Chronicles and Trials: Day 3

*Note* This contains material from the published works CLAMP's: Tsubasa Reservior Chronicles. I disclaim any ownership of these segment and give full credit to CLAMP sama. This piece also contains spoilers for both Cardcaptor Chronicles, as well as Wishluv’s: The New Trials of Cardcaptor Sakura, and I disclaim any ownership to any and all referances to Wish chan's fan fic and it's characters.</b>

Once again leaving before Eriol and Miho, Seiru and Renae arrived to school early. Seiru sat in his seat reading the school newspaper, which one of their classmates had insisted on him taking, while Renae sat with Tomoyo and some other girls who had pulled their tables together. One of the girls named Sasaki Rika had short, curly red hair and looked like their teacher from back home. Another named Mihara Chiharu had light brown hair, which she wore in braided pigtails, and the other named Yanagizawa Naoko had strait brown hair and large framed glasses. Renae remembered something Tomoyo had told her about Rika. She was in love with their old teacher, Terada Yoshiyuki, but they had recently been torn apart when they were found out by the school board, so Renae decided to do a fortune telling to lift her spirits.

"It's simple really, I can tell you just about anything about your future, from your career path to your destined person."

"I don't know, I don't really believe in fortune telling. Stuff like that was always more Naoko-Chan's interest rather than mine."

"Oh, please Rika-Chan? It's my own technique, and it's very effective. One quick reading won’t hurt."

Rika looked back at Renae and saw the desire in her eyes, so she decided to give in. "Well, alright, if you insist. Do I need to do anything, or give you any information?"

"Just give me your hand, and I'll do the rest." Hesitantly, Rika placed her right hand in Renae's left, and Renae placed her right hand on top. "I see a man in your life who is unable to be by your side at the time. There seems to be concern about an age difference. But, it looks like things will work out for you two. I see great happiness ahead for the both of you. I also see you working as a school Sensei, where you'll get to meet many different people, and even connect with the children of your friends as you teach their class. I see you working side by side with your true love in a life that brings you great fortune. Hang in there and keep patient, and things will defiantly turn out alright in the end."

Rika stared at Renae in aw by what she had said. Even if someone had told Renae about her relationship with her former teacher, she'd never told anyone she was considering becoming teacher herself. At a loss for words, Rika smiled gently at Renae. "Thank you, Renae-Chan."

Renae smiled back at Rika, while Naoko began bursting with energy. “That’s amazing! How did you know all that by just holding her hand?"

“Every person has a unique spiritual energy. Have you ever held you mother’s hand, and then switch to holding your father’s? Most people don’t notice the difference because it’s so subtle, but each of us has a special energy which, if read correctly, can tell us our whole life’s story. Past, present, and future."

“Wow, I never notice anything like that." Naoko grabbed Rika and Chiharu’s hands, but was utterly disappointed. “They feel the same to me."

“Not too many people can tell the difference.It’s difficult to learn how if you don’t start at an early age. I didn’t quite get it myself at first either."

Naoko looked over at Seiru. “What about your cousin? Can he tell the difference?”

“Seiru’s not really into stuff like that.”

Seiru put down the paper for a moment and walked over to the girls. “Renae, can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Sure, what is it?” Rather than responding, Seiru merely pointed to the table at which they had been assigned to sit, and the two of them walked back and sat down. “Is something wrong?”

“What did I tell you yesterday about our powers being secret here? You shouldn’t be telling them stuff like that. Yanagizawa san might not have powers, but she’s still spiritually aware.”

Renae frowned and turned her head from Seiru. She didn’t like him treating her like a younger sibling who didn’t know any better. “Well sorry Onii-Chan, I’ll just be the mean transfer student who doesn’t socialize with my new classmates.” Renae glanced back at him just enough to see that she had hurt him a little and considered apologizing for the remark. She hadn’t meant to be so harsh, but he was treating her like an ignorant child.

“Th-that’s not what I meant.” Seiru could tell he’d struck a nerve, but was a little upset himself for what she just said. "Nevermind..." he sighed before going back to reading his paper.

