Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ Legacy ❯ Requiem of a Dream ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: well it should be apparent that I don't own them. too bad. But if anyone's looking for a early birthday present.... CCS would be just fine. ^_^

whoa... whou'da thought that I would be done with this fic. It seems like such a short time ago I first got the idea for it. Well I hope you liked it ^_^ ok warnings for this chapter... it may seem a lil Disney, but I prefer a happy ending to an angst ending that will leave the readers in need of ice cream and raw cookie dough. (Comfort food ) also, while I am begging forgiveness for my literary failings... I go super detail oriented at one point in the fic. I know that bugs a lot of you, but it's part of my style, I am gradually toning it back to a more manageable amount, but it takes time to adapt a part of yourself. And as one final note of pleading for forgiveness: yes I know the lil ender poem is the epitamy of terrible... it does take some inspiration to get halfway decent ones. ^_^'''

I'm not sure what I'm going to do next. I have a Jackie chan adventures, outlaw star, and a partial inuyasha fic laid out in my head. I also have been brainstorming some real ideas for a couple of books. Yeah I know... I'm nowhere near publishable. But you've got to start writing before you can start writing well. ^_^''''''''''''''' well that's a nice dream, but back to reality, I have a couple of ideas and need to decide which to do next. It'll probably be the outlaw star one... but who knows.

Well without further wait, the conclusion of Legacy.

Mail me at: logan91235@aol.com

Legacy

"Requiem of a Dream"

The air was cool and tasted of salt as waves of nightly water lapped at the shore of the silent island in the ancient rhythm which was both the pulse of the world and the ticking of an eternal clock.. The sun would soon rise, but even before the advance of the day, this place had a singular beauty that existed only here, and nowhere else. The sand was warm on the feet while the wind was cool on the skin, only here could that be possible.

Such variety exists in the world that it is impossible to find a true parallel any two places. Each dune of sand or grove of trees is unique only to itself, but somehow they do share a commonality in the heavens above. The sky shines down the same in Egypt as it does in japan, but here, it was not so. The difference was subtle, a slight wisp of violet that cast a subtle radiance over this one island alone. The same elusive quality of color and depth was found everywhere here. An intricate magical quality made every flower and stone glow with something that defied adequate explanation.

The stones of this ancient coastline glowed with a soft luminance in the declining moonlight. The glow was not eerie; not spun from a tale of vengeful ghosts or mournful wraiths, but a faint light that was not unlike fireflies in a field of still grass. There was magic here, and Sakura felt it all around her. the kind of magic that is beyond spells and scrolls, but in truth is far more emphatic.

Sakura felt this land's power all around her as she stood on the shore, her feet bare and blanketed in the smooth sand and her hair caressed by the wind which stroked her with maternal tenderness. Syaoran had told her of this place, of these people. He had not exaggerated when he described their power and their splendor. He had promised that they would accept her here, and she felt it now as she was regarded by sage wizards and young apprentices with the same kindness as shared by a family.

She was not universally accepted of corse. The old ones who sat at the council's head were quick to argue the succession of matriarch. Sakura felt their eyes on her always, watching her for something that would tip the balance for her dismissal. It was no secret that Sakura was both an outsider and not tied by blood or marriage to the clan. She never argued their claims that she was undeserving, but oddly enough that only inspired more to argue for her.

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

"This girl is not one of us! She was raised mortal, she is not fit to be our leader! Lord Syaoran did not take this woman as his wife and thus she is nothing to us! She will bring misfortune on our heads!" his face was shrouded in velvet shadow, leaving only a beard of greyed whiskers and a pair of radiant eyes to be seen. He was dressed in robes of black cloth and leather straps. The leather was branded with burned incantations which made him appear to be an Egyptian pharaoh, bound in papyrus.

Sakura's eyes remained on the stone underfoot, her form never flinched, despite the harsh tones being projected from the sorcerer and his companions of the council. She listened and felt their words hitting her flesh like a hail, but she could not speak. She was unsure of both protocol and what she could possibly say. Nothing they had said was a lie.

"See now! She will not speak in her own defense, she will not claim this for herself, why are we to hand it to her!" another sorcerer voiced. He would have said more, but was silenced as the clan's grand master of the dojos rose.

She had been master only a short time now, but already she was respected. Her long ebony hair pooled over her shoulders like the black luster of a raven's wing. Her eyes burned in black fire as she stepped forward and was recognized. She knelt at Sakura's side and laid a hand on the girl's shoulder. She was dressed in a blood red Gi with black trim that made her look older then she actually was. Meilin frowned.

"How dare you? This girl I would call my sister. This girl the matriarch of our clan calls daughter. This girl was chosen by lord Li Syaoran. You have no right to dare say she is unworthy! I advise you now to show her respect, old ones. She defeated the legacy and freed the Clow. I will not tolerate this tone! And neither will the dojo!" Sakura blinked in shock at Meilin's tone, it was as hard as steel and could cut as easily as any sword.

"You are new to your position girl! You have no magic either, so return to your place and do not mettle in affairs that do not concern you!"

"I stand with my sister, and with me I carry the weight of our clan's dojo." Meilin had been trained by the old master in the ways of the dojo. Though not necessarily as valued as the magic, the power she held as master of the dojo was notable. She had learned much from the old one, and now spoke with all the eloquence she could muster. Sakura was up against some powerful foes, she could use some powerful allies.

Meilin would have said more, but was hushed as the matriarch of the clan stood from her place at the head of the council. The old ones fell silent as the entire clan soon found their gaze on their matriarch.

The woman glided more then she walked, her gown of silk and satin held no more wait then a fog on the ground, but never had a fog secured such attention. The woman paused in front of Sakura.

"A matriarch does not bow. Look up at them as they speak to you, Sakura." Sakura complied, her bangs falling around her eyes. She watched Syaoran's mother as she stepped on the opposite side of Meilin. With no more words she sat on the ground beside the girl. Sakura heard a hushed gasp ripple through the onlookers and onto the council. They looked at her as she stared back with a sharp expression. A moment more passed before others began joining Sakura.

The council was not going to have an easy time trying to get Sakura out of their ranks.

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

The arguments continued, and Sakura survived on the grace of her benefactors. The council was losing the fight the longer they fought it. It seemed that Sakura had a pull on people. That alluring quality united with Lerae's backing was more then enough to keep her in the fight, despite the arguments of the council who now fought for their place in the clan. If they were defeated now, it would be a short step for the abolition of their position altogether.

Their greatest weapon was a single truth that could not be argued even by Sakura's most devout supporters. Sakura had lost the ability to use magic.

Some things can be traced and comprehended by finding their origins. The parentage of a cold can be traced to where it was caught, and thus understood. But Sakura's loss of magic was not so easy, in fact it was more impossible. She had lost all power over magic the second she tore the hope card in half.

Upon arriving at the clan a year ago all kinds of efforts had been put underway to restore her magic, but none bore fruit. She had been made to meditate amidst swirling plumes of incense and be anointed with mystical concoctions that had odors ranging from blood to lavender. Yet nothing worked, and that hurt Sakura a little. Magic had always been a part of her, and now, to loose it. She felt as though she had lost a part of herself. A tie to Kero, the now-gone Clow cards, and Syaoran.

She wondered if this inability to use magic was an insult to him, her master. She loved Syaoran, and the idea of betraying him by failing as a sorceress ached in her breast alongside the throbbing sadness of having to live without him at all. She could be a normal girl if it meant having him, but now she was neither. And she felt like a sliver of who she was, being without both magic and a heart.

It was times like this that she felt his absence the most, the quiet moments when she was alone, and without distraction. She remembered his smile, and how she used to strive for catching a glimpse of the elusive thing. His hands, strong and callused, but gentle, with a tenderness that inspired only trust. His eyes, they were magical in themselves, piercing and clear. When he had looked at her, she knew that she was seen. She missed him so much that it was as if the only thing keeping her from collapsing into hysterics was the actual weight of her pain. The volcano couldn't erupt for the weight of the lava.

Her hair had grown to the point where she was debating investing in a comb, like the other women of the clan. She felt that since she would most likely be staying with them, she should allow herself to be absorbed into them. she would embrace their traditions and mannerisms. They were her family now. And she did love them.

