Seal of Stars: Light of The Zodiac

Untitled Part 3

Kero sat on Sakura's lowered tray-table in serious contemplation as his young master quietly slept above him. Because she was in a hurry earlier that morming, and then surrounded and distracted by friends and classmates durring the bus ride to the airport, it hadn't been safe to openly talk to him. But now that they were some thousand feet in the air with most of the plane riders asleep, destined for a country almost half the world away, she was able to talk to him without fear of any eavesdroppers.

What Sakura told the guardian beast nearly made him choke on a peanut he'd been eating.

She had another vision!

This one however was different from all the others she ever had. What's more, her talk of silver and gold coffers with the symbles of the Greek constellations and zodiac tickled something in his memory. A story he heard from Clow Reed a long time ago about some sort of war between gods and young men with superhuman, and sometimes inhuman, abilities.

Kero popped a salted peanut into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. The thing that unsettled him most was the man in her dream. It was fairly obvious his origins was of the magical sort or something akin to it. He sounded dangerous and powerful just by his discription alone. The little yellow creature wondered just what Sakura had that the nameless man wanted.

Could he know about the Sakura Cards? There were only a few sorcerers left in the world and the fact that Clow has a successer was little known outside the Li Clan and Eriol's little circle. If that was the case, then just how did he find out and what would he want them for? He couldn't simply take the cards, they were bound to Sakura when she signed her name on them and past the Final Judgement.

Well, whatever it was this guy wanted from his mistress, he wouldn't get it. Kero wouldn't let him have it.

Kero quickly dumped the rest of his peanuts in his mouth went sat ridgetly still when a stewardess walked by pushing a tolly with more plane food. It was about lunch time and sadly Sakura was still asleep. She put her bento in the overhead cabin too! Dang it! He was still hungry! Maybe it was time to put all his stealth skills to the test?

Kero smirked to himself. Let Operation: Food Pilfer begin!

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Sakura's eyes darted left and right as she got off the plane before they turned a stern gaze down at the sulking guardian that had been stuffed in her purse "I still can't believe you." she muttered. "You were so close to getting caught."

Kero moodily shifted his eyes away. "Well if someone had left a snack out I wouldn't need to try and sneak plane food."

Tomoyo chuckled. "Is putting food in your belly all you think about?"

"No!" he yelled, his head lifting out of the yellow bag, but he was quickly smothered back down by Sakura's hand.

"Keep it down," she hissed as she eyed the surrounding travelers and her classmates nervously. "Someone might hear you."

As the sorceress and her friends walked through the airport, just passing through Costums and heading towards Baggage Claim, another group of special people had just landed themselves not too long ago and were entering Baggage Claim.

Shun yawned as he lean on Hyoga a little as he walked, Shiryu and Ikki trailing a few paces behind.

"Still tired?"

Shun looked up at his blond lover and nodded. "Just a little."

In response the Russian wrapped his arm around the smaller boy's waist, pulling him closer and making him lean a little more into Hyoga's side. "You can sleep on our way to Sanctuary."

"I wonder why Saori-san needed to call us?" Shiryu asked out loud. "Could something be wrong?" He had already been planing to visit, if only to check on Seiya, but when the summons from Saori came with urgency, he got the feeling something was amiss.

"Hopefully not." Ikki said. When he had left Sanctuary he had not been planning to return so soon. Not after what happened. But a call from Athena was never to be ignored and was a serious matter that usually meant trouble was near.

Shiryu crossed his arms in deep thought. He had been in such deep contemplation he hadn't noticed he was about to crash into someone until it was too late. He felt a smaller, softer body run head long into him. While he only stumbled back a step and loud "Hoeee!" resounded followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground.

Shiryu looked down to see a girl about his age with short brown hair and green eyes in a blue sundress slowly sitting up on the floor. Her belongings from her purse were scattered all over the ground. "Itai..." she muttered, rubbing his back.

Another girl around the same age who was with her, this time with long wavy dark indigo hair that had been pulled into a braid and wearing a pale green sort-sleeve shirt and a knee length white skirt, bent down to check on the first. "Sakura-chan, daijoubu desu ka?" she asked, earning a nod from Sakura.

"Sumi-masen!" Shiryu apologised as he knelt down to gather her dropped things. "I wasn't looking where I was going." he said sheepishly.

By then the other Saints noticed the little scene Shiryu had caused. "Are you two okay?" Ikki asked as he began to help the Dragon Saint.

"I'm fine." Shiryu assured.

The brunette nodded to her friend. "Daijoubu, it was only a small fall, Tomoyo-chan. Besides, I wasn't looking where I was going either."

Hyoga picked up a small cat-like doll with a round head and eares that landed near his foot. It was about as big as his hand, yellow, had beady little black eyes, a long tail wigh a cotton-ball at the end, and had tiny pale yellow wings. Hyoga narrowed his eyes at it. Dispite it's lifeless appearance he could scense a strange kind of Cosmos surrounding it. The Cosmos was so tiny and well hidden he almost missed it.

"Kawaii."

Hyoga turned to see a smiling Shun looking at the little 'stuffed animal'. He always did like cute things.

The green haired boy looked at Sakura who was now standing, Shiryu handing back all the items he made her drop. "Is this little neko-chan yours?"

The brunetted looked at what the blond was holding and nearly squealed in horror. He had Kero! Thankfully she managed to catch herself. "Yes, it's mine." she said, mustering as much calm as she could into her voice and held her hand out for her guardian.

Hyoga looked at Sakura then down at the tiny doll-like creature in his hand again before placing it in her waiting hand.

The young sorceress felt a chill run up her spine when she looked Hyoga in the eye. It felt like she was trying to stare down The Freeze and The Snow cards all over again. "Arigato." Sakura said smiling innocently. Mentally she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sakura-chan! Tomoyo-chan!" The six turned to see three girls and a guy not too far away waving at the two girls. "Hurry up

you guys, or the class is going to the hotel without you! Sensei says the shuttle bus is on its way!" a girl with braided pigtails called.

"Coming!" The two turned to the boys and gave a small farewell bow. "Bye!" the two chirpped before running off to their friends and disappearing in the crowd.

Shun smiled when he couldn't see the two again. "They were nice." He then turned to the others. "We should get going. They sent Tatsumi to come get us after all and you know how he gets."

As the others began to leave, Hyoga stared at the spot he last saw the girls a moment longer with narrowed eyes. 'Those two were strange. Especially that Sakura girl.' The blond then hurried after his friends. Unbeknown to him, he and his friends would run into Sakura again in the near future.

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