Chapter Five: Dreamless

"Kurogane-san! Fay-san!" In her effort to help her friends, Sakura unwittingly blocked the door to the apartment and had to be nudged gently out of the way. "Are you hurt?"

Over her head, Fay looked to Kurogane, who shook his head.

"Please," said a small voice, "let me take care of it." Tomoyo stood just outside of the entrance, unwilling to come in unless invited. "I live on the top floor, please come up and allow me to thank you properly for your kindness."

She was smaller than the other Tomoyos they had known, and like the other children in this world she had cat ears and a tail, but she was just as stubborn as the others. She refused to take no for an answer, and before long, they found themselves gathered around an elegant dining table. Tomoyo was in the kitchen preparing the finest green tea. She served Kurogane first, then Fay, then Syaoran, Mokona, and finally, Sakura.

"My hero," she said, hugging Sakura's middle. Sakura blushed and Kurogane looked over, surprised. "I've been waiting for you."

"Waiting ... for me?" asked Sakura, tilting her head to the side.

"Yes," said Tomoyo. "I have something for you."

Syaoran looked up from his tea, startled. He looked to Kurogane, who shrugged slightly. It couldn't be this easy to find and retrieve one of Sakura's feathers. Even in the Hanshin Republic and Piffle, both friendly worlds, had seen them fighting to return to Sakura what was rightfully her's. Tomoyo took Sakura by the hand and bowed out of the dining room, sweeping her 'hero' along with her.

"Do you think -?" blurted Syaoran.

"Don't hope for it," said Kurogane.

"Mokona thinks the feather is still too far away," said Mokona, wiggling. Its ears stood up on end as it strained for a signal. "Mokona thinks its in this city, but not in here. Mokona is sorry, Syoaran."

Though Kurogane was right to tell Syaoran not to get his hopes up, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. He worried about Sakura not having her memories back; though she was awake more than she had been at the beginning of their journey, she still slept like the dead and Syaoran often worried about how cold her hands were. He sighed. "It's not your fault, Mokona. I will get the feathers back, no matter what."

"Mokona will help!" announced Mokona, jumping up into Syaoran's hand.

"I told you in the Hanshin Republic that I need to keep moving from world to world, and that I would help you. Both of those things are still true," said Fay. He carefully avoided eye contact with Kurogane, who he could feel watching him.

Kurogane said nothing, merely nodded to Syaoran. If he was going to add something, he was cut off by Tomoyo's return.

She was tugging Sakura's hand, pulling her back into view.

Sakura wore a long dress, with a big bow on the front. The sleeves puffed out around the shoulders and there was a wide collar with a simple brooch. Beneath the skirt were many layers of petticoats, and the lace at the bottom of her bloomers peeked out around her ankles. She was wearing a pair of Mary Janes with cute little bows on them, and a big bonnet.

"You don't think it looks too weird?" Sakura asked, blushing furiously. It was similar to the dress she had worn in Jade, but the dress in Jade had not looked out of place. The frilly concoction she wore now was nothing like the simple pleated skirt and collared shirt Tomoyo wore, or the simple kimono Arashi had given her earlier.

Syaoran blushed and stammered something nearly incomprehensible, but Kurogane was sure he heard the word beautiful somewhere in the stuttering and mumbling.

"You look lovely, Princess Sakura," said Fay, with a warm smile. Sakura smiled back and stopped fiddling with the bow.

"Did you make this, Tomoyo-chan?" asked Sakura, remembering her outfits from Piffle and the dress she had helped make for Yuuko, and eager for a subject change.

"No," said Tomoyo with a sigh. She put her hand to her cheek and tilted her head and Kurogane was struck by how much she resembled his own Tomoyo, not just in looks but in acts. "I'm learning to sew, but I'm not very skilled. This belonged to my Aunt Nadeshiko when she was in high school. It was the first dress she wore for her modeling contract, and it was always her favorite."

"There you are! Tomoyo!" A short-haired woman in a professional looking outfit burst in through the front door. She ran to Tomoyo without pausing to take off her stiletto heels and threw her arms around her. "I was so worried, Tomoyo!" she scolded. "Your bodyguard called me on my cell phone to tell me that they didn't know where you were!"

There was another woman behind Tomoyo's frantic mother. She was tanned and lithe, wearing a simple black suit and standing at attention.

"Souma!" Kurogane never really got used to seeing other versions of people he knew in Nihon in other worlds.

"I don't believe we've met?" she asked cooly.

"No," Kurogane shook his head, "we haven't."

Tomoyo's mother, meanwhile had calmed down enough to remove her shoes and toss them casually back into the entranceway. She smoothed Tomoyo's hair. "Please don't leave Souma's side, not during this case. If anything happened to you, I - Nadeshiko?"