Meilin called her sister while Syaoran's mother called her daughter. Though she still missed her father and brother, she had found a small measure of happiness knowing that she was seen as family to these people.

The wind picked up and pulled at the black silk which spread outward like the wings of shadowy angels. It flapped and whipped in the air as Sakura let her lids slip down over her emerald eyes. It was in moments like this that she was most content, and also most sorrowful. She listened to the sea and felt the wind. By now the blueish indigo had become magentas and violets, soon to be followed by golds. The day would begin soon, though she could almost hear the faint sounds of the clan's laborers preparing for the morning. Breakfast was underway and though not hungry, the faint smells that almost reached her would be enough to inspire a rumble in her empty stomach.

She could feel the magic of this place, but she could not feel it in herself. She was afraid that she had lost it. She was feeling things as a human, not as a sorceress. The wind and the sand, they were human perceptions, not a single wisp of aura struck her on this most hallow of shores.

Magic was the lifeblood of this place, she felt it and knew it. It was far larger an island then she had thought when she first came her years ago on vacation. The spells which hide the island under a web of illusion was still cast for her then. But now all such magic was shielded to her eyes. She saw this place for all it was, and marveled at it's splendor. She simply wished that she had magic to match it, and someone to share it with.

She strolled down the beach, feeling the sand and the wind as a mortal girl, waiting for a sunrise.

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

"Tell me, why can she not work magic? She does not lack it. I feel her aura swell with power the likes of which I have never known."

"I would say so, my lady. It is as though she carries with her the auras of two great sorcerers in one! But I could only presume why she cannot call on the magic." the older sorcerer was dressed in more modern garb: Dress pants, a while long sleeve shirt, a dark vest, and a pair of well shined shoes. His hair was neatly kept and pulled to the back. In a Celtic hair ornament.

"Presume then, Sakura was meant for this. I refuse to give up on her." Lerae replied.

"Well, I feel that it may be the young master's doing my lady."

"How so?"

"She was in love with him. My powers are nowhere near yours... but I feel the ache within her quite clearly. She mourns with such force that to look too deeply at her aura can be painful. Magic is concentration and emotion, I believe that she cannot call the magic because her grief smothers it. Her pain is so overpowering that no other feeling can be put forth without it mingling with the anguish, and thus being corrupted." Lerae nodded slowly. Walter was imported from England, and had proved a truly worthwhile teacher of the magics. He had once taught Syaoran, before the boy graduated beyond his ability and thus became self taught. Lerae knew that he would not offer this suggestion unless he had carefully thought about it.

"I don't see how it could be possible to cure her of this, my lady. And the council..."

"The council has grown weak, their minds as dull as their words. Sakura will be matriarch of this clan, magic or no... but I would prefer to restore her own natural ability... if for no other reason, then because it is what she was meant to have."

"It's funny, she has no magic to command, but the girl seems capable of commanding us all without trying."

"A heart so strong can do nothing but attract champions, Walter. Her nature is her greatest magic, and that cannot ever be drowned out."

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

The sun had risen and found Sakura sitting on one of the ancient stones that was scarred with runes. Her form was slashed with shadow as the onset of the sky's light tinted her flesh gold. The ocean rose and fell as waves rolled down upon the shore in frothy blasts which rained brackish mist into the tropic air, and flavored the breeze with a cleanness that seemed to expunge all the spiritual residue of a night of nightmares and tears.

Sakura had found herself in the habit of waking early. Her dreams were filled with memories that troubled her, and thus she found herself sleeping less and less. While the clan was abustle during the day, she was able to find solitude late at night. She spent her nights reading, taking long walks, watching the stars and the sunrise, and also, remembering.

The night had ended with the same grace it had began, gently slipping away into the blues of the morning. And as the last traces of the night vanished, she rose from the ancient boulder where she had watched the sunrise from, she made her way back to the clan.

By the time she had progressed beyond the steps, the clan was already churning with life. A young sorcerer was walking with a little girl of no older then eight. She was a sweet girl and had an adorable expression as she listened to the older sorcerer, who was her brother. As they passed Sakura on their way to the beach, both bowed respectfully.

The younger generation of the clan seemed far more ready to accept her then the older ones. Sakura smiled to them and offered a kind good morning, then passed.

She paused as she watched the people work, they were so self reliant here, each doing their own job without having to be asked or instructed. She watched a man dressed in the robes of a teacher giving a lesson on magics of nature. Sakura stepped closer just in time to hear the end of the morning lesson, which would be resumed after breakfast.

As the students dispersed Sakura found herself confronted by an excited little blond child who spoke with an American accent. She knelt down to better face the excited little girl who was grinning at her. Sakura recognized the girl as the child of one of Syaoran's sisters.

"Hello Sakura! Err... lady Sakura." she blushed.

"It's alright, Sakura is fine with me." the girl grinned, feeling special that she had permission to address the future matriarch so informally.

"Look what I can do!" she spun around and put her hand on a patch of ground. Sakura watched as the girl stuck her tongue out in concentration. She was muttering meek incantations that soon took effect. From the crevice between the cobblestones a tiny green stalk snaked upward, gently branching out in tiny little limbs which burst into tiny white flowers. She blinked and reached down, picked the flower, then offered it to Sakura.

"That was great!" Sakura exclaimed as she took the tiny sprig of baby's breath and tucked it behind her ear. She smiled as the girl beamed and hugged her suddenly. Sakura grinned into the child's hair and lifted her onto her hip.

"That was very cool." Sakura reiterated as the girl blushed.

"You like it?"

"Of corse, I'm wearing it, aren't I?"

"You look really pretty Sakura..." she blushed as she reached out and touched Sakura's cheek. Sakura reached over and touched the child's cheek.

"But not as pretty as you. So do you have a boyfriend?" Sakura smirked as the girl giggled as thought the idea were hilarious in itself.

"Nooo...." she said shyly.

"Are you suuuuuurrrreeeee?"

"Well... I think lord Syaoran was cute." she admitted hesitantly. Sakura was quiet.

"It's sad that he was called." she continued. Sakura had to remind herself that the people of this clan saw the sacrifices against legacy differently. She was also too young to fully grasp the situation. It was as though he had merely gone on a long trip, not died.

"I always thought so too." the girl smiled at the affirmation.

"You would have married him?"

"Yes, I would have."

"Sakura....I'm glad you're here. You'll be a really good matriarch." Sakura kissed the girl's forehead.

"Thank you little angel."

"Monopolizing the time of our future matriarch?" an unfamiliar male voice piped in. Sakura turned and found herself staring at a young man dressed in the uniform of a martial artist. He was handsome, and well defined with muscle. Sakura smiled and put the girl down who greeted the young man, calling him Jin. Sakura accepted his offered hand and greeted him. the youth looked at her, piercing her with the clarity of his gaze. She could tell he had magic, and that he was using it.

"Why don't you go get breakfast little one, I'll see you later." Sakura spoke to the young girl who complied and left.

"So, you are the one, eh?"

"Excuse me?"

"I heard that Li Syaoran had a girl in japan. I never thought it was possible for that guy to have anyone he cared for like that. But, here you are." Sakura stepped back in unsurity. This Jin, was half Asian, but had a notably American quality. He spoke to Sakura like he knew her.

"I don't mean to make you uncomfortable, forgive me. My name is Jin. I am Meilin's fiancé. I just got back from America, sorry I missed you before now." Sakura blinked and then smiled broadly.

"I was wondering when I'd meet you! Meilin talks about you a lot."

"Hopefully all good."

"Nothing too terrible." he laughed and blushed a little.

"She's one to talk. More then seventy-five percent of the trouble I have ever gotten into is her doing."

"It's good to know she found a partner in crime." Sakura smiled. She liked him a lot more knowing he wasn't hitting on her.

"You'll have to forgive me for earlier. I had heard about you for so long, and I felt like I knew you already."

"It's alright. One question though... a moment ago you were doing magic weren't you?"

