Chapter Four-Tomoyo, Syaoran, and the Evil Santa

Eriol stared off into the distance past the priest's left ear. "No, I didn't order any!" He snapped. "What? Giant candy canes! Oh my!"

"He's been like that for three hours, now." Spinel commented.

Toji Mizuki shone a bright light in Eriol's right eye, and then his left. The dark pupils widened, dilating properly. The boy had amazing eyes, slate grey streaked with dark blue. He pinched the child's fingernails. The colour returned to them, indicating blood flow.

"His body is perfectly healthy." The man assured the worried Guardians. "He's never been like this before?"

*~*

"RUN!" She screamed, pushing him out of the way. Her long hair streamed behind her and she thrust her hands out, water streaming from them at a pressure that burst the scaly monsters' hearts from their glistening chests. They burst open three at a time.

He lifted the star-studded shaft and held it upright for what felt like an eternity. His arms ached as the object swam before his vision, coated in blood and bits of bone just as he was sure his arms and cloak already were. "RAITEI SHOURAI!" Thunder rained down upon his enemies, electrocuting at least five into oblivion. Others were merely wounded.

Keroberos was shouting something. He whipped around, his ears straining to hear him over the other noises of the battlefield. And then he felt it-something wrapped against his thigh. He looked down. A small dark creature was biting its way through to his flesh, gnashing its teeth impatiently at the folds of cloth between his leg and it. Panicking, he lifted the encumbered limb and began to shake it and swat at the demon, as if by those feeble acts of retaliation he might dislodge it.

A dense stream of water came and blasted it off. It disappeared into the masses of surging glowing eyes ever moving towards him-

*~*

"Clow used to have visions," Ruby supplied. "But not this frequently." She frowned. "Usually he'd come to again right away."

"Self-Determination for the South Molvavian People!" Eriol shouted.

"He seems distracted by something," the priest decided. "His energy signature's transmitting all over the place. There might be a disturbance, something blocking his main Source of power."

"Is there anything that we can do?" Ruby quavered. If Eriol's power Source was disturbed, and he was her Source, then... well, it was probably bad for her.

The priest shook his head. "I don't know. I will have to consult Clow's library for clues, if that is permitted. And perhaps speak with my daughter. Maybe the new Mistress of the Cards will be able to do something. As for the Source of his powers, unfortunately, only Clow knew that."

"No, no, no-don't attack it head on!" There was a drawn out, protracted sigh. "Ruby, Spinel, you'd better come with me."

Ten minutes passed.

Toji watched Eriol's eyes roam the room impassively. He was obviously looking elsewhere.

"When are we supposed to go with him?" Ruby asked.

"I... don't know. I think he's going to need you sometime soon, or maybe he's already used you in battle recently and he's just... revisiting it?"

"We haven't fought in a long time." The black cat-like Guardian stretched, picking idly at the leg of Clow's favourite chair with his left paw. "I suggest we get some breakfast."

***

"Good Morning Monster." Touya laughed, spreading butter over a piece of toast. "You slept in today, again."

"Oooh! Onii-chan! I could crush you under my foot you know!" Sakura blurted out. Last night was a blur. There was a dragon, and then she was at Mizuki-sensei's temple... and Syaoran was crying and suddenly, everybody was there, but she was sleepy.... And then, as if nothing had even happened, she'd woken up in her own bed the next morning. Kero hadn't mentioned the attack, and her brother was sitting there teasing her as if nothing were wrong. Maybe it had all just been a bad dream. **Note: "Onii-chan" means "brother" in respectful Japanese terms.**

"Just like a monster," He winked, shoving the piece of toast in his mouth. "Threatening the weak with their powers."

"Oooh! What did you just say?"

"Nothing-"

"That's better."

"-Monster."

"Arrrgh!"

"Now, now, children." Fujitaka Kinomoto, their father, walked around the table separating the sinks from the eating area, wiping a bowl dry with a washcloth as he did so. "Good morning, Nadeshiko."

Touya and Sakura stopped fighting. "Good morning, mother." They chorused. The picture of their mother changed every few days. This was one of her in a pink sundress sitting on a swing. Sakura noticed with a pang that Tomoyo was really beginning to look more like her these days, especially now that her hair was longer.

"Well! I'm done. Good luck getting to school on time, monster!" Touya yelled, running out the door.

Sakura took her time eating her breakfast. She couldn't try meeting up with her brother and Yukito that day because they didn't have class until the afternoon. Which meant they most likely were meeting up to... study... together. She blushed. It was odd. Yes, she did realize that the crush she'd had on Yukito had been a little like the love she had for her father, and yet... she couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit jealous after that time she'd taken some tea and biscuits up to Touya's room and had accidentally caught them necking. The image of their lips mushing together passionately had burnt itself into her brain. It was a little bit scary, she reflected. They'd looked like they were trying to suck each other's faces off. She wondered if Syaoran would ever want to do that to her.... She blushed. "Hooeee!"

"Something wrong, Sakura?" Her father asked.

