Hello there.

This was the first fanfiction I wrote, back in 2002. In the light of my new abilities, and because of a renewed interest for this story, I decided to rewrite it to be better. It has now more than triple in length, and hopefully my additions will make it all the more interesting.

I would like to thank everyone who reviewed all those years ago il0verice, raven, angelic countenance, angelgrl96, Annie, Carla, redroseprincess678, Morning Light, Tamiri-chan, Sasaya, Yakime, Talia Moon, Ivory Nightshade, dj chii, RueNeko, Ebony Fox, Sunny Angel, Nightfall2525, panda, Tsuki of the Roselight, Lysia Croft, Darkia, Lady Seiryu, Annonymous Amethyst and Oncinlity.

I loved all your reviews, and reading them again, many years later, is part of what made me want to get back into this story and other fanfics of mine.

A big thank you to Blue Eyes, who accepted to beta my story to give me respite from staring at my computer screen.

Note: In this story, I made Tomoyo and all the others to be about 17 years old for the need of the pairing. It's some kind of rewrite of the episode when Syaoran capture the time card.

Disclaimer: Card captor Sakura and all copyrighted content do not belong to me.

Thoughts are in italic

Never known memory

The first thing she felt was pain, a dull and throbbing pain.

The second was confusion.

Where was she? The lone figure opened her eyes with a moan and, slowly sitting up, took in her surroundings. She was in a luxurious forest: centuries old trees with long and sinuous roots were hovering above her as if desiring to protect her. The heads of the trees were tossing with the gentle breeze. Soft and dark green moss pillowed her body. Bushes with luscious looking fruits and blankets of multicolor blooming flowers were surrounding her, their scents tickling her nose. A mist was covering the ground, floating, creating an aerie atmosphere. Touching her forehead, a wince escaped the girl's lips as she felt a bruise under her sensitive digits.

The thick fog in her head didn't seem to dissipate as fast as she wished. A torrentof images came flooding back in her mind, blending in a multicolor blur. Slowly shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she finally recalled what happened.

FLASHBACK

A tall slender figure, nor a girl, nor a woman, stood in the shadows, waiting, watching the two persons sitting in the tree ahead of her. In her hand she held a small camcorder. The figure zoomed on the two figures sitting in the tree, feet dandling in the air, talking and blushing then and so. A sigh escaped her lips as she whispered to herself.

"Oh, why can't they understand? But then, it is Sakura and Syaoran we are talking about."

A small smile slowly appeared on her lips. The prospect that Sakura may have found her soul mate made her happy and if it was with her new reluctant friend, all the better. She loved Sakura with all her heart, not the kind of love two lovers share, mind you, but something still important. Their love was more than the simple friendship shared between friends. It went beyond that. The link between them was strong, very strong. In the mind of the raven-haired girl, they were a kind of soul sisters but, while Tomoyo knew Sakura thoroughly, with her joys and pains, Sakura knew not of what made Tomoyo's soul.

With her camera following the boy jumping from the tree and starting to run, the plum blossom pulled back from the device and shook her head slightly in exasperation.

Sakura had sensed a Clow card tonight. However, she had not called Tomoyo, meeting Syaoran in front of the temple alone. This was without counting on the fact that Tomoyo had her ways. May it be an instinct or a premonition, something had told her to come at the temple tonight, an urge, a little voice whispering in the back of her mind. It would not stop nagging at her and, not one to ignore her instincts, she had come to the temple in some kind of daze. As expected, Syaoran had been there with Sakura.

While waiting for an appearance fromthe card, a discussion had started between the two rivals, ending with Syaoran fleeing and Sakura running after him. The young woman came to the front of the tree, lowering her digital camera when the two figures disappeared of sight. She cocked her head to the side, looking on pensively.

A slow chill rolled down her spine, making her shiver. It was certainly time to go home now, before her absence was noticed and her mother sent her bodyguards on a search. Glancing back at the huge tree and bidding it goodbye, she turned around to walk home, her shoulders slumped, disappointed in the futileness of the night as much for the Sakura-Syaoran relationship as the Clow cards matter.

She didn't go far before long swirls of dark energy came and wrapped themselves around her. Even with her struggling, kicking and screaming, she did not have a chance to escape. Before the darkness or rather the tree engulfed her, a single name escaped her lips:

"Sakura...."