"I'm empathic, it's not mind reading, so don't worry. I just naturally get impressions about people, and I was a little curious about the type of girl who could get Li to warm up."

"No easy task, but he was really gentle deep down."

"Very deep down.

"Extremely deep down." she smiled, even though it hurt a little. His gaze softened as he felt the pang of pain run through her. Sakura would have to get used to this boy's abilities since it was going to be very hard keeping him from knowing what was going on inside her heart.

"I'm sorry. It's hard, I know. I liked him, and it's weird hearing how they talk about him now. It's like he isn't gone to them, more like he ascended into sainthood."

"I feel that way, but it's the clan's way I guess." she looked at him quizzically.

"I wasn't raised here, I was imported a few years back." she smiled sheepishly as he once again read her.

"I understand a lot about them, but there is so much that I don't even come close to. I guess it's only for those with the super powerful magic. The oracles for instance, they are constantly tuned into the future. But how do they function like that? Only able to see in one direction, not able to be a part of the present." he laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his head, feeling stupid for asking something that was probably common knowledge to everyone with real magic.

"It's strange here, but good." she replied softly. he looked at her, seeing a shadow of Syaoran in her.

"I can't do magic anymore, but I was touched by it. I could never have anything else now... having felt that kind of mystic power, touching it.. Then having to let it go. I can't feel the auras anymore, or see into the spirit world.... but being close to it makes me feel good, right almost. It's strange and hard to understand, but it's amazing too."

"It's nice being empathic. When you talk about magic... I feel what you feel to a degree. Feeling it like you, it's different from anything I have ever felt." his tone was soft as he looked at her.

"What do I make it feel like?" she smiled.

"Somewhere in between really good poetry and being kissed for the first time." he laughed.

"Sakura, I don't have much in the way of influence here, but when the time comes, if the elders don't back down... I'll stand with you" his tone was gentle, but strong. This boy was like Syaoran in some ways, he was strong, but also kind. Innocent in a way. Madison was lucky, she had found someone truly special.

Her gaze shifted to the distance as she turned and looked, catching something out of the corner of her mind's eye. It was there for only half a heartbeat, but for that moment she could feel discern something. A faint image that vanished before recognized, and a hymn in ancient tongue that only resounded within her ear for a moment's time.

Jin turned and looked in the direction, seeing exactly what Sakura now saw and heard: nothing.

"Sakura, are you alright?"

"Umm... yeah. Just thought I saw something." the hymn whispered in her soul in that same, beautiful, but indiscernible voice that she knew, and yet could not recall. The trees in the distance swayed in gentle winds as the newly risen sun glowed in the sky. She continued talking with Jin, trying to put it from her mind, but still the hymn sang on.

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

"Lerae... the girl is not one of us. She has no magic of her own. she is not married into our clan. We can not permit this girl to be named matriarch, it would be an insult to our clan's line." the elderly sorcerer spoke, his ancient features looking to be carved from sandstone. He was the acting head of the council, and one of Sakura's most fearsome antagonist. Where as many of the council were in a constant yelling match, he was not. His voice was quiet and his composure solid. He was dangerous to Sakura on the grounds that his weapons were logic and reason.

"The council has forgotten their place. I am the one who will name my successor, and I choose the girl my son deemed worthy. Sense her aura to deem her qualified, if you must. It is like the moon blocking out the sun. the sheer intensity of her power is enough to deem her deserving. And more importantly, the greatness of her character will ensure that she is a fair and kind leader. This clan will thrive under her administration."

"She has greatness, I can not, and will not, dispute that. But aura or none, she cannot call the magics to her. This is a new problem, one we have never encountered quite like this. What if that." He paused for the words. "'Disease' is communicable to the future generations? She will destroy the line and cripple our clan. What will we do when she refuses to have an heir? Lerae, I do not profane that she is not of the right caliber to be our matriarch. But there are too many factors to make her unsuitable. By forcing this, you may very well destroy our clan."

"You are wise, of all the council, you are the only one to make a compelling argument against her. The others seem all too preoccupied with their own power, and not the future of our people. I have seen Sakura's fate, she was a child then, but I saw enough to recognize a potential in her. You were watching the battle with the legacy, am I right?" the old one stroked his beared and looked down, shadows advancing upon each wrinkle, making them look like crags in a rockface.

"I was monitoring it with a seeing crystal, yes."

"Then you saw what she did to fight the demon on her own."

"Yes... that spell she created. It was ancient magic... the kind that has been lost to men since the beginning. Sakura used magic that changed reality itself... she channeled the powers of a god."

"The girl bares the same potential that Syaoran did. Their power grows with time, and has no end in sight. Sakura used magic that is beyond our understanding, she has the potential to become the sorceress that will cease to use magic, but be a part of it. Our ambitions made real, to no longer tap into it, but be one with it."

"You speak of legend, matriarch. The children grow more powerful each generation it seems, but I am skeptical that it will be within our lifetimes. The coming of a sorcerer or sorceress who is actually a part of the magic would undoubtedly herald the return of magic to the human world. You've seen how they act, how they use their power.... do you think that they are ready?"

"As they are now? No. but I think that if there is one of us who can potentially make them ready, it would be this girl."

"You have been trying to help her regain her powers?"

"Yes."

"Why? As it stands you will most likely win. The great council has set itself up for destruction. We were unable to stop her favor in the clan, and when she is made matriarch, we will be disbanded. The council is dead, and though we still fight, we know we are dead.

The girl does not need magic to be named matriarch now, she has won that on her own graces, and your support of her." Lerae smiled at the man, of all the council, he was the only one she respected.

"She was born with magic, the powers of a seer, but without the drawbacks of such magic. She didn't even know it was magic until Cerberus, the beast of the golden eyes, became her guardian and told her so. She merely thought the visions dreams. She used this power without the incredible mental strain most seers suffer.

She was meant for magic, and I do this for her now, not because it will make her a better matriarch, but because it is a part of her, and she will ache for it for her whole life until it is restored. I do this out of love, not obligation." Lerae smiled softly. Syaoran would have wanted this.

"I oppose the girl because I think she may damage our clan, may even destroy it. You are not the only one who can see shadows of destiny. Sakura Avalon is the zenith of a very complex knot of key-lines. Destinies are tied to her in so many ways... mine, yours, Meilin's and Syaoran's just to name a few.

I see the shadow of her benevolent legacy... a girl who can heal our clan and potentially our world. But also... I see a shadow of destruction. Of great evil.

Greatness draws adversity

This game we play as the proprietors of magic is a game of great consequence. For as much as we see into the potential future, there is so much we do not.

Sakura is destined for greatness, I sense that. But that greatness may very well be the force that destroys us all. That makes the stakes high. This decision is a flip of a coin to us: on one side, our greatest ambitions. On the other, the annihilation of all we have strived to protect and preserve.

Lerae, I think you play too much on chance. You have grown into a fine matriarch from when I first met you as a child, but though you now have wisdom and composure, you still have a fierceness from youth. You and your husband, and even the young lord, Syaoran. You all had courage to face fate and gamble with it.

And now you gamble with this also... I taught you many things, but failed when teaching prudence." the old sorcerer smiled sadly at his former pupil with both pride and regret.

"Master, you were a great teacher... but we see differently. The leader of our clan must not be afraid to assert themselves. It takes courage to lead our people, and while I may be called reckless in my shaping of fate... I am not afraid to strive for greatness. Sakura will be matriarch, and she will be great. My son saw it in her, and I see it too." she reached out and touched the man's hand.

"I do not like doing battle with you, child. You were my best pupil... you know our clan and you fight well. No other would be able to accomplish what you have. You have defeated our council, remade our way of life. I am proud that I helped make such a strong woman from such a gentle girl."

"You made me strong... without you I would never have been able to fight the legacy and survive losing my husband to it. Though the council will soon be gone, I am comforted that I will always have your guidance." she bowed to the aged sorcerer who loved her as any grandfather would love their granddaughter. He opposed Sakura's place as matriarch, but he did so for the benefit of their people, not his own power. Perhaps if there had been more like him in the council, they would have won.

She set off in search of Sakura.

