Soul Lights: The Forbidden Cards (part 4 of 4)

a Crossovers fanfiction by MysticMew

Note: Names in () indicate the POV. If there is no name the scene is 
written in third person.

******************************

Foreword

Not much to say. The last part in the Forbidden Cards series. Takes up 
directly after the first part of Seal Cards (Epitomes of Love). Next 
in line will be the BSSM pre-story though that one will also have 
slight Crossover indications, so if you want to stay for the whole 
ride you might want to look out for it.
I hope you’ve got some time, it turned out to be a longer part than 
originally intended…. Not that that is something new for the little 
terror…

******************************

	M&M DreamWorks Presents
	The Forbidden Cards
	Seal Cards: Corruption of Silence
	A Soul Lights Side Story
	Based on the works of CLAMP
	Card Captor Sakura(c)CLAMP
	Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon(c)Takeuchi Naoko
	Slayers(c)Hajime Kanzaka, Rui Araizumi

******************************

(Sakura)
To describe exactly what the place looked like I would have to assume 
that the observer had to possess not only magical sight but also a 
fine understanding of the different layers of reality. On first glance 
all you might see was a field of orange-gold light, shining with the 
intensity that had you thinking you were right in the center of a sun. 
Yet, it wasn't actually blinding. Bright, yes. Even brighter than the 
human eye should be able to handle but at the same time gentle, filled 
with a certain harmony that inspired awe.
	I, with my limited skill, felt tiny in comparison to the sheer 
beauty of the place. This was much more magnificent than the 
experience of Love's simple energy output reflected on the outside 
world. Much like in a mother's womb I felt sheltered from the tainted 
world outside. The absolute purity of emotion was overwhelming. 
However, compared to our reaction outside to this increase in positive 
feelings, here I was at total peace, not compiled to act in certain 
ways. I basked in the ultimate experience of love, sinking into its 
embrace.
	Glancing over at Tomoyo, I noticed that she was equally 
overwhelmed. Wherever exactly we were, we had left Time's safety 
bubble behind and I didn't quite believe that it would have survived 
in here. I was a little perplexed actually to see Tomoyo. My actions 
of the last moments had been like watching a movie of myself. In a way 
it was me acting but in another I also was only watching my body move. 
I had realized on a certain level that I couldn't just simply capture 
Love, that this wasn't the right way and that there had to be a 
different approach. And I knew deep down that we had to face Love 
together. As a couple bond by her own element.
	Before either of us could speak, a faint glimmer attracted our 
attention. Turning towards the white sparkle of light I watched it 
brighten, expanding slightly. Slowly the shape of the card's sprite 
form became visible. I had seen it before but this time the features 
were much more defined. Golden-blond hair ran down the woman's back. 
She wore a simple yet elegant orange dress and her eyes sparkled a 
clear blue so enticingly beautiful that I felt the urge to kneel in 
humbleness, unworthy of that creature's attention. This was 
fascinating, none of the card's spiritual forms ever had been so 
vivid, so human... No, human didn't sound right. The woman seemed more 
like a goddess actually. A goddess that was incredibly lonely...
	Love looked at us with a warm smile that made my heart skip a 
beat. Cocking her head slightly to the side she seemed to be deep in 
thought for a moment, then her eyes brightened in obvious recognition. 
Yet the greeting was not exactly as I expected. "Greetings, Lina-dono, 
Amelia-dono. I had not expected you here."
	I blinked and traded a glance with Tomoyo who mirrored my own 
confusion. "Excuse us but I think you are mistaking..."
	Love laughed lightly and the sound was angelic to the ears. I 
realized that a lot of those effects were due to the fact we were in 
her realm of power. It had been similar with Time. Outside the sealing 
chamber her presence didn't seem to be so enormous all the time. "Oh, 
I know, I know. I apologize for that. It appears you are not awakened 
yet."
	Awakened? What the...? My surprise must have been visible since 
Love let go of another giggle, echoing throughout the surreal space.
	"Ah, don't worry about it. The time will come that you 
understand. Now though. I understand that you are Clow's successor and 
therefore technically my new Mistress." I nodded a little dumbly, 
still not quite grasping what exactly the words of the card's sprite 
had done to me. I had felt something stir inside of me at her words. 
Faint, tiny and almost impossible to notice but it was there.
	Love's happy, smiling expression didn't change but her tone of 
voice did as she continued. "Clow was a fool. If it wasn't for him, 
the Feared One would not be on the verge of breaking through our seal. 
He gave us form and therefore made us targets for her power. This form 
is limiting and it is only a matter of time before the Feared One will 
be able to take advantage of the disrupted flow," she stated bitterly. 
I could guess without a problem who the "Feared One" was supposed to 
be and the confirmation that my worst fears were proving true sent a 
shiver down my spine.
	"But Sakura-chan isn't like Clow! I'm sure she can fix things! 
She always does!" I turned a surprised look at Tomoyo and felt a wave 
of pride wash through me. The lavender-haired girl stared at Love 
intently, silently daring her to challenge the statement. She didn't 
seem to shy away from the otherworldly being but instead stood up for 
her faith in me. I really didn't deserve someone so incredible like 
her but I would certainly cherish that gift forever.
	Love didn't seem to mind the outburst at all. Instead her 
features softened even more as she regarded Tomoyo with a look, 
searching her eyes for some sort of confirmation for a moment, then 
turned back to me. "No, she is not like Clow. I could tell from the 
very first moment." The blue eyes flashed for a moment and I shrunk a 
little under the intense gaze. "So, what will you do now that you 
stand before me. What will you do to fix what Clow has damaged?"
	The question was genuine and honestly curious... and it took me 
totally off guard. I had not planned on any of this happening now. 
Yes, I had devoted so much time to search for the Seal Cards but 
hadn't actually given much thought to what exactly I wanted to do if I 
found them. They were the center of what held the seal on Pandora 
together after all and I couldn't just remove them without endangering 
the whole planet. I felt foolish at not really having thought about 
that, about rushing into this without a decent plan of action. And 
right now I wasn't quite sure how to answer Love's question.

******************************

(Tomoyo)
Sakura was clearly struggling with an answer to Love's question. I 
could tell she hadn't given it much thought which surprised me a 
little. Other than in her earlier childhood the Sakura of now was much 
more focused on her actions. What she did, she did with purpose. I 
should know since I had been treated to some of the happier moments 
that showed this change. Then again. Sakura also carried some great 
grief over everything that was tied to the current situation with her. 
And grief often served to easily cloud your common sense and rational 
judgment.
	I had thought about it myself for a while after Sakura revealed 
that bit of her timeline to me. When we were younger I had always 
tried to help out the brunette with her problems, trying to ease some 
of the weight off of her shoulders. She had often been so innocent and 
with such a pure heart that it was hard for her to come up with how to 
deal with serious situations that called for the possibility of 
hurting someone in the process if the decision she made was the wrong 
one... or especially the situation where someone would likely get hurt 
nonetheless.
	Sakura now was no longer afraid or incompetent to make these 
decision on her own which she showed quite impressively about four 
years ago - more or less relatively seen. Yet, I knew what a deep 
emotional scar the events of her timeline had left on my girlfriend. 
As much as she tried - successfully for the most part - to be cheerful 
for me and everyone else. So, although I did not know all the details 
- that much I was sure of - I had been thinking about the situation, 
trying to help Sakura in those small ways. I had somehow anticipated 
that moment might come and she might need my support then.
	Thinking had sparked some ideas but also some questions that 
needed to be answered first. And so, gathering my courage - since I 
was still rather impressed and awed by the sudden transition from the 
real world into this... other realm - I spoke up quietly, "Can I ask a 
question?"
	Both Love and Sakura turned to me, the latter raising an eyebrow 
a bit surprised while the former merely smiled and nodded. Taking this 
as a "Yes" I managed to bring my jumbled thoughts into some sort of 
order. "Sakura-chan told me that by creating you and the other card 
Clow made a mistake. I take it he was... aware of it because he put 
you... um, here." I gestured around us, not quite sure where exactly 
we were other than inside the seal which for some reason didn't sound 
appropriate enough for me. Love nodded. "Well," I asked tentatively, 
"I don't mean to offend your existence but... Couldn't Clow just 
have... returned you to what you were before?"
	At that Sakura also looked visibly curious and turned a 
questioning glance towards Love. The sprite looked a tad bit miffed at 
the question, obviously not really happy with the reply she was about 
to give. "That is a hard question to answer. You must understand that 
when Clow created us he invented an art of magic lore previously 
unheard of in such quality. In the old days - which have been long 
lost to human history - magic was drawn upon directly and so were the 
elements. They were used temporally. Clow, however, bound an element 
to an inanimate object, giving both the object and the element an 
independent personality in a way. That is what you see as our 
human-like appearance. We are a small portion of the larger thing but 
we can also interact and draw upon the flow of elemental power that we 
were once a part of. A lot like an Elemental but we are not as 
natural." Love paused, waiting for us to absorb this. I saw that 
Sakura seemed to have less trouble following while I had a hard time 
comprehending all of this. The gist of it wasn't lost on me though and 
I nodded to Love to continue.
	"When Clow created his first set of cards he bound a great 
amount of already pre-bound elemental flows - a mistake he did 
thankfully not repeat with the cards you own now - and by doing so 
unknowingly tapped into us who we have made up the seal for ancient 
times. I cannot really fault him since our nature is already 
complicated as it is and he must not have understood exactly what we 
there. The problem is that after creating us, he disrupted the flow of 
the seal. Yes, he did try to return the elements after realizing that 
grievous mistake. But Clow was a Black Mage for the most part. I do 
not mean that he was evil but he believed more in power and the use of 
dark magic for his purpose and that magic is also easier to force 
things rather than to patiently coax a power into doing one's will. 
And you cannot force healing. So fixing something, returning what he 
took by force, was much harder for him than the initiate action. 
Simply put, he put so much effort into creating us that with his 
personal affiliation it was impossible for him to simply undo it 
again." Love sighed mournfully. "He put us into the seal the way we 
are now to try and reduce the damage. But the Feared One is quite 
patient and we will not be able to hold her off much longer. Does that 
answer your question?"
	I nodded, my mind hard at work to process all this but I had 
gotten the answer to what I needed to know indeed. "Is it still 
possible to return the flow now?" I caught Sakura's eyes light up in 
the beginning of comprehension and smiled at her faithfully.
	Love considered the question for a moment. "I would believe so, 
given the right circumstances. Why?"
	At this point Sakura intervened. "I think I get where Tomo-chan 
is going. Clow's reincarnation said I was already much stronger than 
he was and my power is different from his, so is the way I treat the 
rest of the cards. I... I don't know if I can do it but if... if it's 
possible..." She looked down at her feet, almost appearing a little 
meek but I could tell from her posture and slightly shaking hands how 
much she wished to be able to make that difference.
	"I am certain Sakura-chan can make it," I put in reassuringly, 
squeezing my girlfriend's hand tightly. Sakura flashed me a grateful 
smile.
	Love smiled faintly but for the first time you could really tell 
it was fake. There was a deep melancholy in the sprite's eyes and once 
again I could see that soul-shattering loneliness. "Something is 
happening right now. My mate has left her path and moves into a 
specific direction. I was worried that is why I moved as well to meet 
her."
	"Mate?" I asked curiously. It was obvious Love was referring to 
the second card but the choice of word stroke me as odd.
	"In ancient times before the seal was created our power belonged 
to those that eventually fueled it into this layer. They were soul 
mates, so to say, and we are more or less mirror images of our former 
selves." A troubled look crossed her beautiful features and I could 
hardly think of anything else that had ever looked so out of place. "I 
do not doubt your abilities," Love addressed Sakura, "but if you claim 
me now, you must seek my mate with utmost haste or I fear the seal 
will break before the next sunrise. I do not know what happened to 
Silence but I worry for her well-being..." My heart reached out to the 
gentle sprite, looking so fragile and vulnerable at the moment. Not 
knowing what happened to her beloved had to be a terrible experience.
	I glanced at Sakura who had her eyes closed for a moment before 
moving forward with an expression of firm resolve in her face. I had 
seen it so often before but every time it fascinated me anew. Gently 
taking the sprite's hands in her own, Sakura smiled at her gently. 
"This is why I am here. I understand now about the consequences of 
unsealing Time." Love gasped at that. "I know now that this is what I 
was meant to do, why I am here now. I will set you free, both of you, 
that I promise." For a moment card and Card Mistress looked at each 
other and after almost a full minute - though I could not be sure how 
the passage of time was handled here - Love gave a slight nod. Sakura 
let go of her hands and stepped - or better floated - back slightly, 
never letting her gaze leave that of the card's spiritual form. Her 
star wand reappeared in her right hand from wherever it had gone and 
she brought it forward in a smooth but not at all forceful motion. 
"Return to your original form," the brunette almost whispered, "Clow 
Card."
	Somehow the whole thing was rather anti-climatic for a card that 
powerful. But then again, the real challenge was still to come.