"Ahahaha... no!" She picked at her grapefruit. She was happy for them, and everything, but sometimes it did still hurt, she had to admit. Even though she had Syaoran now, who was amazingly devoted (something she hadn't expected from him-he'd always been so rough when speaking his mind and secretive about his true thoughts), sometimes she did wonder what it would have been like if, as Eriol once put it, "Yukito-san would have fallen for Sakura-chan."

Oh well. Life was full of surprises. Like her brother, the giant jock, being gay. Sakura gulped down the last of her milk. It was sort of a family secret, she guessed. Only she, father, and Tomoyo really knew. But perhaps that was best... there were some people in Japan who could be less than understanding about these sorts of things.

"I'm leaving now!" She called, rushing to the door and strapping on her roller-skates, knee and elbow pads. She'd gotten bigger last year so she'd received new equipment for her birthday from Touya-chan and father. These skates were baby-blue lined with fluorescent pink, and the kneepads matched. She liked them very much.

She flung the door open, took a great leap, and-smashed right into Li.

"Li-kun!" She gasped in amazement at her favourite person. "I'm so happy! I didn't expect you to come here! Are you on your way to school, too?" Perhaps he'd come to walk her to class? She felt a little guilty for thinking about Yukito earlier.

"Uh... yeah." Li blushed. Sakura always stole his words away. And the fact that she was sitting on top of him wasn't helping. He felt some blood begin to rush to a part of him rather near to his stomach, but situated a bit lower. He coughed, taking the opportunity to look to the side and avoid staring up the small skirt of her school uniform. Had Daidouji-san shortened it for her, or something? He resolved to avoid looking up it, despite how much he wanted to. "You suppose you could get off me, first?"

"OH!" Sakura giggled and rolled off him, into a hand-stand, and then rounded off into a standing position. "Ta da! I've been practicing!"

Li blinked. "You just did that in rollerskates! Baka! Do you want to break your neck?"

Sakura pouted. "Oh! Heh heh heh heh! I'd completely forgotten!" She felt embarrassed.

Li facefaulted. "Uh. Yeah. Just be safe, okay?"

"OKAY!" Taking his arm and yanking him off the ground, Sakura began to skate in the direction of the school. Li jogged to keep up. "Sakura, stop."

"Hmm?" She braked.

"Do you sense... anything strange?"

"Hmm...." She reached out, allowing her energy to spread out in a wobbly circle of about five, ten, twenty metres in diameter. "Nothing much," she said eventually. "I think I can sense you, and Yukito's house nearby, but there's always magic there." Her voice was unsure. "And there's something else. Something really tiny, but I can't pinpoint it... back there." She turned around, facing the direction they'd just come from. "Probably Kero-chan's up playing video games."

"Nothing else?"

"I don't think so," she said carefully. "I could raise my sphere up a bit," she directed her energies at searching the skies. "Nope! Sorry Syaoran-kun."

Li shrugged, feeling not for the first time a little dwarfed by Sakura's growing powers. When he felt for things, he just felt for things. He couldn't really recognize the energy signatures of individual people that he knew unless he was looking at them, and could feel the power coming from them. Unless it was Clow-san's. But then his aura was so powerful you had to be practically asleep to miss it. "It's probably nothing, then." He reassured her.

"Yay!" Sakura grabbed his arm and started skating fast again. "Then let's go!"

***

A tall, purple figure watched the children from a distance. "Pathetic." It spat. "Kin mating with kin. Disgusting base creatures. Incestual worm-babies of Clow's making."

"Let's get them!" A tiny voice chirped at its shoulder. "And grind their bones to make our bread!"

The prospect was tempting. But that was not part of the plan. "No." It said finally. "We must continue as instructed. But do not worry young one. Soon we shall have our revenge."

***

Li Syaoran was out with Tomoyo shopping for a Christmas gift for Sakura. "Thanks for helping me," he blurted out. "I always have problems doing this kind of thing."

"I can't believe it's December already," she smiled. "It seems like only yesterday we were all in grade four together. And now look at us... we're all so old, Li-kun."

He nodded. "I'm glad, though. The last three years have been relatively peaceful. It's been good. But now, with what just happened recently, I'm worried. I don't like...." He paused, groping for the right words. "I didn't like seeing her in danger."

Tomoyo responded by giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. It was a sympathetic gesture. There was something she was hiding, Li figured, that helped them connect, and that thing was most likely an intense love for Sakura that probably matched his. He wasn't threatened by it, however. Some part of him knew that it didn't make much sense, but for that reason, Tomoyo was the only person outside his family besides Sakura who was allowed to touch him. "None of us did." She said softly. "But we were there for her, and it's over, and that's what matters."

"I bet you wouldn't mind a little more danger, it would give you an excuse to videotape her wearing those costumes you make."

"Oh! We still do that, anyway."

"Wh-" Li stuttered, temporarily at a loss for words. "Whaaat?"

"If you're a good boy, maybe one day I'll let you watch, too." Tomoyo teased him.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Mmm-hmm! You keep telling yourself that," the pale-skinned girl pretended to be very interested in a rack of "Wish Cards" which had reduced seriously in price since they had gone out of style at least two years ago.

