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Chapter Text

Kinomoto Sakura of 2814

by Shadow Crystal Mage

Chapter 1: In Fearful Day, When Without Light…

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in this story. If I did… well, this would all be canon. WARNING: MAY CAUSE HEAD EXPLOSION!

"Are you sure about this, Sakura-san?" Green Lantern said, frowning in concern, her web-cam window slightly green.

Sakura nodded at the small image on Tomoyo's laptop. It was always so convenient how Tomoyo was always carrying useful things. "Hai, Green Lanter-chan. The 53rd Card… it is something I must deal with. And… and I don't want anyone else getting erased because of it on my account."

"Are you sure?" Illya said from another web-cam window. "Miyu-chan and I have our own experience with dealing with violent spirit-like beings who turn into cards when we defeat them with our star-tipped magic wands. We can help!"

Sakura smiled in appreciation, but shook her head. "No. Not now. One way or the other, it ends tonight, and it ends between the Card and myself. I… I think I know how to deal with it. I know what it wants…"

"Then… good luck, Sakura-chan," Sailor Mercury said from her own window, before getting pushed forward by the rest of the Senshi also trying to wish Sakura luck. "Ack, girls, personal space!"

"Yeah, good luck girl!" Haruna said, giving her a thumbs up. In the background, Sakura could see Calculator-san muttering to herself, rolling her eyes and shaking her head, before the rest of Ala Alba also crowded into the shot to wish her well.

"If anything happens, Sakura-san," Hayate said, her knights behind her. "Then we'll take up where you left off." Her five knights nodded behind her.

Sakura smiled appreciatively, touched by all this. She wasn't able to help much with the Association, since she wasn't really the kind to fight, but she'd made good friends there nonetheless. "Thank you, everyone."

She raised up a hand and hesitantly signed off from the chat. Yue closed up the laptop and handed it back to Tomoyo, who wordlessly put it back in her bag. Sakura looked at her friends around her. Yue, darling Tomoyo, Kero-kun, Meilin… and Syaoran. Oh, Syaoran…

The boy looked at her, eyes much softer then when they'd first met, and Sakura felt the urge to tell him, tell him here and now her answer to what he'd told her so long ago, before all this…

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as the 53rd Card's magic filled the air and Cards began to fly from her bag…

The wind roars as Sakura Seals the last card, her heart a maelstrom of confused emotions as she wonders and fears what precious feeling will be taken from her. Her heart nearly breaks when the darkness wraps around Syaoran, his smile resigned to making this sacrifice. She doesn't notice the blank, nameless card in her pocket, her own 53rd card suddenly being called up to what was once The Nothing as the void of it was filled.

And in all this, her heart never stopped its ultimate spell.

It will be all right…

Everything is going to be all right…

The moment ended. The power stopped. The inside of the entropy-perforated tower flared as the last Card finally came home to join its siblings. Cool, blinding blue light filled everything, and Sakura and Syaoran had to shut their eyes.

Everything will be all right…

All will be well…

The light faded. Sakura opened her eyes slowly, looking up as her last card drifted down to her. The image of the Card she'd bound was peaceful, its eyes closed in repose. It looked tranquil, content. Happy. In its hands, it held a winged heart, with a small, round symbol in glowing blue at its center...

And beside the Card, floated a small deep blue stone, flat and round, about the size of the end of Sakura's thumb. She reached up and caught both, frowning slightly at the stone. It pulsed, and Sakura could feel it in her heart.

All will be well…

For a moment, she wasn't sure if the thought was hers or not. Hesitantly, she turned to Syaoran…

Confessions were made. Two children held each other, finally able to truly tell each other how they felt, finally united like a pair of wings. Cue the sun. 'Erased' people were returned to existence having no memory of what happened. At least, apparently. The town was repaired. All was well…

Daidouji Tomoyo stood up from where she'd found herself, primly dusted herself off, looked around, drew the appropriate conclusions, and took out her cell phone to make some calls…

"Daidouji-san," Eriol said into his phone calmly. "First, I would like to say that I am sorry that I screwed up by forgetting about the 53rd Card. That said, the situation has been resolved, with no lasting damage to anyone. Now, could you please ask these people to go away without trying to kill me? I'm dangerously close to missing Doctor Who."

He listened a moment, then handed the phone to the man pointing a gun to his head and a sword to his neck. "She wants to talk to you."

Deathstroke took the phone. "Hello? You sure? All right then." He put down the phone and began to pack away his weapons, nodding to all the other mercenaries in the room. They began to stand down as well. "She's letting you live, but she has a message."

"Which is?" Eriol asked calmly.

Deathstroke thwacked him upside the head. "Dumbass," he deadpanned.

"It suits you," Tomoyo said as she looked over Sakura's shoulder into the mirror they were using while her fingers tucked the silver necklace around Sakura's neck. The blue stone hung on the chain, artfully wrapped by golden wire forming the shape of a star. Sakura had wanted it to somehow by unmodified, and Tomoyo had gallantly done what she could to make it so. "A pity it doesn't match your eyes. But it is still as beautiful as you are."

Sakura blushed. "Hoeeeee, Tomoyo chan…"

"I can't help it!" Tomoyo giggled. "Sakura-chan is always so cute!"

Sakura smiled, embarrassed. "It is beautiful," she agreed. "I wonder why The Hope made it…"

"Perhaps she was trying to apologize for all the trouble she caused," Tomoyo suggested.

"Well, hopefully everything will be peaceful from now on," Sakura said, then looked over at the people partying. "Well, relatively, anyway."

Sakura shook her head and they went back to the others. The party in Evangeline's resort was in full swing. It was the Magical Girl Association's "Sakura-chan Did It! She Kicked Ass And Unerassed Everyone!" victory party. If Sakura hadn't known better, she'd have said Tomoyo had been involved. Ala Alba was partying hard, and so were some of the Sailor Senshi, though Sailor Saturn was following around Sailor Pluto to make sure she didn't get at Evangeline's alcohol stashes. Tuxedo Kamen, Syaoran, Kotarou and Chrono were chatting, a slightly conspirational air about them.

Tomoyo's elbowed jabbed gently at her, and she turned blushing to face the other girl's knowing smile. "Go on," she said encouragingly, putting her arms around Sakura's shoulder and squeezing tight for a moment. "Take advantage of your time together. He'll still have to go to Hong Kong, and I don't think Green Lantern will be able to fly you to see him every day."

Sakura blushed harder, but firmed herself, taking a deep breath. A determined look came to her eyes as she turned to Syaoran and began striding towards him. Tomoyo's arms fell, a momentary look of resigned loss coming to the girl as her hand 'accidentally' brushed Sakura's new pendant…

"Tomoyo-chan…" Sakura said, her smile beneficent, beautiful as all heaven and absolutely divine. Tomoyo would make seas of blood for that smile. "Tomoyo-chan… of course I love you too…"

"Sakura-chan– !" Tomoyo said, before Sakura lay a shushing finger on her lips and leaned forward. The heat of her mouth set Tomoyo's mind on fire, and her arms rose on their own accord to wrap around the Card Mistress. A moan rose from Tomoyo's throat as she felt a tongue enter her lips, and she began to respond in kind…

Tomoyo blinked, watching Sakura-chan walking away as Tuxedo Kamen tapped Syaoran on the shoulder, grinning as he redirected the boy's attention to the incoming girl. Kotarou rolled his eyes as Chrono smiled knowingly.

Tomoyo kept staring as the party happened all around her, slowly raising a hand to her lips. They still felt warm. She could almost still feel the tongue…

"Well," she said quietly. "It looks like it's not over yet…"

Around Sakura's neck, the stone glowed, ever so slightly.

And across the floor, Green Lantern, chatting with Yagami Hayate, didn't notice as her ring's charge began to rise…

In a darkened alley in Tokyo, evil and the fear of evil faced each other. There was a glow as a cellphone was opened.

"Gate…" a soft voice said quietly, "Open…!"

- To be continued...

Chapter Text

Kinomoto Sakura of 2814

by Shadow Crystal Mage

Chapter 2: With My Heart Full, My Soul Ignites!

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in this story. If I did… well, this would all be canon. WARNING: MAY CAUSE HEAD EXPLOSION!

"Wow!" Sakura cried, pressing her hands against the window as she peered down. "We're so high up!"

Tomoyo giggled. "Sakura-chan, you can fly! What are you getting excited about?"

"But we're so high up!" Sakura said, turning to Tomoyo, eyes sparkling.

My camera, my camera, my kingdom for my camera…! Tomoyo prayed inwardly. Oh, kami, she's so beautiful… DAMN IT LEE, IF YOU DON'T TAKE CARE OF HER…!

And speaking of whom…

"You sure this building is up to code?" Syaoran asked. "Because it looks like it's leaning a little…"

Tomoyo looked at him, and even though she never stopped smiling, Syaoran recognized the Tomoyo-in-Sakura's-presence equivalent of a flat, annoyed look. Maybe it wasn't the smartest move to take jabs at the most dangerous girl in existence he knew, Green Lantern and Yagami Hayate included, but darn it, he was not going to let her break him!

Keroberos looked out as well. "Nah, it's an optical illusion caused by the height."

Syaoran gave him a disbelieving look.

"What? I'm not allowed to know things?"

"Well, I just have to do a few things, and then we can make the meeting with the Senshi," Tomoyo said, turning back to her desk. She'd begun using the office she had in the Daidouji Toy Company's corporate headquarters more often recently, beyond having it as somewhere to rest at when she came to Tokyo and to hold meetings on her home territory.

The three made themselves comfortable, Sakura wandering around looking at the rather plain yet elegant but mostly expensive little knickknacks Tomoyo had decorated her office with while Lee just stood near the windows, looking out at the view and Keroberos curled up for a nap. She'd restrained herself from filling it to the brim with Sakura-bilia, since that wouldn't be very professional. She knew how to keep her private and business personas separate, thank-you-very-much!

Though anyone who actually managed to open her safe or found the secret drawer built into her desk would find a buttload of Sakura-almost-but-not-quite loliporn.

Trying not to think about it– Sakura in the same room was distracting enough. She'd never get any work done if she thought about those pictures from that time they'd gone to the beach and Sakura had accidentally torn her swimsuit on a rock– Tomoyo went through her work as quickly and thoroughly as she could. Report, report, report, ninja payroll, report…

"So Mamoru-san isn't going to be there?" Syaoran was saying.

Only Tomoyo's perfectly Sakura-tuned senses heard the swishing of hair as Sakura shook her head. "Apparently he and his friend are still busy setting up the paperwork for his identification. Chisame-san and Ami-san did what they could for the computer data, but actual paperwork would be needed." She could also hear Sakura's worried frown. "Is it really all right for them to do that?"

"It's the only way he'll be able to have a normal life," Tomoyo said from her desk, checking some things on her computer. "These days, you can only go so far without some kind of paper trail."

"I suppose you'd know," Syaoran said. Tomoyo gave him a look, but he didn't seem to mean anything by it.

Tomoyo finished soon after, and they headed out to have lunch with super heroes…

Sakura had a unique position in the fledgling Magical Girl Association, which had formally been established at the end of the Book of the Night Sky incident. She was the only one who knew the real names of EVERYONE. There had been perfectly good reasons for it. For one thing, someone had to, if only to act as a litmus test in case of mind control– the Sailor Senshi's idea– being replaced by a magical duplicate– surprisingly, Ala Alba's idea– being able to spot alternate universe duplicates– Green Lantern's idea– and knowing if anyone had come from a Bad End future and was trying to change the past– Tohsaka Sakura's idea– as well, as someone who could correlate civilian and professional identities in case life turned out to be a bitch– Superman's idea.

There were also perfectly good reasons why Sakura had been chosen for this. For one thing, absolutely no one wanted Haruna to have this information, and had it been anyone in Ala Alba, she'd have been able to bribe, threaten, blackmail or scare it right out of them. No one doubted she could. Plus everyone, herself included, knew she was several levels worth of evil, and not to be trusted with stuff like this. Calculator engaged in extensive self-censorship to make sure Haruna didn't have any way to recreate the info. Besides, it some ways Ala Alba were completely lousy at keeping secrets. There were bets going on how long before the rest of 3-A became Ministra.

None of the Senshi, most importantly Mamoru, wanted the job. Given trends, there was a very good chance one of them would be compromised, and the information being used against them. Besides, the Outers, by their own admission, were too paranoid not to act on the information, with the exemption of Hotaru, who'd likely tell her parents if they bribed her with enough candy, and the Inners were likely to do highly irresponsible things with it. What might happen to it in Mamoru's hands did not bear thinking. He knew his luck with mental influences.

The relatively new group of the Fuyuki Fate Knights ran into too many people who might be able to drag it out of them with magic or torture for it to be safe, and given how Rin and Luvia bickered, no one wanted it near them. in their own way, they were as bad as Haruna. Green Lantern had declined, as she was one of the biggest targets in the group, being more visible and active than anyone of them and the most obvious candidate for the job. The same went for Ferret Lantern (who was still on his eternal quest for a better name) and Fate.

The Wolkenritter were not considered, even though they technically already had the information already, between their scans and the information uploaded into the Book. They were still in sort-of probation. Hayate was welcomed readily enough, and the others knights were on relatively good terms with most people, most especially Green Lantern and Negi, but between the Outer Senshi, some of the less forgiving White Wings, and a few of the Fate Knights (Illya was still pissed, despite ostensibly forgiving them), enough people were, at best, uneasy of them that they were on a short leash, so to speak.

This made Sakura, and by extension Tomoyo and Syaoran, the only truly viable candidate, and a willing volunteer. She'd been feeling like she hadn't been pulling her weight. Everyone else had been defending human life, fighting for their beliefs and trying to make themselves better Magical Girls (and Boys) while making the world a better place. She'd been running around being manipulated by Eriol. No one took it against her, but Sakura had been feeling inadequate. Being given some important responsibility had helped her feel more involved in the group, and better about herself.

In theory, this meant that in the whole group, she was in the most danger. There were always people who'd pry into secrets, and it was only a matter of time before they made enemies who'd want to know who they were.

In practice, it meant Sakura made a lot of new friends. And those who really thought about it weren't all that worried. She was, theoretically, one of if not the most powerful practitioner of her form of magic, with two Magical Guardians who were extremely powerful in their own right and fiercely dedicated. And she was the best friend of Tomoyo. Even Makie and Shiro realized that being under the protection of the girl who had Mana on her speed dial and for some reason made even Tohsaka 'The Broken Magistra' Sakura nervous would be enough to deal with nearly any problem.

Tohsaka S wouldn't talk about it, just said muttered "You'll see," and something about Predators and Shinmei Ryu.

Sakura had made it one of her duties to meet the others or at least talk to them every few days, and basically get everyone to be friendlier with each other. This had already led to Hotaru, (Tohsaka) Sakura, Konoka and Yuuno to reveal their identities to each other and form their own little sub-group, The Medics. Her current short-term goal was to fully integrate the Wolkenritter with everyone.

After all, there was no reason why they couldn't all be friends.

Her hanging out with the Senshi at their favorite arcade was a part of this. She'd finally tried out the ice-cream dish Vita had told her about and had to restrain herself to keep from ordering a second one. Tomoyo had taken one taste and excused herself. Only Syaoran had heard her reminding herself about her 'holy vows to Sakura'. Syaoran had eaten three. Keroberos had bitched royally about how they wouldn't let him have more than five.

"Kero-kun," Tomoyo explained. "While my credit card goes a long way, I don't think we'd be able to hide the fact none of us are eating."

"Besides, eating so much is bad for you, Kero-kun!" Sakura asserted.

"BLASPHEMY!" Keroberos and Usagi had declared. This had quickly led to bonding.

"Oh god, there's two of them," Syaoran and Rei had bemoaned. This had also led to bonding.

They'd taken a taxi to the place, since they didn't want to be obvious about arriving in a big honkin' limo with lots of private security. Now they stepped out of another taxi and onto the sidewalk, only a couple of blocks from the hotel Tomoyo had arranged for them to stay at. They'd told Sakura's family Tomoyo needed to stay in Tokyo for a few days and had invited her friend along. This was not a lie. They'd just neglected to mention what they were doing. And that Syaoran would be tagging along.

"Hoeee," Sakura sighed contentedly as they walked past the stalled traffic on the road.

Tomoyo's fingers twitched for a camcorder. No, she reminded herself. I am not a slave to my impulses. Control… control… I am more than the sum of my carnal desires. I am capable of saying 'no' to my hormones. I…

A sudden gust of wind caused Sakura's skirt to flap upward as she and Tomoyo tried to bring them down for modesty.

… I WISH SAKURA-CHAN DIDN'T HAVE SUCH GOOD REFLEXES! Was that a flash of white? Or was it pink? Did it have a cute bow on it?

Abruptly, Sakura and Syaoran stopped walking, and Tomoyo found herself three steps ahead of them before she realized she was alone. She blinked turning to them. "Sakura-chan? Lee-kun? What is it?"

In the purse she carried, Keroberos shifted, poking his head out slightly. "There's evil in the air…" the Sun Guardian said, face uncharacteristically serious.

Syaoran had moved partly in front of Sakura, as if seeking to guard her, and Tomoyo felt a flash of approval mixed with jealousy. She sternly pushed down the latter, and tried to ignore the memory of her strange vision from weeks ago. Instead, she concentrated, trying to bring what little chi-senses she had to bear. It had been a source of frustration for her that as easily as she threw out her life-force to power her Shinmei-ryu techniques, trying to sense anything was still very difficult for her. Tsukuyomi-sensei had explained it in one of her helpful moments: it was easier to shout than to listen.

Still, even Tomoyo could hear when someone was shouting. A strange sense that felt vaguely like Tsukuyomi sensei, only much, much weaker and smaller, came to her.

"Evil?" she said obliviously for Sakura's benefit. "What do you mean, Kero-kun?"

Syaoran gave her a look. "There's something out there. I think I've felt this before, or at least something like it. It feels similar to the Book of the Night Sky's defense program…"

Kero began to growl. "And it's coming closer."

At the edge of hearing, Tomoyo caught soft words.

Join us…

Come to our world…

"Will we have to fight?" Sakura said quietly. There was barely a tremble in her voice, though that was mainly because it overflowed with concern.

Syaoran nodded grimly. The bead that would become his sword was in his hand, and the other was reaching into his jacket for ofuda. Tomoyo shrugged, feeling the long knife down her back, recalling how to retrieve her swords and blasters from the magical storage sigils the way Tatsumiya-sensei had taught her recently. He could feel Syaoran eyeing her, plainly wondering if she would fight or if this would be up to him, and ignored him.

"Then we shouldn't be out here," Sakura said. "People might get hurt."

"And they might see things," Syaoran pointed out.

Sakura blushed. "Yes. That too."

"Maybe if we run, they'll leave us alone?" Tomoyo suggested.

"Then they might go after people," Syaoran said.

This is Tokyo, Tomoyo wanted to point out. People get attacked every night! What does it matter if it's by a rapist or mugger or evil monster as long as IT ISN'T SAKURA-CHAN?-!-?-!-?-!

Instead, she said, "I think I saw a park a block or two back…"

They tried not to run, since it would draw attention. Three children running in the city at night, no matter how well dressed– of perhaps especially if they were well dressed– where just asking for trouble. Still, they probably set some kind of casual stroll land-speed record.

And they were followed. It was hard to make out for Tomoyo, since she couldn't very well stop walking to concentrate her senses, but even through what little she picked up that was mainly the random bustle of people, she could feel them. The strange, somehow goopy, diluted, thin, weak washed-out sense that was strangely similar to Tsukuyomi-sensei.

They'd tried to call the Senshi, anyone, on their cell phones, but all that came out was weird crackling, and then voices. "Join us… come to our world…"

Sakura had been alarmed. Tomoyo had vowed destruction on whoever was responsible for frightening Sakura-chan so.

The park had been lit with lampposts when they'd stumbled into it, only then breaking into a run, but it hadn't been long before the lamps had flickered and died abruptly. Tomoyo felt a prickling on her arms that had nothing to do with some kind of battle sense and everything to do with her sense of touch. The air was carrying a heavy ionic charge, causing her hairs to stand on end.

Off to one side– not the way the had come– there was a surprised scream, quickly cut off.

"Oh no!" Sakura cried. "There are people here!"

Well of course, it's one of the biggest, most populated cities in the world, were the words Tomoyo firmly quashed.

"Sakura-chan, Lee-kun, perhaps you should get ready," Tomoyo suggested taking a fey steps to the side and rummaging through her purse as Keroberos changed forms. She pulled out three masks, and put one on, handing them the other two. "I'll be off to the side."

"Eh, Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura exclaimed in concern.

Tomoyo waved a hand negligently. "I'll be fine," she said. "Sakura-chan will protect me… WHILE I RECORD EVERY BEAUTIFUL MOMENT!"

She held up the small camcorder.

Sakura slumped in defeat. "Hoeee…!"

Join us…

Come to our world…

Sakura straightened, reaching for her key, calling the words that would change it into her wand as Syaoran gripped his sword and Ofuda. With Sakura's back turned, Tomoyo drew out the knife at her back. It was small, but more than enough to use for Shinmeiryu Ken. She held it lying across one inner forearm, hidden from casual view but ready.

A woman suddenly ran out of the brush, wearing the clothes of an office worker, holding tightly to her purse, her coat hanging open as she ran in primal fear. She saw them, her mouth opening wide as if to say something, but before she could get any words out, thick black cable shot out from behind her, wrapping themselves around her windpipe. The cables shoved themselves down the woman's throat as she struggled futilely to fight back. Blood began to trickle from the corner of her mouth.

Sakura screamed. And until the day she died, Daidouji Tomoyo would always know that was the sound of the death of Sakura's innocence. That no matter what, from that day forward, one of the things she loved most about Sakura had been irrevocably destroyed.

From the woman's mouth, a dark form ripped its way out.

Green light suddenly tinted the area, revealing several inhuman forms behind her.

"Get down!" a familiar voice suddenly cried.

The tone had Tomoyo moving, and she was on the ground, knife clutched in a backhanded grip as Syaoran pulled Sakura down after him, covering her with his body. Kero quickly threw himself over them, wings wrapping around them.

"Raskel Master Magister! Locos Umbrae Regnans Scáthach! In Manum Meum Dedo Iaculum Daemonium Cum Spinis Triginta! Jaculatio Fulgoris!"

"Rain of Chainsaws!"

Spears of lightning came crashing down, skewering many of the dark forms. Some dissolved in bursts of light, other dodged, only to be met with glowing green chainsaws that sought them out and dismembered them. Thick, tar-like ichor flew even as they dissolved. Small glowing crystals lay on the ground where they died.

Out of the air, several cellphones fell, somehow improbably sticking into the ground. They rang.

Sudden circles of light appeared before them, and fire suddenly filled the night.

Now, the dark things screamed.

Suffer, Tomoyo thought. Suffer for destroying Sakura-chan's innocence!

A figure covered in green light descended towards them. Yuuno Scrya. " Keroberos! Star Wing!" he said, using Sakura's call sign. Tomoyo had chosen it, since Sakura hadn't known what to call herself, though she hadn't been satisfied that it fit Sakura properly. "Wolf! Are you all right?"

"We're fine!" Syaoran said, getting back to his feet and helping Sakura up as Ferret Lantern created a barrier around them. It was a different shade of green from the chainsaws he'd launched. Magic, then. "How's To- Purple?"

"I'm fine, Wolf-kun," she said, getting back to her feet and making a show of seeing if her camera was all right, though she doubted Sakura was paying her any attention.

"How did you find us?" Syaoran asked. "Did one of our calls get through?"

Yuuno shook his head. "No. Just lucky. I was helping Negi hunt Invaders tonight while Na- Green Lantern-chan gave testimony on behalf of the Wolkenritter."

"That was today?" Syaoran said. "Huh."

The fire was dying. There was none of the things left, though Negi had disappeared to make sure the area was clear.

"T-that woman…" Sakura said shakily. "Will she be all right?"

Even behind his mask, Tomoyo saw Yuuno's face contort into what might have been sadness, or even despair. "N-no. I'm sorry."

"Why not?" Sakura cried. "Sailor Moon does it all the time! Her enemies turns someone into a monster, and she turns that monster into a person! Is it because Sailor Moon's not here? We can call her! We have her number!"

"Sa- Star Wing," Yuuno tried to say soothingly. Sakura seemed almost hysterical. "It won't work. She's tried. Once the Invaders take you… you're gone."

"No!" Sakura said, wide-eyed. Her hand clutched her wand tightly. "No, there has to be a way! There always is!"

"Sakura…" Yuuno said quietly, trying to get her attention with her real name.

Sakura rounded on him. "THERE HAS TO BE A WAY!"

There is a way…

They all jerked at the voice. Yuuno suddenly looked sick, muttering, "Oh no, not voices! Not tonight!"

"Warning," a voice that sounded kind of like Neil Patrick Harris said from Yuuno's finger. "Ring power at 200 percent."

There is a way…

Light suddenly shone, shining from Sakura's chest, from the blue stone she wore there, in its mount of golden wire, a brilliant, dazzling blue light, like the sun at noon through water.

There is hope…

Light exploded, fountaining outward from Sakura's chest in a dazzling burst. It arced upward like a geyser in slow, elegant motion, exploding in a shape like a flower. Soft, wispy tendril swept outward.

What do you hope for?

Tomoyo's knees buckled as, in her mind's eye, there once more came the vision of Sakura's smile. "Tomoyo-chan…Tomoyo-chan… of course I love you too…"

The boys and Kero, much closer to Sakura, gasped, eyes sightless, staring at things only they could see. Out of the corner of her eye, from the direction the boys had come from, Tomoyo saw a dark figure fall to its knees.

What do you hope for?

"Sakura…" Tomoyo found herself answering in a near-soundless whisper. "I hope.. for Sakura…"

The blue light touched the charred field where the dark forms had been laid to waste. Beneath it, grass, then flowers, began to grow. The blue light touched a glowing green gem on the ground.

The gem seemed to exploded, twisting itself outward in a vaguely star-like shape. In seconds, a woman lay on the ground, fast asleep. The light touched the next gem, and it burst as well, revealing a middle-aged man.

Hope finds a way…

The blue light exploded in one more brilliant surge, than faded slowly away, like the sparkles left by a firework, leaving only dozens of sleeping forms in various clothes.

"S-sakura?" Syaoran gasped, blinking, though it didn't seem to be so much to clear his eyes as to reset his brain. "What happened? What did you do?"

"I-I don't know…" Sakura said, sounding breathless. She stared at the blue stone held cupped in her hand, still emitting a faint, blue glow.

A glow Tomoyo could feel. It wasn't a shout, though it was pervasive. It felt of light, of sweetness, of possibility, of infinite beauty and wonder, of glorious, glorious rapture! It felt…

It felt like Sakura…

"That's impossible…!" a soft, almost monotonous voice said from the side, and the figure of a girl, in a school uniform and red coat appeared, a laptop in hand. "How did you do that? Only the Black Gate of Creation has ever restored anyone and… HOW?-!" Wide, disbelieving eyes stared from wide round lenses.

"I… I don't know…" Sakura said, sounding confused and afraid.

From out of the sky, Negi, masked as Maguis Erebeus, dropped into their midst, causing everyone to jump.

"Does anyone want to explain what just happened?" Negi said, sounding remarkably calm. "And why I just had a vision of the future?"

Everyone turned to Sakura.

Her head shook. "I don't know…"

- To be continued...

Chapter Text

Kinomoto Sakura of 2814

by Shadow Crystal Mage

Chapter 3: When All Seems Lost In Black Of Night…

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in this story. If I did… well, this would all be canon. WARNING: MAY CAUSE HEAD EXPLOSION!

There were times when Tomoyo debated whether she should, for those brief, brief times Sakura wasn't in her sight (or in range of her spy equipment), tell Sakura a little bit more about how the world worked. Like how one shouldn't go with strange girls wielding strange powers, in the middle of the night, after a battle against anthropomorphized incarnations of human evil.

Tomoyo could practically feel Sakura saying, "Eh? But isn't that how we became friends with the Senshi? And Green Lantern-chan? And the Fate Knights? And Ala Alba? And…"

Tomoyo sighed. She loved Sakura– now in a completely platonic way since she had chosen Syaoran, really, definitely, no joke, yeah!– she really did, but sometimes protecting her was quite difficult! She rechecked her arsenal, aware of the knife now in her purse, eyes locked on the back of the girl now leading them through the park. She could hear Negi-kun following behind them, guarding their back. She honestly couldn't see what Tsukuyomi-sensei found so attractive about him. Like Kuro-san, she had always found him to be… meh. Of course, no one could match the divine, exquisite, matchless, holy beauty of Sakura-chan. Such would be blasphemy!

There was a distinct lack of the sound of emergency vehicles, though Tomoyo had caught sight of nondescript black vans arriving when they left. Yuuno had stayed behind to talk to them, since he apparently had the higher clearance. Public Safety Division 4, most probably. She wondered how Himari-sensei was getting on with them. After all that trouble with those two demons months ago…

She shook her, head focusing on her surroundings. They were moving to the other side of the park now, which was still unsecured. The street was dark, relatively speaking, and Sakura shivered, hand rising to the stone hanging around her neck. It still emitted a soft blue glow, the light strangely comforting to Tomoyo. Sakura seemed to find it so as well, since she stopped shivering. Still, she stepped a little closer to Syaoran, causing Tomoyo to calmly and systematically grab, arm-lock, incapacitate, tie up and throw her jealousy into a dark closet with a claymore mine.

They crossed the street, and the silent, bespectacled girl led them away from the park, turning into a narrow side-street. Syaoran went first, cautiously stepping forward before waving for them to follow. A rather sleek sports car was parked there, a tall, pale-haired man leaning against the driver-side door. He wore a pair of dark glasses, despite the time of night. His face was strangely nondescript. Tomoyo guessed those were identity obfuscation glasses of some sort, like the ones Ala Alba used on their masks. Minute discolorations made Tomoyo suspect they also possessed some kind of light amplification technology or spell, which probably made up for their apparent impracticality.

"What you did should be impossible," the man said without any preamble, starring at Sakura, who stepped back slightly. Syaoran instinctively moved in front of her, while Tomoyo more subtly guarded her back. The movements did not go unnoticed by the still-unnamed man, and Tomoyo saw a hint of an eyebrow rise. "Invaders are a product of Gates. Theoretically, it requires Gate power to undo the transformation."

"Clearly, the theory is in error," the still-unnamed girl said, the correction blunt but not unkind.

The pale-haired man nodded, looking at them intently. There seemed to be something wrong with his eyes. At least, that was what Tomoyo could make out through the dark glasses. Something seemed to be moving behind them, which was very disquieting. He seemed to scan Syaoran thoughtfully, and stared at Sakura for even longer. Tomoyo knew that look. It wasn't appreciation for Sakura's natural divine divinity, it was someone realizing they were in the presence of a potential great power. Many of the Association had looked at Sakura like that, the little vampire most especially.

Good. That meant she wouldn't have to make plans to kill him for being a pervert.

The man turned to look at Tomoyo… and jerked back, one stiff arm reaching up as to guard his neck, the other rising to jab at her in a familiar gesture. It was a casting gesture, and meant… well, several, things, though in this instance, it meant he was capable of some kind of energy-casting attack that he habitually preceded with a gesture. Tomoyo didn't move, her innocent, saintly smile© not shifting one bit, and wondered how the man knew she'd been planning go to for his neck if he did anything suspicious. "Are you all right, sir?" she said, positively radiating innocence, good will, and a desire for good things towards all living beings.

The man shuddered.

The girl who'd led them was frowning. "Nazo?" she asked.

The man straightened, and his eyes seemed normal now. There was no longer any of the movement she'd seen, at any rate. He faced Sakura, though Tomoyo knew he kept his eyes on her. "I apologize. I thought… no, I must have imagined it," he said. He spoke to Sakura now. "What you did tonight was a miracle. Until now, no one believed there was any way to restore someone who had been converted into an Invader."

Sakura blushed. Tomoyo couldn't see her face but her "Sakura-chan-is-blushing" senses were tingling. "I-it wasn't anything much…"

"On the contrary, it was a considerable much," the man interrupted smoothly. "I was wondering if you would be willing to accompany me to my laboratory and repeat the effect."

Both Tomoyo and Syaoran tensed. "Oh my," Tomoyo said, her voice concerned. "But isn't it already late? If we don't go back home soon, we'll oversleep tomorrow!" Not his neck then. His eyes first.

"Sakura, I don't trust this guy," Syaoran said more bluntly. "Besides, a laboratory? That's suspicious!"

Negi raised his hands in a placating manner. "It's all right, um, Wolf-kun. We've worked with him before. He's trustworthy."

"Still, we really shouldn't go with him," Tomoyo said. The acid first then, or the mace, in case he blocked. "Why, we don't even know his name!"

The man hesitated. "Kageyama," he said. "Kageyama Reiji."

Lie, Tomoyo thought, then amended. Often-used alias. One I think I've heard somewhere before…

"That's not your real name," Syaoran said. "No one could possibly be born with a name that cool naturally."

"Why, thank you," Kageyama said.

"If you wish to see if the effect is repeatable," the girl interrupted bluntly, "I have some crystals harvested from some stragglers."

Sakura frowned, looking unsure. "I'm… not sure…"

"You can do it, Star Wing-chan!" Tomoyo chirped loyally. It was the sort of sound that she knew made Syaoran's skin crawl and had him checking his back for knives, and thus one she used at every opportunity. Hey, she was only human, she was allowed some petty pleasures! "I know you can!"

Smile. Sparkly, flower-strewn background.

Everyone else but Negi and Sakura shuddered.

"Yes, it's a cold night, isn't it?" Negi said.

Sakura pursed her lips. "I… suppose I can try one…"

"Ayane-san, a crystal please," Kageyama said.

The girl, Ayane, held out a hand. "My payment?"

Sakura blinked in confusion as Tomoyo looked at the girl appraisingly, wondering if she'd be able to sign on a new mercenary. Kageyama's lips curled into a small, fond smile, but nodded. "It shall be sent to your usual account."

She nodded, and pulled a small bag out of her pocket. It clinked. She handed it to him.

He took it and opened the back door of his car, drawing out a large glass canister with metal caps at both ends. Unsealing the caps, he opened the bag and poured its contents inside. Green crystals glowing with their own luminescence poured in. Taking one, he sealed the rest and returned the bag to Ayane. He turned and held out the stone to Sakura.

Gingerly, she took it, cradling it in her hand like she was afraid it would shatter with a breath. "Um, I'm not sure how I… Oh! It's… warm. It's… alive…"

Kageyama raised an eyebrow. From his stance, he seemed to be committing Sakura's words to memory. "Can you do anything?"

"I… don't know…" Sakura said, before her expression firmed. "But… I want to try."

On its chain, the blue stone began to glow, pulsing slightly. Small, wispy tendrils, either light or mist, began to trail from it like smoke, curling into shapes. Tomoyo fancied she could see flowers, petals and feathers in the changing, minute swirl. Sakura made her determined face (SO CUUUUUUUUUUUTE! Tomoyo mentally gushed) as she took the blue stone, holding in between thumb and forefinger like it was a piece of chalk she was going to write with. It seemed pulse brighter as everyone leaned forward expectantly, the girl Ayane and Kageyama holding their breaths, clearly tense. The stone began to blaze.

Sakura took a deep breath, took a few steps away from them and knelt, laying the green crystal out on the ground. She gingerly touched her blue stone to it, face hopeful, her mind focused in trying to turn this crystal back into a human, of sending them back to their no-doubt grieving family, of letting them meet their friends once more…

There was a pregnant pause. It gave birth to a bunch of little pauses, each a disappointment that broke its mother's heart as nothing happened and kept on happening.

Sakura frowned, and her brow knit in almost comical but sincere concentration. She tightened her fingers on it, as if it was a recalcitrant bottle cap needing more force. The flow of light and patterns became more energetic as she imagined the person this crystal had once been coming back to life, of being able to continue their happy existence, but the whole lot of nothing kept getting born.

Kageyama seemed to slump slightly. He didn't move a muscle, but there was the feeling he was collapsing, becoming drained of… something. The blue stone dimmed ever so slightly.

"Nothing seems to be happening," Syaoran pointed out blandly.

"Obviously," Ayane said, voice just as bland. The two exchanged bland looks, something unknowable being exchanged.

There was a subtle rushing of air and a subtle green light filled the alley as Yuuno arrived. "Okay, that's the government sorted now, I just have to ask you to fill in the… am I interrupting something?" he asked, suddenly aware they were all focused on the stone, or in Tomoyo's case, on the stone's wielder.

The stone flared. Sakura yelped as the green crystal in her hand suddenly grew, twisting and inflating as it gained mass. It slipped out of her hand, bouncing to the ground before an unconscious, pudgy man was suddenly lying there.

There was silence as they all stared at the sleeping man, who vaguely stirred. There was awe on Negi's face, while Ayane's still-blank face stared with wide eyes.

Yuuno stared nonplused. "Was that supposed to happen?"

Slowly, Kageyama drew another crystal from the container. "Again, please?"

They managed to restore seven more people before the stone seemed to give out. Try as Sakura might, the blue stone only glowed dully, no longer letting out wisps and tendril.

"Come on, just one more," she begged earnestly, the little stone cupped in her hands. "Just one more time. Please?"

"Maybe it needs new batteries?" Negi suggested.