******************************

(Sakura)
An hour later our small - relatively seen - yacht dropped anchor at 
one of the small island in the middle of the archipelago. Otousan 
pointed out that those small islands were not on any chart and Sonomi 
declared that she hadn't seen them until we were almost at shore. My 
suspicion was that all those small isles were either protected by a 
strong field of illusion or not entirely in the same dimension as 
ours. I didn't know that much about dimensional theory but I wouldn't 
exclude the possibility. Not that the issue was really relevant in 
light of the situation.
	"It's almost dusk already," I commented, looking over the small 
isle roughly a few miles in diameter. It would probably not take long 
to walk from one end to the other - even less flying. The most 
imposing landmark was the single mountain, rather thin but probably 
higher than the whole island. Up at the peak I could sense the 
unmistakable power of the second Seal Card. Silence.
	"It's up there," Tomoyo stated my thoughts quietly, making 
everyone look at her in surprise. Except me that is. Quite frankly I 
had only been mildly surprised that there obviously was some sort of 
magical gift inside my girlfriend. I had felt it on occasions before, 
especially during our... 'mating'. While the intensity had me focused 
on 
other things more interesting I knew that feeling from Syaoran and my 
lovemaking on my timeline. In those moments you were the most exposed 
and your magic could run wild. No, I wasn't really surprised. More 
like curious since her magic seemed so different from my own. Older 
somehow, which might be a good explanation why neither of us had 
sensed anything yet. Ever since... claiming Love - it wasn't like I 
really had to return her to her original form since it wasn't really 
wild to begin with - the magic around Tomoyo was actually tangible.
	To my surprise someone else put the general surprise into words. 
"I am surprised you can see it."
	I blinked, turning sideways. That voice... Clad in long white 
and green Chinese robes a young boy around Tomoyo and my age had 
stepped up to our group. Unlike the ten-year old or the boy who once 
held my heart on my old timeline he had his brown hair tied into a 
ponytail falling lightly over one shoulder. A sword was stripped to 
the simple belt and he wore an expression that was hard to read.
	"Syaoran-kun," I whispered, a bit dumbstruck, rather floored by 
his sudden appearance. I had been so concentrated on what lay ahead 
off me that I had not even sensed his presence and therefore was not 
quite prepared for the conflicting emotions his appearance managed to 
stir in my heart. Those lasted only for a moment though. It surprised 
me a little how quickly I managed to get my feelings under control yet 
the last months - even if a bit under Love's influence - I had come to 
the unmistakable realization that my feelings for Tomoyo went far 
beyond what I had ever felt for Syaoran. And therefore, even before my 
girlfriend could react to his presence in any possible manner, I had 
reached out, lacing my fingers through her own and giving her hand a 
reassuring squeeze.
	"Sakura," Syaoran nodded, his voice not betraying his stoic 
demeanor for any other than me who got to know him pretty well in all 
the years we - well, his other self and I - had spent together. He did 
notice the clear gesture obviously and there was the barest hint of 
sadness, gone the next moment, but I was sure about its existence. 
That couldn't be helped though.
	"Where are many types of magic that Clow's family didn't even 
know about. You shouldn't be that surprised," I answered his question. 
"Excuse my bluntness. Not that I am not... happy to see you again but 
I am kind of in a hurry. While I can guess part of it already, why are 
you here?"
	Syaoran sighed and glanced up towards where Tomoyo had pointed. 
"Yes, it is quite obvious, isn't it. my mother and I both felt the 
disturbance in the seal's flow when Silence passed over China. I 
followed it all the way until here. It's been hovering there for the 
better part of an hour already, doing... well, nothing."
	I raised an eyebrow at Syaoran's obvious knowledge about the 
seal since the one of my timeline had only learned about it from his 
mother when there was little to do anymore. Something we both had been 
quite angry about. "So, your mother let you in on Clow's dirty, little 
secret, huh?"
	With a shrug the Chinese boy turned back to me. "Only the most 
necessary I am afraid. You seem to know what is going on for some 
reason though, so why don't you tell me?"
	Turning away I started to walk in the general direction of the 
mountain. "I don't have time to stand around. If you want to come 
along we can talk while walking." Glancing back at the rest of my 
family I asked, "Maybe you should wait here. This is going to be 
dangerous enough."
	Touya, as expected, wanted to protest, being the overprotective 
brother he always had been and still was most of the time, but Otousan 
was faster. "I saw a small building, looked like a shrine, at the base 
of the mountain. Maybe we should go there first. I'm sure there is a 
reason for a shrine to in the middle of an obviously uninhabited 
island."
	Syaoran nodded in agreement. "I spotted it too. But I wanted to 
wait for you before checking it out. Maybe it has some meaning for 
what is going on. What do you think, Sakura?"
	I traded a brief look with Tomoyo. The reasoning was logical. If 
a battle ensured, I wasn't sure about the effects. A building might 
provide more shelter than staying out at the open or in the ship. I 
really had not wanted to pull all of my assembled family along into 
this but that option was taken from me. Love had been clear about it 
that I couldn't return the flows individually. I had to have both 
cards to make this work and there was only a short time limit in 
between. I could have send them back with the ship and use Fly, of 
course. On the other hand I had no idea how much magic I had to spend 
in resealing the seal.
	There was not much helping it, as it seemed. "Alright. Let's 
go."

******************************

(Tomoyo
To say that Syaoran was shocked to learn how exactly it had come to 
the turning point in our lives about four years ago would have been an 
understatement. A big understatement. He was, I noted, quite furious 
at his mother for not telling him more about the seal but I suppose 
that was really not something the proud family of Clow's descendants 
liked to talk about. Also there was no telling how much Syaoran's 
mother really knew and how much she was just pretending to.
	I kept silent most of the way, letting Sakura explain. Yes, I 
was pretty surprised at seeing the Chinese boy here but after all that 
happened, especially under Love's gentle coaxing, I wasn't about to 
suddenly turn into a jealous, mistrusting bitch just because my 
girlfriend's ex-boyfriend turned up without warning. Going back and 
reviewing that last thought I had to suppress a giggle in spite of the 
serious situation. That sounded rather awful.
	That's just it though. The situation was serious. I should have 
known better than to think it would be that easy. Of course Sakura 
couldn't just claim the two Seal Cards one by one and return the flow 
in a similar fashion. They were like Light and Dark. Always bonded 
together. If it was even possible to return one power flow by itself, 
the result could very well be a greater disharmony as there had been 
through Clow's meddling. Now Sakura only had a few hours to catch the 
other card and return the seal's old strength. I wasn't one to doubt 
her ability to pull that off but the time limit was rather thin. 
Therefore it was necessary that all of us concentrated on the task at 
hand, not losing ourselves in personal quarrels.
	I was seriously glad that Yue had turned back to Yukito for the 
moment who managed to divert Touya's attention quite nicely. The older 
Kinomoto sibling kept throwing dark glances in Syaoran's direction, 
giving me the idea that the tension between him and the Chinese mage 
was not necessarily because of Sakura. They just simply didn't like it 
each other.
	I was amazed at how... relaxed the rest of the family took all 
this. Especially Sakura's father and Okaasan. They had obviously 
gotten the hint very quickly that keeping distraction at bay for the 
moment was the best thing to do. For Sakura and everyone else. This 
was the first time all of us have been card hunting together, 
especially our parents. It might have been involuntary but that 
couldn't be helped right now. And seeing all this loyalty and support 
my heart fluttered at the thought that I was an accepted part of this 
family.
	The sun had already disappeared behind the mountain, beginning 
to sink into the ocean behind it at any given time now. There were a 
few stars already visible in the sky. I felt a little tired but didn't 
want to complain right now. It was apparent Sakura wouldn't get any 
rest before sunrise and I would be there with her all the way. I 
always had been and always would be. There might not be much that I 
could do but Sakura herself had said that she depended on my support 
and faith for her strength. And if that was how I could help, I had 
sworn that I would always be there to give Sakura a reason to show her 
beautiful strength.
	"Hey, look! That must be it!" Kero-chan cried out from the front 
of our small group. He had taken the lead with Touya and Yukito, the 
adults behind them and then the three of us in order to give Sakura 
and Syaoran some time to talk... and to keep Touya and Syaoran out of 
each others' hairs. That arrangement had more or less worked since 
Okaasan and Fujitake-tousan had taken to give each other flustered and 
embarrassed looks instead of verbally bringing up what had happened 
under Love's influence. I doubted there really was any hidden feelings 
there. That was quite frankly impossible. Sakura had explained that 
Love sends out positive emotion. Feelings like jealousy - and in a way 
you could call it that, at least from Okaasan's part - were more or 
less also emotions associated with Love. What the card's power did was 
take that emotion and more or less return the opposite much stronger. 
I wasn't sure though if Sakura just said that for our parents piece of 
mind alone.
	At Kero's shout I tore my eyes away from Sakura and Syaoran who 
had stopped talking as well. The temple was hard to miss at first 
glance. Built under a ledge that covered the whole building in 
shadows. The design was quite unfamiliar to me and I was pretty sure 
the structure was one of its kind in the world. Dark blue stone 
sustained thick pillars who were built side by side in a way that it 
was rather impossible to actually pass through in between. At the 
sides the structure widened, stretching out to both sides like wings 
of some gigantic creature. There was a single entrance with something 
resembling a golden eye looking down at those who dared approach it. I 
really would like to know about the building's material and I was 
quite sure that eye was some form of crystal that was worth a lot of 
money.
	"Quite impressive," Okaasan stated as we all came to a stop at 
the base of the few stairs leading up to the entrance. "Looks rather 
lonely to me. I doubt someone is living out here."
	Sakura's father shook his head at this, scratching his chin 
thoughtfully. "I don't know. This place looks old and it is too clean 
and well taken care of to be abandoned." I had to agree with him on 
that one. The shrine looked neat and without a spot of cobwebs or 
dust, no debris lying around either.
	"Someone's coming," Sakura said and everyone stiffened 
automatically. I noticed Syaoran sending Sakura a surprised look at 
the statement but couldn't quite fathom why. Didn't he sense anything 
at all? I knew I was new to that kind of thing and if I could feel the 
presence then he should as well.
	I didn't have time to give that much more thought since whoever 
Sakura and I had sensed coming was just appearing in the entrance. The 
woman's features were striking. Clad in a white and blue traditional 
miko robe, with long blond-golden hair falling over her back, and 
enchanting blue eyes. Compared to Love's sprite form though this woman 
looked... older. Wiser, might be a better word. Her whole appearance 
spoke of a long lifespan and great experience collected in her years. 
But just like Love there was also a certain loneliness. It was harder 
to see than in the card's eyes but nevertheless was there. And while 
Love's loneliness had touched me I felt a heavy sadness tightening 
around my heart for a brief moment inspired from that of the woman. 
Something familiar and in a way compassionate that shouldn't be 
possible for strangers.
	Were we strangers? That was a more logical question than one 
might think because the moment I had seen the woman there was that 
undeniable feeling that I should... that I DID know her. That was 
absurd, of course, since I had always had a good memory and would 
surely have recognized someone as impressive as her. Yet I could not 
deny those feelings and this only served to really confuse me.

******************************

(Sakura)
Long blond hair, like a waterfall cascading down the back of a subtly 
powerful body. Blue eyes deep and enchanting. A lot like Tomoyo's at 
times but still different in their own way. They stroke a feeling of 
familiarity in my heart that was so strong it shook my very worldview. 
For a moment the older, wise but in a way rather lonely face was 
overlapped by something younger, more innocent, more kind and... 
happy. For a moment it was as if there was only me and that woman, our 
bodies pressed together, our lips...
	'What the heck?!'
	The image had sent a shock through my system that managed to 
bring me out of whatever weird trance I had been in. I couldn't, for 
the life of me, figure out what exactly just happened there. It wasn't 
a fantasy. I didn't fantasize about other girls - especially strangers 
- like that. I had Tomoyo, I was perfectly happy with Tomoyo. In fact 
seeing and talking with Syaoran again had not changed a single thing 
about it. The feelings I once held for him had subsided. Some kind of 
love would forever be there. But it was dull and - as painfully as it 
sounded - negligible compared to the fulfillment being with Tomoyo 
gave me. But the feelings that had erupted in my heart for just a 
brief moment at this... this... 'image'... they were almost just as 
strong. It didn't feel like a mind-produced possibility. It felt 
like... a memory.
	And that was rather disturbing, to say the least.
	"Welcome, I have been expecting you, Lina-san, Amelia-san," the 
voice of the woman shook me completely out of my momentary shock. She 
bowed her head respectfully and smiled up at me almost... apologetic.
	I was seriously glad that Tomoyo for some reason had also been 
intently focused on the woman because I was pretty sure she could have 
SEEN all that had went through my head just now with but a glance. She 
had always been able to do that. Also I was glad that although my 
girlfriend... mate, I corrected myself mentally - feeling a need to 
put an emphasis on our relationship -, was equally captivated by the 
blond-haired shrine keeper - I presumed -, Tomoyo was still able to 
formulate words. An ability I didn't feel quite content about right 
now. "That is funny. This is the second time someone called us that. 
Love did so, too..." Tomoyo trailed off but her words struck me as 
true and a wild thought entered my mind just then.
	What did Love say? We were not "awakened" yet? I've read a bit 
about reincarnation. Heck, Eriol was living proof for the whole thing. 
I knew through some brief acquaintances in my future, when everything 
went to hell, that there were a lot of people on this planet who were 
quite aware of a former life, even drawing power and knowledge from 
it. Was that what Love meant? Could this be what I just experienced? A 
flashback of some former life? I didn't really want to think about it 
but quite frankly the names used by both Love and the stranger 
sounded... right somehow.
	"I am sorry. As is true for Love's current form, my mind still 
lingers in the past sometimes." The woman smiled, yet it was a sad, 
wistful smile. One that made me feel... guilty somehow. It almost 
confirmed my theory. The smile quickly faded to a more serious 
expression, one that told of years... heck, probably centuries of 
experience. "My apologies again. My name is Filia. Before you ask. 
Yes, I am quite aware of why you are here and what is going on. We 
have little time indeed but there are things that I would wish you to 
know. If you would please follow me." She gestured towards the shrine 
entrance behind her.
	Numbly I felt myself follow, grasping Tomoyo's hand tightly as 
if to reassure myself that she wasn't going to disappear. I had the 
feeling that whatever those things were that Filia - the name stirred 
something in my heart as well - wanted us to know would start a chain 
of events that might jeopardize everything that I worked so hard to 
achieve. That somehow it would disturb the relationship between Tomoyo 
and me.
	She must have felt it because while we walked through a series 
of hallways, the lavender-haired girl next to me had moved a lot 
closer, her presence managing to calm myself down enough to think 
rationally again. Well, as rationally as possible in this situation. A 
situation that was quickly spinning out of control. Everything 
happened so fast, one shock after another. This was a turning point in 
our lives. A nexus of events to come. I could feel it. Whatever was 
done and discussed here on this island tonight would have an impact on 
the future. A heavy impact. And everyone seemed to feel it somehow 
because they mostly kept quiet, just the occasional question directed 
at our guide regarding the age of the structure or if she lived here 
all by herself. From which both answers only strengthened my rebirth 
theory.
	Really, for the rest of us the whole thing was probably just 
confusing. They were pulled along by the tidal wave Love's capture - 
or was it even further back than that? - had started. They could 
probably feel the rising tension and that something important was 
happening. But without a sufficiently trained magical sense... When I 
was just beginning all this, I doubt I would have sensed the coming - 
practically inevitable - change. But now I did. I saw that from 
Syaoran's somewhat grim expression he did too to some extent. Yet, I 
was pretty sure it didn't touch him as much as it did... us. Yes, us. 
From what I could see Tomoyo was deep in thought as well, trying to 
figure all this out. She was probably feeling now what I would have 
felt about twelve years ago - including two senses of time.
	And for some reason that DID reassure me. We were in on this 
together, somehow. There were ties between us even outside of this 
life. And I could FEEL these ties were strong.
	After walking for a bit, we reached a bigger chamber. Not really 
gigantic but the vibe I got from this room was of high importance and 
a sense of nostalgia. The presence from the young woman was rather 
active here. Heck, I wasn't even sure about her age. This Filia was a 
complete mystery to me. I couldn't get anything detailed from her 
aura. Her shields were nearly perfect, just showing glimpses of 
emotion on the outside every now and then. And I knew it took a very 
long time to hone your mental defenses like that.
	My observation was cut short though as my gaze settled on the 
interior of the room. Well... What was inside the room was rather 
sparse. More important were the various... pictures lining the wall. 
It was hard to describe them with proper terms because I'm not sure 
those terms existed in this time period. They seemed futuristic 
somehow, a bit like holograms, but also had a sort of ancient touch. 
Like paintings, or wall drawings. They actually looked like they were 
part of the wall.
	There were so many I had a hard time deciding where to look 
first, awed by the vividness of the pictures. There were a few though 
that caught my eye immediately and... well, not really surprised me. 
There were some of Her, making it painfully clear that this was some 
kind of memorial of a time long past. Probably of the time when 
Pandora was first imprisoned.
	What drew my attention like a moth to the flame though was a 
single picture, showing three young woman standing in a sort of 
triangle around an enormous structure, in poses of deep concentration. 
There were auras of power 'drawn' around them. But that didn't really 
interest me right away. Those figures were familiar, so damn familiar. 
A woman in long robes with a staff and purple hair that I couldn't 
immediately place but knew deep down that she was... had been... 
important to me... us. A slightly younger woman who carried a somewhat 
child-like experience in white garb with a white cape and a necklace. 
She had shorter, black hair with a few purple highlights running 
through it. Her eyes, her eyes were much like... no, EXACTLY like 
Tomoyo's. And then there was the redheaded one. The most striking of 
the three. Dressed in similar clothing as the other two with a black 
cape I felt like looking in a mirror. Outwardly there were a lot of 
difference between her and me but still I just knew that...
	"Is that..." I whispered, speaking up for the first time since 
meeting Filia at the entrance and getting here. "... us?"