When the two cards captors arrived, panting and frantic, it was already too late.

Nobody noticed a lone figure standing in the shadows, observing the scene with a frown on her face.

Fate had been changed.

END OF THE FLASHBACK

Panicking, the beauty, as gracefully as she could, stood up, swaying slightly from side to side from the drop in blood pressure. Black spots appeared before her eyes, as a wave of nausea passed over her. Her camera lay next to her, miraculously unbroken. She picked it up and absentmindedly put it in the purse lying next to it on the ground. Shouldering the strap, she straightened to look around. Eyes narrowed, she searched with no little fear the exit of the forest. Scolding herself for such a behavior she took deep breaths, closing her eyes and letting the mingling scent flowing in the forest ease her nerves. It would not do to panic and get even more lost.

If such a thing was possible.

Slowly, she opened her eyes once more and calmly scrutinized each side, each tree or bush. Everything felt so… old. Forests like this didn't exist anymore; this one looked like one from a fantasy book.

No trace of the modern world.

Only thick vegetation.

It is as if I went back in time.

The thought made Tomoyo pale. It was certainly not the time to lose her head. She had to think and fast. Heading north, she followed the path that the trees designed for her while searching the shadows for any danger. She was after all weaponless. After a certain time, noticing that there was no apparent danger, her thoughts began to wander.

Where would she find any help? If her assumptions were correct, and that she had been attacked by a Clow card, God only knew where she could be.

In the event she would find people, it would be difficult to explain her situation.

I can't go in the street and ask anybody to return me in the future, they'll think I am as nut as a fruitcake.

Furthermore, she could not afford to leave a trace in the past. Her mere presence could change future events irrevocably, and could have disastrous consequences. One event could ensure that she would never be born, or that she would never meet Sakura.

The thought made her pale, a frown marring her face at the turn her thoughts were taking.

She was startled from her wonderings by the snapping of a twig. Fear seized her heart, her breathing immediately becoming ragged, her muscles tensed and ready for either flight or fight. She knew it wouldn't help to run, even more if the danger was an animal in search of a prey. She remembered one day she had read a book on predator and their instincts: if she ran, it would think that she was a suitable prey and pursue her. At this moment, she wished more than ever before that Sakura or even Syaoran would be there with her.

Once more she found herself at the mercy of fate because of a Clow Card. Only this time, there would be no Sakura to protect her or make things better. She was on her own.

Her mouth went dry at the thought.

She was a resourceful girl, but she was no Card Captor. Sakura was the chosen one. She was merely her companion, enjoying the ride and recording her best friends' adventures, or, as the case may be misadventures.

The rustling noise became louder. She dug her feet in the ground, ready to bolt if danger appeared. A brown ball came rolling towards her feet, tearing a squeak of surprise from her throat. A hand on her chest as if to protect herself, she bent down to observe it. Seeing no danger and exasperated with her fearful reaction, she picked up the ball, studying it: brown with lighter brown seams, made in leather, callous and scratched in the centre of each leather pieces but smooth near the seams. Too preoccupied in her observation, she didn't see someone running toward her. Only when she felt a tug at her jacket did she look down right into the eyes of a little boy. She blinked at him, her mind in a haze.

The child cleared his throat, catching her attention once more. Reaching in her direction, he took the ball from her suddenly numb hands with a shy smile. Standing quasi motionless, he observed her, his gaze unsettlingly steady and intense for a child of his age. He opened his mouth, as if compelled to say something, but stopped, clenching the ball in his hands. He blinked and the moment was gone, leaving behind the joyful innocence of a child his age. As he was to return to his playmates but seeing this, Tomoyo found her voice.

"Wait..."

The boy looked at her puzzled.

"Where... I mean, could you indicate me...hum...where is the nearest town? Please?"

The blue eyed boy looked at her curiously and took her hand leading her to his village.

The first thing assaulting her as she approached the village was the noise. In the forest, all she could hear was the humming of the insects and the chirping of the birds, but here, noises were blending together, creating a chaotic atmosphere. The scent of bread, meat and sweat was making her slightly nauseous. Glancing at her right she could not find the kind boy who helped her anymore. Entering the crowd, she made her way down the street. It seemed like she was standing in an open market of some sort, marchants selling jewellery, clothes, fresh vegetables and fruits, poultry, games and live farm animals. She received more than a few curious look, men looking intensely at the female dressed as man, yet with clothing more revealing than anything they had ever seen, and women giving her disapproving looks. Her exotic looks did not help the matters, her waist length black hair and lilac colored eyes very noticeable on their own.

