Sakura rolled over in her bed as the alarm rang.  She slapped her hand down 
on the clock, but the thing kept banging back and forth.  She furrowed her head, 
and hit the clock again, but the thing kept pounding.

     Finally, she opened her eyes, and leaned up.  The ringing stopped.  She 
turned her head around to see a very cheerful Hitomi backing up, a pair of pans 
in her hands as she bowed out, closing the door a split second before a barrage 
of pillows thumped into it.  From the other side of the door, Hitomi's voice 
came.  "Now that your ankle has healed up, Track meet at 6:30 this morning."  
There was the sound of footfalls edging away from the door, and down towards the 
staircase, where they ultimately faded.

     Sakura spent a few minutes calming down, and to make sure that Hitomi had 
really gone away.  A glance at the clock told her it was only five in the 
morning, Hitomi had let her sleep in.  She then leaned over and pulled open the 
drawer that Kero was sleeping in.

     He was huddled in the back corner, head buried under a dozen socks.  She 
gently poked him until he came out.  "She's gone."

     "How does she do it?"

     "I don't know.  No matter what I do, she is one step ahead of me.  And she 
never wakes mom or dad."  She set her clock to wake her in half an hour, then 
flopped back into bed, the distant lights of the city giving her enough light to 
see by.  "Come on, let's get back to sleep."  In the darkness, she could hear 
Kero burrow back into the sock drawer, and in her own mind, she idly toyed with 
the idea of throwing a Hadouken at Hitomi the next time she woke her up.  It was 
a comforting thought, one that sent her back to sleep with a smile.

==========
BLOSSOMS IN THE SPRING
A crossover Improfanfic
started by The Eternal Lost Lurker
Street Fighter and all related trademarks belong to Capcom.
Cardcaptor Sakura and all related trademarks belong to CLAMP, Kodansha.
Used without permission.

Chapter 29
  Sakura RETURNs to the End!

By Jon Berry
www.improfanfic.com
==========

     Lunch at school.  Now was the time that the student body crammed for the 
next exams, worked on projects, practiced with their teams, developed private 
relationships, or gossiped about all of the above.

     Except for Sakura, Li and Tomoyo.  They had other thoughts in mind.  "Did 
you ever find out who those two were?"  Li scooped up some noodles.

     Tomoyo nodded.  "Sort of.  Before we left the room, I thought I recognized 
them from the time that Bison man crashed into the gym.  I think they are the 
people who arrested him."

     Sakura twisted around in her chair to look at Tomoyo, who in turn was 
sitting on the desk Li was using for lunch.  "But they said they wanted to 
arrest me!  Us, really.  But still!  What did we do?"

     Li barked out a quick laugh.  "Great, the first person in Western 
Civilization to get arrested for being a magic user, and actually being one, 
gets to be Sakura Kino...  Sorry.  Kasugano!"  He bent over the desk, poorly 
hiding what he thought of the situation.

     "And I'll be sure to drag you along for the ride when that happens, Li."  
Sakura bit into a rice ball.  "But that can't be the reason, can it?"

     Tomoyo shook her head sadly.  "But they had Maze and Create now, not 
before."

     "And you're thinking that when they got them, they went after Sakura about 
it?"  Li recovered from his laughter just in time to see Tomoyo steal part of 
his bento.  He glared.

     "That may be it, and that whole arresting thing may have simply been their 
way of controlling the situation."  Sakura drank the last of her milk in one 
long gulp.  "But that would have been rather rude of them."

     "So, where did they get the cards?"

     "You want to chase them down and ask them that, even after what happened?  
That would be a great way for them to over react to I'm doing.  Bad enough Ken 
doesn't even think I'm keeping this a secret."

     Li smiled.  "Not only will you be the first one arrested, you also can't 
even keep them hidden from the world at large.  Why don't you just hand the 
cards and key over to me, and you can go back to your day-dreaming about this 
Ryu person."

     Tomoyo bopped him lightly on the head.  "No, silly!  Sakura has to seal all 
the cards.  Then she'll pass Judgement, and..."  She scratched her cheek.  "You 
know, I haven't thought about what's going to happen after you pass the 
Judgement, Sakura."

     It was Sakura's turn to smile.  "Oh, don't worry, I know precisely what Li 
is going to do.  He's going to go back to his family, and tell them that he 
failed.  Not once, but twice, in trying to be the Card Captor."

     Li glowered.  "Not going to happen.  You failed before."

     Silence.  "Not this time.  I won't."

     Tomoyo looked back and forth.  Why did they have to fight like this?  
Sakura was going to pass the Judgment, she was older, better this time.  It's 
not like Yue would kill her again.  The first time was a mistake.  "Say, you two 
seem to have a lot of energy.  Why don't you go to the gym after school?  You 
can work off some steam."  She smiled brightly, going for the cutest effect she 
could muster.  "And I have a new lens I want to try out."

     "Another sparring match?  I beat you last time."  Li flexed his knuckles.

     "You're on."  Sakura responded.  Time to settle the score.

     *     *     *

     Chun-Li looked up from the monitor.  She cracked her neck, flexing it back 
and forth.  "Damn.  I wish we had a better idea of where they are."

     Across from her, Guile also took a momentary break.  "We can confirm that 
the person known as the Killer Bee has traveled to Tokyo.  Perhaps to meet up 
with Bison?"

     Chun-Li tapped the keyboard in front of her.  "You do know that I'm not 
convinced that this Killer Bee person actually exists.  To much inconclusive 
data, and anyone who may be able to identify this person either works for 
Shadowloo, or is dead."

     "Either way, there is one lead that we do have."  Guile swung a monitor 
around to face his partner.

     "The American Boxer named Balrog.  Said to have the strongest punches in 
the world.  Reputed to be on one of his enforcers.  What of it?"

     "If Bison is trying to reactivate Shadowloo, after we destroyed his HQ, he 
will need a new location and to recall his subordinates.  Balrog may be needed 
to bring people into line."

     Chun-Li thought for a moment.  "Seems reasonable.  Should we arrest him as 
a preventative measure, interrogate him for the information we weren't able to 
get out of Juni and Juli?"

     Guile shook his head.  "No.  Our best bet is to simply have him traced.  If 
he is called to Bison's side, we can track him, and use that to locate Bison."

     "Yes.  I agree."  Chun-Li picked up a phone, and gave the orders.  "So, how 
are you feeling?  Ready to get back to investigating Miss Kasugano and her 
friends?"

     Guile glowered.  "We are missing nearly a full day of our memories.  How 
can you be so cheerful?"

     "We aren't dead."

     Scowl.  "Goody.  Did you go over the records of what we did that day?"

     Chun-Li pulled up a folder on her computer.  "Here.  Record of a phone 
call.  I went to see Touya Kinomoto.  He gave me a line about Sakura Kasugano 
being his re-incarnated sister, but that's got to be false.  We discussed the 
possibility of them being step-siblings, but decided that that line of reasoning 
would have to put to a DNA test to be certain.  Then we talked about the 
possibility that Bison was spying on Miss Kasugano through her friend, Tomoyo.  
I went to talk to her mother, found out that she had two residences."

     "And what did we do about it?"

     "I would presume we went to investigate, but we don't have a record of 
that."

     "She did something to us, and I want to know what."

     Chun-Li shrugged.  "So do I.  But what is to stop her from doing again?  We 
could be going in circles for some time.  We need to do a little remote 
observation first."

     Guile nodded.  "Fine.  We'll wait.  Now, what else would Bison need to re-
build his HQ?"  It was back to work.

     *     *     *

     Touya looked up at the defiant thing above him.  It mocked his every effort 
to defeat it.  And to make it worse, he had an audience.

     "Fresh towel, Touya-kun?"  This slightly sarcastic remark came from the new 
guest next door.  Hitomi had introduced her as Rose, and that she was staying 
with her and Sora for a while as she had family troubles.

     Now they had pipe troubles.  And it was the local knight in shining armor 
to the rescue.

     Touya pulled himself out from under the sink, wrench in hand.  "I would 
prefer if you called a plumber."

     "But Hitomi said we couldn't afford one, and I really need to start the 
rice for supper."

     Touya knew this was coming, and didn't really regret saying it, as it was 
obvious from the start.  "Fine.  Use my kitchen."

     Sora squealed, and dashed out of the room, coming back a couple moments 
later to gather up the cooking supplies.  She bowed, "Thank you Touya-kun!"  And 
left again.

     Rose waited for Sora to get out the door, and watched her enter the home 
next door through the window.  "Interesting pair, those two."

     Touya crawled back under the sink before answering.  "Who, Hitomi and Sora?  
What's so interesting about them?"

     "They claim to be sisters, but they aren't."

     Touya immediately became angry.  "Look, I don't know what the relation 
between you and Hitomi may be, but I have been living with those two girls next 
door for the past five, six months.  I knew almost instantly that they didn't 
share blood, but that doesn't stop them from claiming they are sisters, and I 
won't stand for people making an issue of it."

     "Sorry.  I didn't know it was such a touchy subject."

     He cooled down (helped by another spray of water from the leaky pipes), and 
apologized in turn.  "I'm sorry as well.  I shouldn't have said that.  But those 
two girls are like sisters to me, and yes, I can be over-protective of them."

     "So I see."

     Another twist of the wrench.  "Can you pass me the epoxy and tape?  I think 
I almost have this beat."

     Rose knelt, looking at the unfamiliar tools for the glue.  The tape was 
easy to spot.  She looked and put her hand on a small tube of, well, it had to 
be gunk.  "Is this it?"

     Touya looked at the offered object.  "That's it.  Thanks."  He went back to 
fixing the leak.  "So, how did you meet Hitomi?"

     Rose was a afraid of this question, and wasn't quite sure how she would 
answer.  "Well, umm, really, we met over a deck of cards.  Then this thing with 
my brother started, and she sorta came to my rescue.  It still hasn't settled 
down yet, and she allowed me to stay here for the time being."

     Touya smiled, "That sounds like Hitomi all right.  Jumping into problems 
and helping out."  Like Sakura, he added silently.  "There.  That should hold 
for a couple days.  Enough time to get a plumber in here to do it right."

     He pulled himself out, and took the towel offered by Rose.  "You staying 
for supper?"

     "Probably.  But lately a new problem with my brother has come up.  It was 
mostly my fault really, but still."

     Touya began to gather up the loose tools that had accumulated over his 
efforts.  It all went into the box on the counter.  Rose pulled out the mop and 
bucket, and began to clean up the water on the floor.  "Care to talk about it?"

     Rose didn't stop wiping the mop back and forth.  "About what?"

     "Your brother.  If you talk about the problems, you might have a better 
understanding of how to beat them."  Touya offered a mental shoulder to lean on.

     "No, thank you.  I don't want you to get involved more than as a neighbor 
of mine."  Rose shook her head, wringing out the mop head.  "He can be 
vindictive."

     "If he's done something illegal, tell the police."

     "They already know about him, they are just waiting for him to do 
something.  And please don't go out playing the martyr."

     Touya smiled.  "Not planning on that.  But I can understand."  He closed 
the tool box.  "You done under the sink?  We should put everything back before 
Hitomi gets back.  Who knows how she'll react to this mess."

     Rose stuck the mop under the sink, giving it one last quick wipe.  "That 
should do it.  Just give it a few minutes to dry first."  She cleaned out the 
mop, then hung it up in the closet to dry.  "You want something to drink while 
we're waiting?  I know she has some tea around here."

     "It's beside the sugar in the cupboard beside the fridge.  She keeps it 
there so that the tea, sugar and cream are all near each other."  Touya called 
out the information from the door where he set down his toolbox.

     "Makes sense."  Rose pulled out the materials, and set out to boil water.

     "Sora seems really taken in with you."

     Touya sat down in a chair he pulled into the kitchen.  "So?  She's eight.  
I'm her first crush.  It's harmless."

     Rose stared at the kettle.  Under normal circumstances, she could have 
short-cutted this part with her magic, but was leery about using it.  Who 
knows what LIGHT and DARK may have done to her, and she had no reason to do 
something like that in front of Touya.

     "Watched pot never boils."

     She glanced at him, as if to say 'I know that'.  "And would you like any 
sugar of cream with that?"

     Touya shook his head.  "None for me, thanks.  I take my tea as is."

     Back to the waiting.  "So, what do you do for a living?"

     Touya was also looking at the kettle.  "University student.  You?"

     "I'm ... between jobs at the moment.  This brother thing is just taking up 
so much of my time."

     "You really need to stop being so fixated on him.  Live life for yourself."  
Steam started to rise from the kettle.

     "It's not that easy.  He's such an integral part of my life."

     "Then walk away."

     "I can't.  He's partly my responsibility, and I have to take care of him."

     Long moments of silence later, the kettle boiled, and Rose poured a couple 
cups of tea.  After adding some cream to hers, she brought both to the table.  
"Please, let's leave my life alone for now.  Now, about you.  Any family?"

     Touya choked.  Bad enough that Sakura was his sister and he had told that 
agent about her, but if he told Rose, she might tell Hitomi, or even Sora.  And 
who knows what trouble that would bring him.

     "My mother died about thirteen years ago, and my father is an archeologist, 
and he spends most of his time travelling now.  I'm an only child."  His heart 
hurt to say that, but he had to keep it up.

     "Ah.  My condolences about your mother."

     "Not a problem.  It's been so long, but I still remember her.  She was 
beautiful."

     "All mothers are."

     "What about yours?  And your father."

     Rose paused.  "They died soon after I was born.  It's been me and my 
brother for all of my life."

     Touya nodded.  "Well, it seems like it's dry enough now, I suppose we 
should put all this away.  Then get back to my place to make sure Sora hasn't 
burned down the kitchen yet."

     Rose stood, taking both empty tea cups.  "Is she that bad of a cook?"

     "No.  Not really.  But she can be clumsy at times."

     "Aren't all girls her age?"

     Touya laughed.  "True.  When I was that age, father sometimes called me a 
walking disaster zone."

     Rose imagined a chibi Touya standing on a stool above a shattered cookie 
jar.  Completely made up, but she began to giggle, then erupted into full out 
laughter.

     It was good to get her mind off the past and present for a time.

     *     *     *

     From the shadows, and the dark, M. Bison cackled evilly.  He then settled 
his thoughts at the moment, his plans were coming together quite nicely.  DARK 
was quite the resource, and he was busy getting his scientists to rebuild the 
Psycho-Drive to be more compatible with this new power.

     "You must be Sagat."

     The Thai Kickboxer glanced around him at the construction underway.  "I 
am."

     "It has come to my attention that you wish to be employed by my 
organization."  Bison stood up, normally a very intimidating move on his part.  
Sagat was nonplused.

     "It was not my favored choice.  But your, organization, as you put it, as 
well as your plans, give me the best chance of getting what I want."

     "Ah yes, you want a rematch against this Ryu Hoshi person.  Something that 
I can arrange."

     "That would be correct."  Sagat crossed his arms, looking bored.

     "I think we can reach a mutually satisfying arrangement.  Welcome to 
Shadowloo."  Bison laughed again, secure in his plans and preparations.

     *     *     *

     "WHAT?  Dan's not here?"

     The student shook her head.  "Sorry, Sakura.  A friend of his dropped by 
earlier today, and they left soon after for lunch and catching up with old 
times."

     "Bla...  Jimmy?"  Sakura saw out of the corner of her eye, Li entering the 
men's change room.  Tomoyo was setting up on one of the benches, her camera was 
already out.  Kero was with her.

     "No.  Some dark haired gentleman in a white gi.  Handsome as well."  There 
was a slightly glazed look in the student's face that caused Sakura to 
sweatdrop.

     Of course, if it was Ryu-sama...

     "Hey!  You gonna spar, or you gonna drool?"  Li called out from the 
entrance to the men's room.  His grin was evident even across the entirety of 
the gym.  He ducked in to avoid her return remark.

     Sakura took the hint, and walked towards the girls change room.

     In the back of her head, she noted with some pride at the changes that had 
gone on here over the past year.  There was a concerted effort to keep the place 
clean, the lights no longer hung by threads, and the bulbs were new.  The ring 
was no longer threatening to fall apart under the lightest pressure, and there 
was an actual infirmary where an old store room used to be.

     Such a difference the patronage of an American businessman could make.

     Sakura was followed by Tomoyo into the change room.  She had her bag and 
Sakuras heart faltered at the plastic wrapped bag that she knew from long 
experience held whatever design her best friend had come up with in case of an 
impromptu Card catching.

     That falter became a full grown panic when Tomoyo went for the bag.  Sakura 
stopped what she was doing, and looked on as Tomoyo opened the seal on the bag, 
and pulled out what Sakura dreaded.

     "Um, Yuriko...  What's with that?"  

     "Oh, this?  Well, I know you have your own fuku for fighting in, but it was 
just so drab, so I've been spending my free time on this!"  She held up the garb 
to Sakuras view, beaming at the result of her efforts.  Sakura looked at it with 
a mixture of appreciation and worry.

     Yes, it looked normal at first glance, but knowing Tomoyo...  "Um, Yuriko, 
there isn't any of you - know - what around.  So why now?"  Instead of at the 
last possible moment, like usual?  Sakura added the thought at the end.

     "Because this is for normal fighting!  See?  Padded shoulders and knees.  I 
sent a letter to Masters-san for advice when I remembered what you said back 
when you caught THUNDER about armor, and did the best I could with his reply.  
It has some kevlar woven into the body, not enough to be considered real armor, 
but enough to soften heavier blows."

     Sakura winced at the mention of the card.  Sure, the Key was in her 
pocket, and her 27 cards were in the book in her pack, but did she have to talk 
about it so openly?  Sure, there was no one here who could hear, but still.  She 
was doing a good job of keeping her other activities a secret from those not 
directly involved, but that didn't mean that Tomoyo could just blurt things out 
whenever she wanted to.

     "Here you go!  Put it on, so I can see if it matches what I was hoping 
for."  Tomoyo thrust the costume into Sakuras arms then waited patiently.

     She sighed, then headed for the back where the private change rooms were 
located.  A few minutes later, she emerged, and was surprised that all of her 
innuendo about Tomoyos designs had finally paid off.

     The white blouse was a loose fit over the sports bra.  Her trademarked fuku 
was still the same as her school colors, but the bottom layer seemed a little 
off in the front.  But most surprising was the leotard.  The light blue garment 
stretched quite nicely as she twisted around, and a couple practice kicks made 
sure that it wouldn't bunch up.  It also weighed a little heavier than her 
normal clothes.  Not enough to really slow her down though.

     "Yay!  It's perfect!"  Tomoyo was ecstatic, even more so than usual.  It 
made Sakura wonder just what was going on in her friends head, and not for the 
first or last time.

     "Um, Yuriko, what's with this bottom line here?  It looks like it isn't 
finished."  Tomoyo didn't usually give Sakura unfinished costumes, but this 
seemed off.

     Tomoyo nodded.  "Good eye!  Well, you see, I figured that if this would be 
your new fighting costume, you should also have some way of signifying your work 
with the Cards.  So, I decided that the final row of color of your skirt was 
going to be embroidered with the names of all the cards you have."  She frowned.  
"But the thread I wanted wasn't in, so I had to order it.  It should be here 
next week."

     "Ah."  It made sense.  In a Tomoyo sort of way.  But she still felt 
uncomfortable actively advertising her activities.  Of course, it wasn't the 
best kept secret either.  "Let's go then."

     Tomoyo had her camera and was filming the moment Sakura came out of the 
change room into the gym itself.  From a distance, it would appear that she was 
wearing the same thing she always did.

     She hopped into the now empty sparring ring, and Li came in a moment after.  
"Ready to lose again?"  Just because he had won the last time, did not mean that 
she was going to lose this time.  She had practiced, gotten better.

     "Don't worry.  I won't embarrass you in front of Yuriko."  'Much.' She 
added under her breath.

