Have you noticed that there is a definete lack of SaKero (Sakura/Kero) romances in this site? I dunno, maybe they think that because he has the form of an animal...
/Shrugs/
But he can talk right? That makes him a person to me.
Okay. The fic.
The teenager sat in the walnut chair, charts, books and scrolls littering the oak table. A solitary candle burned faintly in the corner, throwing the room into shadows, dancing along the walls. As the candle burned lower and lower, the teen looked up from his studies and muttered, waving a hand at the wax cylinder. Immediatly, the candlewax that was previously melted and coated the corner of the desk in a pearly shell liquified and ran back up the white candle, forming a whole one again. With another wave and word, the wick burst into life again, scattering the shadows that dwelt in the dark corners of the room. Behind him, on the bed was a small wooden rod, made of willow and lightly varnished to protect it from the damp. He picked it up and gazing down at the messy bedclothes, closed his eyes and muttered, pointing towards the mess.
The sheets and pillows rearranged themselves, the slippers scooted under the matress and the small cusion he had made by hand ten years agon fluffed itself and lay next to the larger pillows, snuggling in deeply. On the front of the cusion, a large lion-like creature took pride of place, with a young woman (Or what was meant to be a woman) decorated with stars at its side. On the opposite side, a book was crossed with two staffs, one looking much like a feathered beak, the other continuing the star theme.
A knock on the door jerked is attention from the bed and he lay down the rod before unlocking the door the normal way.
"Oh. Flower, it you.. Please, come on in." He opened up the door wider for the young woman dressed all in petals, and gestureed towards the freshly made bed.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" The woman shook her head and smiled at him. He smiled back and sat down at the desk again, ready to continue his work.
Master Nero, its two O'Clock in the evening... Perhaps you should rest?
The boy grimaced. He hated being called "master" and they knew it. Most of them, like Thunder and Wood called him Nero and left it at that. However, Flower always was known for her formality.
"I can't Flower... The Mistress said that If I don't bring up my marks, I'll fail the course... I can't fail!" The young woman's smile dampened and her eyes took on a more concerned feel.
I'm sure Mistress Sakura didn't intend to tell you to make yourself ill... You need your rest.
Nero sighed to himself, because he knew she was right. However, if he didn't bring his theory marks up soon...
"I'll be okay Flower. I promise. When I feel tired, I'll go to bed, okay?"
"No. Not okay."
A large gruff voice sounded from outside the room, in the hallway. The door was pushed aside by a large lion, wearing a steel helmet with a large ruby on the forehaed. The creatures eyes were brown and animal like, but there was definete intelligence behind them. It padded over to the young teen and laid a paw on his shoulder, pushing him down onto the bed.
"It is way past your bedtime young man... What would Sakura say?" The teenager pushed off the lion's paw and walked back over to the desk, picking up a book.
"You heard her. If I don't make the grade, I'll be removed from the school! I can't disappoint her or you like that..."
"Nero-"
"I'm sorry, but I have to keep studying..." The lion looked at the petaled woman and nodded once. The girl left the room and closed the door behind her. The lion softly crept up to the boy and rose to his hindquarters, laying both forepaws on the chld's shoulders.
"Gaki, if you don't get into bed now, I'm gonna-"
"Kero..." The voice was gentle,however there was a definete edge to it. Nero turned round in his chair to see a young woman leaning on the door, a large pink staff with a star framed by two wings leaning on her shoulder. Daintaly, she tapped the door twice with the wand.
"Knock knock..." Behind her, the woman dressed in petals smiled saddly, gaze traveling from Nero to the woman and back again. Senseing her unease, the woman turned to her with a smile.
"Thank you Flower... Why don't you get some rest yourself?" The woman nodded gratefully and she turned into a light green mist, before transforming into a card, which floated off to some other part of the house. Turning back to Nero, the woman sat down on the bed. She picked up the cusion and stared at the cover for a while before talking, not taking her eyes off it.
"Nero. I know I said you need to take your marks up, but you'll end up hurting yourself in the long run." She placed the item and walked over to the desk, leaning over Nero.
"Get some rest. Now. Or do I have to call on Sleep?" Nero sighed. He might have won a battle of wits with keroberos, but not Mistress Sakura. he was beaten the moment she showed up, and she knew it.
"Fine... I'll go to bed. But If you fail me-"
"I'll only have myself to blame." She ruffled his hair and kissed him on the forehead, followed by a shake on the shoulder from Keroberos. She and the Lion left the room, senseing Nero changing and turning in.
As they walked down the hallway, Sakura smiled to herself. Kero looked up to her with a worried expression.
"You... Wouldn't really fail him would you?" Sakura's face fell, before perking up again.
"I can't show favortism Kero. Even if he is our son..." Sakura pushed open a door which led to her private magic lab and held the door open for Kero. Over on the desk, the Book of Sakura lay open, it's cards spread on the table.
"But... I would probably give him the benifit of the doubt. You've seen how hard he studies..." She waved a hand at the window and it opened, a small breeze swirling in the room, carresing her hair, fluttering her dress.
"However, I think we have bigger problems that our son's theory test... Something is coming. And the cards cannot tell me what."
Kero stood by her side, all hint of playfulness gone. At times like these, he took his position of Guardian very seriously. He looked out the window to the full moon, feeling his brother's presense in the wind. In a blaze of light, Yue, the Moon Guardian of the Sakura Cards swooped in through the window and kneeled down by his mistress, wings furling into his body once more.
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As the Guardians of the Cards discussed both Nero's training and the mysterious presense they had been senseing, they had no idea that a shrouded figure was observing them...
"Hmm. Pathetic. After all this tiime, I thought she would have improved..." The female figure looked up from her copper basin where a rippeling picture played out for her and sought out her servent. The large raven stepped out from the shadows and pointed its beak to the ground, the closest he could get to a bow. When it spoke, its beak interefered, creating a nasely sort of voice.
"Perhaps... It was not her that defeated us that time..." It turned to the basin and spread a wing. The image flickered and changed to show a bright sunny day, a young teenage Sakura alongside a young teenage boy, both wielding staffs. Behind them, a brown haired boy brandihing a sword was riding atop Keroberos, with Yue in the air providing air cover. The woman smiled unpleasently at the memory.
"Ah yes... Him." She looked towards her Raven Guardian and held her arm out for him. It climbed on and she carried it to the small window of her cave dwelling and threw him out.
"Gather our allies... The last trace of Clow Reed shall finally be wiped off the face of the planet... Including his pathetic successor..."
Well? What did you think? If anybody can guess the boy she meant, tell me, and you'll get a character included and cyber cookies!