Tomoyo stood proud, ignoring the looks with an ease only gained by being raised in an higher social class, but still eager to escape the close scrutiny. It was no wonder that her appearance attracted so many gazes. As she looked around, she appraised that she was a few hundred years back in the past. It was rare in such times to see ladies wearing tight clothing such as what she was wearing, and it was more rare to see a lone sixteen year old girl wandering on her own dressed in pants, usually reserved for men.

While exploring the area, she finally found a small tavern. Determination seeped in her heart; Sakura hadn't rescued her yet and in her wait, she would need to work if she wanted to survive. Not having any proper clothes added to the fact that she was a stranger, it would be difficult to find anyone willing to engage her and, as such, she had to start at the bottom. Being relatively pretty and young, she was sure she would be able to acquire work as a maid or waitress.

She entered the tavern cautiously, pushing with all her might the carved wood door. There weren't many people in the small bar; four or five men sitting in the shadows, bottle in one hand and a glass in the other, their moves slow, while others were apparently asleep, hunched over their table. A young looking woman was scrubbing the floor on her knees, her dress pooling around her.

"What do you want?" Tomoyo was startled to see a woman before her, looking at her strangely.

"I, well, that is... I am searching for a job and I was wondering..."

"What a pretty girl like you would be doing in a place like this? You look like you have never worked a day in your life." Tomoyo was intimidated by the woman before her, a rare sight, who was looking as if she was about to sermon her.

"Well, my name is Tomoyo.... and I am traveling to join my family but I need some more money to continue further and help my sick..." The idea of lying did not appeal to her. However, to ensure people's collaboration, she would be better off presenting herself as a young girl travelling to go home and help her sick mother. Empathy would win many people over.

The once severe eyes of the woman softened, becoming a warm brown color.

"Well, I could always use some help. I won't pay very much but you can have a room here on the second floor for as long as you stay...."

The young woman eyes widened slightly and her face paled.

"Well, maybe. What would consist of my job?" she asked now uncertain, images of women entertaining men with their charms flowing through her mind. While this looked like a respectable place, it did not mean that she would not be expected to offer sexual services to the clients.

"Serving the clients and cleaning among other things, but I am warning you, if you want to do some other business, take the door, it is an honorable establishment here and I won't tolerate..."

The elderly woman was cut off by an astonished Tomoyo.

"Oh God, I would never..."

"Good. My name is Elizabeth. Now, come with me child and we'll find you much more proper clothes. I don't know where you are from, but you'll certainly be too noticeable if you are to dress like that."

Tomoyo could only be dragged by her employer to the second floor.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Looking at her bottom bell black pants, her thigh length suede jacket, white blouse and knee length leather boots, and looking back at herself, Tomoyo was seriously considering wearing her own clothes even with the looks she knew she would continue to receive. She was dressed in a long and heavy wool dress, a white cotton blouse and a corset. It was too hot and constricting to wear. Her hands were slapped away by the woman when she tried to release a little bit the strings of her corset. She only sighed, a task that she found even difficult.

"Tonight will be your first day of work..."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The smoke in the little tavern was burning her lungs when she breathed and was making her eyes water. Music could be heard in the back but the conversation between the men was drowning it. Tomoyo was tired and angry. Since the start, five hours ago, she had been slapped on the butt, pinched, leered at, had suffered different innuendos and had had to reject all the propositions from sexual favors to marriage.

One had been very insistent, a blue eyed, brown haired man in his early twenty, going as far as to try to beat her when she refused. She wanted to wash herself so badly, the touch from the drunk men combined with the pollution in the room making her feel dirty.

"Tomoyo, child, you look like you could use a break... Go and rest a little, come back later...."

Tomoyo could only nod her head tiredly. Knowing she could use some fresh air, she went out, in the night, never hearing the older woman talk to her.

