Daphne: "Hi, I'm making this short, because…I'm still sick!"
Kero: Comes into the room with a cup of tea "Daphne! How many times has your mother told you to STAY IN BED?!?!"
Daphne: I look guilty and turn away from the computer "A lot. Fine, I will go to bed, but tomorrow, I want to finish my story!"
Kero: *Sigh* "Fine, but don't tell your mother that I said so, all right?"
Daphne: "All right!" I drink the tea in one gulp, and then almost simultaneously fall asleep
Kero: mumbling "Just like her mother!"
~*~*~*~
Palace of the Wolves
by: Daphne Li
Chapter 16.
*Flashback from last chapter*
"But…which of you is the reincarnate of whom?" Ellis asked, looking shaken and confused. Eriol sighed and then looked at his friends.
'We had better tell them in an orderly fashion. You may also want to give some information about yourself, just for future reference.' He thought/spoke. Everyone nodded, and then Touya stepped forward.
"I am Kinomoto Touya, age eighteen. My little sister is Sakura, and I am the reincarnate of Prince Micha."
~*~*~*~
At Touya's words, Micha grinned and stood up straighter. Ying-fa was looking at him with a mixture of shock and amusement. Then Meiling stepped forward. It was obvious to everyone who she was.
"I am Li Meiling, cousin of Li Syaoran, niece of Li Yelan, friends with Tomoyo, Sakura, and Naoko. Reincarnate of Marcy." Now this made everyone jump, and look at the servant girl, who was looking quite pleased with herself; Or it could have been the fact that Micha had slipped his hand into hers and squeezed it! Now it was Landon's turn.
"I am Landon, brother of Tryon, reincarnate of Victor, and resident ghost of the 'Palace of the Wolves'." He grinned at his last statement, but other people in the room did not find it as funny.
"I am Naoko, friend of Sakura, Tomoyo, and Meiling. Reincarnate of Rina." Naoko whispered, coming forward.
"I am Hiiragizawa Eriol, reincarnate of Ellis, and reincarnate of Clow Reed. Don't ask, long story." Was all Eriol said, when Ellis began to ask his astonished questions. Then Eriol turned towards Tomoyo and winked at her.
"I am Daidouji Tomoyo, daughter of Daidouji Sonomi, seamstress, and friend of Sakura, Meiling, Naoko, Li Syaoran, Tryon, Landon, and Eriol. Reincarnate of Dedra." Tomoyo blushed as Syaoran, who was next to her, gave her a nudge right after she said the name, 'Eriol'. Sakura was grinning into her hand, and shooting knowing looks at her friend. Then Syaoran stepped forward.
"I am Li Syaoran, son of Li Yelan, and cousin to Li Meiling, future ruler of Hong Kong, *ahem* friends…" At this word, Syaoran winced, and Eriol smirked, "…of…everyone here, plus some. Reincarnate of Xiao-lang." Syaoran said, managing to avoid saying 'Eriol' and 'Friend' in the same sentence. Now it was Syaoran's turn to smirk, and everyone worked to keep their smiles hidden while Eriol glared at him. The Chinese boy simply shrugged and took Sakura's hand. She stepped forward shyly.
"I am Kinomoto Sakura, sister of Touya and daughter of Kinomoto Fujitaka. Mistress of the Sakura Cards, and friend of…everyone here. Reincarnate of Ying-fa." Sakura finished. All her friends noticed that both she and Syaoran had left out the part about them being soulmates…
"I am Tryon, brother of Landon, friend of…all, and also resident ghost of the 'Palace of the Wolves'. Reincarnate of Lucas." Tryon smirked, stepping forward. Nora stood up, but did not move to take his hand.
"I am Ellanora, sister of Syaoran, daughter of Li Yelan, friend of everyone here, reincarnate of…Aya." She finished, her eyes meeting the stunned Aya's.
"But, why are you all in groups of two?" Xiao-lang asked, noticing that everyone but Tryon and Nora were holding hands. At this, Eriol's grin grew.
"Oh, that is quite simple. Although some of us refuse to acknowledge it…" He glared pointedly at Nora and Tryon, "…we are all soulmates." At this, Nora, Tryon, and all of the past forms fell to the ground in shock.
"WHAT??!!"
"Me?! With…him? No possible way!"
"Someone kill me now…I don't mind dying a third time, I promise!"
"You're kidding!"
"Impossible!"
"I don't mind."
"Neither do I."
