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Times Change
Prologue Past For first time in two years, eleven year old Syaoran Li was climbing up the steps of his ancestral home in Hong Kong. A crashed resounded from inside. Concerned, he rushed up to the door and heaved it open. The only thing left intact were his memories. Broken furniture and ornaments littered the rooms. Decorum had been the least of the assailants concerns. He tripped over his fourth sister, the youngest, lying across the entrance, a grotesque rendition of a welcome mat. Her attackers were good. They had cut her throat, leaving no other marks on her body. The blood was splashed everywhere. Time slowed, and reality took on a surreal aspect. His third sister, the family librarian, lay in the next room, her neck broken, eyes open in terror. The smell of burned hair permeated from the hallway. At the base of the stairs, Syaoran found the source. The eldest sister had been second to only him in magical power. Judging by the severe burns on her body, and scorch marks on the wall, her attacker had outmatched her as well. His second sister, mistress of arms, had chosen the high ground, the top of the spiral staircase. Her sword lay against the wall, her crushed body dumped next to it as an afterthought. Syaoran looked to his mother¡¦s room. Someone had made that noise. Opening the bedroom door resulted in a groan from the broken bed. Lady Li¡¦s white robes, symbols of her matriarch status, were stained red. He rushed to her side and called her name. ¡§Little wolf,¡¨ matron mother gasped as her eyes fluttered open,¡¨you have come back to us.¡¨ ¡§Mother,¡¨ Syaoran cried,¡¨ we need to get you to the hospital. You¡¦ve lost so much blood.¡¨ ¡§I was married in this house,¡¨she whispered in return,¡¨why should your father¡¦s spirit have to leave here to meet me?¡¨ ¡§Don¡¦t say such things!¡¨her son admonished. Her pulse is faint, she¡¦s going into shock, he thought. Where is the phone? He upturned a pile of debris. ¡§That¡¦s how we got a few minutes warning,¡¨ she said from the bed,¡¨the phone went dead while placing a dinner order.¡¨ There was pause, as she caught her breath. ¡§Come to me, there is something yet to be done.¡¨ He kneeled by her head. She was so pale. ¡§You could not have prevented this, not without the Cards.¡¨ Syaoran shook his head in disagreement. With strength she should not possess, Lady Li reached out and held his hand. ¡§You would have died, with us.¡¨ Syaoran¡¦s eyes watered. ¡§But, Fate saved you. As long as you live, so does our clan.¡¨ She let go his hand and pulled a card from the folds of her robe. Her shaking hand pressed the ornate card into his grasp. ¡§Our family has been caretakers of a temple in China. Throw this card into the pond behind it.¡¨ His mother smiled. ¡§Little wolf, your father wants to dance.¡¨ She looked past him and relaxed, leaving Syaoran, last of his clan. *** Present Sakura sat in math class, body present, mind elsewhere. The junior year of high school is supposed to be fun. Being sixteen is about boundless energy, budding romance, endless adventure, and feeling alive, but that sounds more like her life at age ten and eleven. She was a candle snuffed out prematurely, waiting to burn once more. ¡§Sakura!¡¨ the teacher yelled,¡¨what is the double integral of e2xsin(2y) dxdy?¡¨ Brought back to reality, Sakura smiled sheepishly at the teacher, focused for a moment, and recited the correct answer. When Syaoran had been here, the math teacher had left her alone for the most part. He was so eager to go to the board, crisply outlining the problem and deriving a solution, not so different from his mindset when they captured cards together. She had brute power with good instincts. Kero said Syaoran had less power than her, but his stategic and tactical abilities, had saved her life more than once. The bell rang, inciting commotion, books being put away, students rushing for the door, and the teacher shouting out the tomorrow¡¦s assignment over the din. Another school day is done. Tomoyo cornered Sakura after class,¡¨Where did your mind wander to today?¡¨ ¡§I was just distracted,¡¨mumbled Sakura, blushing in dismay. ¡§By what? Or should I say¡Kby who?¡¨ Tomoyo¡¦s eyes twinkled. ¡§Trust me, no one at this school,¡¨stated Sakura in a miffed tone,¡¨I can guarantee that one hundred percent.