Hey everybody! This is my third story. I'm going to take a long, perhaps permanent, break from my last series for this. As always, feel free to E-mail me at Sciguy98@msn.com if you need anything. Well, on with the story. Oh, and my thanks goes to Starrie who helped me greatly with the plot.
Disclaimer: I do not own CCS. I do not own it with a bill; I could not own it with a trill. Although I may not say it again, a plagiarizer I have not been!
Chapter One: A Magician in Trouble
Sakura, Syaoran, Tomoyo, and Eriol were walking down the street on a lovely spring day. The cherry trees had recently bloomed and Sakura was extremely giddy. She danced and twirled about under the pink flowers, plucking a few from their branches and smelling their sweet scent. Even at 18, she still acted like a child sometimes. Of course, this only made Syaoran love her more. Tomoyo giggled and whipped out her camera to videotape her.
"Sakura, act you age, not your shoe size!" Syaoran called to her.
"And you should act your shoe size and not your age!" Sakura retorted.
She then grabbed her three friends and dragged them into a grove of cherry trees. They finally decided that resistance was futile and gave in. They ran after each other through the trees, dancing and twirling and generally goofing off for a little while. Finally, Syaoran got to Sakura and gently tackled her to the ground.
The two lay on the ground, breathing heavily. Syaoran had an arm around her and she snuggled closer once they caught their breath. They looked at each other lovingly then leaned in close to each other. Their lips were less than an inch apart when…
"KAWAII!" Tomoyo shrieked as she jumped out of the bushes with her camera, Eriol not far behind.
"AHHH!" Sakura and Syaoran both yelped in surprise.
"I'm sorry, did we scare you, my cute little descendant?" Eriol asked innocently.
"OF COURSE NOT!! I was just a little surprised, that's all," he replied.
"Gomen nasai," Tomoyo apologized before continuing, "you guys want to go to my house for dinner?"
"I'm in, but I'll need to call Kero to see if he wants to come," Sakura said.
"I don't know why that stupid stuffed animal is coming, but I'll go too," Syaoran confirmed reluctantly.
"Syaoran, be nice," Sakura told him sternly.
"Ok, but only for you," he replied, again reluctantly.
"Arigato!" Sakura chirped as she pecked him on the cheek.
Tomoyo giggled at Syaoran's slight blush and they got back on the road. Now, though, they were headed for Tomoyo's house where before they had no defined destination.
Few Hundred Years in the Past
A man walked along a small lake admiring the sunset. He breathed a contented sigh as two others joined him. A man with long silver hair and white wings was on his left. A large golden lion with its own white wings took a seat to his right. He looked at his creations and admired them as well.
"Our first sunset," the lion said simply.
"Sou desu ne," concurred the winged man.
"Don't worry Yue, Cerberus, there shall be many more for you," the man said.
The lion chuckled and said, "I guess so, Clow Reed-sama."
Yue continued to stare out over the lake with his icy blue eyes. He looked out and saw the wonder that was the sunset. In the morning, he would see the sunrise.
"Are you alright, Yue?" Clow asked. He didn't quite understand the personalities of his creations. Cerberus seemed to be carefree and constantly hungry and Yue was always somber and never ate. He figured that the mirror-like difference would be due to Cerberus's birth under the sun and Yue's existence under the moon.
Yue just glanced at his master and began to walk back to the mansion.
Clow just sighed and leaned some of his weight on his staff. He quickly composed himself and began to walk back toward his mansion. After all, he had another thirty-nine to complete! He definitely had work to do.
Elsewhere
A man shrouded in darkness sat upon his chair and gazed into space. He seemed to be looking at the darkness before him, but he saw far more than gloom. He saw a man. He saw a man accompanied by a winged man and a great winged lion. He saw the poor, unknowing trio gaze dreamily off into the sunset. He saw them speak briefly. Then, he saw… No, he couldn't have seen it. He thought that he saw the winged man glance at him briefly. No, it was just his imagination.
"Kiyoshi!" a feminine voice called.
"Yes, Amaya?" he replied, looking toward the woman.
"What are you staring at now?" the woman asked.
"At the moment, you," he replied with an evil glint in his eye.