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

Sakura sat and watched her legs dangle from the tiny stone bridge which crossed a clear stream which was fed from the falls, deeper in the jungle. The bridge was beautifully crafted, with coral hued woodwork and a smooth stone path. It looked ancient to her, as though it were a mirror of what was during the Japanese feudal era. It was like that here, every turn offered the potential to come across a woman in garb worthy of an empress, or a young man who could be a wandering samurai. It was a place several times removed from the current era.

Tiny lilies floated on the slowly traveling water. They were in bloom with beautiful white flowers that glowed far brighter then snow she had loved in japan. She watched as tiny dragonflies skitted across the glassy water. It was pristine and quiet here, she felt warm and at peace here. Though such moments she was aware that she wished Syaoran were here to share them with. But for the moment she was not hurting too badly there.

She wasn't surprised to see Syaoran's mother standing at the edge of the bridge watching her. The woman was uncannily quiet and yet she never alarmed Sakura when she appeared. Why this is, Sakura had no idea.

"Hello... Lerae" she wasn't comfortable calling the elegant sorceress in such an informal matter. But was told that they she would be hurt if Sakura did otherwise.

"Hello child, it's always easy to find you. I just look in a place where there would be no one else. Tell me, are you uncomfortable with our people?"

"oh no, of corse not! I just... like being by myself. I guess I'm a little intimidated by large groups of people, they all look at me as if they are searching for something." she blushed.

"Maybe they are..." The woman smirked as Sakura looked up to her sheepishly before rising to her feet.

"I talked to your instructors."

"Oh? Am I grounded?" the young girl joked as the matriarch smiled softly. Sakura was used to such responses from dealing with Syaoran. Coaxing laughter took months, so a small smile was sufficient.

"He is very impressed with you. You know incantations very well, your grasp on comprehension of spells is very admirable, and you strike him as a very clever girl. All the makings of a great sorceress. He is especially enthraled with your aura... never has anyone seen one quite like yours. It's not just massive, but as though it were actually two fused as on. Quite curious... we enjoy curious things here." she motioned for Sakura to walk with her. The young sorceress complied.

"Does he know why I can't do magic?"

"He has an idea..." Sakura waited, but found that she was not giving out anything without prodding.

"Which is?"

"Tell me Sakura... what is your impression of our people here? Are you happy?" she changed the subject and Sakura allowed it begrudgingly, she was matriarch after all.

"Yes. I feel at home here. Syaoran said I would be accepted here, and I feel I am."

"But you're not. The council...." she lead off.

"They are entitled to say what they feel is right. I don't have magic, and I'm not married into the clan. Not that I would ever...." Lerae ignored that last part for the time being.

"Do you hate them? They make things hard for you, they rally against you. Why do you never speak against them?"

"I don't hate them. They love this clan, so they are just trying to do what they think is best for it. I can't blame them if they think I'm not the best for the job." Lerae paused.

"Do you want to be matriarch Sakura?" Sakura thought over the answer for a time. Oddly enough, she hadn't thought about it too heavily.

"I don't know. I like it here, but I don't know if I want it or not. I don't really take any pleasure from being bowed to and having power over people. The only thing that makes me think I do is that Syaoran always said I would make a great matriarch. It was probably just lip-service, but I would like to make him proud of me. And he always loved this clan so much..." Lerae was quiet as they walked.

"I was married into the position. My husband was the one born to lead, and I was the card mistress. I had a great deal of mystical potential as a child, and so our marriage was arranged. I didn't mind that like Syaoran did... I loved him without being obligated into it. I had no desire to be matriarch, just to be his."

"Was he like Syaoran?" Sakura asked softly.

"Oh yes. They both were strong willed, but very good at heart. He was a very passionate man, everything he did, he did one hundred percent. His magic, his leadership of our clan, his devotion as a husband and father, and his dedication to being my hope when legacy came." she got quiet then and Sakura understood why.

"And Syaoran? You loved him?"

"I loved him more then anything I had ever known. I know it's a duty for the matriarch to have children...heirs... but I can't. I could never take another man. Could never love another."

"Fate was cruel when you were made mistress so young. I don't fully understand how you are able to function as well as you do when you are alone so much. The only thing that saved me was the fact that my love had left me a child before he was called. If Syaoran had not been born when he was, I would have been lost." she turned to stare at the young girl, her eyes ethereal and piercing.

"You don't let anything go... you cling to him so tightly. All the pain of losing him, all the feelings that you failed him by not understanding the visions sooner... you hold tightly to it all. It mystifies me. Why do you not let go of the slightest measure of pain?"

"I knew you could see into me... but I am surprised that you can see so clearly."

"The more intense and focused your feelings, the more clear it is." Sakura closed her eyes and waited for the woman to force her. She did.

"Well? Why do you not let anything go?"

"I can't.... he was the only one who ever believed in me like that. He was the only one who didn't go easy on me! I just can't! " Sakura felt her eyes sting with tears. The woman stepped forward and took her chin in her hand roughly.

"You are not an ordinary child Sakura... you must be strong. Tears are not trivial things for a matriarch. I have cried twice in all the years I have been matriarch."

"Lerae..."

"do not disgrace him by turning his name into a sob of defeat. Sakura, you must be strong for no other reason then to bring honor to him. he had no sons, thus, you are his legacy to us. I morn him every day, but I cannot allow myself, or you to be swallowed by grief." she paused in deliberation, then turned and began walking in a new direction.

"Come with me Sakura, it is time you see something." Sakura nodded mutely as she forced the tears from her vision.

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

The dense jungle grew closer to the path's sides until it had formed a tunnel of twisted ancient trees. The boughs were smooth and seemed unnaturally white, as if glowing in a softer tone then the eye could easily place. The sun was blocked out almost completely, declared only by sharp beams of light that poured down from tiny rifts in the limbs and leaves of the verdant canopy.

As Sakura walked in Lerae's shadow she was vaguely aware of a whispering that sang the same antiquated chant that almost sounded Gregorian in origin. It was lovely, but sad. Sakura felt it coming from her just as much as it was the trees, it whispered and reverberated from all life around it. She followed in silence as she listened to the ancient melody, that called to her.

They came to a rockface that stretched far beyond Sakura could see through the dense canopy. The stone was smoothed with age. Each downward sloping step perfectly formed, though radiant with a projection of age. Sakura couldn't presume to fix a date on it, it looked older then time itself. Lerae paused at the threshold and looked at Sakura, gauging her reaction. The stone was draped in green vines, it had a stillness that it broadcasted in some strange capacity.

The steps faded away into the haze of distance as Sakura caught Lerae's gaze.

"What is this place?"

"The core of our world, Sakura." they descended the steps into what would normally be darkness, but instead was the antithesis to the dark. Each stone glowed a faint jade radiance which was lighter then the verdant greens of grass, but softer then the radiant lime glimmer of a firefly in the summer night. The opaque green glow radiated from the entire cavern, lightening at their passage from the light of day, to the mystical brilliance of this breathtaking place.

"None of us know why this place is. It was discovered long ago, before our clan settled here. In fact, it was the reason we settled here. This place is our treasure you see."

Their footfalls echoed gently into the distance that was both dark and light. The glow grew brighter in their presence, as if the passage itself was lighting for them, bidding them go deeper.

"When a sorcerer dies, their body returns to the earth, their soul to the heavens, and their magic to this place. It has no name to us, for a name assigns limits to something. We don't know if this place has limits. We have never been able to comprehend it, it's a magic beyond all magic.. For as long as our clan has been on this island we have tried to divine its mystery; To no avail."

"I'm confused." Sakura confessed hesitantly as she followed, looking at the beauty that seemed to radiate from this place, but understanding nothing of it, or the story Lerae was telling.

"This place is holy to us. Whenever one of us dies, our magic returns to this place, and mingles with the magics of other lost sorcerers. We can't unravel its mystery, but that makes it all the more sacred to us... having something that keeps us humble."

"I'm afraid I still don't quite understand all that you're saying. Why didn't Syaoran ever tell me about this place?"

"It must be seen. You cannot paint this panorama with words, they make no sense to you now just as they would if Syaoran had tried to explain. But I know he longed to take you here... my son loved you ever since he returned from japan all those years ago. He wanted to share this clan with you, and all the beauty it possessed.