"Should have used Energizer," Yuuno agreed, tending to the last one they'd managed to revive, who was being given a complete checkup and conveniently kept unconscious to avert awkward questions.

"That old joke? Really?" Syaoran said, giving his friend the raised critical eyebrow.

Yuuno shrugged.

Tomoyo suppressed a yawn and strangled a glower. No one else seemed to notice the lateness of the hour, though the girl Ayane was leaning against the car with her eyes closed as Sakura knelt, the stone in her fingers as she tried to wave it over the latest crystal they were trying to revert. Tomoyo's brain was slightly mushy as she tried to think of the most diplomatic way to take Sakura home to get some sleep.

"It's pretty late. Maybe we should go home Star Wing-chan. You need your beauty sleep!" she chirped.

Yeah, not one of her more subtle moments.

Sakura-chan looked up, looking like she was about to protest, but Kageyama smoothly interjected. "I believe your friend is right, young lady. It does not seem like we will be getting any more results for tonight. Given the hour and your tiredness, it's best not to force the issue for now. Power, if uncontrolled or controlled improperly, could lead to disaster, and we had best not risk it with such an artifact."

"Never a good idea to use magic when sleepy," Yuuno said. His lips twisted sardonically, slightly fond, annoyed, and a touch bitter. "Something I have to keep reminding my partner of."

"Tell me about it," Negi agreed. "My Ministrae keep complaining about someone like that in the group, but they never tell me who it is. I guess they don't want to embarrass anyone." He seemed completely oblivious to the looks Yuuno, Syaoran and Tomoyo were throwing his way.

Reluctantly, Sakura stood, swaying and nearly falling over. Tomoyo and Syaoran were at her side in an instant, not even taking the time to exchange meaning-laden looks over her head. They were trying to cut down on that. Haruna kept teasing that it was a sign they were cheating on Sakura.

"I don't understood," Sakura said softly, almost mumbling. "Why isn't it working? It worked before."

"It's to be expected," Yuuno tried to reassure her. "After all, you're still not sure how it works in the first place. Maybe you and it just need a rest." He gave her a critical once over. "One thing's for sure. If you were anyone else, I'd knock you out and have you get some sleep. As you're not anyone else, I'll politely ask you to get some sleep. You can try again in the morning."

"Hoeee…" Sakura muttered sleepily. Now that she wasn't concentrating on anything, she was practically asleep on her feet. "I guess…"

"Perhaps we can make something of it," Kageyama said smoothly. "We have some small resources. If we could perhaps find a way to utilize this…" He held out his hand.

Sakura brightened even as Tomoyo and Syaoran shot flat 'do you think we were born yesterday' looks at him. Even Ayane was throwing a disbelieving look his way as Yuuno facepalmed. "Ah, perhaps you can help find out how to get it to work Kageyama-san…"

She put it in his hand before anyone could protest.

There was a brief, intense flash of blue light, and suddenly Kageyama was stepping back, blinking even with his sunglasses still on. "On... on second thought, perhaps it would be best in your care," he said shakily, still blinking and shaking his head.

"Well, we'll be off then," Tomoyo said brightly. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a business card. She nearly gave it to him before frowning, looking at it, and putting it back, hunting through her pockets before she found the right business card. "If you're still interested in doing business, have your people call our people… " She looked at her watch. "…tomorrow. Our star talent needs her rest."

They exchanged cards as Syaoran began prompting Sakura to walk, Tomoyo momentarily trotting to catch up before she fell into step next to them. Behind them, they could hear Kageyama and Ayane getting into the car and starting up the engine. Tomoyo heard Negi and Yuuno falling into step behind them as the car drove off, the sound of its engine eventually fading away.

They stopped walking, still obscured by the darkness and shadows of the alley.

"You can come out now, Kero-chan," Tomoyo said gently.

Sakura's bag opened, and the little Sun Guardian stuck his head out, looking annoyed. "Finally!" he cried, wiggling out. The distended belly from all the ice-cream he'd eaten was already gone. Not for the first time, Tomoyo had to wonder what happened to all that mass. He never used the bathroom except to wash, after all. "Don't trust him! He's suspicious!"

Syaoran rolled his eyes. "You say that about most people who don't hand you food when you first meet them," he pointed out.

"Well, my instincts for this sort of thing are good! Didn't I say that Haruna girl was evil?"

"Kero-san," Yuuno said gently, "Haruna said specifically introduced herself as 'Hello, my name is Kira Deathnote Paru-sama, and I'm the future evil empress of the Earth'. It doesn't take detective work to figure that out."

"Well, I was right, wasn't I?" Kero said proudly, puffing out his chest.

Negi sighed. "Can you please not talk about my student like that? Haruna-san is a good girl…"

"No, she's not," Yuuno, Syaoran, Tomoyo and Kero chorused.

Negi frowned at the impugnment of his student's honor. "Just because she keeps asking me and Kotaro-kun to pose for her…" He paused. "Just because she…" He paused again. "Well, she's still not as a bad as all that!"

"Hmm…" Yuuno, Kero, Syaoran and Tomoyo all chorused.

"She's not!"

Sakura began to snore where she was standing.

There was a mildly awkward silence as Sakura literally slept on her feet, the beginnings of a snot bubble starting to grow on her nose from the cold. Yuuno held up his ring hand. "Need a ride?"

Images. It had all been images, tinged in blue.

A figure as wide as the sky, spreading wings that went beyond the horizon, bathed in light…

"Don't be afraid…"

A man at a desk filled with paper work, full of requests and reports and little minutiae that can kill a man. The desk and papers were stamped with the A.E.G.I.S. shield…

"All will be well…"

An army, a legion of girls wearing white scarves, stitched or painted with a blue emblem, each holding a shining gem glowing with inner light. They stood arrayed to face a darkened sky, in which random, chaotic, eldritch, unspeakable, abominable, blasphemous shapes writhed, chittering in inhuman voices of unknowable things. At the legion's head, a proud figure whose arm crackled with lightning, one arm raised in defiance, a ball bearing balanced to shoot on her thumb…

"Everything is going to be all right…"

Kageyama himself charging into battle with both arms, an army of Gatekeepers at his back, against a foe he could not see, gates of light and darkness flaring to life…

"You are not alone…"

A girl with dead, empty eyes stood cupping a dying, pink light in one hand like a precious jewel as the other held a gun. And behind her, the same girl again. And the same girl again, and again, and again, each the same girl, each different, each holding the same precious light…

"Somewhere, someone is fighting for you…"

A tower in the sky no one could reach from the highest peak…

"Evocative imagery, if somewhat uninformative," Ayane said blandly from her seat at the front of the sports car once Kageyama finished speaking. She glanced sideways at the man paying her cellphone budget. "What do you think it means?"

Kageyama was quiet for a moment as he drove. "It means…" he said finally, "that I need to work on my running."

Ayane snorted. "Vain."

Kageyama just smiled. For once, he was finishing the night with fewer crystals than he had started it. No matter what, FINALLY, they had a win.

The hotel room was huge. It had a living room, a bedroom with a king-sized bed, a hot tub room, lots of tasteful carpet and wallpaper, and the kind of in-room refreshments so obscenely expensive they didn't bother with a price list because if you had to worry about how much you spent on the food, you were too poor to even know this room existed. It was that kind of room. Tomoyo's security detail had been alarmed they'd come in so late, but Tomoyo had waved them off. Yuuno had dropped them off right next to the building under invisibility. Tomoyo was unsure how he'd done it and didn't much care, but it seemed to work.

Tomoyo actually usually stayed in her family's condo when in the city— she was rich, not Paris Hilton!— but she figured Sakura would enjoy the treat. Though in hindsight, she'd probably have enjoyed ANY hotel room. When they'd arrived, Syaoran helped lay her out on the bed and had left to fill the bath while Tomoyo had gotten Sakura changed. Sakura had roused enough to be responsive to things like 'lift up your arm,, but she'd basically passed out the minute she'd hit the mattress. Keroberos landed next to her, and sat cross-legged next to her head, a determined, serious expression on his face as he grimly resolved to protect Sakura from harm while she slept in this strange and dangerous city.

By the time Tomoyo had sat down on the room's desk chair to take off her shoes, he'd passed out on the pillow. She laughed fondly as she set her footwear aside, rolling back her socks and massaging her toes with a sigh and looked up when Syaoran came back into the room carrying a pile of towels. "Bathtub's ready for you," he said, opening his side of the shared closet and putting the towels down on a free space.

"Thank you, Lee-kun," Tomoyo said, falling onto familiar habits. "You didn't have to do that." Her smile became teasing. "No comments about having taken advantage of Sakura while she was unconscious?"

"Can't be bothered to make any," he said a bit gruffly, letting himself fall down on the cot that had been set up for him a bit to the side. The sofa in the living room folded out into a bed, but that had seemed cruel somehow, like he was being banished, though Tomoyo had actually predicted them falling asleep there after staying up much too late watching movies and eating— or perhaps just watching Kero eat— too much junk food.

Syaoran began undoing his shoes, then paused, staring at the dark, blank screen of the bedroom TV before turning around to stare at the bed. Tomoyo noticed it too.

Sakura's stone was beginning to glow brighter again.

For a moment, they both stared at it, watching its shine grow stronger through the blanket on top of Sakura.

"I wonder if this is because it was used today or if it always glows like that when she's asleep," Syaoran said thoughtfully. "It's not as if either of them would notice…"

Tomoyo shrugged. "At least we know it doesn't need new batteries," she said cheerfully.

Syaoran gave her a withering look. "Seriously?"

She just smiled brightly at him.

He sighed, finally pulling his shoes off. "Go take a bath already, will you? The water's going to get cold."

"Such a gentleman," she murmured as she stood up, enjoying the feel of her bare feet on the carpet. "Try not to take advantage of Sakura-chan while she's unconscious."

The cot's pillow flew past her as she laughed and headed for the bathroom. Undressing, she folded her clothes and laid them on one of the empty racks before getting cleaned up. The water was nicely warm as she slipped into it after her shower. That had been nice of Syaoran. She'd been expecting having to go to sleep feeling mucky. Well, perhaps not that, but she hadn't thought she'd be this comfortable. She lay back, closing her eyes and sighing in contentment. For a moment she just lay there, basking in the warmth as her long hair clung to her neck and floated in the water around her. It was actually making her pretty sleepy.…

There was a thump through the heavy wooden door and she slowly opened her eyes. The steam had fogged up the mirror that went across an entire all of the bathroom as she found the motivation to raise her head quizzically as a few more thumps sounded.

"Now that you've had a chance to freshen up," came Syaoran's muffled voice through the thick door, "What do you think?"

Tomoyo stifled a groan, instead opting to partially submerge her face and exhaling her sigh through the water. She did it twice more. "Lee-kun, can't this wait? The water feels so nice…" she almost whined. So warm…

"You're saying a bathtub trumps Sakura's safety?" Oh, that sneaky, evil bastard.…

Tomoyo took another deep and regretful breath. "We have previous information on the Gatekeeper organization, though most of it is hearsay, apocryphal or contradictory, mostly from the wizards," she finally managed to say by way of an answer as she dredged up some of the things she remembered. "The man known as Kageyama Reiji has featured in some of them, both as an enemy and an uncertain ally. Though I think we can trust Negi's word that they've worked before. Some of those stories are old."

There was a short pause. "But will Sakura be all right?" Syaoran asked. "I remember those stories too. He tried to take over Japan, didn't he?"

"Who doesn't eventually?" Tomoyo said sardonically.

"Yes, I've heard of your plans," was Syaoran's dry reply.

Her eyebrows rose. "Who told you about that?" she demanded.

"Kuro," he said, and her eyebrows rose again at the easy familiarity. Though she probably shouldn't be surprised. Kuro was one of the few girls who regularly hung out with the 'Boys Club', as they called themselves. Or to be more precise, one of those the boys regularly hung out with, as long as Shiro wasn't around, and he regularly wasn't. As one with an actual sex life, he was treated with a mixture of reverence and a slight degree of disbelief. Technically, Zafira had one too, but his lovers and he tended to be more low-key about it, while Saber, Rin and Luvia— well, technically Rin and Luvia… weren't. "I must say, as a way of spreading the gospel of the Church of Sakura, it's unlikely to work. Sakura would cry."

Tomoyo made a note to scold Kuro about revealing such things as she regretfully decided it was time to get up. She hadn't turned off the air conditioning vent when she'd gone in, and the sudden breeze was chill, a sharp contrast to the recent warmth. She wished she hadn't let her hair hang loose while she'd been in the tub. It was now plastered to her skin and dripping, making her shiver. She reached for a towel… and paused. She eyed the rack that held the clothes she'd worn.

The empty rack. She looked around. The chrome towel racks near the door were empty. So where the wooden shelves under the counter and the racks above the toilet. The roll of toilet paper was also conspicuously missing.

"You bastard!" she said. "Syaoran, where are all the towels?-!-?-!-?"

In the silence, she could almost literally hear his smirk.

She glared at the door, and she could feel the hot, burning sensation of her sclera turning black from her Shinmeiryuu, but forced the sensation down. Blasting the door open wouldn't be productive. She grimaced as she considered putting her soiled clothes back on. Tomoyo was holding up the purple dress she'd been wearing when there was a knock . She glanced at the heavy wood suspiciously as the knock came again. Warily, holding her dress to her front, she pressed herself behind the door and carefully pulled it open, peeking her head out past the gap. The sudden rush of cold, oh so cold air from the outside made her gasped, and she shivered all over as her teeth chattered involuntarily.

One of the wooden chairs from the living room had been dragged up to the door, and one of the hotel's large, very fluffy bath towels had been draped over the back, facing the door. Beyond it, she saw Syaoran, standing deliberately in front of the room's large windows, the curtains pulled open to either side of him, outlined by the light from outside. His back was directly to her, and for a moment she longed to throw something, preferably something metal and pointy, but at the moment all she had was the towel and the dress. She could have thrown the soap or the little shampoo bottles at him, but she might have broken the window.

She quickly shut the door and began the process of getting dried…

"That," the self-controlled and refined voice behind him said in sad, disappointed and scolding tones, "was not gentlemanly."

Syaoran didn't turn around, just kept his gaze on the window. They'd turned the lights down when they'd come in and left only dim lights burning because it hurt their eyes, and between that and the glare coming in from the window, he could barely make out Tomoyo's reflection on the glass. She was almost right behind him, almost close enough to reach past him and touch the window.

He'd watched her come out of the bathroom behind him, tensed to move and dodge if she threw the soap and shampoo bottles at him, or possibly something pointier. She'd been little more than a silhouette against bright opening of the doorway when she'd stepped out of the bathroom, moving from shadow to shadow towards him like some kind of horror movie monster… and worse. After all, Syaoran knew there were things that went bump and screamed horrible curses at mankind in the dark and haunted the night, dark forces that wished humanity only ill.

Though it helped that half the time, they were bumping around and cursing because they were running away from him and his friends in abject terror.

When he said nothing, the voice lost some layers of refinement and became recognizably annoyed and just a touch hurt. "Seriously Lee-kun, that was totally uncool."

"I could hear you shivering from all the way over here," he said, allowing himself another small smirk. "I think it was cool enough."

He heard her snort. "Well, if you're going to resort to tasteless practical jokes on unsuspecting young women, I suppose bad puns isn't far behind."

"You were there when I walked in carrying the towels," Syaoran said. "I gave you the opportunity to suspect."

He saw the slightest bit of movement in the shadowed areas where her eyes would have been. A twitch of annoyance. Something jabbed at the back of one of his calves, an almost dainty little kick. "Not cool," she reiterated. Her voice turned dry. "I drained the bath for you. You can refill it if you want."

He finally turned around— his back had been itching like crazy— to say… something that completely slipped his mind as he found himself involuntarily staring. The highly inappropriate but strangely fitting thought that flitted through his stunned head was that Tomoyo had really pale skin. She stood there wearing nothing but a smile that was ever so subtly turning into a smirk, her long hair cascading over her shoulders but not, as convention would have normally dictated, down her chest. Syaoran made a strangled sound as he jerked his gaze up to the ceiling before he found out if that was really her natural hair color or even how cold Tomoyo found the room. "Daidouji, what do you think you're doing?-!" he managed to choke out.

Her answering low, throaty laugh was not at all seductive and held more than a touch of evil, albeit the sort of kindergarten evil Haruna and Kuro dabbled in. There was a rustle of carpet as she suddenly stepped closer to him, the top of her pretty little head coming into the bottom most sliver of his view. He imagined he could feel her body heat, and was very definite about feeling her breath on his neck.

"You know Lee-kun, most boys wouldn't consider this retaliation," Tomoyo purred, and he involuntarily backed up, his back thumping against the window as he very determinedly kept his gaze on the ceiling. "They'd consider this an invitation. "

"Not anyone I know," he managed to choke out, and she laughed that oh-so-refined-and-feminine tinkly bells laugh of hers. It was true. Heck, Negi wouldn't even understand what he was doing. Actually, the only ones who'd see it as such would be the Servants, and even though, only if Tomoyo was maybe six years older. Possibly four. Certainly not less than three. He hadn't heard any legends like that about Cu Chulainn.

"True, true," she said, and her tone said she was still smirking. He could just barely see her eyes at the bottom of his peripheral view, and they glinted with amusement at his self-imposed predicament. For a moment, he wondered about just looking down and calling her bluff, looking at her. What would she do then?

Even as his mind recoiled at the idea, she gave a final bell-like laugh, turned and headed for the bedroom, the towel dragging behind her on the carpeted floor, and closed the door after her. Finally letting himself look down, he let out a sigh, eyeing the door and wondering if she'd let him in later. With a yawn, he grabbed the towel and change of clothes he'd stashed in the drawers under the living room TV and headed to the bathroom to take his own bath.

Five minutes later, he stepped out again to call room service. Tomoyo had poured all the shampoo and soap down the toilet.

"Aren't you three supposed to be the boring ones?" Kuro said from her portion of the TV screen Tomoyo had attached her laptop to. "How did you end up dealing with Kageyama frickin' Reiji, of all people?"

"They tried to go on vacation," Nanoha said solemnly. Behind her, the screen was black and filled with points of light, none of which twinkled. Syaoran suspected she was nowhere on Earth, and possibly not even in the same Solar System. "They ignored the immutable laws of the universe, and look where it got them."

"Green Lantern-chan, vacations are NOT cursed," Negi said, trying to sound reasonable.

"YES, THEY ARE!" Nanoha and the Sailor Senshi who'd shown up for the video conference chorused.

Supergirl nodded. "Definitely cursed," Kara said. "I leave for a week, nothing happens while I'm in Metropolis, I go back home to find everything was being conquered by Lovecraftian people-replacing tentacley things!"

Even Chisame was nodding, and she seldom went in for what she saw as foolishness. "Remember Kyoto? And the Festival? And that time we went to Mundus Magicus?"

"Nothing happened on Golden Week!" Negi protested.

"Didn't you and Twilight Princess over there get in a fight and refuse to talk to each other for the first few days?" Haruna said.

"CURSED!" Nanoha declared with finality.

Syaoran sighed as everyone devolved into their random tangent, tapping his foot until they got back on topic. The events of last night hadn't spread very far. Yuuno and Negi hadn't been the gossiping sorts, so they'd had to tell everyone but Green Lantern what had happened. The space cop had apparently gotten a report from Yuuno or something.

"Ah, everyone, do you have any advice?" Sakura said during a lull, regaining everyone's attention.

"I can try running a materials analysis on it," Kuro said, shrugging. "No promises on whether I can tell what it is, though. I can't believe we took a glowing blue rock for granted after we checked that it wasn't radioactive! We should have realized it wasn't that simple!

"Perhaps you can try going to the source of the stone and seeing if they know anything?" Negi suggested.

"The stone came from when I sealed my Hope Card," Sakura said, holding up the pink Card. "But she said she hadn't made it. She seemed just as confused as we were."

"Lucky for us she was one of the chatty ones," Syaoran muttered, recalling it's many less talkative siblings.

"But… didn't you once say some bigshot guy made your card?" Minako pointed out. "What about him?"

Rei sighed. "If you'd been listening, you'd know that guy died over a hundred years ago!"

"He did…" Sakura said slowly. "But he reincarnated…"

Negi blinked. "That actually happens?"

"Happens to us all the time," Makoto said. "No biggie."

Sakura seemed to be slowly coming to the conclusion that Syaoran had already made. "Maybe he'd know something?" she finally said.

Syaoran suppressed a groan.

Tomoyo laughed, clapping her hands– if you'll pardon the expression– gaily. "Ah! It's been a while since we visited with him!"

"Road trip!" Kuro cried. "I'll go see if Broken-chan can teleport you!"

Damn these modern conveniences…

It was night time in England, but the house was brightly lit and they'd barely knocked on the door when it was flung open and a serenely smiling Eriol greeted them at the entryway. "Descendant," he greeted Sakura. He turned to a scowling Syaoran. "Cute descendant." He turned to Tomoyo. "Daidouji-san." His voice was neural. Oh. You.

"Hiiragizawa-kun," she said, all sweetness and light to match his eternal smile. "I hope my associates were not too much trouble when you visited." Yeah. Me.

"Oh, not at all, Daidouji-san," Eriol said. "I trust you received my letter." You owe me money.

She had. His list of grievances had been well itemized. "Yes. I shall remember to see to it as you always remember to give us timely warning." Like hell after you forgot to tell Sakura about that little loose end of yours.

"That's more than fair," he smiled. Oh, come on! I said I was sorry!

"I'm glad you think so," she smiled. Suck it.

"Eriol-kun, we need your help," Sakura said, clutching her hands pleadingly.

"Ah, I shall not occupy you further, Hiiragizawa-kun," Tomoyo said, still smiling. Be useful and I'll reconsider.

"Of course. What can I do for you, Sakura-chan, that you somehow managed to traverse the world on such short notice?" Eriol asked, shooting Tomoyo one last smile. Okay, fine! But I think you're being REALLY unfair! You're the one who sent assassins at me!

The language of smiles was a complicated and many-nuanced thing.

Eriol took the glowing blue stone from Sakura as she explained the circumstances surrounding it and why they needed to know more about it. "We thought, since you originally made The Hope Card– what's now The Hope Card– that you might know what caused this to appear," she finished explaining.

"Ah, yes," he said thoughtfully. "Fascinating. Yes, I see…"

"Then you can help us?" Sakura said hopefully. The stone seemed to glow brighter slightly. "You know what the stone is?"

"Hmm…" he said. "Sorry, haven't the foggiest clue."

The light noticeably died.

- To be continued…

Chapter Text

Kinomoto Sakura of 2814

by Shadow Crystal Mage

Chapter 4: Look To Her Star- For Hope Burns Bright!

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in this story. If I did… well, this would all be canon. WARNING: MAY CAUSE HEAD EXPLOSION!

"Well, that was a bust," Keroberos said, sighing. The visit with the reincarnation of Clow Reed had been completely fruitless, and had mostly been Eriol stuffing them with snacks before they left, and him and Tomoyo smiling at each other in that way that made Syaoran pretty sure they were talking somehow. "What do we do now?"

"What else," Syaoran said, also sighing as he pulled out his cellphone to call for pick-up. "Road Trip 2."

"Hmm…" Shamal said, holding the stone in its golden-wire setting up to the light to see it better. The Knight had just returned from shopping and had so missed the video conference an hour before. She'd been the one to answer their general request for transport though, and so they'd stopped to get her take on the stone. "Interesting… you say this wasn't a product of Clow Reed?"

"No," Sakura said, shaking her head emphatically while Tomoyo used her phone to call her security detail and arrange for a more mundane ride. "Does it look like anything you know?"

Shamal gave the gem another critical look. "Jewel Seed?" she suggested. "I mean, it kind of looks like one, but it's not putting out any magic I can feel… and by now I've learned to feel a few."

Either Hayate had not been entirely satisfied with simply bringing her family back, there was a side-effect to the hasty reprogramming Hayate had done to separate them from the book, or perhaps it was a natural mechanism to upgrade the knights after each cycle, but the knights had come out with a little bit more data then they'd gone in with. It was small stuff— sensitivity to other magic, a few Shinmeiryuu techniques under Signum's belt, Vita suddenly knowing how to make a cake— but they'd learned to roll with it. It was what badass kinda-immortal Hayate-worshipping knights did after all. Tomoyo could get behind that kind of mentality.

Currently, Hayate and the other knights were gone, off to serve their 'community service' to the TSAB. Nanoha had raised all sorts of hell about them not being citizens under the TSAB's control and Earth not being under any sort of extradition agreement with the TSAB, but she'd been powerless in the face of the Knights turning themselves in. Reinforce was, ironically, the one charged least in the whole affair, treated as merely an unwitting accessory. Well, if you didn't count all those planets she'd blown up, but Yuuno and Chrono between them had made a case in her favor about how she'd been an unwilling participant in those too. Still, she'd gone along with the rest to 'serve their time', as they saw it, for all the damage they'd done. Thankfully the TSAB had only held them accountable for events that had happened during its existence, but Tomoyo had heard they'd essentially be working for the TSAB for the next eight to ten years. As punishments went, it was remarkably light, given the circumstances included assault, murder and genocide.

Hayate was already counting down the days until 'retirement', which most of her friends were trying to talk her out of, since that was just asking to get death-flagged, theoretical immortality aside. Whether or not the data from the Sailor Senshi, Negi's Magia Erebea, Zazie Rainyday, Archer and Berserker stacked (the suspected effect, which most people were crying "Unfair!" about), canceled each other out (the most cynical possibility and the one the more pessimistic people were not-so-loudly espousing), not working because her biology or magic or whatever was all wrong (this one was laughed out of consideration) or one of them was dominating the others (where the rest of the bets were), if she kept at it like that, someonewas going to find a way to kill her. The universe was an evil bastard like that.

Someone, most likely either Tuxedo Kamen (who had a lot of experience in dying and the morbid fascination people have with it) or one of her knights, had also taken the initiative to make sure she and Tohsaka didn't include 'comparing whose immortality was better' to their little rivalry. Just in case.

Syaoran sighed. As far as Tomoyo knew, he had no personal beef with the Knight of the Lake, but he still tended to be curt with the Wolkenritter who hadn't been involved in his de-Linkering. "That aside, can you give us suggestions? We need to try and find a way to make the thing work at-will, and have no idea where to start."

Shamal frowned thoughtfully as she handed the stone back to Sakura. "Certain Lost Logia are activated by intense emotion or desire. It's spotty at best, but from what you told me, it seemed to react to Sakura-san's extreme emotional states the night before. Maybe you can start there?"

"It's worth a try, I guess," Keroberos said, sighing.

Sakura bowed. "Thank you for your time, Shamal-san."

They made their good-byes, stepping out into the street. "So, where to next?" Syaoran asked, looking around as if he expected a car to appear. Silly boy.

Tomoyo consulted their list of contacts. "Well… shall we try the closest? Perhaps Admiral Harlaown will have something…"

"Hmm…" almost-retired Admiral Lindy Harlaown murmured, rolling the stone between her fingers as she held it under a lamp to see it better. "Interesting… we sure this isn't Lost Logia? We could take it to our main base and–"

"No," Keroberos, Tomoyo and Syaoran said, politely but firmly.

"If you're going to take any Lost Logia back, take the Garden of Time," Arf said firmly, hands on her well-shaped verb-ing hips, which were very ideally-suited towards any number of physical activities. "Green Lantern-chan's been complaining that it's been on the moon all year, dismantled and ready to be taken by the TSAB. She keeps saying if no one comes for it she's putting it back together and building a clubhouse. I think she's serious about that one, she keep talking about a statute of limitations or something."

"Where is she, anyway?" Syaoran asked.

"Oh, she said she was going to 40 Eridani someplace or other," Lindy said absently, still examining the stone. "Some maniac is trying to destroy it with a black hole to its core, and since it has sentient life, Nanoha-chan went off to stop it."

Syaoran blinked. "Wait… isn't that…"

"Not the same planet, no space elves," Amy said, coming from the kitchen sipping on a juice box. The Admiral's aide seemed to have developed an orange juice addiction, if Chrono's complaints about 'the older women ordering him around' during Boy's Night was any indicator. "I asked too. Apparently they're some kind of crystal squid who live in molten lead seas. Great musicians, apparently. Nanoha-chan likes their J-pop reproductions of old Toku themes."

"I won't ask," Syaoran said, watching Admiral Lindy scientifically tapping the stone with a spoon to see what happens.

Finally she shook her head. "I've got nuthin'," she said in a horrendous American drawl. "Maybe I'd know more if— "

"No," Keroberos, Tomoyo and Syaoran repeated politely but firmly.

She sighed, handing the stone back to Sakura, who slipped back around her neck. "We'd give it back," she said.

"Doubtless," Tomoyo said. "But when?"

"It's the paperwork!"

"Hmm…" Ami muttered, examining the stone with a magnifying glass to see it better as Sakura sat next to her anxiously.

"People keep making that noise," Keroberos said between spoonfuls of Makoto's homemade ice-cream. As it had been made with Usagi consuming it in mind, it came in a metal bucket that came up to her thigh. "Why do they keep making that noise?"

"It helps people think, I gather," Tomoyo said, daintily eating with a little spoon.

"Doesn't seem to work. It's never helped me," Usagi said cheerfully, digging in.

All around the room, Tomoyo saw people's faces go blank at the straight line, and one by one decide it was too easy. They were at the house the Outers lived in, which was never to be known as the 'Out House' on pain of pain. Mamoru, Jadeite and Gilgamesh had not yet arrived, forcing Syaoran to sigh and sit by himself, muttering about this being a girl-dominated business.

"You two are going to get fat eating like that," Rei chided them disapprovingly.

"I have a high-energy lifestyle, I need the sugar!" Usagi said triumphantly. The pause let Keroberos get ahead of her as he scooped up his 9th bowl. Tomoyo could feel her thighs getting fat just looking at them. She chided herself, continuing to her dainty eating and willing any fat to go to her chest, where its presence would be appreciated.

Ami and Sakura were talking in low tones now. At least, it seemed like low tones. The other Senshi were as likely just too loud. Sakura had a concerned look on her face, but she was listening intently as Ami spoke. After a while, they stood up, heading for the door to the garage. Tomoyo increased her eating speed slightly, hoping to follow them, but they were soon back carrying a tool box.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Haruka called, protesting. "Where are you going with my toolbox?"

"We're off to do experiments," Ami explained. "I just need to set up my recording equipment."

"Not with my toolbox, you're not!" Haruka said, standing up and walking over, reaching for the tools. "I remember your track record testing stuff, Mizuno."

"It was one diamond! That I paid for!"

"I'm NOT letting you do the same thing to my tools!"

"Just the hammer!"

"NO!"

"Haruka, it's for science!"

"I don't care if it's for Mythbusters, you're not using my toolbox to test some weird rock!"

The door opened, and the three prodigal males strolled in. "Tadaima–" Mamoru began.

"Plunge to your knees, princesses and mongrels!" Gilgamesh announced. "You stand in the presence of the king off all in this world! Bask in his radiance and be honored that he would suffer your presence, children and madwomen!"

There was utter silence as everyone gave the Servant varying annoyed looks.

"See, this is why we don't hang out with you," Syaoran said, tactically standing behind Tomoyo as he did so.

"And why we never invite you to karaoke," Minako added, sighing in disappointment. Another hot guy, ruined by a lousy attitude. And technically, he was an evil general too. Their streak just wouldn't end…

Mamoru sighed. "Gilgamesh-kun… we've talked about this."

"I was anticipating you changing your mind and living as your station deserved, your Majesty." Gilgamesh said smoothly.

"For a loyal subject, you're lousy at following orders, you know that?" Haruka observed.

Jadeite, still looking sleepy and wearing sunglasses– it had been another long night at the radio station as on-air personality J-Dite– gave his kinda-sorta reincarnated little brother a chop on the head in annoyance. "Gil, it's too early for this," he muttered sitting down on a free chair and rubbing the bridge of his nose. After getting him out of the Wolkenritter's garage— they'd found him floating around the dimensional see, took hi home and drained him in the ye older Book Of Darkness days before they ran into Nanoha— they'd managed to get him out by the simple expedient of having Eternal Sailor Moon shoot him. That seemed to work most of the time, after all. He lived with Mamoru and his brother now, and had used a variation of an old 'steal energy from the unsuspecting public' plans to get a job as a late-night radio DJ.

Usagi held out the bucket and a couple of bowls with spoons in them. "Hey, you guys want some of Mako-chan's Very Berry Orgasmy ice-cream?"

Gilgamesh knelt smoothly before her, head bowed. "You're too kind, your highness," he said.

Usagi drew herself up in what she thought was a noble attitude. "Be blessed, sir knight, and enjoy the sweet fruity good stuff! Such is my command!"

"At once, your highness!" Gilgamesh declared, beginning to scoop ice-cream for himself into a bowl that dropped out of a warp in the air. Both bowl and scooper were, of course, gold. Apparently, Ice-cream had been invented in Uruk. Who knew?

Mamoru sighed. "Usa-ko… I love you and all, but please don't encourage him…"

Hotaru tugged on Haruka's sleeve. "Haruka-papa…" she said.

Haruka looked down quizzically.

Hotaru pointed towards the back yard."Ami-chan ran off with your tools."

"MIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-ZUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! -!-!-!-!-!-!-!" Haruka raged, stomping out of the room.

"How have you people managed to keep the human race from being drained dry of energy for over five years?" Syaoran asked rhetorically. Tomoyo privately agreed.

"Dumb luck and a tendency to not stay dead," Mamoru said, walking over to him, and they bumped fists as, somewhere, Emiya Shiro sneezed. "I've died so many times Death and I are on a first-name basis."

"Doesn't mean anything, she's like that with everyone," Hotaru said, helping herself to the ice-cream bucket.

"I find it epically disturbing you people can say that and mean it," Syaoran said. Ami ran into the room, holding the stone in one hand and a hammer in the other as Haruka ran after her, both shouting something incoherent. A confused Sakura followed in a moment later, holding the tool box.

Wordlessly, Hotaru held up a bowl of ice-cream. Sakura looked at it, shrugged, and set the toolbox down. "Thank you," she said, and Tomoyo firmly stamped on the inkling of jealousy as their fingers briefly touched, reminding herself Hotaru was into Negi Springfield, for all the good that did the poor girl. Personally, she didn't see the appeal, herself.

Somewhere, Negi Springfield felt a sudden sense of relief and didn't know why.

There was a loud, sudden noise. A few minutes later, Haruka walked in holding the hammer, putting it back in the toolbox and sitting with the toolbox on her lap, to Michiru's amusement. A little while later, Ami followed her in, slightly hunched over as she pulled one sock back up, her shirt pulled roughly down one shoulder. She gave Haruka a cool look, then turned to Sakura, unruffled. "Interference aside, I still think you need to get physical tests done on that thing. It might prove useful."

"Useful as getting it to work?" Syaoran said as Keroberos and Usagi began scrapping the bottom of the bucket.

"Well, as to getting it to work, there's the tried and tested method that's always worked for us," Ami said, then paused, looking around. "By the way, where's Luna and Artemis? She's usually the one who tells us to do this…"

"Oh, Luna went to visit that Himari person, you know, the one AngelGARd can't stand?" Rei said.

"Artemis went with her to warm that Demonslayer boy about the weird things female cats do," Haruka added. "Though I doubt it's going to be any good. That boy looked as slow on the uptake as a harem anime protagonist…"

Ami shrugged and turned back to Sakura, who was leaning forward eagerly. "All right, here's what you do," she said. "Take the stone in your hand."

Sakura did as ordered, frowning intently in such a cute way Tomoyo shivered. "All right, what next?" Sakura asked.

"Close your eyes," Ami guided her. "Feel the stone. Try and feel its power resonate within you."

Sakura had obediently closed her eyes, her brow furrowing slightly as she did what she was told. "I… feel it…" she said, and the stone visibly began to glow brighter. Everyone perked up at this sudden sign, leaning forward eagerly as it began to glow brighter, wispy little light tendrils and phantom images flickering around it. Even Gilgamesh showed some interest, though his gaze was a bit more covetous than interested.

Only Ami seemed surprised, muttering to herself. Tomoyo barely heard her say, "Wow, I didn't think that would actually work…" and fought to suppress her amusement.

"Um, okay," Ami said, floundering a bit more clearly. Her next words were almost questions, not statements. "Let the power build… okay, now, raise it up… up over your head… and them say…'(mumble mumble) STAR POWER, MAKE UP'!"

"Star Power, Make up!" Sakura cried determinedly, and the stone burst into brilliant, piercing light. Everyone gasped, some shielding their eyes with their hands. Jadeite snored, having fallen asleep some time after he sat down.

The light faded leaving… Sakura standing there with one arm above her head cupping the blue stone, whose glowing had subsided and looking quite silly. There was an expectant and slightly embarrassed pause.

"Huh…" Ami said. "That's always worked for us before…"

Sakura's arms fell down to her sides and she slumped, sighing. "Hoeeeee…" she lamented as the glow faded away.

"It seemed to work," Tomoyo said encouragingly. "At least, it reacted. That was a lot more than we got from Hiiragizawa-kun."

Sakura nodded, but still cradled the stone in a disconsolate way. Then she suddenly turned to Gilgamesh. "Gilgamesh-san?" she asked tentatively, holding out the stone. "Um, you once owned every magical object in the world… have you ever seen anything like this?"

