The Road Less Traveled

Chapter 1: Choices Made

Two roads converged in a wood and I-

I took the one less traveled by.

-Robert Frost

'Your people know the roads,' the creature said. 'The roads of this world and those roads beyond that bind the balance. You. . . you can help me. Take my place. The hound caught me before - before I could complete my journey. The boundaries grow thin. . . frail.'

-Charles de Lint, Dreams Underfoot, 'Romano Drom'

Once upon a time there was what there was, and if nothing had happened there would be nothing to tell.

-Charles de Lint, Dreams Underfoot, 'The Moon Is Drowning While I Sleep'

She didn't think she would ever get used to it. The fighting and the death. The screams haunted her dreams. The dead, bloated bodies gave her nightmares. But then, life was a nightmare. For the wizarding world, anyway. And the poor Muggles the Death Eaters used for fun. They didn't last long and were almost unrecognizable when found dead after prolonged torture.

The Muggle police remained baffled.

The war had been going on for over a year with no clear end in sight. Harry Potter would be graduating in June and it was a given he would formally join the Order of the Phoenix. They had long since given up on keeping him and his two friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, in the dark. More often than not, Ginny Weasley joined them as well, and even, to the surprise of all, Draco Malfoy, once bane of Harry's existence. Ginny had proved more than once to be quite clever and had a knack for getting out of any trouble she landed herself in. And Draco was coldly calculating and a genius at tactics and technique. Where her Gryffindors acted, he planned first, scrutinizing it from all angles. If any of them got hurt or. . . .

Minerva McGonagall didn't think she would ever get used to the unnatural deaths.

She had no illusions that the war would be over soon, only hopes and dreams that crumbled with each name read in the obituaries, each name heard by word of mouth, until the only two pillars she had left to depend on were Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore, and even they had begun to crack like stone constantly worn at until one day they would collapse and leave nothing but bare ruins. . . .

Her body was tense, all senses alert; her eyes swept the field, passing over the corpses. The sight had once caused her to be sick, but no more. She had grown used to it since this violent war had begun.

She automatically wondered who had fallen, which of their people had died. Sturgis Podmore, she knew, as well as Emmeline Vance. There were at least 15 others dead this afternoon. Remus Lupin clung to life by a mere thread as a mediwitch tended to him and Tonks might have to live with one less finger. The unknown poison had resisted any attempt to reattach or regrow her left pinky.

Dumbledore had taken a group of witches and wizards to defend Hogsmeade when informed of the threat of attack. The informant, while correct about the time, had been mistaken as to the number of Death Eaters staging the attack.

Though outnumbered, they had fought bravely and barely succeeded in turning the tide.

Realizing that they were losing, the Death Eaters had Disapparated, leaving behind an unusually large number of corpses littering the field. Several stores had been defaced and burned, windows smashed, but the damage to the stores and stock was not irreplaceable. Even as she thought this some of the more able-bodied wizards were doing a sweep, checking to make sure the enemy was truly gone.

Where had Albus gone? she wondered, looking around for the telltale silvery hair and electric blue eyes.

"Susan!" she called, spying a member of the Order and hurrying over to the younger witch. "Have you seen Dumbledore?"

She shook her head. "We've been sweeping the field and I don't recall seeing him. In fact, I haven't seen him since we were attacked."

Minerva grew worried. It wasn't like him to disappear in the middle of a fight. He was usually the one in the thick of it.

"I'm going to look for him. If Dumbledore or myself are not back in half and hour, tell Alastor he's in charge and have him do whatever he sees fit."

"All right," murmured Susan before hurrying away. "Good luck."

Minerva transformed herself into a cat and immediately regretted not waiting until she reached the edge of the forest to do it. The coppery scent of blood overwhelmed her sensitive nose and she sneezed three times in quick succession before bounding away.

She paused for a moment as soon as she reached the cover of the trees. The earthy smell mixed with pine resin relieved her nose, and she circled the field; passing a sentry, she flicked her tail in acknowledgement as she searched for the point at which Dumbledore had entered the forest. The chances that he had simply Disapparated were slim.

The further she went, the harder it was to stifle her worries.

Finally, about 10 minutes later and almost directly across from where she'd started, she had him. His unique scent, difficult to describe in human terms, led deeper into the forest. Minerva followed it, the loam-covered forest floor helping her to move with a ghostly silence. The forest dimmed the light of the sun, but her cat's eyes saw clearly.

She soon heard the murmur of men's voices and her ears twitched, trying to identify the location. Veering slightly to the left she trotted silently as the noise grew in volume. Very little light penetrated the branches of the trees here, making it seem like dusk rather than late afternoon. Minerva was soon able to understand the individual words. It sounded like Albus was in the middle of a duel.

She was stopped momentarily by a large tangle of thorny bushes, but solved the problem by jumping onto a low branch above them and crouched there, watching the two men below her.

Minerva recognized Dumbledore's opponent immediately and her fur stood on end. What had been so important about the battle for Hogsmeade that it had warranted Voldemort's attention? Perhaps they had planned to us it as a base to launch an attack on Hogwarts? Albus must have lured him away from the battlefield before our side could panic, she hypothesized.

They were evenly matched. The last traces of a yellow mist clung to Voldemort and what seemed to be shards of glass or crystal were scattered on the ground around Dumbledore.

The Dark Lord was deflecting a jet of light with a shield when Dumbledore stumbled over a hidden tree root. Despite his best efforts, his wand flew out of his hand.

Voldemort stepped on the wand, snapping it in two before Albus could even attempt to grab it.

"Well, well, well," he said. "This is the last time you play the fool, Dumbledore." Leveling his wand at the older wizard, point-blank, red eyes gleaming in triumph, he said, "Avada Ke-"

With an audible hiss, Minerva launched herself at the Dark Lord's arm, claws extended.

He let out an enraged shout as the Killing Curse shot out wide and violently flung her away from him.

"Minerva!" Albus bellowed as she hit a tree and rolled to the ground as a woman, the shock and pain of the impact causing her to lose her grip on her cat form. Her hair flew out of its normal bun and within the curtain of ebony and silver hair she glared at Albus, warning him without words to stay back.

He needs my wand, Minerva thought. Albus is the only wizard Voldemort is afraid of.

"We finally meet face-to-face, Minerva McGonagall. What a pity such a meeting will be so short-lived."

She turned to Voldemort just in time as he shouted "Diffindo!"

Rolling to the side to avoid the spell, she used the motion to disguise the toss of her wand, then clamped her hands to her side. Her robes were dark and sticky with blood. She hadn't fully escaped the spell.