"Do you think she'd like this stationary set with the teddy bears on it?" He asked his friend. "She enjoys writing letters."

"As long as you get it for her, she'll like it."

"Thanks, Daidouji-san."

They had gone into town for this shopping trip. Syaoran had allowed Tomoyo to drag him to the mall with very little resistance. He looked around meekly at the shiny white walls and the rows and rows of shops. "How can people buy so much?" He muttered.

"Ooh! Do you mind if we stop by and visit Santa?" She winked at him. "I've been extra good this year."

"Sure." Li smiled. "I'll take your picture if you take mine."

"Why would you want to take a picture of me?" She blushed.

"You make videos of Sakura all the time, I think she'd love a picture of you with her Christmas present. And she's been asking for a current one of me for a while now."

"Okay!"

They headed towards the lineup. They were some of the eldest people there, but only by a few years. It was about to be Tomoyo's turn when-"

"Something isn't right here... get down!"

Candy canes whizzed through the air like sugar-coated darts. "YEEEEEE!"

"Mommy, what is that?" One kid asked.

"Ow! Santa's hurting me!"

Tomoyo looked up. In the Santa costume was a purple lizard-looking person, with yellow eyes and scales instead of skin. "Have you been good or bad, little boy?" It asked the kid in his lap. "No matter! You'll still work for me!" The kid began to emit an eerie yellow glow.

Li stood up, and pulled Tomoyo behind a nearby plastic Christmas tree. He activated his sword. "I call upon the power of Wind! Bring that child back to safety!"

"What the-" The purple lizard-thing shrieked. There was a massive panic as everyone ran towards the exit. The child zipped away from the lizard, pulled by Syaoran's enchanted wind. It landed flat on its bottom with a blank look in his eyes, and then began to blindly attack the people around him.

"This is bad," Tomoyo whispered, watching the chaos unfold before her. "We'd better call Sakura."

"No!" Li grabbed the phone out of her grasp. "I don't want to involve her in this. She almost got herself killed yesterday. She's still weak."

Tomoyo grabbed the phone back. "So I'll call Kero then." She watched the retreating masses. The main corridor was almost empty now, save for a few panicked guards and the family of the small boy.

"Great. I'll distract it." Li ran out and charged the Santa imposter head-on. "Hya!"

The monster dodged. Li fell on the floor. "Ouch." It said. "Did that hurt?"

Li leapt to his feet. "I'm not done with you yet! I call upon FIRE!!"

The creature dodged the fireball, but only just. The Santa costume looked a bit singed at the edges. "Disgusting human spawn of Clow's loins!" The creature barked.

There was a flash of bright light. "Now, now, I've always found my loins quite attractive," a smooth voice intoned brightly. "But perhaps I was mistaken?"

Eriol had appeared on the floor above the disturbance in his exact replica of Clow's outfit he always wore during battle-a dark blue robe embroidered with the twin emblems of the Sun and Moon. He lifted his hand and blackness shot out, entwining the figure in dark writhing snakes composed of shadow. "Hello there Tomoyo-chan, Li-Kun." He smiled. "It is good to see you both again."

"Master! Behind you!" Ruby Moon appeared suddenly, tackling a bright blur of white and purple to the ground. Eriol spun around and enclosed whatever that was in the smoggy black stuff, as well. Spinel Sun, in his true form, leapt down to where the young boy was and held him down too. "These people have been possessed by some sort of dark power. The aura is familiar but I can't quite place it."

Eriol looked pensive. "It's a baby dragon." He picked up the imprisoned animal, who'd been placed into a sleepy sort of stasis. He stroked its chin. "I had no idea they even came in this colour." Cradling the small creature in his arms, he leapt down to where the little boy and the purple lizard person in the Santa Claus costume were. "I have not seen any lizardfolk in my memories, but I have read of them. They normally keep to themselves, underground. Why would one disguise himself in this way?"

"What are you going to do with them?" Li asked.

"First I must go back in time and erase the memories of the innocent people who were attacked here who witnessed you performing magic. And then..." Eriol smiled sadly. "I guess I could imprison them, but I have a feeling they'd just escape. So maybe I should just transport them far away from here and let them go. Or should I interrogate them? I don't know."

"What are you asking me for? You're the one with all the answers!"

Eriol chuckled. "Yes, it seems that way, doesn't it. But let me let you in on a

secret, my cute little descendant... in this, I'm every bit as confused as you are."

Tomoyo spoke up. "Do you know if Sakura is busy this evening?"

Eriol brightened. "Yes! Perhaps she might be able to help."

A protective feeling washed over Syaoran. What did he want to see her for? Didn't he understand that Sakura was his? Then again... Eriol was Clow's reincarnation, so he probably felt a bit older than her. He wouldn't be interested in a little girl, would he? "Why?" he asked.

"Because I think I need to talk to her." The other teenager said, beginning to get a far away look in his eyes. "I've been having visions lately that I can't control. I almost didn't pull myself out soon enough to get here on time, and...." Some fear crept into his eyes, "I think I'm going a bit peculiar, to tell you the truth."

***