Gilgamesh gave her a superior look, which for him was the equal of polite interest, and languidly took the stone, casually examining it. He made an indifferent noise as he ran a finger over the gold wire filigree, which said it at least passed his minimum standards of vaguely acceptable jewelry, if not something he himself would deign to wear. He turned it over in his fingers as he held out one hand, and a small, pick-like golden hammer dropped into his palm. He gave the stone a firm tap, and paused to listen to something only he could hear.

"Interesting…" he said. "Not lapis lazuli. A god's blood, perhaps?" They could PLAINLY hear him wanting to all but plant a flag on it and claim it for himself. There was another warp in the air and out dropped a little golden anvil, a golden vice, a large gold-mounted magnifying lens and golden tweezers, all carved and engraved with with strange and ancient glyphs. He mounted the stone on the vice and examined it closer with the lens. Then he raised the hammer over her head and slammed it down on the stone with an impact that made the table shudder and the floor vibrate. Everyone jumped as Gilgamesh leaned back over the stone, examining it with the lens. "Not even a scratch," he murmured. "Strong AND hard. Unique…" Avarice was all over his voice.

"Gilgamesh…" Mamoru said reminded him neutrally.

Gilgamesh, to his credit, doesn't even sigh or otherwise react. With absolute poise and equanimity, he spent a few more minutes examining the stone, pulling strange (golden) instruments from warps in the air, once shining what looked like an ancient Mesopotamian magic flashlight on the stone. An attempt to file off shavings leaves him with a disgusted look and a blunt (golden, and Tomoyo had no idea how THAT would work) file.

Eventually he tossed it back to Sakura, the gesture quick and negligent, as if ripping off a band-aid. "An interesting bauble you have there," he said with even more disinterest than he usually did. "Guard it well."

Sakura nodded, bowing deeply and slipping the stone back around her neck. "Thank you, Gilgamesh-san," she said. "I appreciate you taking a look at it." There was a hint of expectation in her voice, as if hoping he'd add something.

Other people were less subtle. "Well?" Ami said desperately, still giving Haruka and her toolbox annoyed looks. "What is it?"

"I have no idea," he said. "It's stronger and harder than anything on the periodic table that's not trans-uranic. I think you'll need at least some magic to even affect it physically, let alone make it do anything else." he made a dismissive gesture completely at odds with how his eyes fixed on the stone. "At this point, it's just pretty. Not even very pretty, at that."

"Yeah, no one's buying that Gil-kun," Usagi said in one of her rare moments of insight. "Not the way you're practically drooling."

Ami blinked. "'Trans-uranic'?"

Gilgamesh deflated slightly, and his posture became sulky. "Well, I gave it back, didn't I?"

Usagi reached over to pat him. "You did. Want more ice-cream?"

Gilgamesh nodded.

"Can we borrow that giant ice hammer of yours then, the refrigerator doesn't work fast enough…"

"Look, you've got me mixed up with someone else!" the silver-haired girl declared, trying to dislodge Luna from her ankle. The urge to blast the little vermin away was exceedingly tempting, but it wouldn't do to blast a representative of the Sailor Senshi. Rinko and Yuuto both thought it was a big deal, but for once, she and the slutty cat were united in opinion, which was 'Meh'.

Luna was bawling her eyes out, babbling something about 'Queen Serenity' and 'reincarnated again' and 'I'm doing my best to guide your daughter, I really am!' and 'please forgive me!'.

Artemis, for his part, just looked embarrassed. "Sorry about this," he said to Yuuto as Kuesu tried to pry off Luna with a broom. "She's been having a stressful year."

Yuuto nodded as Rinko, Himari and Lizlet argued about who would serve him tea. "I understand. We've only recently been able to relax ourselves," he said, glancing over at where Tamamo-No-Mae was playing video games.

"Look, I'm not a space alien either!" Kuesu cried as Luna began claiming the girl was also a moon cat.

Yuuto leaned forward conspiratorially. "So, tell me more about this 'Boys Club'…"

"Hmm…" Hakase Satomi said as she examined the stone under a microscope while Chachamaru served them tea. "Fascinating…"

"You've got no idea too, do you?" Keroberos said from an anxious Sakura's shoulder.

"Bupkiss," Hakase said cheerfully. "Fortunately, that's what the scientific method is for! Chachamaru, the toolbox! I'll need the hammer!"

"That's been tried," Syaoran said.

Hakase wilted slightly. "It has?"

They nodded.

"Well, time to move on then… Chachamaru! The really cool lasers and scanners!"

As the gynoid began to help her mother set up the laboratory, Syaoran looked sideways at the two girls. "Is it just me, or is everyone we visit pretty much useless?"

"Don't say that Syaoran-kun," Sakura chided. "Everyone is doing their best!"

"Granted. I just wish their best would be good enough," Syaoran said.

Tomoyo nodded. "'Cause here we are back where we were before," she said with a straight face. "Seems nothing ever changes."

Syaoran gave her a look. "Song lyrics? Really Daidouji?"

She smiled at him as Sakura looked between them in confusion. "Huh?"

There was a loud humming noise.

"All right!" Hakase declared enthusiastically. "Lasers ready. Let's do this! FOR SCIENCE!"

Syaoran found the way Chachamaru was carrying the back-mounted fire extinguisher to be fairly ominous.

There was an anti-climactic lack of explosions. Somehow, Syaoran felt cheated.

"All right!" Hakase said after a round of materials tests. "Pretty interesting rock you've got here. Nothing we have in the lab so much as scratched it, it's hard enough to scratch diamond and everything else we managed to put in front of it. It also seems to have both super-conductive and super-insulator properties, and I'm still trying to work out how we managed to get that on the same test, but it kept repeating when we reset, so we wrote it down. We're still waiting on the results of the electron microscope."

"Anything on it's magical properties?" Syaoran asked, staring down at the graphs and figures. He was good at math, but this wasn't math. At least, no form of it that made sense to him. Daidouji, damn her, seemed to be drinking it in.

Hakase shook her head. "Ever since Chao left, we haven't been equipped to handle that stuff," she said. She sighed. "Club funding keeps being sent to baton twirlers, painters and creative writers. Damn the humanities for crippling scientific progress!"

"I twirl a baton," Sakura said, sounding a bit hurt and making Tomoyo glance up from her papers, eyeing Hakase with a dark gleam in her eye promising ominous things.

"And I'm sure you do it well," Hakase said. "I hope it gives you comfort while mankind's scientific progress grinds to a halt under the lash of beauty pageants, reality TV and pop idols. I'd be something else if they were impartial. For some reason I can't fathom, moral and performance seems to increase among males and some females when girls in short skirts and tight tops wave pompoms and do high kicks around them, but alas, the cheerleaders only have time for sports teams. Don't they realize that, say, the rocket propulsion lab could use the morale boost more, and for greater benefit to mankind?"

Syaoran found it in him to pray for this doomed soul as Sakura slumped even more.

"Mother, isn't Sakurako-san a cheerleader?" Chachamaru pointed out.

Hakase gave her a blank look. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"May I recommend you never bring up this argument around her?" Chachamaru said. "I'm lacking in first-hand experience, but according to empirical data from sitcoms, your statements, should they ever reach her, will land you in the metaphorical 'dog house'."

Hakase blinked in confusion. "Why would it?"

"Unknown, but empirical evidence suggests a correlation," Chachamaru said.

Hakase waved a hand. "Oh, you shouldn't believe everything you see on TV, Chachamaru. Especially not on sitcoms."

Tomoyo smiled very beatifically. Syaoran wondered whether he should do something… then decided against it. She'd made Sakura feel bad, after all.

There was a knock on the door, and Hakase went of to answer it as Tomoyo patted Sakura on the shoulder and told her not to feel bad about her baton twirling. There was excited discussion at the door Syaoran didn't understand– it sounded Japanese, but was apparently in some completely bizarre other language– and then the very firm sound of the door closing.

"Apparently, I need to start cooking up cover stories," Hakase said, sighing. "Again." She held up some sheets. There was a computerized image on it that made absolutely no sense to Syaoran. "This is the electron microscope image of our little sample." She showed it to them. "I'm sure you can see why it's significant."

"No," the four of them chorused.

Hakase sighed, moaning something about the downfall of education. "Whatever that sample is, it's not matter. Oh, it has mass, volume and density, but it's not matter. Not when you really get right down to the molecular level. It has a molecular structure, and has a very ordered crystalline arrangement, but everything is made of the same thing, and whatever it is, it's not matter." She sounded both interested and pissed. "Even magic has the decency to make fake matter most of the time, but this isn't even that!" Abruptly, she grinned. "I'm so getting a Nobel Prize for this!"

"Secrecy," Syaoran reminded her.

She drooped. "Oh. Right. Stupid secret alliance."

Usagi frowned as she tried to make out what Luna was saying over the phone. "Luna, slow down… what do you mean I have living Moon Kingdom relatives? No Luna, we already know about them, the moon on the forehead thing is just something they drew on, it's not like mine…" She sighed as she pulled the phone away from her ear to not have to endure Luna's, ahem, caterwauling. She looked at Haruka and Michiru. "You're in entertainment, right? Do you think you can call that Dog Whisperer guy and ask if he knows any cat whisperers?"

"I'm a concert violinist," Michiru said flatly.

Usagi gave her a blank look. "What's your point?"

"Hmm…" Kuro said, leaning back on the chair in the room she shared with her sister, her legs crossed beneath her miniskirt and paying absolutely no heed to how this was causing her to flash them. This happened so often Syaoran now had an accurate knowledge of the range of her underwear selection. He was almost jaded. Almost. Illya was apparently out with friends and Miyu, while Kuro had opted to stay behind for consultation. Kero was drowning his troubles in some pudding cups, muttering about this being a waste of time.

Sakura wasn't jaded and was blushing in sympathetic embarrassment. "Um…" she ventured, gesturing to try and get Kuro's attention.

Syaoran put a restraining hand on her forearm. "No point," he said. "She doesn't care. Just… try not to look directly at it, or you'll go blind."

"Are you comparing my crotch to the sun, Lee Syaoran?" Kuro said, not ceasing her examination of the stone, such as it was. She bounced it on her palm, flipped it between her fingers, sniffed it and, to no one's surprise, tried to stab it with a knife. The zip-zagging blade looked strangely familiar.

"I'm not answering that one," Syaoran said, staring anywhere but Kuro's general direction. What sort of skeezy, perverted clothing chain sold black, lacy thongs in child sizes, anyway?

"Oh, come on," Kuro said, giving him an amused look. "I know you've got a girlfriend, but I'm not that ugly, am I? Or is your latent homosexuality acting up again?"

"That was an isolated incident involving magic!" Syaoran protested as Tomoyo snickered.

Kuro made an exaggerated hurt face, looking sideways at Tomoyo. Tomoyo patted her on the shoulder. "Don't feel bad," Tomoyo said. "He wouldn't look at me either, and I was completely naked."

Syaoran paled as Sakura blinked. "Huh?"

That actually made Kuro pause and she looked at Tomoyo up and down very intently. Tomoyo helpfully turned sideways and moved her skirt a little to let Kuro get a look at her thigh. Kuro raised an eyebrow at Syaoran. "A lot of that isolated incident magic going on with you, huh?"

"I am NOT having this discussion with you!" he said. "For one, your tastes run towards maids, your sister, and your brother!"

"Not by blood," Kuro said happily, giving him a double thumbs up. "So it's okay! Meilin's just your cousin, right?"

Syaoran had to remind himself it wouldn't be polite to strangle a nominal friend in her own home.

Sakura gave Syaoran a perplexed and slightly pouty questioning look. "When did you look at Tomoyo-chan naked?"

"Last night, while you were asleep," Tomoyo chirped happily as she cheerfully threw him under the bus. "Syaoran was kind enough to run a hot bath for me, but I forgot to bring a towel. He graciously brought one, but when I stepped out of the bathroom, the towel slipped off."

"Oh," Sakura said, then smiled at Syaoran. "That was very nice of you, Syaoran-kun."

Syaoran blushed, conscience gnawing at him. "Actually, it was kind of a prank. I made the bath, but took all the towels so that Daidouji couldn't dry up. It was pretty mean, so I gave her a towel after a while so she could get dressed."

"Oh," Sakura said, frowning reproachfully. She sighed in disappointment. "Well, at least you know it was a mean thing to do, Syaoran-kun. And you did make her a bath and give her a towel in the end."

"Indeed," Tomoyo said. "It was nothing Sakura-chan, I played my own little prank on him with the soap to, so we're even."

Sakura smiled, clapping her hands with an air of finality. "Oh, well, that's okay then! As long as you're both okay with it. But I really wish you wouldn't pull pranks on each other, someone's feeling might get hurt."

Kuro was starring at Sakura in wide-eyed wonder. "Aren't you… angry? Call him a pervert? I mean, he saw another girl naked, after all."

Sakura gave Kuro a perplexed look, like the dark-skinned girl had just said something in Kryptonian. "Why would I be mad? It was an accident, wasn't it? It's hardly something to be mad about, especially since it wasn't anything Syaoran really did. He'd already given Tomoyo-chan a towel."

Kuro starred at Sakura in wonder. Then she turned to Syaoran and clasped both his hands, giving him an intent stare. "You," she pronounced gravely, "Are a lucky, lucky man, Lee Syaoran. Hold on to this girl. Hold on and never let her go. Hold her and love her and thank heaven you have the great and truly godly honor of being worthy of her love."

"I do," Syaoran replied as Sakura blushed. "Every day."

"Hoeee!" Sakura said cutely. "What's the big deal?"

"Most girls would be suspicious of their boyfriend if they found out he had been with a naked girl, especially if that girl was their best friend," Kuro said, not letting go of Syaoran. "They wouldn't trust anything he said about what happened."

Sakura looked at her like she'd gone back to speaking Kryptonian. "Why? I trust them. It's Syaoran and Tomoyo after all. What's not to trust?" Her brow knit. "I mean, someone seeing you naked can be pretty embarrassing, but I don't get why it's a big deal. It was an accident, after all. That doesn't make Syaoran a pervert. And even Tomoyo-chan said he didn't look, so he didn't really embarrass her."

Kuro clapped Syaoran on the shoulder. "You lucky, lucky man!" she cried, tears of sympathetic joy in her eyes. "NEVER let her go! I wish someday I'll be as lucky as you!"

"Will someone explain what's going on?" Sakura asked, feeling left out.

"It's… complicated," Tomoyo said, patting her on the shoulder. She gave him a resigned look, but nodded in a way that suggested the matter was closed. The goddess had heard and judged, and found none had sinned. Thus had it been spoken, and Tomoyo accepted the judgment

Kuro leaned forward slightly. "You really saw her naked? Was she hot? Is that her natural hair color? What were her tits like?"

Syaoran rolled his eyes and pushed Kuro's face way. "Can you at least tell us what your suspicious-looking tests say about that?" he said, nodding at the blue stone still in Kuro's hand.

"Oh, this?" Kuro said, flipping it up with her thumb like a coin. "Nothing like it on Earth. There's absolutely nothing in the data the Einzbern gave me about it."

Sakura drooped.

"I know what it is though," Kuro continued cheerfully.

Sakura suddenly straightened, and Syaoran, Tomoyo and Kero started. "You do?" Sakura said. At this point, even she was getting a bit pessimistic

Kuro looked at them, that twinkle that comes from being high with knowing you knew something someone else didn't coming to her eyes. "Sure do," she said. "I've used something like it before, though that came in a different color. I recognized the texture though. " She grinned. "Besides, I have awesome magical materials analysis powers. You guys really should have come to me first. Or maybe maybe our not-so-ambiguously gay broken duo." She meant Hayate and Tohsaka Sakura.

"Well then, what is it?-!" Keroberos demanded.

Now Kuro paused. "It depends…" she said slowly, "on what concepts you'd most easily understand." She gave Sakura a piercing look that Sakura just blinked blankly at. "Yeah… I think I better stick to the small words," she said, holding up the stone. "Basically, this rock is solidified blue light. At least, that's what it's physical substance is made of. It's metaphorical substance is something else altogether."

"Huh?" Sakura said, already looking lost.

Kuro raised a hand. "Don't worry, you weren't really supposed to understand that last bit. Let me break it down for you." She pointed at Sakura's head. "What is this?"

"Uh, hair?" Sakura ventured.

Kuro nodded. "Correct. But what is hair made of?"

Sakrua snapped her fingers. "Oh, I know this one, I saw it in a shampoo commercial!" she said excitedly. "It's made of keratin, right? Lots of other stuff too, but mostly that, right?"

Kuro gave her a blank look. "I wouldn't know, I'm in elementary school," she said, making Tomoyo and Syaoran snicker. "I'd have accepted hair again as an answer. But do you know what it is, in metaphysical terms?"

"Hair?" Sakura said, giving it another shot.

Kuro shook her head. "You," she said. "Sakura. It might be made of hair or keratin, whatever, but what it is, is Sakura. Or to be more specific, a part of Sakura. Your body, too. It's made of meat, guts, bone and stuff but what it is, is Sakura. Chachamaru is made from the same materials as a car, but she's not a car, she's a person. In the same way, a human body is made of the same materials as a cow, but you're not a cow, you're a human. What something is made of is distinct from what it IS. With me so far?"

"I think so…" Sakura said. "Like, a test and a book are both made of paper but they're completely different things?"

"Got it," Kuro said, glad that for once she wouldn't have to keep trying to make up analogies until something clicked. She held up the stone. "Well, this is made of blue light… but what it is, is not simply a big chunk of blue light." Her certainty wavered a bit. "I can't really say how I know. It's a little bit the feeling I get when I analyze it, and a little bit of a buzz when I touch it, but… I think this stone is solidified hope. Hope, the emotion, somehow congealed and solidified as a solid chunk of blue light."

They all stared.

"That doesn't even make sense!" Keroberos exploded. "Hope is… hope! You can't solidify it, it's a feeling, something that comes from here!" He thumped his little chest solidly.

"You're also not supposed to be able to make solid light either, but here we are," Kuro pointed out.

"We only have you're word that's solid light!" Kero challenged.

Kuro raised an eyebrow. "Actually, I was talking about Green Lantern-chan's ring."

They all paused. Syaoran had to admit, if he was going to call anything solid light, then Nanoha's ring creations were it.

"Green Lantern-chan makes things out of solid green light," Kuro said. "Liquid, gas, plasma, and energy too, but it's all green light. And ONLY green light. The times she makes something of a color other than green, she apparently has to do tricks with twisting wavelengths so it looks like a color other than green. Though she said something about the black parts of her uniform too…" Kuro trailed off, then waved a dismissive hand. "Never mind, not important. I think this stone is made of the same thing."

"But it looks nothing like Green Lantern-chan's ring constructs," Tomoyo pointed out.

"Yes," Kuro agreed. "It's definitely more solid than any of Green Lantern-chan's constructs. A lot more. But that's because it's much, much denser. I told you, remember? I've seen this kind of material before, in another color. I've never managed to examine Green Lantern-chan's ring, but I have used a Power Ring. The white Ring that Archer-nii made. The Wolkenritter said that during their fight with him, he made rings in other colors. Red, yellow, pink… and blue." She pointed at the stone. "Same texture. Same hardness. Different color. And I bet you if we can compare it to one of the Lanterns' rings, it'd be the same too, just green."

Kuro leaned forward, conspiratorially, and despite themselves the other four did so as well. "Look Daidouji, Lee, you and I know no substance on Earth can do all the things Green Lantern's ring can, either with magic or science. We've seen it act as a computer, as a power source, and as a magic wishing ring. It's not a question of whether it can be done, it's a question of cramming it all into something that small. You can only shrink computer components so small, and you can only stuff so much magic into a small object. That's why most magical objects are fairly big things, usually materials high on the periodic table, like gold or silver. But if it's made of solidified light acting as a physical component to contain a conceptual existence…?"

"Obtuse words aside…" Tomoyo said slowly.

"Technobabble," Syaoran supplied less politely.

"… the underlying thesis is sound," Tomoyo allowed. She tilted her head. "You're proposing that Sakura's stone is made from the same substance as Green Lantern-chan's ring… except it's blue."

Kuro nodded. "It might not make any difference, or it might make all the difference," Kuro said, sounding excited. "Lantern Rings come in green, no other color. I don't know about those different colored rings Archer-nii made, but I used a white Ring, and it behaved WAY differently than the Lanterns say their ring works. It could be that different colors produce different functionality. Or maybe there's an economic reason, like green is easier to produce, or is more common to be mined in wherever in space. We don't know, and that's not important to our discussion."

"Then what is important?" Sakura asked, feeling she was just barely understanding what was going on.

"Don't you see?" Kuro said. "You said this only reacts to emotion, strong emotion. But maybe that's because you're not using it right. I thought Green Lantern Rings needed to be programed or somehow processed to work, but if this is the same substance, then it's already naturally reactive. Maybe all it really needs is someone thinking at it the right way strongly enough. I think the way to control this rock is the same as controlling a Green Lantern ring."

"So… we need to ask Green Lantern-chan to train her?" Tomoyo said as understanding dawned on Sakura.

"NO!" Kuro, Kero and Syaoran all chorused, making the two girls jump.

"NOT Green Lantern-chan," Syaoran said firmly. "Yuuno told me stories about his 'training' with her. We're not putting Sakura through that."

"But other than that, the theory is sound," Kuro said, then seemed to think of something.

"But Yuuno-san's on patrol right now," Sakura said.

Kuro waved a hand. "That can wait. So stupid! I just realized… if Archer-nii used different colored rings, then there's somewhere we can go to check if my theory is right!"

"Where?" Kero asked.

Tohsaka Sakura opened her eyes slowly. "I've got nothing…" she said regretfully, still disoriented from her mediation. She winced slightly as she waited for the burn of her thaumaturgical crest to die down. It had taken her a while to work out how to make sense of the information the Reinforce from the Fourth Holy Grail War had left in her. There had been no table of contents or index left behind, and the part of it she knew was infinitesimally, almost absurdly, laughably small compared to the whole. Her sister had needed to teach her the procedure for extracting data from a thaumaturgical crest, and in the months since she'd barely made a dent in the huge pile of data she'd been left with. "Sorry. The Archer data is a big lump. Everywhere I go I keep finding the data for swords, duct tape, swords, paper, swords, sexual positions and more swords. Oh, and swords."

"We got that," Syaoran said.

"No, I don't think you do. There are a LOT of swords in here." She sighed. "But no, there's nothing about the rings or how to Trace them, so far. Sorry."

"It's okay," Kuro said. "We'll just ask Hayate when she gets back."

Tohsaka grimaced, but nodded. 'Rivalry' aside, she had to admit Hayate's data was better organized then her's. "I'm sorry, but I need to write all this data down," she said, already heading for the stacks of notebooks she used to keep her data organized.

"No problem," Kuro said. "How long before your Device arrives?"

Tohsaka grimaced. "A few more weeks. Shamal-san's working on what she can, but apparently she needs Hayate and Reinforce's help for it to have the functionality I needs."

"Well, cheer up," Kuro said. "Once you have your own space-magic book, you'll finally be able to beat a ten year-old girl!"

Tohsaka sighed. "Did you have to phrase it like that?"

Kuro smiled brightly. "Yes."

Kuro raised the clapper in front of the video camera Tomoyo had set up on the tripod (no one questioned the fact she'd have a camera or a tripod on her). "Sakura-chan Blue Stone Tests, Deliberate Response Series, Take One!" she declared snapping the clapper to reveal a nervous Sakura in its sights, sitting in Kuro and Illya's bed. She didn't know why there was still only one bed in the room, but she was supremely grateful.

"Um, what am I supposed to do?" the star of the show asked nervously.

Kuro traced and snapped open an Oujo-Type Folding Fan™. "First, we are going to film you deliberately inducing a response from the stone," she exposited and wondered when she'd gotten the job of Ms. Exposition. "We're being scientific about this. We need you to try out different ways of making the stone react, sort which methods cause the most reaction, and focus on those. This is test one, Willing It To Happen! Action!"

Sakura gave her a blank look, but turned to the stone and frowned intently at it, willing it to do something.

Nothing.

Kero looked sideways at Kuro as Tomoyo called encouragement and Syaoran did his 'embarrassed silence of boyfriend-ly support'. "Why are you here?" he asked.

"I was bored. There's only so many hours in the day you can lie around mas–"

"TOO MUCH INFORMATION!"

It was some hours later. Except for a brief break for lunch, where Sella was in another of her guilty moods and had put on the Einzbern Maid Uniform™ again, Sakura had been working nonstop. Kuro was impressed. Given the degree of non-action the girl had previously displayed, she'd written the Card Mistress off as a moe blob, but she found herself reassessing that. At the very least, the girl got kudos for being a hard worker who didn't complain. Still a moe blob though, which wasn't bad. Not that she'd do anything. Tomoyo would murder her, most likely literally, most likely personally.

Said person was off to the side on her phone, speaking in low tones, while Syaoran had stopped hovering and was now seated to one side, occasionally getting up and giving Sakura reassuring smile or pat where she wouldn't be startled.

Kuro for her part, besides snapping a clapper for the next test (they were up to number 29 now, "Use the Force"), was playing catch-up.

"Trace, on," she muttered, trying to feel hopeful (they had already done that test with Sakura, number 11, and the results had been fairly good, so it had been earmarked for retesting) as she tried to make a blue stone of her own, or ever a blue stone ring. Sadly, nothing was happening. She couldn't understand it. She thought she'd found the data for it in herself– for a ring, at least– but it didn't seem to be working. The matter for it wasn't coming together, despite her reproducing its specifications exactly. Perhaps she should try in Unlimited Blade Works?

A groan interrupted her. She looked up to see Sakura leaning back on the stack of pillows behind her, eyes closed, rubbing her forehead. "Hoeeee…" she groaned again. Kuro had to hand it to her, she'd found her all-purpose sound-effect early in life and stuck to it.

"Illcallyouback," Tomoyo said in one breath and snapped off her phone, seeming to teleport instantly to Sakura's side. "Sakura-chan! Are you okay?"

"Tired…" Sakura groaned. She opened her eyes. "It's okay, just need to rest a little."

"Are you thirsty?" Tomoyo asked as Syaoran finally appeared at Sakura's other side, possibly so late because he had to actually cross the intervening distance. Kuro took that as her cue to get some water.

When she came back with a pitcher and some glasses, they'd switched around to Tomoyo sitting next to Sakura's head stroking her hair and Syaoran lower down on the other side holding her hand while Kero hovered ominously over her. Kuro, being practical, turned off the camera.

"Is this getting us anywhere?" Kero asked, looking concerned.

Kuro handed Tomoyo a glass of water in case Sakura wanted it, then picked up the paper she'd been using to track results. "Well, there's a general trend of it reacting to positive emotions and desires… and for some reason, it reacted to her thinking about chocolate. I think we can rule out the option of activating it with blood sacrifices, the general trend doesn't seem to go there."

"EH?" Sakura said, reacting to the word 'blood'.

Kuro waved her off. "Lie down and rest for now. You're worrying your friends." She sighed. "It shouldn't be this hard. Yuuno said you managed to activate it under post-combat conditions with no preparation and no training! Why are you having so much trouble now?" She stared at the list, pursing her lips.

"I'm sorry…?" Sakura hesitantly ventured.

Kuro waved her off. "It's not you," she said, more so the other two would stop glaring at her for making Sakura feel guilty. "But you shouldn't be having this much trouble…" She sat on the floor, leaning back on the bed and ruminating over the results, such as it was.

Finally, as Sakura was beginning to doze, Kuro asked, "What did you feel last night, when the stone activated? At the park I mean, the first time."

There was a heavy pause. The crawling feeling on one her shoulders told her whatever the silence was, it had made the love-obsessed duo glare at her. Finally, hesitantly, Sakura said, "I felt… I'm not sure I know the words…"

"Tell me what you were thinking then…" Kuro asked patiently.

Another pause. More crawling over her shoulders.

Finally, in a tight voice that dripped of pain and a shattered innocence, Sakura said, "It was… it was unfair. At first I was nervous, but I wasn't too worried. Syaoran-kun, Kero-chan, and Tomoyo-chan were with me. And it was scary, but I'd seen scary before." There was a slight quaver in her voice. Was she lying? If she was, did she know it? "But… it didn't seem fair, that no one could help them. Not even U–" There was a sudden pause. One of the two must have warned her. "I mean, not even Eternal Sailor Moon-sama."

"People die," Kuro said mildly.

"This wasn't death!" Sakura said, shocking everyone with her sudden vehemence. "This was wrong, and we should have been able to do something, should have been able to help…" There was a strangled sob. "I wanted to help them. I wanted to help them so much…"

Privately, Kuro wondered how long she'd been suppressing this, wondered how Tomoyo and Syaoran could have missed it. She supposed even they had their blind spots. Or perhaps everyone relied too much on the myth of Sakura's cheerful naïveté. She wondered what sort of damage was hidden under Green Lantern-chan's happily enthusiastic facade. Seriously, someone who wouldn't blink a eye at showing up at a trial hearing in another dimension one day and going to save a planet in another dimensions the next, all while happily filling out the paper work, couldn't be all right in the head.

For a long time, there was no sound but Sakura sniffling. Finally, Kuro held out the stone to her. "Let's try that feeling…"

It was some days later.

"This is all your fault," Syaoran said, not looking at Kuro. "I want you to know I blame you for this."

She sniffed, not looking at him either. "You're not my sister. You don't have indiscriminate blaming rights."

"Nevertheless, I'm blaming you anyway," Syaoran asserted. "And it's totally our fault."

"Your lack of rights aside, I don't see why," Kuro said. "We finally got the thing to work at will, didn't we? That's a good thing! Yay forces of truth, love and justice! Plus she's getting therapy for the trauma thing."

It had been a relatively simple matter to get Sakura a therapist under the simple excuse that she'd seen something disturbing during a "forces of evil" attack on Tokyo while she'd been there. They hadn't even needed to lie about what it was. Her father and brother had been quite supportive— which in Touya's case was to bump up the teasing to get her thinking of something else— while the nature of it kept people from asking too many questions. Random attacks by the "forces of evil" happened, after all.

In addition, the triweekly sessions were excellent cover for Sakura's new training regiment.

…

They could be going better.

"Everything is going to be all right!" Sakura practically sang as she literally glowed with blue light, her eyes glazed and out of it, a wide, beatific smile on her face. "The days coming are better than the ones before! TOMORROW! TOMORROW! I LOVE YOU, TOMORROW! YOU'RE ONLY A DAY AWAY! Beware she who walks endlessly! Beware she who is trapped within the eternal maze!"

There was a pulse of blue light that erupted from her, spreading out through one of the underground bunkers Chao Lingshen had once used to hide away her army of robots. Some of the other people in the room yelped in surprised, but Kuro and Syaoran held their ground, used to it as random and sometimes impossible visions blew through their minds.

"Interesting…" Kuro murmured. "Apparently I'm eating a Chocolate Overkill Omnicide off my sister's ass. You?"

"Having sex with Daidouji," Syaoran said, absolutely deadpan.

Kuro grinned at him. "So you DO think she's hot!"

Syaoran, who'd had 15 similar visions already, some very graphic, so many more of same involving Sakura he'd lost count, at least two of each of his female classmates he could put a cute face to, no small amount involving Mizuki, Tomoyo's mom, Meilin, the other girls in the UMGA including the Wokkenritter, at least one involving Tomoyo's security detail, and a few that were mix and match combinations of the above (plus that one of Yukito that had him red for hours repeating to himself it had all been an isolated magical incident, darn it!), just whacked Kuro upside the head. "I blame you for this," he repeated. "You and your stupid ideas that work…"

A lot of ideas were already circulating about why everyone kept having visions about sex. Ala Alba, half the Inner Sensh, Fate and Hayate had already been banned from the field of effect of the phenomenon. Kuro's presence was only tolerated as long as she kept her mouth shut and stayed useful.

It came as slightly less surprise that Negi and Nanoha received no similar visions. Popular theory was they did and had no idea what they were seeing, but most doubted that. There was also a lot of discussion whether these visions were real possibilities or wish fulfillment, but no amount of significant looks toward Sailor Pluto would get her to answer, and Hayate and Tohsaka Sakura's time powers were still uncertain enough for them not to venture finding out.

The glowed died and with a shudder Sakura seemed to come back to herself. The weird fits didn't take her over all the time, but the simplified statistics Hakase and Ami had provided showed it happened anywhere between one in three to five attempts to use the blue stone's power. The times they'd simulated her using them under combat conditions, she'd only managed to get it to light up one in seven, and in one of the few times she'd gotten it to work in what was barely in time, she'd rushed forward recklessly. A later scan had shown her brain flooded by endorphins to an almost opiate-high.

It wasn't all bad. During the times the stone hadn't produced sexual visions, they'd managed to take coherent readings. Everyone present reported an increase in morale and optimism, with even Evangeline reporting she felt light and relaxed, with the world full of possibilities just waiting to be seized and a general positive inclination towards her fellow man. They'd barely managed to write that down before she'd paled and vowed never to set foot in the testing area ever again.

There'd been other effects. The medics had reported an notable increase in healing and regeneration in the light's vicinity, with cuts closing up almost visibly, and an anesthetic effect occurring in those with more painful injuries. It was a wonder on stomach aches. They also noted the effectiveness of healing magic was noticeably boosted. Sakura reported she'd begun to have very vivid dreams after she'd begun using it regularly, one she'd eventually been able to identify as signifying prophecy when three of her dream came true in a row (they were: someone bringing strawberry ice-cream to the testing bunker; the appearance of a giant infant sea turtle kaijuu; and her father arriving home with a box of chocolate).

When she'd been able to more or less reliably bring out the stone's power, they'd finally arranged to meet with Kageyama Reiji's organization. He'd come in the car they'd first met him near, with a trunk and back seat overloaded with crystals.

The next day, the news had been inundated with reports of missing persons suddenly reappearing after having been presumed dead, with some having been gone for as long as 15 years. All sorts of crazy rumors were abounding over airway, internet and word of mouth, blaming aliens (now in vogue again because of Superman and more than one invasion attempt), to yet another dark kingdom or whatever, Deep Ones, vampires, werewolves, fairies, government conspiracies, terrorists, the Free Masons, the Illuminati, the Free Masons and the Illuminati working together, Daidouji Tomoyo, Druids, pirates, Wizards, elves, Atlantis, the Bermuda Triangle, Ball Lightning, extremist groups, 4ch, Pirate Bay, global warming, Big Foot, Yeti, Sasquatch, Superman, little green men, tall gray men, Daleks, Slender Man, and ninja.

To Syaoran's knowledge, all those they could contact denied it, except for some of the ninja, who'd take credit for nearly anything. It probably broke their poor parents' hearts. Tomoyo said she was working on some kind of program to help troubled ninja youth, but it was hard going, what with the unemployment rate. Even she couldn't hire every ninja in Japan…

He tried not to think of her hiring every ninja in Japan.

They'd held a party when the news had gotten out, and had even invited the Gatekeepers. It… had been a weird night. Everyone who had found time to do so had shown up, wearing their 'working' clothes of armor, masks and other effects and referring to each other by their code names. Sakura found the whole practice bizarre. After all, weren't everyone (with the usual question mark on Gilgamesh, who you could never be too sure of) friends? The idea of being friends with someone but not knowing their real name, their face, or where they lived completely baffled her (the explanation of this fact about Sakura made her father and brother actively keep her out of the the non-Wikipedia and research parts of the internet for fear of her trying to meet her new 'friends'. Thankfully, she still found the internet too scary to notice).

Still, once Sakura remembered to answer to 'Star Wing' and call people by 'Erebus-kun' instead of 'Negi-kun', she'd enjoyed herself, despite her embarrassment as the guest of honor. Besides Ayane, Kageyama had been accompanied by two other girls, a shy wallflower who'd introduced herself by her full name, to the exasperation of her companions, and a confident girl who called herself 'The Crimson Blade'. She hadn't taken it well when told someone already had that name. She'd called herself a professional Invader Hunter, boasting she had the second-highest Invader kill-rate in the AEGIS network.

No one had been dumb enough to ask who number one was.

Taken all together, Sakura had looked like she was shaping to take on a powerful, if passive, supporting role.

And then Kuro had tried to punch her in the face.

Not even Tomoyo had been able to react. The fact she'd been out of the room answering nature's call had slowed her down. One minute, Kuro had been coaching Sakura through the process of getting the stone to work, the two chatting amiably as Sakura seemed to get the stone's power under control, the next Kuro had stepped back and was whirling her arm to punch Sakura in the face.

Syaoran had only gotten halfway there when Kuro threw the punch. Sakura had yelped, throwing her hands up in front of her face and unanimously netting herself the 'girliest girl of the year' award.

Kuro's punch had struck the vaguely humanoid figure that had manifested in front of Sakura. Kuro had been able to throw two more hits before Syaoran had tackled her to the ground.

"What do you think you're doing?-!" he'd demanded as a shocked Sakura lowered her hands.

Kuro had only grinned. "Auto-protection capabilities test, successful!"

Five minutes later she'd had to run like a loon to get away from Tomoyo for long enough for Sakura to declare that 'it was all right, she wasn't mad'. Tomoyo had gotten this close to gutting Kuro.

The realization it had such defensive capabilities had inevitably lead to finding out what other applications it had… purely in the name of scientific inquiry, of course. They might joke and groan in exasperation about adults performing unscrupulous research into things Man Was Not Meant To Know, but as Kuro dryly commented, they weren't much better.

Syaoran had been blaming her since.