     One of the senior students climbed into the ring.  "O.K.  Just your martial 
skills.  No sword."  He looked at Li.  "No funny stuff."  Sakura received the 
look.

     "Don't worry!  I have all their stuff!"  Tomoyo called out from the 
sidelines.  There was a gathering crowd as people abandoned their own practices 
to watch these two spar.  From long experience, no one stood between Tomoyo and 
the ring.

     "Fine.  Ready?  Fight!"  The student rolled backwards to the edge of the 
ring, then dropped out under the ropes.

     Sakura opened with her standard Hadouken, the blue ball flying towards Li.  
In response, Li rolled to the side, letting the ball evaporate behind him, and 
to the side.  Sakura side stepped to keep the center of the ring between them, 
and fired again.

     Li was a quick study, and knew how the ki projectile worked in theory and 
in practice.  And it annoyed him, from a purely martial standpoint of course, 
that she could do that without outside assistance.  But he had trained with his 
sword, and in magic, while Sakura had spent time self-teaching and being 
trained in Shotokan.  And if it came down to it, she could use the Cards as 
well.

     He knew that Sakura would try to wear him down at range with the  
projectile.  But he had a plan for just that.

     Sakura on the other hand watched as Li kept dodging the shots she threw at 
him.  One part of her mind was wondering what kind of game he was playing, while 
another was trying to figure how to break his pattern.  She didn't want to close 
to melee yet, remembering how good he was at that.

     But she was getting no where, and he was getting closer.  And his plan 
snapped into her head.  Every time she tossed a Hadouken at him, he rolled, not 
just to the side, but also a little bit closer.

     And there was only so much room in the ring to move, and she needed a new 
trick if this was to work.  But she also knew that she needed a new plan.

     "Hadou..."  Sakura charged another blast between her hands, and as 
expected, Li moved to the side.

     *tap* *tap* He came up, a half second after his motion began, only to find 
his vision filled with a pale blue light. "...ken!"

     The blast caught him in the chest, and he was knocked back a couple feet by 
the hit.  Sakura stood a few feet closer than where she had started, her palms 
still cupped together, a wide smile plastered all over her face.

     "Gotcha."

     Li stepped up as she moved to a guarded position, lashing out with a couple 
quick kicks which she blocked.  She returned with a kick of her own which didn't 
breach his defenses.

     There was now much cheering for Sakura, an undeniable home gym advantage.  
For Li, on the other hand, the praise was more for his technical effort, and 
that was quiet amongst the rest of the cheering.  Who Yuriko was favoring, no 
one was willing to take a guess.

     Li tried for a quick one-two combination, the first hit blocked, but the 
second punch grazed her shoulder.

     Something in Sakura flared at that moment, and she took the moment to step 
in, and ... "Hadouken!" ... slam home a ball at point blank range.  Li was blown 
back a few feet, landing hard, while Sakura was forced back by the backlash.  
Then it was gone.  She let him get back to his feet, pounding on a fallen foe 
was dishonorable, and also wouldn't help her practice.

     Li, on the other hand, had resolved to really find a way to get around that 
trump card of hers.  And she was still holding back.  There was more to come, 
and he knew he would be seeing most of it before this was done today.

     Sakura watched him get to his feet, deciding that blasting him into 
submission was getting old and she needed to work on something else.  She took a 
couple of accelerating steps towards him, hoping to catch him in the moment 
between standing and ready as she hopped into the air with a cry of 
"Shunpukyaku!"

     She twisted around, swinging her foot in a wide arc.  The first blow hit 
nothing but air, as Sakura expected, but the second hit clipped his forearms as 
he brought them up to block.  The third hit met the same, and Sakura landed just 
in front of Li.

     Li recovered a spilt second faster, and in that moment, reached out, and 
grabbed Sakura by the shoulders, at the same time he placed one foot on her 
stomach, and fell back.  Sakura was unceremoniously tossed over him, and nearly 
into the ropes.

     They both got up, Sakura not bothering to disguise her anger.  She charged 
at Li with a wordless yell, gathering her energy.  Li back-peddled, trying to 
make room for a counter or evasion.  And then she was nearly upon him, and he 
could feel her power cusp.  It came.

     "MIDARE - SAKURA!"  Sakura blurred as she covered the last few paces 
between her and Li.  He knelt, putting up his guard, hoping to avoid the worst 
of what was coming.  Sakura's fist slammed hard against his defense as she leapt 
upwards.  She landed hard, and she lowered herself farther than the technique 
required as she tried to get under Li's guard, or dislodge it for the last 
repetition of the attack.

     Li felt her try this as he hunched down.  The pressure let up as Sakura 
went for the sky, but he had a split second to decide what to do next.  And so, 
as Sakura came down in preparation for the third rising upper, Li fell back as 
hard as he could, laying down on the mat, letting Sakura hit nothing but air.  
Sakura couldn't abort this last part of the attack, but she could look at him as 
he rolled to his feet.

     She was wide open, and they both knew it.  The only question was, what was 
Li going to do about it?

     The answer to that lay somewhere in the part of Li's mind that was more 
primal than the rest.  A part of him that felt the powers within, and envied 
those who could use it with no focus beyond their words and body.  And now it 
wanted out.

     To those who could see such things, Li's aura flared.  Tomoyo gasped at 
this, while Sakura's eyes opened wide in near shock.  A few other students saw 
his deep blue energy, and knew this was about to get ugly.

     Sakura landed on the mat with a quiet thump, and Li leapt into action.  One 
hand reached out, grabbing Sakura by the neck of her shirt.  He twisted his 
wrist to keep his grip on her as he pulled her close.  The free arm folded her 
as was it buried in her gut.  He wound up and hit her in the chest, lifting her 
over his head, while knocking the rest of the wind out of her.  And then he let 
her go, with just the barest gust of manna to keep her still.  He somersaulted 
backwards, his feet catching onto Sakura, and finishing the flip, fell the 
ground, dragging Sakura with him.

     She bounced, flopping against the ropes, falling down, her weight carrying 
her over the edge, and onto the floor in a battered heap.

     "SAKURA!"  Tomoyo nearly dropped her camera in her rush to get to her 
fallen friend.  She reached her as one of the other senior students finished her 
initial assessment of Sakura's condition.

     "You!  You!  Take her carefully to the infirmary.  You!  Find Dan.  NOW!"  
The student glared at Li, who was still lying prone in the ring.  "And someone 
make sure he doesn't leave."

     Tomoyo followed in the stunned silence as Sakura was carried to the 
infirmary.  There, she was checked for any major injuries.  Finding a lack of 
them, the students left Tomoyo to look after her friend.

     Back in the ring, Li tried pushing himself up, off the mat.  But his 
strength was gone.  Eyes closed, he could hear the sounds of the commotion 
around him.  But oddly, no one was coming to see if he was O.K.

     Another push, another failure.  Maybe he could drag himself to the edge.  
Where was Tomoyo?

     Had she left him for Sakura?  How was Sakura?  He hit her.  Harder than he 
even had before.  Harder than he had ever hit any one or anything in his life.  
Was it so serious that everyone was more interested in Sakura's safety?  What 
was it?

     An image of Sakura charging up her Shinku-Hadouken, or just now, dashing in 
for her Midare-Sakura.  Abilities and powers beyond the mortal.  Just like 
Magic, but this wasn't magic.  Magic was something that came from without, 
focused within, and applied.  That was one of the lessons that he had been 
taught growing up.

     But this came from within.  He took a deep breath, and calmed himself.  
Laying there, in the ring, he sought something inside him.  There was his 
memories, the past year, and earlier.  He felt the fog that surrounded the 
memories of Sakura's last attempt to become the Mistress of the Clow.  And all 
of his memories before even that.  There were the skills he had in his body, his 
strength and speed and agility, his finely tuned martial prowess.  Deeper still 
lay the foci for the magics that he could command, and the thin links to the 
Clow.  But there was something else.

     He pushed deeper, seeking this foreign influence.  Something was here that 
made him (allowed him to?) do it.  But what?

     A flash of power, from without, and he knew that a Clow Card had activated.  
He came out of his meditations, opening his eyes.  But he couldn't turn to face 
the source of the power.  He was helpless, and Sakura was out.  He felt fear for 
Tomoyo's safety, then it stopped.  The power of the Card was gone.  What had 
happened?  What was going on?

     *     *     *

     Tomoyo had checked Sakura over for herself, now sure for herself that 
Sakura would be just fine.  She knew Li was going to be O.K., and that he would 
walk in at any minute now to apologize.  It wasn't him on the receiving end of 
his assault.  Kero had since taken residence on top of the medicine cabinet, 
keeping an eye on the door.  Li's sword, the Key and Cards lay on the other cot.

     Tomoyo sat on the edge of the bed, putting the lens cap back on the camera.  
She brushed an errant lock of brown hair off the face of her emerald-eyed 
princess.  Sakura would be awake soon.

     She stirred a couple moments later, twisting in the bed to get more 
comfortable before opening her eyes.  The brown orbs searched for the other 
weight beside her, and they met Tomoyo's gaze.  Was she disappointed?

     "What is it?  You look sad."  Sakura reached up one had to her friends 
face, trying to be comforting through the ache in her shoulder.  After just a 
single quick caress, she dropped her arm to a less painful position.

     "Oh, nothing.  Just thinking about how you used to be, and what changed 
that made you do these things."

     Uh oh.  "I died, remember?"

     "I know, it's just that you're so different than before."

     "Haven't we already had this discussion?  I'm not the same as I was 
before."  Sakura pulled herself up in the bed, grunting at the complaints every 
inch of her body was sending.  "Oh, and thanks for the new seifuku.  It really 
helped take some of the stuff Li sent at me."  She looked around, as if 
expecting something.

     "What did you mean, used to be?"  She could feel a headache start to form, 
and she just wanted to lay back down and sleep it off.  But Tomoyo was here, and 
something was amiss.

     "Eyes."

     "Huh?"  That caught Sakura completely off guard.  Usually it was about the 
fighting or something else.  But this was different.

     "Your hair is still brown, though it got a couple shades darker, but 
whenever I look at you, I keep expecting to see your green eyes!  It's just not 
right."

     "My eyes are brown."  Sakura stated the obvious.

     "I know!  And it's just so different."

     "And what would you suggest?  I wear contacts?  Use ILLUSION?"  A pause.  
"Wait, where are the Cards?  And the Key?"  Her hand went to her pockets, 
finding nothing, but fresh pains.

     "Right there."  Kero pointed out the stuff on the other side of the room.  
"Why?"

     "Just needed to know.  Didn't want to loose them again."  Sakura reached 
over, and grabbed the comforting weight of the Key, and slid it into a pocket.

     Tomoyo shifted on the bed, but filed the slip of the tongue under just 
another part of Sakura Kinomoto coming to the surface.  "Don't worry.  Li's not 
going to go take them."

     "He's tried."  Sakura remembered a long time ago when Li had tried to steal 
the book of the Clow from her, but her brother and Yukito had stepped in, and 
they had gotten it back.  She blushed at the thought of Sakura's crush on her 
brothers best friend, but then turned serious when she remembered that there was 
something very important about the young man that she should know.

     "Sakura?  What's wrong?"

     "You remember Yukito?  Touya's friend?"

     Tomoyo thought for a moment.  "Yes.  I remember that you had the largest 
crush on him.  Why?"

     "I was just thinking, and I could swear that there was something very 
important about him that I needed to know.  But I can't remember what."

     Tomoyo shook her head.  "Sorry.  I can't help you there.  I think he moved 
away soon after the Judgement.  I had other things on my mind back then than to 
keep track of where he was going."

     "That's fine.  If it's really important, It'll come back to me."

     A familiar feeling began to creep into Sakura's legs.  "Um, Yuriko?"

     "Yes?"

     "Could you please get off my legs?  You're cutting off the blood."  Sakura 
grinned.

     Tomoyo leapt off the bed, blushing in embarrassment.  "Oh!  Sorry!  Are you 
O.K.?"

     Sakura swung her legs off the bed, giving them a good rubbing to work out 
the pins and needles.  "Don't worry.  They'll be fine.  Hey, let's get out 
there, don't want people to think that Li could actually put me down for more 
than a few minutes, shall we?"  She made her way to the closed door, putting a 
hand on Tomoyo's shoulder.  She could feel the aches and bruises from her match 
start to form, and the headache was just getting worse.

     She put one hand on the door knob, and the world exploded.

     A sense of bright light, a tremendous gust of wind, and Sakura tightened 
her grip on Tomoyo instantly.  She could feel the power of the Card all around 
her, but she couldn't risk letting go with either hand to get the Key.

     And then it was done.

     *     *     *

     Across town, a certain animate plushy looked up from his perch on a window 
sill.  It was on odd feeling that ran up his spine.  It wasn't the last card, 
EARTHY, nor was it the presence of Yue.  But familiar, and at the same time 
faint and foreign.  Cerberus looked over at the two girls busy doing the 
homework they should have done last night.  Neither of them gave any indication 
of feeling what he had, and so he shook his head.  The feeling went away after a 
moment, and he chalked it up to tension.  So close, and while he hoped, he still 
felt some reservations about Sakura.

     Did she have what it would take to beat Yue?

     *     *     *

     Sakura took a deep breath.  One hand still on the knob.  Check.  She turned 
around to see Tomoyo looking wide eyed at her, her long black hair, normally 
kept straight was starting to frazzle.  

     "Wha...  What was that?"  She managed to stutter out.

     Tomoyo just stared.  "I don't know."  The comment came out far more 
composed than she felt.

     Sakura let go of the knob.  "Card?"

     "Windy?"

     Sakura's heart leaped at the memories.  "But WINDY, she doesn't do light 
stuff like that.  And why would she just disappear?  And where has she been?"

     "I don't know."

     Sakura glared.  "Could you say something a little more helpful?"

     "Find Li?"

     "Get Cards first.  But I have this feeling it wasn't WINDY."  Sakura looked 
around her.  "Wait a second.  What happened to everything?  And where's Kero?  
And the Cards?"  A hint of panic crept into her voice.

     Tomoyo turned around.  "Kero?  Where are you?"  She looked around.  "What 
happened to the bed?  And the closet with all the medical supplies in it?"

     Sakura bopped her on the head lightly.  "That was what I said."

     Tomoyo shook her head.  "I'll go get Li, you look for the cards, meet back 
here.  O.K.?"

     Sakura nodded, then opened the door, took one look outside, then closed it 
again.  "If this is Miyuki's idea of a joke, I'm going to kill her."

     "Huh?"

     "Come, have a look."  Sakura grabbed her friends shoulder and pulled her to 
the door.  "You recognize any of these people?  We're aren't in Dodon Gym any 
more."

     They both pulled back.  "But why would she LOOP us out of there?"

     Sakura glowered.  "I don't know.  Come on, let's get out of here, and get 
back."  She opened the door and stepped out.  She aimed to get out via the back 
way if at all possible, as she didn't want to explain to the leader of this gym 
how they had gotten into one of the store rooms.

     They crept along the back wall, away from the majority of the throng of 
practicing men.  Sakura noted that there was no females here, and that meant 
that their presence would raise even more questions.

     It was also so dark that they didn't see the old man meditating in the back 
until they were almost upon him.

     Tomoyo wasn't as careful as Sakura, and bumped into her friend, who lost 
her own balance, and stumbled.

     From the pile on the floor, Sakura rolled over, dropping Tomoyo off.  "Ack!  
Gomenasai!"  Sakura pushed herself off the floor, grimacing as the pain flared.  
"Sorry about that.  It's just so dark in here."

     "This gym is no place for little girls.  What are you doing here?"  The 
man, Sakura could see now, was old, and sitting cross legged.

     "Sorry.  My name is Sakura, and my friend here is Yuriko."  Sakura bowed in 
apology.  "We were just leaving."

     "You still haven't answered my question, young lady.  What are you doing in 
the Dodon Gym?"

     Sakura froze while helping Tomoyo back to her feet.  "I'm sorry?  This is 
the Dodon Gym?"  Now she recognized the man sitting before her.

     "Of course."

     "Oh!  I'm sorry!  Wrong gym!"  Sakura grabbed Tomoyo's wrist roughly, and 
dragged her quickly out the back door of the gym.

     The old man watched the two young ladies leaving, disappointed in the youth 
of the day.  Why couldn't they take their proper place?

     Outside, Sakura leaned against the wall as Tomoyo leaned against her.  
"What was that all about?"  Tomoyo said.

     "That man, on the floor?  He was the previous leader of the Dodon Gym, 
before Dan came along."

     Tomoyo looked up at her.  "What?  How do you know?"

     "He came into the gym a couple months after I started, ripped into Dan for 
being slack, and letting girls learn."  Sakura tightened a fist at the memory, 
punching the wall once to no avail.

     "Like you?"

     "Yes, like me.  That was the only time I ever saw Dan get anything close to 
angry.  He called that man a dried up prune, who could not see the power and 
skill lying within the people around him, and told him flat out that if he ever 
stepped foot in the gym again, it would be hazardous for his health."

     Tomoyo compared that threat to what she knew of Dan's attitude.  "Wow, he 
must really be a bad man to get Dan that angry."

     "It was a lot of things really, and that was the last straw.  Of course, 
the other sensei promptly beat Dan into a pulp, but he said that he let him in 
order to make him feel better about being replaced by a better fighter.  But I 
think I now know what happened.  It wasn't WINDY, it was RETURN."

     "Really?"

     "Yep, the last time, RETURN sent me back to learn something that I needed 
to know."  Sakura glanced around.  "We need to find out what today's date is."

     Tomoyo looked around as well.  The sudden change of the terrain surrounding 
them was incredible.  It was dirty, filthy and completely the opposite of what 
was the state of the same street less than an hour ago.

     "So, how did you seal RETURN last time?  And who is the host?"  Tomoyo 
shrunk away from a couple of leering thugs, reaching into her pocket for the 
comforting weight of the taser there.

     "Headache.  Can't concentrate of the card.  Sakura, I mean I, sealed the 
card after Li did something in the present, after the trip was done.  The little 
jaunt to the past."  Sakura rubbed her head.

     "Maybe we should go back, get you some headache pills or something."  
Tomoyo offered a shoulder.

     "No.  Not here.  Let's just take a walk.  I should get some fresh air and 
some rest, then I'll be fine.  And we should find out what day it is."

     "O.k!"  Tomoyo was far more cheerful then she should have felt.  They then 
headed for the nearest train station.

     *     *     *

     "Mommy!  Daddy!  I'm going to play now!"

     There was no answer to the statement by the little girl.  She knew the 
silence meant that they didn't object, or didn't hear her.  She took the 
opportunity to leave, locking the door behind her.

     As she looked around the rundown street around her, Sora wondered where she 
would go today.  There was that big pointy thing over there, and she didn't 
remember going there before.

     She started to walk away.

     *     *     *

     The train station was nearly empty this time of the morning.  The sun was 
just rising over the tops of the nearby buildings.  And they hadn't yet found a 
newspaper or other way to tell the date.

     Neither one was willing to risk asking someone what day it was.  Perhaps 
they were both afraid of what the answer might be, and not the weird looks or 
false answers.

     As the train pulled out, the two friends rested.  "Yuriko, how did you pay 
for the tickets?"

     "I had my wallet with me."  She fiddled with her camera.  "Oh, I still have 
the record of the fight.  Did you want to look at it?"

     Sakura shook her head.  "No.  Thank you.  Not right now.  I just want to 
get some rest."

     Tomoyo snuggled a little closer, and Sakura was thankful for the warmth.  
She put her head on the offered shoulder, and dropped off into sleep.

     She started awake to the sounds of people.  There was more light in the 
train, but obscured by the throngs of people in the car, and outside, the sun 
had risen farther.  She estimated that she had been asleep for an hour or so.  A 
gentle snoring came from beside her, and she turned her head to see the black 
hair of Tomoyo.

