Composed by deko
Translated by Yuki Neco
At the quarters of Amamiya Cooperation, Iyo was sitting in front of the mirror in her room when Tomoyo was combing the girl’s hair delicately, saying, “Your hair is gorgeous, so dark with gloss. I wish I had beautiful hair like yours, Iyo.”
“You think so?” Iyo replied, “Your hair looks more gorgeous to me.”
Tomoyo put an attractive red ribbon on Iyo’s hair, looking in the mirror in which a beautiful girl with dark-pupiled almond eyes and a sharp chin.
“You look really grown-up, Iyo,” said Tomoyo, when Iyo looked out the window; she could see the city full of buildings glittering on the windows which reflected the summer sunlight.
“She used to live in this town. Such a strange place that I don’t think I can get accustomed to,” Iyo thought to herself as she saw chirping birds fly off, “That’s unfair! All I wanted was freedom just like they have. But...”
“Let’s go, Iyo. Today’s assignment is the Area 7. Hope we’ll find a gorgeous tomb like the other day,” smiled Tomoyo.
At Li family’s residence, four young women stood at each point of the compass, surrounding Yelang at the center. On the four girls’ incantation spell, a huge magic circle appeared over all the place. Strong powers came out of the four which coalesced at the center as the mother was enclosed in a pillar of haloes.
“O keepsake of my son, Syaoran, fly to your rightful master,” Yelang enchanted, grasping a black ball. The ball gained brightness until it was blindiing in no time. It popped out of her hand into the air at the next moment, and then disappear remaining a trail of light.
“Hey, it’s gone,” sighed Fuhua.
“I wonder if he’s in trouble,” Suehua said, “What if
Sakura gave him the brush-off?”
“Oh, this is not good for skin care,” Huanglian whined.
“Huh? No, Sakura never does such a thing, sis!”
“We will never know,” Feimei smirked, “Syaoran could be
under her thumb...”
“Be quiet. Mom can hear us,” Suehua warned.
In fact Yelang wasn’t hearing them but looking up the sky, just being a mother worrying about her own son.
“Achooooo!!”
Syaoran’s sneeze shook Dai’s shabby pit dwelling at the corner of Yakoku village as some rats shook off the crossbeam. One of them landed on the Hope Card.
“Daaaaahhhh!!” the Hope cried.
“Hoeeeeeee!!” Sakura almost dropped the earthware pot when it was boiling, but the Mirror Card working by her barely held it back.
“Oops, sorry about that,” Syaoran embarrassedly said, “some people must be talking about me.”
“Gesundhait, Syaoran!” Sakura said, “Oh, easy, Hope.”
“I hate ’em, hate ’em, I hate rats!” the Hope shouted hysterically.
“Got nibbled,” asked Syaoran.
Next moment, another shriek vibrated the pit dwelling. The Cards were watching how it was all going on.
“How can they be so noisy,” complained the Silent Card.
“Way to go, Hope!” Firey was enjoying.
Syaoran who had gotten kicked by the Hope started eating breakfast rubbing his swollen cheek. “Give me another rice, please.” He requested another rice poutingly. Seeing him, the Mirror giggled, and Sakura tried to stifle her laughter when she was eating her soup. At this time, some of Iyo’s maids came to the dwelling, “Good morning, Lady Iyo.”
Fresh air breezed through all the rice plants in the field in Yakoku. Farmers were plowing their field with their wooden hoes; Saukura and Syaoran were weeding with all the people. Meanwhile, Reko was watching them work from the terrace at the sanctuary.
On that night, Sakura horrified and drove the Hope Card to the corner, “Hey, I said trust me. How come you can’t?”
“Tomoyo told me before that sewing wasn’t your strongest point,” the Hope answered. Driven to the corner, she was looking for a chance to escape. But her body was still in rag damaged back in the 21st century. Sakura was holding a needle made of an animal’s bone which was sharp and as long as her palm.
“Come to me, Hope. I know how you’re scared off,” Syaoran waved his hand to her. But when she dove into his arms, he traped her tightly. “Hey, you crossed me! Let me go! Let me go, no, Sakura!” cried the Hope. She was just a sitting duck. “Sakura, give me the needle. I can handle it. Hmm?” he found out the Hope had already fainted in his arms.