"She's going to need all new therapy just to get over these tests," Syaoran said, keeping an eye on Sakura as she began to activate the stone's power again. The glow was as bright as usual, but seemed more defined, outlining Sakura in a glowing blue. Syaoran found himself thinking about how it brought out the color of her eyes. "Sakura's not used to thinking her friends are going to hurt her. I'm pretty sure that first stunt was a fluke."

"What, you're saying your girlfriend can't protect herself?" Kuro said.

"No, I'm saying she doesn't think she has to protect herself from her friends," Syaroan said. "We're the worst people to conduct this test, and she's the worst person to conduct it on. You startled her into thinking you were going to hit her and she managed to use it to defend herself. That's not going to work now, since she knows these are tests."

"I suppose we can throw her off a cliff without her cards?" Kuro mused. "That should be enough to convince her she'll get hurt…"

"Do so and I will never let you die as I break your bones, slice the flesh off your body sliver by sliver, salt your wounds and ground your muscles into sausage while I make you watch as I violate and desecrate your family," Tomoyo said pleasantly from behind them. "If you run, I shall find you. I shall hunt you to the ends of the earth. No corner of this world shall make you safe from me, and I will bring upon you torment everlasting, unending, and excruciating."

Syaoran had to grudgingly admire how Kuro didn't twitch at the sure and certain promise in those words. "It was just an idle idea," she said, trying to sound annoyed.

"See that it is," Tomoyo said, finally breaking out the saintly, mysterious smile©™ (the paperwork had finally pushed through on the trademark) that caused fear in many a hardened businessman knowing they'd been screwed (and not in the fun way) by a little girl they'd been trying to do the same to.

Kuro quietly raised her clipboard and discretely crossed out 'throw off cliff test'.

"I think she's been reading some bad fanfics about ninja and chaos mages lately," Syaoran commented.

Kuro crossed the item off the list even harder.

"Still, where is she?" Syaoran continued, keeping the conversation going as Kuro began to scratch off the clipboard item with her fingernails. "It's not usually like her to be late…"

As if at his words, there was a roar of onrushing air and people yelped as Nanoha flew into the room, smelling faintly of… cheese and tomato sauce?

"Sorry I'm late everyone!" she said, looking embarrassed. "I ran into an old pizza youma. I tried to bake me, nothing serious. Sorry I haven't been to the test until now, there were a bunch of storms in Rirhath B that did a number on the Supra-Luminal transport terminal and some outlying… ah, never mind, let's do these tests!" Her excited enthusiasm made people smile. Syaoran had a theory if someone stood between her and Sakura, the resulting resonant growth of cheerfulness and positive feelings bouncing and multiplying between the two would drive someone to dangerously unhealthy levels of bliss.

"That fine Green Lantern-chan," Ami said, fiddling with her little computer. She'd plugged it into several larger screens and hooked a keyboard and mouse into it, since she couldn't fit all the information into her visor. "Do you have enough power for the tests? Do you want to recharge first?"

"Oh yeah, I'd better check," Nanoha said. "Ring-chan, power check."

"Ring power at 148 percent," the ring said sedately.

There was a beat.

"Wait, what?" a confused Green Lantern asked.

"Ring power at 151 percent," the ring said again.

Hakase looked at Nanoha curiously. "I take it that's not normal?"

Nanoha shook her head vigorously, looking at her ring in concern and alarm. Was it just him, or did the ring seem to be glowing a bit brighter? "Ring-chan, explain! Why is your power level over the maximum?"

"Contamination detected," the ring said, and was it his imagination, or was the normally unflappable Tara Strong-esque voice sounding a bit concerned? "Previously unknown energy is infecting ring, causing abnormal spontaneous energy generation."

"Identify cause!" Nanoha commanded as Haakse and Ami scrambled around, trying to pick up whatever it was on their instruments, such as they were.

"Cause found. Contamination is originating from locally manifested newly discovered psycho-reactive plasma field," the ring reported.

There was a pause. "Someone's magic is causing it?" Nanoha said.

"There is no such thing as magic. The effect is being caused by newly discovered psycho-reactive plasma field," the ring insisted.

"Sooo… magic then," Nanoha said. "That's what you keep insisting magic is."

"There is no such thing as magic! Effect is being caused by psycho-reactive plasma field!"

"Is your ring losing its temper?" Sakura asked, concerned.

"Or it's marbles," Syaoran said, looking at the ring warily. It would be just their luck for their most dangerous weapons of mass destruction to go insane.

"May I, my master?" Raging Heart politely interjected. "This unit will attempt inquiry through proper syntax."

"Um, sure?" Nanoha said, looking lost.

"Acknowledged. Unit Green Lantern Ring-Chan, query."

"Query acknowledged, you little pink pixie stick."

"What is cause of unit contamination?"

"Contamination is caused by newly discovered psycho-reactive plasma field, you over-clocked dildo."

"Query: please define: newly discovered psycho reactive plasma."

"Newly discovered psycho-reactive plasma is a previously undocumented alternate wavelength manifestation of the energy-mass-photon interrelated phenomenon known as psycho-reactive plasma, troq."

"Query: please define: previously documented alternate wavelength manifestations of the energy-mass-photon interrelated phenomenon known as psycho-reactive plasma."

"Previously manifested manifestations: 'green' wavelength psycho-reactive plasma, manifested by rings wielded by the members of the Green Lantern Corps; 'yellow' wavelength psycho-reactive plasma, manifested by ring wielded by renegade former Green Lantern Thaal Sinestro; 'violet' wavelength psycho-reactive plasma, manifested by crystals used by the Star Sapphires, thou unsightly pustule."

"Query: please define: newly documented alternate wavelength manifestations of the energy-mass-photon interrelated phenomenon known as psycho-reactive plasma."

"Newly discovered manifestation: 'blue' wavelength psycho-reactive plasma, manifested by stone wielded by pseudo-designation 'Star Wing', of the Church of Sakura, you rodent of unusual size."

"Query complete. Thank you, unit Green Lantern Ring-Chan."

"End acknowledgment, you poozer."

Everyone, who'd been staring through the exchange, continued staring.

"Was that information sufficient, my master?" Raging Heart asked politely.

"Uh… yes. Thank you, Raging Heart," Nanoha said slowly.

Silence.

"See, totally called it," Kuro said. "Just like a Green Lantern ring, except blue. Told you so!"

Yamaguchi Akiko jumped through the night, rejoicing in the thrill of almost effortlessly flying through the air. To be a Magical Girl— a 'Puella Magi', as Kyubey-kun put it, but it all meant Magical Girl in the end— to be so free, so strong, so powerful…!

She landed on top of a building, smiling as she let the wind take her hair, heard the sounds of the bustling city below her. She was a part of something greater now, part of a shared responsibility to protect the people of this place, this world. She was Magical Girl Star Reverie! She hasn't been trying to draw attention to herself— a Magical Girl was supposed to be humble, a shining example of good behavior!— but she'd been caught on the news a few times, and already word was spreading there was a new Magical Girl in town. More than one by now, most likely. Kyubey-kun sometimes disappeared, supposedly in search of other girls with potential like hers to help defend the world. Maybe they could all get together and form a team too, like the Sailor Senshi!

She'd spent the past few days learning her powers, exploring her surroundings from a whole new vantage point and even stopping a few crimes! But tonight, Kyubey had said, tonight was the night. A new enemy had emerged, he'd said, something called a Witch. And following his directions, she'd looked for it, using her Soul Gem to divine its location.

It was time. Taking a deep breath, she raised her Soul Gem before her and opened the way.

The world twisted and shifted, turning strange for her before she was swallowed up in the Witch's Labyrinth…

Kinomoto Sakura, Mistress of the Cards, wielder of the beautiful blue stone that supposedly generated 'blue' wavelength psycho-reactive plasma, arrived home to find it still empty, her brother in yet another one of his part-time jobs, her father still not back. In her backpack, Keroberos snored and muttered something about hundreds of little feet.

Today had been the most… she thought of how to phrase it. Action-packed?— test session to date. They'd made so much progress! Even the stone had seemed more responsive, reacting to her urging more quickly and concretely. And it had needed to be quicker and more concrete, because Nanoha-chan had definitely pushed her, making her go beyond what she had thought the stone's limits were. It had been…

She smiled.

It had been fun.

She skipped into the house, the stone glowing warmly around her neck…

Hours later, Akiko stepped back into the world. Her clothes were torn and ripped, one of her ribbons was missing, and blood flowed freely from cuts all along her left arm. She shakily stepped forward and her knees shuddered.

Bile rose within her and she gagged, turned, and threw up.

Akiko-chan? Kyubey's soundless voice called from the shadows. Are you well?

Choking sobs came from her huddled form.

In the night, White Primate Murder's crimson eyes gleamed above his eternal smile.

Down below, Misaka Mikoto walked home after a night with her friends, her identical twin imouto following silently beside her. A pair of crimson eyes watched them, unseen.

"Yuuno-kun," Nanoha said as they both did the dishes, Yuuno washing and Nanoha drying. "The Wolkenritter said Archer-san used a blue ring during their fight, right?"

"Yeah, I think so?" Yuuno said uncertainly as he soaped and scrubbed. "Why?"

"So… your ring got readings of 'blue' wavelength psycho-reactive plasma when you checked out the scene?"

"Yes…?" he said warily, not sure where this was going.

"So… why did Ring-chan tag it as 'previously unknown' this afternoon?"

"I don't know…?"

There was a pregnant pause.

"Yuuno-kun…" Nanoha said, a gleam in her eye. "Did you remember to file the full paperwork for that one, not just Archer-kun's death?"

"Uh, maybe?"

"Yuuno-kun!"

- To be continued…

Chapter Text

Kinomoto Sakura of 2814

by Shadow Crystal Mage

Chapter 5: Magical Girl Blue Angel Sakura, Make Up!

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in this story. If I did… well, this would all be canon. WARNING: MAY CAUSE HEAD EXPLOSION!

Misaka Mikoto looked down at the little white thing with the weird ears growing out what were, apparently, also its ears. "Say that again?"

Make a contract with me, and in exchange for becoming a Puella Magi who fights witches, I shall grant any miracle you desire, Kyubey said.

Mikoto nodded slowly. "Yeah… that's what I thought…" She thought for a moment. "Know any good colleges?"

It was a perfectly normal day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, lots of people were touching themselves or someone else, Syaoran was crossing off days in the calendar, and Kinomoto Sakura was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling with a resigned look on her face.

So. It had finally happened. When they'd heard about her prophetic abilities, after all the begging for lottery numbers and all that was finished, the UMGA had sat her down and asked her some questions about her gift that in hindsight herself Sakura should have asked a long time ago. How accurate were they? How concrete were her visions? Could they be changed or were they self-fulfilling? Were there any patterns to them she'd noticed? From such probing and helpful questions and a smattering of watching too much TV about shows with plots like these, they'd been able to put together a set of guideline for her to follow when it came to identifying possible prophetic dreams and sorting them by significance.

The blue stone had slightly complicated things, since now she sometimes had waking visions, but all in all, the dreams were fairly unchanged. And last night, she'd had a Very Ominous Dream. This is not to be confused with a Mildly Ominous Dream, where it all takes place in a dark or otherwise disturbing setting but otherwise nothing really bad appears or a Sorta Ominous Dream, were all you got was a creepy feeling but everything was otherwise okay, or even the Not All That Ominous Dream, where you were just pretty much confused at what was going on and there was no way to tell it apart from a regular dream but a general prophetic feeling. A Very Ominous Dream had dark imagery, a feeling of foreboding, something definitely creepy going on, and possibly her Cards appearing either falling from the sky or floating around. This isn't to be confused with a Really Ominous Dream, which featured explicit violence or danger, a Really Scary Foreboding Dream, which Usagi assured her she'd recognize when she had it because she'd wake up either crying or screaming, and a Don't Think About It Dream, which would make her wet the bed with pee that felt funny. Everyone had hit Kuro-san for some reason when she'd mentioned that last one. Still, Sakura had promised to tell her immediately if she ever had any.

She was fairly sure this was a Very Ominous Dream. At least, it was more scary than the dream she'd had about Yue, which was in hindsight only a Mildly Ominous Dream, or the ones about Clow Reed/Eriol which were only Sorta Ominous Dreams. This fit in more with the ones about the battle against the Book of Darkness, which started at Very Ominous and went up to Really Scary Foreboding.

Sakura closed her eyes, trying to remember details, willing them not to fade away as they tended to. There was darkness. Always darkness. She stood with Tomoyo and Syaoran and a group of faceless people, standing back to back against a nightmarish background. A feeling of despair and pain. And all about them, dark shapes, almost human and inhuman. The silky hiss of a blade on a well-padded sheath. A cat's hiss and a slurping sound like someone was playing around with their tongue. And words, like a poem, or a song. "In fearful day, when without light…"

Sakura tried to grasp for more details, but it was meaningless, though the voice sounded strangely familiar. They were already fading out, like her mind didn't want to hold on top them for any longer than necessary. Hastily she fumbled at the table next to her bed, grabbing the notebook and pencil there, trying to scribble it all down before it faded away. Eventually she had to stop, having nothing more to repeat but already hazy things she'd already written down.

She had to wonder about that. The dreams about the Book of Darkness had always been so real, so vivid. It had stuck with her, haunted her until she had finally seen it happen with her own eyes. It had been like someone had been adding layer upon layer of distinctness to each dream, but the dream before hadn't faded away upon waking. The rest did. They always did until she saw them for herself, had them happen to her.

She stared at the words she'd written. The meaning seemed to be leaching out of them even as she watched, losing significance. It would have to do.

She got up to get dressed.

Sakura boldly held out the glowing blue stone. "Sakura Beam!" she called out, her lips not in synch with her words– which kinda sounded like it had been dubbed by seiyuu, actress, singer and pianist Makino Yui (牧野由依)– as a beam of blue light erupted from the stone. It struck the green barrier Green Lantern had raised as heroic music began to play dramatically.

In real life, Sakura, watching the action on the big screen they'd set up in the testing bunker, moaned a "Hoeee…" in her natural voice, which sounded kinda like idol, voice actress, and singer Tange Sakura (丹下 桜), and buried her face in a pillow Konoka cheerfully handed for her, embarrassed. "Tomoyo! You dubbed the video footage into an action movie… Again!"

Tomoyo laughed in the that Ojou-y Iwao Junko (岩男 潤子) way of hers. "Of course, Sakura-chan! The better to underline your awesomeness!"

Sakura just groaned again as the video's narration, which sounded like it was being done by Miyata Hironori ( 宮田 浩徳) went on about the magical girl chosen by destiny to lead humanity to a new world.

"Tomoyo-chan's video post-production is really high-budget," Kuro commented, nodding in approval as the music switched to what could be described as 'rock opera', complete with Latin chanting.

Hakase looked at Tomoyo pleadingly. "I don't suppose it couldn't hurt to ask for a donation for the university robotics lab?"

Tomoyo paused to think about it. "Oh, why not?" The girl had been helpful to Sakura, after all.

"Can I get in on that?" Kuro asked hopefully.

Tomoyo just gave her the saintly, mysterious smile©™.

Kuro shuddered. "Never mind," she muttered.

Beyond the post-production voice-overs and music however, Syaoran mused, the video was a pretty accurate showcase of the things Sakura had learned to do. She'd only been able to do the beam twice, but she'd been able to figure out how to, essentially, shield herself. There was something vaguely familiar about the figures she kept summoning, but Syaoran couldn't figure out what. Calling forth the light to restore the Invaders back to human had been simpler, and she'd found essentially doing the same let her heal people, though to what extent, they weren't sure. After all, it wasn't like they could cripplingly injure someone just to see if she could heal them.

They were having that night's party to celebrate the success of the tests so far. Most of Ala Alba had shown up, but the others had been unable to make it. As if trying to make up for the recovery of all those victims, there'd been a recent intense spike in Invader activity. None of the Gatekeepers had been able to come at all, and only Ami had shown up of the Senshi. Both Green Lanterns were out giving their support, while Hayate and the Wolkenritter (who, among other things, kept being told that was a cool name for a band) were on some dimensional planet somewhere dealing with some Lost Logia thing, and thus still hadn't answered their inquiries on whether they knew anything about the stone.

Said stone around Sakura's neck seemed to have a glow all the time now. It somehow managed to do this without actually glowing, which was a pretty neat trick, as Kuro had commented.

"Really, it's a nice effect," she commented, holding an umbrella over Sakura so she could block out light and compare the appearance. "Fashionable and magical, yet practical and stealthy."

Syaoran watched as Sakura smiled uneasily. The Card Mistress was always uncertain what to make of Kuro. She had a hard time understanding the dark-skinned girl, lacking the right frame of reference to make sense of her smiles, gestures and nudges. Kuro was a very physically expressive person, and with the terror of Tomoyo censoring her mouth to a PG, PG-13 rating at most, the rest of her communication was coming out in her body. The way one hand was stroking the shaft of the umbrella for example. The twist of her lips, the glint in her eyes. That quiet girl in Negi's class, Cassandra, apparently found Kuro to have very dirty body language. "Ah, thank you Ku– ah, Black Archer-chan," Sakura said nervously.

Kuro let the umbrella disappear. Syaoran figured it was pretty convenient to be able to do that with mundane objects. Even Shiro could do it, though he mostly stuck to duct tape. There were whispered theories about why that was, which mostly had to do with Rin, Saber and Luvia being freaky. "By the way," Kuro asked, her tone and words friendly, but her eyes eager, "had any good prophecies come true lately?"

Sakura shrugged. "I've been able to predict what we were going to have for breakfast three days in a row," she said, "but that doesn't mean much. We don't have a lot of stuff in our refrigerator. A– er, Sailor Mercury-san is getting concerned. She says my brain chemistry is elevated, or something."

"Are they causing the visions, or is it the result of the visions?" Kuro asked in her 'academic' tone. It was always starling, to hear her make the switch from 'pervert' to 'learned and knowledgeable magus'. People sure were complicated.

"We don't know yet," Sakura said as Tomoyo came back from the buffet table they'd set up with a drink she offered to Sakura. "Sailor Mercury-san wants to do more tests, but she's concerned about the effect on my brain. She wants me to stop using the stone for a while, let my… my endorphins?– settle," Sakura explained, taking a drink.

"That's not spiked, is it?" Syaoran asked Tomoyo. "You never know with Ala Alba."

Tomoyo smiled. It was one of her communicative smiles, the one Syaoran could by context infer to mean 'aw, aren't you sweet for thinking that?'. "It's all right, I tested it first," she said, holding up a package.

Kuro and Syaoran peered at it. "Are those test strips?" Kuro said, amazed. "Alcohol test strips?"

"It tests for the presence of alcohol and in what general concentration," Tomoyo said cheerfully. "There's a small market for it, but we're making a loss so far. I think we might have to pull it out unless it becomes more popular. Still, it has its uses."

"Where have you been marketing it?" Kuro asked, and though some of the perverseness had come back to her voice now that she wasn't talking to Sakura, her tone was professional. "We might be still be able to do something about it…"

Tomoyo didn't look surprised. Syaoran knew Kuro was one of the few people in the United Magical Girl Association Tomoyo regularly hung out with. Perhaps Kuro had been like this with her before. The two began talking, and Syaoran caught the words 'investment' and 'partner'. He wondered if history would judge him for not stopping this from happening. To the side, Sakura let out a relieved sigh as Kuro moved away, but looked guilty as she did so.

The party went on.

Misaka Makoto looked down at the little white thing with the weird ears growing out what were, apparently, also its ears, her face completely blank, eyes dull. "What is this, Misaka asks rhetorically as she looked at the thing she's never seen before," Makoto asked as she looked at the thing she'd never seen before.

I am an Incubator. Make a contract with me, and in exchange for becoming a Puella Magi who fights witches, I shall grant any miracle you desire, Kyubey said.

Makoto just stared blankly. "Huh, Misaka exclaimed cluelessly, not understanding what this thing is saying," Makoto said, not seeming to understand. "Are you talking, Misaka asks the obvious, even though it should be impossible."

Mikoto entered her room again, a stack of books and her iPad under one arm, a stack of papers in the other as she read from the tablet. "Okay, so dentists make good money, but I don't really like sticking my hands in people's teeth… wow, this wish thing is hard…"

Why not just wish for money? Kyubey asked.

"What'll I do if it runs out?" Mikoto asked rhetorically. "No, it needs to be something that can support my little sis, let her keep up her treatments, maybe send her to college, and still let me have a good living…" She looked up and blinked. "Makoto? Why are you… Can you see him?"

Her little sister by two minutes nodded, stroking Kyubey on her lap. "Onee-chan, what's a contract, Misaka asks as she tries to figure out what it has to do with making a wish."

It was coming on night as they emerged from the tunnels under Mahora. The groups had split up so as not to draw attention and Konoka had guided them out through the tunnels of Library Island. In the months she'd known her, however briefly they'd spoken, Tomoyo enjoyed chatting with the older girl. She felt like a kindred spirit, which confused Tomoyo. The librarian seemed… well, normal. Tomoyo would admit she was an… unconventional person, so she didn't know what to make of the connection. It had taken her a while to realize, from the brief, off-hand comments of the other Ala Alba and a few observations, that the girl was, in her own way, a schemer. A twisty, twisty schemer. It was an idle, friendly scheming, unlike the more cutthroat and often cruel scheming Tomoyo often had to do. Could this be what she would have been like, if she'd met Sakura earlier, or her mother had gone a different way, or… useless to speculate. Still, contrary to convention, it didn't make Tomoyo bitter. Instead, it made her hopeful she could become like that again herself, someday.

It was probably the blue stone at work. She knew what she was. Still, one could dream and hope. Even one like her.

Fate and Arf were waiting for them under the World Tree. "How was the party?" the blonde asked.

"The usual," Syaoran said offhandedly as Keroberos flew wobbly circles around them, with the pleased smile and mildly distressingly distended stomach of someone who'd gone to town on the buffet table. He held up a bag with a block of ice in it, plastic chicken bucket inside. "We got you some of Sailor Jupiter's leftover ice-cream. Thanks for picking us up."

"No problem!" Arf said, eyeing the bag hungrily.

"Sorry I couldn't come earlier," Fate said, embarrassed. "With Nanoha and Yuuno busy, she asked me to help out at the cafe to cover for her."

"It's all right," Sakura said. "We should be the ones apologizing for bringing you all the way out here."

"Ah, it's fine," Fate said. "I've been wanting to try out this long-range teleport for Ala Alba anyway in case we need to do another large-scale movement." She smiled brightly. "Besides, Sailor Jupiter-san's ice-cream is always good!"

"I know, right?" Keroberos gushed, patting his stomach, which had shrunk a bit by then. Tomoyo still had no idea where he put it all. Possibly it was VERY efficient mass to magic conversion or something. She wouldn't know, she wasn't a scientist or a magic-user.

"All right, everyone come in close," Arf said as a yellow circle lit up the ground, unlike the Belkan Triangles they were used to when the Wolkenritter or Tohsaka-san sent them places. "Four to beam up!"

The circle flared and they vanished from Mahora.

Tomoyo always found the experience of these teleportations a colorful and exhilarating one. The world blurred as they all moved too fast to make out details. Only the light of the setting sun was recognizable, and even that blurred as they traveled over the empty air and appeared in another city entirely. It was a clearing in a much more thickly treed wood. Not far away they could make out the roof of a mansion.

Tomoyo looked around, getting her bearings, and brightened. "Oh! This is the back of Suzuka-chan's house!"

"Your cousin, right?" Syaoran said, looking wary and cutely paranoid. That look was almost as cute as his blushes.

"She raises cats, Syaoran-kun," Tomoyo said, chuckling as they began walking. "Last I checked, she didn't collect attack helicopters and jets. Not that she needs them anymore."

"I still don't understand how they let you keep those," Syaoran said.

"Money, money, money Syaoran-kun," Tomoyo sang.

"Daidouji, I have money too," Syaoran said. "I'm pretty sure no one in my family collects tanks or whatever…" He paused. "Well, Fanren collects antique weapons, but that's completely normal! Sure, some are fully functional… and magical… and sharp… well, it's not the same thing!"

"If you say so," Tomoyo said, smiling.

"It's not!"

"I'm sure…"

"It's not! Tell her Testarossa-san!"

"I'm not sure I should get involved," Fate demurred. "I'm from another dimensional planet after all, I can't really make cultural or legal judgements."

"Coward."

"One must never be afraid to be afraid," Fate said brightly.

The two were still bickering about it when they finally reached the mansion.

"What kept you?" Alisa huffed as Suzuka welcomed them inside.

"Oh, don't mind her," Suzuka waved off. She held out her arms. "Cousin!"

"Cousin!" Tomoyo replied, the two of them hugging with much cheek rubbing and air-kissing.

The two of them separated and Suzuka turned to Sakura. "Cousin!" she greeted, giving Sakura her own hug and air-kisses as Tomoyo turned to Alisa.

Alisa held up her hands. "I'm good," she said dryly, and nodded at Syaoran. "Yo."

He nodded back. "'Sup."

They fist-bumped as Suzuka went to hug Fate. "Black Reaper Fate-chan!" she greeted.

Fate accepted the hug, sounding exasperated. "Suzuka-chan, we saw each other not fifteen minutes ago! I came from here!"

"So? I missed you," Suzuka said, letting her go and throwing her arms out again. "Arf-chan!"

"Suzuka-chan!" Arf greeted back, wagging the tail now sticking out of her hot pants.

"Do you have time to stay for dinner?" Suzuka asked after she'd finished hugging Kero.

Sakura shook her her. "Sorry, but I really need to get back home. It's my turn to cook dinner, and I want to get it ready for when oniichan gets back from his job."

"What is it this week?" Syaoran asked. "Go-Kult salesman?"

"No, that was last week, he's working at that new candy store," Tomoyo said.

"Oh!" Suzuka said sadly. "Well, next tea party you two need to come along so I can feed you properly!"

"It's a promise," Sakura said cheerfully.

Alisa rotated her neck, smiling confidently. "Well, I better get ready to send you guys on your way," she said. "Now, whose powers should I use…?

"Not the Wolkenritter or Broken-san," Syaoran said. "I think they're busy fighting."

"Yuuno, maybe?" Arf suggested, "He's got that ring of his."

"Maybe we should call him first," Suzuka said, whipping out her phone and dialing. It rang. "Hello, Yuuno-kun? Can Alisa-chan borrow your magic for a few minutes, we just need to send Tomoyo-chan and her friends home. Well, yes, we figured it might not be a good time, that's why we called to let you know so you can know to use only your ring for a while. Thanks Yuuno-kun, you're a darling. Bye." She hung up. "He says we can borrow them, but we need to give them back quick since he's fighting a giant battleship."

"All right!" Alisa cried. "Magical Girl Black Alisa is up! Yuuno-kun powers, activate!"

Alisa spun on one foot, muttering "Yuunoyuunoyuunoyuuno," to herself and her form changed. A fedora appeared on her head as the rest of her clothes changed into a modified version of Yuuno's barrier jacket, belt, tunic, over-tunic, shoes, cape and all, with the significant difference that it was all cut to be more feminine and exposed her midriff. It might or might not have also caused her to lose her balance, flap her arms wildly, cry out and fall over.

"See, that's why ballerinas wear special shoes when they spin around," Syaoran said helpfully. "It makes it easier not to do that."

"Smartass," Alisa muttered, getting back to her feet and straightening her hat. Tomoyo had to admit, it was a very nice hat. She should get Sakura one. Alisa knit her brow, clearly thinking. Her abilities were a bit iffy when it came to her knowing how to use her borrowed powers. Sometimes she could use them flawlessly, as if she'd mastered them herself. Sometimes she was a complete amateur, having only a basic idea what she was supposed to do but almost no idea how to do it. The Senshi powers and Asuna's ability were easiest on her (though Asuna complained very loudly about the complete illogic of a magic cancel ability being stolen by magic since it should cancel the magic trying to steal it), since they were basically the magical equivalent of 'point and click'– the Senshi, with the usual question mark over Sailor Pluto, would be the first to admit they had no idea how their powers worked, they just did– while most of the others depended on how much functional knowledge came with the magic. As such, she'd learned the basics of most of the powers of everyone in the UMGA, so she could defend herself adequately against, say, a mugger if she got squat info, and a few taught her some of the more complicated stuff, like healing and basic blasts.

Tomoyo had heard Yuuno had taught her the basics of teleportation for times like this, since while his innate affinity with it transferred to her when she borrowed his powers, it was still a fairly complicated magic. Fortunately, it seemed this was one of the more favorable uploads, since it took her only a gesture to establish an exclusion barrier to keep them from being seen by anyone else in the house, thought she did mutter a lot of numbers under her breath, presumably part of the calculations needed for the spell. The set-up for the teleportation itself was longer, with more muttering, though fortunately Fate and Arf were there to help her crunch the numbers. The Uminari crew were always astonished at how easy Yuuno made this look, operating as he did without a Device.

It took a while, but eventually there was a glowing green circle on the ground read to send them on the last leg of the way home. Alisa was looking tired but triumphant as the three of them trooped onto the new circle and sent them on their way.

"So," Tomoyo said conversationally as they slowly drifted down the next 500 feet to the ground with The Float Card's help, "Should we tell her she's still having elevation problems or what?"

"At least we're not in the bay this time," Syaoran muttered, shivering a little at the wind and staring directly downward so he couldn't catch sight of the girls as the winds blew up their skirts. Sakura was crimson and trying to hold down said skirt while maintaining the magic at the same time, while Tomoyo cheerfully ignored her flashing them to film Sakura. She might catch cold, but it would be SO worth it.

Sakura lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, shivering slightly despite the thick, comforting presence of her blanket. She reached out and grabbed the notebook next to her bed, frantically writing. The same details had come back, stronger now. There'd been the burnt-air smell she recognized from Syaoran's lightning spells, though the background had been as unrecognizable as ever. It looked like it had come from a deranged stop-motion cartoon, and she'd made out figures with absurdly pale skin, triangularly sharp noses and fang-like teeth that almost looked like walrus tusks. There'd been more words, too. "Gate, open." "…nano…""…with my heart full, my soul ignites…" "…ferry…" "…come to our world…"

She stopped as she recalled that last, shivering again, remembering that dark, late night in Tokyo. She dropped the notebook, clutching her knees to her chest as she bowed her head, fighting back tears of fear and sadness and just the faintest, faintest outrage.

Finally she looked up, lips pouting cutely. "Okay, it's stupid just sitting here. I'll just talk to my therapist about this later."

Decision made, she nodded to herself and kicked out of bed, ready to take on a new day and work on her issues in a civilized manner with a licensed medical practitioner rather than, say, dressing up as a bat.

In her own house, Tomoyo sneezed. Because of course she has a bat-themed outfit for Sakura hidden away somewhere.

It was, strangely, Yue who caught her. So to speak.

"What are you doing, Sakura-chan?" Yukito asked from seemingly out of nowhere.

Sakura yelped, jumping a good foot in the air. It was pretty good from a standing start when you're only a little hunched over because your feet hurt. She looked to her right at him in embarrassment, the old 'doki-doki' starting up again. "Y-Yuikito-san!" she stammered. "What are you doing here?"

'Here' was the wooded area close to the observation deck where she had, once upon a time, seen her mother in the image of The Illusion Card. For such a beautiful view of Tomoeda, it was often empty. The small pile of trash next to the waste bin said some people came here, but the equally full bin meant it wasn't often serviced. She figured it was as private a place as any.

Yukito, still mounted on his bike, held up the takeout container in the basket. "Oh, I sometimes come here to eat. The view is wonderful, after all, and it's such a shame not more people come."

Sakura looked at the container blankly, then at the three other ones like it, then at the oddly similar containers next to the trash can. "Ah," she said. That explained it.

"And you, Sakura-chan?" he asked pleasantly as he set the stand on his bike and began to unpack his food, setting it on one of the few benches in the area. This one was in better repair than most. Sakura could just image Yukito coming up here with a can of paint, maybe some nails and screws, and fixing up the bench so he'd have a place to eat.

She flushed in embarrassment again, glancing over where she'd set up an impromptu target with some cardboard containers Yukito had probably once eaten from held down by rocks. To her dismay, one had already been blown onto the ground, and another was slowly being pushed by the wind to join it. "I was… practicing," she managed to get out.

Yukito tilted his head inquiringly. "Practicing what?" he asked.

Sakura shuffled uncomfortably. "Um…" she shuffled.

Yukito nodded. "Is this another talk with the other me kind of thing? He seems concerned."

Sakura managed to be more uncomfortable. "I'm not sure I want to talk to him, either…"

Yukito paused at that. "Did you do something, Sakura-chan?"

She glanced at the makeshift targets again and noted with a sigh that two more had fallen off. Stupid targets. "Uh… kinda…"

Yukito tilted his head the other way. "I think he really wants to talk to you now, Sakura-chan." He smiled in that 'none of my business' sort of way and stood up. "I'll let you two have your privacy…"

Sakura had time to notice he'd managed to finish two of the take-out boxes when brilliant white wings erupted from Yukito's back, wrapping around his body. When they drew back, the coolly beautiful and impassive face of her Moon Guardian looked down at her. Sakura glumly concluded that Clow Reed's assigning him to be the Final Judgment was very fitting. He seemed to be doing just that, the tail of his robes hanging off one arm.

"Mistress," he said in a cool, neutral tone that was his normal speaking voice and had Sakura feeling guilty all over again. "What are you doing?"

"Ah," Sakura waffled. "Training?"

Yue glanced at her targets. All had fallen off now. Maybe she should have picked somewhere else. It was way too windy here. "Training at what? The stone? I thought you weren't supposed to use it for a while"

Sakura flinched. "How did you know about that?"

"My ways are mysterious and many-splendored," Yue said. He paused. "Keroberos texted me about it."

Sakura blinked. "You have a phone?"

"Yukito allows me to keep a SIM card in his," Yukito said. "It's a dual- SIM model."

A new rush of guilt came over Sakura. "Oh. I'm sorry. I should have told you myself, but we were so busy…"

"Understandable," Yue said, no reproach in his voice, words or manner. Tranquil and clear, was Yue. "Communicating with me would have required coming to contact with Yukito, and you did not want to disrupt his lifestyle more than necessary. It is not a matter worth discussion. Keroberos has kept me updated."

There was an awkward pause as the guilt wormed at Sakura some more. Finally, she said, "Where did you get a SIM card?"

"I bought it," Yue said.

"Did Yukito-san lend you money?" Sakura asked.

"No, I used my Paypal account."

Sakura blinked. "How…"

"I took on writing jobs online on his computer while Yukito was asleep," Yue said. "The rate of academic dishonesty is quite shocking."

At Sakura's stare, Yue shrugged. "Even I get bored."

For a moment, there was silence.

"Mistress?" Yue prompted.

Sakura let out a sigh and went towards the nearest bench, patting the surface next to her as she sat down. Yue followed her but didn't sit, instead standing next to her facing the same way. "Well," she said, "you see, what happened was…"

"You should have waited, Mistress," Yue said after she'd finished. "Having elevated near-opiate endorphin levels could seriously impair your thinking."

Sakura stared. "How… how did you understand that? That wasn't anything about magic, Hakase-san was using it!"

Yue's face was very smooth as he said, "Star Trek."

Sakura stared some more.

"You'd be surprised how much you can learn about the modern world," Yue said helpfully.

Sakura slumped. "Poot," she tried in place of her usual cry, then frowned. It felt so wrong. "Hoeeee…" Much better.

They sat in silence for a while, listening to the wind. "You've had premonitions before," Yue said. "Why take preparatory action for this one?"

Sakura frowned, trying to put it into words. "Every vision I've had, except ones that showed me the past, eventually happen to me," she said.

"That's what premonitions are wont to do, yes," Yue said, sounding like he meant it.

Sakura shook her head, feeling they were talking about different things. "What happens, happens to me, Yue-san. When I have a vision, it's only a matter of time before I'm where my visions showed me, the way it showed me. I don't have visions about other people or times and places where I'm not, like Clow Reed did. So far, everything I see, happens to me. And what I saw… was very scary. And I wasn't alone."

Yue nodded, but let her continue.

"There were people around me," Sakura said, struggling to remember. She wished she had her notebook. "I couldn't see their faces, but I felt Tomoyo-chan and Syaoran-kun were there."

"They would be," Yue said. He seemed to take it as a given.

"When the time comes… I want to be able to help," Sakura said. "I know how to use the Cards. Now I need to learn how to use the stone."

"I would have thought having the Cards would be more than enough," Yue said.

Sakura blushed. "I can't heal with the Cards. Not yet, at least."

Yue nodded, conceding the point. "Though I question why you would need targets to learn to do that."

Sakura shuffled again. "Well, I wanted to see if I could make the Sakura Beam appear again…" She paused. "Did Kero text you about that?"

"Yes."

She drooped. "Hoeee…"

"Onee-chan, are you ready to make your wish yet, Misaka asks impatiently with greed," Makoto asked impatiently with greed. "I don't want us to wish for the same thing, Misaka says like they might end up wearing the same outfit."

"It's… really hard…" Mikoto said, mumbling, and looking at her lists. "I mean, knowing about vector physics and calculations sounds cool and all but I can't really think of a lot of jobs that pay well for it… okay, 11-Dimensional M-theory sounds interesting, but I can't make money off it… and photonic molecules is probably just a fad… so many choices!"

"Onee-sama is such a geeky nerd, Misaka says judgingly," Misaka said judgingly.

"I guess I'll go for electromagnetic engineering after all," Mikoto muttered. After all, what use would knowing how to calculate vectors be? "Okay, I wish to know everything humanly possible about electromagnetic engineering! Like, PhD level and beyond!"