     CLOW.  She snapped awake, pain and bruises forgotten in the moment.

     "See?  I told you it was cute."  Sakura turned to look beside her, at the 
young voice.

     "Cute?"  She echoed as she blinked, trying to clear her eyes to focus.

     "Oh!  Sorry, we didn't mean to wake you."  Sakura looked down, headache 
returning in force, but less than it was before.  "My friend and I were talking 
about something else."

     "That's O.K."  Sakura blinked, the last of the fog clearing.  "I needed to 
wake up anyway."

     "Umm, are you alright?  You look hurt."  Sakura looked down at a pair of 
girls in brown school uniforms, like the one Sakura, no, she used to wear.

     Just who was sitting beside them finally clicked in Sakura's head, and she 
stammered out a response.  "Oh.  Yes.  No.  Not really.  I practice martial 
arts, and my sparring match earlier was a little more rough than usual.  I'm 
Sakura."

     "Huh."  This comment came from a male voice behind a large stack of boxes 
that smelled of food.

     The other two girls looked quickly at each other, passing a glance.  
"Hello!  I'm Sakura Kinomoto, and this is my best friend, Tomoyo Daidoji."  She 
looked over at the boxes.  "And the boy carrying the picnic is Li."

     Sakura's heart beat faster in their presence.  Yuriko was still asleep 
beside her, and if she woke up now, who knows?  "Kasugano.  And this is my 
friend, Yuriko Tokumei."

     Tomoyo (the younger) leaned out from her seat, trying to peer at Tomoyo 
(the older).  "Wow!  So many coincidences!  Two Sakuras, and Tokumei is my 
mothers maiden name!  We could almost be family with that hair!"

     Sakura (Kinomoto) took her friends shoulder, pulling her back.  "Come on, 
Tomoyo, we have stuff to do today."

     "I don't see why I have to carry all the food to the archery contest."  Li 
complained.

     "But Yukito is participating, as well as that new teacher!"  Sakura 
(Kinomoto) leaned back to look at him.

     "That's a reason to go, not why I should carry all this stuff."

     "Because Sakura said so.  That's why."  Tomoyo pouted, annoyed that Li was 
questioning Sakura's decisions again.  "Oh, yes, that's right.  We have to stop 
by my house, there's another dress for you."

     Both Sakura's suppressed a sweatdrop.  Tomoyo never changed.  She even 
looked like she always did.  "Oh.  Well, don't let me keep..." Sakura (Kasugano) 
glanced down at the sight of motion out of the corner of her eye.  There was 
Kero, head poking out of a pocket, looking at her intently.

     "Oh, is this what was so cute?"  Sakura (Kasugano) pointed at the plush.  
"Can I see him?"

     Sakura (Kinomoto) looked down at Kero, wondering why he was moving around 
in the pack.  "Umm, sorry, but he's kinda worn down, and ..." She was 
interrupted by Sakura (Kasugano).

     "I understand.  I have something similar to that guy at home."  Sakura 
(Kasugano) felt a bad feeling creep up her spine, like a tension that shouldn't 
be.  She was spending too much time talking to Sakura, herself.  Time to go.

     A chime sounded, and the next station was announced.  "That's our stop.  
Wake up Yuriko!"

     Next to her, Tomoyo stirred at the prodding to her side.  "Hrm?  Sakura?"  
She opened her eyes, looking about groggily.

     "Wake up Yuriko!  Our stop!"  Sakura pulled her friend up, and walked them 
both towards the door as the train pulled into the station.  "Oh, and 
Sakura...?"  The door opened, and Yuriko turned to look through strands of hair 
at who Sakura was talking to.

     "Yes, Sakura?"

     There was a long silence as the two looked at each other.

     "Good Luck."

     The door closed between the two of them, cutting off any response the 
younger Sakura might have had.

     *     *     *

     It was a beautiful morning, and the family of three had decided to walk to 
the park today to have a picnic.  It was a few blocks away, and they left early 
in the morning for the all day event.

     Crossing the street, leading to the park, a sudden gust of wind ripped 
across the park, blowing into the family.  The hat of the child was taken from 
them, and the child turned and ran after the hat, not wanting to lose it in this 
perfect day.

     The black sedan turned the corner, far faster than it should have, and one 
eternal moment later, the only sound was that of a mother screaming.

     *     *     *

     Sakura collapsed on the bench, Yuriko falling into her lap.  "Come on, you!  
Wake up!  There should be no reason for you to be taking a nap yet!"  She gently 
shook her friend, trying to get her to be remotely coherent.

     "Sakura, who were those kids on the train?"  Tomoyo shook her head, but 
found Sakuras lap to be very comfortable.  She tried to figure out why she was 
so tired.

     "Us.  Or rather, the us that's now."  Sakura propped her friend up beside 
her.  "I can understand me being tired, resting off the fight, but you shouldn't 
be."

     "I don't know."  Tomoyo yawned, stretching in the morning light.  "Yes, I 
saw, they were us.  You really were beautiful back then."

     "And you haven't changed a but, except to get bigger.  Wait.  I don't 
remember meeting us."  Sakura furrowed her brow, trying to recall ever meeting 
two high school students on the train.  "I don't remember this.  Damn headache."

     "I don't either."  Tomoyo looked over at her friend.  "Anything unusual 
happen?"

     "They were going to your house to pick up a costume, and Kero glared at 
me."  Sakura rubbed her arms and legs gently, checking the bruises that were 
forming still.  "They were also going to an Archery Contest that their teacher 
and Yukito were participating in."

     "Kero glared at you?"  Tomoyo looked around at the sparsely populated 
platform.  No one was paying any attention to the two of them.

     Sakura nodded.  "Yes.  He could have sensed the Key on me, or even myself."

     "Did he say anything?"

     "Not in front of me."  Sakura stood up, trying to ignore the throbbing in 
her legs.  "Really, he doesn't know who I am, and I wasn't about to do something 
stupid.  But I did feel like we needed to get out of there, so I took us off the 
train here."  She looked around for the name of the station and found it above a 
news stand.  "Sanjuku station.  Just a moment, I'm going to check something."

     Sakura gingerly walked down the length of the station, finding her legs 
were getting used to the pain for the time being.  But come tomorrow, she 
probably wouldn't be able to move at all.  She got to the stand, looked at the 
cover of one of the papers, and returned to Tomoyo.

     "Well, what day is it?"  Tomoyo asked without showing much emotion.

     Sakura told her, and was confused by the look of fear that came into 
Tomoyo's eyes.  "What is it?" she asked, worried.

     "Don't you remember?  It's today!"

     "Today?"  Sakura was even more confused, and Tomoyo's growing expression 
didn't help matters much.

     "Today!  Today is the day of the Judgement!"

     *     *     *

     They were at the Archery Field, Sakura (Kinomoto), Tomoyo (the younger) and 
Li.  They had chosen to arrive early so they could get a good spot to lay out 
the lunch and prepare the picnic.  "Those two on the train, they seemed nice."

     Sakura put down her bag, Kero floating out, checking it was safe to do so 
first.  "She felt like she had the Clow about her."

     She looked at her guardian beast.  "She felt like family.  Like Dad or 
Touya.  But that doesn't seem right. The only card left uncaptured is EARTHY.  
And that wasn't anywhere near.  I've got the Key right here.  And you.  So who 
could she be?  Unless she was Yue in disguise."

     Kero shook his head.  "No.  I know she's not.  But did you see that girl 
sleeping on her shoulder?  She really looked like you, Tomoyo."

     The long raven haired girl turned.  "Like me?  I don't know.  Sorta, maybe.  
But that hair style can't be just mine."  She took the next box of food from Li, 
and set it down on one corner of the blanket.

     "She looked at us when they got off the train.  They were your eyes, 
Tomoyo.  She really could be you."  Kero warned.

     Li set down the last of his load.  "Why are we even talking about this?  We 
need to find the last Card."

     "Well, if she is me, the other Sakura couldn't be you."  Tomoyo pulled some 
fresh batteries from her pocket, ignoring Li's comment.  "Why would you ever get 
in a fight?"

     Sakura nodded, counting the cards off in her hands.  It was so hard to 
believe that this was almost over!  "Well, if we meet again, we'll just have to 
ask them about themselves.  If they are us, that is.  Is your camera ready, 
Tomoyo?"

     "Yep!"  She proved it by starting to record Sakura.

     "Hey!  Yukito!"  Li stood up, smiling as the older boy approached the 
group.  Kero flounced to the ground.  The girls turned in unison to the new 
arrival.  Sakura blushed as he set down his bow case on the blanket.

     "Hello, you three.  Say, where's Touya?"

     Sakura shook her head.  "He said he had a part-time to go to this 
afternoon.  He also said he would be back in time to see you win, of course."

     Yukito smiled.  "Good to hear.  So, shall we eat before this starts?"  He 
reached for a set of chopsticks, and the others did the same.

     *     *     *

     Sakura (Kasugano) and Tomoyo (the older) were walking along the street, 
headed in the general direction of the Tower.  A couple hours had passed.  Her 
aches were fading into the background of her mind.

     "Why are we walking?"

     "Because Judgment isn't until this evening, and I need to think."

     "Think?  About what?"

     "What I am going to do."

     "Isn't it obvious?"

     "Enlighten me."  They stopped at a crosswalk.

     "Stop the Judgement."  There was a hopeful look in Tomoyo's eyes.  Sakura 
paled at the thought.

     "Stop ... it?  I don't think I can."

     The light changed, and they joined the crowd of people crossing the street.  
"But you can save yourself!"

     Sakura thought about that for a while as they walked.  They reached a 
bridge, and Sakura stopped above the ornamental keystone.  "How?"

     "Stop Yue from hitting you!  That's how!"

     "Tomoyo, I don't think you've thought this through."

     But she wasn't listening, dreaming instead of a new and perfect world.  
With such a blissful expression on her face, Sakura was hesitant to bring her 
back to reality.  "Wonderful."  Tomoyo sighed.

     Sakura shook her head.  "Tomoyo."  She touched her shoulder to break the 
dream.  "Listen, I'm going to go ahead.  I don't want to leave you behind, but I 
can move faster by myself.  And you have the money, so you can take a cab to the 
Tower."

     "But you can ride with me!"

     Sakura shook her head.  "I need to think about this.  You can go on ahead.  
Wait for me on the observation deck."  And without giving her a chance to reject 
the plan, Sakura jogged off in the direction of the Tower.

     She quickly moved off the main streets, the crowds only serving to slow her 
down.  She really didn't want to leave Tomoyo behind, but she trusted her to be 
at the Tower in time.  She looked at a clock hung in a store window, taking to 
moment to set hers to the local time.  About four hours since RETURN had 
triggered and it meant that she should be at home right now, working on the 
homework, and preparing for the year end projects for the school.

     Instead, it was about noon, five years earlier, and she was jogging through 
Tokyo, trying, perhaps, to prevent Sakura's death.  She thought of the deep and 
beautiful green eyes that looked at her this morning, and in her own reflection 
in the same store window, looked at her own eyes.

     How many poets had insisted that the eyes were the windows to the soul?  
Sakura, the girl on the train, hers were a beautiful emerald green.  But hers, 
right here and now, were a clear brown.

     How could they be the same person?  She just couldn't see it.

     If, as Kero had long insisted was true, Sakura Kinomoto had died today, and 
Yue had re-incarnated her as Sakura Kasugano, should there not be more 
similarities between the two of them?  This gave rise to an unsettling thought 
that entered her mind.

     Who was she before this day?

     Sakura Kasugano, was she just a creation of the Clow, born on this day to 
take the place of a real person?  Was she just some afterthought in the 
correction of a grievous mistake?

     Was Sakura Kasugano only five years old?

     But that was impossible.  She could remember her life.  Entering High 
School with Yuriko by her side.  Her first Hadouken.  Back farther to the first 
time she saw Ryu, when she thought to protect him.  Her first fight with Karin.

     But today?

     She tried to recall what had happened to her on this day, or sometime 
around now.  Some idea of what had come before, and what might happen?

     But she had memories, fuzzy with age of things that had come before today.  
Birthdays, friends, moving into their house.  It was all there, but indistinct 
and, well, she had to admit a certain detachment from them.

     The thought that they might not be hers, that she might not have existed at 
all before today, it brought a twist to her gut.  She tried to find some means 
of proving her existence, to herself, but she realized that Yue's magic was 
powerful.  It had made her from whole cloth, and created an entire existence for 
her.  There could be no disproving her, without undoing all his work.

     How could she defeat such power?

     But wasn't that the point?  Defeat Yue, prove him wrong, undo his efforts 
to destroy Sakura Kinomoto and in the process, do what to her?  Would she 
disappear, or would she become like Kinomoto was to her, a set of memories that 
maybe, on occasion, didn't seem to be her?

     "Miss?"

     Sakura spun, ready for anything as the voice came from her right.  But it 
was just a store clerk from inside who was looking at her.  "Yes?"

     "Are you alright?  You look a little pale, and have just been standing 
there for a few minutes.  Did you need any help?"

     Sakura shook her head.  "No.  No thank you.  Just family problems and I'd 
rather not talk about them."

     "Ah.  Well, say no more then."  He bowed in apology.

     Sakura bowed in return.  "And I'm sorry for disturbing your work."  She 
straightened.  There had to be a way to confirm her existence before today, and 
she knew how.

     Sakura jogged to the corner, got her bearings, and did some math.  If she 
could run to her place, it would take an hour or so.  Say 15 - 20 minutes to 
investigate, then she would be able to get back to the Tower in time for the 
Judgement.

     She ran, ignoring the complaints her body was sending her.

     *     *     *

     Tomoyo wandered around the base of the Tower.  She could remember every 
facet of this day, so long ago, so now.

     There were people here, so unaware of the truth of the world around them.  
That no matter how hard they try, or how courageous they are, the people in 
their lives can leave them.

     Or did they know?

     Tomoyo found an empty bench, and sat down.  She fiddled with her camera in 
her hands, unfolding the LCD screen.  She thought to re-watch the match on the 
tape, but instead opened the side hatch for the tape and took it out.  She 
flipped it through her hands, then pulled a pen out of one of her pockets.  She 
wrote the date of the fight on the tape.

     What if Sakura didn't show up?

     What would she do to save Sakura from the fate that Yue would give to her?  
Could she stop the Judgement?  Could she stop the Sakura of now?  Give her some 
warning of what was to come?

     "Why are you crying?"  A young, and familiar voice came form beside her.  
Tomoyo looked up at the child, about 8 years old, and was stunned by the 
similarities.  "You're too pretty to cry."

     "I'm sorry.  Bad memories.  My best friend died today."  And I'm going to 
get her back, Tomoyo added silently.  She wiped away the errant tear that had 
formed, and was moving down her cheek.  "You look familiar.  What's your name?"

     "I'm Sora Hoshino!"  The little girl bowed.  Tomoyo's eyes nearly went as 
wide as saucers, but she some how managed to restrain herself.  It couldn't be 
possible.  Hitomi's sister was only 8, and that would make her only two or three 
years old today.  But this girl looked just like the Sora she knew.

     "I'm Yuriko Tokumei.  Say, do you have a sister named Hitomi by any 
chance?"  She stood up, holding the camera gently.  "And were are your parents?"

     Sora looked contemplative for a moment.  "I'm sorry.  But you must have me 
confused with someone else.  I don't have a sister!"  She giggled.  "But my 
parents are around.  They look after me."  Sora remembered one of the lessons 
that she had been taught, and that was to say that you have an adult around if a 
stranger asks you about it.

     "Ah.  Well then, I'm sorry about that.  You should be careful.  Your 
parents might be looking for you now."

     "O.K!"  Sora chirped.  "Don't cry, you're to pretty!"  Sora then turned and 
bounded away.

     Tomoyo watched her go, vanishing into the growing crowd, trying to sort out 
the feeling that this Sora and the one in the future were one and the same.  But 
that wasn't possible, was it?

     *     *     *

     Sakura stopped at the corner down from where her house was.  Is.  She shook 
her head, trying to get the aches and pains to quit long enough for her to 
concentrate.  She was also having a problem with the temporal tenses.  But that 
could be saved for later.

     She walked along the sidewalk, looking at the children playing in the front 
yard of some people down the way from where she lived.  She didn't remember 
their names or faces, and didn't want to take the time to find out.  She had 
stuff to do today.

     There it was.  Her home.  Sure, it was short a fresh coat of paint, and the 
sidewalk had yet to be rebuilt, but there it was.  Home.

     Having decided that the best way to do this would be to be forward about 
it, but not making impossible claims, she walked up to her own front door, and 
rang the door bell.  She remembered that her mother spent a lot of time at home 
around this time, and hopefully she would answer the door.

     But there was only silence from inside the house.  She waited another 
minute, then rang again.  Still no sound from inside.  Her heart jumped in pace, 
but she calmed it down.  Maybe her mother was next door, or took a quick trip to 
get some groceries.

     She walked back down to the sidewalk, turned left, and walked over to the 
next home.  There were signs of life here, like the open front door.

     She walked up, and rang the bell.

     "One moment please!"  The voice of Mrs. Ikari (whom will move away in three 
years when her husband got a promotion) came from the inside, probably the 
kitchen.  Sakura rested against the railing of the verandah.  She could smell 
the cookies being baked, and wondered if she could charm Mrs. Ikari into giving 
her a couple.  She could still remember the taste of the last batch she had made 
for all the children those years ago.

     The sounds of approaching feet got Sakura to her feet, and on her best 
behavior.  Mrs. Ikari rounded the corner, and saw Sakura standing there.  She 
came up to the door.  "Yes, dear?  What can I do for you?"

     Sakura bowed.  "Hello.  My name is Sakura Kinomoto."  She used the other 
family name, deciding earlier that it would save on confusion.  "I was just 
next door, at the Kasugano's, but they didn't seem to be home.  Do you know 
where they are?"

     Mrs. Ikari looked over the young woman in front of her.  There might have 
been something odd about her, but her better and more trusting nature took over.  
"Actually, all three of them went to one of the nearby parks earlier today, for 
an all day picnic."

     Sakura breathed a little easier.  "Do you know which park?  My younger 
sister is a classmate of Sakura, and wanted me to give her a message, but with 
no answer to the phone..." She left the explanation hang, hoping that Mrs. Ikari 
wouldn't inquire further.

     "Sorry, Kinomoto-kun, I don't know which one.  All I know is that they left 
earlier this morning, and won't be back until supper.  I'm sorry you came all 
this way for nothing."

     "That's O.K.  I needed to get my daily jog.  I'll just tell my sister to 
phone this evening."  Sakura took a deep sniff.  Mrs. Ikari hadn't contradicted 
her dropping of Sakura's name.  That meant that Sakura Kasugano did exist, and 
she wouldn't have to worry about that.  There were still other things to worry 
about, but if she was right, this day would explain everything.  And for some 
reason, she felt comfortable just letting the day happen as it will.  "Oh, that 
smells good.  Were you baking?"

     Sakura walked away with a bag of cookies, promising herself to save one for 
Tomoyo.

     *     *     *

     Sakura was running now, one hand on the nearly empty bag.  She planned her 
route in her head, taking care to avoid major foot traffic, as that would only 
slow her down.

     She added a mental note to talk to Tomoyo about the next iteration of this 
dress.  This one was decent for a fight, but those lasted maybe ten minutes at 
the most, but she had been jogging in this getup for hours.  And she was getting 
hot, sweaty and tired.

     Right turn here, she could go around the open market place that was taking 
up the next block or so.

     Left, thread trough the crowd, and keep going a couple more blocks to avoid 
the spill over crowd.  She rested against a lamp post while waiting for the 
lights to change, then started jogging again.  Her bruises were starting to stop 
aching, she was thankful for the stamina and quick recovery being a Street 
Fighter required.  But she still had some things that would need a lot of rest 
and tender care to heal up.