A glance at Albus showed that her wand had fallen short. He was scrambling for it as quietly as he could in a patch of nettles and thorns, ignoring the pain.

Determined to keep the Dark Lord's attention away from Dumbledore, Minerva plunged her hand into her robes, pretending to go for her wand. He was quicker than she thought and the Cruciatus Curse hit her before she could dodge it.

Her screams echoed throughout the forest. Minerva had never felt pain as intense as what she was feeling now. The gash on her side was nothing in comparison to this. It was as if white-hot knives were twisting and turning within her skin, and the pain seemed to go on for eternity. She was going to go mad. She was going to go mad if she wasn't already.

Out, let me out, get me away, far, far away, her mind clamored senselessly. A smaller target to avoid it, let me out, get me far, far away, away, away, out. Her thoughts were becoming incoherent.

Albus Dumbledore's heart was in his throat as he frantically searched for Minerva's wand, spots of blood dotting his hand from the scratches of the thorns. Why she had tossed it at him was beyond his ability to reason. Now she had nothing to defend herself with.

Minerva's screams resounded in his ears, and his relief was immense when his long fingers finally wrapped around the smooth mahogany wood of her wand.

Albus turned to face the pair and the sight of his Deputy on the ground, writhing in pain made his blood boil. However, before he could curse Voldemort, Minerva disappeared. She was simply. . . gone.

The two experienced wizards, against their better judgment, froze for a moment, surprised. Then, "Explo Crato!"

Voldemort Disapparated before the curse reached him. There was a large explosion and when the smoke and dust cleared a crater could be seen where the Dark Lord had been standing. Seconds later Moody and three other Aurors appeared with a 'pop', wands ready.

"Dumbledore?" said Moody, his magic eye swiveling around in a 360° circle. "What's going on?"

"In a moment," the Headmaster replied absently, a hint of steel in his voice as he cast every Locator Spell he knew. The results were the same for each one. Minerva McGonagall was no longer in Scotland, nor in the countries immediately surrounding it.

Dumbledore turned to Moody. "Alastor, get everyone back to the school. Minerva has disappeared and I want her found as soon as possible."

Pushing his questions to the back of his mind, knowing that now was not the time to ask, Mad-Eye Moody barked orders to his companions and in a surprisingly short time everyone had returned to Hogwarts.

~*~

18-year-old Sakura Kinomoto had definitely grown in the past nine years. At 5' 6 1/2" she was only a head shorter than her older brother. Her brown hair streaked with gold highlights ended at least an inch below her shoulders, and she still managed to retain her constant cheerfulness and innocence of childhood.

Sakura had grown into her powers as well. Her luminous green eyes and powerful aura occasionally betrayed her, drawing others in and offering glimpses of hidden power, an old soul, secret knowledge. They would shake it off, laugh at themselves, and dismiss it as their imagination, though a few would wonder and dream.

Eriol hid it with his enigmatic smiles, Syaoran with his glares. Sakura couldn't hide her immense powers completely. It always showed itself at least twice a year. Tomoyo liked to call it the 'glimpse into Faerie.'

She didn't like to depend on her magic, but she did practice and train when she could.

Sakura had also developed a rather wicked sense of humor, which occasionally made itself known. Syaoran said it was inevitable after spending so much time with 'camera-girl' (Tomoyo), 'the Devil' (Eriol), and 'those damn kitsune demons' (Tomoeda's only kitsune family, who resided in Penguin Park). She often told him that he wasn't up to his usual standard of insults. Her exact words were, "You're getting soft in your old age."

Syaoran had yet to keep from spluttering indignantly.

Sakura was on her way home from waitressing when she felt a strange magic flare in Penguin Park.

"Hoe," Sakura murmured to herself and sprinted across the empty street and into the dark woods, mentally calling upon Glow to light her way. The moon shed no light tonight.

The ever-present carpet of leaves and twigs crackled under foot, and her backpack pounding her back with every step she took, urging her onward. Upon reaching the area the flare had come from she slowed to a walk, clutching the Star Key.

There was a rustling to her left and Sakura froze.

Carefully she knelt and pushed a few bushes to the side. She sighed with relief when she saw it was a cat. It mewed plaintively as she was about to let go of the plants and all thoughts of Sakura's search flew from her head when she noticed the blood matting its fur.

"Oh you poor thing," Sakura murmured, reaching for the cat. She quickly withdrew her arm as it made a feeble swipe, claws extended.

Thinking quickly, she took off her sweatshirt and wrapped the cat in it gently, noticing it was female, before picking her up. "Did someone beat you?" she asked quietly, trying to calm her as she struggled weakly.

Afraid the cat was going to hurt herself, Sakura cast a sleep spell and then teleported the two of them to the front door of her home.

"Otousan! Otousan!" she called, foregoing her usual "Tadaima" as she burst through the door, trying not to jolt her unconscious charge.

Footsteps pounded down the stairs and two men appeared.

"Daijoubu? Nani desu ka?" Kinomoto Fujitaka asked worriedly.

Touya, visiting from college, looked frantic. "Daijoubu desu ka? You're not hurt, are you?"

Sakura shook her head impatiently. "Not me, the cat. If I don't do something fast, she's going to die!"

"Bring her into the dining room. Touya get warm water and a towel," ordered Fujitaka, quickly taking control of the situation. Leading the way, into the dining room, he sterilized the table with a wave of his hand before having his daughter place the tabby cat on it.

"I found her in the park on the way back from work," Sakura explained, anxiously watching her father examine the cat. "There was a flare of unknown magic, but she distracted me. I'll need to check the park out tomorrow. Neko wa daijoubu desu ka?"

"Arigatou," her father said to Touya when he returned with the towels and water, before turning to his daughter. "The cut is easily healed, but there is a lot of internal damage." He soaked a towel and began cleaning the dirt and dried blood from the wound. "It's better," he continued, "for the damage to heal naturally, as the body knows better what to do than you or I. However, if we don't help her it's likely she sill die."

"Maybe if I sped up the healing process," suggested Sakura timidly, "but leave the actual healing to her body?"

"An excellent suggestion," said Fujitaka. Running a finger along the gash, he healed it and then left the rest to Sakura.

Sakura laid her hands on the small furry body and murmured soothing words to the unconscious cat as she powered the natural healing of the body to five times its normal sped. The two figures glowed softly until Sakura broke the connection blinking away her tiredness. "She'll be fully healed in three or four days," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes and stifling a yawn.

"There's a basket in the kitchen and a spare blanket in the closet," Touya offered gruffly.

"Arigatou. I need to put my sweatshirt in the wash first," Sakura said ruefully.

