Chapter 21
Tomoyo's panic didn't last long before her powerful self control took over and pushed the panic down. "I have to think clearly to save Sakura! But why? Why doesn't Return work? Is the Universe preventing me from saving Sakura? It can't be! Eriol said that saving Sakura was permitted... Maybe... Maybe I can't use Return while I am in the past due to using Return once already. That makes a certain amount of sense. But that would mean that I can't save Sakura. And I HAVE to! I just need a little more time." Then it hit her. She checked her watch and it was just 11:05. "There is still time!"
"TIME!" she called loudly and the old man floated over to her. "Can you turn time back?"
"Certainly." The old man said with a little smile.
"Does it have to be midnight for you to do it?" She asked, having remembered Time's capture all those years before.
"Not really, though I do prefer it that way. It's much neater."
"Oh. Well it doesn't have to be neat, we just need to save Sakura! Turn time back 24 hours now!" She commanded.
"I can't." Time said, keeping his little smile.
"Why not?!" Tomoyo demanded.
"You haven't given me any of your Magic power yet."
"I am SO stupid sometimes!" she berated herself before again drawing as much energy as she could from the earth and giving it to the old man who seemed to suck it in. "Now can you turn time back 24 hours?"
"Yes." Time replied with a slightly bigger smile but nothing happened.
Then Tomoyo realized she hadn't given him an actual command. "Turn time back 24 hours!" She ordered and-
Sunday July 23 11:06pm
Tomoyo was back in the helicopter flying over the city with a very alive Ieran. "Ieran-sama! Do you remember what happened before I used the Time card?"
"Time card? Oh. So that's what it was. I was with my mother again. And before that I was walking up to you and the Cards... and there was this terrible pain... The Cards killed me didn't they..."
"Yes. Watery did before I could stop him."
"I wanted to help but it seems my shield is useless against the Cards." Ieran added shakily.
"I'm just glad that we get another chance to save Sakura, as well as you."
"Pilot! Fly to Mount Ghough and search the north slope." Then as the helicopter turned and sped up she turned back to Tomoyo. "I remember now how you opened that door and jumped out. I thought you were trying to kill yourself from grief until I saw you land safely. You never mentioned that you had the power of flight." she finished with a hint of a smile.
"Well... Eriol gave me a Magic Card he had made that gives me wings." Tomoyo explained. She was about to tell Ieran about her other two Cards but she was cut off by the pilot talking to Ieran. Then they were getting close to Mount Ghough and she had to start scanning. When Tomoyo again found the hole in the earth energy they took very careful note of the location of the shielded house. Then they had the pilot continue his search pattern so as to not tip off whoever was in the house that they had been found.
Tomoyo was all for going in immediately but Ieran said they must be careful. Whoever had shielded that house so perfectly and completely was very powerful indeed. They would need help to get Sakura out alive. So they went back to Ieran's house and rested while all of the people who were both magically powerful, trusted by the Li family, and in Hong Kong were called and asked to meet at Ieran's house.
Monday July 24 10:09am Hong Kong time
Tomoyo was startled awake when her cell rang. "Mother! I'm sorry I've been very busy and I forgot to call you last night... Yes, everything is fine here. We are planning an outing today... Yes, it should be very interesting... I'm sorry but Ieran is going to be explaining what we are going to be doing today in just a moment now... No, Sakura isn't with me, she is at someone's house but we hope to be meeting her there a little later. Yes, Syaoran will be coming with us... It's a kind of a surprise. I don't really know the details. Could I call you back tonight? Okay then, bye now mom."
XXX
Tomoyo listened as Ieran stood in front of the group and spoke. "First, will everyone here accept my leadership?" Seeing as how Ieran and one of her uncles were the only ones who had actually been in a major Mage battle, and he supported her, the rest agreed that she should be in charge.
Then she went over the tactics. The first thing she did was to divide the group into those who were best at Magical attacks and those who were best at shielding from attacks. Tomoyo wasn't surprised to see Syaoran as only the second chosen for the attacker group as she had seen his power. There was some disagreement about who should be shields but in time these were settled. They wound up with five shields and seven attackers. The two strongest shields were each assigned two attackers to protect. The other three shields each had only one attacker to protect.
"When we go in," Ieran said, "we do it as a group. With everyones shield merged together. Does anyone not know how to merge their shield?" After a few seconds a red faced Syaoran raised his hand and everyone stared at him. "Don't be so embarrassed. It is my own fault for not teaching you. So you can just shield yourself until we begin attacking... We will maintain a united defense until I see how many we have to deal with, so stay together until I tell you that your team may break off and fight on your own."