Renae looked back at Seiru, a little hurt that he didn’t try to defend himself. In the old days he would have come back with some smart aleck reply that she couldn’t help but laugh at. Why couldn’t they get back to that? They had been such good friends growing up, but now it seemed like they were worlds apart, no matter how much they tried to deny it and act like things hadn’t changed. Can we never go back? They say that once you decide to do something, there’s no going back once you’ve done it. But what if it wasn’t your decision? Why can’t I bring myself to talk to him about this. We used to tell each other everything. We used to have a pact that no matter what, no matter how hard it was to say, no matter what the circumstances, we would have no secrets between us. I guess, no matter how badly we want something, even for those with powers, some things just cannot be undone.

“Sorry.”

“Huh?” Renae looked back at Seiru in surprise. Why is he apologizing?

“I know this situation is inconvenient, but that doesn’t mean we should just pull back and avoid contact with others. I didn’t mean to imply that you don’t know what our situation is, I just..." Seiru sighed as he tried to find the right words. "I don’t know, I’ve had a lot on my mind, so... I’m sorry.”

Seiru. Renae pointed her head down and glanced at Seiru through her peripheral vision. “No, I’m the one that’s sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I did. It was out of line, and I probably should be a little more careful of what I say to people-”

“I don’t believe it!”

Renae lifted her head back to Seiru, partly shocked, partly hurt. “Wha- I’m giving you a sincere apology and you-”

“No, not that, this.” Seiru pushed the paper in front of Renae and pointed at a picture of him carrying her, completely freaked out. Renae blushed violently as she read the bold captions, Transfer Troubles. “Well how’s that to make you feel at home. One day and we already made the school paper. So much for low profile.”

Renae and Seiru looked up as the last person came into the room. Or rather, ran in. Sakura stood in the doorway trying to catch her breath, then headed over to her seat to be greeted by Tomoyo and Eron.

“Good morning Sakura-chan.”

“Morning Tomoyo-chan, Eron-kun.” Sakura looked to her right and smiled at Seiru and Renae. “Morning Seiru-kun and Renae-chan. Oh, by the way Renae-chan, are you feeling any better?”

“Yes, I’m fine, although it seams we made the paper.”

Sakura pressed her hands in front of her as if to beg for forgiveness. “Sorry about that, one of the photographers for the journalism club was there, and Aki-kun was really exited about the story. I tried to talk him out of it, but Aki-kun loves a good story and was very persistent. Sorry.”

“No, it’s not your fault. Are you alright? You cut it pretty close there, classes will be starting any minute now.”

“Yeah, I tend to run late a lot, but somehow I always manage to get here on time.”

Renae giggled at how much Sakura was like Hanna, even if Hanna didn’t like to admit it. “That sounds a lot like Hanna-Chan.”

Sakura looked at Renae with confusion. “Hanna-Chan?”

Renae quickly slapped her hand over her mouth for mentioning Hanna. She and Seiru just had a fight about that sort of thing. Renae looked up at Seiru apologetically, but he just turned his head over to Sakura.

“She’s my older sister. She’s a 3rd year, but she still over sleeps and runs late for school.”

“And her mean little brother always refuses to wait for her.” This time Renae was joking rather than trying to be mean, between which Seiru could easily tell the difference.

“Onee-san doesn’t need an escort to school, and she has her roller blades to get her there quickly. If we waited for her, we’d be the ones who’d wind up late.”

“Hoee?" Sakura tilted her head in confusion. "We?”

“He means him and his little sister, Nadeshiko-Chan.”

Sakura beamed in delight. “Wow, what a coincidence, Seiru kun’s little sister has the same name as my mother!”

Renae slapped her hand over her mouth once more as Seiru looked at her with those piercing green eyes of his. Now she’d said too much. “Y-yes, what a coincidence.”

*****

Somewhere in another world, the two Syaoran’s pondered at the dark void in which they now stood. “Where are the others?”

“I don’t know. At any rate, let’s get out of here.” Both Syaoran’s attempted to use their powers to return to the world with the two Sakura’s, but nothing happened.