Kyubey gave her a flat look (though all its looks so far had been flat), as if it couldn't believe someone had asked for a miracle so mundane. We have a contract.

Mikotodoubled over in pain, clutching her chest as light came forth…

"Envoy?" Sakura said in confusion as she walked home from school with Tomoyo. Syaoran would be going back to Hong Kong in a few days– there was still a lot of things he needed to do for his clan, he'd said, but not so much he couldn't come back and visit– and Sakura had asked her help with picking out a going away present and something to send back to his mother, sisters and Meilin, who hadn't been back since the Hope Card.

Over the line, Kuro made a vague affirmative sound. "Yeah," she said more definitely. "The Senshi and Green Lantern-chan's still busy with those Invaders, and none of us are really high-profile enough to be recognizable or credible. So we thought we'd send the sweetest, nicest person we knew instead to ask them if they want to be part of the Association, or at least friends. Sure, AngelGARd-chan has a beef with one of them, for all that she was the one who led us to them, but you can convince them we're not all like that."

"I can?" Sakura said incredulously as Tomoyo listened closely. "How? I mean, I'm not as powerful as the Senshi or Green Lantern-chan…"

"That's debatable," Kuro said dryly. "and beside the point. Are your bitches with you?"

"What?" Sakura asked, confused.

"Are Purple-chan and/or Wolf-kun with you?" Kuro asked, her tone making it sound like she was simply repeating herself.

"Um, just Tomoyo-chan…" Sakura said, still trying to work out what 'bitches' meant.

There was a brief pause. "Better put her on speaker phone than, so you don't have to repeat everything I say," Kuro said, sounding even more cheerful than before. After Sakura did as she asked, Kuro continued. "Anyway, we want to ask you to go over to Takamiya City and invite this demon-slayer and his crew to the UMGA, and probably explain that United Magical Girl Association is a non-indicative name and we have boys in the group. Tell them about what we do, and the secrecy involved, and how they can make good friends as long as they don't fight about Springfield, though I've never understood his appeal, that sort of thing. At the very least, outline things for them. The Mooncats already set things up, so they'll be expecting you. Uh, you might want to bring a cake or something, I hear Luna made a spectacle of herself."

"Can't someone else do this?" Tomoyo asked. "We have to go buy a present for Syaoran!"

Kuro paused again. "Oh yeah, he's leaving soon," she said as if just remembering. "Thanks for reminding me. Well, it doesn't have to be right now. We're just asking you to think about it. You're really the only nice person we have who's not busy right now."

"You're a nice person," Sakura pointed out.

"Nicer than me," Kuro amended. "And thank you for saying so."

"What do you want to do, Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked.

Sakura thought a moment. "Does it have to be today?" she asked.

"Well, it would be nice if it could be some time soon," Kuro said thoughtfully. "Some time this week, maybe? I need to know so I can set it up with the Mooncats. They're great and all, but one of the girls there thinks they're some kind of cat demon, and is suspicious of them. I'd REALLY like to know what Luna did while she was there. Why not before Syaoran leaves?" Sakura could hear the teasing smile in her voice, one of the few expressions from Kuro she understood and could sense over the phone. "You can make it your last date before he leaves and the only times you'll see each other is over the internet and on weekends when Yuuno can pick him up, which is most weekends. Honestly, I don't see why his leaving is a big deal. It's the 21st century, after all! You have fliers and teleporters on your phone list!"

"K-Kuro-san!" Sakura blushed. "It's not a date! Tomoyo-chan would be there." She looked up at Tomoyo. "Won't you?"

"Of course!" Tomoyo chirped, one hand on her cheek, the other hand holding a video camera. "I wouldn't miss the opportunity to film Sakura-chan on a date!"

"Well, if there's three of you it wouldn't be date, it would a thre– " Kuro stopped suddenly, remembering Tomoyo was on the line. "It would be a three-person date," she finished neutrally, at a reasonable rated-G, barely.

"Smoooooth save," Tomyo said dryly.

"Thank you."

Sakura lay in bed, eyes still closed and sleepy even as her brow knit in determination. She was ready this time. For days she'd been sleeping with The Dream Card and Wand at her bedside, ready to use as soon as she was conscious. She'd even gone so far as to practice touching the Card from bed with her eyes closed, an exercise Kero had found hilarious. Said Sun Guardian was sleeping now, even as Sakura sleepily figured out which end of the Wand was which and tapped The Dream Card, sleepily muttering, "Release…"

She felt the comforting presence surrounding her as her mind became more lucid even as she drifted back into a light doze.

Sakura found herself flying through the sky, looking at the land below as it rushed past. She was higher than she usually went with The Fly Card and much faster as well. For a moment, she wondered if this was how Nanoha-san and Yuuno-san felt when flying, and then the dream blurred, and she found herself in a strange city. It didn't have Mahora's tree or the distinctive river, forest and mountains of Fuyuki, and certainly wasn't Tokyo. The sun streaked across the sky amidst whirling clouds as night seemed to slam into place like a falling shoe. A strange ringing filled Sakura's ears, less a sound and more a sensation, and an irritating one at that. It felt like someone was clawing unpleasantly at her skull from the inside while abusing a whistle. Though lit for night, the darkened parts of the city seemed ominously black. In fact, the shadows seemed to roil like boiling water even as she began to plummet towards them.

Beneath her, she saw a circle of figures. With them was an eclectic collection of things and animals. Herself, holding her stone before her like a ward, The Sword Card in one hand. A twist of ribbon. Tomoyo, looking only at her with her little camera in her hands. A cat. Syaoran, one shoulder bleeding, his sword in one hand, an ofuda in the other. A snake. Kageyama-san, both arms upraised, in one hand darkness, in the other, light. A book with a crescent moon on the cover. Ayane-san, her thumb tapping furiously over a cheap, disposable cellphone. A teacup. Satoka-san held a strangely-curved, crimson sword in either hand, while Miu-san huddled behind them. A boat. Keroberos in his full power, wings wide, fire erupting from his mouth. Yuuno-san a green chainsaw in either hand.

She could recognize the darkness around them. Invaders in their many forms, monstrous and inhuman. She'd always found it strange that the ones who were never human looked relatively normal, while the ones who had once been human were so horrible.

But it wasn't just Invaders. There were… she couldn't tell what they were. They looked so strange, so… unreal. The things vaguely reminded her of those weird cartoons that came in the middle of those Monty Python shows she'd watched with Negi-kun. Like evil newspaper-clippings with huge drooping jaws and shark-like teeth of papier-mâché under strangely-shaped heads, all held together by safety pins. Sakura shook, though whether in fear or just plain heebie-jeebies she wasn't sure.

A voice, her voice, was calling out. "In fearful day, when without light..."

Sakura shook harder. She crossed her arms, rubbing her shoulders.

"With my heart full, my soul ignites!"

A shock ran through her, a full-body shake. She heard voices crying out, but no one seemed to notice. Someone calling her name. Where were they? Did they need her help?

"When all seems lost in black of night…"

Something shook her, hard, as a heavy weight pressed against her chest. What kind of omen was this? What…?

"SAKURA! YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE FOR SCHOOL!"

Sakura's eyes snapped open and she came upright as Keroberos flew upward. "HOEEEEEE!"

It was generally agreed that what Sakura had gotten was, to be sure, a Really Ominous Dream, though there was some debate on how much it really counted since it was basically self-induced. Yuuno had been notified to 'be careful next time you ran into Sakura-chan and her bitches' as Kuro had indelicately put it, to various semi-humorous reactions and a confused Sakura asking what she meant while Syaoran had flushed and Tomoyo smiled her saintly, mysterious smile©™. They'd been unable to contact the Gatekeepers, however, no matter the numbers they'd tried. That had been left on the "keep trying" list.

Everyone was more interested on the dark imagery of the dream. The Senshi had sighed and declared it 'a new enemy, oh joy' and had resigned themselves to spending the next year running into monsters at least once a week, running into enemy generals they'd keep failing to recognize ("Seriously?" Jadeite said. "You never recognized me? But I always looked the same!"), having another scavenger hunt for 'whatever' and possibly Tuxedo Kamen finally dying again for the year (he was already falling into a melancholy depression). Others were of the more hopeful view that it was all allegorical and only a one-off thing, and they'd come out of it with new friends after the "friendship through firepower"-types (Nanoha, Illya, Sailor Moon and Negi) were done with them. Still, to be sure, Sakura had been cautioned to stay away from any ominous and magical teacups, cats, snakes, books, boats and ribbons and to keep her phone charged at all times so she could call for help. While they were all reasonably sure her prophecies were the 'can be changed thanks to forewarning' types, there was no need to put herself at risk.

After all, if anything happened to her, Tomoyo would kill them. Possibly literally.

Not for the first time, they wondered why they let the obviously evil girl hang around.

Oh, and Sakura managed to make it to school on time, by the way. In case you cared.

Not for the first time, Lee Syaoran wondered why his life involved so much travel now. He'd expected to have to travel a lot when he had taken over as the head of the clan, negotiating either in business or representing his family in magical something-or-others. He had NOT expected it to become a bizarre side-effect of making friends with Magical Girls and the poor men they overshadowed. And he wasn't even getting Frequent Flyer miles from it.

Artemis had briefed them on what to expect, since Luna's account was a bit disjointed. Just to be safe, he'd done it over the phone, in case he was the cat that had been dreamed about. Keroberos had insisted on sticking with Sakura from then on because "If you're going to be in trouble, then I need to be there to protect you!". So they'd broken out one of the comfortably big handbags for him to hide in while they'd made travel plans for the weekend, giving another excuse of a daytrip to Tokyo. Her father had smiled and warned her to be careful of more forces of evil, while her brother had leveled that look of his again, called her monster, and went about his business.

They had, conscientiously, left Yue a message this time, since Sakura felt guilty about not telling him where she was going. Then, again with Alisa's help, they'd gone to Takamiya city.

Amakawa Yuuto was a perfectly ordinary harem manga protagonist, the sort you can find anywhere. He couldn't commit to a girl to save his life except in most platonic and vague terms, his memory of his childhood was lousy when it came to promises with girls and what said girls looked like, his hands and face seemed magnetically attracted to girls' chests and butts when he fell over, which was often, he'd seen more actual naked female flesh in his house than dirty magazines, and he was practically borderline-gay when it came to his inability to take any sort of action that could lead to furthering his relationships with girls in anything but a platonic fashion.

Thus, he was sweating profusely as he and his friends waited at an out of the way table in the tea house where Lizlet and Himari worked. His protector wasn't on the clock, and indeed sat to one side of him protectively, the wrapped bundle of her sword at her side ready to draw, just in case. Kuesu was at his other side, equally ready to attack and defend against anything that came at them through the window. Rinko wasn't there, having been relegated to taking care of the amnesiac Tamamo with class rep Shimamura in case this turned ugly. After several meet and greets, they'd finally worked out the pattern.

"If you really think this could go badly, you wouldn't be holding it in such a public place, nano," Shizuku said, eating an ice-cream. "Though, given all the public places you've fought in, this doesn't really seem to be one of your considerations, nano."

Yuuto sweatdropped at the reminder of the extremely public places they'd pushed confrontations before. "I'm hoping they won't try anything obvious with so many witnesses present," he said. "Besides, I don't really think representatives of the Sailor Senshi would mean us harm…"

Kuesu sniffed. Yuuto, by dint of experience, recognized the 'what a naive ignorant, he has a lot to learn' sniff. He was also wrong, this was the 'how naïve, as expected of Yuuto-kun, it's a part of his charm, aggravating as his naiveté is' sniff. "I don't see why you admire such shamefully public and attention-happy amateurs, Yuuto-kun. Such unrefined spells… really, it's only a matter of time before the Magus Association or one of the local Magister Associations shuts them down…"

"Indeed, young master," Himari said. "As benign as those cats seemed, the black one was clearly insane to think Kuesu could possibly be part of our noble breed, though thinking she's some kind of space monster is more understandable. I'm more inclined to think they are dupes rather than enemies. Perhaps yu will finally get your wish and that some Ayakashi finally come to us in peace and friendship."

Yuuto sweatdropped again at the smile on Himari's face. "You don't have to me so sarcastic about it, Himari …"

"Who are you calling a space monster?" Kuesu growled.

"Excuse me?"

They all looked up. Shizuku glared, instantly defensive of her territory as Himari gasped. Kuesu's eyes narrowed.

The girl with the honey-brown hair smiled politely, still holding a small photo. "Are you Amakawa-san?"

"Ah, yes, I am," Yuuto said, surprised that the person coming to meet them would be so young. The cats hadn't really said who'd be coming, only that they were 'a close ally who'd explain more'. "Are you from the Sailor Senshi?"

"Ah, nothing like that," the girl said, gesturing to the other two children with her, a smiling girl with long dark hair and a vaguely Chinese boy– Yuuto couldn't be sure, most people looked alike to him– wearing a frown. "We're here to better explain the proposal Artemis-san and Luna-san came to you with. May we sit with you?"

"O-ok," Yuuto said, still surprised as she gestured vaguely to the empty bench next to Shizuku.

"No, nano," Shizuku said blandly. "I'm supposed to be the only loli around here. I can't let two blow-ins just take myhmph phmpr…"

"Please, sit," Himari said as she leaned across the table, one hand clamped hard over Shizuku's mouth. The Crimson Blade of Noihara was smiling, though the smile shook slightly at the corners. Shizuku, predictably, bit her hand, but Himari only grit her teeth, soldiering on. She bowed as much as she could to the dark-haired girl. "We're more than glad to have you with us."

Yuuto blinked at Himari, who was finishing stuffing a napkin into Shizuku's mouth. The girl looked a bit bemused at the sight, but the two with her only exchanged looks. It seemed they were used to such things. That… couldn't be a good sign.

The boy looked around. "I'll get an extra chair," he said, turning away for a moment as the two girls got seated. The dark-haired one sat in the middle, next to Shizuku, who gave her a territorial look. The girl only gave her a saintly, mysterious smile©™ as her friend sat down in front of Himari. The boy soon came back with a chair, setting down next to the girl who had first spoken though that meant he had to share a small bit of table in front of her.

"Um, hi," the shorter-haired girl said.

"Uh, hi," Yuuto said, wondering why the boy was frowning at him.

For a moment, there was a bit of a silence.

"Uh, well, I'm sorry, but I'm not supposed to give my name just yet," the girl said. "Please call me Star-chan, and these are my friends…" She faltered for a moment, as if unsure what she was to call them.

"No need, Star-san," Himari said. "I, of course, recognize the illustrious Daidouji Tomoyo-san."

The girl gave a start as the other girl, Tomoyo, tilted her head, her smile never wavering. "Oh my. I suppose I should have expected something like this. You have the advantage of me, miss. I'm afraid I don't recall meeting your acquaintance."

"We've never met," Himari said. "But I saw you once. You were sitting next to the CIA recruiter and the Demon's Head. It was some years back, during a tournament on Mount Ryuudou."

"Ah," Tomoyo said, nodding as if this explained it. "I'm surprised you remember me. Your… episode… with the representative of the Shinmeiryuu was much more memorable."

At the mention of this, Himari's entire face twitched. "Indeed…" she ground out, her fangs glinting.

Shizuku tilted her head, looking surprised. "That was you?"

"Yes," Himari answered through gritted teeth.

"Did you really do that thing with the telephone po–"

Himari's hand blurred and Shizuku found herself gagging as another napkin was thrust into her mouth.

"Exaggeration," Tomoyo said. "It was only a shinai, not a pole."

Yuuto frowned. "Himari, you know this person?"

Himari kept her eyes on the girl ass he said, "I have, young master. This is Daidouji Tomoyo, a notorious figure known to ayakashi, youki and the dark world alike."

"Ah, those were my younger, more excitable days," Tomoyo, waving a hand as if to sweep Himari's words to the side. "I'm only a perfectly ordinary elementary student enjoying her school life now."

"I thought I heard of you hiring Tatsumiya Mana a few months ago."

"School can be very tough," Tomoyo said brightly.

"Yes, it's those 'forces of evil' drills," Kuesu said. "I hear the Hong Kong school system is much lighter on those."

"Shortsightedness," the boy said. "One who trained in the Clocktower should know how useful those drills are."

"Should I bother asking?" Yuuto said, already feeling left out of the conversation.

"This is Lee Syaoran, Yuuto-sama," Kuesu said. "The rumored-to-be next head of the Lee Clan, one of the largest and most influential magical commercial families in Hong Kong."

"Only after I finish all the paperwork," Syaoran said blandly. "Jinguji Kuesu, I presume? Your description was recognized. The Tohsaka Clan and the House of Edelfelt send their regards."

"Most curious…" Kuesu said, beginning to radiate ojou-ness like a sun. "I am surprised to hear that the Lee Clan are in such close correspondence with the Tohsaka and the Edelfelt. Those are very strange bedfellows."

For some reason, the boy began to blush. "Please don't put it that way, the images I'm getting are all messed up…" he muttered.

The girl called 'Star' and Yuuto exchanged glances of mutual felt exclusion.

"Amakawa Yuuto," he said, extending his hand across the table. "When I turned 16 I discovered I was the last remaining member of the otherwise defunct Amakawa Demon Slayer clan. I have a weird power that I'm still trying to understand how to use. I live alone with Himari and Shizuku and I hope to one day create a world where humans and Ayakashi can co-exist."

The girl extended her own hand and clasped his. "Kinomoto Sakura," she said in the same expository tones. "I'm a descendant of the great sorcerer Clow Reed, and wield the power of his legacy, 53 magical cards and a wand. I have a weird magic stone I'm still trying to understand how to use. I live with my father and brother and I hope to be able to do everything in my power to make the world a better place for everyone, humans, youki, aliens, and magical creatures alike."

They shook on it and as they shared a look instantly had the sense they were looking at a kindred spirit six years and a set of genitalia apart.

At everyone's surprised looks– the boy Syaoran was literally open-mouthed– they shrugged. "Everyone seemed so popular with each other," Yuuto said.

"And someone had to introduce themselves properly," Sakura huffed. Syaoran and Tomoyo at least looked suitably rebuked.

Shizuku glared at the clasped hands and pulled Yuuto's hand away. "I have exclusive loli rights here," she said. She glared at Sakura's purse. "What about your friend?"

The purse twitched.

Sakura hesitated, but reached into the purse and drew out what looked like a weird winged plushy. "Ah, everyone, this is Kero-chan. He's my friend."

The doll's head moved, giving them all a look and Yuuto a curt nod. "'Sup."

Shizuka gave it a level look then held out a finger as Yuuto stared. "Token badass loli mini-moe," she said.

Kero hed out a stubby arm and shook her finger. "Super-awesome protector magical beast," he replied.

"Mascot," Syaoran said, not quite under his breath.

"Who are you calling a mascot?-!" Keroberos demanded as Lizlet approached the table.

"W-would you like to order?" she asked nervously. She was supposed to be there in reserve in case something happened and to pretend to be normal otherwise. She'd also definitely heard that last outburst, and was trying not to stare at plushy-like Kero, who was unconvincingly trying to play dead.

"Do you accept credit cards?" Tomoyo asked. At Lizlet's affirmative, she glanced at Kero and said, "Then, we'll take a whole chocolate cake, a Devil's Food Cake for me…" She glanced at her other two companions.

Sakura was intently studying the menu she'd been handed as Syaoran glanced at it and ordered an apple pie. "Um, I'll have a strawberry cake…" she ordered.

As Lizlet stepped away to take their orders, shooting nervous glance behind her, Himari leaned forward. "So… Daidouji Tomoyo, the heir to a magical clan, a little… creature and a little girl walk into a tea shop," she said intently. "What relationship do you have to the 'Sailor Senshi' that those cats allegedly came from?"

"Oh, we're friends with them," Sakura answered perkily. "You could say we all belong to the same club!"

"Club?" Kuesu asked doubtfully.

Sakura smiled a bright, sincere smile that Yuuto couldn't help responding to. "We represent the United Magical Girl Association, you see."

"United Magical Girl (and Boys) Association," Syaoran corrected.

"United Magical Girl (and Boys) Association," Sakura repeated, making Yuuto wonder at their ability to pronounce the (). "We're all warriors of truth, love and justice using our magic and skills to protect the innocent from the forces of darkness while making friends!"

Himari, Kuesu and Shizuku were instantly suspicious. Yuuto was instantly smitten. "Friends?" he asked.

Ssakura nodded happily. "Friends!"

"I like friends," Yuuto said.

"I like friends too! Do you want to be friends, Yuuto-san?"

"I'd love to, Sakura-chan!"

They clasped hands over the table again. "Friends!" they cheered.

Shizuku grumbled and pulled Yuuto's hand away again. "Why do people not respect my exclusive loli rights?" she grumbled as she dripped. "First the fox loli, and now you…"

At that moment, the cake arrived. As they made room for them on the table, Himari, Kuesu and Shizuku exchanged looks. There was no way this little girl was legit. As usual, they would have to protect Yuuto-kun from his tendency to trust everyone he met and think only the best in people.

Plus, new girl. With their luck, she was probably a long-lost childhood friend Yuuto had made a promise to. Again.

Putting on their determined faces, they sat down and began planning how they would get Yuuto out of this new girl's clutches.

Tomoyo and Syaoran, noticing the atmosphere, subtly readied themselves for anything. They didn't know why, but the three girls seemed strangely antagonistic to Sakura-chan for some reason. They exchanged looks and came to a silent agreement. Whatever happened, Sakura was going to be okay.

Yuuto and Sakura, cheerfully oblivious to all this, chatted happily as they ate cake.

Kamijou Touko sat on the barren, burned earth that had just a few days ago contained her house. "Such misfortune…" she muttered hollowly, drawing her knees to herself, holding them tight with to her chest with her left arm. What was left of her right arm hung limply at her side, ending just past the elbow. She still wore her hospital gown, stained and dirtied from her escape.

All she'd wanted was to be special. She'd been a perfectly ordinary girl, once. Only three weeks ago. Had it only been so long? It seemed longer. The strange white creature had come to her, saying she was one of the chosen ones, a Puella Magi, a Magical Girl. A wish, it had said. In exchange for fighting the forces of darkness, she'd get a miraculous wish, anything she wanted.

She'd made her wish. She wished she had a life as interesting as an anime character's, with an awesome power that could trump any power so she'd always win with a punch. She'd gotten it.

Three weeks later, she wished she was dead. Her parents, killed after her 'interesting' life had led those strange monsters to her house. Her best friend, a slightly bratty, short but sweet English girl who liked books, traumatized and broken after being kidnapped by a gang she'd stood up to. She'd died that morning, her body failing her. Her parents blamed Touko. Her right arm, which had held the power that could 'trump any power', gone, unable to withstand mere flame and saw, amputated to save her.

She wished she was dead.

She wished she was dead.

She wished she was dead…

On her left hand, the ring on her finger snapped as it reverted to a Soul Gem, its facets dark as pitch as the light left Touko's eyes. Then it exploded, and the world went mad.

Kamijou Touko was no more.

- To be continued…

Chapter Text

Kinomoto Sakura of 2814

by Shadow Crystal Mage

Chapter 6: Everything Will Be All Right!

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in this story. If I did… well, this would all be canon. WARNING: MAY CAUSE HEAD EXPLOSION!

Himari and Kuesu sincerely thought they had a chance. They brought up every logical argument they could about just trusting people who came out of the blue claiming to know famous Tokyo vigilantes, of how it wasn't their place to have anything to do with these people's problems, of how suspicious it was these people even knew about them, of how they'd just been through a major event and they weren't ready to jump into a new relationship, of how it wasn't them it was us, of how they weren't in a good place right now, of how they should just stay friends…

Then that Syaoran boy had mentioned Boy's Club and all their work went out the window. The white cat had given him a teaser, but this was straight out of the boy's mouth. Other boys in his own age group. Facing problems JUST. LIKE. HIS.

The infuriating boy had given Kuesu, Shizuku, Himari and even Lizlet a significant look and repeated significantly, "Problems just like yours." He raised a hand and mimed squeezing something round and squishy at chest height, then something striking his face.

Yuuto coughed. "Well, I don't suppose it would do any harm to meet them… just once…"

Their hearts fell. Yuuto was going to do it, and nothing short of him walking in on these people torturing Himari was going to dissuade him.

And these people were, on the whole, pretty mysterious. They didn't watch the news much. Himari found nothing interesting in what normal humans thought mattered except maybe fashion, and only in so far as it aroused Yuuto, while Kuesu didn't even have that much, her poise and self-assurance her own style. So they'd never heard of the Sailor Senshi or Green Lantern-chan or any of a bunch of people Yuuto and Rinko thought were a big deal. Both thought Superman was some kind of American Ayakashi, and looked at Yuuto in askance when he explained about space aliens. They had only their own experiences to shape what they thought of these people.

Kuesu wondered at the circumstances that would have the Edelfelt, the Tohsaka and the Lee to come together in such a strange alliance. She barely remembered the current heirs of the two families from her brief time in the Clocktower before she'd made herself scarce. They'd been polite enough to her, a marked contrast to many of her contemporaries, though mostly because they were usually too busy being at each other's' throat. If it hadn't been for that last part, she'd have remembered them with suspicion, sure that they'd be trying to use her in some manner as well. As it was, the suspicion was only just then rising, too late and on material too old to properly rise without sounding like crackpot conspiracy theory even to a Magus. The situation was strange enough that, on her own, she'd be inclined to investigate their proposal, at least to see how it benefited her.

As it was… new girl. Yuuto. Definitely not to be trusted.

Himari, for her part, was a lot more nervous, and with both more and less concrete reason. Daidouji Tomoyo was in front of her, and interested in Yuuto. The Daidouji heiress, who had a… reputation. There was nothing concrete, just a "significant pause" reputation, and shrouded in myth besides. A lot of big names were connected to her– Tatsumiya Mana, Deathstroke the Terminator, David Cain– but nothing was ever heard about what. It was like that story about her hiring Tatsumiya a few months ago, something Himari had heard weeks late and at fifth or possibly twelfth hand. She'd even sort-of confirmed it but no one knew what the job had been about. Some whispered a business rival, others something to do with that weird cult she'd set up. It all added up to a larger-than-life persona, one that began with the inexplicable deaths of several groups of mercenaries and private goons who had been sent to kidnap her when she was six.

Plus, she was frickin' weird. An outreach program for 'Troubled Ninja Youths'? Seriously?

Strangely, it was a hit with ninja parents.

Knowing all this, the girl who'd called herself 'Star' and now said her name was Sakura took on a more dangerous aura. Who was she that would have these two powerful and significant people as, for all intents and purposes, her retinue? She'd made a claim of having power of some sort. Perhaps power that exceeded theirs? That would make her a formidable enemy indeed. Good luck getting Yuuto to understand that, of course.

Their proposal sweetened by the notion of this 'Boys' Club', Yuuto had been eager to hear more about the group they'd represented. Some they'd heard of. A group of certainly rogue but so far unrestrained Magistra Magi and a Magister based in Mahora Academy. The shocking alliance between the Tohsaka, the Edelfelt and the Einzbern and their retainers in Fuyuki City, the latter surprising since the famed alchemy family had been thought dead these last five years, their knowledge lost, their creations either destroyed or sent to Atlas. Those 'Sailor Senshi' girls, who practiced some bizarre form of magic and kept showing up on the news, skewing Kuesu's attempts to search for occurrences of malevolent Ayakashi. Some little girls in Uminari city, who'd apparently set the whole thing up.

Their stated aims were even more bizarre. "To fight for truth, love and justice"? Seriously? But that seemed to be only their rhetoric; their more practical aims were, apparently, the free exchange of information in particular information needed to protect the peoples in their territories; tactical and strategic martial support upon request, with unstated forms of compensation to follow; and internal and highly placed pawns within the Mahora and Kanto magical associations as well as the Japanese government, given their casual mentions of suited men in black vans with lots of paperwork to fill out.

The girl hadn't used these exact words of course, couching them in simple words like 'work together' and 'ask for help' but it was obviously only to appeal to Yuuto's simple sensibilities. Kuesu and Himari both knew agreements between powers couldn't be so simple. Even the alliance of the Demon Slayer families were as much for convenience and to be able to keep an eye on one another as it was to follow their unified purpose. So many powers together were a powder keg waiting to explode, and they were obviously trying to hook Yuuto in to take advantage of his power for their own ends, and almost certainly putting him in great danger.

Yuuto, completely ignorant of all these thoughts, was happy to finally be talking to someone who sincerely wanted to be friends, without having to go through the unfortunate phase of Himari beating the crap out of them first so that they'd settle down and talk. This girl had such happy eyes, in comparison to either the angry eyes or the tormented eyes of the people he'd met since this all began. Her friend Tomoyo seemed pleasant too, always smiling like that and kindly offering to pay for the cakes. The big cake had already been eaten by the plushy-thing, who was lying on the table with a happy look on his face and a stomach bulging like it was from a cartoon. The boy Syaoran was still frowning, but once realized that was more his default expression rather than anything on their part, he'd relaxed. Indeed, the frown began to fade away as the boy talked to him, painting an almost paradisaical image of a group of boys who'd understand what he was going through, living with Himari and fighting demons and somehow getting into all sorts of bizarre ecchi situations like something out of a shallow harem anime or manga. Syaoran had hinted obliquely that this was not an uncommon affliction.

Yuuto, upon hearing this, resolved to a least meet these people so he can reassure them that they weren't alone in the world and that there was someone who understood their suffering(?).

Somewhere, Negi Springfield, Emiya Shiro, Yagami Vita, Illya von Einzbern and several still-to-be-revealed individuals suddenly felt warm and not as alone in the world as they thought.

All in all, it was a good day to make friends.

"No," Kuesu told Yuuto.

"But…" Yuuto flailed.

"No," Himari reaffirmed strongly.

"But…!" Yuuto protested.

"Yuuto, Kuesu and Himari are agreeing on something, nano," Shizuku said. "You'd better listen, nano."

Yuuto, standing with them in the hallway outside the ladies room after a rather awkward extraction, turned a confused look at the two taller girls in turn. "But why? They seemed like nice people!"

"They're infringing on my exclusive loli rights," Shizuku added. "I want them gone."

Kuesu sighed. "Yuuto-kun, it's sweet that you're always willing to be fooled by any pretty face with a happy story to throw at you– "

"Hey!" Yuuto protested.

"– but they're obviously fishy," Kuesu continued. "What kind of magical organization sends a bunch of children as their representatives?"

"I thought you said two of them were important big-shots?" Yuuto asked, confused.

Kuesu's face didn't change, though the look in her eyes said she was annoyed Yuuto had retained this bit of exposition. "If they're genuine, that's even worse," Kuesu continued. "So many factions, and newly established ones at that, can't lead to anything good."

"Why not?" Yuuto challenged. "There were twelve Demon Slayer clans, and they got along pretty well for a long time."

Kuesu gave him a flat look, the kind she usually only reserved for Himari and Ayakashi she intended to kill… which were pretty much the same thing. "I will assume," she said, slowly and coldly, "that you said that without thinking, if you believe that the treatment the Jinguuji Clan have received from the other clans to be indicative of 'getting along pretty well'. Amakawa-kun, while mass media would have you thinking ancient societies with wildly diverse factions within all plot together with sexy soap opera politics and fast talking is the norm, I assure you the opposite is the truth. Young, multifactional organizations might be full of potential and excitement and ideals and big dreams, but what they are also full of is young hotheads filled with ideals and excitement and potential violence who want to see their agendas through, and damn if it gets in the way of someone else's agenda. In those young organizations, the idealism quickly makes way for pragmatism and medium of exchange quickly becomes threats, violence, blackmail and sex." She paused on the last word, as if thinking of something, but shook her head after a brief glance at Yuuto. "If they're lucky, they'll be able to transition into an organization where genteel blackmail, backstabbing and backroom dealing is the norm, but only if they manage not to self-destruct during the no doubt violent years of young idealism."

Himari nodded. "She's right young master. If we join, then one faction or another will try to take you, either as a bargaining chip, as a symbol of status or simply to increase their own power, literally and figuratively. Just because you haven't been able to work out how to wield the power of the Amakawa doesn't mean they won't be able to. And in such an environment, the risk of you being killed, either as retaliation or simply to prevent you with joining with the other factions, is high. As the last Amakawa, we cannot risk that, at least not until you've fucked me with kittens!"

Yuuto blushed as Shizuku and Kuesu glared at Himari.

"But… they seem friendly enough," Yuuto protested. "And we seem to have similar goals."

Shizuku made a wry smile, reached up to cup one of her breasts, squeezed and fondled it, then mimed smacking someone on the head.

"Those are always accidents!" Yuuto cried.

The glares he received in turn said this wasn't a good response.

"Regardless," Kuesu said coolly, "even if they are aligned with our agenda– " and by her tone that was a mere generalization, since all the girls had their own agenda, as well as Yuuto's own , "– we can't afford to be drawn into their problems. Two of the Demon Slayer clans died out because they go involved in an outside organization and were forced to fight in conflicts they had nothing to do with, and while the Jinguuji Clan have little to fear from being wiped out now, as the last Amakawa you have a responsibility to your ancestors and descendants to continue the family line so you'll have descendants."

"By fucking me full of kittens," Himari added, earning her more glares and another blush.

Kuesu's hand twitched as if she wanted to go for her gun. "As I was saying, it would be too easy for you to get killed if you end up involved in their affairs," Kuesu said. As Yuuto opened his mouth to reply, she added, "And if you die, then your dream of Ayakashi, Demon Slayers and normal people living together in peace as friends die with you."

Yuuto snapped his mouth shut with a click. "But… I thought… you're all getting along so well together!"

"Because of you, nano," Shizuku said. "It's your idea, and we're giving it a try, and so far it's doing okay, but only because of you, nano. Without you, we'd have killed each other months ago, nano. We still might, nano. If you die, there's nothing to hold us together, nano."

"But… your memories together!" Yuuto said.

Shizuku pointed at the taller girls. "Do you think memories will keep them from each others' throats if you die?"

Yuuto stared, the other two not meeting his gaze.

"Excuse me," Tomoyo said pleasantly from behind them, "while I understand you must conspire among yourselves and decide, do you mind if I pass? I need to use the ladies' room."

"I'm sorry, but we'll have to decline your invitation," Yuuto said, looking wretched.

"Eh?" Sakura said, surprised. "But I thought we were becoming good friends!"

"Um, well…" Yuuto said, devolving into mumbling and quite conscious of Syaoran's glare on him. He looked sideways, avoiding Sakura's confused gaze.

"It is not that your offer is unattractive," Kuesu said bluntly, "but the situation you describe is not one we wish to be involved in." It was a mere restatement of an argument already given and at the time reasonably assuaged, but now spoken in tones of greater finality. "We are much too busy managing the rogue ayakashi who would otherwise feed on the unsuspecting to deal with the factional politics of such an association."

"Factional politics?" Sakura repeated, her confusion deepening. Tomoyo and Syaoran exchanged looks behind her. They obviously didn't like being seen through. Young organizations thought they were so cool and smooth and smart, but really, most of the time the were pretty hamfisted. It was like doing surgery with mallets.

Somewhere, Vita, of course, sneezed. And if you're interested, she  had  once used a mallet for surgery. It had, contrary to expectation, not acted as anesthetic, but as a rib spreader. Also against expectation, the patient survived.

"So please, return to your superiors and let them know that we are not interested in their offer," Himari said, smiling a wide, catty smile of smug triumph.

"You… don't want to join then?" Sakura asked hesitantly. "I'm having trouble telling…"

"Yes!" Himari and Kuesu chorused.

Sakura brightened. "Oh, you do want to join?"

Behind her and under her line of sight, her three companions facepalmed.

"No, we don't want to join!" Himari and Kuesu repeated as Yuuto sighed but kept his mouth shut.

"Oh," Sakura said, looking disappointed. "That's too bad. We were planning to have a beach picnic next month while the boys were off on their hiking tour of the Mars."

Yuuto brightened, sitting up straight. Himari and Kuesu gave him piercing looks. Yuuto slumped, dejected.

"Excuse me," Tomoyo said politely, wearing a saintly, mysterious smile ©™, "but I'd just like to clarify. You said you managed rogue Ayakashi? You mean Youkai?"

"No, we mean Ayakashi," Kuesu said.

"Youkai and Ayakashi are completely different things," Himari said, looking insulted. "Don't you know that?"

Three heads shook sideways in the negative. There was a pause as they took a headcount.

"Kero-chan!" Sakura exclaimed. "You knew?"

"Of course," Keroberos, already eyeing the cake display again. "I used to live around here, after all. You find all sorts: Youkai, Makai, Mazoku, Yurei, Ayakashi, Oni, Makamou, Grongi, Aswang, Lawyers…"

"And you never mentioned it?" Syaoran said, sounding annoyed, his frown directed at the little plushy.

"Well, it's not exactly something that pops up in casual conversation!" Kero said. "I mean, I know the secret event you need to unlock to keep Aerith from dying too, but since no one ever asks about it and we've never talked about it, I haven't brought it up!"

"If it helps, I didn't know that either," Yuuto assured them. He frowned. "Wait… you mean to say there are things out there other than Ayakashi? Like what?"

At that moment, the lights flickered as the speakers that usually played light music and every cell phone in the tea shop went nuts, screaming out what sounded like distorted electronic noise, whistles and squeals like the electronic damned. Most people looked around in confusion as Keroberos whipped his head around like a dog catching a scent and Himari rubbed her head, frowning slightly.

