TIME AFTER TIME
(01 : another world to find)
"I put it to you that you are oppressing me, Tomoyo-san." The complaint would have had more force if Hiiwagaziwa-kun hadn't been leaning back in his chair with his feet on his desk.
"One scarcely hopes one *can*," she retorted. "Kindly remove your feet from the desk, Hiiwagizawa-kun."
Hiiwagizawa-kun obeyed. "But why CAN'T I do it?"
"Because I said so," said Tomoyo. "And Sakura-chan gets upset when you traumatize poor Li-kun."
Hiiwagizawa-kun pouted.
Tomoyo finished stacking papers together -- they had stayed in at lunch to take care of some details for the student government. "And also," she said, "Considering how much you do in a day, I'm surprised you have time to *sleep*, let alone bully poor Li-kun."
"I'm talented," said Hiiwagizawa-kun, modestly. "Ask anybody." He got to his feet and took the papers from Tomoyo.
Then he dropped them and dove for the ground, taking Tomoyo with him.
"Hiiwagizawa-kun," said Tomoyo, after she recovered her breath -- Hiiwagizawa-kun did not look heavy, but both he and Li-kun were slender young men apparently built out of solid steel -- "What are you doing?" She tried pushing at his chest, but he didn't move, staring at something with feline intensity.
That was, in Tomoyo's experience, a bad sign equaled only by Li-kun's eyes narrowing, and his stance changing in a way that suggested barely tamed things about to spring, or Sakura-chan closing her hand over her Key. (The worst signs tended to be the sudden arrival of Tsukishiro-san or Yue-san, Kero-chan transforming unexpectedly, Li-kun pulling out his Sword Tassel out, or the appearance of Hiiwagizawa-kun's Key. When his Key came out, Tomoyo dove for cover and did not come out until one of the others called her.)
Obviously something must have happened, or was about to happen. Tomoyo waited. Hiiwagizawa-kun would explain soon en--
There was a complicated flash of light, and then a crash.
Hiiwagizawa-kun tensed. Tomoyo looked around. A hole-puncher had fallen down beside them. Hole-punchers were an amazingly useful weapon. Among the many interesting experiences you got around Sakura-chan was the occasional idiot in flowing robes announcing dramatically that they would take the Cards. Tomoyo was neither a fighter or a mage, but she was undeniably an expert in slipping behind someone and applying a blunt object where it did the most good. At the very least, it distracted even the most dramatic of idiots long enough for Hiiwagizawa-kun or Li-kun to offer the idiot the special course in Why Not To Annoy a Member of a Li Clan. Also, it was apparently very difficult to work magic when one was seeing double. She slid her hand out and closed her fingers around it, and waited.
"Hmmm....?" said a light, pleasant tenor. "Where did we end up this time?"
"Get OFF me," snarled another voice, deeper than the first.
"Ooops," said the first voice. "Sorry, Kuro-nyo."
"AND STOP CALLING ME WEIRD THINGS, DAMMIT!"
"Are you all right, princess?"
Tomoyo's eyes widened. Hiiwagizawa-kun started slightly, and then his mouth thinned in an unhappy line.
That was almost Li-kun's voice. A little softer, a little more diffident -- but the main dfference was something in the tone. It reminded her of when Li-kun had grieved for Sakura-chan's broken heart when Yukito-san had refused her, when he hadn't dared to tell her how he felt.
Hiiwagizawa-kun looked down at her, flicked a glance at the hole-punch and then looked at her again. Tomoyo slid her hand down, hooked her finger around the chain of his Key, and slid it gently out of his pants pocket so it didn't rattle on the floor.
Hiiwagizawa-kun smiled briefly at her. (It sometimes worried her how well they understood each other, but, to inevitably quote Li-kun, their minds ran the same way. Round and round like little horribly well-oiled corkscrews.)
"I'm fine, thank you."
Tomoyo's breath hissed out. Hiiwagizawa-kun's face twisted in something like horror and pity, and then settled into grimness.
That was Sakura-chan's voice. But it was *wrong*.
"Mokona's ok, too!!"
Hiiwagizawa-kun's eyebrow shot up, and he looked briefly amused.
"There's someone here," said the second voice.
Tomoyo and Hiiwagizawa-kun looked at each other.
"You surprised us," said Hiiwagizawa-kun, getting up and offering his hand politely to Tomoyo. His other hand closed around his Key. "We weren't expecting -- BUGGER! Tomoyo-san, get the door!"
Tomoyo leaped.
--
Tomoyo-san's shoulder hit the door just as it began to open.
"...Daidouji?" said Xiao Lang, from the other side. "What's going on?"