At the midnight, when the fire in the fire place almost went out Syaoran and Sakura are sleeping in peace in a warm bedding. Between them was the Hope sleeping in her body neatly mended. The Light and the Dark came down from the crossbeam.
“How lively they were,” said the Light.
“I wonder if our mistress means to live forever in this world,” the Dark Card sounded disgusted.
The Life Card came down as he said, “They’ll make a happy family for sure.”
“Hmm, I see you have a masculine personality. I guess Wizard Geso Li created you Cards from residual spirits,” Dark commented.
“True,” the Life replied, “Not as diverse magic he could control as Clow Reed did, but his speciality was the technique to condense people’s mental powers.”
“I guess they want to be back where they came from. Sakura and Syaoran sure want to be back. And so does your former master,” the Light Card quietly muttered.
In a sunset, Sakura, Syaoran, and the Hope were looking over at the rice field blooming with tiny flowers.
“They are in bloom at last. It’s not long before this year’s harvest,
Lady Iyo,” one of the farmer said.
“What tiny flowers! I didn’t know a rice bloomed like this,” Sakura
exclaimed.
“That’s what you learned at school,” Syaoran pointed out.
“Shhh!” Sakura motioned him not to mention it with her forefinger pressed on her lips.
“Even if we get a good harvest,” the farmer said in a depressed manner, “there’s another worries after that—about the loony folks from Kukoku.”
One of Iyo’s maids said, “I hope they won’t attack us because of the rich climate they had this year.”
“Nope! The king of Kukoku is insane and greedy,” a peasant woman spoke, “Lady Iyo, this year is the time to get back at them. We gotta occupy their land.”
Sakura put on a perplexed look, feeling a battle was of the same priority to the people as the agriculture to live along with. That disgust made her say, “I disagree. Killing or injuring each other, what good would it do?” All the people were astounded at her comment. That kind of pacifism wasn’t their fashion of that period of time.
“Are you kidding, Lady Iyo?” the maid tried to convince her, “Dai recovered from the injury, so they’re ready to take him to military drill from tomorrow.”
Sakura turned and took Syaoran and the Hope off the spot, since she didn’t want to hear any more of the hissing of the mids and the peasant women.
“The transmission of rice farming was the cause of the skirmish that arose from time to time—that’s what’s you learn at history lessons,” Syaoran objectively mentioned.
“I know that. I heard the maid took part in the battle... and so did me, Iyo girl. Nobody can live in this world without a battle? It is nonsense!” Sakura cried. A gust blew against their back, but her sour feelings didn’t change like the fluttering hair in the gust.
“Sakura,” Syaoran whispered, running his finger through Sakura’s honey brown dark hair. “This world is not just ours. If they want me to, I’ll fight for them... I mean I’ll fight for you and the others—whether we’re in a peaceful world or in this world.”
“Syaoran, I’ve had enough of deep sorrow. I don’t want to feel like that any more,” Sakura shook her head as if she tried to shook off her tragic memory. The boy held her tightly to ease her mind.
“I don’t approve Syaoran to join the army! Don’t worry, Sakura. I’ll convince the captain.”
Hearing Reko’s reply, Sakura heaved a sigh of relief at the sacred stage in the sanctuary. Regaining her smile, Sakura lifted up the Hope who held a basket.
“What’s that? For me?” Reko asked Sakura and the Hope.
Inside the bascket were variety of God’s send: grapes, mushrooms, chestnuts, and walnuts.
“Autumn comes so early this era,” Sakura said, “This girl did a really good job!”
Reko smiled at the Hope floating in the air.
“Let’s eat. Iyo used to bring me my favorite fruit like these.”
Reko looked kind of childish when she received a ripe fruit out of the bascket from the Hope. Suddenly the door opened when a maid rushed into the room, “Lady Iyo, come to the courtyard. Dai is in trouble!”
A masculine soldier proudly swang his sword, humiliating Syaoran down at his feet. A copper sword was laid near him.
“What’s up, Dai. You’ve recovered from your injury, but your cowardness aren’t cured at all,” he sneered at Syaoran.
“Shucks,” Syaoran bit his lips.
Sakura and Reko came to the spot.
“Cease it, captain. A duel caused by any private hostility is prohibited!” Reko shouted at the masculine soldier.
“This is not for my private hostility, your majesty. This is a training. He’s no use as if he was different than before,” the captain replied.