“I can’t use-”

“-my magical abilities!”

“So this is the price of which Fei Wang spoke of.”

“But if so, surely I alone would-”

“But I am Syaoran as well.”

The two Syaoran’s were interrupted by a young man with jet black hair, one violet eye and one gold. “In that case, that might explain why I am here too." The two boys turned around to meet the familiar young man who had so recently joined them. "Sakura-Chan mentioned it when I met her before in a dream. You and I are similar. But that’s not right... I can see it now. You and I are not merely similar. It’s just as Yuko-San said. We are the same. This... isn’t a dream.”

“No.”

The young man pondered for a moment. “It may be a kind of void. A void in space-time. I don’t doubt that I know far less than either of you. Could you perhaps explain to me why it is that the three of us are here?”

As the two Syaoran’s and the young man talked, one of the Sakura’s from the other world began to disappear. She knew she would not be the only one either.

After hearing their story, the black haired boy nodded in understanding. “I see, so that’s it. Of course we would be similar. We are the same person.”

“It was my choice that dragged everyone... dragged the world into this. The two of you too.

“But without that choice, I would not have been born. We would not have been able to meet Sakura, or our other companions.”

“That’s right." Agreed the young man. "I too met someone who told me that simply existing along with one’s companions is more than enough.”

“I don’t know what’s happening to the world, but I’m going to get out of here so that I can do what I have to.”

“Same here. I have made my decision to wait, I have to return to the shop.”

“It doesn’t have to be large, if we can make the tiniest of fissures in this place we may be able to escape.”

Just as the Sakura in the world from which they came, one of the Syaoran’s began to disappear as well, and like Sakura, he knew what it meant. “Even if they have been reborn, once the creator is gone, his creations too... will disappear. That woman told me in advance; I was aware that it would come to this.”

“NO!”

The disappearing Syaoran turned to the boy with black hair. “You are different. Your name, your appearance, and you are not a created being. The disappearance of anyone, even a created being, creates ripples, leaving it’s mark on the world. That should create the fissure you need. Leave this place, and return to the world.”

“WAIT!”

“Even if it was in the midst of a twisted world, I’m glad to have been born. Thank you.” With his last words, the created Syaoran turned into a feather with a heart marking on it.

“SYAORAN!!!” As Syaoran grieved the loss of his clone, Fei Wang's voice rang through the air. Pay the price. “Let’s go.”

“Let’s return.”

“Back to where we belong!”

****

Back at Seijo, Seiru sat alone on a bench with a bento box that had barely been touched, and lost himself to thoughts of Renae. She seamed to have forgiven him for the way he had acted earlier that morning, but it still troubled him. That aside though, it was nice to enjoy a lunch alone without his classmates bugging him all the time in constant fan club mode. Seiru leaned back on the bench and stared at the sky. Eriol said that here were Dark Forces causing trouble in this world, but it seamed so peaceful here that it was hard to imagine such chaos.

Chaos. Funny how one word can bring up so many painful memories. Funny how an unknown past can be repeated so easily. Funny how in a single moment, such close friends could be torn apart so easily.

Seiru closed his eyes and envisioned Renae and himself flying through the night skies chasing after a black crow. They were several years younger, and instead of his usual battle costume, custom made by Tomoyo, he had chosen to wear a green Chinese style robe which symbolized his position in the Li Clan. It was strictly because of this that it aggravated him that there was now a gaping hole in the back where his white wings attached to his body. Why couldn’t they be more like Fly’s wings which didn’t rip your cloths when activated? Not that there was anything he could do about it, he no longer had his sword, only the skeleton themed Inferno Crossbow now attached to his right arm. All he had were his Oufada scrolls and his Kaos Cards; Chimera, Plague, and Dominion, with Chimera being the only card he could use... or wanted to.