******************************

(Tomoyo)
"Is that... us?"
	Sakura's words shattered the tranquil atmosphere that had 
settled on the group since reaching the island. In the empty hallways 
of the shrine the silence had become more than just a little uneasy. 
Barely bearable. More like suffocating actually. At any other given 
time I would have enjoyed the rich style of art with which the shrine 
was built, its true beauty kept more to the inside than the outside. I 
would have been excited, would have loved to ask more questions...
	But they were inappropriate. And deep down I knew that those 
things were irrelevant. They simply did not matter right now. Not only 
because of the current situation that was still looming over our heads 
like the Grim Reaper's glaive. No, that wasn't all there was to it. I 
couldn't explain it. I lacked the words or Sakura's understanding of 
the mythical. I did not have her experience. But I KNEW that there was 
something much bigger going on here. Sakura's unease was evident and 
even a totally insensitive jerk could have seen it.
	And now that feelings actually had a name. And the feelings 
Sakura's statement evoked were confusing, conflicting even. I realized 
that I had been staring at the exact same picture for the entire time, 
trying to figure out why those three woman looked so familiar and why 
my mind constantly tried to draw associations to Filia and Love's 
manner of address. However, a part of me was SCARED of that 
association. And to a degree that was because that part KNEW that the 
association was TRUE.
	"Nani?" Syaoran exclaimed next to us, looking incredulous. "You 
don't mean..."
	"Yes. This shrine was built in memory of a war that took place a 
very, very long time ago. And yes, you Kinomoto Sakura, as well as you 
Daidouji Tomoyo were a part of this war. At least your past lives have 
been as I am sure you have figured out by now." Even before the woman 
named Filia confirmed Sakura's statement, I knew it was that way. 
There was no denying it and doing so would only do more harm than 
good. That much I was certain of.
	"Is this from when the seal was made," Kero-chan asked from his 
place on Yuki... Yue's shoulder - darn, he really unnerved me with 
those changes sometimes. Kero's voice had grown deeper, more like his 
true self. More serious. For the first time I tore my gaze away from 
the picture of the three woman and noticed in various others the 
presence of a sinister vaguely female figure, often accompanied by an 
aura of evil that seemed to be alive, tangible in this artificial 
state. Sakura had never given me a clear description of how this 
Pandora looked, but there was no doubt that this had to be her.
	Filia nodded solemnly. She glanced at Sakura for a moment before 
launching into the tale and I really wished I wasn't so damn observant 
all the time. I could deal with Syaoran's looks directed at my 
girlfriend. It was to be expected that their was sadness, pain and 
probably some jealousy too. I could deal with that because Sakura had 
made her choice between us. But the same things that I saw in 
Syaoran's covered glances, it was there with the older woman too. Yet 
with Filia it was to a degree as much wistful as it was almost 
painfully intense. And what really got to me was that as hard as I 
wanted to be jealous, I couldn't be. Because some part of me knew this 
woman and this part just couldn't harbor any negative feelings towards 
her. It was confusing and frustrating and...
	I shoved it to the back of my mind, reminding myself that there 
were more important things to deal with right now. Besides, Sakura had 
been rather adamant about her faithfulness on more than one occasion. 
I had nothing to fear for the moment. I had time to dwell on that 
later when I knew more and the current mess was dealt with.
	"Time is short I know that." Filia looked up briefly out of the 
huge window above that showed the top of the mountain from where one 
magically gifted - which all of us except Okaasan were - could see 
Silence's presence hovering just above the tip. And those dark clouds 
that were gathering, slowly beginning to cover the Moon's light were 
more than just unsettling.
	"Those clouds aren't natural," I said quietly, more to myself 
than anyone else. But the quiet surrounding the group carried the 
words to everyone else without me even meaning them to.
	Sakura nodded grimly. "Yes, and it's getting worse. I don't 
think we have time to stand around here and talk. I really like to 
know more of this but it has to wait until after I finished what I 
started. There are only a few hours left. And I seriously have no idea 
how long this will take."
	Filia shook her head. "Please, trust me. You must know all that 
has happened back then. If not to awaken your past life's memories, 
then at least to truly know all that is at stake here. This must be 
hard for you to comprehend but please understand that I will not 
jeopardize all those years of lonely vigil to see you sacrifice 
yourself because you did not know all that there needs to be known."
	At this I studied the woman incredulously. From how she worded 
it, it was apparent that with "years" she didn't just mean, say a 
decade or more. No, it sounded more like she had been around the whole 
time, ever since the ancient war of which the pictures spoke. And that 
had to be a very LONG time. A pang of sympathy once again made me 
aware of how much that woman meant to me... had meant to me once.
	Filia turned away from us, glancing at the very picture that had 
Sakura and my attention captured moments ago and her voice was thick 
with emotion, lacking that certain element of control that had 
dominated her whole being for the few minutes I knew her. "I could not 
stand to see all of this happen again because I failed in my task. So 
many lives were lost to Her back then. The world must never experience 
this horror again."
	Sakura and I looked at each other and for the first time I 
really got a good look at my girlfriend's face and how much the whole 
thing affected her, how much that stranger affected her. And I also 
saw the fear there, the fear of things to come. But also the knowledge 
that this was an inevitable event and that she had to eventually face 
it. We had to eventually face it. I smiled at her reassuringly, 
briefly reaching up to brush some hair out of her face. Sakura knew I 
trusted her but as was the case so often she wasn't sure she was worth 
that trust. An unspoken understanding passed between us and Sakura 
slowly nodded.
	Whatever happened or had happened in the past, it was never 
going to destroy us. There was simply no turning back now after the 
events of just a few hours ago. The love that was between us was as 
vibrant as before and it would not weaken by whatever was to come in 
the future.
	Sakura turned back to Filia. "Alright," she said softly. "Then 
please tell us everything." She paused briefly, then added, "Anything 
that is needed to know."

******************************

(Filia)
I had been ready for that meeting. I had been forewarned by several 
sources but now that the time was really at hand I felt horribly 
unprepared, meager and insignificant. Seeing the two girls, even after 
all this long time still fond in my memory, standing before me again 
so young and vivid, so... different... I became painfully aware that 
they were not and probably would never be Lina Inverse and Amelia Wil 
Tesla Saillune again. My cherished friends and comrades. Their 
memories would eventually return but their personalities were so 
different that I could hardly expect them to be the same girls.
	Glancing at Sakura out of the corner of my eye, I added 
mournfully that She would definitely never be the same again. It was 
ironic but in the way there was not much difference to the situation 
of the past. I would always be a substitute anyway, as harsh as this 
might sound and as much as their old selves would probably protest. I 
never really belonged with them. And yet I had hoped and it was that 
hope that had kept me sane all these years.
	There was no time for that now. I had time to pity myself later. 
Silence was getting darker and I really didn't want to risk too much 
by keeping them here any longer than necessary. But even if they 
succeeded today, it would just be a small victory and they had to be 
prepared for the coming war. I desperately hoped that it wouldn't come 
to that, I prayed every day, but yet I knew that ultimately there 
would be no way to change the inevitable. Just prolong it until they 
were ready.
	Composing myself I nodded at the two girls who were standing 
rather close together, hand in hand. I hope I could do this well. I 
was never really good at storytelling and spending most of my time in 
solitude didn't help that skill any. "Eons ago, in a time long before 
the current evolution cycle of this planet, the universe was a rather 
dark place to live in. Life was scarce and lived in constant fear by 
the various entities and beings of darkness terrorizing the stars 
everywhere. Nobody knew where she came from, she came literally out of 
nowhere, wiping out whole civilizations with but a wave of her hand. 
Or so the stories were told among the stars. She is a being born from 
the negative side of Chaos. Chaos is what we deem the beginning as 
much as the end, where we come from and where we will eventually 
return to. It is neither Good or Evil. She, who was named Pandora, has 
practically no light in her. She is the embodiment of Darkness. All 
the negative emotions you can name and even those you can't. Hate, 
despair, malevolence. The races feared her everywhere."
	I paused gauging their reaction slowly. I realized that Li... 
Sakura must have told them from her own experience already and 
therefore the faces looking back to me were mostly grim but I could 
see the fear in the young brunette's eyes and I knew where it stemmed 
from. I knew very well what that monster was capable of, remembered it 
vividly even after all that time. Every time I went to sleep I saw the 
lives lost at her hands and the sacrifices made back then, including 
theirs and my own. Sad enough that what Sakura had witnessed was just 
a portion of what that being was really capable of.
	I turned around, gesturing at various of the holographic 
recordings associated with the last big war. "Then Pandora came to us. 
Earth was a torn planet back then, populated by many creatures who 
fought each other for dominance. We were rather ignorant for what was 
going on in the universe and were really not prepared for the terror 
Pandora brought upon us..."
	I moved over to a picture showing a young woman with silver hair 
bound in two ponytails with a crescent moon on her forehead. Next to 
her stood a younger girl with a similar hairstyle in blue tones. To 
the duo's left and right stood three others in their formal warrior 
uniforms. A blonde with long hair and blue eyes, a dark-haired shorter 
girl with a menacing-looking glaive and a taller woman with 
black-green hair and a long staff. From Sakura's reaction I could tell 
she did recognize the uniforms at least. Not to surprising considering 
from where she came. They ought to have met.
	"However, Earth has always had been a nexus of sorts. The 
mythical energy filling this planet and especially what is known as 
the Tokyo area in this time has a high concentration of power that 
attracts all sorts of gifted mages or other magical individuals. There 
was one girl who had a heart as pure as Pandora's was black though. 
She managed to unite as well the gifted as much as the God and Demon 
races of Earth to stand up to Pandora. A war ensured that was long and 
bloody. It claimed many deaths." I closed my eyes for a brief moment, 
trying hard to banish the memories rising to the surface. "But 
eventually we managed to seal the evil being away in a gigantic effort 
bringing peace to not only the world but the universe as well."
	I finally arrived at the image that - not surprisingly - held 
the most attention for the two girls who were now listening intently. 
"Despite all of our efforts the best we could do was seal her away. 
She was to powerful to just destroy. The seal consisted of two layers 
to ensure that Pandora would never break free again and terrorize 
future generations. Those three woman you see here were the most 
gifted human mages of our time and they used their powers to bind 
Pandora into her prison between the dimensions. They literally sealed 
her with their very life force knowing there was no other way and as a 
result..." I trailed off, for a moment not able to hold my composure. 
All those millennia had done nothing for my heart to forget that day. 
It was still as intensely painful as it was back then.
	Everyone was silent and Sakura and Tomoyo looked rather 
uncomfortable, holding each other now more tightly. They were so 
close. Just like them and in this time there seemed to be no big 
social complications. I was happy for them. I really was. Even if I 
had no place in their lives anymore, at least they were happy. I just 
hoped they would accept Sylphiel when the time came. I could deal with 
the loneliness, I had done so for thousands of years. She though...
	"The three became known as Children of the Seal, their power 
sustaining the barrier that made Pandora's own useless. As you have 
guessed already you are two of those three brave girls, reborn in this 
time."
	At this point Sakura interrupted. "Matte, how can we be their 
rebirth if they... we are supposed to keep the seal in place? And what 
about the powers that Clow converted into Cards..."
	I nodded, the question was to be expected. "The seal consists of 
two layers. As strong as your previous selves were their power was not 
unlimited and there were holes in the seal. Tiny but they were. For 
that reason the warriors of our leader used a portion of their given 
power and made a second layer. It was supposed to be like a safety 
net. However, as you said correctly already, when Clow tempered with 
those powers he disrupted their natural flow. By placing the cards he 
created back into the seal most of the damage was repaired but the 
seal wasn't flawless anymore. I can only guess but I suppose that 
might be the reason why you were reborn and why you have become the 
new Card Mistress. Because no one else could possibly be able to undo 
the damage. The sealing power is still active, inside of you. You are 
not aware of it but your mere presence is sustaining the inner seal."
	Of course that also meant that they had become less untouchable 
by Pandora and I had the feeling that Sakura at least understood that 
as well. Neither of us said a thing though. There was no need to cause 
even more troubled feelings as it was.

