto Sakura was definitely a different story. The flux 
rlm@0: of magic finally reached its peak and with a final shout of power, it 
rlm@0: was released to its designed task.
rlm@0: 	"RESTORATION!"
rlm@0: 	The eruption of magic was not powerful. Instead it was more or 
rlm@0: less anti-climatic aside from the sheer potent energy concentrated 
rlm@0: into the spell. I opened my eyes, watching with rapt attention as a 
rlm@0: beam of purest magical energy shot upwards engulfing Love and Silence. 
rlm@0: For a moment nothing seemed to happen, then there were tiny ripples 
rlm@0: from the spots where the card sprites had been swallowed. Golden and 
rlm@0: purple light created tiny shockwaves and in the middle of them were 
rlm@0: the cards, glowing brightly in the display of power.
rlm@0: 	I could feel it now, the flow of their nature changing. The 
rlm@0: difference that separated them from how the rest of the cards were 
rlm@0: designed became pretty much undetectable. And in a last, spectacular 
rlm@0: display at the magic at work, a steady stream of their respective 
rlm@0: elements shot to either side, vanishing in the formless white.
rlm@0: 	*Thank you,* their voices could briefly be heard, then another 
rlm@0: bright flare made us avert our eyes and when we looked again, the two 
rlm@0: cards floated down, changed into the star design of my own.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ******************************
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: <Several hours later>
rlm@0: The sun was just barely above surface level when our yacht was making 
rlm@0: its way back to the Japanese coast. The isle in the distance was only 
rlm@0: a mere rock formation, not worthy of the terminology land anymore. The 
rlm@0: violent storm of darkness that Pandora had created with Silence's 
rlm@0: unwilling help had pretty much ripped it apart and only the mountain 
rlm@0: remained partly and a few pieces of land from the surrounding isles, 
rlm@0: floating above the waves unattached.
rlm@0: 	A gentle breeze caught my unbound, longer hair. Something I 
rlm@0: would definitely need to get used to. Sure, I could cut it or 
rlm@0: something but I didn't really like it. The physical change was a 
rlm@0: reminder, a symbol of the change inside me. Trying to describe it in 
rlm@0: words was hard. While I was still Sakura on most levels, I had all of 
rlm@0: Lina Inverse's memories, including those of her personality. That 
rlm@0: didn't necessarily mean a part of me HAD TO be her... but it COULD be. 
rlm@0: As I said, it was rather strange and my mind was just beginning to 
rlm@0: catch up with all that had happened in the last few hours. It was too 
rlm@0: much to comprehend all at once.
rlm@0: 	I glanced down at the two cards in my hands which I wasn't 
rlm@0: really sure what to make of. The seal was restored, the flow returned 
rlm@0: to its original strength... and the spirits that had been mirror 
rlm@0: images of the ancient warriors had vanished back into their own 
rlm@0: element. But our joined magic seemed to have done more than just 
rlm@0: release the bound energy, it seemed to have... created something new. 
rlm@0: The same element, yet with new, unbound energy. The meaning of this 
rlm@0: still left me rather speechless. I had pretty much made my own cards. 
rlm@0: Not changed already existing Clow Cards into Sakura Cards, but CREATED 
rlm@0: the latter.
rlm@0: 	With a slight shake of my head I willed the two cards away, 
rlm@0: leaning back into the body embracing me from behind. "What are you 
rlm@0: thinking about?" Tomoyo asked softly, her voice showing her own 
rlm@0: tiredness. She was a much different story. Where had not been much of 
rlm@0: a change at all. Physically some facial features had changed and her 
rlm@0: hair was a little darker, fading into black in some areas. She didn't 
rlm@0: have a full recollection of her past life like me. Just glimpses.
rlm@0: 	I sighed, glancing out at the rather still water considering the 
rlm@0: rough vortex that had raged not too long ago. I really didn't want to 
rlm@0: go into this right now, having experienced too much and having been 
rlm@0: entirely too close to death just a short while ago. It was too early 
rlm@0: after the events that should leave me feel joyous and happy at our 
rlm@0: success. Yet, I couldn't be happy. "Don't laugh at me. But I think it 
rlm@0: was too easy." Silence, Tomoyo tightened her grip slight, but didn't 
rlm@0: say anything. "I feel this was just the beginning. All we did was sent 
rlm@0: her back to her prison. While the seal is restored, Pandora has 
rlm@0: already pushed very far to the surface. There is no guarantee that she 
rlm@0: won't find some other way. And that sooner than we might like." 
rlm@0: Especially since I was pretty sure she realized who were and there was 
rlm@0: no telling what she might come up with.
rlm@0: 	For a time the only sounds were that of the ocean, the tiny 
rlm@0: waves against the ship, and the vibrating buzz of the yacht's engine. 
rlm@0: "Yes. Somehow I knew you would say that." Tomoyo slipped next to me, 
rlm@0: an arm went instinctively around her waist. "A lot of things changed 
rlm@0: in the last hours. Permanent changes. That is only natural though. 
rlm@0: Everything changes, that is life."