Everyone looked over at Micha and Marcy, who were holding hands and grinning at each other. They were completely oblivious to the disgusted looks they were getting from Tryon, or the shocked ones from everyone else.
"So…what you are saying is that…we…" Dedra said slowly, trying to straighten out her thoughts. But she seemed quite aware that Ellis was standing right behind her, boring holes into the back of her head.
"What we mean, is that we didn't really have a choice in who we ended up with. In fact, it was you who made it for us. We were just lucky enough to find that we…loved the choices that you made." Eriol said, slipping his arm around Tomoyo's waist and holding her close. She rested her head on his shoulder and smiled up at him lovingly. Syaoran came up behind Sakura and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his nose in her soft hair. Touya pulled Meiling into a hug, while she grinned up at him, her ruby eyes sparkling with happiness. Naoko put her head on Landon's shoulder and then eyed Nora, who was glaring heatedly at Tryon. He, in return, was smirking back, and before she could even blink, he had picked her up and marched out of the room, with her writhing in his arms. Sakura giggled, and Tomoyo did her little 'kawaii!', while the four boys grinned knowingly at each other. Naoko and Meiling gave each other high five's, and even their past forms had to smile at the antics of the two rivals/lovers.
"So…I take it…we all end up…together?" Lucas asked, putting his arm around Aya, and causing her to blush, but look at their future selves with hope in her eyes. Syaoran grinned.
"Yes…that is, of course, unless my sister and her…friend decide to kill each other first." He laughed, and as if on cue, the sound of breaking pottery ripped through the room. Meiling burst out laughing, and Naoko soon followed. Sakura and Tomoyo were giggling hysterically, and Syaoran, Landon, Eriol, and Touya had huddled together, taking bets on the outcome of the confrontation; for once, Syaoran and Touya were actually agreeing on something. They both thought that Nora would win. Across the room, their older forms were trying hard not to laugh, and also working out their own feelings at the same time.
~*~*~*~
(Elsewhere, back at the Palace of the Wolves) *Remember, the palace is not far from King Vandor's castle, so Tryon *can* carry Nora that far!*
"You barbarian! Put me down!" Nora shrieked, as Tryon carried her further into the castle. He was purposely getting them lost, because he knew that she had never had enough time to get a full tour of the castle, therefore, she could not easily find her way back.
"Release me at once! I demand it!" She cried again, struggling harder, her legs kicking at nothing and her arms pushing at his chest. Still he gripped her tightly, moving further into the maze of hallways and rooms. Nora groaned in anger and pushed against him harder, not caring about her surroundings. Right now, all she wanted was to get away from the maniacal young man carrying her.
"You forgot to say 'please'." He laughed, not even breathing hard from the extra weight.
"Fine! Please put me down, you insolent hog!" She spat, making him grin even harder. As they passed by a vase on a pedestal, she kicked at it in anger, and it fell off, shattering into a million pieces.
"Ah, ah, ah! Ze' lady 'as a very dirty mouth!" He taunted her, in a fake french accent.
"I'll show you who has a dirty mouth, if you don't put me down this instant!" She screeched her eyes flashing angrily.
"All right." He answered, his eyes sparkling mischievously at her; and before she could say another word, he had let go of her. She landed on soft cushions, that turned out to be a love-seat. As she looked around the room, her anger dissipated, and wonder replaced it. They were in a large room, similar to the ballroom, but on a higher floor and it was empty of anyone but them. The room had plush, overstuffed, chairs and couches along the walls, as well as some tables for refreshments and such, while the middle of the room remained clear of anything. Huge, arched windows bordered one side of the room from top to bottom, and the long, sheer white curtains that covered the windows were tied back, to allow the watery moonlight to pour into the room.
"How did you know about this place? I don't think that even Syaoran knows about this room!" She managed to gasp out, her sharp words forgotten. She still hadn't moved from the sprawled out position that she had landed in. He carefully sat beside her (a/n: Brave boy!), and then looked around the room.
"I found this room when I was still in my ghost form. I got a bit lost when I was playing hide-and-go-seek with Landon, and I found this room. I don't think that there is any other way here, besides the way we just came…unless, of course, you are a mountain climber." He smiled, and pointed out on of the windows. She looked and then gasped.
"We must be up near the…fourth floor!" She exclaimed. He nodded. She looked out the window again and noticed that there was a balcony right outside it.
'I wonder why I have never noticed it before?' She thought.