     Time passed, Sakura really wasn't keeping track.  She had passed into one 
of the richer shopping districts, and here, she found the pedestrians very thin 
and far between.  A glance at her watch, and she figured she was ahead of her 
schedule.

     "LET GO OF ME YOU LOWBORN INGRATE!"

     Sakura skidded to a halt at the voice.  She shook her head to try and clear 
the sinking feeling from her heart.  That voice was just so damn familiar.

     "I SAID LET ME GO!"

     Sakura saw the origin of the sound, a black car had been pulled up against 
the curb, and there was a young blond haired girl was struggling against a pair 
of sharply dressed men in black suits.  She stepped on the foot of one, hard, 
and he let her go.  In response, the other man slapped her.  "Do as we say, and 
you won't get hurt."

     Sakura looked around.  No one else was paying attention.  No phone to call 
the police, and it didn't look like they had any weapons.

     Cursing the fact that she liked helping people, she walked up to the trio, 
and tapped one man on the shoulder.  "Hello.  Problem?"

     He snapped around, taking in Sakura in a single glance.  "Go away.  This is 
none of your concern."  He kept looking at Sakura while holding on to the girl.

     "YOU'RE TRYING TO KIDNAPP ME YOU OAF!"

     Sakura smiled innocently.  It couldn't hurt.  (Much.)  "Is that true?  
Kidnapping?  How awful."

     The man grinned.  "Yes.  Very awful.  Now run along home to your dolls, 
little girl, before something bad happens to you."

     She frowned in return.  "What's your name, miss?"  She directed this 
question at the girl who was being pulled into the car.

     "KAREN KANZUKI!  DON'T JUST STAND THERE!  I'LL PAY YOU TO RESC..."  The 
comment was cut short when a knife appeared in the hands of the thug.

     "Just shut up you loud mouth!  How does your father stand that noise?"

     Sakura glowered, face turned towards the ground.  What was it that she had 
said last time about living a cliched life?  Oh, yes.  That she seemed to be 
doomed for all eternity.  Her eyebrow twitched.  Then twitched harder.

     She was going to regret this for the rest of her days, and kick herself for 
it every time she heard that laugh in the future.  "Sorry.  Can't let you do 
this."

     The thug in front of her looked at her like she was crazy.  "What was 
that?"

     Sakura decided to make this quick, Karin was already in the car, and she 
could hear the thug talking to the driver.  And what was that sound in the 
distance, coming closer?

     "Hadoken!"  At this range, there was no chance for the thug to react, the 
blue ball sailed the inches between the two, and knocked him back a pace.  
"Problem is, she's a decent sparring partner."  A pause.  "Now why did I say 
that?"

     The thug didn't know what had hit him, so he dropped into his own stance, 
and examined the girl as she took hers.  He nodded, and the other man began to 
rev the car in preparation for a quick getaway.

     But there was some thing odd in her stance.  The way she held herself, the 
poise that wasn't there a minute ago.  He realized that she was professional, 
and may be another one of the brats body guards.  Why hadn't the intel said 
anything about this?

     He jabbed out quickly with his left hand, Sakura dodging to one side.  The 
thug gave a worried glance at the approaching sounds.  He drove a second, 
harder, punch into the space Sakura used to occupy, but she stepped back.  She 
lashed out with a kick in return, but the thug caught the foot, and twisted.

     Sakura was spun to the ground, landing softly as she caught herself.  The 
thug took the opportunity to jump into the car, and it started to speed away.  
She got back to her feet, clutching at her side.  She watched, helpless as the 
car raced away.

     What she didn't expect was to see the car pull a snap turn, and come around 
to facing back down the street.  A dozen other cars roared out of the side 
streets, giving the kidnappers good reason to turn around.  That was what she 
had heard just earlier, the approaching private army.

     She stepped out into the middle of the street, surprised at her own 
actions.  She took a deep breath to settle herself.  This was getting annoying, 
and she had to end this soon if she wanted to be on time.

     "SHINKU-" Sakura powered up her technique.  She quickly reached the limits 
of her own energy, and went that extra step, reaching for the magic to admix to 
the attack.

     Her eyes flew open at the surge of energy she now drew upon.  There was so 
much power!  She tried to shut it off, but it was like a floodgate opening, and 
it refused to slow before the will of the girl who called upon it.  There was 
only one thing she could do.

     "HADOUKEN!!!!"  Sakura screamed, letting all the power she had flow.  Had 
her eyes been able to witness the event, and not blinded by the raw power she 
was throwing out, she would have seen herself enveloped in the white halo of the 
Star Magic of the Clow.  From this nimbus, a column of power ripped away from 
her outstretched hands, closing with the car with Karin in it.

     She was aware of this, and she knew that if the force of the blow hit the 
car, it would be destroyed, and Karin along with it, something which must not 
happen.

     So she did the first thing that came to mind, and that was to let go of her 
control.  But it went against everything she learned these past few years, that 
control was the key.  If she stopped focusing the power, giving it form, and 
direction, it would stop being a danger to Karin.

     The kidnappers car tried to swerve to avoid this, but was engulfed by the 
uncontrolled burst, driven to a halt by what amounted to a manna charged 
sandblaster.

     Sakura tried harder to shut off the power, now coming out in all 
directions, but found herself drowning in the flood.  Before it became more than 
she could bear, Sakura felt something reach into her, and it was all gone.

     Sakura knew nothing as she fell.

     *     *     *

     Sakura felt a cold compress on his forehead.  "Tomoyo?"  She breathed 
softly, trying to focus on what had happened.  One moment, she was standing on 
the benches, cheering Yukito on, then the next, she was here, lying down in the 
shade.

     "She's outside, could you please open your eyes?"  The gentle voice asked.

     She opened them, one at a time.  It was bright, and she blinked a few times 
to clear her vision.  "What happened?"

     A hand was held up in front of her.  "How many fingers?"

     Sakura focused on the hand.  "Three.  And a Thumb."

     A grin and a nod from the doctor.  "That's good.  You should be more 
careful next time."  Sakura could only nod without understanding what he meant.  
"You up for some visitors?"

     Sakura nodded again.  "Yes, please."

     The doctor walked past the curtain in the tent.  "You can go in now.  
She'll be just fine."

     Tomoyo burst past the white sheet, Li following at a more leisurely pace.  
"SAKURA!"  Tomoyo leapt into the cot where Sakura was laying, causing it to 
creak under the sudden added weight.  "What happened?  Are you hurt?"  Kero 
poked his head out from a pocket in her blouse.

     "She just had a little to much heat, and to little to drink."  Yukito slid 
past the curtain.  "Sakura, you should know better.  Why didn't you drink if you 
were thirsty?"

     Li hid a smirk from the older boy, but it was in plain sight for Sakura.

     "Um.  Well.  I was just so caught up in the moment that I kinda forgot."  
She blushed at the berating, but took it in good stride.  That didn't seem to be 
it though.

     "That's good to hear.  It's to bad that your Sensei withdrew though.  She 
was a really good shot.  Said something about an unavoidable circumstance."  
Yukito shook his head.  "Come on you two, let's give her some rest."  He nodded 
his head in the direction of the entrance to the medical tent.  Li moved 
quickly, but Tomoyo wanted to stay.  Sakura leaned in a little

     'I need to ask Kero something.  Privately.  I'll be out soon.'

     "Sure.  But we'll be waiting right outside for you."  Tomoyo cast a worried 
look at her best friend, but trusted her judgement.  Besides, they were close 
enough incase anything went wrong again.  And Kero had moved onto the cot, and 
it would look like Tomoyo had left him there.

     "What is it, Sakura?"

     "That...  Kero, is it possible for two people to draw on the same power at 
the same time?"

     The guardian was confused by the question.  "What do you mean?"

     "It felt like someone just started using my magic, my strength, just 
ripping it away from me, then it stopped.  I think this other person was 
overwhelmed by what they got.  At least, that's the feeling I got."  She moved 
to a sitting position as Kero floated into her lap.

     He sat there, thoughtful for a moment.  "Well, I'm not so sure on this.  It 
seems to me that people who draw on the same sources of power, don't draw on 
each other directly.  Unless that's part of the magic, but that can't be the 
case here.  The more likely explanation was that Yue was testing you, through 
the Cards, trying to see how strong you are."

     "You mean the Judgement has already started?"  Sakura almost panicked at 
the thought.  She looked around, half expecting this other Guardian to step out 
of nowhere at any moment.

     "No!  No!  It's just a prelude.  Hey, think of it as a pop quiz before the 
big final, ne?"  Kero tried perking up his charge.

     Sakura smiled.  "Yes, that must be it.  But I hate pop quizzes!"

     Kero glided up to her shoulder, and she stood up.  "Feeling better?"

     "Yep!  I think we've kept Tomoyo and Li long enough.  Let's get going!"  
She said this last thing loud enough for her two friends to hear.  They got back 
together, and continued on to face the day.

     But Kero had silent reservations that he didn't show.  While he had said 
that this was Yue's doing, in truth, it didn't sound like something he would do.  
He worried that this was the work of the other Sakura, from earlier.  But why 
would she do something like that?

     Unless she wanted to make Sakura weak for the Judgement...  He didn't want 
to relish that thought, but decided to keep an extra sharp look out for that 
other.

     *     *     *

     "Well?"  The voice was distant and hazy, Sakura tried to get a clear focus 
on it.  She felt comfortable here, tucked in.  Tomoyo must have taken extra 
care.

     "Many bruises, and she shows signs of having taken a powerful beating 
recently."  A pause and the sounds of flipping pages.  "But she should be fine.  
Just a collapse from exhaustion and de-hydration.  She should be awake in a few 
hours."

     Not Tomoyo's voice?  But who?  It didn't feel like a hospital bed, not like 
those before.  Wait.  How did she get here?  Where was here?  And what had 
happened?

     She remembered the power flowing, letting loose with more than she could 
handle.  What was that?  Where did she get such strength?

     "Is there anything else, Sir?"  The second voice asked.  Feminine.  Older.

     "No, thank you.  Not at this time.  I think I shall wait here.  How is my 
daughter?"  Male.  Older.  Something about it seemed familiar.

     "She is doing quite well.  A bump on the head from the impact on the car.  
She will be fine."

     "Oh, thank the gods.  That will be all."

     "Of course, Sir.  If you need anything else, I will be on the grounds."  
The sounds of footsteps going away, the swish of a door opening and closing, and 
then silence.  A moment later, a steady three beat came towards her, and Sakura 
imagined an old man with a cane was coming closer.  It stopped right by her 
head, and she just waited, resting in this state between dreaming and awake.

     "So, who are you, young miss?  And why did you save my daughter?"  The man 
asked, obviously not expecting a response.  And Sakura didn't feel like talking 
back just yet.

     A touch.  Fingers along her forehead, moving hair out of her face.  The 
touch gave her strength.  Sakura stirred, twisting her head away from the 
unwanted contact.  She opened her eyes.

     "Awake so soon?  Amazing."  The voice came from out of sight, and Sakura 
turned to look.  An old man sat in a chair beside her, one hand resting on an 
ivory topped cane.  She pulled herself to a sitting position, looking about her 
without really seeing the opulence around.  She was sitting in a bed, silk and 
satin sheets covering the king-sized frame.

     "Huh?"  All things considered, that was about an average response.  She 
looked down at herself, finding that someone had bandaged her arms.  A check and 
she found another bandage on side of her temple.  She gasped.

     "Easy!  Please!  My people brought you here after you collapsed.  We tended 
your wounds, and placed you in one of the guest rooms while you recovered."  She 
turned to look at the old man.  "Ah.  My apologies.  I should introduce myself."  
He bowed slightly in his seat.  "My name is Kanzuki Gendo and this is my home."

     "Sakura Kasugano."  She replied a little hesitantly.  "What time is it?"  
She looked down at herself again, finally clicking on what was missing.  "And 
where's my clothes!?"

     A chuckle.  "Please, forgive me.  To answer your questions, it is a little 
before 5 PM, and it is still the same day.  As for your seifuku, it is being 
washed as we speak.  The doctor, she had it removed so she could examine you 
better.  Now, perhaps you will answer another question of mine?"

     She still had time.  Good.  But damn it!  She would be cutting it close.  
When, exactly did the Judgement happen?  "Oh.  Sure.  Ask."  At least her 
headache was gone now.  Wait?  Kanzuki?

     "First, Miss Kasugano, I must thank you.  Your timely intervention helped 
prevent my dear daughter from being kidnapped.  However, I must ask, why?"

     "Because."  Sakura blinked.  Why had she?  Sure, she had given an answer to 
that question earlier.  But it just didn't ring true.  "I didn't want her to be 
hurt."  It came out, but it wasn't the right answer.  Closer, but not quite 
right.

     Mr. Kanzuki saw through her momentary hesitation.  "Don't worry, sometime, 
doing good things because they are good is the right thing to do."  He sighed.

     Sakura looked down at the gown she was wearing.  "Umm.  Thank you for 
helping me as well, Kanzuki-San." It felt weird to use the Kanzuki attached to 
an honorific.  "Did I get this when I collapsed?"  She pointed to the bandage on 
her head.

     "Yes.  I was told you hit your head on the pavement."  There was a polite 
knock on the door.  "Excuse me."  He got up, and began to move towards the door 
leading into the room.

     Gendo Kanzuki.  She furrowed her brow, trying to remember what she could of 
the elder Kanzuki.  Karin never talked about him, so she didn't know much.  And 
the one time she was in this home before, she was to busy trying to stop that 
ancient diviner.  She didn't have time to go exploring.  She fell back on the 
bed, trying to figure out a new time plan.  She knew where she was, and where 
she needed to go, and as she though about it, the more she came to the 
realization that she was out of time.

     How was she going to get from here to the tower in time?

     The door opened again, and Sakura watched Gendo come back in.  "Problem?"  
She asked this politely, a plan forming in her head.

     "No.  Not really.  Just some last minute instructions on preventing what 
happened here today from happening again."  He reached the chair he had occupied 
earlier and sat down.

     "Umm, Gendo-san, how's Karin?"  She asked, looking down, hiding her face.

     "Say that again.  Please?"  He leaned forward, an intent expression on his 
face.

     "Say what?"  Sakura expressed her confusion.

     "My daughter's name.  Please."

     "Karin."

     "Who are you?  Really?"

     "I told you.  Sakura Kinomoto."

     "Oh?  You said Kasugano earlier.  And how do you know my daughter?"

     "Gomenesai.  My family is getting a divorce at the moment.  My mother's 
name is Kinomoto, my father is Kasugano.  I am trying both names, trying to see 
which one fits me better."  Her excuse came out without her thinking about it, 
and Gendo seemed to accept this as fact.

     "But that still doesn't answer my question.  You say my daughters name with 
a degree of familiarity, yet you don't use say it like you like her."  He leaned 
in, a sudden aura of menace surrounding him.  "Are you stalking my precious 
daughter?"

     Sakura recoiled at the feelings coming from him.  "No!  Never!  Why would I 
stalk her?  It's her..."  She stopped suddenly.  'who is stalking me.' Was going 
to be her response.  But she couldn't say that.  Not now.  Not here.  Not to her 
father.  "I can't tell you.  There is so much going on that I don't have the 
time to explain."  She looked around, searching for her clothes, before 
remembering they were being washed at the moment.

     "Oh?  You have a secret, young Sakura.  And it involves my daughter.  That 
means it involves me.  Tell me."

     "No."  Sakura looked straight into the eyes of the elder Kanzuki, knowing 
that his stare was nothing compared to the ones his daughter could (will?) give.  
"I may be bad at keeping some things a secret, but this won't be one of them.  
But I can tell you this.  I will not be your daughters concern for years to 
come.  She is still too young to understand."

     Gendo leaned back.  "Very well.  And I would presume that your saving of my 
daughter today was part of some elaborate plan?"

     Sakura shook her head.  "No.  I would say it was a coincidence, but as one 
of my teachers keeps insisting on pointing out, there is no such thing as a 
coincidence.  I didn't mean to encounter her today.  If fact, avoiding her was 
on my list of things to do."  She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, 
pulling the sheets out of the way.  "I want my clothes back."

     Gendo looked at her.  "You are in no position to make demands, young lady."

     "And you are ill prepared to deal with me, should I decide to leave."

     "Are you threatening me?"

     "Just giving you fair warning."  There.  Behind the pitcher of water.  Now 
that she had moved, she could see it.  The Key.  She reached over, and grabbed 
it.  She knew it was close, just out of sight.

     "And why would my daughter be interested in you?"  Gendo decided that a 
separate line of questioning was required with his guest.

     'Because she's a stubborn little bitch who won't give up.'  That was 
Sakura's first response.  But she stuffed it back down, letting a more 
reasonable one come to mind.  "I wish I could tell you, but I'm not sure the 
ramifications of doing so."  Sakura stood up.

     "That so?"  A knock on the door.  "Excuse me."  Gendo got up, and slowly 
went to the door.  Sakura followed at few steps behind.

     "The young miss' clothing, sir.  Should I bring it in?"  A maid on the 
other side of the door held the costume in her hands, neatly folded.

     "Yes, please.  And I would like privacy while I change, Gendo-San."  Sakura 
smiled brightly, opening the door.  She reached out, took Tomoyo's handiwork 
into the own arms, and bowed.  "Thank you."  She looked expectantly at Gendo.

     "Very well.  I shall wait just outside for you to change."  Gendo smiled as 
well before walking out the door.

     Sakura closed the door, locked it, then ripped off the gown.  She took the 
moment to examine her own body, looking at the treatment given to her by the 
unnamed doctor.  Her bruises hurt when she put pressure on them, and her other 
injuries were recovering rapidly.  Satisfied that nothing untoward had been done 
to her, she put on the fighting costume, settling the weights where it was most 
comfortable. 

     She opened the door.  "Thank you!"  She bowed more deeply this time, before 
standing straight.  "Um, Mr. Kanzuki?  Can I ask a favor of you?"  She turned on 
the sweet and charming side of her personality.  

     "Oh?  And what might that be?"  He said this, wary of what her request 
might be.

     "I was on my way to Tokyo Tower to meet a friend, and I don't have the time 
to get there, unless you help.  Would you please?"  Smile.  Look cute.  
Unbidden, the image of Sakura Kinomoto in pompoms and doing a cheer came into 
her head.  Cute.  But irrelevant.

    Gendo examined her motives.  Since he had her names, his underlings were 
already working on building a biography for him, and examining her past for the 
truth.  "Very well.  For saving my daughter, I can do this small thing."  And 
this was also a good way to keep her under watch until the truth would be 
revealed.

     Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura noticed a man in a dark suit put his 
wrist next to his mouth, and speak some instructions.  He approached his 
employer, and bent to whisper something in his ear.

     "My helicopter will be ready in about 10 minutes.  If you will follow me, I 
will show you to the pad."  Gendo turned, and began to walk down the hall.  
Sakura followed beside him, and the bodyguard took pace a few feet behind.

     *     *     *

     She looked at the street in front of her.  The hole, actually a small 
collapse in the road was about three feet across, and about a foot deep.  But to 
her other senses, the hole was more than a miniature sinkhole that the repair 
crews claimed it to be.  Here was the source of the manna spike that collapsed 
the Card Captor.

     She could see the remnants of the magic, the imprint of the user that did 
this.  And she was confused.  Here, this felt like the little girl who was 
destined to become the next mistress of the Clow, yet she was nowhere near here 
at the time.  It was just so familiar.  Yet there was a slight taste to the 
magic here.

     This was her, but at the same time, wasn't.  There was another force that 
had worked here, not just the magic.  But she couldn't get closer to the 
epicenter of the event.  While the repair crews were diligently repairing the 
physical damage, she could simply wait for them to be gone before getting closer 
to examine the event.  If the remnants lasted that long, that was.