¡¨ She grabbed her backpack. ¡§Let¡¦s head to my place.¡¨ They walked in silence. Tomoyo had not paid a visit since school ended in spring, though the girls were best friends. She had spent the summer at her grandparents¡¦ country cottage. A young man named Tenchi lived in a summer home across the lake with three sisters and his dad. Tenchi was a writer, who dabbled in poetry and prose. Tomoyo claimed he sat at his desk, writing for many hours. Tomoyo still blushed and giggled when asked about how her summer went. ¡§Perhaps he wasn¡¦t at his desk all summer,¡¨she confessed with a knowing smile. That is definitely sleepover confession material, thought Sakura. Problem is, I have nothing to confess in return, Sakura concluded, her cheerful mood darkening for a moment. ¡§Sakura! You just walked by your own house.¡¨Tomoyo shook her head.¡¨Let¡¦s get some ice cream and head to your room. Looks like we have some catching up to do.¡¨ *** Past Syaoran closed his eyes and felt the rain sting his face. Whoever attacked his family would be watching the airports, but they would be hard pressed to check every ship leaving the dock. His tears mingled with the rain. ¡§Why did I stay an extra year in Japan?¡¨ he thought outloud. He looked around and shook his head, like anyone could hear him in this gale. He knew why he stayed. It had to do with feelings and emotions. ¡§Emotions that got my family killed,¡¨ he bitterly remarked. His mother must have known this was coming. He remembered when she called him back to Hong Kong. ¡§Little wolf,¡¨ his mother said,¡¨forces are aligning, power is shifting, and potential enemies circle our family. You are needed back home. I know you do not have the Cards. In your absence, your sisters and I did much research. Power, like all other goals, has many paths. In this case, a journey completed a millennia ago.¡¨ They were dead, their research for naught. This card is all that remains. For a moment, he thought of asking Sakura for help. No, how many more people must suffer for my weakness? ¡§I will be focused,¡¨he addressed the cyclone,¡¨following my heart distracted me, which in turn, hurt those around me. I will not make that mistake again. I will be like you, a typhoon, an unstoppable force, from which there is no hiding. And, there will be nowhere to hide from me. I shall kill them all.¡¨ Syaoran looked out at the cold, grey sea. This is the way my heart will be. The pain in his heart was replaced by a frigid empiness. He stood on the bow through the rest of the stormy voyage. His eyes slowly turned to stone, his face became expressionless. The ship arrived in a Chinese port, a little after midnight. A determined, young man walked down the plank, into the night. The thieves on the dock gave him wide berth. *** Present Tomoyo glanced at the pictures by bed. ¡§Sakura, you still keep these pictures from fourth grade around? Like the one of you and Li at the beach?¡¨ Sakura was suddenly very interested in stirring her ice cream. ¡§I never got around to putting them away, forgot they were even there.¡¨ ¡§Really,¡¨ remarked Tomoyo, ¡§why are they free of dust then?¡¨ Sakura offered a partial guilty plea by blushing deeply. ¡§You two were an interesting pair back then,¡¨ Tomoyo continued,¡¨it was exciting, dangerous¡K.perhaps romantic. And then you let that boy slip through your fingers.¡¨ Sakura put her bowl down on the desk. She looked a way from Tomoyo, walked over to her bean bag, and fell in a sprawl. ¡§I was eleven years old!¡¨ Sakura grumbled,¡¨what did I know? I didn¡¦t have time to reflect, to ponder? There was always a new danger or mysterious opponent. Then, Syaoran had to go back to Hong Kong. It was like he vanished off the face of the Earth.¡¨ ¡§I can understand the commuting difficulties, but did you try to call him?¡¨Tomoyo wondered out loud. ¡§Oh yes,¡¨Sakura blurted, and then blushed,¡¨but the phone just rang and rang. A week later, when I tried again, it said ¡¥This line is disconnected¡¦. No forwarding number was given.¡¨ She let out a deep sigh. ¡§We all miss him, Sakura, but isn¡¦t there anyone else who interests you?¡¨ Tomoyo asked in a concerned tone. ¡§No one I¡¦d want sitting behind me on Fly,¡¨ she answered with a grin. ¡§You¡¦ve got to move on.¡¨ Sakura finally looked at Tomoyo. ¡§You¡¦re right. I can¡¦t let life pass me by. I have to seize the moment.