'You just have bad perception!' He answered back in thought/speaking. She groaned.
"You should have better manners! It is impolite to interrupt ones thoughts!" She chided, glaring at him, and starting to get off the love seat. He grinned and pushed her back down, causing her to become even more vexed.
"Ah, ze' patient ez' getting restless! I suppose zat ze' doctor will have to perform some sort of stimulation to cause ze' patient to become kind to him again!" He said, his eyes never leaving hers. She shivered and tried to frown at him.
"Nothing you do will *ever* cause me to be kind to you!" She snapped. He smirked, and then leaned down, so his mouth was right next to her ear.
"We'll just see about that!" He murmured, his breath tickling her cheek. Before she could reply, his mouth covered hers in a warm, dizzying kiss that caused all of their senses to go numb. After a few minutes, he was forced to pull back for lack of air. Panting, he opened his eyes and looked at the angel beneath him. Her eyes opened and met his. She said nothing, but simply stared at him, her eyes slowly roving around his face, as though looking for answers.
"So…did it work? Are you nice to me now?" He asked in a half wistful, half impish voice. Instead of answering, she simply raised her hand and touched his cheek.
"I am only eleven. You are fifteen, so it is all right…but eleven?" She whispered, her eyes flooded with confusion. Relief and joy flooded his eyes and his lips covered hers once again.
"Eleven is fine…if you are meant to be." He murmured back, gently caressing her face. A small smile crept onto her lips and her eyes brightened.
"I suppose…" She whispered, pulling him back down and kissing him. For a moment, he was too stunned to move, but soon he relaxed and kissed back.
Suddenly, they both felt something shift in the air and they quickly broke apart, looking around in confusion.
"Tryon, look!" Nora was looking around the room in awe. It was now dusty and the sheer curtains that used to hang so beautifully were torn to shreds.
"What happened?" He wondered outloud, looking around the room. Then it hit them.
"Were home!" They exclaimed in unison, bolting up off the love-seat and hurrying out of the room.
~*~*~*~
(Meanwhile…)
"Twenty dollars on Nora!" Touya said, pulling the money out of his pocket while the others looked on in amusement.
"Five for Tryon…" Eriol began, but her was cut off by Sakura's shriek.
"What's happening?!" She cried, stumbling over to Syaoran, just as something shifted in the air. All at once, the group of eight friends were dragged into another black hole, and the ballroom disappeared, only for another one to reappear a moment later, as all of them fell to the floor.
"What…happened?" Syaoran asked in a slow, dangerous voice. Eriol looked around and smiled.
"I believe that we have returned home, to our own time." He answered quietly looking around the empty ballroom. Everyone gasped and looked around.
"But what about Nora and Tryon?" Sakura whimpered.
"We are right here." Came Tryon's voice. They all looked over to see Tryon and Nora walking out of a hidden passageway, not far from where they had fallen.
"So who won?" Touya asked eagerly. Nora looked at him in confusion, but Tryon grinned.
"Both of us!" He laughed. Everyone fell over (anime-style), and then Touya turned to Landon.
"You were right!" He laughed, handing the boy a fifty dollar bill. Landon grinned and pocketed it.
"Now, we had better go and tell Yelan that we are back. She must be worried sick!" Tomoyo suggested, leading the group out of the room.
"Then we will visit our pack-mates." Naoko said, making everyone smile.
"Yes, then we will visit our pack mates." Eriol repeated.
~*~*~*~
(Two weeks later)
"Do you think that they will remember us?" Nora asked, petting Rinyah softly. She and her friends were in the clearing, playing with their pack- mates.
"I do." Was all that Tryon answered, looking down at her. Her head was resting in his lap, and he was toying with her hair, as his pack mate, Miki, the wolf that had toppled him over on their first visit to the clearing, rested beside them. Miki was only about five months old, and was all gray.
"Dedra looked so shocked when she found out that Ellis was her soulmate! I thought she was going to faint!" Tomoyo giggled, rubbing her pup's tummy. She had named her's Nina, and it was all brown, with a single spot of black in the very middle of it's forehead. Eriol was beside Tomoyo, on his stomach, scratching the ear of his pack-mate, Tarver. Across from them sat Sakura and Syaoran, who had their pack-mates, Aria and Kahnu in their laps.
"You have to admit, though, it was good to get home." Landon pointed out, tightening his grip on Naoko's waist; she was sitting in his lap, while their pack-mates Yather and Akita rested beside them.