Renae on the other hand had two Kaos Cards that she favored, Industry and Nightmare. She also had Mirage, but her state at the time had so harshly deemed the card useless. It had been the Elixer of Fire that made her that way, and turned her gentle blue eyes a hard and devilish orange. It had also transformed her sun wand into the deformed skeleton winged Staff of Inferno, another Kaos tool, like his Inferno Crossbow. She also chosen to change her name to Amethyst. Despite her dark and twisted state, she had chosen to wear a battle costume to this fight. Only, instead of the usual frilly costume that Tomoyo had been well known for, Amethyst’s costume was self designed to match her new personality. The colors were blue and black, ironically the same as the KAOS CARDS’ guardian of despair, Lycan.

Lycan watched from the ground as the two candidates for the succession of his cards, created under his previous name of Gin Reed, competed for possession of his favorite Kaos Card, the Fade. It mattered not to him which of them would seal the card and become his successor, for his true goal was for the looser to become one with his greatest unfinished work, while the winner would be the catalyst for the card's creation. A process which would ultimately take both of their lives.

Amethyst had used the power of the Nightmare Card to transform her staff into a winged, scythe upon which she now chased after the Fade. With Seiru following closely behind and gaining, Amethyst took Nightmare from under her and chucked it full force at FADE. The sharp scythe hit it’s mark and sent Fade plummeting towards the ground, it’s wing now pinned down by Nightmare’s blade. Without Nightmare keeping her in the air, Amethyst fell feet first next to Fade and Nightmare, creating a small crater on impact. To Seiru’s relief, and Lycan’s amusement, she emerged from the crater without a scratch. Seiru landed a few feet away and allowed the wings from CHIMERA to disappear.

“Renae stop! You don’t have to do this!”

“I suppose you’d like that, wouldn’t you. Swooping in at the last minute to save the poor little damsel in distress. Well, sorry to break it to you, but your days of playing hero are over."

"That's not it at all! Don't you realize what will happen when the final card is sealed?!"

"Of course I do. I'll become the true master, you'll hand over the three remaining cards, and I'll gain power greater than even Clow Reed himself."

"That's not true! Don't you see that Lycan is just trying to use you?!"

"And what if he is?" Amethyst scoffed and slowly walked over to Fade, who's wing was still being pinned down by Nightmare. "All that matters is that I become stronger. Strong enough to be able to grant my own wish." Amethyst placed her hand on Nightmare's tip and muttered to herself. "I'll finally be free of these feelings forever." Seiru ran after Amethyst to try to stop her, but he was too late. Amethyst let Nightmare transform back into her staff and cast her spell before Fade could escape. "Return to the guise you were meant to be in! Kaos Card!"

"NO!" Seiru watched in horror as the crow-like creature transformed into a card in front of Amethyst. The crossbow on his arm transformed back into it's small state before falling off of his wrist and disappearing just as it touched the ground. Three cards then flew out of his pocked and towards Amethyst, who snatched them from the air with a gleeful grin.

Lycan then appeared out of the shadows of a nearby alleyway and walked over to Amethyst. "Well now, looks like I made the right choice choosing you as my successor. Now all that's left is to make it official." For the first time since they'd met him, the haze around Lycan's body faded away and his full features could finally be seen. "As the guardian of the Kaos Cards, I, Lycan, recognize Amethyst as the true master of the-"

Lycan's words were cut short as a woman with a steel body and blades for arms sliced through Lycan's body like butter. Lycan fell to the ground and struggled to look up at his attacker. The steel woman faded away to reveal a black haired young man standing behind her, holding a staff with a cresent moon and black wings at the tip. "Daijoso... you..."

"Sorry Lycan," Daijoso said with a calm expression, "but I'm afraid I simply can't allow you to do as you please anymore. You are no longer the Gin I once looked up to. I knew I wouldn't be able to reach you while you kept yourself hidden away in that little pocket dimension of yours, which is why I waited until you named your chosen successor. I knew you would have to physically appear for this, so I've been biding my time until you did."

"You would betray me... just like Clow?!"

Daijoso's calm expression hardened into a menacing glare. "Don't you dare compare me to that man! I am nothing like my former teacher, just as you are nothing compared to Gin." Daijoso's expression calmed once more. "No, I do this as a favor to Gin himself. Were the true Gin alive today, he would be appalled to see what you have become. Now, you false specter, return to the shadows from whence you came." Daijoso lowered his staff in Lycan's direction, and with a burst of magic erased Lycan from existence.