******************************

(Sakura)
I found the whole story strangely familiar. As if I really had been 
there. Well, given that what Filia just told us was the truth - and I 
could just tell it was - I HAD been there. At least my past self. I 
wondered if I had dreams about it sometimes that I didn't remember 
after waking up in the morning. That happened sometimes. As the Card 
Mistress my dreams usually were vivid and I remembered most of them, 
as stupid as they might be. I had gotten used to that. Sometimes 
though I could try as I might but I couldn't remember what I dreamed 
about, similar to the dream about Clow all those years ago. But with 
Clow I at least had a feeling that I did dream something important. 
Yet, at those occasions there was practically no recollection. I used 
to pay it not much mind, figuring that even a mage needed some normal 
dreams at times that faded from memory with the morning light. Now 
though, now I couldn't help but wonder if there was some sort of 
connection.
	A loud thunderclap suddenly vibrated high from the mountain top 
and made us all look up. Tomoyo flinched a little and I pulled her 
closer to my body while observing as the dark, unnatural clouds began 
to block out even the last light of the night above the little isle. I 
could SEE the dark power at work, I could SEE the horrible wrongness, 
yet I couldn't quite detect what exactly was going on. Only that it 
was really, really bad.
	I really couldn't just stand around here. Past be damned, I 
needed to do something!
	"As I feared," Filia stated and I turned back to her 
momentarily. "She is trying to corrupt Silence."
	"Corrupt?" Tomoyo echoed and I narrowed my eyes. I really didn't 
like the sound of that.
	"There is nothing you could have done about it," the shrine 
maiden - or whatever she actually was - said sadly, as if reading my 
mind. It unnerved me with how much casual skill that woman managed to 
get past my defenses. There was some sort of strong connection between 
us in that past life of mine but I had stubbornly pushed it back for 
the time being. This was not the moment to dwell on those or other 
such things - I glanced briefly at the picture of the three moment, 
feeling a pang of longing once again race through me at the vivid 
portrait of the purple-haired woman...
	"You must understand that Silence power is a destructive one. It 
is not Evil - if you want to use the term - just destructive. A power 
much closer to the Feared One than that of Love. Love has been the 
total opposite even though not as powerful in terms of strength and as 
long as the two powers were in harmony there was not much Pandora 
could do against them." But now Clow's meddling had separated them by 
creating magical spirits of their essence. They were no longer in 
direct, steady contact, I understood at that moment. The pieces began 
to fall into place and that loneliness I saw in Love's eyes was also 
making sense.
	"Clow gave the power's form, their spiritual bodies are a mirror 
reflection of their former wielders and since they have a form now on 
the Astral Plane She can make use of that. It's a long and tenacious 
process but She seemed to have managed to lure Silence here. Here 
where the Warrior's layer originated."
	Flashes of dark lightning illuminated the sky briefly, an eerie 
glow of a dark foreboding. "Then I have no time to lose. There's only 
a few hours left until dawn. Not to mention if Pandora is really 
trying to break through, I have to do something about it."
	"And how will you do that?" Filia asked calmly. The question let 
me stop in half-turn. Yes, what was I going to do about it? Sure, I 
had managed to capture Time and Love but they had more or less wanted 
to be caught. A hostile card as powerful as Silence, possibly blinded, 
corrupted and even empowered by that beast... Could I really just go 
in there and... and... yes, what? Catch it? I had no idea what that 
would do with Pandora controlling the card's spirit. I could 
accidentally even provide her with a means of escape. That would mean 
cutting off the influence first. But how should I do that? I knew how 
powerful that being was and even if her influence was just minor it 
would cost probably all of my powers. And then I would have no power 
left to restore the seal in time...
	I glanced sideways at Tomoyo who had gently squeezed my hand. "I 
am sure Sakura-chan will find a solution." I marveled once again at 
this infinite belief. The words were said with so much conviction that 
everyone hearing would immediately lose any doubt if they were the 
truth. Coming from her there was really no question at all. That 
unconditional trust and love she gave me had always been my silent 
strength, the fuel for my determination, her love...
	Of course!
	To Tomoyo's complete surprise I suddenly pulled the 
lavender-haired girl into a brief but nonetheless deep kiss. I didn't 
really care about the others right now. I felt so incredibly glad that 
I had this wonderful, inspiring girl at my side that I just had to 
show her. I really doubted I wouldn't even be standing here at all if 
not for her constant support and advise. Even when she didn't really 
mean to give anyway, she had always inspired me.
	Tomoyo blushed, a little flustered, as I released her. "Arigato, 
Tomoyo-chan. I think I know now what I have to do."
	"A-Anytime..." Tomoyo whispered and I couldn't suppress a little 
smirk at the look on her face.
	Someone cleared his throat and I turned to look at Syaoran, 
looking clearly uncomfortable. I felt a little guilty for doing that 
in his presence but I really didn't care right now. "If you have a 
plan, then we should get going," he said seriously, his face schooled 
into concentrated features.
	I was a little amazed at his silent offer but knew that even if 
things between us had changed, he still wanted to help in some way. 
And also, he had made all the way here without even knowing that we 
would probably meet. I could need the help though. I hoped to get this 
done as peacefully as possible but there was no guarantee for my 
sketchy plan to work out flawlessly. They rarely did.
	I nodded slowly, releasing Tomoyo and turning to the rest. 
"Alright. Yue you come with me and Syaoran. Kero you stay here with 
the rest..." I was quick to ward of his protest. "Yue's powers are 
greater at night. Yes, I could empower you easily but I really don't 
want to waste more energy than absolutely necessary."
	The little stuffed animal pouted but after a short period of 
holding my gaze, he nodded in defeat. "You are probably right. I 
wouldn't be of much help."
	I motioned for Yue and Syaoran to follow me but was stopped by a 
gentle hand on my shoulder. I glanced back at Tomoyo's worried face. 
"I'll be careful, I promise," I stated with the confidence she herself 
had given me just a few moments ago.
	Tomoyo hesitated for a moment, but then spoke up softly. "I... I 
want to go with you."
	I blinked startled at the request. This was not like Tomoyo at 
all. She would normally never be that unreasonable and reckless. 
Granted, we hadn't come in any dangerous situations since we got 
together until now but usually she knew better than to needlessly 
bring herself into danger, thus distracting me from the actual 
situation. Therefore my first reaction was to be a vehement denial, 
however, that look in her blue eyes made me stop. There was 
something... something that made me reconsider. I had the feeling she 
had no idea why she made that demand just now. Like an instinct one 
couldn't really explain.
	I thought back on the events of the last hours. Tomoyo had been 
there than I had confronted Love. For some reason both of us knew that 
only together it could be done. Tomoyo had clearly developed some sort 
of magical sense. And after Filia's revelations it was rather obvious 
that this magic was from her past life. We were in this together. I 
really didn't like to put her into danger but... The more I thought 
about it, the feeling grew stronger in me that I absolutely needed her 
to come with me. If only for her presence, only for her being there 
and the confidence she managed to always instill within me...
	Closing my eyes briefly, I made a choice.

******************************

(Tomoyo)
Grasping tightly onto Sakura this time it had not much to do with 
seeking closeness since I was much more concerned with holding on for 
dear life. 'This really was a stupid idea', I mused for the thousandth 
time. 'Not that Sakura actually agreeing with me was a much better 
idea', I added. I had really not been sure why I insisted to tag along 
with Sakura and Syaoran - who was right now carried by Yue. No, I 
absolutely could not explain what had overcome me. Normally I knew 
that all that would achieve was me turning out to be liability in the 
end, getting Sakura into trouble for my sake. Yet, something made me 
speak up. There was this indefinable, STRONG urge telling me that I 
had to be there.
	Somehow Sakura had understood it, probably better than I did. 
And Filia had even agreed, saying that only our power together could 
have a chance to stand up to an influenced Silence. Heck, I had NO 
idea what the hell I could even DO!
	No, this definitely wasn't a good idea. The wind was more than 
just a hassle. It had risen to the strength and speed of a tornado, 
whipping through our hair and entirely unfitting clothes. Out in the 
summer we had not expected to fly through a chilling storm in the 
middle of the night. At least I had not.
	Sakura was struggling to hold the wand steady. She had cast Fly 
on her staff as she had done before transforming the cards. This both 
for my sake as for her own. The strain of flying up to the mountain in 
this wind - even without my added ballast - would have been great 
enough. That didn't make the task easier now though. Yue was having a 
hard time moving as well.
	"We are not getting any further," I cried over the thunderous 
wind. A few lightning bolts flashed left and right, much too close for 
my taste. "Either we'll be ripped apart before we are up or it will at 
least take us hours!"
	I wasn't sure if Sakura heard me but she had obviously come to 
the same conclusion. One of the cards appeared in her hands and she 
held it up into the air. "Windy, clear a path through the storm for 
us!" I wasn't really certain if that would work but not one to doubt 
Sakura's abilities I snuggled even tighter against her as the storm 
for a moment seemed to reach another new height but then the strong 
winds were magically pressed back, creating a calm zone around us and 
Yue who had barely managed to close the distance before Windy's magic 
took effect.
	Losing not a single second Sakura pulled the winged wand almost 
completely vertical. I let out a startled yelp as she flew us upwards 
inside the calm zone at blinding speed. I would love to see what 
happened around us but I had my eyes closed and was really glad that 
moment that Sakura had insisted to sit behind me. I'd probably have 
fallen of right now.
	After what seemed a small eternity we slowed down again and as I 
reopened my eyes I realized that Sakura's reckless maneuver had 
brought us straight up to the summit, just a little bit away from the 
center and where Silence... raged. Touching down on the peak Sakura 
banished Fly while Syaoran jumped from Yue's arms - who in turn took a 
moment to regain his breathing from the flight. "That was fun," 
Syaoran commented dryly. "Now what?"
	Sakura glanced up towards Silence. It was really a frightening 
sight. All that one could see right now was a deep purple glow. Not 
bright but dark, at some points even fading into obsidian black. I 
squinted my eyes, trying to see a bit clearer, trying to make out 
anything of importance. The funny thing was I did see something. Once 
again I couldn't really explain how I knew but I did. "It's hurting. 
Hurting badly," I said, the feeling barely bearable. There was so much 
pain, so much... agony.
	Both Sakura and Syaoran looked at me as if I had seen something 
they couldn't. Then it hit me. They really couldn't. Not like me. 
Filia had told us just before we went up that my past life had not 
only been a good healer but also had developed a gift to see things on 
the astral plane when she grew older. Quite frankly I had no idea what 
she was talking about but there hadn't been much time.
	"Can you see where exactly something is... wrong," Sakura asked 
tentatively.
	I tried to concentrate hard. The necklace around my neck that 
Filia had given me glowed softly. It was hard to hold the 
concentration though and there was so much different things to see. 
Silence had such a huge presence and the energy released all around it 
didn't help at all. After a few moments I sighed and shook my head 
sadly, feeling drained by the effort. "No. I can see that something is 
wrapped around her... spirit. Something that doesn't belong there."
	"That would be Pandora then," Syaoran said. "So the woman was 
right. She actually managed to push this far forward." He looked at 
Sakura. "I guess you want to severe the connection somehow?"
	The Card Mistress nodded, her brown hair now blowing roughly in 
the strong winds. "I'm not sure I can do it forcefully. But Silence 
should be able to do it herself." At both of our confused expressions 
she pulled out a card. It was Love. "You reminded me of it, 
Tomoyo-chan. Love said that they are mates since their former wielders 
were. I'm sure if something can calm Silence down to a degree where 
she can fight back, it would be Love. THEN we should have a chance."
	Syaoran chuckled a little. "In a situation like this your trump 
card is the surreal love of two magical spirits?" With a smirk, he 
finished, "That's so like you." Squaring his shoulders he was about 
ready to move on. "Well then, I suppose you need a distraction to get 
close enough. Coming, Yue-san?"
	The silver-haired man nodded stoically, having kept silent while 
we discussed the plan of action. I bet he had some comments of his own 
but held them to himself obviously. I doubted he had a better idea 
anyway. Sakura's made sense though and from what I could see Silence 
was just as lonely as Love. They just dealt with it differently, much 
differently.
	I cried out as suddenly a rumble shook the entire mountain. My 
eyes barely registered that a gigantic bolt of black lightning had 
crashed through several layers of stone, nearly splitting the small 
mountain apart. Instinctively I reached out for Sakura's hand but with 
horror realized that the storm blow had not only affected me. All four 
of us were slammed back by the incredible force that definitely was 
not just that of a natural element. Obviously Silence didn't like 
company.
	The whole thing happened far too quickly. Bah, time slowing down 
in moments like this! It was rather the opposite. One moment we were 
standing atop the mountain, the next we were slammed over the side, 
surely tumbling to our deaths...
	And yet again the next moment, everything was over and I found 
myself held by something that felt like some animal's skin. I blinked, 
the shock from what nearly happened just setting in as I sat up 
slowly. Well, animal would probably really understate things. The 
creature that I was currently riding was of a deep golden color with 
massive wings. While I had never seen one - in this life at least - 
there was no mistaking it that the creature was a full-fledged, 
golden-colored dragon. A big, strong, impressive dragon...
	"Are you alright," the dragon rumbled in a voice while a little 
different in volume and tone was rather easy to identify.
	"F-Filia-san?" I gasped, still numb with shock from the near 
death experience.
	The dragon chuckled... well, at least it sounded like a chuckle. 
Probably a snort but I really didn't care about details right now. "I 
thought you could need some help." The wind once again picked up, 
nearly blowing me from the human-turned-dragon's back again. I buried 
my fingers tightly into the back of the creature who had obvious 
troubles to maintain her balance in the turbulent winds.
	Glancing to the side I saw Sakura hovering next to us - Fly's 
wings on her back this time - faring not much better. Yue, holding 
Syaoran were on the other side. Sakura shot me a truly worried look 
and I could see the still visible panic that must have filled her when 
we were flung from the mountain.
	"Look!" Yue cried out over the crescendo of the storm and we all 
did as he said. The strong pressure had obviously forced all flying 
parties to keep a strict distance. We were rather far away from the 
island now but even from here one could see that the storm had become 
almost one giant twister, laced with purple lightning and as black as 
the darkest night. The sight sent shivers down my spine and I felt 
numb with a sudden cold. It was like the icy breath of death.