     *     *     *

     Sakura bent over, leaning against the tree, watching as EARTHY moved away.  
Her breath was ragged and harried, and she just didn't have the strength to move 
much father.  Tomoyo came up behind, camera stopped recording.  "What's wrong 
Sakura?"

     "EARTHY.  Moving.  Fast."  She huffed.

     "Give up?"  This came from Li.  But he too showed the exertions of the 
battle with EARTHY at the archery contest, and subsequent chase.

     "Never."  Sakura pulled herself to her feet.  "Fly."  She pulled out the 
card, and her staff was transformed with the power of the Clow.  She hopped on, 
and the familiar weight of Li and Tomoyo were added.  "You know," she turned to 
face her two friends, "when we get older, there won't be enough room on the 
staff for the three of us."

     Tomoyo giggled.  "That's O.K.  Li can walk."  She stuck her tongue out at 
the boy.  He scowled, but had no response to that.

     "Come on then.  That's years in the future, and we have one last Card to 
capture.  That's now."  She kicked off the ground, the power of FLY lifting the 
trio into the air.  Li used his divining board, and they took off above the tree 
tops after the fleeing card, the silent and brooding Kero following close 
behind.

     *     *     *

     The helicopter ride was short and tense.  Sakura looked out the window at 
the setting sun, thinking of all the time that was wasted.  Her host was looking 
at her, trying to divine her true intentions.

     "I hope I'm not late."  She whispered this to the sky outside.  Out one of  
windows of the helicopter she could see the setting sun, and out the other lay 
the moon and the first star of the evening.  Though not a star technically, she 
had to remind herself.  It was just Venus.

     It also seemed prophetic that the three sources of the Clow magic would be 
in the sky for the Judgement.  The Sun, the Moon and the Stars.  Cerberus, Yue 
and Sakura.

     "Late?  Surely your friend would not be so picky as to leave you if you are 
a few minutes late."  Gendo spoke from his seat.

     "It's a little more than that."  Sakura sighed.  "She's going to die 
tonight."

     "Your friend?"  There was a touch of concern, and surprise in his voice.  
But it had to be false, Sakura mused.  She had said so many things to him, all 
the truth, but never the complete picture.  She didn't blame him for thinking 
she was a chronic liar.

     "No.  Me."

     "Really?  And you refer to yourself in the third person?"  Sarcasim.

     Sakura twisted slightly.  "Don't start.  There are things going on in this 
day that are beyond your comprehension."  That came out far more sinister than 
she had intended.  She turned to look out the front window.  "How long?"  She 
tapped the shoulder of the pilot, who held up five fingers.  "I have a chance to 
correct a mistake made today that will change my life forever.  Yet, no matter 
how hard I try to convince myself that this is the right thing to do, a part of 
me says no.  That I have to die today."  She wasn't talking to Gendo in 
particular, but she said it aloud none the less, as though saying it would make 
it easier to understand.

     Gendo, on the other hand, didn't respond to this latest information.

     The helicopter circled the tower once, looking for a safe location to set 
down.  The pilot chose a spot a few dozen meters from the base of the tower, 
landing in the grass.  Sakura waited for the rotors to spin down, and the pilot 
to get our before opening the door, and hopping out on her own.  She put the 
headset back on the seat she had recently occupied.  She took a moment to get 
her bearings, then set off towards the tower, to the ring of onlookers.

     "Wait!"

     She stopped and turned.  "Thank you, Gendo-san."  There was a sadness in 
her voice.  "The next time we meet, I will tell you the truth of what happened 
this day."  She made this promise, secure in the knowledge that she would not 
have to worry about this for years to come.

     She walked away from the stoic business mogul.  He instructed his pilot, 
and the chopper wound down, to wait.

     Sakura ran towards the lobby at the bottom of the tower.  "YURIKO!"  She 
hopped onto bench to be head and shoulders above the crowd.  "YURIKO!"  Again 
she yelled, trying to get the attention of her friend.

     Oh.  Yes.  In all the hustle, she had forgotten that she asked her to wait 
on the observation deck, high above.  She hopped down, forcing her way past the 
evening crowds to the elevators.  She reached one, and crowded herself in.  She 
felt lucky to catch one now, instead of having to wait.

     The ride was slow, but she had the time to cool down, and reflect.  The Key 
was in her hand.  But what right did she have to treat Gendo Kanzuki like that?  
To be rude and downright insulting to him, after he opened his home to her?  She 
banged her head against the doors, much to the annoyance of the other passengers 
in the car.  She added apologizing to him to her mental list of things to do.

     The door opened to the observation deck, and Sakura led the exodus from the 
elevator onto the closed promenade.  Yuriko should be around here somewhere.  
She found a relatively open spot, then jumped.  "Yuriko!"

     "Sakura!"  A hand stuck up, and a familiar camera was put where Sakura 
could navigate by.  She wormed her way through the crowd, and found her friend 
saving a seat for her on a bench.

     "I'm so sorry!"  Sakura hugged Tomoyo.  "I got delayed."

     "Sakura!  You're hurt!"  Tomoyo put a hand on the bandage on her head.  
Sakura winced.

     "I'm sorry.  I fell on my way here, and had to get some first-aid."  She 
hoped this would soothe her friend.

     "Sakura!"  Tomoyo berated her friend.  "You should be more careful.  
Especially today.  You have a plan?"

     She looked around.  "Is there someplace private we can talk?"

     Tomoyo nodded.  "Yep.  Follow me."  She stood up, and led Sakura to the 
bathrooms.  Sakura shook her head at the simplicity of it, and the two took a 
back corner.  "Well?  What is it?"  There was an expectant look in her face, 
like she wanted Sakura to have a plan.

     "Tomoyo..."  How was she going to break this to her?  All her doubts and 
indecision's?  "Tomoyo, I went to my house after we parted."

     She blinked.  "Nani?  You went to your house?  But no one would be home.  
Your dad was away today.  Why?"

     Sakura shook her head.  "No.  Not to Kinomoto.  To Kasugano.  I needed to 
know something."

     "Oh?  And what did you find out?"  A person entered the bath, took one 
glance at the two girls talking in the corner, and went about her business.

     "I exist."  Seeing further elaboration was needed, she kept talking.  
"Sakura Kasugano.  Me.  Her.  She's alive."

     Tomoyo was confused.  "What are you saying?"

     "I don't think we should do this."  There.  It was said.  Let's just 
abandon this whole crazy plan, and go home.

     Tomoyo hung her head, putting her hands into her pockets.  "Tomoyo?"  
Sakura reached out to put a hand on her friends shoulder.  "What's wrong?"

     Tomoyo flinched at the touch.  "Why?  Don't you want to be yourself again?"  
She said this in a tone of voice that Sakura knew meant she was fighting back 
the tears.

     "But I am myself..."  Her voice trailed off, trying to figure out what her 
friend was getting to.

     "But you're not!"  Tomoyo's hands tightened into fists in her pockets.  
"You're not.  And now we have the chance to set things right, and you want to 
throw it away?"

     "Tomoyo..."  Sakura tried to reach out for her, but Tomoyo backed away.

     "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?"  Tomoyo suddenly screamed.  She backed up another 
step.  Sakura echoed the question mentally, wondering what was happening, and if 
now was the right time.

     "Please don't yell.  There's nothing wrong with me."

     "YES!  Yes.  Yes there is.  Why don't you want to save your life?"

     Because it's not my life to save.  The thought came up, scaring Sakura.  "I 
do."  She said this, taking a step forward, while Tomoyo took another step 
backwards.  "Talk to me.  Tell me what's wrong.  Please."

     "What's wrong?  What's WRONG?  I'll tell you what's wrong.  It's YOU!  YOU!  
You're what's wrong.  You're not who you're supposed to be.  You keep clinging 
to your other life, trying to keep it when you shouldn't.  You should be 
yourself.  Not this...  This imposter."

     "Tomoyo, you're not making any sense."  Sakura stepped back, putting her 
hands in the open, to try and settle her down.

     "Do you have any IDEA what I WENT THROUGH?"  Tomoyo began screaming again.  
Her face turned beet red, and her eyes went wild.

     "..."  Sakura opened her mouth to say something, anything, but she didn't 
get the chance.

     "four years."  She whispered.

     "What?"

     "Four Years."  A flat, emotionless tone.  But better than the screaming.  
"After the Judgement.  You were dead.  Li left a couple days later.  He had 
already forgotten about me, and the time we had spent with you.  Yue had robbed 
the world of everything that you had done, all that associated with the cards.  
You all went away and I was alone.  Your friends tried to comfort me, but 
without the memories of you to bind them to me, they became distant and drifted 
away.  My mother couldn't understand what was wrong with me.  How could she?

     "I stopped caring.  Without my Sakura, without you, I just wanted to give 
up.  I once even tried to sneak into your house one night.  I wanted to open the 
book, and beg Yue of Kero to bring you back.  But I couldn't get in.  I even 
tried sending a letter to Li and his mother, but they never responded.  I don't 
know why.  Maybe they didn't get it, or threw it away as a mistake, without ever 
reading it.

     "Did you know that I ran away, over a half dozen times in the next couple 
years?  My mother sent me to see a psychiatrist after the fourth attempt.  To 
try and find out why her precious little daughter had lost the will to live.  
But what was I to say?  Who would believe me?

     "I even had the Key, after this night.  I had it with me when I got home, 
and I kept it more treasured and secret than anything else I ever had.

     "I just gave up.  My grades plummeted, I lost so much weight.  I just 
wanted to die, but couldn't bring myself to do more than waste away.  I even 
stopped singing.

     "But then, it was a couple years later.  From now.  I was on a school trip 
to the Diet.  There were a few other classes from other schools there at the 
same time.  The classes mingled.  That's when I saw you.  This new you.  Sure, 
you were taller, buffer, a different eye color, but there was something about 
you.  I knew right then and there that it was you.  A certain presence.  My 
prayers and pleas had been answered!

     "I was tempted to drop everything and just rush to you and hold you right 
then and there, but the crowds moved, and I lost you.  I looked all around for 
the rest of the day.  But I did see what you were wearing, your school uniform.  
When I got home that night, I could do nothing but think about you.  I went 
online and found that uniform you were wearing.  And the school that you went 
to.

     "I spent the rest of the semester plotting and planning.  My mother, and 
the teachers at school were amazed at my sudden turnaround.  No longer was I a 
slothful, sullen child, I had a goal, and the desire to get there.  But they 
didn't know the nature of my goal.  I pulled my grades up, got back into a 
couple clubs.  At the end of the semester, I got a transfer to your new school.  
I told my classmates that I was moving to another part of town because of my 
mothers business, and I told my mother...  Well, I told her I was looking for 
you, and moved out of the house without looking back.

     "I had found a nice family to board with, changed my name, and got into 
your class.  I had to start from scratch with you, had to become your friend 
again, but I could do it.  I loved you, and still do.  I got back into the A/V 
club, and the sewing club as well.  I knew you almost as well as you knew 
yourself.  I knew it was going to take some time to get back to the way were 
were before, but until then, I was content to be near you.

     "But, you weren't the same.  You didn't remember me from your previous 
life, and as time went on, things only got worse.  You just...  One day, you 
remember?  Don't you?  Your father came to the school one day, you know?  To 
give a lecture about some ancient culture.  You looked right at him, and didn't 
recognize him either.

     "He brought a few books with him, and among them was the Book of the Clow.  
I don't know if this was fortune, or something else.  But I saw it, and maybe, I 
thought that I could use them to return you to normal.  I had the Key, and I 
waited for a moment when I could be alone with the book.  I would beg for Kero's 
help.  Your father was keeping it in the teachers lounge, and I decided to steal 
the book.

     "I won't say how, but I did.  I got the book.  But it wouldn't open!  I 
tried the Key, but it wouldn't fit!  I got angry then, and slammed the book 
around, trying to force it to open, to wake either Yue or Kero.  But it didn't 
work.

     "I put the book back.  Well, gave it back to your father, pretending that 
he had dropped it in the hall.

     "You know what happened after that.  I went back into a slump.  But the 
more I thought about it, the more I realized that maybe I couldn't.  I wasn't 
descended from Clow Reed.  How could I open the book, Key or no Key?

     "But then, it was a couple months later.  I was asleep in my room, and Kero 
showed up.  The book was opened, and he thought I had done it, because I had the 
key.  At first, he was surprised, he thought Yue's magic had gotten to me, and 
that I had forgotten, then had opened the book by accident.  But I quickly set 
him straight.  I told him that I didn't forget, and begged him to undo Yue's 
work.

     "He said he couldn't, but now that the Book was opened again, I had the 
Key, and so I was going to get all the cards back.  He tried to get me to open 
the Keystaff, but I failed, probably on purpose.  He told me off for messing 
around with powers beyond my comprehension, and I scolded him for jumping to 
conclusions.

     "We argued that entire night, but in the end, he relented.  He agreed to 
see you, and give you a second chance, to set things right.  I took you to that 
shop the next day, and you know the rest.  That's where it began."

     She looked straight at Sakura now, her voice barely wavering as she poured 
out the truth behind her life.  "Four years.  I lost you, and Li, and my entire 
life.  I gave up so much, and I'm just getting it back.  I don't want to loose 
it again."

     "Tomoyo..."  Sakura had stood throughout the entire thing, not knowing what 
to say.  "I'm sorry."  She took a step forward, and when Tomoyo didn't retreat, 
she crossed the distance between the two.  Tears began to form in her eyes as 
the full weight of what she had gone through began to settle.  "I didn't know."  
Sakura put her arms around Tomoyo, holding her close, eyes closed.

     She never saw Tomoyo look around the bathroom, and seeing no one, reached 
into her pocket, pulled out her taser.  She stepped back, and jammed it into 
Sakura's side.  The snap of electricity was cut short as Tomoyo rushed forward 
to catch her.  She looked around again, and began to drag Sakura into one of the 
empty stalls.  She propped the unconscious body on the toilet, and put her 
gently to one side, so she wouldn't fall over.

     She closed and locked the door, then crawled out under it.  She leaned 
against the door, taser back in her pocket.  "I'm sorry Sakura.  I don't know 
what's wrong with you, but if you won't save your life tonight, I will."

     *     *     *

     Sakura (Kinomoto) sat down on the roof of the Tokyo Tower.  It was done.  
It was done!  The last card, EARTHY was sealed, and Kero had finally transformed 
into Cerberus, his proper form.  Right now, he was posing for Tomoyo, who was 
just as exultant as Sakura felt.  Li was standing, leaning against one of the 
steel structures, looking out over the city.

     With a shaky hand, both from exhaustion and from excitement, Sakura pulled 
out a pen from a pocket, and pulled off the cap.

     A moment's hesitation, like she should wait before performing this last 
deed, but it had to be done.  Sakura put pen to Card, and wrote her name.

     *     *     *

     She felt the surge of power, and she turned to face the Tower.  Now?  It 
was happening now?  The teacher felt a surge of panic in her heart, and she 
began to sprint towards the Tower.  But in her heart, she knew she didn't have 
enough time to get there.  She could only hope Sakura was strong enough, that 
she could do this without the gift she needed to give her.

     *     *     *

     Sakura awoke with a start, snapping upright in the process.  She shook her 
head for a moment, clearing the static from her brain.  Tomoyo?  She had used 
her taser on her?  She put a hand to her side, where the singe marks from the 
electrical arc were burned into the fabric of her costume.

     "Why?"  She said this quietly as she put both hands on the sides of the 
stall, and tried to pull herself standing.  But she couldn't muster the 
strength, and sat back down, resting to regain her stamina.

     She ran the story through her head.  Tomoyo had said all these things, and 
Sakura was inclined to believe that everything she said was the truth, or as 
much as Tomoyo knew it to be.

     Why didn't she tell her earlier?

     Did she tell Li?

     She put her hands on the sides of the stall again, and this time was 
successful in getting to her feet.  But she was still unsteady on them as she 
reached out, and unlatched the door.  Under it's own weight, it swung open, 
revealing nothing.  "Tomoyo?  You there?"

     Sakura pulled herself to the door, and looked around.  No sign of her 
friend.  She looked across to the row of sinks, judged the distance, then 
lurched forward, propelling herself more by force of will than by her feet to 
cross the gap.  She reached the sinks, and with a shaky hand, turned on the cold 
water, splashing her face.

     She ran her free hand through her hair, and looked at the wall clock above 
the entrance.  Only a couple minutes.  Tomoyo couldn't have gone far.

     Correction.  She knew precisely where she had gone.

     Sakura bent down, keeping one hand on the counter, and began to vigorously 
rub her legs, trying to get them back into working condition.  She grimaced as 
the feeling of pins and needles shot up and down her limbs.

     That done, Sakura began to move towards the entrance, hoping to catch up to 
Tomoyo before she did something that she would regret.  "What are you going to 
do, Yuriko?  What can you hope to do?  Why did you hide all that from me?  I'm 
your friend.  Aren't friends supposed to trust each other?"  She kept asking 
herself these questions and more as she made her way out the door.

     *     *     *

     Tomoyo knelt down, held in place by Li as the winds whipped around them.  
She was somehow managing to film the entire series of events as they took place.  
Sakura was FLYing around the observation deck dodging magical blows from the 
Moon Guardian, Yue. 

     And it looked like Sakura was loosing.

     *     *     *

     Tomoyo sneaked into the maintenance hall, in the center of the deck.  So 
far, no one had noticed the battle raging above them.  But Tomoyo did.  She knew 
what to look for, the subtle signs of what was to come soon.  She followed back 
the same path she tearfully ran those years ago, letting her memory, rather than 
the light be her guide.  She turned left here, and there it was, the ladder that 
led up, to the top, where this was all going to change.

     She climbed the ladder, and twisted the lever, releasing the lock.  She 
pushed, but the hatch didn't move.  Her eyes went wide with panic, and she 
tugged and pushed at the hatch, every motion more forceful and desperate then 
the last.

     Exasperated, she let out a yell of defiance, and slammed her shoulder into 
the hatch.  All she got for the effort was a hurt shoulder.  And the thing still 
didn't want to move.

     She dropped to the floor, tears starting to crawl down her face.  How could 
she come so close, just to be stopped by a stuck door.  She punched the wall to 
no effect beyond keeping the knowledge that she was weak fresh in her mind.

     "Why did you stop?"

     Tomoyo turned to Sakura as she stood there, walking along the corridor.  
She was looking like hell, disheveled hair, slight limp, and sad eyes.  Tomoyo 
turned away, unwilling to see what had come.

     "Why?"  The question was repeated.

     "Why do you care?"  Tomoyo snapped.

     She could feel Sakura reach out a hand, perhaps to place on her shoulder, 
but Tomoyo cringed slightly, and the hand went away.

     "I care because I'm your friend."

     "No.  You're not."

     "Yes.  Yes I am.  I remember you when we were both so young and little.  I 
remember the arguments your mother and my father had over my mother.  I remember 
growing up with you, and our friends.  I remember meeting you again for the 
first time, when the teacher put you into the seat beside me.  I remember so 
much about you, and I act on these memories.  I am your friend."

     "It's stuck."  Tomoyo heaved, trying to fight the tears.

     "Stuck?"

     "The hatch."

     Sakura walked over to the ladder, and slowly climbed the few rungs to allow 
her to reach the top.  She ran her fingers over the metal, then climbed a little 
bit higher to set her shoulder into hatch.  She slammed herself into the metal, 
and it gave way, opening just enough to allow the fading evening light a 
momentary break.

     Sakura flipped open the hatch, the light coming in now.  "Tomoyo.  Come 
on."  She reached down for Tomoyo's hand.  Tomoyo turned around, facing the 
figure framed by the fading light, but it also looked to her sight that Sakura 
was glowing a soft white light.  Seeing the hand reached out to her.  She 
walked over, and put one hand over the other on the ladder.