"Daijoubu. I'll take care of it" said Fujitaka.

"Arigatou gozaimasu," Sakura called over her shoulder, cradling the small body to her chest.

Touya sighed as she headed into the kitchen. "That's the second stray animal this week that she's brought home to heal."

"The squirrel had been raked by a hawk," said Fujitaka as they heard Sakura rush up the stairs. "I'm sure this was deliberate, that a human being inflicted the injuries on that poor cat."

They were silent for a moment.

"Did that cat seem strange to you?" Touya asked finally.

"Hai. I didn't notice at first, but there is something. . . mezurashii. . . ."

Sakura passed by the door once more on the way to the stairs, balancing a basket and blanket in one hand, and the animal in the other. She hummed to the sleeping tabby softly.

Once in her room she switched on the light and arranged the soft blue blanket inside it before laying the cat inside. "Oyasumi nasai," she murmured cheerfully.

Behind her she heard the quiet snick of wood on wood and turned to see a small yellow stuffed animal in the likeness of a bear with white sings float out of her now open bottom drawer.

"Konbanwa, Sakura-san," came the sleepy Osaka accented voice. "Nani desu ka?"

"Konbanwa, Kero-chan. Neko ni imasu. There was a flare of foreign magic and I found her in Penguin Park. She was hurt badly, so I helped her. I'll find out who did a spell tomorrow morning."

"Another stray?" asked Kero, absently frowning in concentration as he stretched his awareness to probe the auras in the park. "I don't sense anything out of the ordinary. You might not find anything by tomorrow, though I suppose you could always recreate a vision of the past."

"This time it was deliberate!" exclaimed Sakura heatedly, causing Kero to blink in confusion until he recalled his first comment. "Even if she was wearing a collar I wouldn't return her to the owner!"

"Hai, hai," soothed Kero placatingly. It wasn't smart to make the most powerful sorceress in the world angry. "Neko no namae wa nan desu ka?" [What is the cat's name?]

"Shiranai." [I don't know]

He face-faulted. "Well, she needs a name."

"Hmmm," said Sakura, eyes unfocused as she concentrated on finding a fitting name.

"Tabby-chan," she said finally.

Kero cocked his head to one side. "That feels. . . right somehow."

"Kero-chan, I was thinking that maybe you should stay with Tomoyo-chan for the next four days, preferably the next week, until Tabby-chan recovers fully. You don't really get along with cats-"

Kero let out an indignant snort.

"Cats don't get along well with you," she amended quickly. "And besides, Tomoyo-chan always has sweets ready for you. She also told me she has some new video games."

"Of course I would do what my Mistress asks of me," Kero reassured her. "I wouldn't like to get in the way of your patient's health. I would be delighted to keep Tomoyo-san company." And without further ado he flew out the open window into the night air, muttering to himself about pudding and whether he should go with chocolate cake, strawberry napoleon cake, or the beautiful, delicate teacakes to begin with.

Sakura grinned to herself as she watched his form silhouetted against the moon and stars. Stifling a yawn she glanced at the time. The hands showed 11:35 and she sighed, tossing on her pajamas and heading to the bathroom to brush her teeth. At least school was out, the last day having been four days ago, Friday April 9th.

Finished, she glanced at Tabby before climbing under the bed covers, falling asleep almost immediately.

I feel like I'm forgetting to do something, was her last sleepy thought before turning off the light.

Moonlight shone through the windows, gently illuminating the features of the sleeping girl and throwing the cat, as well as the rest of the room, into shadows. They hid the details and designs, part of the room's character, just as the Cardmistress hid her title and magic from the rest of the world.

Just as the cat guarded secrets that could either save or destroy the world she knew and the world of the Muggles.

~*~

Sakura was rudely awoken by a loud ringing.

Moaning, she opened her eyes halfway before hurriedly shutting them to block out the bright morning sunlight. Rolling over, Sakura flung out an arm to turn off her alarm clock, only to realize that it wasn't making that horrible, annoying, loud, racket.

Realizing she wouldn't be going back to sleep any time soon, she rolled heavily out of bed and glanced around the room, finally spotting her cell phone on the desk. Who would be awake at, she squinted at her clock, 8:30 AM?

"Moshi moshi." Her voice was slurred with sleep and she frowned at the basket next to her bed. What was that for? "Kinomoto Sa-Sakura desu." A yawn interrupted her in the middle of her standard greeting.

"Moshi moshi, Sakura-chan," came the familiar musical voice.

"Tomoyo-chan?" she asked hazily.

Oh yes, the cat. Sakura wondered how Tabby was doing and padded softly over to the basket. She was delighted when she saw her eyes open in slits before closing once more.

Green eyes just like me, she thought as Tabby's breathing deepened into a regular pattern.

"Gomen nasai," said Sakura realizing that Tomoyo had been talking. "What did you say?"

She could hear the grin in her best friend's voice as Tomoyo said in a teasing way, "Thinking about a certain amber-eyed Chinese boy?"

Sakura blushed. "Tomoyo-chaaaaaan! I was not! I found an injured cat in the park last night and she just opened her eyes for a second."

"Kero-chan told me about that," acknowledged Tomoyo. "I just wanted to let you know that he made it here-"

"Oh, I knew I'd forgotten something! I meant to call and ask last night, Tomoyo-chan, but I fell asleep."

"Daijoubu. Don't worry about it. I would have called you last night, but it was rather late when he got here."

Sakura could make out Kero's voice in the background.

"I called earlier than usual because Kero-chan wanted to remind you to check the unknown spell's location."

"Oh, yes. Do you want to come over when I get back? Oniichan doesn't go back to college until Doyoubi, so I'll ask him to watch Tabby-chan. If I'm not back before you get here he can let you in."

"Okay. Yukito-san didn't come to visit?"

"No," replied Sakura. "He took an extra class, so he couldn't leave."

"Mmm hmm. Ja ne. See you in a while."

"Ja ne."

She pushed the off button and set the phone down before kneeling by the slumbering tabby cat and stroking her soft fur. "You should be well enough to take a bath tomorrow," she mused to herself. "I doubt you'll like that." Sakura chuckled as she examined Tabby's aura to check for any signs of suffering, something she had neglected to do the night before. What she saw surprised her greatly. Sakura had never seen anything with a silver aura. Granted, she rarely looked at anyone's aura aside from those of her family, friends, and classmates but still.

And another thing. Tabby's aura was precise and controlled, without the pulsing and sparking that resulted from animal instincts and untrained magic.