"Well, for starters," Syaoran said as he got to his feet, holding a hand to Sakura so she could pull herself out, "that."

The sun was setting, staining the world a rather thick orange as they ran through unfamiliar streets that were getting increasingly emptier and shabbier. Syaoran took the lead, the bead of his sword in his hand, ready to change at a moment's notice. Sakura walked behind him, a hand on his back pressing lightly, though the way her palm shook told him it took great effort to keep her from grabbing the back of his shirt and holding it. If she did that, the split second's distraction if her letting go or not letting go would make a dangerous difference. Keroberos flew above her, face serious but somehow not comical, while Tomoyo walked in the rear. She of course held a camera in her hands, but he'd seen her loosening something in her purse when she'd taken it out. Her Lex-Blaster 500, most likely, unless she'd upgraded. Doubtful. She was fond of that gun, something about a one-eyed American who'd taught her to use it. It was just as likely to be her Desert Eagle. Mundane weapons were iffy with the things that went bump in the night. Some were hurt by bullets, some with energy blasts. Some weren't. It made good sense to be able to switch out if it was strong against one or the other.

Not for the first time, Syaoran wondered how many people in the entertainment industries were actually one of those things that go bump in the night in disguise, or at least knew about them, slipping in little hints like these as in-game mechanics and bad exposition. Monsters telling stories about how to kill other monsters was as old as storytelling. Werewolves had taught Stoker. Vampires had produced 'Wendy the Werewolf Stalker'. Possibly someone or other had coached the brothers Grimm. On and on.

Everyone knew Meyer was just nuts though. NO ONE sparkled. And if they did, they weren't vampires.

Eventually, Syaoran said, "Why are you following us?"

Behind them, Himari sniffed, carrying her sheathed sword blatantly as she and those with her trotted after them. "This city is our territory," she said possessively. "We have every right to go anywhere we want. And if you're going to be doing something in our city, we want to know about it."

"You said you weren't interested in getting involved with our activities," Syaoran said.

"That was before it turned out you were going to do something in our city," Kuesu said grimly. "We're here to find out what it is and if we don't like it, stop it."

"I'm just making sure you lolis get out of my turf, nano," Shizuku said.

For some bizarre reason, Syaoran was reminded of Kuro and her bizarre battle cry, "For the Loli!", and stifled a smile.

"What is happening?" Yuuto asked. He was panting a little, but didn't seem to have any trouble keeping up.

"Invaders," Syaoran said.

Yuuto paled. "North Relasia is attacking?"

"No, something else," Syaoran snapped. What was it with people always asking that? It was either them or North Korea. Just once, he'd like people to ask if it were aliens, if only for a change of pace.

Tomoyo, running sideways next to Sakura now and filming her run, to Sakura's embarrassment, slowed and tilted her head. "Do you hear that?" she said and the others stop. "It sounds like…"

"Wait! Wait!"

"…someone calling us to stop," Tomoyo said, behind them, one of the waitresses from the tea shop came running towards them.

"Yuuto-kun!" the blonde girl cried, clearly distressed. "You forgot to pay for your cakes!"

Tomoyo snapped her fingers. "I knew I forgot something!" she said, rapping her head with her knuckles. "Silly me."

Syaoran stared at her and groaned. "The ONE time you forget to be hyper-competent…" he muttered as Tomoyo reached into her purse, pulling out a wad of bills and handing them to the waitress with an apologetic smile.

"I'm so sorry to trouble you like this," Tomoyo said in full-on sweet-girl mode. "And your cakes were so tasty too. Honestly, I feel horrible this happened"

"Ah, it's all right," the girl said, smiling also as she accepted the money. "I'm sure the manager will understand but maybe you'd better come back with me and explain things."

"Oh, we can't," Tomoyo said apologetically. "We're sort of in a hurry. Don't worry, I trust you to take care of things."

In the distance, someone screamed.

Yuuto paled. "Was that Rinko?"

There was another scream this time containing swearing.

"Sounds like Rinko, nano," Shizuku said. "We can wait for a third scream to be sure, nano…"

But Yuuto was already running back the way they'd come.

Himari was after him a moment later, calling for him to slow down and wait. A moment later, Sakura was running after them her face determined. "Come on!" she called over her shoulder. "Someone's in trouble! Come on!"

Kuesu sighed. "Oh, Yuuto-sama…" as she began to run after them.

"So, yours has a hero complex too, huh?" Syaoran said casually as he ran as well, keeping Sakura in his sights.

"All the time," she said without thinking. "It's like he thinks he needs to protect everyone, even though they're stronger, faster and can take more than he can!"

Syaoran nodded. "I know the type. They can be quite a handful."

Kuesu gave him a sideways look. "Indeed," she said noncommittally.

"But we love them anyway," Tomoyo said quietly as she ran behind them, the three of them slowly catching up to the two in the lead. "We love them because of it."

Kuesu blinked and briefly looked over her shoulder to glance at the girl.

Abruptly, Tomoyo let out a cry. "Oh no! I'll never be able to film Sakura-chan properly from this angle!"

Syaoran and Kuesu blinked as they found themselves eating Tomoyo's dust.

After a moment, Syaoran let out a huff, then glances sideways at Kuesu himself. "Don't you just hate it when the demonic existence with the long, dark hair gets to their side before you can and make you look bad?"

Despite herself, Kuesu grinned. "Yeah," she agreed.

The two of them ran faster.

"Wait! Don't leave me here! I'm just a maid waitress!" Lizlet cried, bringing up the rear.

Shuzuku huffed. "So troublesome, nano." And she disappeared in a puddle of water.

Amakawa Yuuto thought he'd seen it all. He'd fought Ayakashi, been attacked by Ayakashi, and had watched as Himari had fought Tamamo-no-Mae. When his friends had been in danger, he or someone else, had always been able to save them in time. An unstable leap to catch someone in midair. A convenient sword to block and attack, a spell to blast it away. A wave of water to push their enemies back. A convenient kick or gunshot at just the right moment.

So upon seeing Rinko with dark tentacles shoved into her mouth and down her throat, her eyes rolled back and convulsing, he thought they still had time. Himari would cut the tentacles, Rinko would spit them out and cough and make a catty comment about them taking so long…

Then the dark thing BURST from Rinko's mouth a dark, hunched, humanoid form bigger than Rinko herself, trailing from her open orifice like some bizarre, Lovecraftian genie. Someone was screaming, screaming so loudly, which was really distracting until Yuuto realized it was himself. Himari was screeching out Rinko's name, and Yuuto felt the burning in his nose and eyes. Himari had let herself go, her ears and tail out. The thing pulled its feet out of Rinko's mouth and as it stepped out Rinko's body shuddered and seemed to collapse in on itself, becoming a uniform black as it formed the thing's other foot.

The world seemed to congeal, everything slowing. The hunched, black thing that used to be Rinko, standing beneath the bridge on the artificial riverbank. A plastic bag from a local convenience store on the ground spilling its contents of pudding cups and other snacks. The identical-looking thing that had shoved its tentacles down her throat next to it, with seven more arrayed around them. In the shadows of the beams above, more dark shapes stirred, glowing eyes predatory. Himari was by his side, always by his side, screeching, her blade out.

Join us….

The words were dark, twisted and other-worldly, and it was a horrible, horrible world where Twilight was Great Literature and no good thing could grow, a world that wanted him dead.

Come to our world…

A world that wanted him…

There was a rush of air, a crack and a high-pitched whine as a bolt of lightning blew out one of the closest thing's arms, a burst of laser fire blew out the other, and a fireball blew up its head. It dissolved in black dust, a glowing crystal falling to the ground.

The thing that used to be Rinko turned to them, opened its monstrous mouth and screamed. The air literally rippled, waves of kinetic energy launching forward.

"Shield Card!"

A curved, semi-spherical shield sprang into existence in front of Yuuto as the voice behind him called, the ripples slamming into it and seemingly causing the air to shudder. Yuuto's eardrum rang, but he suspected that was a lot better than what would have happened to him otherwise.

Another ball of fire flew at Rinko, barely missing and Yuuto cried out. "Kuesu, be careful! That's Rinko! That's– "

Kuesu cursed as she shifted her next spell, slamming harmlessly to the ground, but lightning cracked again, and Rinko's head exploded.

"RINKO!"

Lee Syaoran darted in, sword of his own in his hand, its blade wider and heavier than Himari's. He cut off one of the creatures arms as he dove with one hand extended, and then he was rolling, spinning and slashing in their midst. A huge, lion-like beast with wings followed after him, roaring and spitting fire. Glowing crystals began to fall as the creatures dissolved into black dust.

Yuuto saw none of this. He could only kneel, staring at the spot where Rinko had been, even as the fighting quickly wrapped up around him.

"Is he all right?" Syaoran asked once he'd finished picking up all the glowing crystals and put them inside the metal canister– really a thermos– he was carrying.

Shizuku, who'd appeared at the tail end of the fight, looked at him critically, then stuck out her tongue. Sakura, Syaoran, Kero and even Tomoyo were unable to suppress a shudder as it grew long enough for her to tickle the back of his ear. Yuuto twitched involuntarily, but otherwise didn't respond, staring. "Strange, nano," she said. "He hasn't reacted like this in a long time, nano."

"It was Rinko," Himari said as Syaoran reached into his pocket, pulling out the stone he'd grabbed and walking towards Sakura. "She was… she was…"

"Those things… they turned her," Kuesu said, frowning at the disappearing black dust as Sakura took the stone in her hands in the background. "Are these what they call Dead Apostles? I wasn't really listening when they talked about it at the Clocktower."

Shizuku became very blank-faced. Even blanker than usual. Both girl knew the older Ayakashi well enough to know this meant the news had affected her profoundly. Slowly, the little loli knelt down and, without any of her usual eroticism, wrapped both arms around Yuuto, ignoring the mild blue glow off to one side. Yuuto's head bowed, resting on her shoulders as his shaking arms wrapped her, tears streaming down his face. Himari looked mildly indignant and opened her mouth, but Kuesu touched her arm and sternly shook her head, recognizing the favor being paid back.

"Rinko…" Yuuto sobbed. "Rinko… "

"What about me?"

Yuuto's head jerked up along with everyone else. Behind them, Tomoyo was carefully securing the metal canister as Sakura tucked the glowing blue stone around her neck and Syaoran helped a girl with a confused expression on her face to her feet. They stared.

"R-Rinko?" Yuuto said, pulling away from Shizuku's hug.

"You keep saying that. You're going to rub all the specialness off it," Rinko said.

"Rinko!" Yuuto cried as he rushed forward and engulfed her in a hug.

Shizuku huffed, miffed at having wasted a perfectly good hug. "First the witch, now you. Don't you people die when you're killed anymore?"

Somewhere, Shiro sneezed.

"Y-Yuuto-kun!" Rinko blanched, surprised at the sudden affection. "What's gotten into you?"

"W-we thought you had died," Himari said, still stunned.

Rinko blinked. "Eh?"

Kuesu, determining their necessary priorities, rounded upon the three children. "What," she demanded, "just happened?"

The three and Keroberos exchanged glances. "They're called Invaders…" Syaoran began, then fell silent, tense.

Around them, whispering rose and the dark places wavered. Come to our world…

Everyone arrayed themselves in a circle defensively as more Invaders appeared, seeming to slink out of the shadows.

Then world went mad.

Taken objectively, Tomoyo thought it looked like a bad British cartoon. It certainly reminded her of the animated segments of that old comedy show Negi and Kuro liked to watched, the one with the comedy troupe that made a movie about Saber's life she considered "Accurate except for those police officers at the end". Colors had a doubtful consistency, with most things looking like sloppy pencil drawings. The ground at her feet looked like it had been clipped from a gigantic newspaper, perfectly flat and level and hard and with lines of what looked like strange runic scrip running in neat lines, with recognizable punctuation marks and formatting and bylines. There were even patches of black and white pictures, rendered almost into indistinct networks of dots due to their size. Pseudo-buildings grew around them, their perspective warped and mad, so one couldn't tell if they were big and several feet away or small and right in front of your face, looking like clumsy papier-mâché made by enthusiastic but not very skilled children for their school play, their surfaces covered by what seemed magazine clippings. Above them, a huge dome– or was it the sky?– seemingly pieced together from clippings of the interesting parts of pornographic publications arched, with some random clouds apparently cut from the pages of equally lewd manga. Tomoyo was mildly indignant to recognize on one of those clouds one she herself had made about Sakura-chan. An odd chomping noise filled the air ominously.

"Don't look up," she warned everyone.

Predictably, everyone but Sakura looked up.

"Yuuto, you pervert!" Rinko exploded, pouncing on him to cover his eyes.

Thankfully, they were attacked soon afterward and the boys had something else to worry about besides misplaced womanly wrath.

The Invaders hadn't seemed at all perturbed at the sudden shift in scenery. It wasn't that they couldn't be surprised. Indeed, surprise was one of the weapons most commonly used on them. It was more like they hadn't considered the sudden change all that shocking. They appeared from behind the flimsy-looking buildings, further confusing Tomoyo's sense of perspective, seeming to blend into the dark corners Tomoyo was only now noticing.

They were a mix, of the sleeker, old kind of Invaders that were more human-like but weren't, that passed through human society under false names and false memories, and the newer, rougher kind that used to be human, and which the girl they'd rescued had so briefly been. They had the other crystals stowed away for recovery, but unless they managed to get out there would be much opportunity to do that.

She wasn't worried. She knew Sakura would get out of this, if Tomoyo had to bleed everyone around her dry.

They came with claw and tentacle and deadly kinetic blasts, which Tomoyo skillfully avoided, if not with as much speed as she would have liked yet. The blonde girl who had so determinedly brought the bill was crying out and crouching, Yuuto doing his best to protect her and Rinko as the others fought. Sakura wielded her wand in one hand and her stone in the other, directing the Shield Card and its light to protect those who couldn't dodge and OH she looked so beautiful, so determined. A camera, a film crew, her inheritance for glorious footage of this!

Himari and Syaoran had thrown themselves at the forefront, identifying the ones who shot kinetic blasts as the most immediate threats. Kuesu was using her magic to keep the feral ones off their backs as the two swordusers tried to dispatch their targets as quickly as possible. The Invaders were, as such things could be generalized, weak up close, if you discounted it took a full clip of an assault rifle to take one down properly. Swords however, especially swords held by those with skill and power, were more than up to the task.

The air suddenly grew dry as water congealed out of nowhere, crashing as a small wave to wash a group of Invaders that had appeared at their flanks. The girl Shizuku, who apparently hadn't been sanguine with 'other lolis' making themselves known, gave a small, self-satisfied smile, her clothes absolutely drenched and looking like a drowned corpse. She seemed strangely reluctant. "What are these things, nano?"

"Invaders," Tomoyo answered evenly, shooting as best as she could to distract the Invaders so the two front-liners could take them down and womanfully not giving in to the temptation to aim at Syaoran's back. Sakura would cry, after all. "We were going to provide the exposition about them, but were rudely interrupted."

"How do we kill them?" Kuesu asked bluntly.

"The usual ways," Tomyo said cheerfully.

"Good to know, nano," Shizuku said. "I still don't like having you two around, nano. You're horning in on my loli-appeal, nano."

"My apologies," Tomoyo said airily with a saintly, mysterious smile©™. "We'll try to grow up quickly."

"You do that, nano."

"Is it just me?" Rinko said from under Yuuto's impromptu human shield, "or is that creepy noise getting louder?"

An area Tomoyo had thought was either solid wall or distant horizon suddenly burst apart with a sound not unlike tearing paper, only oddly distended and bass, and group of figures suddenly stumbled through as the chomping noises suddenly increased dramatically. One of them was glowing brilliant green and all five were running like hell. The reason why soon became obvious as a huge black sphere twenty feet across crashed through the opening after them, tearing it open further, and after it came… things.

Tomoyo had never seen anything like them before, not even heard descriptions. They looked like little pińata chibi nuns held together with safety pins, with no eyes and a slit mouth in the front of their 'face' that opened to reveal more teeth than a shark's. Though they had the same art project reject look as the scenery, Tomoyo had a horrible feeling those teeth were very real. They were chomping incessantly, their gnashing jaws making the horrible sound that echoed through the room.

"Yuuno!" Syaoran called, and barely dodged the Invader that had decided to take advantage of his distraction. Himari's sword flashed past him, focused and deadly, cleaving off the Invader's arm. Syaoran managed to slap a jufu on his blade, wind bursting around him with a cry of "Fukka Shourai!". Wind blasted outward from him, hurling nearby invaders away and causing others to fall over.

"Gate, Open!"

Small, red knives with curving edges and designs flew, taking several Invaders in the head as narrow black razors tore through others like shot and beams of green light cut through still more.

Yuuno grabbed two of the figures and flew towards them, his passengers throwing out red blades and black razors. Another one grabbed the last girl and leapt, the arch of her jump impossibly long and smooth. Manazuru Miu landed amongst them almost apologetically, and let her passenger down. "Excuse me," she said as she narrowly skirted stepping on Lizlet's hand. Yuuno landed more smoothly, quickly raising two shields of his own to help Sakura cover them.

"Hey," Yuuno said casually as Syaoran and Himari fell back, regrouping and watching the black sphere warily.

"'Sup," Syaoran greeted back. "Yuuto-san, this is Green Lantern-kun. He's like you."

Yuuto's head snapped up at that, blinking at the boy in glowing green. "I thought Green Lantern-chan was a girl?"

"She's my partner," Yuuno said. "I'm the other one who does as much work but doesn't show up in the pictures as much. What can I say, the media are obsessed with pretty girls."

The Invaders had stilled, their outlines one and all fuzzing, before they seemed to leap, joining with the black sphere, which grew noticeably. It turned to regard them, its blank face somehow conveying malevolence and odium. Around it, the little paper creatures swarmed.

Sakura and Yuuno moved their shields between it and them, wary. "What are those things?" Syaoran asked. "Some new kind of Invader?"

"Hell if I know," Satoka said, a red blade in each hand. "Never seen anything like them before. Maybe they're the evil Paper Nuns from the Dark Paper Kingdom here to steal Paper Hearts?"

Sakura, Tomoyo, Syaoran and Yuuno all gave her a look, though in Sakura's case it was more a look of confusion

"What?" she asked unrepentantly. "That's the sort of thing that happens with Magical Girls, right? You pick a theme and you stick to it like glue. Can't be any worse than that evil circus Sailor Venus was yammering on about. That was a great party by the way."

"You're met Sailor Venus?" Rinko and Yuuto exclaimed.

"Rinko, young master, focus please?" Himari growled, her cat ears twitching.

"We have no cell phone reception here," Ayane reported flatly, tucking away one of her hundreds of cheap, disposable cell phones. "I can't connect to the Central Gate Engine."

"Aw, poor you needing to use your own Gate powers, just like the rest of us mere mortals," Satoka said sarcastically.

"I'm pretty sure none of us count as 'mere'," Tomoyo said pleasantly.

Rinko raised a hand. "I'm 'mere'."

"Exception noted," Ayane said.

A spot on the black sphere dimpled, making it look like an eye, and seemed to look at them.

"That's obviously a bad thing," Rinko said flatly, and everyone nodded.

Sakura and Yuuno exchanged glances and then turned to try and layer their shields together.

The paper nun-things attacked in a cloud, teeth chomping ferociously and catching the two by surprise. Kuesu and Syaoran sent fire at them, and they caught fire cheerfully enough, but they didn't seem to feel it, and if they did it didn't slow them down. Tomoyo's blaster was managing to damage them, but it took four or five shots to bring one down, and they moved too quickly and randomly to make that reliable. Kageyama's aim was nevertheless flawless, each of his black razor-like blasts bringing them down, but there seemed to be no end to them. Yuuno tried to keep his shield up even as he created a couple of giant fans to try and blow them away.

Tomoyo saw Sakura hurriedly wrapping the stone's chain around her wrist and using her now-free hand to draw out a Card. "Sword Card!" she called, her wand transforming into a narrow, elegant blade without dropping the shield before her. Sakura slashed at the things with sudden skill, each pass cutting them in half as the stone glowed from its chain, charging Yuuno's ring even as Sakura called more shields of blue light into being. The Card Mistress's face was contorted in strain and concentration, but she didn't flag, looking only determined.

From its position, the Invader shot out a concentrated beam of kinetic energy, slamming hard into Yuuno's shield, weakened from his needing to split his concentration. Sakura's also broke and she let out a sudden pained cry that made Tomoyo's blood boil even as she tried to rush to Sakura's side. Sakura's other shield seemed to waver, shaking as the paper nuns bit at them and bodily threw themselves against the barriers. The beam kept going, slamming into the last layer of the Shield Card… and stopped cold.

The Shield Card had no face Tomoyo had ever seen, and was one of those Cards, like its sibling the Sword Card, that seemed more concept than entity, but Tomoyo couldn't help but think the wing-like emblem at its front, with the large, cabochon feature that now suddenly looked like an eye, seemed rather smug. She gave it an acknowledging nod even as she caught Sakura mid-stumble, putting one hand on her shoulder to steady her while shooting with the other.

The Invader apparently couldn't hold its assault for long, but it didn't need to. Even as it's beam died, the paper nuns were rushing forward, trying to take advantage of the weakened protection the loss of Yuuno and Sakura's shield offered. Kuesu summoned fire and Syaoran wind, trying to clear them, to push them away, but while several caught fire, the sheer weight of numbers kept them pushing forward.

"Gate, Open."

The words were soft, almost reluctant, but they came with a sudden howl of fury as a wind– no, a gale– no, a storm suddenly burst to life in the midst of them, causing some to nearly stumble as a wave of air struck them from behind like a wall of cotton. Stumble as they would though, it was nothing to the tempestuous aerial maelstrom above them, which seemed to grab the murderous nuns bodily and threw them about as easily as any random paper in a hurricane. Isuzu Ayane stood among them, eyes seemingly wider than usual behind her round glasses and glowing with slowly spinning, concentric rings. Similar concentric rings turned above her outstretched hands, raised high to either side of her as they screamed from the storm each produced. The paper nuns began to swirl above them as Ayane, with what seemed like delicacy, angled the discs of light to make the air spin turn-wise around the enormous domed chamber. Some of the building-like features tore, or rather ripped from the ground, caught in the gale above them.

"Sakura, watch out for the Invader! Everyone else, follow my lead, concentrate fire at one spot and think of retro video games!" Yuuno cried as green anti-aircraft gun turrets appeared around him. "FIRE!"

Yuuno sent a barrage of green bullets at the leading edge of the cloud of paper nuns. Kuesu and Syaoran followed through with fire and lightning as Kageyama summoned an enormous gate, black razors flying while Tomoyo contributed what little help her gun could do. The paper nuns all flew through the kill zone, and were devastated, torn apart in huge numbers. The stream flew past the kill zone, but Ayane swung both hands, slamming the winds straight at them and gathering them in. They let out another barrage, blasting through the creatures.

The Invader's kinetic beam slammed around them without warning, forgoing trying to force its way past Sakura's shield and instead trying to blow up the ground around them. Kageyama kept his footing somehow, but everyone else was thrown off balance, their spells faltering, the gale dying. Yuuno managed to catch himself in midair. The paper nuns swarmed while he was distracted, the score or so left of them diving at them as the Invader began to roll towards them. Tomoyo, next to Sakura, hesitated… then grabbed the Sword Card in her hands. Sakura let it go hesitantly but willing, and it found slipped into Tomoyo's hand easily.

She had seen what the Sword Card could do. At the very least, it had turned one of their most normal classmates in a high jumping, high-flipping, sword-swinging machine that had been a match for Syaoran at the time. She had some small idea what to expect.

Knowledge suddenly flooded her mind. It wasn't abstract knowledge, like knowing how to swing a sword. It was muscle memory and instinct and reaction time and balance and how to stand and how to breathe and so many other things people didn't realize you had to learn. There was nothing fancy there, like manipulating chi or anything. It was all physical skill and ability and maybe an little enhancement, a little firming up. It all slid into Tomoyo's mind, finding the places that already had such knowledge and making itself comfortable.

Her eyes snapped open– when had she closed them?– and she dropped her gun as she leapt, holding the Sword Card as Tsukuyomi-han had taught, even as the blade curved slightly, the tip losing its diamond-like head and smoothing out. Tomoyo leapt up at the cloud of paper nuns, one eye gold on black as she swung. They flew at her, their huge mouths big enough to fit her head in and open wide, eager to rend flesh. One managed to sink its teeth into her arm. It felt like wet paper but bit into her flesh anyway, drawing blood even as she stabbed it through the head. She ignored it, letting instincts, her own and the Card's, guide her through the cloud. Her feet found purchase on them, the force of her footsteps sending them slamming into the ground even as she gained height. They tore at her skirts and tangled at her hair, but she didn't stop, rising above them with one last leap.

She flipped over even as they followed her up, a mindless cloud of death.

Green blasts, black razors, crimson knives, lightning, missiles of explosive compressed air, fire and blasts from her gun took the now-clustered paper nuns from behind, tearing them apart in a final wave. Those left she descended upon, the Sword Card spinning with beautiful delicacy in her hands before she landed lightly amidst a flutter of dissolving confetti. Instinct cried at her, and she dodged to the side as a kinetic beam struck where she'd been standing.

"Green Lantern-kun, I believe mass destruction is your area of expertise?" she called out.

"Um, actually, that's more her thing…"

Tomoyo gave him a look.

Yuuno sighed. "I guess we should finish that thing."

"Indeed," Kuesu agreed. "Then perhaps someone could explain what that thing is… and who you people are… and where are we?"

Everyone looked at the suddenly lonely-looking Invader.

"Core is in the exact center," Kageyama said, looking through a white gate spinning in front of his left hand, a black gate in his right.

They all charged.

The battle was as to be expected.

It was afterward, when Yuuno had managed to pick up the crystals the destroyed Invader had dropped, Tomoyo had sweetly given Sakura back her Sword Card and Kuesu had returned Tomoyo's blaster.

"Do we finally get an explanation now?" Himari asked testily, her cat-ears flicking.

"Of course," Tomoyo said guilelessly, opening her arms wide with a smile as Sakura fussed with her, healing her wounds with her stone. The bloodstains lent a creepy air to her pose. "What would you like to know?"

"What were those things?" Rinko demanded, waving in the general direction of where the last of the paper nuns had been.

"Who are these people, nano?" Shizuku said, giving Yuuno a hard stare until she was sure he was not another loli.

"Where are we?" Himari demanded.

"And what the hell is an Invader?" Kuesu added.

"I need to get back to the tea shop!" Lizlet cried, wringing her hands.

Tomoyo smiled, nodding acknowledgment at each question, then turned to Yuuno. Syaoran rolled his eyes. "Yuuno-kun, I believe introductions are in order?"

"Ah, hi there," Yuuno said, waving lamely. "I'm Green Lantern-kun, not to be confused with Green Lantern-chan."

"Really?" Syaoran said. "You're going with that?"

"Better than the other one," Yuuno said.

Tomoyo clapped her hands. "Don't worry Yuuno-kun, you'll always be Ferret Lantern to us!" Off to the side, Satoka snickered.

"As to who we are…" Yuuno paused a moment. "Um, well, I'm a superhero. Technically I'm space police, but that seems to be generally regarded as a form of superhero, so it's okay. I'm trying to get the term Mahou Shounen to stick, but you'd be surprised at how hard that is. Nazo-san and the girls are from a Mysterious Secret Organization who operate around the country and have branches around the world. They're allies of ours."

Kuesu gave them a suspicious look. "Are they also members of this United Magic Girls Association?"

"United Magical Girl Association," Miu corrected mildly, then blushed as Ayane and Satoka gave her looks. "Ah, well, it's rude to get it wrong…"

"You joined, didn't you?" Satoka said. "You joined at that last party!"

"Ah, well, they all seemed like such nice people, and Black Archer-chan was such a very good listener…" Miu said.

"You know a Black Archer is a pervert and was probably trying to get into your panties, right?" Satoka said blandly.

Miu blinked. "Eh? She didn't look like a pervert…"

"Perverts wouldn't be very successful if they looked like perverts, now would they?" Satoka said with a knowing air.

"Spoken like a true virgin," Ayane said quietly. Kageyama coughed mildly and turned his face away.

"What was that, you weirdo meganekko!-?" Satoka demanded.

"So… they're a boke and tsukkomi comedy troupe?" Lizlet said.

Kageyama coughed again, politely keeping his face averted.

"As to what those things were," Yuuno said, powering on through from long experience of topic derailments during even life-and-death briefings. The image of a paper nun appeared in the air, rendered in shades of green. "I have no idea. I've never encountered one before. For all I know they could be evil Paper Nuns from the Dark Paper Kingdom here to steal Paper Hearts after all."

"Not it!" Satoka and Syaoran cried.

"Dark Kingdoms are the Senshi's thing," Keroberos said, nodding.

The rendered image switched to the big ball and the Invaders. "The Invaders, however, we have more experience with. Basically, they are…"

Syaoran sort of tuned out the explanation. He wondered if maybe he should check on the idea Chisame had suggested about putting all this in a book or even just a pamphlet so they wouldn't get bogged down in exposition. Organizations handed them out to newbies, right? But no, no one bothered reading those the anyway, not even him. It took a special kind of person to read things like those and bother to remember them.

He eyed Tomoyo as they got to the first random tangent of the exposition— something about if they were a kind of Ayakashi, which somehow led to a tangent on sentient tea cups— watching as Sakura finished fussing over her and she began cleaning the blood on her arms with moist towelettes. She didn't seem unsteady on her feet, so with luck there hadn't been poison. Unless Sakura had neutralized that without knowing it. They hadn't tested in again poison, after all. He was actually surprised she hadn't worn some kind of bizarre, handmade bulletproof ensemble. She'd made Rin a bullet-proof, armored red sweater, after all.

They seemed to be getting through the Invader exposition and were going through the Q&A about the UMG(aB)A. He heard the shock as Yuuto was told about all the things that went bump in the night. Or in this case, all the other things that went bump in the night.

"Wait, you knew about this, Kuesu, Himari?" Yuuto exclaimed.

Himari shrugged. "It didn't seem relevant."

"Well, it wasn't about Ayakashi, so it's not any of my business," Kuesu said. "There are other people to deal with that, like the police, or the Shinmeiryuu, or those Go-Buster people who're on TV all the time."

"Kuesu, Go-Busters is a TV show," Rinko said flatly.

"Well, I'm too busy to be expected to know that!" Kuesu retorted. "That Gavan person can take care of it!"

"That was a movie. And also a TV show, if you want to get technical," Yuuno said.

"Oh. Well, what about that guy with the train who had Ayakashi possessing his body?"

"Also a TV show," Shizuku said. "And they're called Imagin." At their looks, she shrugged. "I like it, so sue me. I'm waiting for the next movie."

"But that's terrible!" Yuuto cried. "I mean, what's the point of making peace between humans and Ayakashi if there are all these other beings we keep fighting with!"

"Well, it'll still be a big help either way," Yuuno said. "The government is always open to not having to declare genocide on any of its citizens. They're technically Japanese-born citizens, after all."

"But who's working on peace with vampires and… and werewolves and Youki and space aliens?" Yuuto said. "And I cannot believe I just said that. Who's protecting them from Invaders?"

"Well, the vampire thing's not so simple because of the blood thing, and it doesn't help all those trashy novels keep having people the wrong idea…" Syaoran said.

"And I'm always on the lookout for prospective Invader Hunters," Kageyama said, handing him a business card. "The pay is good, provided you don't die. I pay by the kill. Please don't damage the crystals, we need those to change turned people back to normal…"

Yuuto numbly took the card, automatically glancing at it and putting it in his pocket.

"Well, that seems to answer everything!" Kuesu said brightly. "Well, except one last thing: where the hell are we? Is this that Makuu Space I've heard about?"

"Still a TV show, Kuesu!" Rinko said, exasperated. "Seriously, that's a retro show! Who the heck do you think it's real?"

"Well, there were these space pirates…"

"Still a movie!"

To Syaoran's sinking feeling, everyone else just sort of looked at each other and shrugged. "I have no clue," Yuuno said. "I was helping them on an Invader hunt, we were in the middle of a fight, then the next thing I know we're in Monty Python animation." He raised his ring. "I keep getting error messages, but they're the kind you always get when you're dealing with some kind of magic, and for the rest it's telling me we're in a warped space inside a sphere a kilometer wide. The edges read as attenuated, so we can probably get out by walking that way and going beyond the limits of the sphere, but…"

"But…?" Himari prompted warily.

"Spaces like this seldom occur naturally," Yuuno said. "And every war story, every scrap I've learned about Earth's magic, gut instinct, manga and TV show I've seen tells me there's something in the center of this maintaining it."

"That sounds like a vote to turn around and keep walking towards the edge and the way out," Rinko said. "Who's with me on this, raise your hand!"

Himari, Kuesu, Lizlet and Shizuku did so.

"Young master, why aren't you raising your hand?" Himari asked dangerously.

Yuuto was looking thoughtful. "If I remember from the news right, things like this aren't exactly safe, are they?" he said. "I mean, there were those paper things, and then the thing Green Lantern-kun thinks is in the center of this… this dungeon, the… the dungeon boss, as it were…" Yuuto paused. "We fell in here without doing anything. What if other people do too?"

Yuuno looked aside nervously. "My ring found a hospital gown and traces of blood and… bones. With toothmarks."

Tomoyo shuddered, her fingers tracing where the toothmarks on her arms had been, and Syaoran wondered how much of that was real and how much affected.

There was silence.

"So which way to the edge?" Rinko asked brightly.

"Which way to the center?" Yuuto asked quietly. "That's where dungeon bosses tend to be, isn't it?"

"Yuuto/Young Master!" the girls all chorused.

Yuuno gave him a look. "You sure about this?" he asked. "You're a civilian. You don't need to go."

"I'm the last member of the Amakawa Demon Slayer clan," Yuuto said with simple determination, and the Syaoran could see the girls hearts sinking. They recognized the tone. For that matter, he recognized the tone. Despite being on the other side of puberty, it bore a strong resemblance to Negi's 'walking into hell' voice. "I'm not going to let the people of this city get hurt. Not if I can do anything about it."

Behind him, the girls all sighed quietly.

"And," Yuuto said, sounding determined. "I… I want to join. I'm not a magical girl, but I want to join your association." Behind him, Kuesu facepalmed.

Yuuno smiled. "Welcome aboard," he said, holding out his hand.

Yuuto shook it.

In the end, it had been up to Syaoran, Keroberos and Sakura to guide them towards the center by the simple expedient of facing where they felt the biggest source of magical power that gave them the creeps was and moving forward, despite all the protests the girls with Yuuto made to the contrary.

"You don't have to go with me," he said. "It's all right if you want to walk towards the edge."

Himari had looked insulted. "I am your sword, young master," she said, drawing herself up to her full height, her tail lashing. "Where you go, I go! I just wish you didn't intend to go there. Still, if you insist on going to stupid and dangerous places, I'll go with you."

"Thank you, Himari-chan," Yuuto said through teary eyes, then sneezed. "Can you tuck away your tail and ears now?"

"No. It's your punishment for deciding to go to stupid and dangerous places." Himari said flatly.

They would have gone on walking in a huddled mess if Yuuno hadn't made the tank for them to ride about in. Lizlet and Rinko had leapt into the open hatch immediately, and if the others were a bit hurried themselves, well… it was a tank! Who wouldn't want to ride in a tank?

"You just dreamed this up, didn't you?" Tomoyo said critically. "This isn't based on a real tank. Is it?"

"Daidouji, it's a stretch tank," Syaoran said. "Much like the stretch Humvee and the stretch ominous black government van, I doubt it's a mass production model. It has cup holders and comfortable seats, for crying out loud."

"Yes, yes, but it's not based on a real model tank is it?" Tomoyo said.

"I think I saw it in a video game," Yuuno said, sitting in the driver's seat and proving it wasn't a real tank when the little joystick next to him turned out to control the turret, which had three barrels and a pair of satellite turrets to either side with their own barrels.

They managed to power on through, the anti-aircraft turrets on top that looked more suited towards point-defense of a battleship instead of a tank allowing them to shoot down the wandering paper nuns left behind. Kuesu had trapped Yuuto at an isolated corner and from the intense expressions both of them wore and their frantic whispering, they were either having an argument of the morality and necessity of this course of action or they were deciding whose turn it was to cook. Reasonable money put it just barely on the former. Kuesu finally ended the discussion by sighing and saying something whose very body language reeked of such tsundere one could imagine her wearing a red sweater. Going by Yuuto's relieved smile, it had likely ended in his favor and without the permanent or even temporary loss of a friend.

There had been some debate on whether they needed windows. On the one hand, the landscape outside was the sort of thing that Mr. Lovecraft was talking out of his ass about, the sort of wyrdness (worse than just normal 'weird') that made you nuts because you had to deal with the steady migraine of looking at it. On the other hand, even with the ring it was damned hard to drive around on just instruments and anyway, after the third time they nearly missed the rope bridge and fell off a cliff, Yuuno ordered everyone to start pulling their weight while he drove and keep watch.

All in all, Syaoran had been on worst road trips. That time he'd had to chaperone his sisters to Disneyland without his mother, to start with. At least this time he was allowed to us magic.

"I think we're getting closer," Keroberos said as Yuuno finished blasting apart a paper wall with a large paper door on it and began rolling through. They could have sent someone to open it, probably– the door had been slightly ajar– but no had been suicidal enough to volunteer and step out of the tank. That kind of went against the principle of riding a tank in the first place. "Whatever it is, I feels really, really close now. We're practically on top of it."