Tomoyo-san looked at him. He shook his head and looked at the group that had just arrived. The tall man in black was staring at Tomoyo-san with rage and disbelief fighting each other on his face. The blond man looked mildly interested, if you could ignore the way he held himself, ready to spring -- even the small white creature like a marshmallow with rabbit ears made him look any less dangerous. Not-Xiao Lang had moved in front of not-Sakura, tension in every muscle. Eriol almost expected to hear a low, warning growl coming from him.
Not-Sakura... was obviously in some sort of trouble.
"Daidouji?"
"Nothing," lied Tomoyo-san.
Pointed silence that managed to suggest that he, Xiao Lang, had not been born yesterday, and he realized that Daidouji could not sense magic, but he sure as hell could, and there had just been a lot of it. Also, she had five seconds to convince him why he didn't need to break down the door and let her explain what had happened to the school staff later.
"Hiiwagizawa-kun is dealing with it," said Tomoyo-san, somewhat more truthfully.
The black-haired man opened his mouth, rage apparently having won the fight, and pointed at Tomoyo. He took a deep breath.
"Shut him up!" said Eriol, sharply. If Xiao Lang though that Tomoyo-san was bieng threatened, he really *would* break down the door.
The blond man obligingly hit the black-haired man over the head. "Shut up, Kuro-rin."
The black-haired man was rendered speechless with rage.
"Li-kun," called Eriol, studying not-Xiao Lang and Not-Sakura, "Is Kinomoto-san there yet?"
A short silence. "Not yet," he answered. "Why?"
"I want you to head her off and go back to class."
A silence where the essential Li bull-headedness fought with Xiao Lang's common sense. "...Why?"
"Because," said Tomoyo-san, calmly and clearly, "I have a photo album filled with pictures with you that several people would give their eyeteeth for, and I *will* sell it to the highest bidder if you do not start moving RIGHT NOW, LI-KUN."
Horrified silence. To give Xiao Lang his due, he didn't bother asking if Tomoyo-san was serious.
"Are you sure you won't marry me?" said Eriol, conversationally.
"Positive," said Tomoyo-san.
"We could have little evil Kinomoto-san babies together," he said, wistfully.
"With your luck, Hiiwagizawa-kun, we'd have little Touya-san babies," retorted Tomoyo-san.
"That isn't even funny," said Xiao Lang, sounding nauseated. "What the HELL is going on?"
"I'll explain later," said Eriol, one eye on the blond, who was beginning to look like he was adding two and two and coming up with an answer of four. "But neither of you are to come in here."
His cell phone rang. Eriol flipped it open.
LISYAO@DAIDOUJITOYS: [WHAT THE HELL?]
HIWAER@DAIDOUJITOYS: [REMEMBER YUUKO?]
LISYAO@DAIDOUJITOYS: [...TIME-SPACE?]
HIWAER@DAIDOUJITOYS: [YES]
LISYAO@DAIDOUJITOYS: [WHO?]
HIWAER@DAIDOUJITOYS: [YOU & SAKURA-SAN. HEAD HER OFF.]
LISYAO@DAIDOUJITOYS: [WHY?]
HIWAER@DAIDOUJITOYS:[TROUBLE. DON'T WANT HER IN IT YET.]
LISYAO@DAIDOUJITOYS: [TELL HER WHAT?]
HIWAER@DAIDOUJITOYS: [I'M DEALING. TOMOYO OK.]
LISYAO@DAIDOUJITOYS: [SCHOOL?]
HIWAER@DAIDOUJITOYS: [SKIPPING]
LISYAO@DAIDOUJITOYS: [MEET WHERE?]
HIWAER@DAIDOUJITOYS: [MY HOUSE. BRING CLOTHES.]
LISYAO@DAIDOUJITOYS: [SAKURA HERE. TTYL]
HIWAER@DAIDOUJITOYS: [THANK YOU]
LISYAO@DAIDOUJITOYS: [YOU OWE ME]
Eriol flipped his cell closed again.
The black-haired man took a deep breath, pointed at Tomoyo-san again, shaking with rage, and bellowed. There might have been words in it, but none of them were coherant.
"Kurotan's MAD," announced Mokona.
"GODDAMMIT ENOUGH WITH THE WEIRD NAMES TOMOYO GODDAMN YOU WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN GET THIS GODDAMN SEAL OFF ME DAMMIT AND WHERE'S SOUMA WHAT ARE YOU DOING BY YOURSELF --"
Tomoyo-san blinked at him.
Eriol's cell rang again.
LISYAO@DAIDOUJITOYS: [?!]