"Oh, and, don't go too far, the streets at night are not safe for a girl....."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Looking up at the cloudy sky, she wished she could be home. This place was so different from what she knew. It had only been a day, yet it felt like an eternity to her. The fact that Sakura had yet to make an apparition gnawed at her mind, but she hardened her heart against the whispers of despair and kept her hope wrapped tightly like a cloak around herself. Nonetheless, her longing for familiarity could not be erased. She wondered what her family and friends were doing at this time. Had her mother noticed her absence yet? Were Syaoran and Sakura looking for a way to bring her back at this very moment? She suddenly missed all of her precious people all the more.

She knew that on such a night she would be alone. She always had been a solitary child, first because of her social status, and then because she had simply learned to be on her own.

I would be alone, in the garden, under lady moon, listening to the whispering of the wind, feeling the earth on my bare feet, feeling the caress of the breeze.

She did not mind being a solitary person. She knew that her friends, Rika, Yamazakie, Chiharu and the rest would be there for her, would she show the barest sign of needing their help or support. But in the end, they did not really know her, know who she was, her dreams, her feelings. She kept to herself, poised and elegant, a perfect doll, born and bred for the role. She was accomplished in many domains, such as singing, drawing, sewing and was a model student, achieving high grades upon high grades.

Were it not for her close friendship with Sakura, she would be truly and utterly alone. Sakura was the closest friend she had, nearly a sister, and doting over her and loving her made her feel less lonely.

However, in the end, she was alone.

But, I am happy like this, this is what I know, the loneliness inside, but sometimes I still wish....

So immersed in her thoughts and walking, the amethyst-eyed girl didn't notice the approaching figure.

"Miss, excuse me Miss, do you know where I could find the Hamaélie?"

Tomoyo was jerked from her daydream by a deep voice and took a step back by precaution. Her response was a quick negative sign of the head before she lowered her eyes to the ground and started to walk around the young man. His hand gripping her arm, however, stopped her. Following the arm to which the hand was attached and upward still, she met cold blue eyes, pale as the sky. Her breath caught slightly in her throat, surprised at the intensity at which the man stared at her, something akin to desire glistening in their depth.

"What a young lady is doing by herself in the streets at night? It is very dangerous..."

Tingle rose all over her arms and neck at his words, a lightning quick impression of danger making her straightened her stand. Snatching her arm away from the man, she answered his question, head high and voice firm.

"I am taking a walk sir. Now, I would want to go on."

The man narrowed his cold blue eyes at her, holding her gaze for a longer period of time than what was socially comfortable. He took a step towards her, crowding her personal space and brushing his fingertips on one of her bare arms. She leant her body back slightly, her pulse fluttering as a sensation of danger enveloped her body. A noise at their left attracted both of their gazes. A young couple was quickly walking down the street, flirting softly as the chaperon of the night trailed behind them with a disapproving look on her face.

The blue-eyed man straightened his body, taking a step back, before shrugging his shoulders.

"You should go home now, the sky is becoming overcast, and it certainly will rain. Good-bye miss."

Tomoyo turned around, watching the young man go with something akin to relief fluttering in her chest. While his behavior resembled that of an over eager over aggressive suitor, the likes of which she was now used to due to the many events she's had to attend to, something about the man made her feel truly endangered. Of course, he could have been dangerous, but his behavior did not warrant her wanting to claw at his eyes and run away.

It was truly foolish of her to have been so flustered by this encounter.

Shaking her head, the girl looked around. To make the night even better, so engrossed in her thoughts, she hadn't noticed where she was going and was now lost, in a town she didn't know, at night. A rain drop fell on her nose and within minutes, the sky seeming opened and it started pouring. She could feel her mind start to cloud, her body exhausted both from the physical and the emotional strain. She had not sleep in what she calculated would be around forty hours. It had been night when she had been transported to this time, where it was day.

Already soaked to the bone from the downpour, she knew she was risking having pneumonia the following day. Finding a tree in a park, she slid down its trunk, scratching her back in the process. She could only wait and hope the rainstorm would pass quickly. Such violent rainstorm did not usually last very long. Once it was over, she may be able to get help from one of the townspeople to find her way back. The enormous oak provided enough shelter to wait it out. Before the end, however, she fell in an uneasy sleep.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Warm.

She was warm and comfortable.

Opening her eyes and blinking, all she could see was a blur of colors. Her throat felt sore and her body warm, slightly damp, and heavy. Her vision cleared allowing her to see that she wasn't in her bed or in the one in her room at the tavern. This bed was huge, in carved rose wood.

Sitting up with no small amount of pain, the sick woman took in the room she was in.