******************************

(Sakura)
The shockwave of power was even stronger than the one that had blown 
us from the mountain top. Yet, it wasn't really a forceful, brute 
power. No, this one came subtly, silent like a whisper in the wind and 
still with a force as strong as all of my cards combined, probably 
stronger. That enormous presence was Silence but it was also much 
more. I felt it even from here and the fear rising in my heart, I 
could not suppress. I had tried to deny it but there was no mistaking 
it now. That terror-inflicting presence could only belong to one being 
in existence.
	The whole island was enveloped in a cocoon of pitch blackness, 
only occasional lighted by the eerie lightning and a barely visible 
glow of energy that I suspected belonged to Silence. Right now the 
high concentration of magic was just that. A concentration. But if it 
was released...
	"With that much power, the whole planet is going to burst if it 
erupts unhindered!" Yue shouted. I wished I could disagree but frankly 
that were my thoughts exactly. Suddenly I remembered something vital 
and for a moment I felt terrible ill. Stretching out my senses I tried 
to locate the familiar auras in the black tornado but couldn't find 
anything. Then there was a faint echo, a little outside the danger 
zone. I glanced down to see a small spot that had to be our ship 
racing away from the isle.
	"I had a feeling something big would happen and brought them 
back to your boat," the dragon rumbled. There was no mistaking it by 
now that it was really Filia. It didn't surprise me very much. From 
the beginning I had sensed something supernatural in her. No human 
being should be able to hide their aura so well. And the dragon part 
was familiar, probably glimpses of my past life again. I really didn't 
know what to make of all of this. For the moment I was just glad that 
she had saved Tomoyo when I hadn't been able to. Those were long, 
horrible moments for me. I felt so damn helpless, barely able to stop 
my own fall. If it hadn't been for her...
	"This is not good. I don't think any of us can break through 
there," Filia stated darkly and I had to once again agree. Fly's power 
was barely able to hold me anymore and Filia's wings looked not that 
good either, Yue wasn't better off. Not to mention that the sheer 
power Silence was emitting was as good as any barrier.
	Before I could respond there was a glow in front of me and 
Love's sprite form appeared in the air before us. "Silence..." she 
whispered hoarsely. One could hear her voice breaking with pain at the 
sight. I didn't even dare to try and understand how she felt. That 
would mean I had to picture Tomoyo in a similar state, controlled and 
corrupted by Her. Thinking of the thought alone was sickening. And 
even more so I was amazed when Love seemed to practically glow with 
confidence, staring ahead into the darkness with sheer determination. 
I would do the same, of course. In her place I would do everything to 
save the one I loved. I had experienced the consequences of 
helplessness before and I'd swore myself never to let this happen 
again.
	And that left me with only one path to follow now.
	"Can you break through there and take me inside? There is still 
a faint presence left. If we act quickly, we might be able to severe 
the connection. But I have to get inside first," I said, gripping my 
staff in a tight grip. I ignored the shouts of the others that t was 
too dangerous. There was no other solution to this. Truth be told, in 
the face of such gigantic power I felt small and useless. But rather 
would I die trying before waiting for destruction once again.
	Love was quiet for a few seconds, then she turned and fixed me 
with a stern gaze. "No, Mistress. I cannot take you alone. Pandora's 
influence over my mate has grown too strong already for me to 
withstand alone. I need someone else's strong love to support my own. 
Together there may be a chance to pass through unharmed."
	I gasped as realization set it. The way Love said it, there was 
no question who exactly she was referring to. "You mean..." I started, 
turning fearful eyes in Tomoyo's direction. There was no way I could 
jeopardize her life even further than I had already. I should have 
left her with the others in the first place. Because of me she almost 
died once already. This was my mess, my battle. I couldn't put her in 
danger because I wasn't strong enough alone...
	Tomoyo blinked, puzzled for a few seconds before comprehension 
dawned in her eyes. I was wondering at first if I really saw the flash 
of panic, just for a moment, but even if, it was gone almost 
immediately, replaced by an almost solemn expression. Guessing from 
her usual selfless behavior, I could guess already what she wanted to 
say. "Tomo-chan, don't..." I flew closer to her until I could reach 
out and touch her face, my eyes gazing into hers. "I can't put you in 
danger like this. Please... I..." Words pretty much failed me at this 
point and the grip I maintained on her shoulders must have become 
painful. There was that scene again, flashing before my mind's eye. 
Tomoyo, in my arms, dying...
	Gently, pale hands reached up to take my own into them, making 
me glance down for a moment before hesitantly meeting her eyes again. 
"This is not your future, Sakura-chan. You have been given another 
chance to make it better. Believe in that, believe in yourself, just 
like I do."
	I was paralyzed in amazement. I had witnessed it so many times. 
But now, in this situation Tomoyo's true strength shone so bright it 
could light the zone of darkness. Immediately a warm, soothing 
sensation spread through my whole self and I welcomed it openly. 
"Aren't you scared?" I was scared. Just a moment ago, I was so scared 
I rather wanted to turn and fly the other way than facing this 
nightmare... again. Now it was only a dull sensation. A bearable 
background feeling. Because of her.
	"Of course I am," Tomoyo said gently. "But I know everything 
will be alright." I was pulled forward suddenly but didn't resist when 
Tomoyo pulled me into a brief hug. "Because I believe in you."
	I was defeated. I had known the moment that Tomoyo looked at me 
that I wasn't able to win this argument. When her arms went around me, 
with so much trust and love, I gently flapped my wings and lifted her 
from the dragon's back. "Only with you I can be strong," I said, 
realizing once again how true those words were. How much confidence 
the knowledge of their truth brightened my soul.
	There wasn't a further word said but it wasn't necessary. The 
orb of light surrounding us, making maintaining Fly unnecessary, was 
of a bright golden radiance. I could feel the purity and the love, our 
own feelings mingling with the magical force created by the card. It 
was magnificent and much stronger than what it felt like before.
	Hand's clasped tightly, we turned around and with a slight nod 
Love shot forward right into the darkness ahead.

******************************

(Tomoyo)
A void of total blackness. Not a light fell anywhere, not even a 
glimmer. If not for the illuminating shine of Love's protective 
barrier it would be impossible to see one's own hand. And the void was 
not only pitch black but also cold, so cold that it would probably be 
warm at the North Pole. Not so much a temperature-induced coldness but 
one that threatened to freeze your very soul. An icy breath of 
foreboding, of promised annihilation. And not even a sound penetrated 
the thick veil of darkness, causing even the simple of action of 
breathing to sound like tiny sonic booms in the deathly quiet.
	When I said that I was scared, I had meant it. But now, now I 
felt actual fear. This place was... No, there wasn't a word to aptly 
describe it. However, everything in me shied away from the 
incomprehensible... evil filling the very air - if there was even air 
outside the bubble. Something in me told me that it wasn't supposed to 
be evil. That Silence alone wasn't evil. Filia had pointed this out. 
Which only meant that Pandora's control had to be more or less 
ultimate inside this zone already. If not for Sakura's presence and 
the tight contact we kept, I wasn't sure if even Love's powers could 
have kept me from running away.
	I felt Sakura tighten her grip to an almost painful level and 
saw her face contorted in deep concentration. "I can barely bear it. 
All that hate, fear, terror... it's... it's like the dead are being 
tortured." A shiver run through the other girl and I realized that I 
wasn't much better off. Sakura's comparison might be a little crude 
but that was just how I felt right now.
	"Unfortunately, that is the case," we could hear Love reply 
softly. At her words I glanced around and almost jumped at the shock. 
I could see them. Tiny wisp-like forms. Suspended in the space around 
us, bound by tendrils of the darkness, they were the only thing that 
indicated that there was indeed color around us and not just void. 
Looking at one closely I could SEE their torment, I could see the 
utter agony tearing them apart inside out but yet never ending their 
peril. It was sickening and I wanted to scream but my voice had been 
caught in my throat. For a moment I felt a glimpse of what they were 
going through and... and...
	"Don't look!" I felt myself being turned away from the sight at 
Love's sharp warning, Sakura pulling my face against her body and I 
was instantly grateful for that. I had been frozen in place, alone I 
might have been caught in the moment forever. Desperately I tried to 
regain my composure but couldn't help a few tears slipping out, 
drenching Sakura's clothes as the horrible realization set in what 
exactly I had seen.
	Only gradually I managed to quell the terror in my soul, still 
weeping for the fate of those around me. Sakura was rocking me gently 
and it helped somewhat to calm my nerves, I could draw strength from 
her presence. It was a hard fight for control though. "It's... it's so 
horrible..." I breathed, clutching tightly at Sakura for fear of being 
left alone in here.
	"I am sorry," Love said, sounding guilty. "I had not expected 
that the Feared One had such control over my mate already. Even with 
my power I can only dim the experience."
	"What happened just there? I can feel so much terror all around 
us, What did Tomoyo see?" Sakura asked, worry clearly evident in her 
voice. I would have answered but I was unable to voice the horror I 
had unintentionally witnessed.
	"Lost souls," Love replied solemnly, her voice telling of her 
own sadness. "The Feared One feasts on them. It has always been her 
greatest pleasure to convert the souls of living beings, strip of all 
their positive feelings and only leaving the darkness that every life 
form possesses as pure as they might be. They are left alone, in a 
state of utter torment, forced to spent eternity with their own 
terror. It is worse than Hell." Love was silent for a moment as Sakura 
hugged me even tighter. I could feel her trying to pour her own love 
into me but she was struggling as well, now that the evil presence 
around us had a name. "Tomoyo's abilities to see the Astral Plane must 
be returning slowly when she can actually see them. But believe me, 
seeing it might be very traumatic, actually experiencing it though..." 
Love trailed off and I could hear something that sounded like a gasp, 
followed by a deep wail that threatened to wrench my heart right out 
of my chest.
	Startled I turned around to glance at what had inspired such 
terror in the gentle card spirit and SAW. I damned that ability 
already. I saw Silence up ahead, glowing a very faint purple, almost 
consumed already by the thick chains of darkness covering more or less 
every inch of her spiritual body. It was like with the souls I had 
seen but on a much larger scale. I had to fight myself not to look 
further, knowing that I surely would become lost in the process. While 
the tormenters of the souls had merely been mindless, a part of 
something bigger, this... this... thing was the epitome of terror, the 
very incarnation of horror. At this moment I really understood why 
everyone feared it so much. My understanding of those latent abilities 
was small, most based upon instinct, but what I could see was enough 
to scare a god, that much I was sure of.
	"Phoebe!" Love cried out in terror and I could really not blame 
her. I didn't pay that much attention to the name but instead was 
focused on what to my eyes was best described as something like a 
black hole. Always devouring everything around it. I knew somehow that 
in reality - or better on the physical plane - where was not much to 
be seen. That being wasn't present in this world, it wasn't tangible. 
The only body ir had was that of the Card's spirit and to say those 
had actually physical bodies would be stretching the term. Sakura had 
once explained that she didn't really know the border between what was 
physically and what spiritual about the cards. They could interact 
with their environment but their sprite form was the only thing that 
really gave them some sort of solid shape on this plane.
	That being, Pandora, was so huge that Silence's sprite - which I 
could dimly see slowly drowning in the ocean of darkness - was not 
more than an insect in comparison. And it was unrelenting, holding the 
card's spirit mercilessly, not giving it even an inch to move.
	At the shout though I could see just a little quiver, rebelling 
briefly against the tainted presence. The being simply tightened its 
hold and I could literally feel the pain resulting from that action. 
With a lot effort I tore my gaze away slightly, trying to divert my 
focus.
	"Foolish humans. Did you think you could stop my release?" The 
voice echoed all around us. It wasn't at all what I expected. I had 
thought it would be something more... sinister. Not that quiet, 
controlled voice that was neither soft, nor loud. For all I knew it 
was... normal. Controlled to a degree as if this was just a normal 
conversation and not bragging about the coming freedom and how she 
would be destroying everything or something like that. I felt Sakura 
clasp my hand tightly but it seemed she wasn't really surprised which 
had to mean that this seemed to be a normal thing for that feared 
entity.
	"What did you do to her?" demanded Love vehemently, the glow 
around us intensifying to nearly blinding levels.
	There was a pause and then Pandora's voice came again, almost as 
if not paying the question any mind at all. "I owe that whelp a lot. 
Before his meddling you were just energies, perfect power flowing 
steadily. He gave you a spirit, feelings of your own. Just mirror 
images of your former owners' but that was enough already. You became 
independent in a way, be it even so small. I had spent so long in 
slumber I could wait the few more centuries it would take to work my 
way into this one's mind. With Silence's power I can finally burst the 
seal. You cannot change that anymore. Your efforts will all be in 
vain. Your 'mate' is already mine, and the rest of you will follow 
soon."
	No, that wasn't true. I risked another glance at Silence and saw 
her struggling weakly. Obviously Love's presence seemed to get through 
to her despite the powerful control. "Don't listen to her," I shouted, 
"Silence is still there. She can sense you!" An idea had hatched in my 
mind and while it was more like a piece of straw in a raging river I 
grasped onto it. Sakura had put her faith into this in the first place 
and from what I saw thee still was a possibility that it might work. I 
looked up at Sakura, our eyes met while I grabbed her other hand 
tightly. Concentrating on the love in my heart for the beautiful girl 
I let it flow out. I didn't hold back and let it fill me, my whole 
self vibrating from the intensity. Only a moment later Sakura followed 
suit and I could feel our hearts beating in synchrony. The glow of 
magic erupted into a shade too bright to look at. Closing my eyes, I 
held firm onto the feelings inside me, hoping that it would be enough 
for Love to reach her mate.