HIWAER@DAIDOUJITOYS: [_ TELL YOU LATER]
"-- AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THOSE WEIRD CLOTHES --"
"Excuse me," said Tomoyo-san, politely.
"What world is this?" asked the blond man, ignoring the black-haired man.
"Japan," said Eriol. "A Japan, anyway."
"--GODDAMMIT, PRINCESS --"
"*Sir.*" Tomoyo drew herself regally. "I am afraid I am not quite sure of whom you might be."
"I'm Fye," said the blond, ignoring the black-haired man, who was opening and closing his mouth in utter confusion. "And the idiot there is --"
"KUROGANE, DAMMIT!"
"-- and these two are --"
"Syaoran and Sakura?" finished Eriol. "How is Yuuko-san doing, Mokona?"
"Fine!" chirped Mokona. "She says if I ever saw you to call you her stupid four-eyed cousin!"
"And you have," said Eriol, amiably. "No, Kurogane-san, this is not the Tomoyo-san you know. I do know Yuuko-san, although I am not precisely her cousin any more, and yes, that was Syaoran from this world. Now, if one of you would be so very kind as to explain what the HELL is going on with that Sakura-san, I would be very much obliged and not kill any of you."
Something flashed across not-Syaoran's face, sadness and a bare suggestion of hope or unease. "Um," he said, "My name is Syaoran, and this is Sakura-hime. She --"
"You look like Father," said not-Sakura, staring at Eriol. Her brows drew together in puzzlement. "Only I think Father had long hair. I don't --"
"Whoops," said Fye, cheerfully, and caught her as she fell. "Asleep again. Here, Syaoran-kun."
Not-Syaoran gathered her up in his arms.
Tomoyo-san stilled.
The problem with Tomoyo-san, Eriol had discovered very soon after he met her, was that she could not do magic, could not sense magic, but she had impecable instincts and a mind like a diamond-bladed buzz saw.
"What's wrong with her?" she asked, quietly. "What's wrong with that Sakura?"
Eriol wished for a place to hide, but there was no use trying to decieve her. Tomoyo-san would only find out, and be angry with him for trying to shield her. He sighed. "At a guess?" he said. "Some sort of power-sickness."
Not-Syaoran's arms were around Sakura-hime protectively, carefully. "She lost her memories," he said, bleakly. "They flew away, and now I have to find them."
(01 : another world to find)
"I put it to you that you are oppressing me, Tomoyo-san." The complaint would have had more force if Hiiwagaziwa-kun hadn't been leaning back in his chair with his feet on his desk.
"One scarcely hopes one *can*," she retorted. "Kindly remove your feet from the desk, Hiiwagizawa-kun."
Hiiwagizawa-kun obeyed. "But why CAN'T I do it?"
"Because I said so," said Tomoyo. "And Sakura-chan gets upset when you traumatize poor Li-kun."
Hiiwagizawa-kun pouted.
Tomoyo finished stacking papers together -- they had stayed in at lunch to take care of some details for the student government. "And also," she said, "Considering how much you do in a day, I'm surprised you have time to *sleep*, let alone bully poor Li-kun."
"I'm talented," said Hiiwagizawa-kun, modestly. "Ask anybody." He got to his feet and took the papers from Tomoyo.
Then he dropped them and dove for the ground, taking Tomoyo with him.
"Hiiwagizawa-kun," said Tomoyo, after she recovered her breath -- Hiiwagizawa-kun did not look heavy, but both he and Li-kun were slender young men apparently built out of solid steel -- "What are you doing?" She tried pushing at his chest, but he didn't move, staring at something with feline intensity.
That was, in Tomoyo's experience, a bad sign equaled only by Li-kun's eyes narrowing, and his stance changing in a way that suggested barely tamed things about to spring, or Sakura-chan closing her hand over her Key. (The worst signs tended to be the sudden arrival of Tsukishiro-san or Yue-san, Kero-chan transforming unexpectedly, Li-kun pulling out his Sword Tassel out, or the appearance of Hiiwagizawa-kun's Key. When his Key came out, Tomoyo dove for cover and did not come out until one of the others called her.)
Obviously something must have happened, or was about to happen. Tomoyo waited. Hiiwagizawa-kun would explain soon en--
There was a complicated flash of light, and then a crash.