The bed had satin midnight blue sheets with intricate gold embroidery depicting the sun and the moon. Pillows and comforters were strewn all over the bed. The room was decorated with taste, with beautiful handmade carpets with Arabian patterns. A blend of Asian and English styles was used to create a magnificent room. She didn't know where she was but, considering the state of this room, her host was certain to be wealthy.

Pushing the blanket off of her, she saw that someone had changed her in a white nightgown. Her face took a slightly pink glow and her brow creased. She shook her head to dismiss the thought, admitting to herself she had more urgent matter to think of and regretted it as she felt the pounding in her head get worse. Putting a hand to her forehead, her fingers brushed damp and slightly oily hair. She had definitely been sick then. A fever would be her best bet. While she might not have caught pneumonia, she definitely had caught some kind of cold, resulting in her being sick for maybe a few days. Most importantly though, it seemed that a stranger had helped her, taking her away from her fortune shelter to their home.

The young woman cautiously moved off the bed and slowly approached the oak door.

Opening it a little, she peeked outside cautiously, scrutinizing the hall. The house seemed deserted, the hall so very quiet and still. While this Samaritan had been kind enough to help her did not mean he would be happy to find her wandering through his home.

Closing back the door, she took a deep calming breath and opened it whole slowly. She was not prepared, however, to be face to face, or rather face to chest, with someone. Looking up, she met two beautiful eyes shining with mirth and mischief but also warmth and tenderness.

Tomoyo was immediately mesmerized. The eyes of the man standing before her were beautiful. Deep blue pools filled with secret and knowledge stared at her. Her lips parted as she blinked at the man standing before her, no words escaping her lips. A flush of embarrassment rose to her cheeks against her own volition. A look of concern immediately appeared on her host's face as he reached out to touch her warm cheek and forehead with a cool hand.

"I am glad to see you awake. We were worried the fever would not break. You should not, however, be out of bed yet, as you are still quite weak." Tomoyo blinked again, looking at him silently. She opened her dry lips to protest but something behind the man caught her eyes. She stood on tiptoes to see better and got a glimpse of a patch of yellow of what she assumed was fur before her host blocked her sight.

"You were saying?" She croaked distractingly and with great difficulties, the disuse of her voice apparent. She was fleetingly aware of the man talking to her and knew it was rude to not listen however, her curiosity had been piqued. What she had seen was tugging at her mind, distracting her away from the man who, seconds ago, had had her full attention.

"You shouldn't be out of bed. You have, after all, been unconscious for three days. Now rest. Would you care to join me for diner? I shall explain to you then how you came to be here."

Tomoyo emitted a raspy gasp. She had fallen asleep in a park and had been unconscious for three days. Sakura hadn't rescued her and Elizabeth would surely never want her back as an employee. She could feel the throbbing of her headache intensifying at the stressful thoughts this generated. She would be hard pressed to find another employer as welcoming and generous as Elizabeth. Said woman also still had her possessions, which she would need back to ensure her passage in this town and this time remained as inconsequential as possible.

"Elizabeth...." She spoke softly, tiredness taking their toll on her body and mind.

"Do not worry; it has already been taken care of. Your belongings should be in the closet."

"How..."

"All in good time Miss."

"Tomoyo, my name is Tomoyo."

But he was already gone. Tomoyo, still tired from her ordeal, went back into her room and to the warmth of the bed. Within minutes she fell in an easy sleep, exhausted by the events of the last few days.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Three figures whispered in the dark. An angel-like being stood to the right of a man, sitting in an imposing red leather wooden chair, a winged lion sitting at its left.

"She almost saw me. We will be more secure when she will go back wherever it is that she came from." The lion hybrid growled out, his worry hidden behind a pout.

"Cerberus, it will be more prudent for you to stay out of sight. Something about this woman is disturbingly wrong. I pried her aura but she doesn't have any magical abilities. However, it is tinged with magic, as if she used it. Furthermore, I was not able to enter her mind. She has strong walls build around herself." Both creatures looked on with interest as their master spoke.

" She will live with us until I can know more. If she is an enemy, we can't let her approach the cards nor can we let her escape our grasp. Something is coming..."

Cold silver eyes stared at him along with warmer gold ones before in one voice the two beings broke the silence.

"Yes Master Clow"

"As you wish Master."

End of chapter 1