The most puzzling thing about her was the tangled dark silver weavings of a spell that glowed just under her skin in an unknown pattern that seemed extraordinarily complex one moment, and so upside down, backwards, and deceptively simple the next that it gave her a headache. It didn't seem particularly powerful, just strange and...confusing.

"Was it you I felt last night?" Sakura said aloud as she changed into jeans and a light blue shirt with the word CLAMP scrawled across the chest and their logo beneath it. Not for the first time she wondered what it meant, but she had more pressing matters at hand.

"Ohayo," she called upon entering the kitchen.

"Oyaho gozaimasu," returned her father from his place at the able.

"Ohayo, Kaijuu," came her brother's usual greeting.

She kicked him on the way passed, satisfied with his grimace of pain.

"Watashi wa kaijuu ni imasen," [I'm not a monster] she informed him frostily as she grabbed a piece of toast and headed for the door.

"I'm going to check out Penguin Park, but I think Tabby-chan was the source of the flare, or had something to do with it. There's something strange about her," she informed them in a loud voice as she grabbed her roller blades.

There was a brief silence and she held the toast in her mouth as she buckled her blades.

"Dare?" asked Touya.

"Neko," Sakura informed him shortly around a mouthful of toast. "I don't think we should use or even talk about our magic. She doesn't see malignant, but just in case."

"Don't worry," her father reassured her as he walked to the door to see her off. "We won't."

Sakura stood a bit unsteadily. "Oniichan, watch Tabby-chan!" she shouted to him before pushing off with smooth, graceful movements.

"Ittekimasu!" she called, skating backwards a short distance along the sidewalk, one arm raised in farewell. She heard the answering, "Itterasshai," as she turned to face forward and sped off down a side road lined with sakura trees in full bloom.

Kirei na, she thought dreamily, blading steadily toward the park. Spring was definitely her favorite season, a time of new beginnings.

Sakura giggled as she brushed a sakura blossom out of her medium-length brown hair, and another off her shirt. They were everywhere.

The steady pumping of her legs and quiet air lent a hypnotic quality to the mood. Her contemplations turned to Tomoyo's comment about Syaoran on the phone. He had moved to Tomoeda permanently when they were in middle school, staying in the same apartment as he had when she had been capturing and converting Clow Cards. Occasionally Syaoran was required to return to Hong Kong to help with Li clan business and to visit with his family. That was where he was not, though he said he'd be back in a few days.

Kami-sama, she missed him.

Her arrival at Penguin Park's slide brought her out of her reverie and she circled the park once before gliding over the trails through it. The beauty of blooming trees and flowers, of morning sunshine on emerald green grass, sparkling off of the dew drops, was pushed to the back of her mind as she examined the grounds. A faint trace of silver where she'd found Tabby, present only to those with the Sight, was the only thing out of the ordinary. Sakura stared blankly at the bushes from a nearby path as early morning joggers and dog walkers passed her, sometimes with a nod and a smile.

Sighing, Sakura decided to head home. No matter how deeply she Looked, the only presence was Tabby's slowly dissipating over time.

Oblivious to everything around her, she glided over cement, her body automatically bringing her to her front door.

"Tadaima!" she greeted, carrying her skates to the closet.

"Okaeri nasai," replied Tomoyo as Sakura stepped into the kitchen.

"Tomoyo-chan?" The Cardmistress glanced at the clock and saw she'd been gone for nearly an hour. "Ah! Gomen nasai. I didn't realize it would take so long."

"It's all right. I haven't been here long," Tomoyo replied placidly. "Kero-chan lost at a rather crucial point in his game as I was leaving and it took some time to reassure my maids and prove to them a strange man was no hiding in any of my rooms, closets, or wardrobes."

Sakura giggled. "I suppose I should apologize for that as well."

Tomoyo waved a hand at her. "It's no problem really. He's a good cure for boredom. So good that one might wish for boredom, actually."

The two friends laughed.

"Where's Oniichan?" Sakura asked as they mounted the stairs.

"In his room working on a report."

Sakura snorted. "And he gets on my case for leaving homework until the last minute." She lowered her voice as she opened the door to her room. "Tabby-chan hasn't fully woken up yet," Sakura informed Tomoyo as they knelt by the cat's makeshift bed. "There's something unusual about her. I think she was the source of foreign power I sensed last night."

"So you don't want anyone to speak about or use magic in front of her until you know more about her?" guessed Tomoyo.

Sakura stared at her. "Hoeeee. You're observant to the point of reading minds, Tomoyo-chan."

Tomoyo laughed. "I just know you too well. Oh, look. Tabby-chan is waking up." She smiled and stroked the furry head as she blinked up at her owlishly. Tomoyo froze as the green eyes held her own violet orbs.

"Daijoubu?" Sakura asked her.

"Sakura-chan," Tomoyo breathed, "there's human intelligence in her gaze; there's an understanding and pain, fear and sorrow. . . hope."

She blinked as if coming out of a trance. "There is certainly something unusual about this cat. Do you think she's hungry?"

This abrupt change in topic didn't affect Sakura and she leapt to her feet. "I don't have any cat food!" she exclaimed.

"I doubt she'd eat it anyway," said Tomoyo pointedly as Tabby struggled to her feet and ambled around the room on unsteady feet, exploring her new surroundings.

"Right," she said. "I'll get toast. Would you mind watching her? Do you want anything?"

Tomoyo shook her head, gazing thoughtfully at the tabby cat. "I'm fine," she replied as her cousin slipped out of the room. "You are a puzzle." She directed this last comment at Tabby, who stared at her nonplused, head cocked to one side.

"It's lucky Sakura-chan found you," Tomoyo continued, reaching out to pet her. "You probably would have died, you know."

Tabby tensed and shook herself.

"No," agreed Tomoyo. "That isn't a good thought."

~*~

Minerva slowly returned to consciousness and became aware of a hushed conversation between two females.

". . . chikara. . . . . "

". . . mahou. . . shimasen."

It took her several moments to realize the words were Japanese and some time after that to remember the events that had taken place. . . how long ago? How long had she slept?

She opened her eyes and met the gaze of a raven-haired, violet-eyed girl, who rattled off several sentences in Japanese to her companion. They both looked to be about the same age as Hogwarts' seventh years.

Had she been a woman she would have frowned. Concentrate, she told herself. It had been years since she'd last spoken Japanese. She knew it had been unusual for a Scottish woman to learn it, but now it seemed that that knowledge would be put to good use, if Japanese was this household's language.

Minerva struggled out of the basket she'd been put in and examined the room. Where in the world was she? How had she gotten here? And how had she ended up in her Animagus form? So many mysteries.