"Yes." The others agreed.
"Hey, Tryon? What are you going to do when we all go home?" Nora asked suddenly, sitting bolt upright. Naoko looked alarmed and looked at Landon for answers.
"Oh, Syaoran's mother has kindly agreed to 'foster' us, until we can, as she put it, 'make it on our own in the world'. She even went to the elders for permission. They said it would be all right. She even got permission for us to go to Tomeda! So we will be joining your class as well!" Tryon crowed. Nora grinned and hugged him, while Naoko gave a relieved sigh and relaxed against her boyfriend once more.
It had been decided that since the ten young people had created such a strong bond over the vacation, it would be unfair to keep Nora with her mother and sisters. So, under the promise of visiting them during every vacation, Nora had been granted permission to join her brother and friends in Tomeda. She, Syaoran, and Meiling would be sharing an apartment, and Tryon and Landon would be sharing the apartment next to them.
As for their pack-mates, Yelan had listened to the whole story, realized that the children simply couldn't live happily without seeing their wolf friends, and then pulled a lot of strings to allow the wolves to go with the children back to Tomeda. They would be staying in a private part of the woods just outside the town, and the group would be allowed to visit anytime they wanted. At first, Naoko had wanted to take Akita home, but they had nixed that immediately. Plus, Sakura had added, she highly doubted that her father would allow her and her brother to keep two growing wolves in the house. It would be better for them to stay in the woods, and only leave when the group was taking trips back to China.
"So…we still have three more days of freedom…how should we spend them?" Tryon asked thoughtfully, as they got up to leave.
"Well, there is always the wedding chapel…"
"ERIOL!!!!!!!!" The group groaned, starting to laugh, and they walked out of the clearing with their pack-mates on their heals.
~*~*~*~
The End!
A/N:
Daphne: "Yay!!!!!!! I finally finished this! I am so happy! I know the ending was kind of lame, but I had to end it somewhere. So did you like? Please review and tell me! Now…I have to go work on my other…*wince*…four stories that I am presently working on. Wish me luck!"
Kero: *Snort* "Good luck!" mumbles "Your going to need it!"
Daphne: *Throbbing vein* "What did you say?!"
Kero: "Nothing! Nothing at all!"
Kero: Comes into the room with a cup of tea "Daphne! How many times has your mother told you to STAY IN BED?!?!"
Daphne: I look guilty and turn away from the computer "A lot. Fine, I will go to bed, but tomorrow, I want to finish my story!"
Kero: *Sigh* "Fine, but don't tell your mother that I said so, all right?"
Daphne: "All right!" I drink the tea in one gulp, and then almost simultaneously fall asleep
Kero: mumbling "Just like her mother!"
~*~*~*~
Palace of the Wolves
by: Daphne Li
Chapter 16.
*Flashback from last chapter*
"But…which of you is the reincarnate of whom?" Ellis asked, looking shaken and confused. Eriol sighed and then looked at his friends.
'We had better tell them in an orderly fashion. You may also want to give some information about yourself, just for future reference.' He thought/spoke. Everyone nodded, and then Touya stepped forward.
"I am Kinomoto Touya, age eighteen. My little sister is Sakura, and I am the reincarnate of Prince Micha."
~*~*~*~
At Touya's words, Micha grinned and stood up straighter. Ying-fa was looking at him with a mixture of shock and amusement. Then Meiling stepped forward. It was obvious to everyone who she was.
"I am Li Meiling, cousin of Li Syaoran, niece of Li Yelan, friends with Tomoyo, Sakura, and Naoko. Reincarnate of Marcy." Now this made everyone jump, and look at the servant girl, who was looking quite pleased with herself; Or it could have been the fact that Micha had slipped his hand into hers and squeezed it! Now it was Landon's turn.
"I am Landon, brother of Tryon, reincarnate of Victor, and resident ghost of the 'Palace of the Wolves'." He grinned at his last statement, but other people in the room did not find it as funny.
"I am Naoko, friend of Sakura, Tomoyo, and Meiling. Reincarnate of Rina." Naoko whispered, coming forward.
"I am Hiiragizawa Eriol, reincarnate of Ellis, and reincarnate of Clow Reed. Don't ask, long story." Was all Eriol said, when Ellis began to ask his astonished questions. Then Eriol turned towards Tomoyo and winked at her.