Yuuno frowned. "Say again?"

"It's nearby, really close," Keroberos said. "We should practically see it."

Yuuno's mouth screamed out the next words without recourse to his conscious mind. "ALL SHIELDS, POINT STRAIGHT UP!"

A magic circle was already above and below them when the giant fist slammed into the roof of the tank and shattered the turret and armor both. Fortunately, Yuuno had already stopped concentrating on the tank and even though it broke like green sugar glass, there was barely any feedback, letting him maintain his shield. Sakura's own blue shield followed a moment later, and then the Shield Card a moment after that as everyone else rolled away in all directions now that there weren't any more walls around them. Tomoyo grabbed Keroberos and threw him bodily to the side and away before Syaoran and she both tackled Sakura out of her seat and got the hell away from there carrying her between them.

Yuuno, finding himself alone, threw himself away at an appreciable fraction of the speed of sound just before the giant fist slammed into where he'd been sitting.

"Really should have seen that coming…" Keroberos said woozily as he pushed himself upright.

Above them, the thing didn't roar. That was probably some sort of breach of acceptable practices. Instead, there was a great, basso exhalation of air, like something had sighed with lungs the size of a warehouse, and a chittering sound.

There was this much to say for the thing; it fit right in with the décor. If the world around them were made of scrap paper, then the thing looked like some monstrous chalk drawing peeled up from some abandoned sidewalk and horrendously brought to life with either lackluster or deliberately artistic stop-motion animation, 'artistic' in this instance meaning the kind of art where someone pukes on a canvas with specially made food coloring and possibly a bad chest cold. Its shape and texture altered with every blink as if it was being badly drawn and crudely shaded moment by moment. For a moment, Syaoran thought it was some kind of elephant, but then it raised the fist it had used to crush their tank, and it was, in fact, a fist and not just a trunk with a hand on the end. It had three tripod-like legs from which rose an almost comically spindly waist, topped by a vaguely triangular torso. Where the head would have been was something that looked like the radiation-sick lovechild of a porcupine, a pineapple and a sea urchin. The chalk-rendered face can caricature tears painted on it, seeming to go up and down as if dripping. Something like a huge worm grew from one shoulder, and the enormous fist hung from the other, log enough to drag across the ground.

Syaoran couldn't keep a shudder from climbing up his back as screams suddenly seemed to erupt around them as the chamber found themselves in suddenly seemed to catch with paper flames.

They stood in a chamber big enough to fit two city blocks, with the ceiling far, far above. It was decorated in a parody of a typical home. Behind the giant, titanic stairs rose to some second floor, while to their right were giant shoes in two and threes. Syaoran made out a hallway next to the stairs, while to either side where doors sized to the thing that, if he had to guess, probably lead to the dining room and living room. They were even standing on a huge papery welcome mat. Paper flames danced everywhere, and the ceiling beams a long way up seemed to rain paper ash like dandruff.

Syaoran had seen a lot of weird things when he'd been trying to gain the Clow Cards. They'd been nothing like this. It was all so disturbing, a mockery of domesticity. He felt his spine trying to crawl out of his back again.

Yuuno erupted into the air in a blaze of emerald light, shining like a guiding star in that terrible place and washing out the strangeness of it with hard, cold, green light. Syaoran shook himself as a gigantic shark, with teeth made of chainsaws and frickin' laser beams shooting from its head, coalesced out of the air and attacked the tripod giant, which raised its huge hand protectively. He looked around, trusting Tomoyo to keep an eye on Sakura while he found the rest of their party. Satoka was already charging in, a red sword already in her hands, shaped not-unlike a surfboard and at least fifty feet long, slashing at one of the tripod legs. Kuesu was cursing and sending offensive spells at it as she backed away, but they didn't seem to be doing much good. Yuuto and Lizlet were helping up a downed Rinko, carrying her on their shoulders, with Himari covering their retreat. Miu had jumped off with Kageyama and Ayane in her arms ahead of them to put some distance between themselves and the thing.

Syaoran realized they should probably be doing the same, at least get some range so they could attack safely. "Sakura, Daidouji, we need to get mov– " His words died as he turned around. Tomoyo was kneeling on the ground both arms wrapped around a confused Sakura's waist, her head pressed against the Card Mistress' stomach. Her limbs were shaking as she kept muttering something over and over again.

"T-Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura said, alarmed and trying to shake Tomoyo's shoulder as if this would wake her up. "What's wrong? Please, we need to go." She tried to stand, but Tomoyo let out a cry and tried to pull her down, frantically babbling about not leaving her alone. Sakura looked pleadingly up at Syaoran. "What's wrong with her?"

The way Tomoyo's legs were curling up to her chest made Syaoran suspect she was going for the fetal position. He kneeled next to her. gritting his teeth and darting a look over his shoulder at the giant. It was a little on the small side but big enough to be called a kaijuu, a part of his mind decided before turning back to Tomoyo. Her eyes had a hollow, far-off look, and there was a black, tattoo-like mark shaped like a hand on her neck that hadn't been there before, growing steadily darker. He touched it gingerly, and recoiled, resisting the urge to hiss. There was darkness there, darkness and despair.

"Don't leave me," Tomoyo muttered, clutching Sakura tighter and Sakura winced. Apparently Tomoyo wasn't reining back her strength. "Please don't leave me… I don't want to be alone… don't leave me, don't let him take you away from me…!"

"Tomoyo-chan, I'm not going to leave you alone, only please let go, we have to run…" Sakura, panting a little as Tomoyo squeezed.

Syaoran knelt down and whispered in Tomoyo's ear. "Let go. You're hurting Sakura."

Tomoyo blinked, and suddenly her eyes didn't seem so blank and empty anymore. She shook her head, her grip loosening and Sakura let out a sigh of relief followed by a deep breath of fresh air. Tomoyo still seemed daze, and she didn't even protest much as Syaoran, with quick if slightly rough gestures, grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder, before turning around to run towards the others. Sakura followed at his heels. Keroberos was soon flying by them, as the worm-like appendage tore at Yuuno's shark and slamming it against the ground. Yuuno had managed to surround it with dozens of anti-aircraft guns but it looked to be shrugging off the fire, just like most every other kaijuu Syaoran had heard of. At least, there didn't seem to be much reaction. Its skin was exploding in chalky bursts, but it wasn't slowing down.

They hadn't even run far enough to delude themselves that they were a safe distance away when paper nuns stared popping into the chamber from a parody air-vent set high near the ceiling, from a vent along the ground and from out of the umbrella stand a a giant vase of paper flowers, their teeth gnashing. They came in threes and fours, not so numerous as before but still considerable crowd, and more than enough to swarm them. A group of seven honed in on the four of them, swooping down with mouths wide. Before Syaoran could try and slow down, Keroberos darted ahead of them, small mouth open wide to spew fire . The paper nuns burned away, others darting away from the heat as the ground shook from Yuuno fighting the giant.

They managed to rejoin the others, who were doing their own best to keep the paper nuns back. Ayana seemed reluctant to bring her wind to bear again, possibly because the shape of the room would make herding them as she had done before impossible. Himari was in the lead, glowing slightly, her sword flashing. Yuuto also seemed to be glowing, one hand on Shizuku's shoulder as the little loli drew water out of the very air and lashed at the creatures. Skidding a bit on the papery ground as he came near them, Syaoran shouted to get Miu's attention, then unceremoniously pushed Tomoyo into her arms before he turned around, his sword coming into being. He leapt forward to join Himari in keeping the paper nuns back.

They didn't have to fight for long. Tomoyo had become unresponsive again, her lips moving as she muttered to herself, eyes unfocused. Sakura had checked to see how she was doing before calling n the Shield Card again, putting them all in protective dome. The paper nuns bounced off harmless on the sudden shield, keeping them all safe for now. Yuuto instantly ran towards Himari, whose shoulders were heaving as she panted, while Syaoran got his own breath back and tried to take stock.

They were basically under glass to keep from being swarmed by a bunch of flying teeth. Okay so far, nothing they couldn't really handle, they just needed a moment to plan or for someone to get a bright idea.

Their most powerful member was fighting a kaijuu. Admittedly, it was on the relatively small side, but it was a kaijuu. Again, also nothing they couldn't deal with. Sure, it would be nice to have other big bang people with them, but it was doable. All Yuuno needed to do was make a big enough BANG.

They were with a group they've only recently met who they didn't really know except socially. Yuuno might have worked with the Gatekeepers before, but Syaoran hadn't. They also had one civilian and a group of people they'd only met that day, who while seeming able were still not people he was sure he could rely on. As drawbacks went, that wasn't SO bad…

And now Daidouji was down with some sort of curse mark on her neck. That was actually cause for concern, since he knew it took a lot to bring her down. She was too bloody-minded otherwise, short of tying her up… and she probably knew escapology, so no matter how much he tied her up…

He took a moment to shake that disturbing thought out of his head.

Okay, still, no problem. They could deal with this, they just needed a plan.

"Syaoran-kun! Syaoran-kun!" Sakura called.

He blinked, realizing he'd just been standing there staring at the paper nuns through the Shield Card like they were goldfish. He turned, heading towards Sakura's side. There was real urgency in her voice, and she knelt over Tomoyo, who was now curled up in a ball, and Rinko, who was holding herself and rocking gently, ignoring Yuuto at her side.

"Something's happening to them!" Sakura said, but Syaoran was already kneeling, reaching for Rinko's collar even as Yuuto turned to him. There was a black mark on her neck as well.

"It's some kind of curse," Syaoran said, aware this might be a tad obvious. "I can't tell any more. I've never seen anything like it before."

"What's it doing to her?" Yuuto demanded.

"Intensifying latent feelings of apathy, depression, despair, indifference, disgust, isolation, jealousy, nihilism, resentment, anger, hatred, loathing, self-loathing, and eventually suicidal and murderous tendencies," Kageyama said, kneeling down next to them and methodically checking the girls vitals, something Syaoran chided himself for not doing.

Next to them, Shizuku tilted her head inquiringly. "How do you know, nano?"

Kageyama reached up and flipped down his collar.

"Oh," Shizuku said. "Nano."

Kageyama released the fabric of his collar, but made no move to tuck the black hand mark out of sight. "I'm used to it. I felt the urge to eradicate mankind a lot while I was growing up."

Shizuku nodded. "I understand, nano. I've felt something similar for the past 200 years now, nano."

"Oh? How have you dealt with it?" Kageyama asked, sounding genuinely curious.

"I got over it, nano," Shizuku said, then leaned down to drape herself over Yuuto. Rather inappropriately, in more than one sense. "Having a boy toy helps, nano."

"I will take the latter under advisement," Kageyama said.

"Get off him!" Himari and Kuesu cried.

Shizuku ignored him. "What did you do, nano?" she asked.

"I conquered the capital, declared myself Prime Minister and blotted out the sun," Kageyama said.

Shizuku blinked. "Oh! I thought you looked familiar, nano. I liked your old sunglasses, nano."

"Ah, derailment. I can see you're going to fit in just fine," Syaoran said flatly.

Above them, green light burned.

Yuuno really, really wished his Device would arrive already, if only for the comfort it would give. While he'd never had good synchronization with Raging Heart, it at least had default attack modes. He'd never been very good with attack spells himself. Oh, he could do the math for them well enough, but his mind was better at thinking how to defend against them than actually using them. He'd depended on his mildly-illegal chemical detonation slug-shooter and whip all these years for offensive power. He'd only gotten Raging Heart some time before he met Nanoha, and only because he needed a Device to carry his travel information around in and make phone calls. The one he'd used before, an antiquated model last used by one of his dead grand-relatives had finally conked. Raging Heart was something his uncle (or was it his cousin? Fifth cousin?) had put together using deliberately overly-offensive-oriented parts in his teens and had merely had on hand for Yuuno when he'd heard about the loss. While he missed the convenience of being able to take calls, he wasn't too distressed about Raging Heart moving its affection to Nanoha (except when convenient for guilt-tripping). They deserved each other.

As for his ring, he wasn't bad at it, but he wasn't particularly gifted with it either, though he was actually pretty good at defensive and analytical constructs. Except, right now, he needed offensive power. And while he did better attacking with the ring now than he ever had with Raging Heart, even he had to admit his constructs were lackluster. Really, sharks and chainsaws were fun and all, but in the end, he had to admit he was just copying Nanoha, and not doing a very good job of it, either.

He paused a moment and considered how Nanoha would deal with a magical kinda-kaijuu.

"Ring!" he ordered. "Read archived design and load. Create Construct: Starlight Breaker!"

One thing the ring had on magic: you didn't need to charge up spells.

The prefabricated Starlight Breaker wasn't big or flashy or all that destructive compared to the ones its original designer could now make, but nevertheless its kinetic force was enough to blast the three-legged thing across the titanic hallway and send it sliding past the stairs to the door at the end. He threw up both hands, a magic circle weaving itself at his feet. The unaided mental calculations came easily to him, as easy as the violence and destruction Nanoha could so quickly offer. This was his forte. Around the kaijuu, circles in two different shades of green appeared, constructs and magic intermixed in groups of three. The constructs, more easily controlled, wove around single chains of magic to form a simple braid even as they lashed out, wrapping around the giant.

Most went to the Brobdingnagian arm, locking it in place, other distributing themselves around the three legs and the torso while a few wrapped around the worm head opposite the arm. One wrapped around the head and neck like a garrotte and Yuuno applied pressure, queasy but hoping to finish this. Most things died when you destroyed their head, right?

It came to him a bit too late this thing had two heads.

The worm-head snapped, and a headache ran through Yuuno as it bit clean through his braided chains, magic and construct both torn through. By the second might he'd reassessed and let them chains go, darting upward and away from where he could see the others on the ground, trying to at least lure it way. Apprehension pricked at him. He'd never seen anything that could go through both magic and constructs at the same time. Oh, the corrupted Defense Program had managed it, but it had done so with overwhelming force. This force was far from overwhelming. It had just bitten. That made him want to be cautious. He knew at least three kinds of anti-magic phenomenon native to this world alone, four if you counted Saber. If this was a fifth, then facing it with only his ring would…

He froze.

"Ring, power check!" he cried.

"Ring power at 19 percent," it said helpfully.

Damn. And it didn't look like that number was going up. He supposed he was out of the range of Sakura's stone. A flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye, and he spun, a whip of green light appearing in his hands as he instinctively lashed out. The paper nun tore, but the others behind it merely greeted him with mouths wide open.

"Oh, poot," Yuuno sighed as a green revolver appeared in his other hand. The whip in his other hand changed, gaining a whirring line of chainsaw teeth. This might take a while.

It was dawning on Syaoran that perhaps they needed a more reliable form of communication.

"I think he's busy," Syaoran said, peaking around the corner and watching the green light that was Yuuno as it flew around, pursued by the little biting things. "You better stop before that big thing notices us."

Keroberos stopped blowing fire into the air, panting. The two were hidden behind the giant shoe rack near the door, out of sight of the kaijuu. "Can't you just call him on your phone?" he gasped. "That's how I talk to Yue."

Syaoran showed him. "No reception," he said, feeling let down. You expected technology to be reliable, damn it! What was the use of a phone that didn't work in an alternate space?

Even as he thought it he recognized it was a petty thought. He glanced over his shoulder. Tomoyo still lay there, awake but not conscious and was clamped around on one Sakura's legs like a rather evil and feminine barnacle. Rinko was laid out on the ground next to her, having had to be restrained when she tried to kill Himari with her shoe. It hadn't been very effective. Kageyama was sitting off to the side with Himari close by keeping a watchful eye. So far he hadn't fallen into any dark depression, but that meant the alternative was murderous impulse, according to him. They'd found another mark on Ayane, but she'd said it was nothing to be worried about. She was a nihilist and misanthrope anyway, or so she said.

Sakura had tried to help them, which had been done by basically throwing blue light at them. Indeed, Kageyama and Ayane had both looked lightened somewhat, but the stone's power hadn't lasted long, and neither had the effect. It was the place, Syaoran thought darkly. The creepiness wasn't just from its look. It was also literally insidious. He could feel the subtle, corrupting tentacles of its magic on him. He could feel it trying to make him cranky, make him sad, or depressed, anything to start the slow, downward spiral into some dark pit, any dark pit.

It was even affecting Sakura, he noted helplessly. Her face was set in lines of distress as she kept trying to almost literally 'blast' away the curse. Her determination was becoming insufficient though. The blue light was fading, becoming weaker after every blast. Sakura's frantic attempts to coax it brighter, by concentration, by pleading and by hitting it against the floor like a defective remote control, were all ineffective.

"That's not going to work," Kageyama said, looking over his shoulder at one particularly loud knock.

"You don't know," Sakura said with a stubborn pout. "We don't know HOW it works, not really. Maybe you need to hit it with the right knock to reset it and get it to work right again."

Kageyama's mouth twisted into a sneer, but with a visible effort he got the expression under control, taking a few deep breaths as Syaoran moved between him and Sakura. "It's just as likely," he said slowly in even tones, "to break it."

"No, we tested that," Keroberos said. "It's pretty much unbreakable."

Ayane looked up. "If you tested it," she said, voice even more inflectionless than usual, "then relying on the results of the tests are likely to be more useful that striking it like a spoiled child."

Syaoran's eyes flickered towards Tomoyo, but she hadn't moved, not even to give so much as a dirty look. That was a bad sign.

Sakura glared– well, pouted cutely in a mildly annoyed way, but Syaoran was sure she was trying for a glare– but settled herself down, slightly rearranging Tomoyo's grip on her leg to get comfortable.

Syaoran stared at her, then turned his attention to Kageyama, and tried not to think dark pit-esque thoughts as while he attempted to put together a plan that wouldn't involve making Sakura do something that would destroy her.

Sakura hated it when her dreams didn't make sense. It was even more annoying when she finally got to what her dreams showed her and they STILL didn't make sense. She felt it was the universe cheating somehow. Granted, it was turning out her dream was more symbolic than anything else in this instance. And the others in the UMGA had cautioned her against putting her trust completely in prophecies and visions of the future.

She felt useless. Her wand was hard in her hand, full of promise she had no idea what to do with. What could she do with it that could help Tomoyo and Rinko-san, besides shield them? It wasn't like there was a Card for this sort of thing! Well, none she could think of off the top of her head…

She turned the blue stone over in her other hand, in its fine wire lattice of gold, its golden chain spilling out of her hand to hang beneath it. It was failing her again. It hadn't done that in a while, not since they'd done those experiments to get it to work, and she'd found out it responded to her feelings. And she didn't know why. It wasn't like her desire to help them, the thought that she could help them had diminished. It was just… just… it all seemed so useless. Even if she wanted to help them, what could she do?

She felt like crying, but held it in. No, this was not the time to cry! Crying wouldn't do any good! She had to be strong, she had to find a way to help, to get the stone to work, to… to…

She shook her head hard, gripping her wand harder. No, no, she couldn't think like that! She remembered this shadow non-feeling, this hellish prelude to the end of the world that was her own private torment. It was what had come to her when all the world no longer loved, no longer considered one another worthy of consideration beyond the most utilitarian and mechanical. It was what had come to her, the feelings that rose within her, these feelings and one other, when she had seen the End of the World as Clow Reed had envisioned it so long ago, as Yue had forced her to experience. It was what she had felt to see a place where no one loved anything or anyone, not even themselves. Horror and despair.

Her hand, the one that cupped the stone, shook, slumping as darkness whirled around her, a force the Shield Card couldn't hold at bay, insidious as a twisted song of seduction to non-being. The stone's light faded, slowly dying as Sakura felt something begin to mark itself on her skin as the Shield Card collapsed, its mistress no longer there to support it, taking the first step into a pit of darkness. Yet even as she began to fall, in her other hand, her fist clenched on her wand, and from the pouch that hung from her thigh, from the bright pink-dyed leather, lovingly hand-cut and hand-stitched by the very hands that clung in quiet desperation to one of her legs, light burned, brilliant and pink.

Her own power and magic, loving given, gratefully accepted, tenderly cherished, slamming into the dark power of this cursed place. How dare you! the light seemed to scream. How dare you touch our master so!

53 Cards exploded into the air, a glowing pink light of rebellion and fury. They spun around her in concert even as the paper nuns, no longer held back by a barrier, surged towards the now-unprotected group. One Card began to glow, brighter and brighter, the other cards around spinning around it as it began to shine, a blue aura flickering around its pink radiance. As one of the paper nuns dove down towards Tomoyo, the singular Card exploded in black light and a howling, sucking void.

The Hope Card stood, small but determined, once the non-existence that had been the antithesis of all of Clow Reed's greatest creations, her hair a flag of battle, her wings a declaration of war.

"Leave them alone," she called, in a voice that had once known only tears and solitude and now spoke as one in a chorus, as 52 other voices lent their words to her. One hand shot forth and like a string of black pearly the familiars ceased to exist, devoured by the black nothingness. There would be no return on the sunrise. There was no going back.

The Hope Card spread her arms and darkness settled around them, a perfect dome of black. Sakura saw all this as if from a great distance through a tunnel, even as her hand still held tight to her wand. The Hope Card turned to face her, the other Sakura cards, still glowing pink, spinning around them in a vaguely protective cylinder, an almost laughably futile gesture.

"Master," she said softly, coming down to kneel in front of Sakura. Her voice was dim, and strangely far. That tunnel again. Sakura struggled, calling upon that third feeling that had risen within her, just as it had during Yue's Final Judgment.

Defiance.

The Hope Card reached down, and picked up the fallen stone, cradling it in her hand as she offered it to Sakura. Sakura's hand rose, fighting through the weight that seemed to drag her down. It strained, trying to bring her down, then shattered, and suddenly she felt light again, as if the weight of the world had been taken from her shoulders. Her hand met the Hope Card's and between their palms, the stone blazed like a blue star around a vaguely goddess-shaped nebula. At their touch, Sakura felt a familiar power stir together, with a familiar feeling. She was suddenly bombarded with memories and emotions. An airport. A bear. A tearful good bye and a promise, a sweet, sweet promise of another day. She remembered these feelings, this beautiful tangle.

"This is… my most precious feeling," Sakura whispered, realizing her eyes were closed. She was crying. She opened her eyes, gazing at the Hope Card in wonder. "I thought you took it away."

The Card smiled. "I did," she said, gently lifting Sakura's hand from hers, revealing the stone. It had grown larger to about half again the size of a golf ball, its form uneven now and no longer so smooth. The wire and part of the chain had been set within it, like something stuck in amber. "I never said I would never give it back. Master Clow was always one for difficult choices, but he is kind too. When he remembers to be. The light and strength of that day, I give back to you now, when you need it."

"Thank you," Sakura said, meaning it for both the gesture and the rescue. "I don't know what came over me. I just felt so…. helpless."

Abruptly, she remembered she wasn't alone and turned quickly to see what had happened to the others. Ayane was hunched over, muttered to herself with a silent intensity that was a bit frightening, while Kageyama had cleared been knocked on the head and was now unconscious. Himari, who'd likely done the clubbing, was on all fours, a crimson light in her eyes as she hissed, stalking towards Yuuto, who was sitting at the ground staring at nothing and repeating 'my fault… all my fault…' over and over again. Kuesu was on her knees, crying about how she could "never be with Yuuto", while Miu and Lizlet was mercifully passed out on the ground, unconscious. Kero was on the ground, small again. Syaoran still stood where he had, but his eyes were unfocused, and he was muttering "need a plan, we need a plan, need to protect everyone, get everyone to safety…".

Sakura's heart ached, the defiance rising stronger within her. She stood dramatically, or at least tried to but Tomoyo's grip on her leg proved something of a moment killer. The Hope Card had to help her, with a more than a touch of amusement, and even then Tomoyo wouldn't relinquish her foot. Sakura no longer felt useless. Directionless, maybe, but not useless. But what could she do?

Well, perhaps she could stop wallowing in misery and going with the flow and start putting together what she knew.

And what did she know? Sakura struggled to think. She would be the first to admit she was no great genius who could figure things out in a snap like one of the Magi or (Ayase) Yue-san or Conan-kun on TV. Still, who was there to do anything? She could just vaguely see the green flashes through the black bubble, so Yuuno-kun was still busy. There was just her. So, what did she know?

"This place…" she said hesitantly, musing aloud. "It's like Kageyama-san said. It fills us with darkness. But I fought free of it… and the stone seems to help, at least a little. But why…?"

Abruptly, something Kuro-san said to her came to mind, a confusing conversation she hadn't really thought of.

"I think this stone is solidified hope. Hope, the emotion, somehow congealed and solidified as a solid chunk of blue light."

"Hope," Sakura said. "Hope takes away despair." She turned to the Hope Card. "Is that why you're here?"

The Card paused, then shrugged. "I… don't know. It just felt like you needed me. I do not know if my name is now my nature."

Sakura looked down at the stone, cupping it in her hands. She closed her eyes, letting her feelings pour into it. Her certainty that she would be able to help everyone, even if she didn't know how to yet. That they would leave this place, together and unharmed. That everything would be all right. The stone blazed with every heartbeat, becoming brighter and brighter, spreading its brilliance in all directions. Spreading it everywhere… so that only a little went to where it was needed, Sakura realized with a start. She narrowed her eyes, trying to get it to gather, to come together, so that all its light, its hope would go to one place and do the most good, but it didn't want to. It flickered and danced but remained free, free as a song on the wind, as boundless as…

"As hope itself," Sakura murmured, completing the thought. Abruptly, it all became simple and clear to her. Of course it wasn't going to go all in one place as commanded. To obey edicts wasn't hope's nature. Hope naturally went everywhere, spreading and becoming larger and larger, with every fulfillment forging new paths, every barrier something to overcome. No, you needed something else to direct hope. You needed… you needed… "A symbol," she murmured, remembering a shield with the letter S on it, and flags, and twists of ribbon, and little colorful cards from a little shop that were said to be magic and made you better at things. They weren't and they didn't… but they gave you hope and a direction for that hope to go.

She looked at the stone. It needed to become a symbol, something that gave the hope that it was purpose, meaning, and thus control. Hope, undirected and without purpose was just a good feeling. But hope towards a cause…

It made things change.

But how to change it? Into what? What shape–?

"I've seen this kind of material before, in another color. I've never managed to examine Green Lantern-chan's ring, but I have used a Power Ring. The White Ring that Archer-nii made. The Wolkenritter said that during their fight with him, he made rings in other colors. Red, yellow, pink… and blue." Kuro pointed at the stone. "Same texture. Same hardness. Different color. And I bet you if we can compare it to one of the Lanterns' rings, it'd be the same too, just green."

Sakura stared at the rock. Well, why not a ring? Kuro-san had theorized the shape added to the control, but would just any ring do? How was it done exactly? Kuro-san had gone on about materials limitations of both computers and magic, but how...?

Something bounced off the black dome. Sakura blinked, realizing she'd actually been lost in thought. Outside, Yuuno lay on the edge of the dome, legs in the air and head underneath, as if he'd fallen head-first from a height. Slowly, his legs drooped to the ground.

"Ow," she heard him say. A moment later, his fist was frantically pounding on the barrier.

"Let him in!" Sakura cried. A hole opened in the dark dome and Yuuno scrambled through with an alacrity that was more fitted to his ferret form.

"Sakura, can you power up my ring?" Yuuno asked a bit desperately. He was shaking, blinking his eyes as if trying to clear his mind. "I kinda ran out of energy and it was too dangerous to pull my lantern out..."

Sakura raised the stone, willing it to shine, to glow and replenish Yuuno-kun's power even as she tapped it to the ring. With a shudder, he collapsed into a boneless heap, the black mark on the back of his neck barely visible though his blond hair as his ring remained dark. Despite herself, Sakura stumbled back, then knelt down at his side. "Yuuno-san! Yuuno-san!" she cried.

"…not as good as her… not as good as her… not as good as her…" he was muttering. He blinked, his eyes gaining a flicker of awareness, before Sakura felt a pulse of something foul and he let out a weak moan, this light in his eyes fading again.

"Yuuno-san!" Sakura found herself crying. She could feel the despair trying to get back within her, to sink its hooks back in and pull. Sakura raised her gaze, wand and stone in hand as her Cards surrounded her. Above her, the looming monstrosity of the giant and its paper nuns towered over her, dominating her field of vision. Anger flashed in Sakura, a hot, red anger, and her defiance roared. No… no, she would not let these things hurt the people around her.

She'd seen this happen many times before on TV, in anime and manga, and had heard countless stories of it, but she had never done it herself. Oh, she had spoken, given comfort and solace and explanation, but she had never really done this before. She had often wondered why people did it. To her it had always just seemed embarrassing and kind of pointless. Why did everyone seem to do it so much? After all, when they did it, it was always so smooth and perfect and so…practiced, as if they'd spent time getting everything just right, and probably had a lot prepared for different occasions. But now, as the urge came over her, Sakura realized there was no practice involved. There was only you and the moment.

For the first time in her life, Kinomoto Sakura gave a Speech.

"Lurker in darkness, bringer of despair, I am Kinomoto Sakura, and I defy you!" she cried and in her hand the stone blazed, brilliant as the sky. It was a sky that would not let the coming of night banish it.

"You who bring sadness…"

From where she lay, Tomoyo let out a sound, soft and sad, like a kitten alone in the rain.

"…you who bring pain…"

Hope. She had used it to make the stone affect things, to heal them, to make things better.

"…you who bring harm…"

The giant's over-sized fist slammed down into the black dome of the Hope Card, sending paper nuns flying as its futile impact dispersed outwards,

"I will not let you do as you please!"

She had never tried to use the stone on itself.

"I am not just some girl!"

The paper nuns swarmed back, heedless even as another impact rocked the dome.

"I am a proud Mahou Shoujo of the United Magical Girl Association!"

She did so now, giving it all her purpose, her will, trying to make it understand, to comprehend that it needed to change, to become easier for her to use…

"I am the one honored with the name Star Wing!"

Both mouths of the giant roared and the worm-like right appendage descended, jaws wide.

"I am one trusted with the hearts of my friends!"

She needed it to be more than that now, to be as responsive as a ring, even if it was a different color.

"I am the heir of Clow Reed, the Mistress of the 53 beautiful Cards…"

The worm slammed into the dome, teeth scraping on its surface…

"And I shall shed my light against your black evil!"

She took all her hope…

"In the name of truth!"

The Hope Card gasped as cracks began to break across her dome.

"In the name of love!"

All of her tomorrows…

"In the name of friendship, and peace, and happiness!"

The black dome shattered as magic was denied and broken as if it were a mere illusion.

"In the name of justice, come and face me!"

And made it into a light, praying, praying for a miracle…

"The most powerful sorceress in the world!"

In her hands, golden wire snapped as the stone changed.

She remembered the words from her dream as time seemed to slow.

"In fearful day, when without light…"

Paper nuns swarms and disappeared into black non-existence as black spheres consumed them.

" With my heart full, my soul ignites!"

The gaping worm's maw came to swallow them destroying any black sphere in its path.

"When all seems lost in black of night…"

A sword the side of a building cleaved the worm right off the shoulder as Tachikawa Satoka, crying in defiance about how she was better than Ayane, came running from the other end of the giant faux house where she had been nearly forgotten.

" Look to the stars- for Hope burns bright!"

In her left hand, Sakura held a small, round, glassy thing, about the size of a tennis ball, open at one end like some kind of mosquito coil holder. On either side rose two arcs that curved out and then down along the spherical shape. A small mushroom-like flat disk stuck out of the top, as if a handle for two fingers. Within the shape, blue light glowed, cool and warm at the same time, bright and constant.

And around one finger, Sakura felt a ring.

One of the giant's three legs swept towards her, and the Hope Card threw a sphere of darkness in its path. Half of the leg dissolved even as the paper nuns came at them, some diving down at those on the ground. The round, glassy lantern fell as Sakura spun, fist closing and arm rising in a gesture she'd seen Nanoha do dozens of times. Saw them and let her hope rise, to surge. These things would not be hurting anyone! That was the hope. She would make it come true.

Light flared from the ring, and not just one but streams of blue light streamed from the ring, splitting and homing in on the paper nuns. Dozens of blue scissors tore through them, snipping them into pieces.

Sakura blinked. Well. That had never happened before. There was no time to consider that right then, however. The wand came up. "Windy!" she called. One card from the swarm of pink around her flew, touching the end of the wand and dissolving into yellow stands that came together into the first Card she had ever used. The wind rose once more, a gale that sent the paper nuns and pieces of paper nuns flying back. Others were taken by curved red daggers that spun like boomerangs, tearing through the creatures.

Sakura threw blue light at the giant, willing it back, sending her wish through the ring for it to be driven back. The light wove, forming a giant hand that shoved the eldritch, Lovecraftian thing. It moved jerkily back, two legs trying to do the work of three, a broken tripod. The Hope Card swept her hand andthe giant thing gave a discordant roar as two more spheres dissolved its legs, making them cease to exist. It fell on its back, the three stumps flailing as its right shoulder bubbled, jaws extruding as another serpent-like worm grew from it.

Sakura thrust her fist into the air. "Everyone, wake up!" she cried as the light exploded from around her.

At her feet, Yuuno shuddered… then his eyes snapped open, his gaze clear as the mark on his neck burned away. He leapt to his feet, left hand coming up and reaching, seeming to disappear up to his bicep before he made a pulling gesture, and suddenly he was holding a… well, a green lantern. He held his fist in front of it. "In Brightest Day, in Blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight!" he cried as others began getting to their feet. "Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power, Green Lantern's light!-!-!"

His ring flared with light as he glared upward, staring at the fallen monster. "Round two," he said, then look sideways at Sakura, surrounded in a shining blue glow, her own ring bright. He blinked. "Whoa… how long was I out?"

"I'll tell you later, Yuuno-san," Sakura said. "Right now, we need to finish this."

She leapt into the air, trusting to the ring as wings of blew light exploded from her back, and she felt it lifting her. For a moment, she let out a laugh. This, she knew. The freedom of flight, she knew. Below her, she saw a fading blue trail and a rising green one as Yuuno leapt after her, his ring announcing power was at 138 percent and rising. The Hope Card and Windy Card rose to her side, one in a roar of her element, the other with uncanny silence.

Yuuno's chains appeared again, binding it down as the Windy Card provided her own assistance, golden ribbons of winding to trap their enemy as well. Sakura sent masses of scissors at the paper nuns who had followed them. Below, the others were retaliating with sword, Gate and magic, the influence on them broken, though Sakura knew it would only last so long. They needed to finish this quickly. Sakura spread her hands, feeling her hope rise. She called on Yuuno's hope, of her Cards' hope, of the hope of those with them, praying they gave her their strength. Her ring blazed as she took her hope for victory, shaping it into with blue light. It appeared before her as a sliver, and then a line, until before her floated a glittering sword in shades of purest blue. Its blade was wide and light as the sky, its crossguard wide and curled bladewards. She thought she vaguely recognized it as she grasped it in her left hand. Her ring flared, and with a cry she swung her blade, sending through all their hope, all their dreams, all their wish for victory in this instant. From the sword forged of hopes and dreams came a roaring rush of light, a river of power that slammed into the giant…

The world began to ripple around them, and then it seemed to dissolve. Everything was breaking apart like wet tissues, moving in a roiling, collapsing wave. Reality began reasserting itself, taking them back to where they had been. Night covered the world now as something struck the ground where the giant had been with a plinking sound, bouncing slightly before spinning to a stop on the ground under the bridge, along an artificial river bank.

In the center of the universe, on the planet Oa, the Guardians in their citadel shuddered.

"There it is again. Anyone else feel that? I'm sure I'm feeling Blue being used somewhere…"

"Ganthet…"

"It wasn't me this time! I'm right here! And I haven't used blue in years!"

His coworkers gave him a flat look.

"Seriously, haven't used it since I kept that star from exploding on my last vacation, I swear!"

(Green Lanterns aren't the only ones subject to that vacation thing.)

One of them tilted his head, concentrating. "It's coming from Sector 2814…"

There was silence. Then they all sighed. "Aw, crap."

Another beat.

"NOT IT!" they all cried at the same time.

Yuuno landed and approached the fallen object warily. It looked like some kind of spindle, or possible a really short hatpin, done in shades of black. The spherical head held fine designs upon it. Inside the head looked like some kind of crystal…

Black crystal. Never a good sign. Picking it up carefully with a pair of tweezers, he sealed it inside a jar for later study.

Behind him, he heard Syaoran brightly saying, "So, that's our membership pitch. Do you have any other questions?"

Tomoyo would never forget that day.

As she rose from nightmares into a glorious light, the first thing she saw was Sakura, rising into the sky, wings of blue light to either side and flanked by two of her Cards, the rest of shining pink train behind beneath her. She had eyes for nothing else, only Sakura, the light and wind dancing around her. The eyes of the love of her life were more determined than she had ever seen, and absolutely indomitable as she held a blazing sword. On her knees, she had wept at the beauty of it.

The first coherent words out of her mouth, however, were, "SAKURA-CHAN MADE HER FIRST MAGICAL GIRL SPEECH… AND I DIDN'T GET TO RECORD IT!-!-!-!-!-!"

Somewhere in the vast, empty tracts of the universe, a giant blue bird flew through the night, listening for a call it hadn't heard in a long time…

- To be continued…

Chapter Text

Kinomoto Sakura of 2814

by Shadow Crystal Mage

Epilogue: You Are (Definitely) Not Alone

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in this story. If I did… well, this would all be canon. WARNING: MAY CAUSE HEAD EXPLOSION!