¡¨ Sakura grinned at Tomoyo. ¡§Speaking of moments, Tomoyo, how IS Tenchi?¡¨ Tomoyo jumped off the bed and grabbed her bags. ¡§You know, Sakura, I completely forgot. I have these cute outfits I want us to try on.¡¨ She can dodge the question, but she can¡¦t hide the blush thought Sakura. Tomoyo deserved to be happy, and at least one of us should have fun. Sakura¡¦s eyebrows lifted as her friend pulled out a myriad of outfits. ¡§Tomoyo, how many outfits did you bring?¡¨ ¡§Sakura, you may have stopped capturing cards, but I will never stop making outfits,¡¨ Tomoyo said resolutely. The friends stared at each other, and broke into giggles. As Tomoyo continued with her work, Sakura took one last look at the pictures, before archiving them in her bottom desk drawer. It was late into the night, when Tomoyo left for home. Sakura went back up to her darkened room. Standing by her desk, she pulled out the beach picture from the drawer. Moonlight streaming in through the window illuminated the image of Syaoran¡¦s face. How long did she stand, she knew not. But, it was not until she heard the midnight toll that she set his picture down. *** Past Syaoran stood in front of the pond, looking at the ornate card. I have finished one leg of the journey he thought. Without another glance, he gracefully flipped it out over the foggy water. At first, no immediate effect was discerned, but then the sound of water churning could be heard. The wind picked up and the mist began to swirl. A luminescent entity coalesced before his very eyes. Then, it spoke. Its voice was that of every wind chime he had ever heard. ¡§I have heard the call, and I am here. Who wishes to undertake the training?¡¨ ¡§I do,¡¨Syaoran said firmly. The entity appeared to appraise him. ¡§The trials are challenging, the dangers untold. Many errors which lead to failure, also result in death.¡¨ ¡§Death and I are acquainted,¡¨Syaoran replied. He felt himself judged once more. The wind died down. Mist became solid, forming the appearance of an old man. ¡§I shall train you. It begins now,¡¨said the old man. *** Present ¡§Art class is the best way to start the day,¡¨remarked Tomoyo,¡¨it¡¦s exercise for the soul.¡¨ Mixing colors on her palette, she eyed the canvas. ¡§Tomoyo, I never imagined you¡¦d trade the camcorder in for brushes,¡¨Sakura said incredulously,¡¨that thing appeared to be a natural extension of you.¡¨ ¡§Oh, it is!¡¨Tomoyo replied. She tugged at a chain in her bag, pulling out a very thin, calculator sized object. ¡§Six hours of full motion video compiled into 250 grams!¡¨ Sakura chuckled,¡¨So why are you doing this? It¡¦s so old fashioned.¡¨ ¡§There are advantages to the old arts,¡¨Tomoyo
explained,¡¨for example, oil paintings force one to
change perspective and look at the big picture. That is something
easy to lose track of in video. Why are you doing it, Sakura?¡¨ ¡§Going into the unknown can be very difficult,¡¨Tomoyo countered. ¡§Yes, but when conquered, the prize is relished even more,¡¨Sakura shot back. A person appeared out of the corner of her eye. Tomoyo followed her gaze. Sato, one of their high school counselors, was standing next to the entry way. ¡§Professor,¡¨he yelled,¡¨can you fit one male student in your class?¡¨ ¡§Yes,¡¨said a gruff male voice from the back,¡¨but only one. We are here for Art!¡¨ Tomoyo giggled,¡¨It must have gotten out, and after only two days of class! What is the probability of having an all girl class?¡¨ ¡§Remember, athletes and cheerleaders choose classes first,¡¨Sakura reminded her,¡¨neither group needs class ratios to get a date.¡¨ ¡§Then what¡¦s your excuse, Sakura,¡¨Tomoyo teased,¡¨hmm, having one eager to please boy around may be interesting.¡¨ ¡§Thank you,¡¨Sato responded,¡¨he enrolled late, and we want him to meet all his requirements. Where do you want him to sit?¡¨ ¡§Back here, where I can keep an eye on him!¡¨ Giggles eminated from the class. Tomoyo poked Sakura,¡¨Aren¡¦t you interested in the new boy?¡¨ Sakura continued to paint. ¡§I¡¦m not desperate!¡¨she whispered,¡¨besides, he¡¦s probably gay.¡¨ Sato looked into the hallway,¡¨Your schedule is complete. There¡¦s a seat for you at the front of the classroom. Good luck, young man.¡¨ He gestured for the student to enter. Syaoran Li walked into class. ***
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