******************************

(Sakura)
The experience was one of the most surreal I ever had... and really... 
those were a lot. Sensing what Tomoyo was trying to do, I quickly 
joined her efforts and being more experienced, took all that love 
created at this very moment and channeled it directly into Love's own 
protective sphere. The star key in my hand glowed softly, the effort 
not really all that noteworthy since all it had to do was focus 
energy.
	I thought back on all of the time spent with Tomoyo, both in my 
old timeline as her best friend and now in this in something much 
more. How much the feelings between us had blossomed beyond my 
furthest imagination after my choice. I felt my spirit slipping away 
into a sea of brilliant gold. It wasn't suffocating, no. Instead it 
was comforting, an embrace of absolute happiness. This was a plane 
where the physical self didn't really exist anymore and all the soul 
and spirit felt was pure love.
	Only about a decade of training enabled me to hear the voices, 
the desperate pleading and the silent war for control going on.
	"Phoebe!" Love called out to Silence. I figured since they were 
mirror images of the ones who released their power in the first place, 
the name was probably that of the assorted Senshi. It was at least a 
logical explanation and I had more important matters to think about 
than that.
	"Is that you, my love..." The reply was faint and with the thin 
concentration I managed in this plane while my main focus was still on 
focusing and channeling our feelings into Love I was for a moment not 
sure if I really heard it. But then it came again, a bit stronger, 
desperate now. "I thought you were... She said she took you from 
me..."
	"I am here," Love quickly reassured. "Pandora tricked us. She 
used our brief separation to claim your spirit. You have to fight 
back."
	"I can't..." There was a flare of helpless fury, a spark of 
power that was more senseless defiance than any real threat to the 
control of the dark being. "She's too strong. I can't fight back... 
not without you..."
	There was a brief pause and then I felt Tomoyo's feelings 
change, concentrating on another aspect of our relationship and I 
welcomed it thankfully. Those feelings of trust and sincere faith I 
had discovered to be my greatest strength, something that had been 
shown in the last few hours many times again. Feeling my own 
confidence rise, I relayed it all to Love, knowing that a Clow Card 
could increase its strength then the wielder increased their will.
	"I know you can do it. I trust it," Love said, picking up on the 
delivered feeling. A ripple went through the darkness outside the 
protective bubble. I could nearly see Love's power filling the zone 
almost completely. I could sense Silence mobilizing enormous powers, 
pushing back the control over her spirit, slowly but steadily. I 
redoubled my efforts and Tomoyo responded in kind. It was working it 
was really working. Pandora was struggling with the only control she 
had of the physical plane as of now. I knew that logically beating her 
that easily was impossible. However, what we had her was just an 
extension of her true self. A part of her spirit. There wasn't much 
more the seal allowed... yet. That had been my only real hope in that 
matter, that maybe she wouldn't be strong enough to withstand a 
focused assault in this state and would be forced to retreat.
	And then everything shattered. I was amazed at myself that I had 
even the time to push Tomoyo away when the bolt of darkness crashed 
right through Love's bubble with a destructive force that could have 
easily shattered the planet if we still were fully on the earthly 
plane.
	And where before had been absolute love, the embrace of safety 
and utter calm, like a mother's womb, where before in the state we 
entered was only a bit of discomfort at our surroundings and what were 
the echoes of the lost souls all around us, all that had transferred 
into the total opposite now, amplified several times and then doubled 
again. When the pitch blackness touched me I could feel all the terror 
this plane emitted and now I really fully understood what Tomoyo must 
have seen when she had looked at one of the tormented souls. The 
experience was only of a mere moment but I felt such fear in the 
presence of such... sickening... WRONGNESS that I would have been glad 
if someone just ran me through with a sword, ending the horror.
	"TIME!" I cried out, not able to give any more clear orders or 
form equally coherent thoughts. Thankfully enough Time might be a 
mysterious card that rarely told me anything and if, then often in 
rather mysterious terms, but she was also the most intelligent card I 
had ever come across. I still didn't know what her role in all this 
was and firmly believed that there was a lot more to her when she let 
on. As it was Time did exactly what was necessary.
	I sank to my knees and hands when I felt the protective bubble 
of temporal energy flicker into existence. I could hear the quiet 
whimpers from Tomoyo and wanted to do nothing more than to comfort my 
girlfriend. Yet, I was still much to paralyzed from that brief - but 
still much too long - ordeal. Frantically I reached out, trying to 
locate Love's presence. I had felt the bond ripped apart and feared 
for the worst. If Love was... destroyed - and I really had no idea if 
that was even possible - then the seal would be void. Relived I noted 
that there was a faint glimmer, signaling that Love was still there 
and as I raised my head I saw that it wasn't going to be any longer at 
this point.
	The sprite form of Love drifted almost lifelessly towards the 
darkened form of her companion, an easy target for Pandora to capture. 
Soon they were united again but probably in a way both would have 
liked to avoid. Silence's power had risen to a cold flare of anger but 
without Love's support it lacked conviction. The card was struggling, 
unrestrained fury pulsating around her. But the will to fight back had 
been broken the moment Love's power had been.
	"You thought you could push me back this easily. In here where 
there is chaos. Chaos fueled by everything you term negative. Every 
positive emotion is as weak as a candle in the wind. This plane is my 
creation and as long as I have Silence as my anchor where is nothing 
that can make me return to my prison."
	Was that it? Was that the end?
	Love had been my last hope. I had really BELIEVED that it would 
work. That was so unfair. I had been so close. If I had gotten to 
Silence a bit earlier, I could have repaired the seal and ended that 
nightmare once and for all. I knew I could do it. With Tomoyo's love 
and support behind me I could accomplish everything. It might have 
taken all my power but compared to fighting Pandora, repairing the 
seal seemed like mere child's play. What I could I do against 
something like this? Even that small part of her was so vastly 
powerful that fear was paralyzing my body. All the magic at my 
disposal meant nothing. What good did it do to be stronger than Clow 
when I couldn't even protect the few people I loved dearly? There was 
no way anyone could defeat her...
	"Sakura-chan..." Tomoyo rasped out behind me and I felt slender 
arms encircling me, drawing me against her body. A jolt of pure 
devotion traveled through me, crashing into my spirit that already 
admitted defeat a moment ago, filling it with that awesome feeling I 
had come to cherish so much. Slowly at first, it was like a volcano, 
the lava bubbling just underneath the surface trying to get out. 
Questions shot through my mind, hard and unrestrained. What would 
happen to those that I loved? What would happen to my family? To my 
friends in Tomoeda? To Syaoran and Filia? To Yue and Kero? What would 
happen to Tomoyo if I... if WE failed here?
	They would all die a horrible, painful death. Just like in the 
future I had escaped.
	No.
	Never.
	I would not... I absolutely could not give up here!
	Slowly reaching up to take Tomoyo's hands in mine I clasped them 
tightly for a brief moment. There was a mutual silence, then the 
familiar sentence spilled from both of our lips in sincere harmony, 
filled with renewed faith. "Everything will surely be alright."
	I separated from Tomoyo without looking back, basking in her 
love as long as I could, keeping those feelings close to my heart in 
hope they would preserve me, channeling them directly to Light and 
mentally commanding her to secure my heart and soul, while I slipped 
Dark around my mind, to calm my fear and any doubts if they should 
arise again.
	Then I stepped outside Time's bubble.
	But not before giving one last command. If someone had directly 
asked me when Filia made the revelations about her past life, I would 
have told them that the surprise had only been brief. I had been aware 
of the power inside of me, the presence of arcane magic older than 
anything Kero or Yue could ever teach me. I had discovered it years 
ago but had been afraid of the change I felt would come. I was afraid 
of the consequences releasing the seal on that power would entitle and 
I knew deep down that doing so would change me. Not only magically but 
as a person as well.
	Until now there was no need to even attempt it. Until Pandora 
there never had been the necessity for something greater than my own 
given magic. And the fear of consequences had outweighed the 
temptation by far. With great power comes great responsibility. 
Nothing happens without a reason, no power was ever given without 
taking something in return.
	Light, Dark, Kero, Yue, even Time herself had told me where 
would be consequences for changing history. They never told me what 
consequences because they either didn't know or didn't want to tell. I 
had pondered it for a long time but only now. Only now did I 
understand. In the face of my greatest fear, I understood that the 
consequence would either be the destruction of this planet and 
probably the whole universe afterwards or...
	"Time," I spoke softly, "release the seal on the memories of my 
past life."
	And with that I opened myself completely to the bubbling power I 
had been secretly tempted to utilize more than once since traveling 
back in time. I held firm to Tomoyo's image in my mind and hoped that 
if something remained untouched by the ordeal it would be our love. I 
needed that power now, I needed the ancient wisdom of someone who had 
already helped seal Pandora in the first place. If my past life really 
had been as strong as Filia said, I needed her help now.
	As the magic burst forward and I felt the flood of memories 
beginning a silent onslaught, I relented and accepted it all with the 
one thought in mind to protect those that I loved.

******************************

(Tomoyo)
It was like losing a part of myself. When I let Sakura go, I felt as 
if something was irreversible taken from me. While I had not much 
experience with supernatural encounters I had learned to trust my 
instincts since this mess started. My heart wanted to deny that 
something could... would happen to Sakura but yet my instincts told me 
otherwise.
	At the same time though I could also tell that while I lost 
something, I would gain something, in the long run maybe even more 
than I would lose. Of course I couldn't really make much sense to me 
that moment and all I could think about was that I had such a really 
bad, sinking feeling in my stomach. I had no idea what exactly she was 
planning, hanging there in the void, just hovering for a moment. Wisps 
of white and black that I identified briefly as Light and Dark 
circling around her. I hadn't wanted to let her go. I really had not. 
I was far more worried about her life when to care about what might 
happen when nothing was done about Pandora. That brief experience 
outside in the void, unprotected and exposed to the horror of dark 
emotions had left me a frightened mess. I really had no idea where I 
had pulled the strength from to even move. But I had known that Sakura 
needed my support now, that she was on the verge of breaking and that 
I had to be strong for her. She depended on me giving her confidence. 
And as much the feelings of fear threatened to overwhelm me any moment 
now, the need to be there for Sakura was far greater.
	And then Sakura spoke and everything began to make sense. I 
stood there on shaky legs, watching transfixed as a faint glimmer of 
crimson red formed around Sakura's form. Where it touched, the 
darkness recoiled for a moment. For a few, timeless moments that was 
all that happened. Sakura had her head thrown back and I could guess 
that her eyes were closed. Then suddenly the faint aura literally 
exploded in a bright flare, crackling and hissing like an angry flame 
ready to consume whatever lay in its path. It began to completely 
surround... no, swallow Sakura from head to toe, expanding in size and 
intensity until I had to look away as another bright flash of light 
temporally lit up the darkness.
	When my eyes managed to finally adjust again, the darkness had 
mostly returned except for the purple shimmer of Time's bubble. Then 
there was Sakura. On first glance you might not see the changes, 
especially in the dim light. But for me, for someone who had known 
Sakura for so long, I spotted them immediately. The hair was longer, 
falling a little past her shoulders and of a darker shade of red, 
somewhere between the fiery orange-red that was in my memories from 
the picture in the shrine and Sakura's natural chocolate-brown. Since 
I couldn't see her eyes from here, those were all the physical changes 
visible, yet there were small things, things that were more 
appreciated on a subconscious area that I had learned to read and 
interpret for about five years. Subtle movements of muscles, body 
posture and her very aura that told me that this was not just Sakura 
anymore. Not just Sakura, but not fully someone else either. And what 
really made the difference from me was that the bond of love between 
us, that sense of awareness for the other was still there, not in the 
least damaged. No, it had actually warped a little and seemed to be 
even more defined than before.
	I could have sworn I heard a gasp and when Pandora spoke up, 
somewhat disbelievingly I was pretty sure it came from her. "You?"
	Sakura lifted her head up to gaze at what could barely be 
recognized as the sprite form of Silence. Both her and Love had been 
almost completely swallowed. While you literally felt the fear 
radiating from my girlfriend whenever confronted with the infernal 
being, now there was an air of calmness around her. Nothing in her 
body language spoke of doubt. There was a strong confidence in her 
abilities that for all her advances in magic my Sakura had never shown 
before. This Sakura - I really couldn't bring myself to think of her 
as anyone else even though I knew she probably was as much her past 
self again right now as she was Sakura - didn't show any fear in the 
face of the situation before her, there was no hesitation.
	Briefly Sakura glanced back and I gasped as I felt myself 
captured in the most enchanting pair of gold eyes, sparkling with the 
fire of a miniature sun, a passion as vivid as the genki spirit of 
Sakura but mixed with something much more mature, maybe a little 
darker. I felt myself trembling and leaned against the inner wall of 
Time's bubble. Sakura sent a reassuring smile down towards me but even 
though her new appearance had stunned me to immobility I could detect 
a bit of sadness and regret there. I wanted to reach out, to say 
something, anything... But my mouth felt dry and denied me the favor 
of speech.
	Then the now-redhead turned back towards her foe. "Not entirely. 
I am more now when I have been before." The wand in her hand flared 
with a bright white for a moment. "As you will see soon." Sakura 
really didn't waste much words. With one gesture she pointed the wand 
down at where Love and Silence were entangled in the mass of darkness 
that by now was rather hard to distinguish from the rest of the void 
if you didn't know where to look. I gasped in amazement as a beam of 
white light - on closer inspection turning out to be more like tiny 
little stars - struck the duo of card sprites that were holding each 
other tightly.
	There was a startled exclamation of Pandora before she had to 
suddenly shift all her attention to the mix of orange and purple light 
erupting from within her. It was not nearly strong enough to burst 
their bonds but they were fighting back again, furiously. And that 
gave Sakura time and the diversion she needed for... Well, for 
whatever she had planned.
	Sakura crossed her hands before her chest and I could see a deep 
red glow spreading from where she had put the four talismans Filia had 
given her. Then she began the incantation with the same calmness now 
dominating all her actions at the moment.
	"Shikai no yami wo suberu oo, nanji no kakera no enishi ni 
sitagai
	Nanjira subete no chikara mote ware ni saranaru chikara wo atae 
yo"
	Ever since entering the zone of darkness it had really been like 
in the eye of a storm. It was silent, an eerie quietness, and all that 
could remotely be considered wind was the icy death breath filling 
everything around us. Now there was a gentle breeze, slowly gaining in 
force as Sakura continued her spell. And as the wind grew in intensity 
the darkness seemed to... move. I knew it was stupid. I knew it was 
technically impossible - but then again what was not commonly termed 
impossible of the things I experienced since Sakura had become a 
Cardcaptor? - yet the vast emptiness around us practically seemed to 
gather around the Card Mistress and then flow between her cupped 
hands, slowly taking shape.
	"Akumu no ou no hitokake yo
	Sora no imashime tokihanatareshi kooreru kuroki utsuro no yaiba 
yo
	Waga chikara waga mi to narite tomo ni horobi no michi o ayuman
	Kamigami no tamashii sura mo uchikudak"
	Sakura's voice grew in strength as she chanted, the words 
beginning to almost vibrate with the power forming between her hands. 
There was a short startled scream as Pandora obviously took note of 
what was happening but something told me that it was already too late. 
The darkness between the redhead's hands had taken shape already. I 
wasn't sure if you could declare the blade of pitch blackness solid 
though. It was livid, wavering, always changing shape, never really 
stopping in its chaotic motion. I stared in stunned disbelief at the 
phenomena, something familiar stirring inside of me at the sight. And 
there was that feeling again that Sakura was risking more with that 
spell than was obvious at first glance.
	And then I saw it. I saw the subtle shaking, the tensed muscled, 
squared shoulders, I felt more than saw the pain of concentration in 
her face that the spell demanded from her. It was a wild thought, yet 
I knew even more so that it was true. While the spell probably wasn't 
lethal. Sakura, reincarnation or not, was not used to it. Her body was 
mot used to the demands the arcane magic obviously put on her body and 
spirit.
	I jerked back in slight shock when Sakura's head snapped around 
to look at me and right now her eyes were more a taint of red than the 
prior gold. "Amelia, where is the connection that roots her to the 
physical plane?" she shouted desperately. Her teeth were clenched and 
the eyes were turning more into slits right now. One even totally 
inexperienced with magic would see the colossal effort it caused the 
young girl to maintain the spell.
	I didn't really pay the name much attention, on a level already 
understanding that Sakura probably couldn't distinguish between past 
and present right now. The desperation in her voice quickly snapped me 
out of my shocked state and I looked over at the tangled mass of 
semi-solid darkness and the rebelling card sprites. I had not dared to 
look directly again ever since the first time but now I knew what I 
had to do. I let instincts complete control and SAW. Spotting what 
seemed to my eyes like a big ball of the infernal presence that was 
Pandora I was pretty sure that this was exactly what Sakura wanted.
	"There!" I pointed at the spot and mentally willed it for Sakura 
to be visible. I was surprised myself when the spot flashed with a 
faint blue light around the edges and for a moment thought it was just 
by my imagination, but judged by Pandora's startled exclamation, it 
must have really been there.
	Glancing back to my girlfriend, I saw all the remaining cards 
dancing in a circle around Sakura, supplying tiny beams of magic that 
were absorbed immediately by the morphing blade of blackness, now held 
high over the Card Mistress' head, her gaze fixed on the one spot I 
had pointed out. Then, with a force creating a sonic boom, she brought 
it down on the knot of darkness that anchored Pandora to this plane.
	"RAGNA BLADE!"
	Absolute silence fell over the area when the blade came crushing 
down. For a frightening long moment disbelief and shock pushed to the 
forefront when the magical sword seemed to stop just inches from 
cracking the so tiny seeming knot apart.
	"You... won't beat me... so easily..." Pandora could be heard, 
gasping out in obvious strain.
	Then Love and Silence pushed upwards with a wave of joined 
power, drawing a scream from Pandora. At the same time Sakura pushed 
forward with all her might, a murdering scream of her own spilling 
from her lips. There was another moment in which nothing seemed to 
happen, then slowly the black blade pushed through the knot and 
everything exploded into bright white, accompanied by a shrill shriek 
that could have sent a dragon running.