Hearing his comment, Sakura mumbled, “Different?”
“He was the one who slashed Dai,” Reko whispered an answer to Sakura.
“What?!”
Throwing her pacifism away from the answer, she took out the Thunder and the Arrow Cards.
“Hold it, girl!” Reko tried to keep her calm.
“Calm down, Sakura!” the Hope said, “Now... oh?”
A small object fell from high above the sky down just before Syaoran. On its arrival, the object emitted so bright a light that the soldier covered his eyes.
“It’s the sacred ball from Li family,” Syaoran muttered, when he picked it up. His psycho wave invoked the ball so that a sword appeared for him. The soldier was astounded and pushed down back by the wave of power, but he stood up on his feet to leapt to attack back at the boy.
“Element Wind, come to my aid!” the teenaged boy shouted his spell.
An incantation card from Li family appeared responding to his psycho frequency, then his sword let out its power. The sword generated a powerful gust of wind that blew the soldier a hundred feet away.
“You rule, Syaoran,” Sakura and the Hope cheered with admiration. Attracted by her husband-to-be, Sakura little noticed that Reko got down on her knees for a reason. At this time, a maid shouted, “Your majesty! Lady Iyo, please!” All the people gasped at the unexpected scene.
Tomoyo and Iyo were excavating in a grid with their scoops, in the excavation site on Tomoeda hill.
“Iyo, I may have found something,” Tomoyo talked to Iyo.
“Let’s see... agh!”
They found a skull with a hole in the forehead.
“Must’ve been killed... in a battle... Oh, my Goooood!!” Iyo frantically screamed.
“What’s the matter, Iyo?” frightened Tomoyo asked, “There’s something strange on your cheeks...”
A shade of something was emerging on each cheek of the teenaged girl with glossy dark hair.
Reko was set to sleep in a neatly arranged bedding in the sacred stage in the sanctuary. Some people were watching her with a concerned look.
“People, please take a rest tonight. I and him will be all right to watch her,” Sakura offered to the others.
“No, we can’t.” replied the captain.
“We’re fine. It’s my job to take care of my aunt,” Sakura answered determinedly.
The people walked out of the room with anxiety about the queen, leaving Sakura, Syaoran, and the Hope. The Sakura Cards were watching the scene above the ceiling. From amoung them the Mirror Card descended and turned into her visible form.
“Anything I can do for you?”
“Thanks, Mirror. Pass me the bowl of water, please.”
When she was wiping sweat off the queen’s face, Sakura found a dark tatoo on each of her cheeks. It was when Reko woke up, then she explained, “These tatoos are the symbol of shamanism. Now, Sakura, it’s about the time I went on a journey.”
“Where are you going, you say?” Sakura questioned.
“Eternal, never ending... journey,” was her answer.
Syaoran knew what she meant, that she was an old woman who was waiting for the end of her life even though she showed a graceful smile on her face.
“You’re a happy girl. I knew how Iyo felt, so allow me to tell you one thing: please don’t hate my neice,” Reko said weakly.
“Even though she did a terrible thing to me, I knew she was a kind girl at heart,” the Hope too pleaded for Iyo. But Sakura couldn’t find an appropriate way to say.
“You, two, yound lady and gentleman, give it your best... Everything will be over... just before long...” Reko whispered.
“Wait! Please tell me why you knew how she felt?” Sakura cried a question.
“Sakura!” Syaoran tried to hold the girl back. But Reko opened her eyes instead of letting them closing, and then tried her hardest to utter the answer to Sakura’s question. “Because of... love... I... a shrine maiden... was not... allowed to be... married.”
“Can’t be!” Sakura cried.
“That’s true. Hang... in there, Sak...”
That was the final word spoken by the shaman queen. She went off on a journey to the world they have no pain or fear.
“Auntie, no!! Wake up!” Sakura cried her heart out. Hearing her scream of sorrow, the groaning evil spirits in the sacred stage threw a mourning sound out of the sanctuary, by which the people in Yakoku were to know about the death of the queen.
Iyo had been sent to Tomoeda Hostipal by ambulance in the 21st century, and she was in bed, sleeping. Some people came in front of the door on knowing of this emergency.
“Iyo...” Reko’s voice could be heard, when Iyo gasped. That single word was so adequate for her to know who it was. The tatoos on the girl’s cheeks were now visible.