     Sakura climbed out onto the roof, taking a quick glance around to see where 
the events she knew to be happening now were occurring.  Tomoyo heaved herself 
over the lip of the hatch, then closed it gently, making sure it would be easy 
to open again.

     "SAKURA!"  The young scream came from the other side of the Tower roof, 
sight obscured by the top of the elevator shaft, and other things.  There was no 
look between the two of them, as Sakura and Tomoyo ran towards the source of the 
sound.

     Sakura skidded past the corner, wind-milling her arms to slow herself down.  
Tomoyo stopped just short, pausing to catch her breath.  They both saw with 
shock what was going on that caused the scream of fear.

     The younger Sakura had fallen, the Keystaff, FLYs wings still attached was 
a few meters away.  They could see the forms of Li and Tomoyo the younger off to 
one side.

     Yuriko tried to run to help her fallen friend, but Sakura grabbed her wrist 
as she passed.  "What are you doing?" she hissed.

     "Helping!"  the reply was curt as she tried to pull out of the grip.  "Let 
me go!"

     "How?  What are you going to do?  Charge in there, screaming?"

     "If that's what it takes?  Yes!"  Another pull.  Harder, and Sakura could 
feel her already weak grip starting to slip.

     "No.  You stay here.  I'll go."

     Pain.  Sakura dropped to her knees, releasing her grip to clutch at her 
head.  Behind open eyes, she could see what was happening through the sight of 
the scared girl so far away.

     *     *     *

     "Sakura Kinomoto" Yue was saying as he glided closer.  "I have decided.  I 
have rendered Judgement upon you.  You seek to become the keeper of the Clow, to 
become their mistress.  I have decided that you are not suited to such power.  
Thus, this is my judgement.  That from you will be taken that which you love the 
most, the Clow Cards and all the memories of them.  This I take from you so that 
you can like your life, never to know them again."  Yue raised his hand, and 
gathered the magic he needed.

     And it was in this moment that Sakura raised her head and spoke the words 
that sealed her fate.

     *     *     *

     "Sakura!"  The scream from the younger was echoed by a cry from the older 
as Yuriko shook Sakura.  She looked up, pain gone, at her friend.

     "We're to late."

     Sakura felt the bottom dropped out from under her, as the blow was struck.  
What words had been said just know?  Why couldn't she remember?  She fell back 
as the magics kept in the form of the younger Sakura were released.  She gasped 
as the wave washed over her, leaving the sense of intimate familiarity, then it 
was gone.

     She could see Yue turn towards Li and the younger Tomoyo, unaware of the 
full extent of what he had done.  Roughly, she pushed Yuriko back, out of sight, 
then as Li and the younger Tomoyo backed away from the Guardian of the Clow, she 
got to her feet.

     "STOP!!!"  She screamed as loud as her lungs could bear.  She started to 
walk forward, not towards Yue, or the two cowering figures, but rather to the 
body that lay there, and the Sun Guardian who was starting at it, incredulous.

     Yue did just that.  He turned towards the intruder, surprised at her 
presence.  How had she gotten so close without his knowledge?  He turned his 
other senses upon her, to see for himself what she had used, and was startled by 
what he found.

     The Clow was about this young woman.  She had the Key, but no cards.  Who 
was this person?  Now that he was concentrating on it, he could sense RETURN 
nearby, but also in the deck that now lay scattered by the corpse of the 
previous claimant to the position his master, Clow once held.

     Corpse?  The interloper was ignoring him, rather rushing to the side of 
Sakura Kinomoto.  She crashed to her knees, checking the pulse of the young 
girl, then bowed her head.

     The two, Li Sayoran and Tomoyo Daidoji took the moments distraction to 
flee, to rush back the way this new person had come from.  Yue let them go.  He 
would still have time to wipe their memories clean later.  But this turn of 
events deserved investigation.

     "Why?  Why did I wait?"  She said to herself as Yue got close enough to 
hear.  Cerberus was there, looking pensive.

     "What is the meaning of this, Yue?  Sakura is dead!"  He spoke with a 
subtle edge.  Yue could see now that indeed, the soul of the young girl no 
longer occupied the body.

     "Who are you?"  He asked this question of the woman who now held Sakura.  
Tears fell down her eyes, and her breath was ragged.  She mourned.

     "YUE!  ANSWER ME!"  Cerberus was more demanding this time.

     "I do not know.  This was not my intent."  He looked down, a growing 
feeling in his heart that he began to associate with fear.

     "An accident?"  This came broken from the young woman with the brown hair.  
"You call murder a mistake?"

     "Who are you?"  Yue demanded again.

     Silence was her response.

     "Kero?"

     Both guardians froze.  How was it that she knew the name which Sakura 
called Cerberus?

     "Kero?  I need the Key.  Her Key."  She reached into her pocket and pulled 
out the Key that was hers.  "Please get it."  There was something in her voice 
that made him obey.  With a gentle motion, she closed the eyes of the young 
girl, then set her gently down.  She admired the handiwork of Tomoyo, then faced 
Yue.

     "My name?  I won't tell you.  Not here.  Not now.  That would.  Could cause 
problems."  She wiped the tears from her face, the failure clearly written in 
it.  "But you will need something, I suppose."  A pause as she looked at the Key 
in her own hands.  "Hitomi.  I know she won't mind."

     Cerberus had the Key in his jaw, now sealed away from the form of the 
staff.  "What do you want this for?"

     Sakura took the offered Key.  She felt its weight in her hand, cool 
compared to the heat hers was giving off.  A drop of rain fell on her open 
hands, and she looked to the sky.  The sun and the moon were gone, hidden behind 
the approaching clouds.  Only the stars remained.

     She tightened her grip on the Key that wasn't hers, and made up her mind, 
hoping that her trust wasn't misplaced in this.  Fast, she twisted around, arm 
swinging.  "YURIKO!  CATCH!"  She yelled as she tossed the Key towards the 
hiding place of her friend.

     Summoned, Yuriko stepped out from behind the shed, and looked at the Key as 
it sailed in a lazy arc towards her.  "Take it to Tomoyo!"  Sakura yelled again, 
and Yuriko reached out a hand to catch the artifact.  It stung in her palm, but 
she didn't drop it.

     Yue looked at her, but from this distance, could make out nothing more than 
the presence of RETURN.  "Move!"  Sakura yelled a third time, and Yuriko 
disappeared into the shadows.  She hoped she understood what she had to do.

     "What is the meaning of this?"  Yue brought himself to be as imposing as he 
could before this woman.  Now he would have to retrieve the Key himself.  
Annoying.

     "This is the meaning of this."  She didn't look at the body.  "Why?  Why 
did she have to die?"

     "She failed in the Judgement."

     "You lie."

     "Now hold on a minute!"  Cerberus stepped between the two.  "We have a 
problem here, and right now, I agree with Hitomi here.  Yue, why is Sakura 
dead?"

     Confronted by the other Guardian, Yue took the moment to think.  "It is not 
within my power.  I only did my duty, to wipe her memories clean."

     Sakura shook her head.  "That's a lie.  She didn't want this.  No."

     "And how do you know what she wanted?"  Cerberus asked.  There was 
something familiar about her, beyond the Clow, but he couldn't place it.  To 
much had happened just now, and he needed some time to think.

     "I know."  The response was matter-of-factual, giving no room for argument.

     "There is nothing we can do now.  We do not have to power to restore life."  
Yue said this flatly.

     "Then what are we going to do?  This was something Clow didn't prepare us 
for."  Cerberus looked down, not willing to see the failure of his work.

     "ERASE her."

     Sakura looked up, hope and fear in her eyes.  "How?  Why?  Isn't there 
something else that can be done?"

     "Go away, Card Captor of the future.  We must deal with this."  Yue 
gestured, and a great wind picked up, and blew Sakura away from them.  She fell 
hard against the shed that once sheltered her friend.

     What had just happened?  Why hadn't she acted sooner?  Something held her 
back for that moment, to give her the memories of that moment as they happened.  
Now she was in over her head, and who knows what Yue was going to do.

     "Hello."  Sakura Kinomoto walked into her line of sight.  "What's your 
name?"

     *     *     *

     Sora Hoshino wandered around, looking out the big windows at the city 
around her.  It was so big!  But it was kinda getting dark, and there seemed to 
be rain outside, so she would have to go home soon.

     She looked down at her knees, where the bruises were.  The owies would get 
her in trouble with mommy, she knew that, so she didn't want to go home right 
now.

     It had felt like she had been pushed down, but that nice black haired man 
made sure she was o.k., and even kissed the knees to make sure they would heal 
nice.  He said that he had a sister who was like her sometimes, and that her 
name was Sakura.

     Now she was just walking around.

     Out of the corner of her eye, Sora saw a white feather drift by, but it 
wasn't outside, but rather it was inside!  She didn't hear a bird, but she bent 
down and picked up the feather.  Obviously Bird-san would want his feather back.

     She looked around, and saw a second feather farther away.  She ran over, 
and picked it up as well.  She looked around, and saw a third feather drifting 
over by that dark hall.  She blinked, and saw that it wasn't all that dark, 
there was a light coming from there, but no one else seemed to see it.

     She walked over to the lighted doorway, plucking the third feather out of 
the air as she went.  The light was coming from the edges, and Sora tested the 
handle.  It moved freely, so she pulled the door open, and shielded her eyes 
against the light.  She stepped through, and closed the door behind her.

     She walked along, seeing now that there were more feathers that she could 
carry, so she walked over them, going towards the source of the light, that 
seemed to be back, behind a corner over there.

     Fearlessly, Sora rounded, the corner, and stopped, awestruck.

     An angel was curled up in a corner, wings spread like she had fallen there.  
With perfect brown hair, she looked up at the human intruder, pain in her eyes.  
Sora tenderly advanced, hand still wrapped around the feathers.

     "Are you hurt?"  Sora asked, bending down to look closer at the angel.

     The response was a blank, uncomprehending look that slowly gave way to a 
more gentle and kind expression.  "Hitomi."  The name came like an echo of a 
more distant proclamation.

     "Are you hurt, Hitomi?"  Sora dropped to her knees, coming even closer to 
the angelic face.  She is so beautiful, Sora thought to herself.  Of course 
angels would be beautiful, they were divine.

     Hitomi shook her head.  The light began to fade.  "No.  Not now.  Thank 
you.  What's your name?"

     Sora leaned back.  Just a little.  "Sora Hishino.  Here.  You dropped 
these."  She held up the feathers she had collected on her way here.

     "Oh.  Thank you."  Hitomi took the offered gift, and looked around at her 
surroundings.  "Where are we, Sora?"

     Sora thought for a moment.  "Here, of course.  It's a big tower, lot's of 
room around to see the entire city.  Did you fall?"

     Hitomi stood up, leaning against the wall.  She looked down at the little 
girl before her.  "Fall?  No, I don't think I fell."  She looked around, gazing 
back and forth at all the things around her.  "Do you see it?  I think I'm 
missing something."

     Sora looked around in confusion.  The feathers were dissolving into light, 
and then to nothing.  "What are you looking for?"

     Hitomi looked at Sora.  "Do you have it?"  She reached out and put her hand 
on Sora's head.  "No.  You don't."

     "What is it?"  Sora looked up at her, with wonder in her eyes.

     "I'm missing something very dear to me."  Hitomi's head tilted back and 
forth, still looking about.

     "I know!  We can go ask around.  I'm sure someone has seen it!"  Sora took 
the angels hand, and began to drag her back the way she came.

     "Wait.  I can't go out like this."  Hitomi looked down at what she was 
wearing, or lack thereof.  She closed her eyes, and Sora watched, entranced as 
the angel took on a more human form.  Her skin darkened to a more tanned tone, 
and her hair moved from brown to black, growing past shoulder length.  She  
gained a light blue knee length dress and running shoes to match.  She leaned 
down to be face to face with Sora.  "There.  Much better."

     "Wow."  Sora's eyes glazed over at the transformation.  It was like all 
those Magical Girl shows on TV, but only in reverse, and without the pretty 
colours.  Now the angel looked like a normal girl!

     "Actually, I wanted to look a little like you."

     "You knew what I was thinking?"  Hitomi nodded.

     "Yep.  We're connected now.  You and me."  She knelt, and cupped her hands 
around Sora's cheeks.  "I need you.  I don't know if I can find what I'm looking 
for by myself.  Can you help me?"

     Sora thought for a minute.  An angel has asked for her help.  What should 
she say?  Well, she was a polite and very nice girl, as mommy kept on saying.  
So, who was she to deny the request of someone like her?

     "O.K!"  Sora chirped, now holding her hands behind her back and bowing 
slightly.  "I'll help you!"

     *     *     *

     It wasn't that hard to find her.  She knew where she would be.  The rain 
was coming down now, and the fading light was turned back as the outside lights 
started to come on.  Yuriko jogged in a straight line to the bench that lay near 
the outskirts of the Tower grounds.

     She wasn't surprised when she saw the green dressed figure walk away into 
the dark, never to return as she knew him.

     But it was the girl still on the bench, and the burden in her hand that 
drove her on.

     Yuriko slid into the spot only recently vacated, listening to the sobbing 
from beside her, and she wondered if she could join in.

     What was she to say?

     But she let her actions speak instead.  She held the Key in her open palm, 
in front of Tomoyo's face.  "You dropped this."  There was an edge of pain in 
her voice, of the loss she remembered.

     Tomoyo looked at the Key, then at the face that matched hers.  Through 
teary eyes, she looked up at herself.  "But..."

     Yuriko didn't give her a chance to finish.  "This is yours now.  You have 
to hold onto it."  She put the Key in Tomoyo's hands, then closed them around 
it.  "Listen to me.  She's not gone.  Not for good.  But when you meet again, 
she'll be different.  But the same."

     Yuriko looked up at the top of the tower.  She could feel a pull in her 
heart, and she knew that Yue was casting the magics that would remove Sakura 
from existence.  She had to make this quick.

     Tomoyo looked up at her face, and turned to face the top of the tower.  She 
trusted herself in this time, and wiped the tears from her eyes.

     "What happens now?"

     She was engulfed in a warm, if wet hug.  "You forget.  And in the morning, 
you will begin to remember.  It's going to be hard, but you'll get through.  
Sakura will come back to you, but you'll have to work for it."

     Tomoyo looked into her own eyes, grown older with suffering and hope.  Then 
the magic took effect, and she fell asleep.

     *     *     *

     "What?  How?"  Sakura could only stare in shock at the girl in front of 
her.  She tried to pull herself up, but once again, didn't seem to have the 
strength.  "But, you're dead.  You shouldn't be here."

     "I'm dead?  Oh.  Yes.  Yue.  I feel sorry for him, he was only doing what 
he thought he had to do, then I took it a little farther."  The ghost shook her 
head.  "But I'm not here to talk about me.  I'm here to talk to you."

     "But I'm you..."  Sakura said the words, but again, they seemed to fall 
flat, like a lie, and everyone knew it for what it was.

     "No.  You're not.  But that's not what we need to talk about.  I need to 
warn you, and ask a favor."

     Favor?  Warning?  The ghost of Sakura Kinomoto sat down beside her and 
they both watched Yue perform him magics.  "What kind of favor?"

     "Later, but first, I need to tell you something."  The ghost looked at her, 
and Sakura was surprised that she had such clear eyes.  "I'm dead, but a part of 
me clung to life.  My magic, and that part of me that wouldn't let Yue win, they 
are still here.  Alive.  I think."  She furrowed her brow.  "As far as she is 
concerned, she is me.  When you go home, look for her.  Please.  I don't know 
what she might do, but I know that she is also that part of me that thinks the 
Clow is hers."

     Sakura bent her head.  "Great.  Not only do I have to deal with Karin, Li 
and now Tomoyo, I also have to be on the lookout for some magical version of you 
that may or may not want to take the Cards away from me?"

     "Who is Karin?"

     Sakura blinked.  "Karin?  She's the most irresponsible, overbearing, 
arrogant and annoying girl that I have ever encountered."

     "Oh?  She can't be that bad, can she?"

     Sakura laughed for a moment.  "Yes.  Yes she can.  Thankfully she's been 
out of my life lately, and I can get some relaxation."

     "Why don't you like her?"  The ghost asked this, honestly wanting an 
answer.

     "Did you listen to how I described her?"

     The ghost became serious.  "Now just hold on a moment.  Have you tried to 
see why she's like that?  Maybe there's something bad in her life, and you could 
help her with it."

     Sakura huffed.  "Karin?  She's rich.  What could she have to want?"

     "It's lonely at the top.  Isn't that what the proverb says?"

     Sakura stared into space.  "Are you trying to tell me that the reason, the 
real reason why Karin is so fixated on me is because she doesn't have any 
friends?"  She voice was incredulous.

     "Yes!  Have you met any of her friends?  Has she brought them to show off 
to you?"

     Sakura thought about this.  Some things started to make sense now that she 
thought about it.  "No.  No way.  Not Karin.  She's not like that.  Can she?"

     Silence reigned as Yue and Cerberus had a heated discussion, which neither 
one could hear.  Sakura wondered if either of them would look at her, and see 
the ghost.

     The ghost started talking again, trying to get back into her mental track.  
"Wait, you said you know Li and Tomoyo?"

     Sakura sighed.  "Yes.  I do.  Tomoyo dragged me into this whole Card Captor 
thing, just because I'm you.  Li came along a few weeks later, and get this, 
they've become 'more than friends'!"  She looked at the ghost to make sure she 
had caught the innuendo.

     The ghost laughed.  "Tomoyo and Li?  Wow.  That's so nice for them.  Just 
between you and me, I was beginning to think that Li was kinda cute."

     Sakura gagged.  She was beginning to have a crush on Li?  Him?  "Oh.  You 
said something about a favor?"

     "Well, you're friends with Li and Tomoyo, so I suppose that this is just 
something that you've already done.  But could you please be friends with them?  
They, well, Tomoyo really, will need you to be there for her."

     Sakura reached over and put a finger on the lips of the ghost.  "Li is 
doing just fine, but Tomoyo..."  She had to pause here.  "Tomoyo and I...  She 
wants me to be you, because maybe I am.  But today I've been thinking that maybe 
I'm not."

     "What do you mean?"

     Sakura hunched over, unaware of the slowing of time, giving her all she 
needed to speak her piece.  "Tomoyo.  She so badly, desperately wants to be with 
you again.  Still.  When we RETURNed to this day, all she could think about was 
saving you.  Stopping Yue somehow.  But she and I, we both failed.  You died.  
And she had to see it again."

     The ghost leaned over and put spectral arms around the young woman.  "But 
you are not me.  I can see that.  Why does she think that you are?"

     "Because I remember my life.  All of it.  Playing with Tomoyo as a child, 
playing with my other friends."  She clenched her head.  "No!  One or the other!  
Kasugano or Kinomoto!  I can't be both!"

     "You have my memories?  How is that possible?"

     Sakura pointed at Yue.  "Because of something he's about to do.  At least 
that's what Kero and Tomoyo told me.  And it's going to mess up the universe."

     The ghost looked at her very closely.  "I don't see it.  You are different 
from me, and I can't feel Yue's magic around you."

     Sakura pulled away from the gaze.  "What are you talking about?"

     "If you are telling the truth, then Yue didn't do this to you."

     "If he didn't, who did?"

     The ghost thought for a moment.  "You and me."

     "What?!?"

     "What do you remember of this day?"

     "What do you mean?"

     "Today.  In your life, not mine."

     Sakura shook her head.  "I can't.  Nothing about this month.  All I can 
remember is that my mom spent a lot more time at home for the next few months."

     The ghost stood up, and cupped Sakura's hands in hers.  "I think I know 
what has to happen now.  This is for you."  The ghost closed her eyes, and a 
small ball of light began to form in Sakura's hands.

     She looked up as the ghost began to fade.  "Sakura?"  She whispered, unsure 
of what was happening.