Hiiwagizawa-kun tensed. Tomoyo looked around. A hole-puncher had fallen down beside them. Hole-punchers were an amazingly useful weapon. Among the many interesting experiences you got around Sakura-chan was the occasional idiot in flowing robes announcing dramatically that they would take the Cards. Tomoyo was neither a fighter or a mage, but she was undeniably an expert in slipping behind someone and applying a blunt object where it did the most good. At the very least, it distracted even the most dramatic of idiots long enough for Hiiwagizawa-kun or Li-kun to offer the idiot the special course in Why Not To Annoy a Member of a Li Clan. Also, it was apparently very difficult to work magic when one was seeing double. She slid her hand out and closed her fingers around it, and waited.
"Hmmm....?" said a light, pleasant tenor. "Where did we end up this time?"
"Get OFF me," snarled another voice, deeper than the first.
"Ooops," said the first voice. "Sorry, Kuro-nyo."
"AND STOP CALLING ME WEIRD THINGS, DAMMIT!"
"Are you all right, princess?"
Tomoyo's eyes widened. Hiiwagizawa-kun started slightly, and then his mouth thinned in an unhappy line.
That was almost Li-kun's voice. A little softer, a little more diffident -- but the main dfference was something in the tone. It reminded her of when Li-kun had grieved for Sakura-chan's broken heart when Yukito-san had refused her, when he hadn't dared to tell her how he felt.
Hiiwagizawa-kun looked down at her, flicked a glance at the hole-punch and then looked at her again. Tomoyo slid her hand down, hooked her finger around the chain of his Key, and slid it gently out of his pants pocket so it didn't rattle on the floor.
Hiiwagizawa-kun smiled briefly at her. (It sometimes worried her how well they understood each other, but, to inevitably quote Li-kun, their minds ran the same way. Round and round like little horribly well-oiled corkscrews.)
"I'm fine, thank you."
Tomoyo's breath hissed out. Hiiwagizawa-kun's face twisted in something like horror and pity, and then settled into grimness.
That was Sakura-chan's voice. But it was *wrong*.
"Mokona's ok, too!!"
Hiiwagizawa-kun's eyebrow shot up, and he looked briefly amused.
"There's someone here," said the second voice.
Tomoyo and Hiiwagizawa-kun looked at each other.
"You surprised us," said Hiiwagizawa-kun, getting up and offering his hand politely to Tomoyo. His other hand closed around his Key. "We weren't expecting -- BUGGER! Tomoyo-san, get the door!"
Tomoyo leaped.
--
Tomoyo-san's shoulder hit the door just as it began to open.
"...Daidouji?" said Xiao Lang, from the other side. "What's going on?"
Tomoyo-san looked at him. He shook his head and looked at the group that had just arrived. The tall man in black was staring at Tomoyo-san with rage and disbelief fighting each other on his face. The blond man looked mildly interested, if you could ignore the way he held himself, ready to spring -- even the small white creature like a marshmallow with rabbit ears made him look any less dangerous. Not-Xiao Lang had moved in front of not-Sakura, tension in every muscle. Eriol almost expected to hear a low, warning growl coming from him.
Not-Sakura... was obviously in some sort of trouble.
"Daidouji?"
"Nothing," lied Tomoyo-san.
Pointed silence that managed to suggest that he, Xiao Lang, had not been born yesterday, and he realized that Daidouji could not sense magic, but he sure as hell could, and there had just been a lot of it. Also, she had five seconds to convince him why he didn't need to break down the door and let her explain what had happened to the school staff later.
"Hiiwagizawa-kun is dealing with it," said Tomoyo-san, somewhat more truthfully.
The black-haired man opened his mouth, rage apparently having won the fight, and pointed at Tomoyo. He took a deep breath.
"Shut him up!" said Eriol, sharply. If Xiao Lang though that Tomoyo-san was bieng threatened, he really *would* break down the door.
The blond man obligingly hit the black-haired man over the head. "Shut up, Kuro-rin."
The black-haired man was rendered speechless with rage.
"Li-kun," called Eriol, studying not-Xiao Lang and Not-Sakura, "Is Kinomoto-san there yet?"
A short silence. "Not yet," he answered. "Why?"
"I want you to head her off and go back to class."
A silence where the essential Li bull-headedness fought with Xiao Lang's common sense. "...Why?"
"Because," said Tomoyo-san, calmly and clearly, "I have a photo album filled with pictures with you that several people would give their eyeteeth for, and I *will* sell it to the highest bidder if you do not start moving RIGHT NOW, LI-KUN."
Horrified silence. To give Xiao Lang his due, he didn't bother asking if Tomoyo-san was serious.
"Are you sure you won't marry me?" said Eriol, conversationally.
"Positive," said Tomoyo-san.
"We could have little evil Kinomoto-san babies together," he said, wistfully.
"With your luck, Hiiwagizawa-kun, we'd have little Touya-san babies," retorted Tomoyo-san.
