Another chapter!

This is manga-verse, but with a little bit of anime cross-referencing, and characters… mentioned.

Chapter 3 – Eriol

I never expected things to turn out this way. I doubt Clow had either. In any case, Clow’s romantic plan to pair his two children together had failed miserably.

Syaoran hasn’t been to school in three days. I don’t know if he’s left yet, or if he’s still sleeping and trying to adjust to the sudden loss of his magic. All I know is that I can’t sense his aura, since it’s… gone.

Bloody hell.

Sakura’s oblivious to this – no, she isn’t. She saw the magic transfer, didn’t she? But she doesn’t understand the implications.

Poor descendent.

He’ll be heartbroken after this. I can’t read the future, so I don’t know what will happen. I’m fairly sure he won’t try to escape through suicide, but then what?

His mother will kill him when she finds out what happened. Will he just go back to Hong Kong, knowing that only death waits?

Or will he run away from this?

I wish I knew… but I’m not omnipresent. I’m just a reincarnated sorcerer stuck in a child’s body, trying to help my descendents work out their lives so they’ll be happy. Now, though, my plan has failed. Maybe… maybe I should spy on him through the water mirrors…

I don’t want to resort to that water magic, it reminds me too much of Madoushi and unpleasant days but…

I might have to.

Syaoran left.

It was a day later, right after I sent the teddy bear to attack Sakura. She changed Jump and Fly, and I hope she’s happy.

She certainly seems happy…

My predictions of the future have failed miserably. I wonder what will happen to Yue if syaoran’s magic runs out too?

Sakura might not be ready. I’ll have to speed up the tests.

Anyways, Syaoran left Tomoeda. I couldn’t tell where he was going; for some reason, my magic was… blocked.

But Syaoran doesn’t have any more magic, so how?

Is someone else protecting him?

Who would?

Yue? I don’t know… I’d ask him, but then… well, who knows, it might work. Yue wouldn’t lie to me and I could always erase his memories later.

That’s the game plan then.

“What is the answer to question nine?” Tereda-sensei has noticed my inattention, it seems. Well, time to answer.

“Ninety-six.”

“Correct.” He goes back to the lesson, and me to my thoughts. Something has to be done, but what?

Syaoran would not come back from Hong Kong even if Sakura were in danger. He believes that he cannot protect her anymore. After all, she has three protectors already. Plus, since Yue has his magic, he can’t protect her… right?

Where is he going though? I wish I knew…

I must definitely try to speak to Yue after school today…

Lady luck seems to be favoring me. There’s Yukito all by himself… I walk up to the fence, and sure enough, Yue senses my aura and takes over.

“Clow!”

I smile sweetly at him.

“Clow! What are you doing here? Why are you in that form? You-!”

“I should be dead.”

He looks like a fish for a few seconds before his panic turns into a guarded expression. He’s angry.

I suppose he has a right to be. After all, even though I changed his memories of the past so he believed I died of long illness and he was there till the end, something makes him think this is not quite right.

…Like how I neglected to mention reincarnation as an option…

“Why are you here?” He finally asks. There’s a lot of despair in that tone, but you’d be hard-pressed to pick it up, unless you knew Yue very well, but since I, or rather Clow, created him, I should know.

“Because there’s something I want.”

“You never told me…”

“I’m sorry.”

He doesn’t quite believe me, so I guess I’ll quit beating around the bush and get to the point. “Where is Li Syaoran?”

There’s a flicker of… guilt in his expression, I believe, before it vanishes. “I don’t know, Clow.” Anger. I never thought I’d see Yue truly angry with me, but he’s angry now. Does he know what I did?

Does he suspect?

I hope he’s weak enough still for me to erase his memories.

“Why do you care?”

Why wouldn’t I care? But then again, if I were Clow, I probably wouldn’t care. I think I’ve changed for the better now, or maybe I just deluded myself into thinking so. Still, Sakura must change the cards.

And Syaoran should be here to help her…

“It’s something I want to know, Yue.”

He won’t tell?

I’m already using my magic, subtle, but it’s like a net around him slowly tightening, and yet…

I don’t think he will tell. Interesting.

Perhaps he feels he owes my descendent, since now he has his magic. “Syaoran Li is my descendent, Yue. I have a right to know.”

There are emotions warring in his eyes, the will to obey me, because despite everything, ‘I’ am still his master and creator but there’s defiance too, and anger, and then there’s something I can’t identify. Intriguing.

Yue is starting to turn blue. I didn’t know that was possible. Well, even reincarnations of Clow Reed can learn something.

But I don’t think this will work any longer, so I let go of my magic, and then I activate the power of erase, and he reverts back into Yukito.

Syaoran… where are you?

Yukito wakes up and apologizes for falling asleep in front of me. I smile and say it’s fine and walk away, but I can’t help but worry.

My descendent wouldn’t be foolish enough to go home would he? Surely he knows death will wait…

Failure upon failure for him; first for the loss of the Clow cards, and secondly, for the loss of his magic itself has already happened. I fear for him.

Please, do not take the easy way out…

I’m begging you. Funny isn’t it? The greatest sorcerer in the world, Clow reed, reduced to this! But I will wait and see and hope.

Sakura, please take care of yourself now. He won’t be here to help you, although you may never know what happened truly…

You are still a child. I wish you much luck through my future tests. Enough. I have to focus.

I realize I’ve walked home while pondering, and Suppi is waiting for me. He looks worried too. I must be rubbing off on him, but I hide my unease and go to the kitchen for a cup of tea.

Now if only I could believe everything is fine…

End Chapter

Completed 1/22/05

Phantomness: *sobs*

Syaoran: Why are you crying?

Phantomness: I guess I can’t write Eriol either. *Sigh* I need more practice!

Yue: Odd how you didn’t have trouble writing me…