The girl she had first seen began talking and Minerva turned to watch her, concentrating on what she was saying. It surprised her that she could understand the language so easily.

"You are a puzzle."

So is everything else, Minerva thought wryly.

"It's lucky Sakura-chan found you."

That must be the girl who left to get food, she reasoned. She had definitely been lucky to be taken in and cared for.

"You probably would have died, you know."

Minerva couldn't help herself. The thought of how close she had been to dying made her shudder. Though she was in much less pain than she thought she should have been in, it still pained her to move.

"No, that's not a good thought."

Just then the other girl - Sakura? - returned.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Tabby-chan," she said cheerfully. I brought you some food."

Minerva hadn't realized how hungry she was, but the use of her old nickname floored her. She hadn't been called Tabby for years.

An interesting coincidence, she thought as she bit into the buttered toast. At least they weren't trying to feed her cat food.

Minerva flicked an ear in the two girls' direction.

"Are you sure you don't want anything, Tomoyo-chan?"

Tomoyo. She stored that name in her memory.

This must be Sakura's house, she guessed from how Sakura played the hostess.

"Iie. I ate before I left."

Despite herself, Minerva felt herself grow sleepy and yawned hugely the moment she finished the last bite of toast. It served as a reminder that she hadn't quite recovered from Voldemort's attention.

I do hope Albus got away all right, she thought worriedly before crawling into the basket and curling into a tight ball, head to tail. She appreciated it when Tomoyo and Sakura quietly stood and turned off the lights as they left.

They were nice girls.

~*~

Minerva woke several hours later, restless and disoriented from a nightmare. The image lingered in her mind: a bodiless head, covered in rich red blood, a stark contrast to the ashen skin. Maggots infested the empty eye sockets, the movements sickening her. In her mind's eye she could clearly see uneven cut of the skin of the neck that hung limply in tatters, dry blood encrusted on the ends. The clear, minute details soon faded, as dreams are wont to do, the vivid details unable to be recalled. While that was unnerving, what truly scared her was the familiarity with which she regarded the victim.

Death plagued her dreams when visions of peaceful times were too weak to stifle Hades' creatures. The few other witches and wizards she'd talked to about it had similar trouble.

The murmur of voices coming from the floor below comforted her, calming her racing heart. The clock showed 6:24 and she supposed Sakura and her family were eating dinner.

Feeling hungry, Minerva trotted over to the door, noticing it was left ajar. She was extremely grateful for the thoughtfulness of this Japanese-speaking family. She couldn't smell any other animals which was too bad. They would have made wonderful owners.

She did, however, smell yakisoba, one of her favorite Japanese foods. After all, one couldn't learn a language without absorbing some of the culture.

Minerva padded softly into the kitchen, allowing her nose to guide her. Three people sat at the table, one of which was Sakura. She supposed the older, brown-haired man was her father. Perhaps the raven-haired young man next to him was Sakura's brother? Or maybe a friend? She was more willing to believe he was her brother, seeing as how he was several years older.

"Konbanwa, Tabby-chan," acknowledged Sakura, noticing her as she hovered in the doorway. The conversation hesitated for a moment before the young man rose to get a bowl and ladled yakisoba into it before setting it on the floor next to the table, drawing her to Sakura's side.

"Good idea, Touya-san," praised Sakura's father.

Minerva sniffed the food before delicately taking a bite. She couldn't shake the feeling that she'd interrupted an important conversation they didn't want her to hear.

Touya returned with a saucer of milk and Minerva gave herself a small shake. Don't be ridiculous, she told herself. Why would they worry about talking openly in front of a cat? No, this Muggle family was perfectly normal, aside from the fact that the mother wasn't present. She was probably still at work.

Now that she thought about it, she hadn't noticed a recent female scent that could be attributed to their mother. Sad as the prospect was, the mother had to either be dead or long gone. Still that wasn't too unusual as families go.

But, thought Minerva, absently chewing her food, there's something unusual in the air, a subtle, unknown feeling.

If only she knew where she was! That was frustrating her almost as much as not knowing what was going on in her world. Wouldn't it be a nice surprise if I returned only to find Voldemort in charge of everything? she thought sarcastically before quickly stifling it, as if by thinking it, it would come true.

Only pretending to do what a normal cat would do - or so she told herself - Minerva leapt lightly onto Sakura's lap and curled herself up into a ball. She was rewarded for the action by Sakura's comforting stroking. She purred, eyes slipping closed. For a while, at least, there would be peace, and she could relax. For a while she could forget about the warring and the killing. For a while she could forget that she was a witch in cat's clothing.

Sakura smiled down at Tabby, gently rubbing the fur on her back and head. "You're quite a mystery, Tabby-chan," she murmured softly, before looking up.

"Gochisosama. May I be excused?" she asked.

"Of course," replied Fujitaka.

Sakura stood up slowly, without waking Tabby, and floated her dishes over to the sink where they settled with a quiet clatter. It had taken her weeks to be able to do that without dropping or breaking anything.

"Kaijuu," said Touya as he stared at the contents of the refrigerator. "We have dessert and it's been abnormally quiet. Where's the nuigurumi?"

"At Tomoyo-chan's," replied Sakura shortly, bristling at the 'kaijuu' comment and heading upstairs. "I didn't want him disturbing Tabby-chan."

Sakura set the sleeping cat in her makeshift bed before changing into her pajamas and dialing Tomoyo's phone number, muttering all the while about mean older brothers who think they can say whatever they want just because they're bigger, and if she hadn't been holding Tabby -

"Moshi, moshi. Daidouji Tomoyo desu."

"Ah! Konbanwa Tomoyo-chan. How are you holding up with Kero-chan?"

"His shouting is somewhat attention-getting but no mishaps so far," replied Tomoyo.

"That's good. You can always send him back here if it gets to be too much," said Sakura. She could hear blasting noises in the background, which could only mean that Kero was playing video games and had completely taken over the TV.

"It's fine," Tomoyo reassured her. "The maids are getting suspicious, I think, but when he gets too noisy I stuff his mouth full of cake."

Sakura laughed. "I should try that next time. Although I don't think we'd have enough to succeed," she added as an afterthought.

She assumed Kero wasn't paying the slightest attention to the conversation since there wasn't any indignant shouting.

"What I wanted to ask," continued Sakura, "was what time you were planning to have he picnic on Friday. I sort of. . . er. . . forgot."

She fidgeted uncomfortably as her best friend giggled.

"1:00," replied Tomoyo finally. "Then you can come over to my house afterwards and try on the new clothes I made you!"

