Life goes on. Just have to hang on sometimes. Even the darkest nights end.

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Strawberry Surprises Chapter 15: Growing Embers

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It had been a week since Sakura had awoken. In that time, Tomoyo had not let her out of her sight more than a few minutes at any given time. Sakura had been very weak at first, even once they had calmed down and gotten her fed, she wasn't quite able to even walk beyond trips to the restroom, and even then, Tomoyo often had to support her. She was recovering fast, given the circumstances, but she was likely still days from truly being fully recovered.

Still, Sakura was growing more antsy by the day.

"Tomoyo, we need to go." She tried for the third time that day. "They will need our help."

"I'm sure they are fine for now Sakura, and you won't be of any help to anyone until you're recovered. Mother already said the second you are actually ready, she can have a plane ready. Just rest for now."

Tomoyo is right Sakura, you just need to focus on recovering. Between what happened and all of the memories, your body and mind have a lot to process. Besides, it could give you time to talk to Tomoyo about some things. Images from Mirror flashed across Sakura's mind and her cheeks went pink.

MIRROR, we talked about this. You can't just show me stuff like that without context.

What context do you need? Alcohol and L...

ENOUGH. Sakura drank her entire glass of Juice that Tomoyo had brought with lunch.

"Is Mirror teasing you again Sakura?" Tomoyo's cheeks were slightly colored as well, but over the last few days, she had discovered that Mirror was actually still FULLY concious inside of Sakura and capable of talking with her. It had caused no end of worry for Tomoyo, given her history with Mirror.

"She's just trying to goad me again, but you're both right I guess." Sakura sighed. "I hate to even admit it, but I am still very tired, and truth be told, I am not sure I have ANY real magical power of my own right now anyways."

That is not entirely true Sakura. It is not just my memories and yours that merged. You also should be fully able to use any of my powers at your will as well.

"I WHAT?!" Sakura said outloud, startling Tomoyo.

"What is it Sakura?" She said calmly.

"Mirror says I can use her powers. But how can that be?" Sakura just looked confused.

All you need to do is think it, and focus and you shoul be able to use either of my powers whenever you want. I am certeain you know what my powers are.

"Relfection and Imitation..." Sakura thought hard for a few minutes not saying anything. She stared at Tomoyo so long that it started making her blush when suddenly.

"SAKURA?!" Tomoyo's mouth was agape. By all appearances, She was staring at herself, sitting in the bed. Shakily, she pulled a small mirror from the bedside table and handed it to Sakura, who nearly dropped it in surprise.

"IT WORKED!" She smiled happily and hugged Tomoyo, who was increbily conflicted and confused, but she knew it was still Sakura. When Sakura let go, she was herself once again. "That may come in handy. Especially since I don't have any of my cards anymore..." Her face darkened slightly, but she shook her head hard.

Sakura has been fighting so hard the last few days, more mentally than physically. Tomoyo sighed and gently gripped Sakura's hand. "I'm here Sakura. Just breath." Sakura did seem to breath a little easier at that.

"I know Tomoyo, because I have you." Tomoyo's heart skipped. I will NEVER get tired of hearing that...

"Hey Sakura, what do you think happened that night? I mean AFTER that, you were bleeding REALLY badly, I remember that. But Mother said you weren't hurt at all when they arrived." Sakura cocked her head to the side.

"I don't really know. Mirror doesn't have any healing magic, nor does Windy. I faintly remember some bright light, but to be honest, that night is a blur for me. I'd rather not think to much on it."

"That is fair Sakura. I just don't understand and with everything that's happened, I don't like mysteries."

"Speaking of mysteries. Were you planning on telling me about you and Mirror? She keeps showing me some... interesting things." Sakura just watched Tomoyo as the girl turned solid red.

"I..I uhh.." She sighed. "I guess at this point, there really isn't any point in hiding it is there? You have all her memories don't you?"

"Sort of. All of my own memories are fully open at this point, for all I'd rather they not be." Sakura visibly winced. "But the memories Mirror made as Seiko are still technically her own, for all they are held within my mind. She controls them and whether or not I can see them. But she's shown me quite a bit, both upsetting and...interesting..."

"I see.. and I assume that includes some of her time with me?" Tomoyo was talking far more calmly and controlled than she felt.

"Enough." Sakura actually smiled at that, blushing herself. "Suffice it to say, I am more intimately aware of Tomoyo than I expected to be at this point...

"So then.. what exactly did you want to know?" Tomoyo really didnt want to have this conversation EVER, but she was kind of trapped that this point.

"How did it feel? Like I have her memories, but We both know it wasn't REALLY me, just someone who looked enough like me that you could get by when you had had enough to drink..." Tomoyo sighed.

"It filled a void in my life at the time. Though, much like the alcohol, it was never what I really needed. They were memories that I can't say I disliked, given what all happened, but at the same time, it never left me satisfied or content. It took a year of therapy to even get to the point where I was able to beat my mothers demon, that is to say drinking, but I could never really get over my need of you.." Tomoyo blushed and looked away. "Seiko wasn't you, she knew she was just a replacement, and I guess in hindsight now, she probably knew WHY she was my replacement for you."