"That isn't even funny," said Xiao Lang, sounding nauseated. "What the HELL is going on?"
"I'll explain later," said Eriol, one eye on the blond, who was beginning to look like he was adding two and two and coming up with an answer of four. "But neither of you are to come in here."
His cell phone rang. Eriol flipped it open.
LISYAO@DAIDOUJITOYS: [WHAT THE HELL?]
HIWAER@DAIDOUJITOYS: [REMEMBER YUUKO?]
LISYAO@DAIDOUJITOYS: [...TIME-SPACE?]
HIWAER@DAIDOUJITOYS: [YES]
LISYAO@DAIDOUJITOYS: [WHO?]
HIWAER@DAIDOUJITOYS: [YOU & SAKURA-SAN. HEAD HER OFF.]
LISYAO@DAIDOUJITOYS: [WHY?]
HIWAER@DAIDOUJITOYS:[TROUBLE. DON'T WANT HER IN IT YET.]
LISYAO@DAIDOUJITOYS: [TELL HER WHAT?]
HIWAER@DAIDOUJITOYS: [I'M DEALING. TOMOYO OK.]
LISYAO@DAIDOUJITOYS: [SCHOOL?]
HIWAER@DAIDOUJITOYS: [SKIPPING]
LISYAO@DAIDOUJITOYS: [MEET WHERE?]
HIWAER@DAIDOUJITOYS: [MY HOUSE. BRING CLOTHES.]
LISYAO@DAIDOUJITOYS: [SAKURA HERE. TTYL]
HIWAER@DAIDOUJITOYS: [THANK YOU]
LISYAO@DAIDOUJITOYS: [YOU OWE ME]
Eriol flipped his cell closed again.
The black-haired man took a deep breath, pointed at Tomoyo-san again, shaking with rage, and bellowed. There might have been words in it, but none of them were coherant.
"Kurotan's MAD," announced Mokona.
"GODDAMMIT ENOUGH WITH THE WEIRD NAMES TOMOYO GODDAMN YOU WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN GET THIS GODDAMN SEAL OFF ME DAMMIT AND WHERE'S SOUMA WHAT ARE YOU DOING BY YOURSELF --"
Tomoyo-san blinked at him.
Eriol's cell rang again.
LISYAO@DAIDOUJITOYS: [?!]
HIWAER@DAIDOUJITOYS: [_ TELL YOU LATER]
"-- AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THOSE WEIRD CLOTHES --"
"Excuse me," said Tomoyo-san, politely.
"What world is this?" asked the blond man, ignoring the black-haired man.
"Japan," said Eriol. "A Japan, anyway."
"--GODDAMMIT, PRINCESS --"
"*Sir.*" Tomoyo drew herself regally. "I am afraid I am not quite sure of whom you might be."
"I'm Fye," said the blond, ignoring the black-haired man, who was opening and closing his mouth in utter confusion. "And the idiot there is --"
"KUROGANE, DAMMIT!"
"-- and these two are --"
"Syaoran and Sakura?" finished Eriol. "How is Yuuko-san doing, Mokona?"
"Fine!" chirped Mokona. "She says if I ever saw you to call you her stupid four-eyed cousin!"
"And you have," said Eriol, amiably. "No, Kurogane-san, this is not the Tomoyo-san you know. I do know Yuuko-san, although I am not precisely her cousin any more, and yes, that was Syaoran from this world. Now, if one of you would be so very kind as to explain what the HELL is going on with that Sakura-san, I would be very much obliged and not kill any of you."
Something flashed across not-Syaoran's face, sadness and a bare suggestion of hope or unease. "Um," he said, "My name is Syaoran, and this is Sakura-hime. She --"
"You look like Father," said not-Sakura, staring at Eriol. Her brows drew together in puzzlement. "Only I think Father had long hair. I don't --"
"Whoops," said Fye, cheerfully, and caught her as she fell. "Asleep again. Here, Syaoran-kun."
Not-Syaoran gathered her up in his arms.
Tomoyo-san stilled.
The problem with Tomoyo-san, Eriol had discovered very soon after he met her, was that she could not do magic, could not sense magic, but she had impecable instincts and a mind like a diamond-bladed buzz saw.
"What's wrong with her?" she asked, quietly. "What's wrong with that Sakura?"
Eriol wished for a place to hide, but there was no use trying to decieve her. Tomoyo-san would only find out, and be angry with him for trying to shield her. He sighed. "At a guess?" he said. "Some sort of power-sickness."
Not-Syaoran's arms were around Sakura-hime protectively, carefully. "She lost her memories," he said, bleakly. "They flew away, and now I have to find them."