This place is our greatest treasure, and our most defended secret. The fact that you now are admitted here is proof that you have won. You are one of us. Share this treasure with us Sakura. It is your birthright as one of our clan now." as she finished the steps finally ended. Sakura and Lerae stood atop a stone dock that glowed with a mystical luminance. The stones were carved of alabaster and silver which mingled in such ornateness that it seemed to beautiful to be of this earth. The stone shined like ivory and the silver like liquid moonlight. There were markings of topaz in ancient hieroglyphs of a long lost language that stretched down from the platform to the steps leading down into the water.

Sakura saw none of this, her eyes were wide and unblinking as she stared across the terrain of heaven. The ancient stone met would be called water, but was so much more then water. The sea was still and tranquil, but constantly abloom with colors that defied the word beauty just as this place defied the word earthly. A thousand hues mingled and rippled within the water. Some were golds like the sun, while others were flushed with crimson to shame the most breathtaking rose. A thousand shades of lavender and pink gently caressed in this ocean of magic that stretched out before Sakura and off to a horizon she had never seen. It was surreal, for this was not possibly genuine. While this horizon stretched out like the true ocean, this place was no bigger then a fraction of the island. It was impossible, but undeniable.

They were underground, but there was a sky. A perpetual sunset of pinks and violets painted the sky here as gentle winds cast actual rosy tinted clouds across the landscape. She felt as though she were on the face of another world, a better world. A paradise worthy of the name Eden.

The soft hymn echoed from the distance, more clear and beautiful now then Sakura had ever heard it. The words were far to ancient to be understood, but their power left a trembling in the heart and a pressure in the soul.

Sakura watched as the ethereal sorceress descended the tiny steps and stepped off into the sea of swirling magics. Sakura blinked in awe as she saw the great woman standing atop the water. She had removed her shoes at some point when Sakura was still utterly lost in the majesty of the place. Her tiny feet walked across the still water as if she were lighter then air.

Her skin glowed of ivory in contrast to both the radiant water and the strikingly dark silk of her attire. She wore a kimono of exquisite beauty, it was by far the most humble thing she wore, but on her... it looked as regal as spun silver. The place itself seemed to make her brighter, her skin, hair, the rosy sash she wore against the velvety black kimono. All seemed to glow as she stood there, on top of the shallow water.

"Those with magic don't get wet here. It's as solid as ground." Sakura nodded and stepped down to the water. With a yelp of surprise, she fell in. The water only reached her calves, but it was shocking. She looked down with a measure of disappointment.

"Do not be concerned child, when you return to magic, you will stand as my equal." she looked amused at Sakura's white dress which now clung to her legs. Sakura noted that her flowing sash and outer robe glided atop the water just as she did.

"All the magic of the sorcerers of the past are here, Sakura. When you regain your power you will be able to feel their auras here. I feel my husband's.... that's why I come here so often, I believe. To be near him, to feel his power and be assured by it. This place is sacred for so many reasons, but when I am here, I am with him once more." she had a gentle smile on her rose lips.

"Can you feel Syaoran here?"

"No. But there are countless auras to sort through. It will take time to recognize his I think. For the time being, I must resort to feeling him in you. Your two spirits are mates, and thus I feel his when I touch yours."

"I wish I could feel him still... I miss his aura... its warmth." they walked deeper in, Sakura through the water, Lerae on top of its surface. It seemed to be midday, sunrise, and sunset all at once. Sakura reached down and dipped her fingers in the water reveling in the touching of pure magic. As she knelt, Lerae caught a glimpse of Syaoran's pendant, which she still wore.

"My son's sword still hangs at your neck... you do not look like a warrior to me, but it suits you." Sakura blushed a little and touched it.

"That blade would not be so docile in the hands of a weak person. It is the ancestral sword of our people. It would not tolerate being in the care of many. Such a shame it is lost to us."

"What?"

"The sword will only release in the hands of the true lord of our clan. It did for Syaoran's father, him, and it would for his son. With the male line cut, it is no more then a relic to us now. No magic can force it open... just the hand of our leader."

"Syaoran never told me that..."

"I suspect he was waiting to tell you many things... but there is an order of things. just as I could not show you this place before today, he could not tell you of your shared trial before it was time."

"You keep so many secrets."

"Think of them as surprises"

"How many are left?"

"A few, but I suspect that some of the surprises in our future will be of your doing, little cherry blossom."

"I never knew there was so much beauty in this world." she commented as she looked out over the splendor of the horizon.

"Beauty is in the eye that sees it, child. Much like greatness..." she knelt beside Sakura as the young sorceress slowly fell to her knees. The hymn sang on as they shared a silent communion with the sea and the sky.

"You are strong Sakura. My son loved you, and now I love you as well. I feel your pain as my own, for it is my own also. I give you leave to grieve for my son as long as you like. But I beg you not to be destroyed by the loss. You can harbor an emptiness for a time, but soon it will spread. I do not want to see you lost in this grief, my daughter.

I've lost so much... my husband and my son. I fear that you may soon be lost to me. Do not cease loving him, but don't let that love turn to sorrow. You degrade the bond you share with such agony... and you will

ultimately wash away all the goodness and love you hold for him. if you don't let go, the pain will obscure his memory.

You were made my daughter the moment my son pledged his heart to you. I don't want to lose another child."

"I don't know if I can..."

"Do you know why we do not grieve for our lost loved ones as the outside world does?" Sakura looked up and met her ebony eyes. They shined as Sakura's twin emeralds reflected their velvety shadows. Sakura shook her head.

"You have seen auras... you know that when two spirits touch, they leave a piece behind. We each share a piece of those who have left us, a tiny sliver of their love lives on in us. Their fires never truly burn out for they exist in the hearts of those still here. To see my son, I look at you. In the shadow of your spirit I feel him, I see him in you Sakura.

We miss them, but all we must do to see them is look. I think that may be the most important reason to return magic to the world. With magic a certain sense of understanding is given. An understanding that you are never truly alone, and that those you love will be with you always.

My son is dead... I know no magics that could ever change that. But I see him in you Sakura. I hope you can understand that he is still with you, even if you can't see him." she bowed and departed, gliding across the still water like a phantom of mist. Sakura watched as she slowly made her way back tword the point of entry. She took her time, savoring the majesty of this place.

"Hi, Sakura" she turned and saw Madison standing before her. she rose with a smile to look at the girl. Her pants were pushed up to her knees as she strolled over, through the water instead of on top of it. Her feet were bare and somewhat less dainty then Lerae's. Her ankles were unnaturally shaped; over the years breaks and fractures had mended while bone thickened to compensate for the strenues of her profession. They were not without their subtle attractiveness, it was more a charm. A defining characteristic of the girl who's beauty took root in her spirit instead of her skin. She wore a grey Gi with black embroidering in the shape of a windswept banzai existing in a harmonious embrace with a five clawed serpentine dragon.

She smiled at Sakura, her colors exaggerated by the strange ambiance of this place. Her teeth seemed unnaturally white, but her smile was none the less friendly. Oddly enough, her scars seemed to grow more luminous here, Sakura had never noticed them so completely before. Her exposed calves were striped with pale marks that looked vaguely decorative on her bronze flesh.

Her legs bore the majority of the fading wounds since they were more often in play then her face or throat, but still there was the odd scar here and there on her throat and one tiny one that rose vertically from chin to cheek. While some women would hide such blemishes, Meilin displayed then with what would seem to be pride. It was this lack of insecurity that made the markings lose all negative effect over her loveliness.

"It's nice not being the only one who gets their feet wet here." she smirked as she motioned to Sakura's current position in relation to the water. Sakura smiled sheepishly as Meilin gave her a quick, sisterly, hug. Sakura smiled as she brushed her hair back from her eyes.

"At least the water is warm." she laughed.

"I'm glad they finally decided to bring you here. Even for those of us without magic, it's a beautiful place. I thought you would like it." she turned to look at a phantom of tiny rippling air which bubbled with rainbow pigments for no more then a moment before slipping away back into invisibility.