Amaya sat on his lap and straddled him. Rob looked into her dark violet eyes, then the rest of her body. Her body was practically flawless. Her long black hair reached almost down to her shapely buttocks and was streaked with dark, blood red. Her hips curved around and her waist was just the right size for holding. Her luscious lips smiled down at him and she bared her fangs. Her fangs weren't very long, but they curved slightly and she had two on each side of her upper jaw. Kiyoshi looked up, pausing briefly at her beautiful breasts, before continuing to her pale creamy skin. She was, actually, a vampire.
"No, what were you looking at before?" she asked.
"Only at the great Clow Reed."
"See anything you liked?"
"Yes, a very powerful blue aura."
"Hehe. Soon, that power will be yours, right?"
"Ours. I'll use it to make us both more powerful."
"You're such a sweetheart!"
"Yes, but an evil sweetheart!"
"You'd better be," Amaya said before leaning down and kissing him deeply.
"Mm, tastes good," Kiyoshi commented.
"Speaking of which, I'm getting a little hungry," she told him.
"Well," he said, getting up and gently moving her off of him, "let's see what's on the menu."
He walked into the darkness and glanced behind him at his beautiful vampire. She was being cliché by wearing all black today. She wore a black silk dress with a long skirt but a very high slit. She wore black sheer stockings under the skirt and black-heeled boots covered her feet. One could see her lower hip as she walked. The one-piece dress continued up to a simple top with a very low back held together with dark, sheer mesh. She wore a pair of black, silk gloves that reached passed her elbows to complete the outfit. Her black and red hair was held back in a ponytail but locks of hair were allowed to play over her face.
They eventually came to a door that Kiyoshi opened. Inside was a young woman. She appeared to be around twenty and was dressed very well and was very clean. One would think that she was there as an honored guest, if it weren't for the shackles and gag she sported. She seemed to be a poor American girl. Perhaps a tourist that no one would miss or really bother to look for.
She was in horrible shape when she arrived that morning. She was bloody and beaten and unconscious. Now, though, she looked splendid. She wore a long red dress reminiscent of the Victorian era and an elaborate hairdo to match. The girl seemed uncomfortable in the tight corset, but no one seemed to care.
She was bound with red rope to match her dress. Her wrists were tied together behind her back and then to a ring set into the wall. Her legs were then shackled to the floor with a small length of chain. A red gag was shoved into her mouth so her pleas for help and mercy would be muted. Kiyoshi liked the pleading, but Amaya said that the pleading made the prey taste bad.
Her eyes fluttered open at the sound of the door opening and she renewed her struggle. Kiyoshi and Amaya simply waited for her to tire herself out and once she stopped struggling, they spoke.
"This is a girl that they picked up just this morning," Kiyoshi told Amaya.
"Looks American," Amaya said.
"She is. She's a tourist, actually."
"Ha! Not so lucky on your vacation, are you?" Amaya asked the girl.
The girl simply glared at her and made muffled sounds.
"Aw. It looks like she doesn't want to play," Kiyoshi commented with sadness.
"She looks strong, I like it when they struggle," Amaya said and showed her fangs to the girl.
Her eyes went wide and began to struggle again. A few tears began to roll down her cheeks.
"Bon appetite!" he said.
Amaya gently moved the girl's head to the side and spied the beautiful soft skin of her neck. She licked her fangs and put her mouth to her neck. Amaya then slowly bit down, gently puncturing the girl's neck. Once the fangs had completely entered her neck, Amaya began to draw the blood from the artery there. Amaya almost entered into a trance as she fed.
Kiyoshi moved to stand in front of the poor girl. He removed the gag and looked into her eyes, the eyes of terror.
"You poor girl," he spoke to her.
"Please," she pleaded, "please help me."
Her voice was weak and frail. She was minutes from death.
"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. You see, if you don't die, my girl here will," he said. He moved and took her cheek in his hand.
"Please…"
"I'm sorry. Oh, you're out of time. Goodbye!" he said. He smirked as she lost consciousness. He held her head up and kissed her on the forehead. He then simply dropped her head.