"I am Daidouji Tomoyo, daughter of Daidouji Sonomi, seamstress, and friend of Sakura, Meiling, Naoko, Li Syaoran, Tryon, Landon, and Eriol. Reincarnate of Dedra." Tomoyo blushed as Syaoran, who was next to her, gave her a nudge right after she said the name, 'Eriol'. Sakura was grinning into her hand, and shooting knowing looks at her friend. Then Syaoran stepped forward.
"I am Li Syaoran, son of Li Yelan, and cousin to Li Meiling, future ruler of Hong Kong, *ahem* friends…" At this word, Syaoran winced, and Eriol smirked, "…of…everyone here, plus some. Reincarnate of Xiao-lang." Syaoran said, managing to avoid saying 'Eriol' and 'Friend' in the same sentence. Now it was Syaoran's turn to smirk, and everyone worked to keep their smiles hidden while Eriol glared at him. The Chinese boy simply shrugged and took Sakura's hand. She stepped forward shyly.
"I am Kinomoto Sakura, sister of Touya and daughter of Kinomoto Fujitaka. Mistress of the Sakura Cards, and friend of…everyone here. Reincarnate of Ying-fa." Sakura finished. All her friends noticed that both she and Syaoran had left out the part about them being soulmates…
"I am Tryon, brother of Landon, friend of…all, and also resident ghost of the 'Palace of the Wolves'. Reincarnate of Lucas." Tryon smirked, stepping forward. Nora stood up, but did not move to take his hand.
"I am Ellanora, sister of Syaoran, daughter of Li Yelan, friend of everyone here, reincarnate of…Aya." She finished, her eyes meeting the stunned Aya's.
"But, why are you all in groups of two?" Xiao-lang asked, noticing that everyone but Tryon and Nora were holding hands. At this, Eriol's grin grew.
"Oh, that is quite simple. Although some of us refuse to acknowledge it…" He glared pointedly at Nora and Tryon, "…we are all soulmates." At this, Nora, Tryon, and all of the past forms fell to the ground in shock.
"WHAT??!!"
"Me?! With…him? No possible way!"
"Someone kill me now…I don't mind dying a third time, I promise!"
"You're kidding!"
"Impossible!"
"I don't mind."
"Neither do I."
Everyone looked over at Micha and Marcy, who were holding hands and grinning at each other. They were completely oblivious to the disgusted looks they were getting from Tryon, or the shocked ones from everyone else.
"So…what you are saying is that…we…" Dedra said slowly, trying to straighten out her thoughts. But she seemed quite aware that Ellis was standing right behind her, boring holes into the back of her head.
"What we mean, is that we didn't really have a choice in who we ended up with. In fact, it was you who made it for us. We were just lucky enough to find that we…loved the choices that you made." Eriol said, slipping his arm around Tomoyo's waist and holding her close. She rested her head on his shoulder and smiled up at him lovingly. Syaoran came up behind Sakura and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his nose in her soft hair. Touya pulled Meiling into a hug, while she grinned up at him, her ruby eyes sparkling with happiness. Naoko put her head on Landon's shoulder and then eyed Nora, who was glaring heatedly at Tryon. He, in return, was smirking back, and before she could even blink, he had picked her up and marched out of the room, with her writhing in his arms. Sakura giggled, and Tomoyo did her little 'kawaii!', while the four boys grinned knowingly at each other. Naoko and Meiling gave each other high five's, and even their past forms had to smile at the antics of the two rivals/lovers.
"So…I take it…we all end up…together?" Lucas asked, putting his arm around Aya, and causing her to blush, but look at their future selves with hope in her eyes. Syaoran grinned.
"Yes…that is, of course, unless my sister and her…friend decide to kill each other first." He laughed, and as if on cue, the sound of breaking pottery ripped through the room. Meiling burst out laughing, and Naoko soon followed. Sakura and Tomoyo were giggling hysterically, and Syaoran, Landon, Eriol, and Touya had huddled together, taking bets on the outcome of the confrontation; for once, Syaoran and Touya were actually agreeing on something. They both thought that Nora would win. Across the room, their older forms were trying hard not to laugh, and also working out their own feelings at the same time.
~*~*~*~
(Elsewhere, back at the Palace of the Wolves) *Remember, the palace is not far from King Vandor's castle, so Tryon *can* carry Nora that far!*
"You barbarian! Put me down!" Nora shrieked, as Tryon carried her further into the castle. He was purposely getting them lost, because he knew that she had never had enough time to get a full tour of the castle, therefore, she could not easily find her way back.