Tomoyo helped me probably as much as I helped her Sakura. For the first couple of the last four years, I felt so desperately alone. Hopeless and empty. There was so much hurt. Light and Dark had to restrain me more than once...They gave me a job to help fill my time and allow them to watch over me more easily. Inside her mind, Sakura felt Mirror pause. But then one night, working as a waitress at Prisim, I met a Dejected Tomoyo. She had been drinking for hours, for all that she shouldn't have been allowed too. Dark said she was a special case, and that she was being watched out for by everyone there.

When I approached her that night, she was so out of it, she took one look at me and well..an Image of Tomoyo grabbing Mirror and kissing her filled Sakura's vision. The rest of that night, I don't exactly regret, but I think Tomoyo is still ashamed of it.

"Tomoyo... I Love You." Sakura gently put her hand over Tomoyo's. "I know you've been through so much...I'm sorry I couldn't be here when you really needed me...I am glad you found something..." Tomoyo looked back at her.

"Sakura...My whole life... for as long as I can remember, I've loved you. Truly and fully. For most of it, I knew that it was likely to only ever be one sided. I saw how that slowly destroyed my mother, to the point where she, to this day, drinks heavily anytime ANYTHING stressful happens. And I knew that was my fate as well... When you me Li, I knew my chances had finally run out.

And then you returned to me, but broken and lost...I had to watch you suffer and comfort you. I always would. I love you of course, but it meant I spent what little I had left helping you, making sure you weren't sad and it left so little for myself." She was crying softly as she spoke now.

"I would NEVER blame Sakura for any of it, of course, it was never your fault. How could you know I felt that way about you? But I still needed my own releases...I found Prisim and ended up being a regular there. Not too long after, I met Seiko, Mirror, and well." She shurgged weakly. "I was so pent up by then...I needed an outlet, and she looked so much like you..." She blushed and sighed. "I am not proud of what happened, but I don't think I regret it. We weren't together at that point, so its not like it was cheating or anything. It was just...comfort..."

"It was quite a bit more than comfort, but regardless. I am glad she was able to help you make it through to where you are now. You were always so much stronger than I am." Sakura laughed softly. "And I suppose, if nothing else...It means I have ideas on what we can do as well..." Tomoyo blushed HARD at that and buried her face in her juice glass.

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"Over the last two weeks, we have had eight field agents disappear, seven of which have since been found dead, hundreds of miles from where they were deployed." The Head of the German Magic Beauru was calmly going over the situation. At first the arrival of three basically kids had been all but dismissed, but upon learning identies, and verifiying them, the beauru had been abuzz with the news of two eastern magicians looking for missing cards. It was the first time in four years they had had ANY contact from the east.

"And they were all investigating the same case?" Touya asked, picking up the only unaccounted for agent. The first who had gone missing.

"Yes, that is right. We are not certain 100% what it is causing, but the cases they were investigating were all essentially identical victims. They featured several telltale signs of magically induced fatalities. Unnatural burns on drowning victims who had inhaled so much water their lungs had burst before death. The fact that each discovered Agent was also discovered with identical injuries was conclusive enough to mark it as one singular attacker."

"Do you have any idea what caused any of it?"

"None, Though one of our Agents, the one still missing, seemed to think it might have been magically bound creatures. He called them Cards, like the mythical Clow cards." Li looked at Touya.

"Where was he last going?"

"It's and old castle in the south. Its been in disrepair for centuries. Our search team went in after him, but they found nothing. No sign anyone had been there in ages."

"Show me where." Touya pulled out a map and the cheif circled the area of the castle on it.

"I don't recommend going in there though. Terry was one of our best. If he thought something was there it probably was."

"I thought you said your team found nothing."

"I didn't. But I don't like it. Ace Agents don't just go missing with no trace. Something doesn't feel right about that place."

"Thanks for your help." The three of them rose to leave.

"Who are you three anyways. What is going on. Is the whole Hong Kong thing related somehow?"

"We think so, yes. But right now its imperitive we either find that agent or what killed him." Yuki spoke up for the first time.

"I see. Well I wish you the best of luck. I'll send for a chopper to take you out to the castle. Its quite the hike otherwise." He picked up his phone to make a call as the three began walking to the exit.

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"So what are you thinking?" Li asked to the others as they walked out of earshot of the chief.

"Its likely Firey and Watery being controlled directly. Controlling them would give the magican control over whatever cards they can command as well. And the injuries also point to those two being involved..." Yuki looked concerned.

"If elementals are being controlled, we may be outclassed here. That creature could control Mother, and now he has Sakura Cards under him as well. Do we actually have a plan if we run into him or one of the elementals?"

"If it is just a single elemental, I should be able to contain it, but ideally we are just here to find them. Hopefully Sakura arrives soon so we can actually try to reseal them."

"About that. Why isn't she here NOW? Its been a week." Li looked towards Touya. He had been in touch with Tomoyo, but hadn't shared any of their discussions with Li.

"According to Tomoyo, Sakura fell Ill not long after we left. She remembered a lot of what happened and it overloaded her. She is recovering, but it may be some time before she arrives still."

"So we just have to sit on our hands while whatever is here continues its plans?"

"No. We still need to locate it, we have a lead, but no solid proof. THAT is my main goal right now. For better of worse, we have to at least find some trace of a card or that magician.

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So at this point, I have actually plotted out most of the rest of the main story. Writing it is always another matter, but at least I dont have the block I had going on WHERE to go. I had rough ideas, but I was stuck in a few key places. Anyways. Onward we Go.