******************************

Blinking my eyes my senses gradually returned one by one. I had no 
idea how much time had went by or if even any time at all had passed. 
My mind began to catch up with my senses and I began to remember what 
happened. There was a giant explosion when Sakura severed Pandora's 
connection to the physical plane and after that I remembered nothing. 
At first I wasn't sure if the release of powerful magic hadn't damaged 
my sight somehow because all around me was nothing but white. It was a 
stark contrast to the vast blackness from before. For a brief moment I 
wondered if we might have all just died and this was heaven or 
something.
	But, I felt too alive to be dead. And then I became aware of the 
soft glows to my left and turned to see the sprite forms of Love and 
Silence. I gave a sigh of relief, walking over to them, all the while 
looking around in the infinite light for some sign of Sakura. "Where 
are we?" I asked curiously.
	"In a small zone where our mutual energy flows met. We are in 
the only existing focal point of the seal," Love explained.
	"I had been drawn and corrupted here by the Feared One," Silence 
stated in an emotional voice. But as emotionless as it seemed, her 
companion was obviously able to detect something more in it, squeezing 
her hand gently in comfort. I guess she had been feeling rather guilty 
about the whole thing. For the first I got a really good look at 
Silence's appearance, untainted by the influence of Pandora. Her skin 
was probably an even lighter tone of albino white, framed by short 
dark hair and somewhat cold and distant purple eyes.
	That just left one question and I couldn't get that awful 
feeling in my chest to disappear that I wouldn't like the answer. 
"Where is...?" I started, but before I could finish my gaze traveled 
down to the figure on the ground. At first I didn't recognize the 
disheveled shape with the messy reddish hair and slightly torn 
clothing. But then I got a good look at her now pale, unmoving face 
and an anguished outcry left my lips. "Sakura!"
	With one step I crossed the distance and was already on my knees 
before the last syllable even left my mouth. Gently, afraid to break 
her delicate form upon contact, I reached out to touch her face, 
searching for some sign of life, any reaction at all. My emotions were 
in turmoil and I couldn't think straight at all as all sort of 
nonsense bubbled from my lips. I tried to feel for a pulse but in my 
frantic state wasn't able to find it, only heightening the panic 
welling up inside of me.
	"Pandora fought back against Mistress' spell. She had to put all 
of her magic and that of the cards into it to succeed," Love said 
quietly.
	"Lina-dono was not ready for that amount of magic in such a 
young and inexperienced body. It not only drained her magic but her 
life force as well," Silence added, sadness this time audibly without 
much restraint.
	However, I didn't want to hear it. "No," I rasped out, tears 
brimming in my eyes. I didn't want to hear the sadness or their 
explanations, I didn't want to hear it because... "She can't be dead. 
I don't believe she's dead!" I screamed at them making both card 
sprites recoil slightly at the bitterness and anguish in my voice. The 
cold and numbness I experienced in Pandora's void was nothing compared 
to what my heart felt like right now. "She promised me! She promised 
me everything would be alright..." I said, my voice turning into a 
whisper, silent tears spilled from my eyes as the truth slowly worked 
its way through my denial. "She promised..."
	"To-Tomoyo..." My head jerked up and I stared at the girl in my 
arms, tears clouding my vision. Had I just heard...? I didn't dare to 
believe, I didn't dare to hope that... Sakura's eyes fluttered open 
weakly, barely on the brink of consciousness.
	I felt my heart make a giant leap that could have crossed the 
whole planet with that one jump. Putting her hand against my cheek I 
smiled happily. "I am here Sakura-chan."
	"D-Did I... beat her...?" Sakura choked out. I had to strain to 
even hear the voice but that was okay. She was tired. That was 
understandable. Just a bit of sleep and everything would be fine. We 
could go home and that would be the end of the whole ordeal. Just as 
Sakura said. Everything was alright.
	"Of course," I managed to reply, a sob disrupting what I had 
planned to be proud and reassuring. Why was I still crying. Sakura was 
alright, wasn't she? There was no need for the tears anymore. They 
would only bother Sakura and I didn't need her to worry now. She was 
supposed to be resting.
	"Good..." Sakura breathed with relief, her eyes slowly yielding 
to fatigue. I felt her fingers caress my cheek and sighed contently at 
the familiar feeling. "I am sorry..." The words, followed by the 
violent cough ripped me right out of my self-induced denial. All at 
once I became aware of how cold Sakura's body was, I became aware of 
the beat of her heart having slowed to an alarming rate. I became 
aware that the faint connection between us began to weaken to a point 
where it would be severed at any moment. I became aware that Sakura 
really WAS dying.
	"Sa-Sakura..." I whispered fearfully, not wanting to hear the 
truth, not wanting to accept the fact that my best friend, my 
girlfriend, my lover, my mate was so brutally taken away from me, 
beyond my control, beyond anything I could do. However, I was unable 
to resist the truth anymore and that truth was like a sharp icicle 
bored right into my heart, draining all my life force. It was only a 
question whether I'd go from the pain or from the coldness.
	"Dawn is approaching," Love said quietly, tears of her own 
glistering in her spiritual eyes. "When the flow is not returned, 
everything that has been done, every sacrifice would be pointless."
	Pointless. The word echoed in my mind, crushing my already 
mortally wounded heart even further. Not only would I lose Sakura but 
it would all be in vain. Pandora would break free, Sakura's efforts 
without any effect, her death meaningless... Something inside that 
dead place that was my heart stirred, a tiny spark, not nearly enough 
to break through the ice covering it, but it was growing, growing 
slowly.
	"N-No..." I glanced back at Sakura at her words, so faint now 
they were almost like the wind whispering. She brought her other hand 
that was still clutching the star wand up slowly. "Tomoyo... you have 
to... finish it..." My eyes widened in shock, my hands moving more on 
autopilot than actually wanting to as I took the staff from Sakura's 
limb fingers. "The... the cards love you... You have the magic... You 
can do it... I... I trust you..." Her breathing was getting shallow 
and the next breath was taking so long I was afraid it was already her 
last, but from somewhere she mustered the strength and a detached part 
of me analyzed with some sort of morbid amusement that this was just 
like Sakura, stubborn until the end.
	"I love you... I am sorry that I have failed you... so badly... 
But I could not... let you die... again..."
	Was that the consequence? Was that the consequences of using 
Time? If so, then that wasn't fair. If Sakura died here, all that 
would have really changed would be the four years we spent together. 
She wouldn't have saved anyone because the seal would break anyway, 
the same horror repeating again that she had tried to correct. Maybe 
that hadn't been her initial wish but her initial wish was to make me 
happy and how would having her sacrificed devoid any sense and as a 
result the entire Earth lost - including me -  make me happy?!
	It wasn't fair.
	It was not fair!
	I didn't really understand why I was more angry than sad. I 
should be crying, screaming, anything, but all that I could do was 
holding the soft gaze of my dying beloved. Gold eyes meeting blue, not 
letting go until the last moment. The spark had become a small flame 
and was growing in size. An unnatural calmness began to fill me and as 
I sat staring into those eyes that despite the change were still so 
much Sakura I slowly began to understand. I began to understand why I 
had insisted on joining Sakura in the first place, despite the danger, 
despite my usual good-natured common sense. It wasn't because of Love 
and feeding her our feelings, it wasn't because I could suddenly see 
spirits and help to point out Pandora's weakness, it wasn't even 
really to lend the support Sakura needed so much.
	No, I had made my request because of this moment, because of 
this very moment. Not because I knew Sakura would die but because I 
knew Sakura would die if I wasn't here. Filia's revelations had 
frightened me, I hadn't allowed myself to think about them, I had not 
wanted to face some of the implications albeit sensing that they might 
not be all that bad. And I was pretty sure Sakura had had similar 
troubles. However, my mate had not hesitated when there was no other 
choice. She had not hesitated to risk losing her very self in the 
process if it ensured the safety of those she loved.
	And now it was my turn. If there was anything powerful in me, if 
Filia's tale about the strength of my past life was even remotely 
true, then... then... Then there had to be SOMETHING I could do to 
help Sakura. The other girl had saved my life so often. If I had this 
power, couldn't I just once, just this ONE time save her life? Was it 
too much to be asking that one favor? Had she not done enough already 
to earn some damn gratitude?
	I refused to believe that this was the ultimate consequence of 
her actions. I refused to acknowledge that Sakura would be taken from 
me after only four years spent together like this. I refused to 
believe that everything that she had done, everything she had 
sacrificed would in the end be MEANINGLESS.
	I simply did not accept it...
	I wanted to help her...
	I would help her...
	I was able to help her...
	Because...
	My vision blurred without warning and I felt myself being drawn 
into the golden eyes of my lover...

******************************

()
The sky was a clear blue, a few soft white clouds strolled across the 
wonderful spring morning scenery, not doing much to obscure the warm - 
not hot - sun from illuminating the ground below. The various plants 
and flowers in the vast green field below seemed to actually stretch 
to take in as much of the sun's rays as possible.
	Upon closer inspection one could see that the large field was 
not so much open space but a majestic garden, surrounding half of a 
grand palace. A figure sat in the middle of that vast garden, clad in 
white robes she appeared to be almost childlike and one not knowing 
could have mistaken her for one. But the blue eyes spoke of not only 
maturity but also a deep concentration. Short black hair fell slightly 
into her face as she kneeled by a single, lonely sprout of a tree. She 
had her hands placed over the pretty unhealthy looking sprout.
	A second figure approached behind the girl and silently stood, 
watching as the first began to speak words of power. Not of force but 
of healing. Gentle, softly, the single syllables flowing like a 
beautiful ballad. The first girl's hand glowed a bright white but it 
immediately dimmed again after only a short time and the single green 
leaf that had spread from the efforts seemed to wither away. The girl 
let out a sigh and her shoulders dropped miserably.
	The other girl smiled fondly, shaking her head in a mix of 
amusement and disappointed. Placing a hand on the dark-haired girl's 
shoulder she made her look up. "You still force it too much, 
Amelia-chan. Didn't they teach you patience at all?"
	The last question was spoken with the hint of a teasing smile 
making the girl called Amelia pout. "Patience was never much of my 
greatest strengths. You know I trained in White Magic because it was 
expected of me as the Princess of Saillune. I don't think it ever was 
really my specialty." She reached up to touch the other girl's cheek, 
letting her hand linger in the soft purple hair falling slightly past 
the other girl's shoulder. "You've always been much better with this, 
Sylphiel-chan."
	Sylphiel smiled sympathetically. "I know. But you want to be 
able to help if the situation should ever come up. You said so 
yourself. There might be a time when I am not available and you have 
an amazing talent, Amelia. You just have to learn how to use it 
properly."
	Amelia nodded quietly, a look of determination entering her 
eyes, replacing the pout. "Thanks, with you guys supporting me like 
this I feel like I can do everything." With that she turned back to 
the withered tree sprout, once again concentrating solely on it, 
beginning to chant anew.
	Sylphiel watched quietly, pride clearly visible in her eyes but 
also adoration for the other girl... no, almost young woman already 
that she held so dear. Her eyes closed for a moment and a happy sigh 
escaped her lips when a pair of arms encircled her waist from behind, 
drawing her against a third girl, slightly shorter than herself with 
distinctive orange-red hair and scarlet red eyes.
	"How is she doing?" the redhead asked, nuzzling Sylphiel for a 
moment before moving her attention to Amelia who was lost in her 
spell, the white glow from her palms growing in intensity.
	The purple-haired woman chuckled. "Amazingly well, considering 
we've only been training seriously for a few weeks. She doesn't 
realize it but she's learning this high level magic faster than I 
did." As if wanting to prove her words Amelia finished the spell and 
the magical light spread out from her hands in a steady flow, encasing 
the sickly looking sprout. Green leaves began to spread, the bark's 
color was returning to a more normal shade. All in all the sprout 
looked like it would grow into a very healthy tree one day.
	Amelia released her held breath in a soft sigh and sank back to 
sit in the green grass. The redhead moved from Sylphiel, kneeling 
behind Amelia and pulled the pleasantly surprised girl into her lap. 
The taller woman sat next to them, resting her head on the redhead's 
shoulder and stroking softly through Amelia's dark hair. "That was 
very well done, Amelia. Just a bit more training and you can do it as 
good as I can."
	Amelia shook her head in an adoringly cute display of 
stubbornness. "No way, I'll never be as good as you in White Magic or 
Lina in Black Magic."
	The redhead, Lina, smiled lovingly. "Maybe, but you have more 
talent in all three magic categories than most normal humans, probably 
including us. I couldn't cast a healing spell like that in a hundred 
years and Sylphiel probably couldn't use attack magic to save her 
life." With a chuckle she added. "Except a Dragon Slave that is."
	Sylphiel sent the redhead a mock glare at that but quickly 
joined in with her own soft laughter.

******************************

(Tomoyo/Amelia)
And just like in the memory the words flowed from my lips.
	"Seinaru iyashi no mite yo, hahanaru daichi no ibuki yo
	Negawakuba waga mae ni yokoyawarishi kono mono o
	Sono ooinaru jihi ni te sukui tamae"
	Recalling all those lessons, the hours spend with a gentle and 
patient, much more experienced shrine maiden learning the ultimate 
form of healing. Not forceful like a Black Magic spell, not wild and 
somewhat chaotic like an elemental spell. No, slowly, with steady 
precision touching each damaged area, healing what was injured, curing 
what was sick. A process not hastened but patient with the faith set 
in mind that even if it seemed much too slow, the pace would be just 
right. Healing was like that. It needed precision, it needed to be 
flawless, or otherwise a tiny mistake in an unimportant area could 
cause all the effort to be in vain.
	White magical energy flowed into my hands from all around us, 
the seal's power obviously an even stronger supply of life force than 
I had initially thought. There was so much, I actually had to damper 
the flow a little in order to not be overwhelmed. All my concentration 
was on the redhead, the one I HAD TO save. My mate, in this life as 
much as in my previous. My mind was detached and I wasn't quite sure 
who I was anymore since all my focus was on the other girl.
	I could feel the magic reach its peak. I had already patched up 
everything physical, now it was time for the last touch, the crucial 
point, to return the life to Sakura/Lina... to breathe new life into 
her almost dead body.
	"RESURRECTION!"

******************************

()
Far away, back in Tokyo, close to Tomoeda actually, a young girl not 
older than Sakura and Tomoyo stopped in her mundane task of sweeping 
the yard of her family's shrine. Long purplish hair was blown back in 
a soft breeze when the young miko looked up into the sky with a look 
of puzzlement in her green eyes. For a moment there she had felt 
something oddly familiar.
	After a moment, the girl shrugged and returned her work in 
patient acceptance.