rlm@0: 	"Does that trouble you." There were so many things implied in 
rlm@0: the question. Mainly about our past and our relationship back then. 
rlm@0: There was Sylphiel who I was pretty sure had been reborn as well. The 
rlm@0: bond between the three of us had been strong, I knew that. But Tomoyo 
rlm@0: hadn't really regained all of her memories as Amelia. Most of them 
rlm@0: were flashes, glimpses of the life we led back then. A part of me was 
rlm@0: relieved, a part of me a little saddened by that. I had no idea how 
rlm@0: she'd take the impact our past lives would eventually have on those we 
rlm@0: lived now.
rlm@0: 	And then there was Filia who was a totally different case I 
rlm@0: didn't want to go into right now or anytime soon. I was glad that the 
rlm@0: dragon priestess had offered to give Syaoran a ride back home since 
rlm@0: his own ship was lost in the storm. I was glad because just the short 
rlm@0: time we spent together after returning from the seal stirred memories 
rlm@0: and feelings inside of me that affected me emotionally to a degree 
rlm@0: where I am sure Tomoyo had noticed. I really was not ready to think 
rlm@0: about Filia right now, no definitely not.
rlm@0: 	Tomoyo had looked at me for awhile with a hard to read 
rlm@0: expression but now she leaned forward to put her head on my shoulder. 
rlm@0: Instinctively I pulled her closer, enjoying the feeling of her body 
rlm@0: against mine. Not in a physical sense, more in a way of completeness. 
rlm@0: "Not really. Not anymore. I know now, that whatever happens, we will 
rlm@0: be together."
rlm@0: 	I felt compelled to say something in return but instead I turned 
rlm@0: to draw her firmer against me, both arms coming around her body. 
rlm@0: "Always," I said with absolute conviction, glad and proud at the same 
rlm@0: time of the level of understanding and comprehension Tomoyo showed.
rlm@0: 	It was much like Tomoyo said though. Change was a constant 
rlm@0: companion in life. Life was chaotic. People who couldn't deal with 
rlm@0: change, with unpredictable situations would stagnate and miss most of 
rlm@0: the beauty that was life. We both had to accept this in the last 
rlm@0: hours. We would deal with what would come, one way or another.
rlm@0: 	A yawn made me look down at Tomoyo, comfortably snuggled in my 
rlm@0: arms, her head resting just a bit under my chin, letting me inhale the 
rlm@0: soft fragrance that amazingly had been rather untouched by the events. 
rlm@0: I couldn't help a soft chuckle. "I think we should get some sleep. We 
rlm@0: definitely earned it." Truth be told I felt ready to pop right here 
rlm@0: and there, not waking up for the next year or so. Whatever had us 
rlm@0: going for so long, had finally subsided and exhaustion began to catch 
rlm@0: up.
rlm@0: 	Tomoyo nodded, very reluctantly stepping away from me, just to 
rlm@0: reach for my hand. I grinned and let myself be dragged below deck to 
rlm@0: our cabin. Thinking could come tomorrow or next week or whenever I 
rlm@0: felt like it. Right now I felt much too spent to even begin to assess 
rlm@0: the changes in our lives experienced over the last twelve hours or so. 
rlm@0: What counted was that I was still here, everyone was still here, 
rlm@0: Tomoyo was still here. We were all alive and everything had indeed 
rlm@0: turned out to be alright.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ******************************
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: (Filia)
rlm@0: I watched the boat slowly disappear from human sight and eventually 
rlm@0: from that of a dragon as well. Time was rather insignificant right 
rlm@0: now. It would be awhile until I had to go drop the boy off in China 
rlm@0: and after that... well, I wasn't sure. The shrine was gone too which 
rlm@0: left me a little sad with the though of my solitary home for a very 
rlm@0: long time not being there anymore.
rlm@0: 	That's the price for success, I suppose. The seal was restored, 
rlm@0: just as I had been told. And Earth, along with the rest of the 
rlm@0: universe, had earned itself a little breathing space.
rlm@0: 	"It won't be long now, will it?"
rlm@0: 	I didn't turn at the sudden appearance of a very familiar, in 
rlm@0: the old times often pretty annoying voice. Truth be told, I had 
rlm@0: expected him to show up a little earlier. "A couple of years, I would 
rlm@0: believe. It'll take her awhile to seek another opportunity."
rlm@0: 	The man stepped up next to me, his trademark smile in place, 
rlm@0: even though I could tell that for once he wasn't really amused and his 
rlm@0: voice showed his seriousness. "The other parties are coming along 
rlm@0: nicely. Everything will be in place when the time comes."
rlm@0: 	Sighing I turned away from the spot where I had watched the 
rlm@0: group leave in their ship, with them Lina who was now awakened. That 
rlm@0: didn't change a thing though and I knew it. Made it not much easier to 
rlm@0: accept though. "I hate playing the conductor for a war that could be 
rlm@0: avoided. We could spare them all this just by ensuring she doesn't get 
rlm@0: to them. What would be so bad about it?"