"I met Jin. He seems nice." Meilin grinned.

"He's ok I guess... lil weird sometimes, but then again, he fits in just right with the rest of us." Sakura laughed.

"You know he said something about how he wanted to know you better."

"What?" Sakura replied questioningly.

"He liked Syaoran, respected him... he never really made it into Syaoran's friend list, it took a lot of effort to get that close to mr. Serious, and Jin never had enough time to make it. I think he wants to know you better as a means of understanding the real Syaoran a bit more. And also, he likes you."

"You make it sound weird. Syaoran and I were lovers, but how could that help Jin know him any better?"

"You've met him, his magic makes him more receptive to impressions. I think he wants to see if by hanging around you, he'll figure out what it was that made you and Syaoran so close."

"You're sure he had only platonic feelings for Syaoran right?" she ribbed the young martial artist.

"He damn well better! I don't even want to begin thinking about how creepy that would be!" Sakura laughed as Meilin was thrown into histrionics that included everything from dry heaving to a very moving simulation of cardiac arrest. She had grown a lot nicer in the time that passed since childhood. She could be as serious as any of the Li clan, but also as funny as a stand up comedian - a comedian with a sword, but still a comedian-.

Satisfied in making Sakura laugh, Meilin paused to catch her breath. Madison had once served as the provider of laughter in the group, but now she was an ocean away, and Meilin was forced to take up the call.

"You sound like Madison." Sakura smiled, unintentionally divining Meilin's thoughts.

"You miss her?"

"Yeah."

"Sakura?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you have the clan cleanse her along with your family from the spell that makes them forget legacy? I thought you were looking to spare her some of the pain... what made you change your mind and have them take it off of her?" Sakura sighed and looked across the sea of mystic water.

"A few reasons: I missed her. she got a lot of her inspiration from our adventures, and without it she would lose some of her greatest ideas. And also..." Sakura paused as another phantom of radiant energy glided by her like a rainbow of a jellyfish in the open waters of a transparent sea. She wondered if she would ever grow accustom to this beauty.

"Something Syaoran told me... he said that destiny can't be chosen for someone. That you can only accept the decisions people make for their own futures. If I chose to have that part of her buried, I would be robbing her of her destiny. I'm sure it hurts, but it's her choice to remember."

"Syaoran said that?"

"Yeah... what's wrong?" she noticed that Meilin had an unnatural sadness to her eyes, even beyond that which would be due to the fact that he was gone.

"It's nothing I guess. It's just a little latent fixation. He wouldn't say something like that to anyone but you. Syaoran always hid so much, even in the end, he never spoke like that. He confided in me more then anyone else, but you could always tell that was just the surface stuff. But with you it wasn't like that, he really tried to give you everything he had, he didn't hold back anything. I guess I'm a little jealous still." she rubbed her arm self-consciously.

"But Jin?"

"Jin knows. I love him, but there's a place in my heart where Syaoran left. he understands that. Nothing can ever grow there... It makes me sad that I can never promise Jin my whole heart, but he is such a great guy he accepts that part of me. as I said, it's the last glimmer of obsession with him."

"Jin is a good man... but I understand you, Meilin. Syaoran is in a league all his own, there's no replacing that."

"Syaoran was a dream, I guess I still have the last lingering traces left in my heart... I guess we both do."

"You moved on at least, found someone to love, someone who will make you happy."

"You will too..."

"No."

"But Sakura..."

"This will be cruel Meilin, but you could never understand why. We touched spirits... his and mine, they became one. He's a part of me, so it's much more then just love. We're connected in a way that will never let me move on. I'm sure he'd want me to, but I can't with him still in here. I'm sorry. You were always insecure about your lack of magic, but for what it's worth, we're in the same boat now." Meilin nodded. She had known that there was a world that she could never be a part of since the beginni9ng of their shared adventures. And what had infuriated her most as a young girl was the knowledge that she could never share that world with Syaoran, or even Sakura. It was a place that only they could go. Over time she mellowed, and over time she learned to accept that they had their own world.

"You called Syaoran a dream, well he is for me too, Meilin. The only difference is that he is a dream I can never wake from." Meilin smiled in a quiet understanding that the former card-mistress was being completely honest; with both the young fighter, and herself. She reached out to Sakura and took hold of the pendent sword at her neck. Sakura hesitantly relinquished the ancestral sword to the girl, knowing that it was sacred to her also. She tested the pendent's weight in her hands and admired the silken blackness of the jewel. She caught her own reflection in it, a reflection that looked different in a way she couldn't understand completely. It was as though the mirrored surface reflected both the strength and the weakness in her.

She took her eyes from the jewel and placed it back into Sakura's hand.

"I know what Syaoran's mother was asking you to do. I know that she wants you to let him go enough so that you stop torturing yourself... I think you should too." she smiled and began walking off, but not without uttering one final piece of her mind to the silent girl.

"You know... he may be a dream, but dreams don't have to fade when you wake up. If the dream is special enough, you'll always hold onto it."

Sakura looked off into the spectral horizon. The hues of the waters were matched in the shimmering of tears which ran down her face. she felt a pressure inside herself as she slowly let the tears fall. Lerae had said being matriarch meant not being trivial with tears, but Sakura cried now with abandon. She was not Lerae, and if she was to be matriarch, she must be true to her own heart.

She closed her eyes as she held the pendent to her heart. Syaoran would want her to be strong, but not at the cost of her heart. She felt his touch as the tears streamed down her face. she had hidden in this dream, drinking deeply from twin cups: one of happiness. One of sorrow. The dream was claustrophobic to her, simultaneously giving her joy and misery, all in the name of Syaoran. She would force herself awake.

With a cry of desperation she flung the pendent off into the sky.

Meilin turned, feeling something strange. She gasped as her terra cotta eyes shimmered with the uncanny light that now rained down from the heavens. The beauty of this place was made beyond approach as sheets of silver lightning rained down from the sky with all the majesty of heaven. The still waters now churned with motion and life all around her as gravity seemed to loose some of its hold. Translucent pearls of liquid diamond floated amidst Meilin as if the rain were falling in reverse, and slowing.

Rivers of the water around them lifted away from the mother mass like the long craning necks of dragons, risen from the sleep of ages. These massive coils grew more luminous as they rose higher until they were actually liquid light. Meilin gasped in amazement as they shifted their monolithic girth and formed ornate helixes which built themselves into epic arches that erected themselves in ornate symbols, higher and higher.

The skies shimmered for a heartbeat with a stratosphere of sapphire design so intricate that you couldn't perceive half of it. Then it vanished again into the strangely livid pink sky.

She looked over at Sakura and gasped as she saw that the sorceress stood atop the water now. Sakura's hair danced in lashing winds as her white and pink robes flapped like surrealist bird wings. The magic had awakened.

Sakura remained focused on the pendent as it flew through the sky. She couldn't look away as it continued its upward arc, somehow she had released her bonds and freed her magic. All that occurred to her as a possible reason was that she had allowed herself to release some of the pain inside her. the auras flooded back into her like a tidal wave, the magic of this place came crashing down on her as if she had been at the bottom of the ocean, and only now felt its pressure. It was overwhelming to feel so much all at once. For some reason she could not look away from the pendent. As she followed it she became aware of her whispering a plea in words she didn't understand uttering from her own lips. The strange mantra was accompanied by the feeling of something flowing out of her. could grief be shed so quickly and easily? More so, can you feel it as it flows from you?

The pendant hurtled to the zenith of its ascent, and as it hung there in that moment before gravity would pull it back to earth, it caught the light and flashed in Sakura's eyes; blinding her for that instant. When it began falling, it had been transformed. Where once there was an ornate pendent, now there plummeted the ancestral sword of Syaoran's people. The blade looked more prolific now as each ridge of engraving glinted a golden ochre in the ambient light. It spun as it fell, the flowing red tassel looking more like fire then frayed red threads in the fiery heavens. With each rotation the blade glinted in the light, becoming the embodiment of silver fire and lightning.

It fell to earth with such grace that it almost was poetic, Sakura didn't blink or deviate her stare from the revolving sword, as it was nearing a landing she would have bet anything it would land blade down in the ground, a majestic pose. She would lose that bet.