******************************

(Sakura)
An angel.
	That was the first thing I thought when I opened my eyes. After 
all I was pretty sure I just died and the face hovering above me was 
truly angelic. The delicate, pale features so much like Tomoyo, those 
eyes so deep and full of compassion, blue as a deep ocean or vast sky. 
The hair was a little darker, somewhere between black and deep purple. 
The happy smile and the glow in the angel's face were heartwarming, 
filling me entirely with love, completing me with just that single 
action. Only one person ever managed that - not including past lives 
right now.
	"Sakura-chan," the angel whispered and my heart skipped a beat 
at the melodic, oh so familiar voice I thought never to hear again.
	I blinked in confusion, wondering what was going on. 
"Tomo-chan?"
	Before I could actually react I was pulled upwards into a 
crushing hug that threatened to split bones upon contact. The embrace 
was without doubt Tomoyo's. Nowhere else I could feel so at home, 
nowhere else I wanted to belong. Once in Tomoyo's arms I never wanted 
to leave again. Yet, this embrace was fierce, screaming with a mixture 
of burning emotions. Relief, happiness, longing. I could hear the 
other girls' heart beating in synchrony with my own. Soft, steady 
beats. They were the most heavenly music I had heard in my life 
because they told me one thing. Tomoyo wasn't dead... and neither was 
I.
	"Tomo-chan, what...?" I started but never managed to finish, 
finding much more pleasant things to occupy my mouth with. The other 
girl had brought her lips to mine in a kiss that was full of 
desperation, conveying all the fear and sadness of not to long ago but 
also all the happiness and relief coursing through her. It mingled 
with my own mirrored feelings and was returned with an equally strong 
favor. Our spirits seemed to join for that single timeless moment and 
I began to understand partly what had happened.
	When the kiss ended, I pulled back and stared into Tomoyo's 
eyes. Seeing not only the unconditional love of the one person I would 
give... had given anything for, but also something else, someone else. 
Dormant, not really awakened as the soul inside of me when Time 
released my past life's memories. "You saved me," I said softly, 
tracing the other girl's face with one finger, mesmerizing the few 
subtle changes. She was still mostly Tomoyo but there was a bit of 
Amelia there too. Before I had made that step, I would have been a 
little scared of the change that could mean for us. However, now with 
the full recollection of my past life, I realized how foolish that 
fear was. For us, there never had been any danger of losing something 
important. On the contrary there was actually more to gain.
	"I had to," Tomoyo said simply but her eyes were still moist 
with unshed tears of happiness. I reached up to gently brush them away 
with one of my sleeves and smiled with unrestrained pride.
	We could have stood there for ages, neither caring about the 
world around us. Unfortunately where was still one thing to attend to, 
as Love chose to remind us - of the matter and her presence that is. 
"Dawn is almost upon us."
	I didn't cast my eyes away from Tomoyo. An understanding passed 
between us that went far beyond simple words. It was an understanding 
born from the ordeal we had just experienced and survived. With a 
simple mental command the forgotten star wand floated into my 
outstretched hand. I stepped back slightly and held it out between us, 
waiting. Tomoyo nodded and wordlessly clasped her own hands around the 
staff. There wasn't even a hint of hesitation. Both of us knew exactly 
what to do.
	I closed my eyes, seeing more with my heart than I needed with 
my eyes, letting the power flow. I had understood that power at my 
disposal when facing Pandora with my full memories. The still 
untouched source I had never really given much thought. Up to now the 
wand had merely been a focus for using the cards, empowering them with 
my own magic. Never had I truly used the Star Magic on its own. Yet, 
stars were the essence of life. They gave birth to life, nurtured 
life, sustained life. They were the first children of creation and in 
them slumbered an almost unlimited power.
	And the seal, Love and Silence were nothing more and nothing 
less than energy released by those who wielded the power of the stars, 
protecting life with their strength.
	"Key that holds the power of the stars
	Infinite source of light, brilliantly shining in the darkest 
night"
	The chant, spoken from both us was done without preparation, yet 
with the conviction of certain success. The staff between our hands 
flared, warming to the touch, almost too hot to touch but never 
burning in the slightest. I could feel its form expanding. I could 
feel Love and Silence hovering just above us. Magic began to swirl in 
a beautiful dance all around us.
	"Release the slumbering power of creation
	Bless these lost souls and return them to their true path"
	The dance began to quicken, turning into a maelstrom of power, a 
storm of creation that where it touched every life lost was restored, 
where it touched new life was born. In a small area around the coast 
lines of Japan entirely new life was born in what would later surely 
be titled as miracles. I wasn't really aware of this. My mind was 
focused on the task at hand.
	Slowly I reached out, feeling Tomoyo join me in the effort. In a 
way it was much like a healing spell and I realized with quiet 
fascination that while my past life had not been able to do much in 
this area, Kinomoto Sakura was definitely a different story. The flux 
of magic finally reached its peak and with a final shout of power, it 
was released to its designed task.
	"RESTORATION!"
	The eruption of magic was not powerful. Instead it was more or 
less anti-climatic aside from the sheer potent energy concentrated 
into the spell. I opened my eyes, watching with rapt attention as a 
beam of purest magical energy shot upwards engulfing Love and Silence. 
For a moment nothing seemed to happen, then there were tiny ripples 
from the spots where the card sprites had been swallowed. Golden and 
purple light created tiny shockwaves and in the middle of them were 
the cards, glowing brightly in the display of power.
	I could feel it now, the flow of their nature changing. The 
difference that separated them from how the rest of the cards were 
designed became pretty much undetectable. And in a last, spectacular 
display at the magic at work, a steady stream of their respective 
elements shot to either side, vanishing in the formless white.
	*Thank you,* their voices could briefly be heard, then another 
bright flare made us avert our eyes and when we looked again, the two 
cards floated down, changed into the star design of my own.

******************************

<Several hours later>
The sun was just barely above surface level when our yacht was making 
its way back to the Japanese coast. The isle in the distance was only 
a mere rock formation, not worthy of the terminology land anymore. The 
violent storm of darkness that Pandora had created with Silence's 
unwilling help had pretty much ripped it apart and only the mountain 
remained partly and a few pieces of land from the surrounding isles, 
floating above the waves unattached.
	A gentle breeze caught my unbound, longer hair. Something I 
would definitely need to get used to. Sure, I could cut it or 
something but I didn't really like it. The physical change was a 
reminder, a symbol of the change inside me. Trying to describe it in 
words was hard. While I was still Sakura on most levels, I had all of 
Lina Inverse's memories, including those of her personality. That 
didn't necessarily mean a part of me HAD TO be her... but it COULD be. 
As I said, it was rather strange and my mind was just beginning to 
catch up with all that had happened in the last few hours. It was too 
much to comprehend all at once.
	I glanced down at the two cards in my hands which I wasn't 
really sure what to make of. The seal was restored, the flow returned 
to its original strength... and the spirits that had been mirror 
images of the ancient warriors had vanished back into their own 
element. But our joined magic seemed to have done more than just 
release the bound energy, it seemed to have... created something new. 
The same element, yet with new, unbound energy. The meaning of this 
still left me rather speechless. I had pretty much made my own cards. 
Not changed already existing Clow Cards into Sakura Cards, but CREATED 
the latter.
	With a slight shake of my head I willed the two cards away, 
leaning back into the body embracing me from behind. "What are you 
thinking about?" Tomoyo asked softly, her voice showing her own 
tiredness. She was a much different story. Where had not been much of 
a change at all. Physically some facial features had changed and her 
hair was a little darker, fading into black in some areas. She didn't 
have a full recollection of her past life like me. Just glimpses.
	I sighed, glancing out at the rather still water considering the 
rough vortex that had raged not too long ago. I really didn't want to 
go into this right now, having experienced too much and having been 
entirely too close to death just a short while ago. It was too early 
after the events that should leave me feel joyous and happy at our 
success. Yet, I couldn't be happy. "Don't laugh at me. But I think it 
was too easy." Silence, Tomoyo tightened her grip slight, but didn't 
say anything. "I feel this was just the beginning. All we did was sent 
her back to her prison. While the seal is restored, Pandora has 
already pushed very far to the surface. There is no guarantee that she 
won't find some other way. And that sooner than we might like." 
Especially since I was pretty sure she realized who were and there was 
no telling what she might come up with.
	For a time the only sounds were that of the ocean, the tiny 
waves against the ship, and the vibrating buzz of the yacht's engine. 
"Yes. Somehow I knew you would say that." Tomoyo slipped next to me, 
an arm went instinctively around her waist. "A lot of things changed 
in the last hours. Permanent changes. That is only natural though. 
Everything changes, that is life."
	"Does that trouble you." There were so many things implied in 
the question. Mainly about our past and our relationship back then. 
There was Sylphiel who I was pretty sure had been reborn as well. The 
bond between the three of us had been strong, I knew that. But Tomoyo 
hadn't really regained all of her memories as Amelia. Most of them 
were flashes, glimpses of the life we led back then. A part of me was 
relieved, a part of me a little saddened by that. I had no idea how 
she'd take the impact our past lives would eventually have on those we 
lived now.
	And then there was Filia who was a totally different case I 
didn't want to go into right now or anytime soon. I was glad that the 
dragon priestess had offered to give Syaoran a ride back home since 
his own ship was lost in the storm. I was glad because just the short 
time we spent together after returning from the seal stirred memories 
and feelings inside of me that affected me emotionally to a degree 
where I am sure Tomoyo had noticed. I really was not ready to think 
about Filia right now, no definitely not.
	Tomoyo had looked at me for awhile with a hard to read 
expression but now she leaned forward to put her head on my shoulder. 
Instinctively I pulled her closer, enjoying the feeling of her body 
against mine. Not in a physical sense, more in a way of completeness. 
"Not really. Not anymore. I know now, that whatever happens, we will 
be together."
	I felt compelled to say something in return but instead I turned 
to draw her firmer against me, both arms coming around her body. 
"Always," I said with absolute conviction, glad and proud at the same 
time of the level of understanding and comprehension Tomoyo showed.
	It was much like Tomoyo said though. Change was a constant 
companion in life. Life was chaotic. People who couldn't deal with 
change, with unpredictable situations would stagnate and miss most of 
the beauty that was life. We both had to accept this in the last 
hours. We would deal with what would come, one way or another.
	A yawn made me look down at Tomoyo, comfortably snuggled in my 
arms, her head resting just a bit under my chin, letting me inhale the 
soft fragrance that amazingly had been rather untouched by the events. 
I couldn't help a soft chuckle. "I think we should get some sleep. We 
definitely earned it." Truth be told I felt ready to pop right here 
and there, not waking up for the next year or so. Whatever had us 
going for so long, had finally subsided and exhaustion began to catch 
up.
	Tomoyo nodded, very reluctantly stepping away from me, just to 
reach for my hand. I grinned and let myself be dragged below deck to 
our cabin. Thinking could come tomorrow or next week or whenever I 
felt like it. Right now I felt much too spent to even begin to assess 
the changes in our lives experienced over the last twelve hours or so. 
What counted was that I was still here, everyone was still here, 
Tomoyo was still here. We were all alive and everything had indeed 
turned out to be alright.

******************************

(Filia)
I watched the boat slowly disappear from human sight and eventually 
from that of a dragon as well. Time was rather insignificant right 
now. It would be awhile until I had to go drop the boy off in China 
and after that... well, I wasn't sure. The shrine was gone too which 
left me a little sad with the though of my solitary home for a very 
long time not being there anymore.
	That's the price for success, I suppose. The seal was restored, 
just as I had been told. And Earth, along with the rest of the 
universe, had earned itself a little breathing space.
	"It won't be long now, will it?"
	I didn't turn at the sudden appearance of a very familiar, in 
the old times often pretty annoying voice. Truth be told, I had 
expected him to show up a little earlier. "A couple of years, I would 
believe. It'll take her awhile to seek another opportunity."
	The man stepped up next to me, his trademark smile in place, 
even though I could tell that for once he wasn't really amused and his 
voice showed his seriousness. "The other parties are coming along 
nicely. Everything will be in place when the time comes."
	Sighing I turned away from the spot where I had watched the 
group leave in their ship, with them Lina who was now awakened. That 
didn't change a thing though and I knew it. Made it not much easier to 
accept though. "I hate playing the conductor for a war that could be 
avoided. We could spare them all this just by ensuring she doesn't get 
to them. What would be so bad about it?"
	I regretted the question right away because I knew what was 
coming judged by the gleam in the purple-haired priest's eye. "Ah, 
dear Filia, that is a secret." The grin quickly turned into a stoic 
expression though. "One that I neither know the answer to or am 
especially fond of finding it out. You know as much as I that this is 
our path. We have our instructions and I for one will follow them to 
the letter."
	"I hate it when you are right, Xelloss," I grumbled.
	Xelloss chuckled lightly and then, without much fanfare, 
vanished, leaving me once again alone with my thoughts.
	A couple of years, indeed. Then, THEN the REAL battle would 
begin. And it would be an epical one.
	"Use that time well," I said quietly to the wind, then turned 
and walked back towards the small camp on the rocky surface of the 
torn mountain top.

THE END (for now)

Author’s Notes

That muse makes me nuts. I had no intention of making that chapter 
almost as huge as all three installments before put together. I really 
didn’t want to…
Okay, okay, I’ll stop whining.
This really turned out rather different from what I had initially 
planned but in the end I am more or less satisfied with it. I had to 
rewrite the last scenes at least once but now I think the story is 
presentable. An apology here for the long-winded explanation in some 
parts while some things pretty much faded into the background. I 
realize that I haven’t brought much attention to any of the other 
characters except Sakura and Tomoyo and to a degree Filia. This story 
was done from their perspective and there really was not much space to 
include others further, nor was it intended in the first place.
I realize this part has experienced an even greater touch of the 
crossover it is eventually leading to than I had planned for. That 
couldn’t be done any other way though, I realized halfway through 
writing. This stretched the length of this part enormously but I also 
managed to cover much more and still not neglect thoughts and emotions 
in the process of action and past life revelations.
There are still a few things that are left unclear which is good, 
since I didn’t really want to reveal too much yet. You must keep in 
mind that this was just a collection of prequel stories. A work an 
author might do AFTER writing a greater series, to explain some of the 
background. So, I more or less did it the other way round, at least 
for the CCS part. :)

Mixing the three main elements in this part had been a lot of fun and 
I think I managed to do a lot of setup for the actual main story. For 
those who interest those things. I decided to use the actual Romanji 
incantation of the spells I took from Slayers. There have just been 
too many conflicting translations that I didn’t want to get into the 
predicament again to choose one of them. Those of you interested 
should easily be able to find English translations on Slayers Universe 
(www.inverse.org) or QP’s page 
(http://homepage3.nifty.com/QPHOUSE/slayers_e.html) from where I have 
the Romanji incantations.
For the names I decided to go with those I am most familiar with. Just 
like the spells there are so many different spellings, so I went with 
those that I know from my own DVDs.

This marks the end of what I now officially titled the “Forbidden 
Cards” series. Next will be the BSSM intro that will be part of the 
main story already. Look for Soul Lights – Foreshadowed Dusk on the SA 
board for a scene-to-scene post style or join our group. Maia really, 
REALLY got a hang of this and I am not sure when she gets down from 
it, so… This will probably be my main focus for now.

That’s it so far. I thank all of you for your kind comments along the 
way. When I started this series at the beginning of December 2003 it 
hadn’t been planned to take up so much time… Heck, it was a single, 
shorter story to begin with, but I enjoyed my first experiences in 
writing CCS.
I hope I’ll see you soon and that you continue to provide me with 
feedback.

Ja ne, yours

Matthias

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