Seiru looked at Daijoso stunned. "You? Why are you helping us? I thought you were working with Lycan?"

"You're as naive as your sister. Why would I work with a false image who attempts to soil Gin's good name? Helping you was merely an unhappy accident. I simply couldn't stand the sight of that-" Daijoso was interrupted by a powerful blast of dark red energy, knocking him back into a nearby building.

Seiru looked over to his side to see that the blast had come from Amethyst, who glared at Daijoso intensely. "Who gave you permission to kill that annoying pest?! I was already planning on getting rid of Lycan once he named me the official master, and you ruined it!"

"Renae stop!" Seiru ran towards Amethyst to stop her, but was cut off when Amethyst pulled out a card.

"Idustry!" With the card's activation, cables burst through the cement and wrapped around both Seiru and Daijoso. "Don't get in my way Seiru, unless you want to be first."

"I told you I wouldn't let you hurt anyone!" Seiru declared as he struggled to break free. "Especially not with Renae's body!"

"You still think this is some looser possession magic?" Amethyst scoffed. "I outta get rid of you right here and now. At least then I can finally be rid these useless feelings. You've no idea how much I've always hated you."

"Heh, if you're trying to trick me into thinking this is the 'real you', you're going to have to work harder than that. Or did you forget that Renae and I are best friends? I know her better than anyone, and she certainly doesn't hate me.

“You really are clueless, aren’t you? Did your clumsy mother drop you on your head as a baby or what?" Amethyst's cool demeanor dissipated as she gripped her wand tightly. "You have no idea how I feel!”

Seiru struggled to break free of the cables which bound his arms and legs, which grew tighter by the moment. "I won't let you do this! I swear that I will save Renae, and free her from you forever! I-" Seiru stopped when he felt something soft touch his lips. It took him a moment to realize that Amethyst had suddenly closed the gap between them and was now now gently pressing her lips to his.

Amethyst slowly broke away from the kiss, but kept her face close to Seiru's. "You still haven't figured it out yet? The reason I hate you... is because you're too stupid to realize that I love you."

*****

Things wound up turning out alright in the end, I guess. Renae was able to break free of the Elixir of Fire, the Kaos Cards were destroyed, and Lycan was defeated, but Renae and I were never the same. After that last battle, Renae started to distance herself from me, and the few times she dose talk to me, she pretends that nothing’s changed. Of course, it didn’t help much that I had to leave for Hong Kong almost right away to continue my training for the Li Clan either, but at least I was able to use that time to get my own feelings in order. Looking back, it was always Renae. Renae’s always been most important to me. If only I could have realized it sooner. When I came back to Japan at the start of the year, I knew I’d have to tell her how I feel, but when I did, she said she didn't feel the same. Even thinking that it might have just been the Elixer of Fire talking, I still can't forget the feelings I have for her.

“Seiru-Kun?” Seiru’s thoughts were interrupted as Sakura happened upon his lunch spot. Seiru forgot where he was for a moment and was startled at the sight of his mother at 16. “Ok-S-Sakura-Chan!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to surprise you.”

“Ah, no it’s fine, I just had a lot on my mind is all.”

“I see. Is everything alright? Why are you sitting all alone?”

Seiru smiled at Sakura so she wouldn't worry. “Yea, I’m fine, I just felt like being alone for a while.”

“Oh, I’ll just leave you be then.”

“Wait, you don’t have to go if you don’t want to.” Seiru scooted over on the bench to make room for Sakura. “You can sit down if you want.”

Sakura went ahead and sat down next to Seiru, but didn’t say anything. As much as she tried to hide it, Seiru couldn’t help but notice that she was staring at him again.

“Do you miss him?”

“Hoee?” Someone did come to mind, but she pretended otherwise. “Who?”

“I’m told you used to have a classmate that kind of looked like me. You keep staring at me like that, so I thought maybe you missed him.” There was no doubt in his mind that she did miss Syaoran, but he had to pretend in order to protect his identity.