     "Yue will try his best to undo me.  But one of the things Kero taught me 
was that something, once done, can never be truly undone."  Sakura could now see 
right through her.  "But please, don't my memories of me overwhelm your memories 
of you!"

     "But this can't be right!  The Universe...!"  Sakura cried out, but the 
ghost was gone, leaving the shining star-white sphere clasped in her hands.  
Sakura brought it up to eye level, and examined it.  It was so familiar to her, 
and she wasn't surprised when it sank into the palm of her hand.

     She looked up in time to see Yue finish his ritual, and caught just at the 
limit of her vision, the blast of magic that started this whole problem.

     *     *     *

     Sonomi Daidouji looked out the car window at the figure approaching her 
car.  The female form was backlit, and so she couldn't make out the details of 
her, but she could see that she was carrying another little girl, one that 
looked like...

     "Tomoyo!"  She yelled as she leapt from the car, dashing towards the person 
carrying her daughter.

     "Mrs. Daidouji."  The young woman, he hair plastered to her face by the 
rain held the sleeping child.  "Thanks for coming to pick her up.  I don't think 
I could afford the cab ride to drop her off at your home."

     "Oh, my Tomoyo!  What are you doing here?  I thought you were at that 
archery contest!"  She took Tomoyo from the arms of the other woman, just 
looking at her sleeping face.  "Thank you so very much!"  She looked up into the 
face of the person who helped her daughter.

     "Hello.  My name is Yuriko."  She bowed her head to hide her eyes.  "I'm 
sorry for the inconvenience.  She asked me to call you."

     "How did you meet her?  Why did she come here?

     "Li Sayoran.  She came here with him, but he had to leave, and so I kept 
her company until you came."  Yuriko turned away from her mother, and began to 
walk away.

     "Wait!"  Sonomi walked forward, keeping pace with the retreating figure.  
"How an I thank you?"

     Yuriko paused, tears mixed with the rain, one indistinguishable from the 
other.  "Please.  Forgive her.  Forgive me."  She then ran away, towards the 
Tower.

     "What?  What are you talking about?"  Sonomi tried to catch up, but her 
child slowed her down, eventually, this Yuriko vanished into the crowds.

     "Forgive Tomoyo?  For what?"

     *     *     *

     Sakura jolted awake, wondering what it would take to get her sleeping 
patterns back to normal.  Yue and Cerberus were still standing there, just as 
they were, the rain falling down around them, but not touching either of them.

     She looked at her hands, at the gift she now held, her mind a mess of 
unfocused thoughts, trying to make sense of what had just happened.  "Memories?"

     Yue now approached her, and Sakura now found the strength to get to her 
feet.  "Now you have much explaining to do, Card Captor."  He said this very 
flatly.  "Why did you interfere?"

     Sakura swallowed.  This wasn't the Judgement for her, and she didn't feel 
like fighting Yue at this moment.

     "I didn't.  That was the point."  She pushed herself off the wall, now 
keeping her balance without help.

     "Explain."  Cerberus spoke up this time.  "How do you know my name?  Why 
are you here?"

     "I know your name because Kero is a much less intimidating name than 
Cerberus.  Besides, that's what Tomoyo called you."

     "Tomoyo?  What does she have to do with this?"

     Sakura's heart lurched.  What to say?  The truth.  "She has the Key.  She 
has to have it now so that she will give it to me in the future."

     "Why?"  This from Yue.

     Sakura grinned a feral smile.  "That's my secret.  Not yours.  But don't 
worry, Yukito, you'll find out."

     Yue seemed taken back by the name.  "Then I won't use that guise when 
observing you, Captor.  You have some knowledge.  But that won't save you."

     "It won't be knowledge that will let me beat you.  I've got power you don't 
understand.  Power you and the Clow will need."  Too much!

     "It won't matter.  Why did you RETURN here?"

     Sakura stopped.  Why did she?  No.  Tomoyo.  RETURN was in Tomoyo, and it 
was her that triggered the card.  Pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place.  
"I'm here to make sure that my friend can go home.  It was her that activated 
RETURNs power."  Once again she had said too much.

     A flash in her vision, and Sakura doubled over, she screamed in pain, 
causing Yue and Cerberus to give questioning glances at each other.

     Sakura felt like she had just been crushed, her legs were sending sharp 
pains, and her arms felt like lead.  And the headache that materialized 
overwhelmed all these other phantom pains.

     'Don't let my memories of me overwhelm your memories of you.'  That is what 
the ghost had said, and some part of Sakura felt that this was the memory of 
something she had forgotten.  Something so horrible that she chose to forget.

     Something that happened today.

     And she knew.  She remembered Sakura Kasugano.

     The pain was gone in an instant, and Sakura, with a yell of focus, lunged 
to her feet, angling away from the two guardians, towards the exit.

     "Stop!"  Yue commanded, raising his hand as though to block her path.  But 
Sakura dodged around a corner, and broke the line of sight, dashing to, and 
dropping down the access hatch.

     She knew what she had to do now.  Why she had come back.  And why Tomoyo 
had.  Instinctual knowledge given form by her experiences this day.

     She could feel Yue following, and the power of Kero floating away, the 
sealed book of Clow in his possession, returning it to the Kinomoto household.  
Good.  Just as it was.  Let Yue follow her.  Events were now beyond his control.  
She was beyond his control.

     *     *     *

     The good thing about travelling with an Angel, Sora thought as they walked 
along the familiar streets of her home district, was that things came easier.  
Hitomi still held her hand, like she had the entire trip, and Sora felt 
comforted in her presence.

     "Here!  Just around the corner!"  Sora hopped ahead, and Hitomi increased 
her pace to keep up.

     They turned the corned, and came face to face with a disaster.  There were 
fire trucks scattered around the street, and people buzzed around like ants. 

     "Hitmoi?  What's going on?  That's my home over there."

     Hitomi looked around, despairing at all that was going on around her.  Over 
there were the smoking ruins of a building.  The one that Sora had pointed to.  
She bent down to look at Sora in the face.  "Listen to me.  I want you to stand 
over there, by that door to the bakery.  I'm going to go ahead and check on what 
happened.  And I don't want you to move from that spot until I come back.  And I 
will come back.  I promise."

     Sora nodded, and moved to the indicated position.  "I'll be right here!"

     Hitomi nodded, then began to walk towards the hub of emergency vehicles.

     To Sora, it seemed like an eternity later, but after explaining to that 
nice police officer that Hitmoi had told her to wait here, and that she would be 
back, Hitomi kept her promise.  The blue clad figure emerged from the dark into 
the light that surrounded Sora.  Tears streamed down her face.

     "Sora?"  She called out, her voice no longer as cheerful as it was before.

     "Here!"  Sora ran up to Hitomi and hugged her legs.  "Did you find mommy 
and daddy?"

     Hitomi released Sora's grip, then fell to her knees.  She had to lie, and 
she didn't want to do it, but what choice did she have?  "Sora?  You mom and 
Dad, they had to leave for a very long time.  But before they left, they asked 
me to do them a favor, and that was to be your sister until they came back.  Is 
that O.K. with you?"

     "Where did they go?  And why didn't they wait for me?" Sora demanded.

     "I don't know."  Hitomi hugged her close.  "But I'm your sister now, and 
we're going to live together."  The angel's tears fell of Sora's shoulders, 
carrying with them the burden of guilt.  "I need you now, and I am going to be 
there for you when you need me.  I promise."

     "O.K.  Can we go home now?"

     *     *     *

     Sakura was running the moment the elevator doors opened.  She threaded 
through the thin crowds, never slowing her pace, rushing past, around or even 
over whatever obstacles that were in her path.

     She could see the front doors now, the rain stopping as she approached.  
She could see Yue, standing there unseen by everyone else, waiting for her.

     She blew past him, not letting his stare slow her down.

     Outside, in the lights, she could see the standing figure of Tomoyo, and 
angled towards it.  Yue followed at a close distance.  As they got closer, 
Tomoyo started talking loudly.  "What are you doing?"

     Sakura called back, "Yuriko!  Stay here!"

     Tomoyo looked past Sakura and saw Yue.  She put a hand to her mouth and 
her eyes went wide with fear.  Sakura skidded to a stop in front of her, 
sneakers kicking up a pile of fresh mud.  She twisted around, putting herself 
between her friend and her follower.  "Now is not the time, Yue!  Not tomorrow, 
or even the day after.  You and I will have our time later."  She moved her head 
to look at her friend.  "I need you to stay here, I have a chance to save me."

     Tomoyo's eyes went from fear to joyous hope in the time it took for her to 
blink.  "You can?"  She whispered.  Her response was a nod from Sakura, then the 
fleeting image of Sakura kicking up mud in her mad dash.

     She turned to face the guardian, Yue, who stood there, looking at her.  
"What?  Are you so surprised to see me?  I win, Yue!  I get her back!"  She was 
proud that Sakura still had a chance to save her own life.

     But Yue startled her with his response.  "No.  Not you.  Although I suppose 
it makes some sense, your participation in these events.  It's RETURN in you 
that I find curious."

     Tomoyo smirked.  "You're a fool, Yue.  Sakura is going to win this time."

     "So you say."  Yue passed her by, intent on catching up to Sakura.  He had 
knowledge now, and that meant power.

     *     *     *

     Gendo watched the rain stop trickling down the window of his chopper.  He 
didn't intend to stay this long, but the rain had grounded his private 
helicopter.

     He wondered, not for the last time who this Sakura person was, and why she 
had asked to come here.  He waited while the pilot did his work in preparing the 
vehicle for his departure, all the while waiting for the fax machine to deliver 
the report promised.

     As if on cue, the machine hummed to life, and began to spit out three pages 
of information.  He picked them up, and looked them over, a scowl on his face.  
There were a few Sakura Kasuganos and Kinomotos in Tokyo and surrounding area.  
But none of them matched the description of the young woman who intervened 
earlier in the day.  The closest was a 10 year old girl with the Kasugano name, 
but that was it.

     He crumpled the papers in anger.  She had lied to him!  Him!

     The pilot rapped on the window.  "Sir, she's coming back, and she has 
someone following her."  He pointed towards the tower.

     Gendo leaned forward, and could see clearly the two people approaching.  
One was definitely this Sakura person, and the other was taller, and looked to 
be around the same age.

     "What does he have to do with this?"  The young man asked Sakura, who 
didn't bother to answer.  In fact, it looked to Gendo like she was annoyed by 
his presence.

     "Gendo-San," Sakura bowed deeply, "I know I've been a bother, and a pain, 
but could you help me once more?"

     "Why should I, when you won't even tell me your name?"  He stood there, 
impassive.

     Sakura straightened out.  "But I did."  A look of confusion crossed her 
face.

     "You are not Sakura Kasugano or Kinomoto."  He waved the crumpled papers in 
his hand.  But he was more interested in the quick look of anger that passed 
over the face of the man.  "But who are you, young man?  Do you know her name?"  
There was something extra about this tall, lean and pale man, like he should be 
seeing something that was there, but couldn't.

     "You may call me Yukito, sir.  As for this woman, I know her names.  That 
you cannot find them is of no concern to me."  Yue glared at Sakura.

     Gendo's cheeks flared red with anger.  Were these children playing with 
him, and his family?  "No.  I won't.  You have lied to me.  While you have my 
thanks for assisting my daughter, our relationship ends here."  He turned to get 
back into his helicopter.

     Sakura got angry.  It was an irrational, and illogical anger, but the 
Kanzuki name was not getting ahead in her opinion.  "No!  It doesn't end here!  
It will never end!"

     Gendo stopped.  He turned very slowly while Yue watched this impassively.  
"Are you threatening me?"  This was said with the edge of steel that promised 
death to her family if she said yes.

     Sakura laughed quickly.  "Oh, don't I wish.  You want the truth?  Fine.  
I'll tell you, and I don't even care if Yue hears this either."  She advanced on 
Gendo, more of a stalk actually.  "You see, Gendo-San, it is not that I don't 
exist, it's that I don't exist yet.  I'm from the future, not to far away, and 
not to close, and I came back in time to this day, not only for my sake, but for 
the sake of a friend.  Why today?  Well, I can tell you it wasn't for your 
daughter, but rather because today is the day that I died.

     "I know your daughter, yes I do.  She's a vindictive, self-righteous, 
conceited, little bitch who can't stand the fact that I'm better at her at the 
things we do.  I don't want to know her, Gendo-San, but your daughter 
practically stalks me in some misguided effort to prove herself superior.  A 
futile quest, I can assure you."

     She stopped advancing, setting her toes against his, and staring straight 
into his face.  "But you know what?  Today, I was told that maybe I could do a 
little better than that."  Sakura deflated, hunching her shoulders at the burden 
she found herself willing to take on.  

     "So, here's the deal.  You take me to Tokyo General Hospital now, And I 
will make that effort.  I'll try and be your daughters friend those years from 
now.  Please."

     There was truth in her voice, despite the natural impossibility of what she 
had said.  But then there was this Yukito (Yue?) who still stood there, 
impassive.  He didn't seem surprised by what she had said, rather he looked 
like he wanted something else to be said.

     Yet there was her, standing before him.  "Prove it."  It was that famous 
American, Carl Sagan who said it.  Extraordinary claims require extraordinary 
evidence.

     "Fine."  Sakura stepped back a couple paces, pulling out the Key, and 
holding it in the open palm of her hand, for Gendo to see.

     "Key which hides the powers of the Dark..
     reveal your true form before me!
     I, Sakura, command you under our contract..
     Release!"

     The Key grew as the incantation finished, revealing the full length of the 
Keystaff.  "This," Sakura grasped the Keystaff more tightly, fully aware of the 
guardian behind her, "is the Keystaff of the Clow.  Mine by contract, legacy of 
the magician Clow Reed."

     She then put the staff into the belt loop that Tomoyo had put into every 
one of her costumes.  "And this is my strength."  She cupped her hands in front 
of her, and slowly gathered her own ki into a ball that rested lightly in her 
palms.  She did this slowly, not wanting to go to far, and pull in the power of 
the Stars, like she did earlier.

     Once the ball had grown to a sufficient size, Sakura stopped feeding it 
power, and it held at about 20cm across.  She held it up, for Gendo to see quite 
clearly.

     He looked at her for a moment.  "What is it that my daughter will do that 
she considers you her rival?"

     "We're both martial artists."  Sakura let the ball fade, recovering some 
measure of the power in the process.

     "My daughter fights?  Come.  Tell me more on the trip."  He had heard of 
these few people, those extraordinary ones who could do what Sakura had just 
demonstrated.  Like that Ken Masters from America.  But from the future?  
Impossible!

     *     *     *

     The helicopter landed in an open part of the parking lot, attracting some 
attention.  Sakura dashed out, making straight for the nearest entrance, while 
Yue waited closer to the helicopter.

    "Is there something you wish to say, Yukito-Kun?"  Gendo leaned out of his 
seat.  This trip had been very informative, even though Sakura refused to talk 
about herself.

     "Yes.  Forget."  Yue, he dropped the illusion that covered his wings, and 
cast his magics, and wiped the memory of the past few hours from the minds of 
these mortals.

     *     *     *

     Sakura walked up to the nurses station, and asked for directions.  The 
nurse took a look at her, at her dirty hair and dress.  He also saw no harm in 
directing her to her destination.

     Sakura took the indicated elevator up to the sixth floor, and followed the 
map on the wall to where she needed to go.  In her hand, she could feel the gift 
of Kinomoto grow comfortable, and she felt the same sense in her heart.  It all 
made sense now, why she was who she was, and why she was who others thought her 
to be.

     She turned the hall, and walked past another nurses station, unnoticed by 
those attending.  She wasn't heading for the operating rooms, rather she was 
going to the recovery rooms here in the children's ward.

     Her hand skimmed along the name tags over each of the rooms, only looking 
at them to make sure she still had a ways to go.  But then she stopped in front 
of one of the doors, light shining out from under the frame.  She gently put her 
free hand to the knob and twisted slowly, not wanting to disturb those inside.

     As she opened the door, she could hear quiet sobbing from those inside.  
She slid through the narrow crack before closing the door behind her just as 
quietly.

     She crept farther into the room, the lights coming from above the solitary 
bed.  There was a single figure lying in the bed, various tubes sticking out of 
arms and legs, with white sheets covering the little girl up to her neck.  
Beside the bed, two adults were leaning over, resting on the frame and mattress 
of the bed.  The uneven sounds of the heart monitor stirred in her own heart.  
She may not be as good a nurse as Tomoyo, but she knew bad signs when she saw 
them.

     Still unnoticed, she walked up beside them, then reached out and ran her 
hand through the little ones hair.  "She's so weak."  Her voice was very soft, 
not wanting to disturb the rest of the injured.

     Startled, the parents looked at this intruder.  "Who are you?"  The man 
asked this, worried that this total stranger had managed to just walk in.

     Sakura turned, and bowed.  "Sakura.  I'm a friend."  She turned back to the 
child, and held her hand, careful not to disturb the I.V. drip going into her 
wrist.  "So fragile."  She whispered this, as something in her told her that now 
was not the time to dawdle.  That she had things to do, and she had to do them 
now.

     "What are you doing here?  Do you know our daughter?"  The mother tried to 
get a good look at the face of this young woman, but could not.  She kept her 
face angled away, and her hair messily draped over her face.

     "Yes.  Yes I do."  Sakura leaned over the child, now whispering.  "It's 
O.K.  You'll get better.  You'll have to fight to make it better.  But not by 
yourself.  You are going to have a new friend starting tonight.  But you won't 
know her for a few years.  She's going to change your life, give you new 
friends, and new strengths.  And all she asks is that you finish her work."

     Sakura stood up, and ignoring the looks of the parents, held out her hand 
over the sleeping form.  From it, the small sphere that she had received from 
Sakura Kinomoto drifted up.

     "What are you doing?  Get away from my daughter!"  The man stood up, 
commanding Sakura.

     "I can't.  I made a promise, I suppose.  Someone died today, and this is 
her last gift, to help this child."  The small sphere was brilliant, generating 
its own shadows.  "She's weak, and she is... she might not make it through the 
night."

     Silence came from the two adults.  "What are you going to do?"  The woman 
didn't know what to think, but this stranger was right, the accident had left 
her only child at the edge of death.  "Can you save her?"  She needed some hope, 
and this woman seemed to offer it.

     Sakura's response was a moment's silence, then she took the ball in her 
hand, and gently placed it on the chest of the sleeping child.  "Here you go.  A 
new home, for now."  The ball fell from her palm, and rested for a moment before 
sinking into the child.  In a moment, the light was extinguished when it 
vanished from view.

     On the heart monitor, the graph blipped for a moment, then the beat 
steadied at an even pace, far better than the slightly erratic beat a couple 
minutes earlier.  Sakura sighed, knowing that what she had done was inevitable.

     "It's done."  Sakura looked around for an empty seat, and fell into it.  
"Can I ask you a favor?"  She looked up at the parents.

     They didn't understand what they had just seen, but it seemed to them like 
they would be able to keep their daughter for another day.  "What?"

     "Over the next few years, your daughter is going to do some weird things."  
She somehow managed to retreat further into the chair, letting the immensity of 
what she was participating in set in.  "I know you're going to find them 
unusual, and unbecoming, but eventually, she might tell you the truth about what 
is going on in her life.  Could you please not force her to stop?"

     The two parents looked at her, confused.  "What are you talking about?"

     Sakura stood up.  She walked to the door while the parents kept looking at 
her, searching for some sign of her reasons.  Brushing her hair out of her eyes, 
she reached a conclusion, another promise she would have to keep.

     "You're right, it's not fair that you will have to be kept in the dark 
about what is going on in my life.  I'll have to tell you when this is all 
over."  She spun around, a smile on her face as she opened the door behind her.  
The adults were shocked by her face and eyes.  "I'm sorry, but it's going to be 
years before that promise is kept."  She stepped backwards out the door, and by 
the time Mr. and Mrs. Kasugano got out into the hall, she had vanished.

