Clow Reed, the most powerful magician of all time, was very curious.

It had been a long time since he had felt the desire to break down the things around him (the people around him in this case) in order to understand them. He had the ability to control time and space itself and yet somehow, the universe always found ways to surprise him again and again.

He leaned back in his old chair and sighed. In front of him, the fire crackled and popped, glowing softly in the dark room. The windows along the side of the room were open, allowing cool air to swirl in, the curtains softly swaying in the night.

Eriol stared into the fire, wondering how fate had led itself to this particular outcome.

Sakura should have been taken with Yue upon meeting him, as the attraction to his magic was too strong for such a young girl to see through and Yue should have fallen in love his new master completely, he had expected Yue to finally move on once Sakura became their new master. But when watching Yue's other form, Yukito, interact with Sakura while it indeed was a caring relationship, it wasn't the one that Eriol had expected.

She was of his own blood and Yue's new master, there should be a bond strong enough there to attract the two together. In life though, their relationship seemed more like one of a family, which was far less intimate than the dedicated love Crow had once basked in, and expected Sakura to as well. While Sakura did indeed seem to hold some affection for Yukito, when talking to Yue instead of this feeling growing, as he thought would happen, it simply disappeared!

She treated Yue no different than she did Kero, and he was baffled.

It wasn't a crime that she didn't love Yue, he thought, simply unexpected. He knew she held the Cards very closely to her heart, seeing them not as tools but as friends and it was a beautiful thing, something he admired very much. The openness of her heart and her willingness to love was the reason he was 'assisting' her in changing the Crow Cards into her own now. Without motive she would recklessly attempt to transform all the cards at once, putting herself at risk. He knew there was nothing more important to Sakura than the people she cared about and that by putting them in danger, she gained the resolve needed to change the cards safely.

Like today, when he had used the threads he bought shopping for a bear to control Syaroan. After spending only a few minutes with their group it was easy to see that putting Syaoran in danger was the quickest way to pull at Sakura's heartstrings. At that, he realized that it was actually very clear who had caused this change of plans. A change that, while it peaked his brow, deeply excited Eriol.

He sat up again and stretched his arms out to the fire. He extended his fingers, stretching them and letting his magic shimmer at the end.

He smiled in the darkness.

Syaoran, the sweet boy, had quickly won Eriol's support. His adoration for Sakura practically came off of him in waves and while Syaoran himself seemed confused by his feelings, Eriol knew that they wouldn't be going away anytime soon. It was amusing the way he blushed and danced around Sakura's questions, taking two steps back for every meager inch she leaned forward. Often whenever he looked over in class, Syaroan was attempting to hide a pink face in his hands as Sakura giggled and asked him if he was alright. Usually taking one of her small fingers and poking him in his red cheeks until he gave in and offered up some poor explanation for why he was so flustered.

Syaroan was really very honest, his emotions displayed right there on his face as he watched Sakura throughout the day. Whenever she was smiling, his own eyes sparkled and his lips broke into a smile that mirrored hers. If she was sad, he was right there, brows all scrunched as he attempted to comfort her and punch whatever had brought those tears to her eyes. It was very entertaining to watch the two interact, as it was so far from what Eriol had predicted.

He truly adored the unexpected. It brought back that sense of wonder he had back when he was young, the joy he felt casting simple wind spells to shake the windchimes of his childhood home. Eriol smiled to himself and stood up from his chair, but upon standing the fire went out.

The room was suddenly bathed in darkness and Eriol sat still until after a moment the fire lit again. He scanned the black room, wondering who had managed to enter without him noticing their presence when he saw a small bundle of thread on the table. It was bright yellow and brand new, and quickly Eriol recognized it as the one he had bought just a few hours ago. The bundle stood up straight on the oak table with a needle stuck into the side. Behind him, the door made a sound as it slipped close and Nakuru's giggle could be heard echoing down the hallway. Eriol smiled to himself again, lightly shaking his head at Ruby Moon's mischievousness.

She should know him better than that, to leave only a simple thread there. He placed his hand over the bundle and soon it began to shine, Eriol's magic intertwining itself with it. When he pulled away no longer was the thread yellow but a dark pink, it was actually nearly red, he realized with a smirk. The accompanying needle had grown into a long silver staff that laid on it side against the oak table. It seemed to still be made out of steel as Eriol picked it up and examined it. He held it like a walking stick and he leaned on it experimentally. He lifted it and pressed on the 'needle' at its two ends to see if it would bend and after a moment, decided that it was perfect for the task at hand.

He picked the thread up off the old table and pocketed it, walking toward the same door that Nakuru has just sneaked out of. Oh yes, he thought to himself as he looked back into the room for the last time and gazed out the window.

The moon shone brightly against the backdrop of the black mountains and the empty room. It became the only source of light as Eriol put out the fire once again. The chair he was just sitting in seemed silver in this new milky light. He turned away and walked out, the staff in hand.

Soon, he thought, Sakura would learn another one of the many uses for a thread.

This is my first time writing a fanfic and I'm v excited! Sorry it's so short but later chapters will be much longer, I just need the plot to pick up a bit. Please leave a review loves!