“So you heard about him then... How much?”

“Well, Chang Erika-San mentioned him yesterday, saying that I looked like him, and I heard from Tomoyo-Chan that he went away.”

With a solemn look in her eyes, Sakura pointed her head down and stared at her lap. “Oh. Well, that’s really about all there is.”

“All there is!? Are you sure?” How can she say that’s all there is? Doesn’t she care if he comes back? Seiru looked in her eyes and saw something he had never seen in her before. She looked hurt, and talking about Syaoran seemed to make it worse. “Is everything alright? What’s wrong?”

Sakura smiled at Seiru, though he could tell she was still saddened by something. “No, it’s nothing. Really.”

*****

Sakura didn’t say anything to him for the rest of the day. He couldn’t understand it. Why did everyone tense up when they mentioned Li Syaoran? I guess I’ll have to ask when I get back. I’ve never seen Okaa-san look at me like that. Come to think of it, she’s been like Renae ever since we got here. She’s never smiled so artificially before. If anything, she’s worse than when I became a Kaos Cardcaptor, at least then she didn’t try to hide her pain from everyone. And then there are the Chang Twins. I guess it could be the fact that he’s a Dark One, but I sense something different from Chan Eron than I do from his sister. I can’t tell what it is yet, but there’s something about him. Something, I just can’t stand.

Seiru kept thinking about Sakura and Eron for the remainder of the day. There was no need to pay attention in class since it was all review anyway, and to Seiru, this was more important.

As the final bell rang, Seiru looked over at Eron, and Eron at Seiru. The two of them stared each other down as if each of them knew what the other was thinking.

“Renae, I want you to go on without me.”

“Seiru?” Renae looked back at Seiru in surprise. He had that look in his eyes, the kind that told her not to ask questions. Against her better judgment, Renae left the room with the rest of the class.

Eron and Seiru waited until everyone else had left the room. Eron was the first to speak, his voice now more hard and cold than before. "How about we start with who you are. Who you really are. 'Amamiya', you reek of the Li Clan."

Seiru returned Eron's glare with one of his own. "I suppose you would know about that, wouldn't you Dark One?"

"Yes, I was a Dark One, but I've since turned my back on that part of my life. I fight by Sakura's side now."

"She doesn't need your kind of help."

"Maybe, but I'll protect her nonetheless. Especially from the likes of the Li Clan."

Seiru held himself back from lunging at Eron. "What?!" How dare he talk about the Li Clan like that!

"You heard me. You Li's are all alike. Selfish, arrogant, hot headed."

"Shut up!" Seiru grabbed Eron by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the window. "Who are you to talk about the Li Clan like that? What'd they ever do to you anyway?"

Despite Seiru's outburst, Eron retained his calm demeanor. "It's not what they did to me, but what they did to her. What Li Syaoran did to her."

Odou-San? Seiru tightened his grip on Eron's shirt. "Now I know you're lying. Li Syaoran is a great man, and he'd never do anything to hurt anyone. Especially her!"

"But he did, and he stole the SAKURA CARDS."

Seiru was shocked at Eron's accusation. "Wha- he- he wouldn't-" He couldn't.

"He abandoned her."

"Shut up!" Not Odou-San.

"He betrayed her."

"You're wrong!" Why?

"He betrayed all of us."

"JUST SHUT UP! He would never do something like that! Not to her! Especially not to her!" Why? Odou-San, how could you do something like that? How could you betray Okaa san?

Seiru's was so deep in thought that he didn't notice the pair of voices just outside the room. "Tomoyo chan, are you here for Choir practice?"

"Yes, I had to make up for missing yesterday. What about you Renae chan?"

"I forgot something in the classroom."

"Then would you like to go back to Eriol-Kun's together?"

"Sure." Renae slid the door of class 1-2 open to find Seiru with Eron pinned to the window. Seiru was still enraged by the things Eron had told him that he didn't notice Tomoyo and Renae enter the room.

Tomoyo gasped at the sight of the two boys in such a hostile state. "Seiru-kun, Eron-kun!"