"Release me at once! I demand it!" She cried again, struggling harder, her legs kicking at nothing and her arms pushing at his chest. Still he gripped her tightly, moving further into the maze of hallways and rooms. Nora groaned in anger and pushed against him harder, not caring about her surroundings. Right now, all she wanted was to get away from the maniacal young man carrying her.
"You forgot to say 'please'." He laughed, not even breathing hard from the extra weight.
"Fine! Please put me down, you insolent hog!" She spat, making him grin even harder. As they passed by a vase on a pedestal, she kicked at it in anger, and it fell off, shattering into a million pieces.
"Ah, ah, ah! Ze' lady 'as a very dirty mouth!" He taunted her, in a fake french accent.
"I'll show you who has a dirty mouth, if you don't put me down this instant!" She screeched her eyes flashing angrily.
"All right." He answered, his eyes sparkling mischievously at her; and before she could say another word, he had let go of her. She landed on soft cushions, that turned out to be a love-seat. As she looked around the room, her anger dissipated, and wonder replaced it. They were in a large room, similar to the ballroom, but on a higher floor and it was empty of anyone but them. The room had plush, overstuffed, chairs and couches along the walls, as well as some tables for refreshments and such, while the middle of the room remained clear of anything. Huge, arched windows bordered one side of the room from top to bottom, and the long, sheer white curtains that covered the windows were tied back, to allow the watery moonlight to pour into the room.
"How did you know about this place? I don't think that even Syaoran knows about this room!" She managed to gasp out, her sharp words forgotten. She still hadn't moved from the sprawled out position that she had landed in. He carefully sat beside her (a/n: Brave boy!), and then looked around the room.
"I found this room when I was still in my ghost form. I got a bit lost when I was playing hide-and-go-seek with Landon, and I found this room. I don't think that there is any other way here, besides the way we just came…unless, of course, you are a mountain climber." He smiled, and pointed out on of the windows. She looked and then gasped.
"We must be up near the…fourth floor!" She exclaimed. He nodded. She looked out the window again and noticed that there was a balcony right outside it.
'I wonder why I have never noticed it before?' She thought.
'You just have bad perception!' He answered back in thought/speaking. She groaned.
"You should have better manners! It is impolite to interrupt ones thoughts!" She chided, glaring at him, and starting to get off the love seat. He grinned and pushed her back down, causing her to become even more vexed.
"Ah, ze' patient ez' getting restless! I suppose zat ze' doctor will have to perform some sort of stimulation to cause ze' patient to become kind to him again!" He said, his eyes never leaving hers. She shivered and tried to frown at him.
"Nothing you do will *ever* cause me to be kind to you!" She snapped. He smirked, and then leaned down, so his mouth was right next to her ear.
"We'll just see about that!" He murmured, his breath tickling her cheek. Before she could reply, his mouth covered hers in a warm, dizzying kiss that caused all of their senses to go numb. After a few minutes, he was forced to pull back for lack of air. Panting, he opened his eyes and looked at the angel beneath him. Her eyes opened and met his. She said nothing, but simply stared at him, her eyes slowly roving around his face, as though looking for answers.
"So…did it work? Are you nice to me now?" He asked in a half wistful, half impish voice. Instead of answering, she simply raised her hand and touched his cheek.
"I am only eleven. You are fifteen, so it is all right…but eleven?" She whispered, her eyes flooded with confusion. Relief and joy flooded his eyes and his lips covered hers once again.
"Eleven is fine…if you are meant to be." He murmured back, gently caressing her face. A small smile crept onto her lips and her eyes brightened.
"I suppose…" She whispered, pulling him back down and kissing him. For a moment, he was too stunned to move, but soon he relaxed and kissed back.
Suddenly, they both felt something shift in the air and they quickly broke apart, looking around in confusion.
"Tryon, look!" Nora was looking around the room in awe. It was now dusty and the sheer curtains that used to hang so beautifully were torn to shreds.
"What happened?" He wondered outloud, looking around the room. Then it hit them.
"Were home!" They exclaimed in unison, bolting up off the love-seat and hurrying out of the room.
~*~*~*~
(Meanwhile…)
"Twenty dollars on Nora!" Touya said, pulling the money out of his pocket while the others looked on in amusement.
"Five for Tryon…" Eriol began, but her was cut off by Sakura's shriek.