rlm@0: 	I regretted the question right away because I knew what was 
rlm@0: coming judged by the gleam in the purple-haired priest's eye. "Ah, 
rlm@0: dear Filia, that is a secret." The grin quickly turned into a stoic 
rlm@0: expression though. "One that I neither know the answer to or am 
rlm@0: especially fond of finding it out. You know as much as I that this is 
rlm@0: our path. We have our instructions and I for one will follow them to 
rlm@0: the letter."
rlm@0: 	"I hate it when you are right, Xelloss," I grumbled.
rlm@0: 	Xelloss chuckled lightly and then, without much fanfare, 
rlm@0: vanished, leaving me once again alone with my thoughts.
rlm@0: 	A couple of years, indeed. Then, THEN the REAL battle would 
rlm@0: begin. And it would be an epical one.
rlm@0: 	"Use that time well," I said quietly to the wind, then turned 
rlm@0: and walked back towards the small camp on the rocky surface of the 
rlm@0: torn mountain top.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: THE END (for now)
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Author's Notes
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: That muse makes me nuts. I had no intention of making that chapter 
rlm@0: almost as huge as all three installments before put together. I really 
rlm@0: didn't want to...
rlm@0: Okay, okay, I'll stop whining.
rlm@0: This really turned out rather different from what I had initially 
rlm@0: planned but in the end I am more or less satisfied with it. I had to 
rlm@0: rewrite the last scenes at least once but now I think the story is 
rlm@0: presentable. An apology here for the long-winded explanation in some 
rlm@0: parts while some things pretty much faded into the background. I 
rlm@0: realize that I haven't brought much attention to any of the other 
rlm@0: characters except Sakura and Tomoyo and to a degree Filia. This story 
rlm@0: was done from their perspective and there really was not much space to 
rlm@0: include them further, nor was it intended in the first place.
rlm@0: I realize this part has experienced an even greater touch of the 
rlm@0: crossover it is eventually leading to than I had planned for. That 
rlm@0: couldn't be done any other way though, I realized halfway through 
rlm@0: writing. This stretched the length of this part enormously but I also 
rlm@0: managed to cover much more and still not neglect thoughts and emotions 
rlm@0: in the process of action and past life revelations.
rlm@0: There are still a few things that are left unclear which is good, 
rlm@0: since I didn't really want to reveal too much yet. You must keep in 
rlm@0: mind that this was just a collection of pre-stories. A work an author 
rlm@0: might do AFTER writing a greater series, to explain some of the 
rlm@0: background. So, I more or less did it the other way round, at least 
rlm@0: for the CCS part. :)
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Mixing the three main elements in this part had been a lot of fun and 
rlm@0: I think I managed to do a lot of setup for the actual main story. For 
rlm@0: those who interest those things. I decided to use the actual Romanji 
rlm@0: incantation of the spells I took from Slayers. There have just been 
rlm@0: too many conflicting translations that I didn't want to get into the 
rlm@0: predicament again to choose one of them. Those of you interested 
rlm@0: should easily be able to find English translations on Slayers Universe 
rlm@0: (www.inverse.org) or QP's page 
rlm@0: (http://homepage3.nifty.com/QPHOUSE/slayers_e.html) from which I have 
rlm@0: the Romanji incantations.
rlm@0: For the names I decided to go with those I am most familiar with. Just 
rlm@0: like the spells there are so many different spellings, so I went with 
rlm@0: those that I know from my own DVDs.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: This marks the end of what I unofficially titled the "Forbidden Cards" 
rlm@0: series on MSD. Next will be the BSSM intro that will directly lead up 
rlm@0: to the main story, probably will be part of the main story already. 
rlm@0: Maia really, REALLY got a hang of this and I am not sure when she gets 
rlm@0: down from it, so... This will probably be my main focus for now.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: That's it so far. I thank all of you for your kind comments along the 
rlm@0: way. When I started this series at the beginning of the month it 
rlm@0: hadn't been planned to take up so much time... Heck, it was a single, 
rlm@0: shorter story to begin with, but I enjoyed my first experiences in 
rlm@0: writing CCS.
rlm@0: I hope I'll see you soon and that you continue to provide me with 
rlm@0: feedback.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Ja ne, yours
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Matthias
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Note for Moonlit Nights readers (31/01/2004)
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Since I had not visited the site for awhile I have just recently 
rlm@0: discovered that this part has not been posted because of a 
rlm@0: misunderstanding, confusing this part with the following project to 
rlm@0: which this story was a sort of prequel. Provided you read this note, 
rlm@0: this misunderstanding has been cleared. However, the following project 
rlm@0: called "Soul Lights" will not be distrubated on Moonlit Nights because 
rlm@0: that would go against their "pairings policy" :) which I can very well 
rlm@0: understand since I wouldn't go and let people post other stuff on our 
rlm@0: Minaru group as well. As such, "Soul Lights" is a running project that 
rlm@0: you can already (and for now only) find at the SA board 
rlm@0: (http://www.shoujoai.com/forum/topic_show.pl?tid=20701) or on my SiL 
rlm@0: group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/starsinlove).