She looked up over Tomoyo's shoulder at Sakura, as if noticing her for the first time.

"N-no." Sakura shook her head. "My name is Sakura."

"Sakura," she repeated, and then, even more quietly, "she always said she would name her daughter that, but she ..." Tomoyo took her mother's hand, and this seemed to snap her out of her reverie. "My name is Sonomi. Daidouji Sonomi. I see you've met my daughter, Tomoyo."

Sakura bowed. "It's very nice to meet you. Tomoyo gave us tea and me - this ... dress," she added, worried that Sonomi would be angry with her for wearing it. She wrung her hands.

"She's the girl from my dreams, Mom," said Tomoyo. "The ones I told you about. My hero." When her mother didn't respond, she continued, "and this man, Kurogane, saved me." Tomoyo pointed to him, and her mother gently pushed her hand down. "Isuel and Kenta were being mean to me again."

"You should stay here with Souma," repeated Sonomi.

"I know," said Tomoyo. "But Kurogane-san saved me."

Sonomi and Souma bowed. "Thank you very much," said Sonomi. "I'm very grateful, and I'm sorry Tomoyo caused you trouble."

Fay never stopped finding it amusing when Kurogane blushed, and this time was no exception. He stifled a laugh as Kurogane turned red and looked away and said something about it being his duty. Fay was strongly reminded of Syaoran's blushing whenever he spoke to Sakura.

"I just wanted to got for a walk," said Tomoyo, looking at her feet.

"You have homework," said Sonomi, crouching so she could look Tomoyo in the eye, "and Souma has allergies."

"But I have to find that feather," said Tomoyo, and suddenly all eyes in the room were on her. Syaoran sat up with a start, upsetting his teacup. Kurogane managed to catch it before Syaoran spilled boiling water all over his lap. Mokona jumped from the table to Tomoyo's arms, and Sonomi gasped in surprise. As things settle, Tomoyo added, "the girl in my dreams told me so."

"Sakura told you so?" asked Sonomi.

"No," said Tomoyo, hugging Mokona stubbornly, "the other me did. The one in the pretty kimono."

Kurogane gaped. Fay leaned over and elbowed him in the ribs. "It's not polite to stare, Kuro-chi," he whispered, then ducked out of the way. Kurogane shook himself.

"You know about my feathers?" asked Sakura. Tomoyo nodded. "You were looking for them? For me?" Tomoyo nodded and Sakura hugged her.

"The other me said that they were very important to you," she said.

"They're the most important!" cried Mokona. "They're Sakura's most important thing!"

Sonomi blinked several times at Mokona, who smiled and waved to her. "What ... is that?"

"Mokona is Mokona!"

"Of course you are," said Sonomi, but Tomoyo grabbed Sakura's hand and pulled her over to Sonomi before she could continue.

"See, Mom?" said Tomoyo, "I have to help her find it. The other me said that I had to help."

"You're really looking for ... feathers?" asked Sonomi. Sakura nodded. "I'm not sure why Tomoyo has to help."

"If Tomoyo-hime says she does, then she saw it in a dream," said Kurogane, standing up. He towered over Sonomi, but she didn't look even a little bit intimidated. "Princess Tomoyo is a dreamseer," he said, "and if she's contacting this Tomoyo, she is, too."

"Please let me help Sakura-san find her feather," said Tomoyo.

"I'll protect her," volunteered Kurogane. "If Tomoyo-hime says we need her help, we need her help."

"Kuro-sama really will if he says he will," added Fay.

"See? I'll be safe, and I can help Sakura find her most important thing. This man protected me earlier," she added as a reminder, "and he didn't even know me. Fay-san helped," she added, and Fay smiled at her.

Sonomi looked from Kurogane, to Fay, to Sakura, Mokona and Syaoran. Tomoyo was still holding Sakura's hand, and Sakura looked so much like Nadeshiko.

"If I say no, you'll sneak out again once I leave, won't you?" asked Sonomi. Tomoyo grinned. "If she doesn't come back, it's on your head," she informed Kurogane. Kurogane cracked his knuckles in response.

"Let's go find your feather," said Tomoyo, taking Sakura by the hand. Syaoran joined them and they went out the door, followed by Fay and Kurogane.

"Call me when you get home," called Sonomi. Beside her, Souma sighed. "Try and get some sleep," she suggested. "I had a dream, too, about Nadeshiko. She told me to trust them." She smiled and looked up at the framed photograph on the wall, of a young woman with long curly hair, wearing the same dress Tomoyo had given Sakura. "I didn't understand, but she told me then to trust her daughter. She always wanted a daughter named Sakura. I guess somewhere, in another world, she had one."

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author's note: (yes, another one) Sorry this took so long! My life is currently exploding and Corva was out of town, neither of which is conducive to writing.