     *     *     *

     "I'm done here."

     "What were you doing then?"

     "Just making sure things would turn out the way they did."

     "I want an explanation."

     "You'll get it.  Just not today."

     "When?"

     "When you face me again.  At the Judgement."

     "...  Very well.  I will wait for you."

     "I would expect nothing less."

     Sakura and Yue then took their separate paths, each preparing in their own 
way for their next meeting.

     *     *     *

     "Where were you?"  Tomoyo stood up as an exhausted Sakura approached.  "You 
were gone for an hour!"

     "Sorry Tomoyo.  Yue messed with my ride back, and I had to run back from 
where I was."  She smiled as she caught her breath.  While she wasn't feeling it 
now, she knew that tomorrow, she was going to be a mess of pain and bruises.  
"Listen, it's time to go back."

     "What about Sakura?  Did you save her?"

     "Yes, I saved myself."  Sakura blinked as she realized that she hadn't 
answered Tomoyo's question.  At least not the way she had intended.  But that 
didn't stop her from thinking she had, Sakura thought.

     "Well, then, how do we get home?  I can't wait to see her again!"  She 
pulled out her camera, checking the battery and tape.

     Sakura gulped, not knowing how to break this to her friend.  She needed to 
put it off, to think about how she was going to do this.  "Actually, we need to 
go back to the gym before I seal RETURN."  She tapped her friend on the 
forehead.

     "Go back to the Gym?  Why?"

     Sakura sighed.  "Because when I seal RETURN, we are going to go back to the 
future, and Li and all my stuff is at the Gym, and people expect us to be there 
as well."

     "But what about that sensei who is there right now?"  Tomoyo smiled as she 
thought about how her life was going to change when she got back.

     "Don't worry about him.  I'll handle him if he gets in our way."  Sakura 
assured her.  "Now, come on, let's see if we can find a taxi or train to take us 
down there."  She put an arm around Tomoyo's shoulder, carefully keeping her 
hands away from the taser.

     It was nearly an hour later when the two of them walked into the Dodon Gym 
through the front door.  They stuck to the wall like they did earlier that day, 
though this time they were more careful in avoiding tripping over people.

     Sakura stopped, "Yuriko, go on ahead.  I'll be along in a minute."  She 
pushed her on ahead, then turned around.  "Sensei."

     "You're back, little girl."  He didn't bother to hide his displeasure.  
"Wrong Gym, again?  How typical."

     "Actually, we are where we needed to be."  Sakura smiled sweetly, happy 
that she had met him.

     "I will not have girls in my gym!"  He roared, drawing the attention of 
everyone in the gym.  He reached out to grab her hand, but Sakura slapped it 
away.  Now there was silence.

     "You know something, some of us 'girls' as you put it, we don't like to be 
called down."  She stood tall before this man, knowing full well that he might 
be good, but she was better.

     "So, you come into this holy place and defy me?"  He yelled, trying to be 
intimidating, but at this point, Sakura was beyond caring.

     "No.  Not really.  It was just a bonus.  You don't believe that a woman can 
do just as well as a man, and maybe you're right."  She leaned in, and grinned 
like the Cheshire Cat.  "We can be better."

     One of the things that people can learn from Hibiki Dan, things that people 
who do learn it are not willing to admit to.  It's not his rolls, or his power-
posing, or even his fighting skills.

     They know how to taunt.  And unlike their unlikely teacher, effectively.

     The few.  The proud.  The embarrassed.

     The sensei grew red-faced at her calm statement.  In his mind, there was 
only one way to prove her wrong.  He lashed out with a quick punch at her face, 
which she expertly blocked.

     Sakura didn't want to get into a fight but she just wanted to beat him.  
She stepped back, using her bracers to take the next couple blows, before 
throwing a heavy punch of her own.

     He blocked, barely, surprised by her technique.  It seemed familiar, but he 
couldn't place it.  He took a couple steps back to judge her more closely.  She 
smiled...

     "Hadoken!"  Her wrists snapped together at her waist, and just as quickly 
pushed outwards, sending the blue ball of energy right for him.  He was so 
shocked that the ball hit his chest, and he was knocked back a step.

     Fear appeared in his eyes.  He knew it now, and that this girl knew more 
than the basics of it scared him.  "Shotokan." He whispered.

     "Yep!  See ya!"  She relaxed her stance, and walked back to the storage 
room that would be the infirmary.

     The sensei looked up as this girl nearly skipped away.  Shotokan...  The 
Killing Style.  And she knew it?  Impossible.  No.  It couldn't be.  He grew 
more and more angry with each passing moment.

     She and her friend had gone into that supply closet, and so he stalked 
after them.  He reached it, calmed down, then ripped open the door.

     They were gone.

     "Where are they?"  He seethed.  He was sure they had walked in here, 
certain of it.  "Where?"

     "They went it there, sensei."  One of the students said.

     "But they're not in here anymore!"  He looked around the gym, spending 
minutes trying to find some sign of the two intruders.

     He stopped at the front door, and he looked back at his students.  "I will 
not tolerate my gym being defiled by mere girls!"

     "OYAJI!!  What is this you say about girls?"

     The sensei spun around.  "And who are you?"

     "I am Hibiki Dan, the MIGHTY!  And who are you?"

     "I am the sensei and leader of this gym."

     "Then, as the person in such a high and noble position, you should be aware 
that a persons ability is not measured by their gender, by rather by their 
desires and will!"  Dan thumped his chest proudly.

     But the sensei was at the end of his patience.  To much had happened this 
day, and he wasn't known among his students at a tolerant or forgiving person.  
He slammed his fist into Dan's stomach, folding him like a twig.

     "If you, and every two bit tramp thinks that a mere female can do better 
than a man, then by all means, fail miserably."  The sensei walked out the door 
of the Dodon Gym, calling out as he entered the street.  "You can have this 
place, Hibiki Dan, I leave it to you."  He stalked away, leaving a very confused 
man dressed in pink behind him.

     *     *     *

     Tomoyo's eyes were getting teary as Sakura released the Keystaff, and began 
the incantation to seal RETURN.  She brought the tip of the staff gently down on 
her head, and after the light show caused by the sealing of the card, they saw 
that they were back in the familiar surroundings.  Sakura held the RETURN in her 
hand, looking at it.

     She felt sorry for Tomoyo, not telling her the truth.  But what else could 
she do?

     "HEY!  What was all that?"  The two of them looked up at Kero as he floated 
down from top of the medicine cabinet.  He looked at the Card in Sakura's hand.

     "KERO!  She's back!"  Tomoyo jumped for joy, and grabbed the plushie, 
hugging him close.

     Kero tried looked at Sakura, wondering what Tomoyo was talking about.  But 
Sakura sadly shook her head.  She found her pen, and wrote her name on the card, 
signing it to her possession.  "Yuriko-chan, could you please go out and see if 
Li is O.K?  Please?  I need to talk to Kero for a moment."

     "Sure!"  Tomoyo bubbled with joy as she skipped out of the room.

     Sakura waited five seconds after the door closed before opening her mouth 
to speak.  But Kero beat her to it.  His voice was flat and angry.  "You have 
RETURN."

     "Yes."  Sakura was hoping she might get the first word in, but now she knew 
she was in for it.

     "I have held by peace since I first saw you in that store.  I remembered 
you from that day, when you were on the train, and when you walked out of the 
shadows.  I remember your words, dodging the truth.  Why did you interfere with 
Sakura back then?"

     Sakura collapsed on a bed.  "You keep on saying, Kero, that there are no 
such things as coincidences.  That everything and every action has some greater 
purpose.  Have you tried applying that philosophy to that day?  Have you thought 
about the fact that what I did that day was more than what it seems?"

     "Yes.  Yes I have.  And every day I wonder why that beautiful little girl 
was killed.  Yue doesn't know why you died, he is certain his power was not 
going to do that.  Every day I think that what you did was beyond your control."

     "Kero.  Cerberus.  We returned, not for my benefit.  Not so that I could 
know and influence what happened.  No.  That could have happened at any time.  
No."  She then encapsulated the events as she experienced them on that day.

     She finished her story, leaving nothing out.  Not her encounters with the 
Kanzuki family, or Tomoyo's assault.  Nothing.  "But, RETURN was in Yuriko, and 
not me.  That tells me that it was drawn to her, and it was her that controlled, 
or at least directed the Card.

     "Sakura Kinomoto is dead.  And there is nothing that Yue, or you, or I or 
the Cards can do about it.  She's gone.  But she never accepted that.  She never 
let go.  In her heart, she was still alive.  To her, Sakura never died on the 
tower that day.  To her, she's still alive, in me.  Is me.

     "She's wrong.  I'm not her.  I never was, and never will be.  Yes, there is 
a part of her in me, but there is also me in my heart."

     Sakura buried her face in her hands.  "She died that day.  She died, and I 
lived in her place.  And she is never going to forgive me for that."

     She turned around then, to look at Tomoyo, standing in the doorframe, Li 
hung over her shoulder.  He looked like Sakura did, beaten and battered, but 
eyes ever proud.  But it was the focus between Tomoyo and Sakura that was 
everything.

     Li limped over to the empty cot and fell into it, closing his eyes.  There 
was a tension here that needed to be broken, but he didn't know how.

     The tears ran freely down Tomoyo's face, but she didn't blink as she 
searched Sakura's eyes for any sign of her best friend in the whole world.

     Finding nothing, she turned around, and walked away.

     *     *     *

     Consciousness returned slowly and painfully.  She shook her head slightly, 
judging the injuries she had sustained.

     She had failed.

     She pulled herself to her feet, looking about for traces of her target.  
Her uniform was singed from the fire the monk breathed, and she had to lean up 
against one of the legs of the Budda statue to stand.  Her target was gone.  But 
something was amiss.  He had defeated her.  (And she had acquired the 
information required, although not by being victorious.)

     Then he had looked.  *Looked* at *her* like she was a mystery.  What was it 
that he had said?  Something about fixing what was wrong with her?  No.  That 
can't be right.  There was nothing wrong with her.  She was perfect.  Her lord 
had seen to that.

     He had looked into her, and fixed it.

     But what had he fixed?

     Cammy thought about this as she shambled towards the exit.  It never 
occurred to her to use the name given to her by Bison, the Killer Bee.

     *     *     *

     Karin Kanzuki, heir to one of the great financial empires of the world, was 
not having a good day.  She stood in the middle of the gym located in her 
mansion, waiting for the next round.

     Around her lay the shattered remnants of hundreds if not thousands of 
targets.  Each was ground to dust, the white powder covered every square inch of 
the room.

     "Now!"  She barked at the hidden servants.  From around her, over a dozen 
targets ranging in size, composition and flight path flew into the air.  She 
snapped her head back and forth, her gaze judging each target.  Some fool had 
painted numbers on each of the targets, from 1 on up.  She would have to fire 
the impudent fool when she found him or her out.  But for now, she liked the 
minor added challenge.

     With a flick of the wrist, she snapped a blue SHOT at the first numbered 
target.  Without waiting to see the damage she had caused, she sent SHOTs flying 
at all the other targets, in the numbered order.  In seconds, the targets were 
turned to dust, added to the ever growing pile on the floor.

     "One more.  Give me the Big One."  Her command was met with the silent 
hustle as her servants moved to put the commanded target into its position.

     The large block of granite was pulled out to the middle of one of the 
walls.  Karin examined the stone to make sure that it was undamaged on the side 
facing her.  This was her final practice measure, one that she had planned would 
give her the strength to defeat that one thing of the incompetent Sakuras that 
made her, and she choked on this, made Sakura a better fighter than her.

     It was that Ki projectile.  Her super powered Shinku-Hadoken.  SHOT was a 
match for her normal projectiles, but she needed more to match the peasant's 
greatest technique.  And this was it.

     She took her own position a few meters from the block.  Looking at the 
picture of Sakura nailed to the block, she built up her anger, her rage at the 
woman she imagined she was targeting.  Her power built, and she channeled that 
power to her assistant in her quest, who took it and focused it into the cup 
formed of her hands.  She was, perhaps unconsciously, mimicking the style of her 
rival as she threw more of herself into the blow that was coming.

     Then it was ready.  The ball of white energy clamped in her hands was 
formed.  For a moment, Karin admired the beauty of it, but like all things, she 
would just throw it away.  With a wordless yell, she threw herself forward, 
swinging the ball in front of her until it was pointed at the block.  At the 
height of her yell, she pushed the ball away with what was left of her will, and 
in response, the white ki left a scorching trail in the air as it pulsed towards 
its target.

     The ball slammed into the stone, and the crack of shattering granite was 
drowned out by the exploding ki.  When the dust had settled after long minutes, 
she saw with satisfaction the deep crater formed in the stone.  Of the picture, 
there was no trace.

     "Clean this up."  She said this as she left the room.  She walked slowly to 
her room, not letting her tiredness be apparent.  When she entered her room, she 
locked the door behind her, stripped down, then fell into bed.

     And visions of the Kanzuki-reppa danced in her head.

=====
Author's notes

DON'T BLAME ME!  It was all Smlee's idea!  Honestly!  Lynch him!  Not Me!

Just kidding.

The first draft had 29971 words, and was 171kb in size.
This, the final draft you are reading, is only slightly smaller, but not by 
much.  A couple dozen words.

I promised cool and the occasional WTF?, and you got them.  But first, 
explanations in order of appearance, or something like that.

The Events of the Judgement, as they appear in this chapter differ from the 
events as they transpire in the Manga/Anime.  I did this deliberately, not only 
because once again, my lack of access to the source material makes itself known, 
but because things had to happen differently in order for things to turn out the 
way they did.
Smlee, in his previous part, stated for the first time, Sora's actual apparent 
age as 8.  During the planning for these few episodes, we butted heads over just 
how old we thought she was.  You know his opinion, but I insisted that she was 
more mature, closer to 12 or 13.  So, in an attempt to get both ways, I have 
relented that Sora is, in fact 7 or 8 years old.  And has been for the past 6 
years, thanks to 'Hitomi'.  *grin*
During Li and Sakura's fight near the start, a question was raised over what 
Sakura was doing to hit Li with her Hadoken.  The answer to that lies in SFA3.  
In that game, Sakura was capable of 'holding' her fireball, allowing her to more 
accurately time her attacks.  That's what she did here, she held her attack, 
took two steps forward, then let Li have it.
And now, at long last, after 22 episodes, Li finally gets his first Super Art 
Combo!  I had some reservations of the nature of his Super.  I immediately ruled 
out some sort of Shinku-Hadoken copy, as it didn't fit in with his style.  What 
was his style?  Effective.  So I developed the "Slam and Flip" that you see 
above.  Just remember future writers, that Street Fighters usually have three 
different supers.  This was just the first.  ;)
Sorry, I don't have the source material about the episode of CCS where RETURN 
was introduced/sealed, so I went by the seat of my pants on that one, and had to 
tone it back a couple times to fit properly.  The Audio/Visual/Tactile effects 
were all out of my head.
Yes, Hoshino is Soras family name.  Well, actually, we were first introduced to 
Hitomi back in part 15, and were given the family name there, I just took the 
opportunity to backtrack it onto Sora, and her family.

Ah yes, the friendship between Tomoyo and Sakura.  Gone.  Broken.  Shattered 
into a million pieces by the great hammer of truth.  And it's not going to be so 
easy to fix as it was to break.  So no ideas of a quick 'kiss and make up'!  Got 
that?

Yes, there are a few questions that you may have, and no answers here.  The 
reason for this is that myself and Smlee have 3 more parts to write, and in 
doing so, we will either wrap up any loose ends, or set them up for a "Season 
3".

Oh, and one last thing, music that keeps running on my speakers as I wrote this:

  Tired of being what you want me to be/
  Feeling so faithless/ Lost under the surface.
  Don't know what you're expecting of me.
  But under the pressure of walking in your shoes/
  Every step that I take is another mistake to you.
    -Linkin Park "Numb"

===== 

LEAVE IT TO KERO-CHAN CHECK!

"Hello everyone, and welcome to this installment of Kero-Chan Check!"  Kero can 
be seen sitting on a white sheet.  The camera has difficulty keeping steady on 
him, partly because he is sitting on a white sheet that's moving up and down. 

"Three things.  First.  What is this Kero-Chan Check?  Second.  Why are we using 
Tomoyo's Camera?  And Third.  Why am I helping you do this?"

"And today's behind the camera guest is the person everyone loves to hate, Li!"  
Kero gestures at the camera as it shakes a little more.  "Hey!  Be careful with 
that!"

"Listen up, plush.  I need to get some rest.  Sakura already is."  The camera 
panned to the face of the sleeping Sakura, a gentle snoring coming from her 
lips, then back to Kero, sitting on her side.

"Fine.  You're helping me because Tomoyo is not here.  We're using her camera 
because it's the one I've always used.  And to answer your first question, a 
Kero-Chan Check is a little thing Tomoyo got me doing soon after Sakuras first 
attempt to be Mistress of the Clow began.  We've been using it as a way to 
expand on Sakura's journey, and to show off the dresses."

"huh?"

"Never mind then.  But today, I will be using this to explain something that may 
have confused everyone."

"Why Sakura puts up with you?"

"No.  Something a little more serious.  I think I've figured out the exact 
relation between Sakura Kinomoto and Sakura Kasugano."

There was no comment from behind the camera.

Kero crossed his arms, and his expression became very serious.  "O.K.  Just let 
me talk.  No interruptions, and save your questions till I'm done.

"We all know who Sakura Kinomoto was, and we all know who Sakura Kasugano is.  
The question is how did we get from one to the other?

"I was told by Yue, after the Judgement, that he had reincarnated Sakura into a 
new life.  I took this as truth, I had no reason to doubt what he told me, and 
the thought that she still lived on, even with a new life was comforting to me.

"But what he didn't tell me was Sakura Kasugano's trip to the Hospital.  There, 
she took this gift from Sakura Kinomoto, which seems to me to be her soul, or 
part thereof, and to give it to herself.

"Now, this is where we all got truly confused and messed up.  We have been 
operating on the assumption that Sakura Kinomoto 'over wrote' the soul of Sakura 
Kasugano.  Perhaps we assumed this was only possible because Sakura Kasugano had 
passed on, and Sakura Kinomoto took over in her life.

"This is wrong.  Sakura Kasugano never went anywhere, Sakura Kinomoto's soul 
entered her body, and they have been co-habitating in the same body.  In 
essence, there is one and a half souls in Sakura Kasugano.  Hers and 
Kinomoto's."

"Wait."  Li stopped Kero for a moment.  "Half a soul?"

"I said; Hold Your Questions!"  Kero huffed.  "I'm not done.  Half of Sakura 
Kinomoto, mostly her memories, part of her natural magic, and most importantly, 
the part of her that says 'I am Sakura Kinomoto'.  It is this conflict between 
the two Sakura's that may or may not be the major problem that needs to be 
resolved before we can get the universe back to normal.

"But according to Sakura, only part of Kinomoto is in her.  The other half is 
still out there as a separate entity, and with her own goals, desires and 
identity.  This worries me."

"You done now?"

"Yes I am.  Questions?"

"This other Sakura you say is walking around, why haven't we heard from her, or 
seen any evidence of her?  And even worse, your explanation doesn't explain 
anything."

Kero paused.  "We have.  Well, to be more accurate, I have."  He shook his head.  
"Don't worry about her.  That's my job.  As for the explanation, I know it seems 
incomplete, but I'm right, and the actions that Sakura and others take will make 
it clearer."  There was a moment's silence, then a loud thumping can be heard 
from off camera.

"Sakuuurrraaaaaa!"  The unmistakable voice of Dan came from outside the door.  
Kero instantly flopped down lifeless, incase the sensei brought someone with 
him, and the camera blinked off a moment later.