Sakura could practically see the fanatical gleam in her eyes and suppressed a sigh. She was sure that that hadn't been mentioned before, but didn't protest. She fervently believed that it would be easier to talk Kero out of eating sweets, and everyone knew that was impossible.

The two of them talked until Tomoyo began to enthusiastically describe new and - in Sakura's opinion - extremely wild and conspicuous battle costumes. At that point she suddenly noticed that it was very late (9:12) and she was very tired and she had to wrestle a (weak and injured) cat into a bathtub and keep her there tomorrow morning.

"Oyasumi nasai."

"Oyasumi nasai," echoed Tomoyo in a somewhat disappointed voice before they hung up.

*~*

Sakura stared at the basin of warm water as if it was her death sentence.

"You look more vacant than usual," remarked Touya on his way past her as he left for work. Fujitaka had left earlier that morning for a lecture.

Sakura considered throwing the basin at him, but decided it would be too much of a hassle and, instead, screeched, "Oniichaaaaan!" at the top of her lungs in the most annoying, grating voice she could manage.

"Don't forget your raincoat!" he called back, slamming the door as he muttered, "Harpy," under his breath.

"I heard that," came the disembodied voice from right next to his ear.

Touya beat a strategic retreat before Sakura decided to take offensive with her magic.

"I don't like getting wet in my clothes," Sakura muttered blackly.

"Mreow?"

She turned at the sound and greeted the feline that sat at the bottom of the stairs, watching her curiously.

"I'm giving you a bath," said Sakura shortly. "Please don't splash me too much."

Minerva flinched as she was lowered into the warm water and resisted the urge to scratch and claw her way away from the bath. It was just - well, yes, heavenly, but - alright, she knew she needed one, wanted one, but. . . She was a cat, dammit! This just wasn't dignified! Cats don't like water, and she knew for a fact that she looked like a drowned rat. The indignity of it all.

If she so much as attempts to wash me, I will scratch her, thought Minerva mutinously as she crouched in the water, aristocratic manners gone the way of her sunny disposition.

Sakura blinked at the passive cat, wondering if it was normal for a feline to just sit in the tub without attempting to escape.

She changed her plans at the last minute, casting a spell on the water so that it would clean Tabby. There was something too intelligent about those green eyes for Sakura to feel comfortable washing her by hand.

Interesting, mused Minerva when Sakura picked her up and wrapped her in a towel. Not that I'm unhappy, but why didn't she attempt to wash me?

Oh, not again! she thought crossly as her muscles seemed to go limp. She trembled as a wave of exhaustion hit her. I hate being ill and injured, but it shouldn't last so long, even recovering from the Cruciatus Curse. I must still be replenishing my energy from the wandless magic I did to get here. . . Wherever here is. I can't have gotten further than Edinburgh, but there are so many towns within that radius.

After much thought Minerva had concluded that she had unknowingly Disapparated from the clearing. The need and desperation had taken that place of her wand and pulled a powerful spell out of her to get away; far, far away.

But why hadn't Albus or someone come to get her? Surely they didn't believe she was dead?

They were busy, she concluded, trying to ignore the lump in her throat. They had Voldemort and his army to worry about. She'd have to find her own way home once she recovered. They needed her help, needed all the help they could get, for Voldemort was slowly gaining ground as they lost it.

*~*

"Alastor, where is she?"

'Mad-Eye' Moody watched Albus pace his office restlessly. They had spent three fruitless days searching for Minerva McGonagall since her disappearance. They had used every spell Alastor knew and even a few he didn't, and though they located the correct people during the test runs, Minerva hadn't shown up at all, which she should have even if she were - Merlin forbid it - dead. It was as if she'd disappeared off the face of the Earth.

"Voldemort can't have her or he'd have flaunted that fact in our faces, and, besides, Severus told us Voldemort wished them to find her before we did. Alastor," Albus stopped and fixed the ex-Auror with a piercing gaze, "we need to get to her before they do."

"Dumbledore, we're limited to searching the Muggle way. It would help if we knew why her location doesn't appear in any spell."

"I don't know!" exclaimed Albus in such a tense and frustrated tone that Alastor immediately focused both eyes (the magical one had been roving as per usual) on the Headmaster. He had never heard the older wizard sound so. . . so helpless, so at loss as to what to do.

"I'm sure she's find," said Moody gruffly. "I feel more sorry for whoever's found her. Poppy says Minerva only stops short of holding her at wand-point when she's injured or sick and believes herself to be fine."

Albus chuckled. "She does have a temper." I only hope she'll be able to use it on me again.

Dumbledore's eyes grew unfocused as he gazed into the crackling fire and Alastor quietly took his leave.

*~*

Another day passed and Minerva was well enough to stay awake for more than three hours at a time. As of yet she had been unable to discover what city she was in, but she had her eyes set on a letter Sakura had received that morning. She seemed to be in a happy mood (well, happier than usual), since having read the letter and Minerva was curious as to what it said, but her good conscience wouldn't allow her to read someone else's mail.

She watched Sakura flip through a small deck of large pink cards, silently willing her to leave. It seemed her prayers had been answered when the phone rang and the teenager went pelting out of the room and down the stairs, still holding the cards.

Minerva wasted no time in leaping onto the desk. She pawed through the papers until she came to the envelope, and studied the name to make sure it had been addressed to Sakura. The kanji characters returned to her memory easily, as if the language had been eagerly waiting over 20 years for just such an occasion. Having confirmed it was addressed to Sakura Kinomoto, she skipped down to the line that contained the city.

To. . . Tomoe. . . da? Tomoeda? Had she not been a cat she would have frowned. I've never heard of Tomoeda.

Minerva turned to jump down from the desk when the characters for the country caught her eye. She did a double take.

Japan?!

Forgetting herself, she let out a yowl. She realized what a fool she'd been. Why would a letter be addressed in Japanese if she were still in Scotland, or even on that side of the world? Even people in the International District addressed letters in English, and the lack of noise and pollution and traffic said better than anything that she was not in the District.

"Tabby-chan?" asked a soft voice from the doorway. "Daijoubu?"

Minerva started, remembered where she was, and jumped to the ground.

How had she gotten the power to Apparate to the other side of the world without a wand? No wonder she had been - and still was - so exhausted.

"C'mon Tabby-chan," said Sakura gently, picking her up and stroking her. "Would you like some fresh air? No not you," she added, and Minerva saw that she cradled a cordless phone on her shoulder.

"Yes, I know you're shut up in a room all day, learning the Li Clan leader position, but there's nothing I can do about it. . ."

". . . Well, that wouldn't be polite. Besides, there's a whole mansion full of sor-. . ."