As the blade made it's final rotation tword the ground, it was suddenly halted as a single hand snatched it from the heavens. Time froze as Sakura watched the edged weapon lift horizontally with a grace that only came with experience.

Her mouth fell open as a murmur of a name was expelled with breath. The magic of this place rippled and churned as the mystic cogs and wheels of this ancient magic began grinding back to life. The once serene seascape now was as alien and surreal as a Dali painting. The spires of livid water and crystalline light. Shifted like shadows before a setting sun, their perportunes twisting to the center of all the commotion.

The waters had converged on the figure which held the sword, enveloping and bubbling with motion as the radiance shifted to that one point. The phantoms of translucent color had multiplied from the sporadic wisp to a flock which glided through the air around the localization like spiraling staircase of rippling color. Bolts of silver lightning flashed through the turbulent sky as the water swirled upward like a waterspout of liquid and light.

As a mirror image to the sea, the sky began dipping downward in swirling clouds that split the heavens as they danced with the water in a incomprehensible partnership that was humbling in it's magnificence. Bolts of lightning splashed across the heavens in a horizontal arc, yet they inspired no fear. In all likelihoods, this colossal awakening of this place would be enough to inspire pure terror on nothing more then the sheer magnitude of the magics which swirled against each other. but there was no fear. For as much power that was radiated, there was infinitely more benevolence. This change was wild, but to stand before it was something like touching pure goodness, as though good was a tangible thing that could be wrapped around you like a blanket. Sakura's tears changed from sorrow to joy.

The hymn sang across the panorama with new feeling, where once there was sorrow, now there was hope. That word had new meaning for Sakura since legacy. But for the first time since Syaoran's hand left hers, she felt hope. It was an irrational kind of hope, but she felt it charging through her blood faster then her heart could pump it. She felt every nerve in her body crackling with electricity and a strange, crazy kind of believe that the impossible was now possible, that the very nature of this cruel machine called reality was being remade around her. The hymn was no longer a whisper on distant winds, but a chorus sung from the peaks of heaven. It's senseless words were growing more familiar with each second, as was their source.

Hope... she was past pessimism now, she was sure that this epic moment was going to do something, something that would change the way she saw fate. The hymn was all around her now, louder and more pristine, she couldn't hear the roar of the water or the cracks of the thunder. All she heard was the words and the foreign, but edifying music.

Lerae had turned and now watched in shock, she had gambled with fate to make Sakura matriarch, knowing the potential for both damnation and salvation were at hand. She was right. Sakura was the one that they had known of since their clan's beginnings. A child who did not divert magic's flow to their own end, but instead was one with it. Sakura glowed so brightly that to look upon her hurt the eyes and left a trembling in the soul. Lerae watched in awe as she witnessed the evolution of magic. As she looked at the seraphic image of Sakura, she was overwhelmed with hope.

With a flash, all the swirling energies were drawn to the sword and the obscured hand which gripped it, bathed in the silver flames of this magic. The magics swirled around that core with spectacular motion.

Sakura looked up for a reason she could not understand. Overhead she saw them. the spirits of the Clow, bathed in golden light looked down on her. they were as they had been, not spirits depicted in mystic cards, but radiant ghosts of women who had found their peace in the place that waits beyond. Sakura fell to her knees and looked up to them. their beauty was preserved as it had been in life, the smiles Sakura had never seen until the end were preserved now, they smiled at their former mistress with love.

The hymn sang on, it's words an enigma, but radiant of newfound hope. Sakura then realized that the hymn was coming from her. with a flash of gold, the spirits of the Clow departed in a rain of amber sparkles which swept downward like a snowstorm.

And then in an instant, it was calm. The hymn had been silenced, and now, the only sound was that of a gentle trickle of water. The glowing pyrotechnics had subsided, leaving only the swirling pillar of water and the golden rainstorm.

From the waters, a figure emerged. His form was transparent as air at first, but then, as he separated from the column of crystalline water his form began to ripple into their range of vision. Sakura's tears shimmered like diamonds when she saw him. it was too good to be real, too incredible to be possible. He held the sword of the Li clan as he walked tword her. his steps were uneven and staggering, as if his progress was solely made on sheer will power. A stubborn will to push forward, to never relent or yield. Sakura didn't know when she started running, but she was soon sprinting forward. The water rippled under each footstep as she ran for him.

"It's not possible....." Meilin gaped, but even as she whispered the words she was filled with an irrational premonition that it was possible. Sakura had brought him home. In the distance Lerae cried for the third time in all these many years.

She was running as fast as she could, and the closer she got, the more she was filled with hope. His shirtless form was of the correct build... He wore the long baggy pants of his traditional battle garbs with the same sash. Sakura didn't know how she recognized that, but she did. His disheveled chestnut hair was just as it had always been, tousled in a boyish manner. She was close enough to see his face now, she no longer had doubts, it was him. his eyes shined with tears as he looked at her, as amazed to see her as she him.

Sakura's arms were open as she launched herself at him. when they had said their goodbyes all those years ago, after the battle with the void card, she had jumped into his arms with total disregard for the possible fall. She had faith that he would always catch her then, and now she flew to him again.

It might have been another expression of this magical place, but time slowed as they met. The second loomed for an eternity as she fell into his arms and was snatched up. She found herself buried in his embrace, encircled in his arms with her head nestled against his bare shoulder.

Syaoran was both warm and solid. As she nuzzled his throat she felt his pulse against her lips. He was alive. He clung to her as tightly as she did him, the embrace was crushing, but not half so much as the sensations which bore down on them. Sakura knew she was crying, but was surprised to feel his tears as they impacted on her cheek and rolled down to her lips.

"Sakura...." he whimpered into her hair, not relenting in his grip on her as though she would slip away through his fingers. As he had with her. Time passed, but how much remained unknown.

"It's you?"

she pulled back half an inch and reached out to touch his cheek. She gently caressed his face, studying each feature.

"How?"

"I don't know exactly. Everything got hazy after I was sealed. I don't remember much, just that I knew I couldn't leave you..." he smiled softly as he swayed for a moment, then righted himself. he was still so weak.

"Is this real? How can it be? You... died. The women from Clow's village didn't come back, did they?"

"Don't be pathetic Sakura." he smiled sleepily. "They had somewhere they needed to be. Their place wasn't here anymore. But my place was with you... my place has always been with you." his words were soft, trembling. Sakura didn't realize that she was still touching him. she was caressing his face as though she were blind, and this was the only way to see him. He didn't protest though, in fact he even moved to meet her touches, savoring their contact. Syaoran was at peace now, he had made real his dream: he had finally found her. He needed her all his life, and now that he felt her tender caresses he knew that he would never lose her again.

His eyes slowly drooped shut, and with a soft smile, he fell forward into her arms, asleep. The two slumped together, his head against her breast as she stroked his hair. She held him to her as he snored softly. He didn't need to keep his defenses up around her, with Sakura he could be vulnerable, and never have to fear that he would be hurt. She had been blessed with a life he had dreamed of: love and warmth. And now she held him, having healed his heart and restored his faith. Sakura was his equal, and his savior. She was his hope.

The radiant magics faded away to their original splendor. The great spire of water slowly melted down, turning once again into an endless horizon of water, painted in the reds and pinks of sunset.

As the last shimmering embers of gold rained down, she lowered her lips to his and kissed him. she heard the hymn inside her own heart, and for the first time, understood.

It was finally time to live.

Time passed and answers were never truly found. Some said that Sakura had been the one to bring him back, others that the act was of Syaoran's doing, others still claimed that it was the last gift of the Clow to their former captors. Sakura didn't guess, she was content.

But somehow she suspected that the force that restored her love to her was far beyond such conjectures. She had touched the heart of magic when she had thrown the sword to the heavens, and maybe, in that single instant her plea had been heard. She had felt something for an instant when it transformed...

A presence of something far greater then anything she had ever known. She didn't know wether it was the heart of magic, or the heart of God... or, perhaps one in the same.