"Seiru, what do you think your doing?!" Renae placed her hand on Seiru's shoulder, which alerted him to her's and Tomoyo's presence for the first time. Allowing himself to calm down, Seiru released his grip on Eron's shirt.

Eron brushed himself off and headed towards the door. Before leaving, Eron directed to Seiru one last warning. "I'll say this once, and only once. I will protect Sakura from anyone who tries to hurt her. I suggest you stay away from her."

As Eron left the room, Seiru turned his attention to Tomoyo, who looked back at him with a heavy heart. “You knew all along, didn’t you?”

“Seiru-kun... This- isn’t the place to talk. We should head back to Eriol-Kun’s.”

“Fine, but you will tell me what’s going on. Everything.”

*****

Seiru, Renae and Tomoyo went back to Eriol’s as discussed, without a word. Eriol and Miho joined them in the dinning room, neither daring to look Seiru in the eye.

“I suppose we should start out by explaining how the Li Clan works in this world." Eriol began. "You mentioned that your Li Clan runs on a Branch System, yes? The one here, however, is more of an Elder System. At the top you have the Great Elder, the leader of the Clan, and below him is the Head of the Li Clan General Council. Next you have the Li Clan Chosen One, who is the figurehead, if you will, of the Clan. It is considered a great honor to earn the title of Chosen One, one which Syaoran-Kun received just before coming to Japan that first time.”

Seiru took in Eriol's words, processing them carefully. “Wait, so going after the Clow Cards was-”

“As I understand it, that mission was the whole reason Syaoran-Kun became the Chosen One in the first place. I believe you already know what happened next, Sakura-San became the master, and Syaoran-Kun returned to Hong Kong after she transformed the Clow Cards into the Sakura Cards. A few years later he came back to help Sakura-San fight the Dark Ones, but disappeared after Sakura-San sealed Plague and he gave her his powers.”

“Sakura-Chan and I believed he had returned to Hong Kong, so we went after him after graduation." Tomoyo chimed in. "They wouldn’t let us see him, but apparently Sakura-Chan ran into him near the Hong Kong harbor. I don’t know all the details, but it seems he was cold to her and told her to go home. Sakura-Chan was heart broken, and left vulnerable to a Dark Force called Memory, which erased her memory of him.”

“She forgot?”

“That kinda sounds like Sakura-Hime.” Renae added.

“While Sakura-Chan was being affected by Memory, Syaoran-Kun came back with his cousins, Li Leiyun and Li Jinyu, and that was when he..."Tomoyo swallowed hard, not wanting to admit what Syaoran had done. "He stole Sakura-Chan’s cards...”

Still trying to process everything, Seiru did his best to gather his thoughts. “I- I just can’t believe he would do something like that. Even if the Li Clan ordered him, I just can’t see Odou-San betraying Okaa-San like that.”

“Yeah, we were pretty surprised ourselves." Chimed in Miho. "Sakura-Sempai only recently sealed Memory, and she was in a pretty bad way afterwards. But on the bright side, he did save her from Fantasy.”

“There! Right there, why would he save her if he didn’t care?” Seiru clung to the glimmer of hope presented by the underclassman.

“Even so," reminded Eriol, "he took Memory with him afterwards, and he saved her because Eron-kun asked him.”

Seiru scowled at the mention of Eron's name. “Him again. Tell me, what is he to her. Chang Eron I mean.”

“Eriol-Kun, Sakura-Chan and Eron-Kun are here.” Everyone turned to face the doorway as Sakura and Eron were lead in my Miho’s mother, Tanaka Miara. Seiru stood up in shock at the sight of them. They were together, holding hands.

“Hoee? Tomoyo-Chan, Seiru-Kun, Renae-Chan, what are you doing here?”

Suddenly, everything started to make sense, and it made Seiru sick to his stomach. They’re- they’re together? But, why- Okaa-San... Why... How?!

“Seiru-Kun? Are you alri-” Before Sakura could finish, Seiru bolted past her and Eron down the hall and up the stairs. “Seiru-Kun?!”