". . . Yes, I know you'll back me up, but you'll be home soon anyway. . ."

". . . Mou. That's mean Syaoran-kun. I've been waiting forever for you to come back, and now you won't give me the date of your return?. . ."

". . . Just because I won't bail you out. . ."

". . . Well, you're supposed to be the fearless leader . . ."

Sakura sighed. "Aishiteru, Syaoran-kun. Sayonara."

Minerva sighed. It was rather frustrating and confusing to listen to a one-sided conversation. But the more pressing matter was, how could she get back to England? She didn't know any Japanese witches or wizards, nor did she know of any magical communities. It was sheer dumb luck that she was fluent in Japanese.

"Hoe!!!"

Minerva jumped, accidentally clawing Sakura's arms.

"Mmmph!" Sakura bit her lip and clutched her forearm.

I'm sorry! Minerva thought as she butt her head against Sakura's legs. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!

"Don't worry, Tabby-chan," she reassured the cat. "I'm okay." She pulled her sleeve up to check the scratches. They had already stopped bleeding, the skin closing and healing. Sorcerers healed twice as fast as normal people, but the rule didn't apply to sickness and disease.

"But we're going to be laaaate!" Sakura wailed, and immediately resumed her panicky activity, rushing around the room. "I'm supposed to be at the park right now!"

Teleporting was out of the question with Tabby-chan there.

She sped down the stairs with Minerva on her heels, wondering what was going on. In record time Sakura had grabbed her jacket, shoes, a bento box in a bag, and, to Minerva's surprise, herself.

Sakura's bike was leaning against the porch and she gently stowed the cat in the basket between the handlebars and strapped the bento to the platform behind the seat before hopping on.

Minerva moaned the moment the jolting ride began. Her claws punctured the basket as she strove to keep herself steady and upright. It seemed an eternity before the ride was over and she could have sworn she'd been tossed into the air at least once.

"Gomen nasai, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura panted. "I hope you haven't been waiting long."

"No, no," reassured Tomoyo. "It's fine. Although I can't say the same for your neko."

I'm not hers, Minerva thought with as much indignance as possible while desperately trying not to be sick.

"Tabby-chan!" exclaimed Sakura, placing the feline on the ground. "Ah! Gomen nasai, Tabby-chan! I wasn't thinking!"

Twenty points from...from....

Minerva shook herself and then grudgingly twined around Sakura's legs to show that she was forgiven.

"You know," said the brunette thoughtfully, calming down. "This is where I found Tabby-chan."

"Really?" said Tomoyo as she set the food on a blanket for their picnic.

Minerva immediately studied her surroundings, wondering if she could somehow get back home from here. As the two girls ate (occasionally feeding the feline some tidbits) she explored the area. Aside from the faint smell of old blood and a vague scent resembling that of a fox or two, she could find nothing unusual. Part of it could have been attributed to the overpowering smell of the food, and she decided to return at a later date, just in case she had missed something. Feeling rather selfish, Minerva desperately wished that Albus were here to help her. She couldn't get back to Hogwarts without a wand. She was lonely for the company of people who knew her, people she had known for years, and people who could do magic as she could.

And aside from that she was afraid. Afraid of never returning; afraid of being unable to help; afraid of leaving the children; afraid of exposing the Wizarding World to the Muggles; afraid of never - . She scrambled to her feet when she noticed Sakura packing the empty bento box onto her bicycle. Afraid of another ride on that terror!

What happened to my bloody Gryffindor courage? she thought with a moan.

This time, however, Sakura pedaled slowly, coasting along the quiet roads, hair flying back away from her face.

Minerva savored the peace that these people took for granted, wishing that the state of the Wizarding World was half as quiet.

*~*

"Sit down, Weasley. You're making me nauseous," ordered Draco, who had been watching Ron pace back and forth in the past 15 minutes since Harry and Hermione had gone to sneak around Hogwarts under an Invisibility Cloak (they now had two thanks to Hermione, a complex Duplication Charm, and the Room of Requirement) and look for something - anything - that would explain Professor McGonagall's absence.

Ever since McGonagall had disappeared the school seemed to be blanketed in an unnatural silence. Students whispered in the halls, and whatever laughter there was was unnatural and loud, and quickly stifled. This was the first professor missing and the school's spirit had been dampened.

Ron sat down stiffly, not bothering to retort, and immediately began tapping his foot impatiently against the floor.

"Stop being a nervous twit," commanded Ginny, who had, for the past 10 minutes, been plucking and repairing her quill.

"What is with you two?" said Draco exasperatedly. "We've been out and about plenty of times after curfew before. I mean, sure we're in the middle of a war, with spies everywhere, nowhere is safe, and You-Know-Who has a bounty on our heads, but it's very unlikely we'll be expelled at such traumatic and uncertain times, and that's what matters. That and my hair," he added as an afterthought.

Ginny and Ron stared at the blonde Slytherin.

"Your skills at reassurance and comforting astound me," commented Ginny sarcastically as Ron said, "Only you and Hermione. . ."

"You're common room would look a lot nicer in silver and green," said Draco randomly, and flicked his wand.

"Yurch," gurgled Ron as gold became silver and red became green.

"Honestly," said Ginny in disgust and waved her wand, muttering the spell that repaired the colors, adding one more element and wondered when he would notice.

A split second later Hermione and Harry entered, the Invisibility Cloak balled up in his hands. Both looked troubled. . . until they saw Draco.

Hermione clapped both hands over her mouth to stifle her giggles, not wanting to wake anyone up. Harry and Ron were leaning on each other, shaking in silent laughter, and Ginny smirked at Draco.

He looked at them suspiciously and fished a mirror out of his robes.

His hair, his beautiful hair. . . was red. Draco faced the four Gryffindors, trembling, eyes glazed over.

"If this doesn't come out I will kill you all until you are dead," he whispered.

"Oh dear," snickered Hermione. "I think he's gone into shock." She took pity on the poor boy and removed the spell.

"Now then," she said, "all jokes aside -"

"Who's joking," muttered Draco sullenly.

"- the situation is pretty serious," continued Hermione, ignoring him. "We happened to overhear Flitwick and Snape talking, with the help of our Extendable Ears, of course, and no spell has been able to detect Professor McGonagall."

"Impossible," said Draco worriedly, which was very unusual for him. "Her body's location should show up."

Harry shook his head. "It didn't," he said shortly. "They've had to search the Muggle way and they don't have a clue where she is or how she got there. The good thing is that Voldemort - stop shuddering, it's annoying - doesn't have her."

"You're sure?" asked Ginny anxiously.