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

Sakura stood on the silvery beach, littered with the ancient markers of dragons and spells. Her hair glided gently on the ocean winds and she smiled to the horizon, tword japan. She had been born there, and in a way still lived there. She had two homes now, two places she belonged.

Her brother, father, Julian, and Madison had come to the clan a few days ago. They would be staying for a few months. They were all amazed by Sakura's change just as much as by Syaoran's resurrection.

The revival of their cherished future leader was enough to silence every word against the future matriarch. those who had sang out calls for banishment now praised her with far more enthusiasm then their former call. There was even a good-natured joke about her being the kindest necromancer in the history of their clan.

As proof of the greatness of these people, they were quick to accept the apparent truth that death was not absolute. And that against a strong will, all things were negotiable. Just another example of the spirit of the Li clan, acceptance of the astonishing, and the readiness to believe the unimaginable.

Syaoran returned a year older, but with a magic that rivaled Sakura's new bound forward. Touching the fabric of what lays beyond life had left a mark on him, one that even Sakura couldn't fully understand. He also bore lingering traces of the power of the hope card, latent, but there... He didn't speak of this new faculty in his magics, only that he couldn't understand it yet. It was possible that the memory would gradually return to him over the years, but such thought was only speculation. They were happy to have him back, and all of them were stunned to feel his new power. It was now apparent that both Sakura and Syaoran, when united, had enough mystical force to unleash magics capable of destroying the world, or saving it.

There was no spell or summoning that was beyond them, and thus, should they choose, they could unleash Armageddon just as easily as any crazed warlock with a yearning for death on a global scale. In the past, those with the greatest power were corrupted by it, and thus drawn into battle against the weaker, but more determined, forces of good. Never before had the side of light known such power, and assuming that Sakura and Syaoran were not lost in it, never had it known such possibilities.

There is a jinx that great power draws great adversity... repeated again in the various philosophies that state that there must be a balance between good and evil. such things were frightening, for the possibility that a power would arise which could match the good in Syaoran and Sakura with a equal, unnamed foe were all too possible.

It had been hoped that the coming of the great sorceress or sorcerer would herald an age of benevolence beyond compare... while the coming of the one, or ones, was still unsure; it was clear that there was still a potential for the dark destiny in which magic would either be lost, or be corrupted to a form of limitless evil.

These years were vital to either side, and now the clan's mission was never more clear. Syaoran and Sakura had to prepare a world and a people for the return of magic, or the coming of something evil to balance the scales away from good. This would be a slow undertaking, but Syaoran knew that if the clan didn't start now, it might never get the chance. His task, above all others was to get the Li clan to begin the work that would take generations at best.

They would begin taking in every child born with the gift and offering training. Gradually turning a dying sect of humanity into an army of sorcerers who would thus spread the gift, and further the cause. Slowly, over the corse of generations, magic would spread. This would be the ideal method; assimilation was much preferable to conflict.

The second objective was to neutralize the possible evil that would grow to fill the gap. The clan would have to protect this fledgling species if it was to have a chance. Two very big undertakings were at hand, and Syaoran knew it would take every bit of power he possessed to set the ball rolling. But for the moment he had to look past the big picture in favor of the smaller one. Though to him, the smaller steps were far more important.

Syaoran had assumed the leadership of his clan. The council had been dissolved as per the vow he made to Meilin on this very beach so long ago. And with him, Sakura was named matriarch. The people said that the pair would be the rebirth of the clan, and there were whispers of prophecy that they might also herald the rebirth of magic. It was generally agreed upon that magic would prosper under Syaoran's strength and Sakura's kindness, regardless of if the two were destined to be the ones to restore magic or not.

Sakura lay a hand on her swollen stomach with a little groan as their unborn child kicked with so much force that Sakura wondered if Meilin had discovered a way to train from beyond the womb. The baby had an aura already, the magic that it radiated was already impressive by adult standards, who could guess what would develop over time. Under the reformed Li clan the child would grow up. It would be a hard life; the life of a future leader of the clan would never be otherwise, but this child would have a choice that Syaoran had insured.

Syaoran stood behind her, watching. He had not announced his presence for it would be pointless. She sensed him as he sensed her: both near, and inside. Kero lay curled up on her shoulder. He was either asleep or uncharacteristically quiet as he hung close to his former mistress.

Sakura thought over the years and their shared adventures, even though the adventures were nowhere near done. As leaders, their actions were their own. they would go off on various missions which ranged from diplomacy to the seeking out of those in possession of magic who needed guidance. In their absence Lerae would maintain the clan.

Becoming pregnant was almost as much a frustration as it was a joy. Sakura hadn't been idle so long in two years. Syaoran refused to accept any errand for either magic or politician until Sakura had given birth, and even then he wanted to slowly return to action, and preferably where they could bring their child along.

This attitude infuriated the "gentle" sorceress. Especially since she couldn't even get angry at him when he was being so kind and protective of both her and their child. She secretly suspected that he invited her brother just so he would have backup when trying to keep her away from the dojo or the helipad. "He all but forbids me from walking!" She often grumbled. But even then, she found it sweet in a way.

Thankfully she would be due in just under a month, then she would have something to take her mind off being confined like this. She smiled over the idea of looking upon her child... seeing Syaoran hold them. they had so many adventures, but by far this one would be the greatest, and most rewarding.

Syaoran sensed a need in her, and without a word, wrapped his arms around her from behind. His hands instinctively found her stomach where they remained.

"What are you thinking about love?"

"Lots of things, but nothing in particular. What were you thinking about?"

"Our baby. It doesn't seem real? We're on the verge of being parents.

It makes me wonder what kind of world we are making... It's possible that the secret about magic will be out by then... it's possible there will be people who will hate our baby because they will have a lot of power. And if not hate, there will certainly be those who are afraid... will our child grow up and find someone who understands what they are, and accepts them for it? Being this powerful I mean."

"I think so... You were scary, but I still loved you." she smiled.

"I hope..."

"You worry too much, you know that?"

"It's my job, you're the optimist in this team." he smirked.

"Yeah, well you've rubbed off on me." she quipped as she reached over and touched his face.

He was quiet for a moment, lost in thoughts she couldn't divine as easily as she could the shadows of the future. He finally spoke, but softer then he usually did.

"Will I be a good father? I've never had a father I can remember... I'm scared that I'll be bad at it..." Sakura turned to him, her eyes softer then the pastel clouds which swept across the azure heavens. He was speaking to her now as he would never be able to speak to another, his voice was childishly innocent, even more then when she first met him. he was vulnerable with her. she smiled at him, encouraged that he was like this with her.

"I have a dad, Syaoran. I have the best dad. Trust me when I say that you will be great. You both share some of his best qualities."

"But I'm leader of the clan, I will always be busy doing something, kids won't understand that. I didn't when I was young."he trailed off in a soft pout, thinking back over a cold childhood.

"Well you won't be in it alone. Our baby is never going to have it as hard as you did. They are never going to have to face what you faced all by yourself. Between the two of us, they will always have someone. They'll be happy, they'll always know they are loved, Syaoran. I promise." he was moved near tears by her words. Words and the promise that his child would know a kind of happiness that he was always denied as a boy.

"I love you so much Sakura."

"I love you too Syaoran."

"Is it lunch time yet?"

"Shut up Kero."

Once upon a time there was a very ordinary girl. She uncovered a magic book and discovered a magical world where she met a young sorcerer who would become her partner in a great adventure. One day she found that her whole world had changed, she was no longer an ordinary girl, and in all truth, she never was.

The world was changing around them, and there soon would come a day when mankind would be faced with the greatest adventure it has ever faced. It would be hard, impossible for some, since the return of magic would bring about an awareness that all people are connected in a irrefutable way. A revelation that shakes the soul, and in some, could shake it apart.

The future was uncertain, but thankfully Sakura and Syaoran would start a legacy that would reach far into the future, for theirs was a legacy of hope.

A legacy is forged this night,

a legacy beyond our sight.

Born of our wrongs and of our rights,

it is born on this cold night.

Is our legacy a blight,

born of our sins in this mortal plight?

Will this creation be dark or light?

This thing we've bred into the night...

The end

for now...