Welcome to the Club

"And so, we are pleased to welcome Crimson Blade-chan, Lightferry-kun, Tea-chan, Shizuku-chan, Twilight Moon-chan and Bloody Nailbat-chan into the United Magical Girl Association," Yukihiro Ayaka announced, not even stuttering at Rinko's rather violent choice of name.

"United Magical Girl (& Boys) Association," Negi, Kotaro, Yuuno, Syaoran, Mamoru and Shiro corrected.

"What they said," Ayaka said breezily as the boys all sighed at the blatant sexism and once more silently resolved to be taken more seriously. "And it is with great joy that we officially add them and Isuzu Ayane, Manaduru Miu and Tachikawa Satoka to the ranks of our organization."

"Hey, my name's supposed to be 'Unlimited Blade Works'!" Satoka protested.

"That term is taken," Chachamaru said gently.

Satoka scowled. "By who?"

Kuro raised a hand. "It's my final attack super duper finisher big bang spell technique," she said. "If you want, you can fight me for it."

Satoka looked down at the barely-clad little girl in front of her, who was smiling at her brightly. "You're actually a super-dangerous badass, aren't you?" she said flatly. She was a product of the modern generation, and had seen enough anime, manga and RPGs to know where this sort of thing usually went.

"Yup!" Kuro said brightly.

Satoka sighed. "Darn it, I thought no one would be using a name like that. Why can't I think of a good name no one is using?"

Yuuno patted her on the shoulder. "I know how you feel. Everyone keeps calling me 'Ferret Lantern'."

Satoka paused and smiled. "Suddenly, my problem doesn't seem too bad."

Yuuno sighed. "No one takes me seriously…"

Kuesu found her hand being shook by the armored girl with the bells in her hair.

"I'm so glad I'm not alone anymore," Asuna said, relieved. "I'm Twilight Red. Let's protect the dignity of the word against sparkly vampires together!"

Negi and Lizlet were, not surprisingly, bonding over a shared love of tea as his students glared at the new rival.

Shizuku was glaring at Hayate, Nodoka, Evangeline, Yue, the Narutaki twins, Sakura, Tomoyo, Fate, Nanoha, Alisa, Suzuka, Illya, Miyu and Kuro. "Damn it, nano… too many lolis, nano. My rarity value is dropping, nano!"

She jerked as Kuro put an arm over her shoulder.

"So…" Kuro said casually. "You smell like a dirty girl. Have you ever done loli-on-loli?"

Shizuku glared at her. "I'm supposed to be the only loli around here," she said petulantly, hissing. Kuro took note of her really long tongue.

"So tsun…" Kuro grinned, and Shizuku for some reason felt a chill go down her spine. "I'm looking forward to making you dere…"

Himari and Setsuna glared at each other.

"Cat bitch," Setsuna ground out through clenched teeth.

"Flat crow," Himari hissed.

"Himari, please don't.–" Yuuto began.

"AngelGARd, really, you shouldn't–" Negi said.

That was as far as they got before the two erupted into a ball of swordswomanly violence. People sighed in annoyance and began pulling out cash and handing them to Kuro, while others grabbed seats and made their own bets.

"Thank you, white ring future visions!" Kuro sang. "Easiest money in the world…"

We're Off To See The Guardians!

"Hoe…" Sakura breathed, awed. She been saying that all through the trip and taking so many pictures it was a good thing she had a digital camera.

"Sakura-chan," Yuuno said, spreading his arms expansively to take in the whole planet before them. "Welcome to Oa. Home base of the Guardians of the Universe and the Green Lantern Corp. The most ancient still-used police station in the cosmos, and oldest source of paperwork in known creation." He smiled. "Nanoha-chan's homeland."

Sakura giggled and half-expected Nanoha to make some kind of annoyed protest. The latter, however, had spread her arms and legs wide herself, as if wanting to hug the whole planet. Her expression was that of someone about to enter the most awesome theme park ever.

"OA!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!" she cried joyfully. "I'm ba-ack! Please take care of me!"

Yuuno and Sakura laughed as they began their descent while Nanoha did excited loops, twists and spins around them, urging them to go faster and waving at the other trails of green light flying in and out of the planet, many of whom waved back. The message from the Guardians barely half an hour after the end of the battle against the still-undesignated giant had very politely but firmly asked Sakura to come meet them at her earliest convenience, no rush, but would it please be sometime soon? Tomoyo had wanted to come, insisting she needed to film Sakura first setting foot on an alien world, but Nanoha had been quite firm on the subject. Sakura was surprised at all the traffic they met on the way down, at the number of people who seemed to know Nanoha. "Is she famous?" Sakura asked Yuuno as Nanoha split off from them to speak to yet another… Sakura supposed it was an alien… wearing something that covered most of it, usually in colors of black and green with a little white thrown in flying up from the planet.

"Kinda," Yuuno said, pointing. "You see that hole? The Great Oan Sinkhole?"

Sakura looked. It was a very big hole.

"She made that," Yuuno explained.

Sakura nodded. Yes, it seemed the kind of thing Nanoha would do. "By accident, right?"

"Mostly by accident," Yuuno allowed.

They exchanged sage nods of understanding.

The place looked like something out of one of the better-illustrated anime, with tall, imposing, futuristic buildings all over the place, and aliens as far as the eye could see. Some looked humans, with maybe strange eyebrows or pointy ears or bright skin colors to set them apart, but most looked very strange, like octopuses, dolphins, insects and trees. Still, Sakura noticed everyone had an air about them, a feeling she got more from her magic than her eyes, of genial good will and mild indigestion, like some of the police officers she's passed in the big city.

Many brightened at seeing Nanoha, making obviously greeting gestures at her and calling to her in their own languages, which her new ring somehow translated. Nanoha waved back cheerfully, exchanging words with them in, Sakura was surprised to notice, their own languages, telling them she was in a hurry, that she was due to meet with the Guardians. Many asked what she blew up this time.

In the center of the city was a gigantic version of the green lanterns Nanoha and Yuuno carried around. It dominated the view, and even though it was much smaller than many of the buildings, it could clearly be seen all across the city. Indeed, buildings seemed arranged to give people a mostly unobstructed view of it. It seemed surrounded by some kind of rippling force field, which Sakura's companions seemed to find odd.

They were not yet at the building they were aiming for, what Yuuno had pointed out as the Guardian's Citadel, directly in front of he giant battery, when Sakura saw her first Guardians. They floated around the battery and seemed to project the force field with their hands. Their appearance reminded her of wrinkly Smurfs in red nightshirts who'd lost their hats. Nanoha and Yuuno glanced curiously at them, and one of the two waved them along to the Citadel.

"Put the camera away," Yuuno murmured to her as they approached what was unmistakably a front desk. A four-armed Green Lantern sat there tending to several things at once. Sakura tried not to stare.

"Hey Salaak!" Nanoha greeted cheerfully. "How's business?"

"You appear as punctual as ever in your reports, 2814.1," the Green Lantern, Salaak, said. He directed an intent look at Sakura, who smiled nervously. "What's she in for?"

"Nothing," Nanoha said. "She just managed to do something that the Guardians want to talk to her about. It was in my report."

"Your report this week was 546 pages long," Salaak said blandly, then sighed and waved a ringed hand. Yet another display appeared in front of him. "Let's see… 'utilized blue-frequency psycho-reactive plasma'? What does that even mean?"

"Ask your ring," Nanoha said, in the tones of someone telling you to ask your mother. "When can we go in?"

Salaak waved them off. "They're expecting you, just go right in."

Nanoha smiled encouragingly at Sakura as the doors opened, and the three of them went inside…

Anthropomorphic Evil Guardian Intercept System

Tomoyo, smiling, slid the contract across her desk towards Kageyama. "I believe you will find my terms more than generous," she said. As he took the contract to examine it, Tomoyo helpfully expositioned for those on the other side of the fourth wall. "Given that Sakura-chan's new abilities will now figure heavily in your organization's strategy, I have decided to invest in your organization, including providing gear, research and development. Naturally, I expect you to put this to proper use."

"Proper use being we protect Kinomoto Sakura," Kageyama said.

"Naturally," Tomoyo said. "Any number of people can destroy Invaders. Only she can bring them back. As such, she is unique and irreplaceable."

"True," Kageyama mused. "And of course, you will be using us for your own purposes."

Smile. "My only purpose is to protect Sakura-chan. As long as you keep to that objective, I don't care what else you do with my money. Take over North Korea, for all I care. "

"Don't tempt me," he said good-naturedly. "And I suppose this condition is why we are to incorporate as a private security firm?"

"It's a reputable private business that will naturally require all the licenses you would need in any case," Tomoyo said. "It also provides the cover for additional manpower, as well as allowing you partial independence by taking on private work. After all, troubled ninja youths need careers too. And I have no objections to you using a portion of my funding as investment capital. You seem to have done well with that."

"Well," Kageyama said, looking at the proposed name of the business. "I must admit the acronym is rather catchy…"

A Certain Magic Railgun

It had been a perfectly normal day. Get up, wake her sister, take a bath, make sure her sister took a bath, get dressed, help her sister get dressed, put away her homework, try to finish her sister's homework on the way to school, make sure sister gets to class, run to class in time to not be caught by the start of class, be the dashing and awesome onee-sama of the school, have lunch, make sure her sister finished her lunch, beat the crap out of that Ushiromiya Eva bitch who was messing with her little sister, more onee-sama awesomeness, pry Kuroko off of her, hang out with Kongou Mitsuki, Suzushina Yuriko and Shokuhou Misaki at the Episodic Action-Drama Research Society (a.k.a. Toku Club), text her otaku friend Kirino about the girl's strange boy troubles, retrieve her sister from the Literature Club, greet Nagato-san, take her sister to Akiba, hear screams of help, transform into a magical girl warrior of truth, love and justice…

Oh yeah, this Puella Magi thing was awesome. The outfit was actually pretty cool, a black bodysuit with a red scarf and goggles with huge, bug-eye lenses. She wasn't sure what the miniskirt around it was for though. Electricity crackled at her command, and she surfed from one piece of metal to another, flying on electromagnetic waves.

The source of the screams soon came into sight. Though the monsters were to be expected, she was a bit thrown off to find the yelling was coming from Eternal Sailor Moon, who was screaming because her hair was on fire.

For some reason, all the Senshi started screaming when she announced herself and started helping out. Why did they seem to think she was going to kill them?

"It's nothing personal," Tuxedo Kamen-sama said apologetically afterward. "It's just that they think if a new magical girl appears, it means they're going to die. Or if they're lucky, only have a near-death experience."

"Why?" Mikoto asked, confused.

"Experience," Tuxedo Kamen sighed. "Painful experience. But it's our hangup, and I'm sure after they've stopped panicking and praying they don't die they're going to want to come over to thank you. Here, I'll start. Thanks for helping us out." He held out his hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite get your name a while ago."

Mikoto grinned and shook it. "I'm thinking of calling myself… the Railgun."

Tuxedo Kamen paused. "That's… the one where you launch things with a magnet, right?"

Mikoto was impressed. Most people thought it had to do with trains. But she supposed an awesome super hero like Tuxedo Kamen-sama would know about that sort of thing. "Uh huh," Mikoto said. "But I only use mine for good, of course."

Tuxedo Kamen nodded. "Of course. Welcome to the fight, Railgun-kun. It's always nice to meet new people."

Misaka Mikoto preened. Yes, this Puella Magi thing was awesome.

The Great And Powerful Guardians

Sakura looked up at the floating, wise-looking Guardians and resisted the urge to tap her heals together. It was all the green in the décor around her, she was sure. Yuuno and Nanoha had been dismissed once she was inside, and though both had looked at her in concern they had left readily enough. Sakura took that as a sign that these Guardians were trustworthy.

"Welcome to Oa, child," one said. Though their faces were sternly impassive, Sakura didn't get the feeling they were bad people. "So strange. For millennia, none from your planet has ever been part of the Corp, and now three at once set foot upon our world. Do you feel well, child?"

Sakura stared a moment before remembering her manners. "Ah, I'm fine, Guardian-sama."

The one who asked nodded. "Then let us begin. As this is not a trial, may we ask you to introduce yourself?"

"Ah, forgive me!" Sakura bowed. "My name is Kinomoto Sakura, Guardian-sama."

"Kinomoto Sakura," another said. "It has come to our attention that you have come upon a way to wield the blue light of Hope." They all stared at the ring on her left hand. "Ganthet, will you confirm that she has, indeed, done so?"

One of the Guardians, one with a balding head but a long white ponytail began to drift down to Sakura. "If I may child?" he asked, not rudely but clearly not willing to accept a refusal. Gulping, Sakura began to tug the ring off her finger to show it to him, but a blue hand coming to rest on top of her stopped her from doing so. His hand, to Sakura's surprise, was very firm and strong, but also gentle, and also much less wrinkly than she had expected. He gently took her left hand and held it up to his eye. To her surprise, he took what looked like those eyepieces she'd see jewelers use on TV and put it on one of his eyes, peering intently.

"Yes," he eventually said, letting Sakura go. "Yes, this ring is definitely of Hope. How did you come by this, child? We thought the blue rings had long since been sealed away, hidden deep within the bowels of Adara."

For some reason, some of the Guardians coughed delicately into their fists at these words.

"I didn't come by this, Guardian-sama," Sakura said. "I made it from a blue stone a friend gave me as a gift." Hesitantly, she began to tell them about The Hope Card, and the battle against the giant monster. She reached into her bag and showed them the small, delicate lantern that came with it, so small she could hold it in one hand.

When Sakura had finished, the Guardians were all silent. Finally, one said, "It has been a long time since this universe has seen the blue light. A long time."

Off to the side, a Guardian coughed something that sounded, translated though her ring, strangely like 'vacation'.

"You know what I mean," the one who had spoken said. He one turned to Sakura. "There is much hope in you child, to be able to gather so much of the blue light, much less shape it so. What do you intend to do with this ring, child? It is a great and terrible power, one of seven that exist, an equal to the green light of our Corp. If you wish, we could take it from you, and you can live as an ordinary human."

At the mention losing her ring, Sakura involuntarily stepped back, raising her right hand protectively. "I…" she said softly. "I wouldn't want that. I need this ring. It's the only way to help the victims of the Invaders. And besides, a friend gave it to me. It's very important."

Another silence.

"You must understand, Kinomoto Sakura," another Guardian said. "The rings were our creations. The power they possess is great, their capacity for harm limited only to what those who have them can dream."

"But you gave a ring to Nanoha-chan," Sakura said. "Don't you know what she does with it?" She made a mushroom cloud gesture with her hands.

This time several of the Guardians definitely coughed into their fists. "Yes, we know that she does–" another Guardian said, also making a mushroom cloud gesture. Her gesture, however, caused a small, illusory mushroom cloud to appear, as if for emphasis. "But she has proven herself worthy of tending such power. We trust her with it."

"And what do I need to do to be worthy? What do I need to do for you to trust me with my own ring?" It wasn't a challenge, only an innocent, straight forward question.

For a moment, the Guardians are silent. Then they began to drift away, rising upwards. As Sakura looked on in confusion, Ganthet gently took her by the hand. "Sit with me child, if you will?"

Sakura was fairly certain the little bench hadn't been there before, but she sat down on it with Ganthet, who straightened his robes as he did so and paused thoughtfully. "I discovered the blue light, you know?" he said after a while. "Among my people, I was the first to use it."

After a while, Sakura asked, "What was it like?"

Ganthet rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I kept babbling about strange things that hadn't happened yet and kept getting visions about what I'd have to eat later that day. I shouldn't have done those experiments on an empty stomach."

Sakura couldn't help it. She laughed, trying to stifle it. Out of the corner of her eye, however, she saw Ganthet smiling.

As she gets herself under control, Sakura realized what he was saying. "You know what the blue light feels like," she said.

He nodded. "Oh yes, I do." He glanced upwards at the other Guardians floating near the roof and leaned towards Sakura. "Between you and me, while I might use green now, blue is still my favorite. It makes people want to make things better. But we decided to use green instead, and in the long run, it's worked out."

"Why not blue?" Sakura asked, curious.

Ganthet looked at her. "Because it's so hard to control, to make it do anything. Most people need to be near a green ring to make it do anything really useful. Though I've always felt being able to talk to other people is all you really need."

Sakura nodded. "Hoee! Being able to talk to anyone and understand what they're saying is wonderful! I know Nanoha-chan thinks so too. She likes talking to people."

"Before she…" And they both make a mushroom cloud gesture.

As her giggling died down, Sakura looked at Ganthet again. "What do I need to do, Guardian-sama?"

"We have no right to tell you," Ganthet said. "It is your light and your ring. Do with it as you will."

At Sakura's startled look, Ganthet smiled. "Trust starts best with trust, child. I will trust you. And should you betray that trust…" There was a wink. "Your 'Nanoha-chan' knows where you live."

Sakura considered this, and nodded. "Thank you, Guardian-sama."

"And to help that trust along…" Ganthet said, rising. "Come with me child. Let me show you what that ring can reallydo…"

Boy's Club

"I hereby call this meeting of Boy's Club to order!" Mamoru said, rapping his knuckles on the table of the karaoke booth authoritatively. "Everyone, I'd like to introduce our newest member, Amakawa Yuuto-kun. Let's make him feel welcome shall we?"

There was a round of applause as Yuuto sheepishly smiled and tried not to look awkward. It was a few day later after the Association party, and Yuuto was finding himself feeling a bit awkward and guilty. The girls were probably worried about his disappearance. Sure, he'd left a note, but chances were the wind would blow it under the refrigerator, Tamamo would eat it, or the girls wouldn't bother to look at it. With his phone off, he'd be completely untrackable. Well, mostly untrackable. Who knew what the girls could do to find him? The fact he'd been brought to a different town would probably help in making him hard to find, but still. Misaki wasn't all that far from Takamiya City.

It was something of a new experience for him to be surrounded by boys his age who weren't angrily jealous of the fact Himari was unusually close to him. Everyone was perfectly nice however, apart from Gilgamesh's tendency to refer to people as 'mongrel'. The others treated this as just a minor personality quirk, though Kotaro would sometimes protest he was a wolf, not a dog.

Yuuto felt mildly awkward about using the booth's singing facilities at first, but seeing Kotaro's enthusiasm as he mangled the opening lyrics for some Kamen Rider show was enough to break the ice. In truth, Yuuto was a bit surprised at how age-diverse the group was. Zafira-san, Harry-san and Lancer-san looked well into their thirties, though the scars on Harry's face made him seem older. Negi, Kotaro, Syaoran and the absent Yuuno– It was a pity Yuuno-kun couldn't be here, but apparently he was in space to talk to his alien overlords, or something– were on the younger end of the scale. He'd thought the same of Chrono, and had been surprised to learn the other boy was fourteen. He seemed so young.

Yuuto had been mildly concerned that the Boy's Club would be about them getting drunk on tea and misogynistically bitching about the women they knew, but he'd been relieved that wasn't the case. "It's just that being outnumbered like that can be a bit... overwhelming," Mamoru said.

Kotaro clutched a fist. "That's right! Sometimes men need to be men, darn it!

"Here, here!" Kuro and Haruka cheered enthusiastically.

"Could you please pass the tea, Negi-sensei?" Sakurazaki Setsuna asked

Yuuto was still trying to wonder what they were doing here. "I thought this was Boy's Club..." he ventured hesitantly.

"So?" Kuro said dismissively. "It's also called the Magical Girl Association. I've got girl troubles and problems of the heart too! I belong here as much as anyone!"

"We women have woman problems too, you know," Haruka said, leafing through the song book as Setsuna blushed, muttering denials. "Sometimes you need to be with your friends without the girlfriend. I love my girl but honestly, being in a committed relationship is tough."

"Yeah," Shiro, Zafira, Chrono, Mamoru and Kotaro sighed. Syaoran looked at all of them like they were insane.

"While all the sexy-times are fun–" Zafira said as Shiro blushed and mumbled something.

"Very fun," Haruka agreed as Kuro gave her a jealous sideways glare and Artemis, sitting on the table, nodded sagely.

"– sometimes you just wanna relax with friends," Zafira finished.

"You mean you want to rub it in our faces we're single," Harry said blandly as Kero pigged out on the chips they'd smuggled in using the Gate of Babylon ("My great Noble Phantasm is not a means of smuggling food!").

"That too," Mamoru admitted.

"What's so tough about being in a committed relationship?" Syaoran asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"Oh, you wouldn't understand," Kuro said. "After all, you got the most perfect girl to be in a relationship with in the universe! She's not even jealous when you see her best friend naked! She's not even mad! She's just okay with it because she trusts you two!" Artemis, Yuuto, Mamoru, Haruka and Chrono shot him jealous looks. Setsuna looked like she wanted to say something but kept quiet.

"I will trade you– no, no I won't, I won't trade you anything from my relationship, because Sakura is wonderful," Syaoran said, sounding a bit smug. "But even as great as our relationship is, would you really trade the problems you have for the chance to eventually be murdered by Tomoyo?"

Negi frowned. "She's not really that bad..." he said halfheartedly. Everyone looked at him. He shut up.

All in all, it was a fun evening. Yuuto was actually enjoying himself before they heard the first rumor about the vampire murders. And that was when the differences between hanging out with normal people and hanging out with the Boy's Club (plus Haruka, Kuro and Setsuna) became apparent. His normal circle of friends would have dismissed it as crazy stories. Once, he would have as well until Himari disabused him of the notion, at which point life-endangering shenanigans would ensue. Nowadays he'd internalize his shock and act weird all the way home until he talked about it with one of the girls, at which point he'd worry until they did something about it. At that point even more dangerous life-endangering shenanigans would ensue, possibly several times in a row.

With the Boy's Club, however, Harry-san said, "Hey, wanna go vampire hunting?"

This all eventually spiraled into a week-long incident that led, a couple of weeks later, to Tohno Shiki being inducted into the Boy's Club, sighing about maids, nuns and adopted sisters, and Kuro finding a new friend in Tohno Akiha and Kohaku. Yumizuka Satsuki was the nicest vampire they could ever meet, certainly much nicer than Evangeline, and the Boy's Club's battle against Nrvnqsr Chaos and Roa had been epic. Perhaps one day we'll even tell you about it.

Eventually, Yuuto decided his new friends were totally worth all the new near-death experiences.

Just Won't Die

Somewhere in Takamiya City, a paper nun flew through the darkness, subtlety altering the world around it. One leg was missing, as if cut off by gigantic scissors, but it was not impaired.

Eventually, it reached a cram school and began to feed…

The despair was delicious.

Seduction of the Innocents

Cassandra Doe, or so she was called, followed the smiling girl into the hidden underground bunker. It was a minimalist affair, with glowing white fluorescent floor, wall and ceiling panels, as if someone was making a not-particularly-imaginative movie set. Except for the doors, the room was empty of features but for a bed and a clear glass case. Or was it a closet?

Her classmate Hakase waited in the room, smiling a bit too brightly and thinking guilty thoughts of the kind she usually only did when watching her girlfriend Sakurako doing cheers, at PE, or wearing a swimsuit.

"Chao, are you sure this is a good idea?" Hakase said. "I mean, sure I got off the hook with the faculty over the Mahorafest thing, but if they found out I'm working with you again–"

"Don't worry, Hakase-chan!" Chao said, smiling deliberately in a way that she knew would have Hakase's heart all aflutter. Cassandra really couldn't understand her classmates, for all that she could all but read their minds. "I'm just asking you to be caretaker of some stuff. It's not even all that advanced! Wayne Enterprises has stuff just like it in beta as we speak. Technically, you'll be working with Cassandra-san."

Cassandra tilted her head, eloquently expressing her skepticism as to why the girl would think that.

Chao smiled. "Because I have a proposition for you, Cassandra-san. Tell me, have you been feeling… bored? Drifting? Unfulfilled?"

Cassandra made no reply, physically or otherwise.

"I know you train with Kaede-chan, Setsuna-chan, Kotaro-kun and Ku-chan," Chao said, still smiling, even though Cassandra could tell she was in constant low-level pain. "After all, it's really all you have to communicate with people, right? Words can be so unreliable, after all. Even as I'm talking, you're not really using your ears to listen to me."

Despite herself, Cassandra tilted her head in interest.

"You like it in 3-A, don't you, Cassandra-san? You like having all these normal, weak people around you mixed in with the strong, interesting people," Chao said, obviously making an effort not to pace around Cassandra. "You like having a normal life. And even though you have some distance between you, it's nice to meet people you can relate to, a little, right?"

She wanted something.

"You'd probably have more to talk about if you have common interests, you know," Chao continued, subtle as a brick. "Like that Magical Girl vigilantism some of your classmates have going on. Going around town, patrolling, protecting people…"

Chao raised one hand, clicking on a control, and the closet/case opened. In it hung a black body suit, a utility belt, grappling rope equipment, and a dark purple, hooded cloak.

"If you want, I can help you get involved with the hobby," Chao said as Cassandra glanced at the open case. "You'd probably enjoy it! Fresh air, healthy exercise, lots of people to 'talk' to..." Chao smiled wider. "You might even meet someone interesting!"

Cassandra gave her a bland look. "Why is everyone always obsessed with sex?" she vocalized. Then, because the months had been sinking in and making her a 3-A girl, she added, "It's not Negi-sensei, is it?" Honestly. Once she realized what that was about, she really couldn't see the appeal.

Chao waved a finger. "Ah ah ah! I can't tell you that… that would be a… spoiler…"

Cassandra gave her another long look, then shrugged. Eh, why not. It might be interesting to hear what this girl wanted her to do, because of course she wanted Cassandra to do something. She could just quit if she didn't like it…

Home

Lee Syaoran sighed as he closed the door to his room, leaning against it for a moment, eyes closed. "Home, sweet home," he muttered. Back to his home address, ready for another year of attending the local school, learning more of the family magic and picking up the ropes of the family business interests. True, he'd already arranged for one of the Association teleporters to pick him up next weekend so he could join up with the rest of the Boy's Club to go fishing, but it was the principle of the thing.

He opened his eyes, glancing at the table where his inbox lay. There was a stack of mail there, official correspondences, junk mail, some magazines he was considering canceling, a box that looked like it had gone through hell to get here… yeah, all that could wait.

Syaran sorted through his bags, sending off the laundry and refolding the rest back into his closet so they'd be the first to be used next time, and began planning what to pack, if any, for the next weekend. He put his sowrd back in its customary place in the umbrella stand next to his bed. Technically, he had a rack on his desk he was supposed to put it in, but the umbrella stand was more convenient, a gag gift from one of his cousins. It was some time before he got to the box.

He barely recognized cousin Sandra's handwriting in the midst of the stains, sand, blood and vaguely-Arabic– Egyptian?– writing on it. Inside was a note that was along the lines of, "Merry Christmas. Have a paperweight". Bemused, he examined the box's contents, a roughly hand-sized blue carving of a scarab beetle, highly stylized ad actually a bit minimalist. It was, indeed, the ideal size to be a paperweight. It also tingled slightly with magic, but he doubted that had been part of cousin Sandra's considerations when buying it. She didn't have magic, and she regarded chi as cheating in her quest to be the best, most skilled martial artist and killer in the world. For which they were all thankful, else Superman-sama might be dead by now. Still, the magic was vaguely interesting. He'd have to examine it later, though it likely wouldn't amount to much. Lots of ancient crap had magic on it, if for no other reason than that they were so old. It was one of the stranger aspects of Nasurian magic that encroached on a lot of the other styles. He wasn't sure why, he wasn't a metaphysical engineer.

Still, it did make for a pretty good paper weight. He set it on his desk, and began answering his snail mail. It was still there when he eventually left the room. When it disappeared a few days later, he didn't even notice, since that morning he woke up with a strange tingly itch on his back and began hearing the strangest chittering sounds no one else seemed to hear…

Jackpot

The car was burning.

Tomoe Mami could feel the heat of the flames, smell the sickly, plastic smell of the car's components beginning to melt, the disgusting roasting smell as her parents burned, and knew she was going to die.

Hello.

She looked up, and saw through a haze of tears a white face with brilliant, blood-red eyes.

Would you like to be saved?

And so, Mami Tomoe, as dozens of girls had done before her in the past months, made a contract.

What's In A Name?

"'Bernkastel' is a stupid name, Rika-chan. It's a place in Germany!"

"They make good wine! And like 'Lambdadelta is any better? It's just your name in Greek, Miyo-chan!"

That night, they murdered 18 people, each in a closed room it would have been impossible for a killer to enter or leave. Afterwards, hand-in-hand, they made love to each other as Puella Magi for the first time…

New Coworkers

"And that's why you're paying for this drink," Kilowog finished, holding up the plastic– Yuuno supposed it was plastic– mug of the pink, fizzy, foamy, fermented honey-equivalent that on Kilowog's planet was the local equivalent of beer. Or possibly cola. "You messed up the entire training curve sending this one in loaded up like that!" he jerked his chin at Yuuno. "Are you trying to get my job?"

"Of course not, Kilowog-sensei!" Nanoha protested from across the round table they were sharing in the corps commissary. Truth be told, Yuuno had heard there were more popular hangouts on Oa, like that bar 'Troubleshooter's', but Nanoha liked the commissary food, and it wasn't like Yuuno had anywhere else to go, so he'd followed her. That was where Kilowog had found them, eating blue Rirhath jimbella fruit pies and chocolate smoothies. Apparently chocolate, like symmetrical biped vaguely-humanoid life, was everywhere. "It's just we were in a crisis situation, and I needed to get him up to acceptable combat levels!"

"So you did…?" Tomar-re asked, popping a live grub into his beak.

"Oh, just an adaptation of a local training regimen a l-local training expert put me through," Nanoha said. Yuuno had to give her credit, her eyes didn't go glassy with terror at all that the thought of Evangeline.

"He's doing it again," Ch'p said, and Yuuno realized he'd curled up in the fetal position again.

"Sorry, reflex," he said, straightening looking down at his blue-stained plate and wondering if he had any room for more pie.

The three non-human Green Lanterns exchanged glances that Yuuno clearly recognized as their variations on Chrono's 'crazy Earth people' look.

"Well, so long as you never do it again," Kilowog said with jovial gruffness. "Otherwise I will give you my job, and we'll see how you like it!"

"Warning," Yuuno's ring said. "Power levels are rising beyond 100%."

"Sakura-chan!" Nanoha cried, perking up and looking around, a viewscreen appearing in front of her as she scanned for the other girl. It didn't take long to find her. She entered followed by a hush that might have had something to do with the Guardian floating next to her, his red robes rippling. Sakura herself was much-changed. Gone was the dress she'd been wearing when they'd flown in. Instead, she wore a blue and black bodysuit mostly of the style that was the essential 'generic' template most Lanterns started with before they began customizing. She'd already started on that, adding a blue wrap skirt, possibly since she felt self-conscious, and what looked like a small blue poncho. In the center of the poncho over hear heart, however, was a different symbol from the one the corps employed and also greatly customized. Instead of the circle and parallel lines (or sometimes circle and fins, or square and line, or however it had been artistically interpreted within reason), it was a circle, the lines above and below slighting apart and connected to the main body by shorter lines, while to either side to curling 'arms' ran parallel to the central circle. The shape was also vaguely lantern-like, although one that looked like it was about to give you a hug.

For some reason, glowing blue wings trailed blue sparks behind her as a halo spun over her head.

"As you were," the Guardian told the room in general, which did almost nothing but get people to start eating again and watch out of the corners of whatever they used to see as the two walked– or in the Guardian's case, floated– towards Yuuno and Nanoha's table.

"Nice look," Yuuno said. "Although you realize Tomoyo is going to go nuts designing something for you. Several somethings, most likely."

Nanoha was more physical. "Sakura-chan!" she cried happily leaping up and enfolding the other girl in a hug. "Did it go well? What did the Guardians say? Are you some kind of 'Blue Lantern' now?"

"Hoe…" Sakura laughed. "I don't know about that. But it's been great! Ganthet-sensei has been teaching me how to use my ring! I can do all sorts of things with it now." Her face screwed up in an adorable manner and light shot from her ring, shaping itself in a practiced manner into a small, adorable kitten.

"Kawaii!" Nanoha squealed, reaching over and petting the construct, which purred.

"Kinomoto Sakura has been a most able learner," Ganthet said, voice as Guardianly neutral as always but clearly approving. "She has shown great affinity for her light. We have spoken about what is to be done with her. The universe has long been bereft of the Blue. It is perhaps time to change this. Kinomoto Sakura has expressed an intention to use her new-forged power to work for the betterment of her fellow sentient beings, and so it has been decided that we shall aid and sponsor her in this endeavor. Though she will not be directly answerable to Oa, we have allowed her a connection to the memory of the Main Power Battery for her own reference. We would ask the officers of sector 2814 to provide her as much support as they can spare."

"Of course Guardian-sama," Yuuno said. "We'll do all we can to help Sakura."

Or else Tomoyo will kill us, he thought.

"That extends to all the Corps," Ganthet said, pitching his words deliberately at the crowd that had clearly been listening. "Though she does not wear or colors, she intends to work towards the same purpose. Though it is unlikely in the immediate future, Kinomoto Sakura of 2814 might someday find herself in your sector. I expect you provide her the cooperation and support you would offer, if not a fellow Lantern, than a kindred spirit who fights evil." There was a murmur around the room as affirmatives were given, though some were silent, studying the strange human in blue. Many were looking at their rings, plainly wondering why power levels were rising.

"This calls for a celebration!" Nanoha declared. "How do you feel about blue pie?"

Deus Ex Machina

Alicia Testarossa smiled to herself she watched the three, sight unseen, fly back to Earth, two green trails accompanying a slightly wider blue trail as Sakura flew through space unaided for the first time, glowing wings of energy at her back. It was a beautiful sight, though her partner was mildly irritated at the sight of the blue wings. A reminder of old failures.

Did any of them wonder why the stone had taken the form of a ring? After all, the link between rings and greater control was strictly arbitrary. In that moment, it could have taken any form. In fact, when she had intervened, the stone had been about to take the form of a double of Sakura's Wand. It had been her nudge that made caused it to become a ring, based on the nearest available template: Yuuno's. It had been a small thing, that change. But then, atoms were small things. And she'd heard from her mother, so long ago, that if they were the slightest bit different the whole universe as they knew it would be greatly altered.

Small differences built up, after all.

Besides, a small gesture was all she was allowed to make to pay back the girl for the nightmares she had given her that had led her to change the foreseen fate at the battle against the Defense Program.

"Thanks for helping keep my little sister safe," Alicia said, and was gone to get back to her job dispensing wrath. A measured, orderly, well-thought out wrath, to be sure, but wrath nonetheless.

With Violet Light

Tomoyo finished doing a hundred strokes brushing her hair before she began twisting it over her shoulder to make a braid. Her room was dark, to best get her in the mood to sleep rather than posting on the internet all night long. Outside her door, she could hear her security detail changing shifts and glanced sideways to check that her katana was within reach. They would be switching shifts outside as well, and it would be the best time to conduct some sort of infiltration run into the mansions grounds.

Finishing her braid, she secured it with a ribbon as she stood to go to bed. As she passed by a window, something caught her eye, a tinkle of light. She turned to face it, wondering if it was one of her new associates coming for a midnight visit or something more sinister she had to report to her guards when the panes of one of her windows broke, the bullet-proof glass shattering as easily as sugar. Tomoyo was thrown back as a glowing purple, almost pink crystal slammed into her heart.

"Daidouji Tomoyo of Earth…" she heard as she lay there, stunned. "Your heart burns with love. Rejoice, for you have been chosen."

"Welcome, Star Sapphire of 2814."

As Tomoyo lay there, stunned, she heard herself begin to laugh…

Material Evidence

Hayate smiled in beatific pleasure as she sat the head of the table, her family before her. It had been rare in the past few months, what with the paperwork and most of the Wolkenritter being Shanghaied into the TSAB, but at last, tonight they could sit together and eat as a family. She and Reinforce had slaved all day to prepare dinner, chopping up ingredients, watching the stove and carefully preparing each and every serving. The two of them had made everyone's favorites, and had even stashed some Chocolate Overkill Omnicide in the freezer for afterwards, since the orgasm sounds Vita made when she ate it amused her. And because it was Vita's favorite dessert, of course. She'd even be generous and pretend to turn in early so the five of them could have an orgy in the living room while she listened from upstairs. Yes, there was nothing like good family bonding time…

The phone rang. She briefly considered blowing it up as it shattered the peace of their happy family togetherness time.

Shamal, who was closest, stood from the table to answer the call as Hayate reminded herself that the phone was also a valued member of the household and didn't deserve to be blown up like one of Nanoha's targets.

"Hello?" Shamal said as Hayate nodded happily to herself and went back to eating her stir-fry. "Oh, yes, Vita-chan's right here admiral. Yes, so is Signum and Zafira. Why do you ask… What."

The last word was spoken in utter flatness that made everyone look up.

Shamal turned towards the rest of them. "Apparently, someone who looks a lot like Vita just attacked Chrono-san. When Fate-chan flew to help him, someone who looked like Signum-chan attacked her. And the Asura's been picking up energy readings from where the Defense Program was destroyed."

Everyone looked at Hayate, who looked forlornly at the food in front of them. The beautiful, beautiful food.

"I should have blown up the phone," she sighed.

- To be continued… in  Takamachi Nanoha of 2814: LeaguerS