"As sure as we can be, considering," he replied.

Ginny bit her lip. "I don't like this at all."

*~*

For once, Minerva woke up at the same time Sakura did.

At least I'm recovering, she thought, even though it was already 11:00 AM.

"Ohayo, Kaijuu," Touya greeted as he walked by to place a suitcase by the door. He would be returning to college campus that evening.

Sakura scowled. "Oniichan," she growled and kicked him.

"Ngghh." Touya bounced up and down, holding his shin.

Minerva observed this exchange with amusement. It was obvious that they did this regularly.

"Want some breakfast, Tabby-chan?"

Minerva spent a lazy day lounging around the Kinomoto household and wondering how she could get back to England. The wizarding population in eastern Asia was sparse and in such a small town as Tomoeda it was likely nonexistent. Not a cheerful thought.

It was beginning to get dark when the doorbell rang. Sakura was watching Tabby idly toy with a ball of string and Touya called out, "I've got it!"

A moment later the door was slammed shut so hard that Sakura's alarm clock toppled onto her bed.

Sakura rose with a beatific smile. "There's only one person Oniichan slams the door on like that," she murmured and padded softly down the stairs. Minerva followed, bemused.

The girl flung the door open. "Syaoran-kun!" she shrieked, tackling him in a hug and laughing as he swung her around.

Minerva was transfixed by the obvious and open affection the two shared. Back home one had to be careful of displaying too much affection lest someone loyal to Voldemort spied the exchange and found that person to be a weakness. Harry and Albus were especially careful with how they conducted themselves.

She shook herself out of her stupor. This was her chance to explore the park with no distractions. She slipped out the door silently and the last thing she heard as she bounded into the night was Sakura's voice.

"If you'd waited one more day you wouldn't have had to face Oniichan's wrath. He's going back to Tomoeda U tonight."

She was too far away to hear the boy's reply.

Minerva's memory and sense of direction were impeccable and she arrived at the park 20 minutes later.

Nothing, she thought disappointedly. Truthfully, she wondered what she had been expecting to find. Certainly not a wand or a portkey. She was about to leave when she heard a voice in the darkness.

"Looks like we finally found the pussy cat."

Minerva's fur stood on end when she discovered herself surrounded by three men in black robes. Death Eaters! She cursed herself for her stupidity.

"What's the matter McGonagall? Cat got your tongue?"

She attempted to bolt as they laughed unpleasantly, but a bulky wizard caught her by the scruff of the neck. She lashed out wildly with her claws and scored three long gashes on his arm.

He yelled in pain and shook her violently until she thought he planned to kill her then and there. She almost wished he would, it hurt so much.

"Enough Crabbe, don't kill her yet," said the obvious leader of the group. "Master wishes to speak with her." He turned to her and asked, "Why don't you change back? We could have us some fun."

Minerva wanted to gag.

"Put my cat down!" exclaimed a familiar voice in surprisingly good English, and Minerva could have groaned. Did Sakura have a death wish?

Startled, the leader drew his wand. When he saw Sakura, he laughed and said, "If you leave now, we'll spare you, little Muggle."

Sakura cocked her head to one side, utterly confident. Minerva wanted to kick her. Didn't the fool girl know danger when she saw it? She racked her brain, wondering how she could save the poor girl.

The teen glanced at the wand skeptically. "You're threatening me with a stick?" She lowered her voice and leaned in, asking conspiratorially, "Are you compensating for something?"

For a moment there was absolute silence. Then all hell broke loose.

The wizard roared, "Avada Kedavra!"

The grip on Minerva slackened and she twisted free as a boy dropped down from the trees onto the two lackey wizards and slammed their heads together. Remembering the Killing Curse the leader had cast, she turned to where Sakura had stood, expecting the worst.

She needn't have worried. Apparently Sakura had tackled him. He hit the ground hard and his head cracked against a tree.

"Not local," commented Sakura with a frown, unmasking the three unconscious wizards. "I'll take that," she added pocketing Nott's wand (Minerva recognized his face immediately). "What do you think about this Syaoran-kun?"

"I think you should play American football," he said admiringly. "About everything else, I have no idea."

I think you two are very strange, thought Minerva, narrowing her eyes.

Sakura picked Minerva up, expression unreadable. "It was just so unexpected and it blinded me. I couldn't see him and I couldn't take the chance that he would try again."

Syaoran nodded. "It was extremely bright," he said, knowing she meant the spell.

"We're going to England. London."

Minerva felt her heart rate speed up. So close to home!

"W-what?" stuttered Syaoran. "But. . . but He lives there."

For one wild moment Minerva thought they were talking about Voldemort.

"That's exactly why we're going. A while ago Eriol told me some strange things were happening and invited me over when I had the time. Now I do. And they're English." She pointed to the three men before teleporting them home.

Minerva must have passed out because the next thing she remembered was the three of them standing on Sakura's porch. She chanced a look at the girl and saw that her eyes had become unfocused.

Almost immediately her expression changed. Her eyes flamed and she stormed into the house. "Oniichan!" she bellowed.

He looked at her warily when she entered the kitchen. "Hai?"

"You were supposed to renew the wards on the house yesterday!"

The wards protected the house and its occupants from any spying eyes, such as scrying, and from minor malignant forces, such as thieves.

Syaoran cast a sleep spell on the cat, knowing Sakura wouldn't want her to hear the conversation.

"Three foreign magic users caught her and were about to kill her!"

"I thought sorcerers weren't allowed to do evil," said Touya in confusion.

"They weren't rogue sorcerers. I don't know what they were, but they used this to do magic." Sakura extracted the wand she had confiscated from the man from her pocket.

"A wand."

"Not an ordinary one," replied Sakura. "The spells are unknown to me and I can't use it."

"Gomen," apologized Touya. "I'll renew the wards right now."

"And I'll pack for England."

"What?!"

Syaoran wisely chose this time to teleport to his house and begin his own packing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Japanese/English Dictionary:

-Otousan: father

-Oniichan: older brother

-Tadaima: I'm home

-Okaeri nasai: welcome home

-Daijoubu: I'm all right

-Daijoubu desu ka?: Are you all right?

-Nani (desu ka): what (is it)?

-Neko: cat

-Mezurashii: strange

-Neko ni imasu: it's a cat

-Kaijuu: monster

-Dare: who

-Ittekimasu: I'm leaving now

-Itterasshai: (response to ittekimasu)

-Kirei na: pretty

-Kami-sama: God

-Chikara: power

-Mahou: magic

-Nuigurumi: stuffed animal

-Aishiteru: I love you