"What's happening?!" She cried, stumbling over to Syaoran, just as something shifted in the air. All at once, the group of eight friends were dragged into another black hole, and the ballroom disappeared, only for another one to reappear a moment later, as all of them fell to the floor.
"What…happened?" Syaoran asked in a slow, dangerous voice. Eriol looked around and smiled.
"I believe that we have returned home, to our own time." He answered quietly looking around the empty ballroom. Everyone gasped and looked around.
"But what about Nora and Tryon?" Sakura whimpered.
"We are right here." Came Tryon's voice. They all looked over to see Tryon and Nora walking out of a hidden passageway, not far from where they had fallen.
"So who won?" Touya asked eagerly. Nora looked at him in confusion, but Tryon grinned.
"Both of us!" He laughed. Everyone fell over (anime-style), and then Touya turned to Landon.
"You were right!" He laughed, handing the boy a fifty dollar bill. Landon grinned and pocketed it.
"Now, we had better go and tell Yelan that we are back. She must be worried sick!" Tomoyo suggested, leading the group out of the room.
"Then we will visit our pack-mates." Naoko said, making everyone smile.
"Yes, then we will visit our pack mates." Eriol repeated.
~*~*~*~
(Two weeks later)
"Do you think that they will remember us?" Nora asked, petting Rinyah softly. She and her friends were in the clearing, playing with their pack- mates.
"I do." Was all that Tryon answered, looking down at her. Her head was resting in his lap, and he was toying with her hair, as his pack mate, Miki, the wolf that had toppled him over on their first visit to the clearing, rested beside them. Miki was only about five months old, and was all gray.
"Dedra looked so shocked when she found out that Ellis was her soulmate! I thought she was going to faint!" Tomoyo giggled, rubbing her pup's tummy. She had named her's Nina, and it was all brown, with a single spot of black in the very middle of it's forehead. Eriol was beside Tomoyo, on his stomach, scratching the ear of his pack-mate, Tarver. Across from them sat Sakura and Syaoran, who had their pack-mates, Aria and Kahnu in their laps.
"You have to admit, though, it was good to get home." Landon pointed out, tightening his grip on Naoko's waist; she was sitting in his lap, while their pack-mates Yather and Akita rested beside them.
"Yes." The others agreed.
"Hey, Tryon? What are you going to do when we all go home?" Nora asked suddenly, sitting bolt upright. Naoko looked alarmed and looked at Landon for answers.
"Oh, Syaoran's mother has kindly agreed to 'foster' us, until we can, as she put it, 'make it on our own in the world'. She even went to the elders for permission. They said it would be all right. She even got permission for us to go to Tomeda! So we will be joining your class as well!" Tryon crowed. Nora grinned and hugged him, while Naoko gave a relieved sigh and relaxed against her boyfriend once more.
It had been decided that since the ten young people had created such a strong bond over the vacation, it would be unfair to keep Nora with her mother and sisters. So, under the promise of visiting them during every vacation, Nora had been granted permission to join her brother and friends in Tomeda. She, Syaoran, and Meiling would be sharing an apartment, and Tryon and Landon would be sharing the apartment next to them.
As for their pack-mates, Yelan had listened to the whole story, realized that the children simply couldn't live happily without seeing their wolf friends, and then pulled a lot of strings to allow the wolves to go with the children back to Tomeda. They would be staying in a private part of the woods just outside the town, and the group would be allowed to visit anytime they wanted. At first, Naoko had wanted to take Akita home, but they had nixed that immediately. Plus, Sakura had added, she highly doubted that her father would allow her and her brother to keep two growing wolves in the house. It would be better for them to stay in the woods, and only leave when the group was taking trips back to China.
"So…we still have three more days of freedom…how should we spend them?" Tryon asked thoughtfully, as they got up to leave.
"Well, there is always the wedding chapel…"
"ERIOL!!!!!!!!" The group groaned, starting to laugh, and they walked out of the clearing with their pack-mates on their heals.
~*~*~*~
The End!
A/N:
Daphne: "Yay!!!!!!! I finally finished this! I am so happy! I know the ending was kind of lame, but I had to end it somewhere. So did you like? Please review and tell me! Now…I have to go work on my other…*wince*…four stories that I am presently working on. Wish me luck!"
Kero: *Snort* "Good luck!" mumbles "Your going to need it!"
Daphne: *Throbbing vein* "What did you say?!"
Kero: "Nothing! Nothing at all!"