“Seiru!” Renae ran after him, leaving Sakura, and even Eron bewildered.

Seiru locked himself inside the room in which Eriol was letting him use and flopped down on the bed face first. Moments later, he heard Renae outside the door. After jiggling the door knob only to discover that it was locked, she started banging on the door to try and get him to open it.

“Seiru, it’s me. Please open up.” Seiru didn't answer. “Come on Seiru, I know that was a shock down there, but we need to talk.” Renae tried to open the door, but it was locked. "Seiru, please open the door.” Footsteps were heard coming up the stairs, and Renae saw Sakura hurrying up to meet her.

“Renae-Chan, is Seiru-Kun in there?”

“Sakura-chan, wha-”

Sakura looked at her apologetically. “Tomoyo-Chan told me what happened. She said Seiru-Kun’s parents got divorced recently, and he just found out his mother is with another man.”

“Oh.” I guess that’s one way of putting it.

“I feel bad. Earlier, Seiru-Kun and I were talking about someone who used to go to school with us. I think Seiru-Kun could tell that I once had feelings for him, so I guess for me to walk in with Eron-Kun like that must have reminded him of his mother.”

“Yes... that about sums it up. Seiru’s always been kind of sensitive about stuff like that, and he really looks up to his father, so hearing about what happened really had an effect on him. Seiru puts on a strong front, but I think that’s just his way of dealing with difficult situations. He may seem cold at first, but he also has a warmer, gentler side that he tends to save for those close to him. Although, getting him to show that side is difficult, even for me... his best friend.”

Sakura closed her eyes in contemplation. “It’s strange, but Seiru-Kun sounds a lot like someone else I know. I guess, they have more in common than I thought.”

“Sakura-chan...” Dose she know?

Finally, Seiru opened the door and looked from Sakura, to Renae. “You know I can hear you out here, right?”

“Seiru-”

“Seiru-Kun, can I talk to you for a minute?”

Without a word, Seiru re-entered the room and sat on the bed. Sakura smiled reassuringly at Renae before following him in and closing the door. “Seiru-Kun-”

“I know what you’re going to say, so don’t.” Sakura looked down sadly at her lap. “There’s just one thing I want to know. Why him? Of all people, why Chang Eron?”

“That’s not really a fair question you know.”

“Please?”

Sakura looked into Seiru’s eyes and was reminded of a child asking his mother for an answer she knew he wouldn’t understand. “Well, for one thing, Eron-Kun was there when I cried.”

Seiru sat quietly as he remembered a conversation he once had with his mother when he was young. "Okaa-San, why did you marry Odou-San?

"That’s not really a fair question you know, there are a lot of things I love about your father. For starters, he was always there for me when I cried."

"That’s it? Sounds kinda silly if you ask me."

"Well, someday you’ll understand that sometimes a shoulder to cry on can be the most valuable thing in the world."

“But, do you love him? Can you honestly say that when you look at him, his is the only face you see? If so, then fine, but if your thinking of someone else-”

“Seiru-Kun, I’m really sorry for your parents, but my own relationships are my own business. I’ve been there. I can understand where your mother is coming from, and if she can be happy with this new man, then you should-”

“No, you don’t get it." Seiru stood up and looked strait at Sakura, throwing her off guard. "I can tell she’s not happy, just like I can tell you're not happy. You say it’s OK if you can be happy, but if your happiest with the one you loved first, then you shouldn’t just give up without a fight! At the very least, you should know why he did what he did.”

Sakura stood up from the bed and headed for the door, unable to bear talking about Syaoran. Especially to someone who was so similar.

“I’m sure he still cares about you, just as you still care about him.”

Sakura held onto Seiru’s words as a vision of Syaoran ridding up on a black horse to save her inside Fantasy raced through her mind. She still hadn’t decided yet if it had really been Syaoran, or just another character created by the card. Sakura brushed the thought off and opened the bedroom door. “I’m sorry, Seiru-Kun.” Without looking back, Sakura left the room, and the boy who reminded her so much of the one she held closest to her heart.