A few minutes later, Amaya withdrew. Her lips were covered in red and she had a little dribble down her chin. She licked the lips off of her lips then used a cloth to wipe the remaining blood off.
"Good?" Kiyoshi asked her.
"Very different, exotic. I left her alive so that I can have her again tomorrow. Let's find someone from South America next time," she suggested.
"You know that humans have a short shelf life, but, anything for you," Kiyoshi said to her.
"So, when do we move against Clow?"
"Tomorrow…"
Present Day, Tomoeda
Eriol, Tomoyo, Sakura, and Syaoran had eaten dinner at Tomoyo's house the night before. Now, the group was headed to Eriol's Mansion to hang out for the day. They hung out a lot, seeing as how Sakura was the only one of them who wasn't rolling in money. Of course, Kero decided to accompany Sakura to see Suppi and try to feed him sweets.
"Why are you coming with us, stuffed animal?" Syaoran asked Kero.
"That none of your business you gaki!" the mini-guardian replied.
"Why I oughta…" Syaoran began.
"HEY YOU TWO!" Sakura yelled at both of them, "You two will be civil to each other today or Kero will get no pudding for a week and I won't let Syaoran touch me for just as long!"
Syaoran and Kero both had their heads down in shame.
"Yes, Sakura," they both said at the same time.
"I love it when she takes charge like that," Eriol commented to Tomoyo.
She looked up from her camera with a confused look on her face.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because, my darling, you love to tape her when she gets that way. And if it makes you happy, it makes me happy as well," he replied.
"You smooth talker!" Tomoyo accused him.
"You'd better believe it!" Eriol said. Once Tomoyo went back to filming her friends bicker, Eriol slid his arms around her waist and started to gently kiss and suck on her neck. She hated it when he did that when she was filming because she had tendency to tremble and shake a little when he did it. It also tickled when he hit the right spot.
"Oh no…" Tomoyo said just before Eriol finally found his mark. Tomoyo started laughing like a mad woman. Eriol held her fast so that she couldn't get away and continued to torture her.
"Eriol, will you stop that?" Sakura said almost laughing herself. He did that every few days and Tomoyo never became any wiser to his antics.
"Of course, mistress," Eriol said and let Tomoyo go. She whipped around and gave him and icy glare. He simply smirked at her innocently.
"I love you," he told her.
Tomoyo relaxed her glare and replied, "I love you, too."
"Well then, if we could get back on the road…" Syaoran suggested.
"Of course. Suppi and Nakuru are anxious to see you all again," Eriol said.
Sakura hadn't been back to Eriol's mansion since he revealed that he was the reincarnation of Clow Reed. The last time she'd even seen his house was during the Void capture. She hadn't seen Spinel in all that time either. Since Eriol had moved back, though, she'd seen Nakuru around, but had not yet had the chance to speak with her.
They proceeded to Eriol's home. Tomoyo and Eriol, as well and Sakura and Syaoran, walked hand in hand. Cherry blossoms continued to fall around them on such a lovely spring day.
Clow Reed's Home
Clow was standing in his workshop. Yue and Cerberus were also there, fetching supplies or helping however they could. Clow mixed a few chemicals together and put the mixture in a small glass vial. He then walked to the center of the room and his guardians took positions behind him. He took a key from around his neck and began to chant:
"Key that contains the power of the darkness,
Reveal your true form to me!
By our contract I, Clow Reed, command you
RELEASE!"
His golden magical circle surrounded him. The key rose from his palm and became a long staff. It was golden with a sun at the top. Multiple points radiated from the center as rays do from the sun.
Clow lifted his staff and another, smaller magical circle appeared in front of him. Yue then took the vial of potion and stood poised to use it.
"I, the magician Clow Reed command the elements! I hereby seal thee in a new form!" Clow commanded in a loud voice. Yue then threw the vial to the center of the magical circle. It exploded and soapy bubbles began to form.
"I command you, form the card of my making! Bubbles!" Clow yelled his command.
The magical seals became brighter and a fierce wind began to blow. A spirit erupted from the bubbles and tried to flee, but the circle beneath held it. It then stopped and became as liquid and coalesced at a single point. That point grew into a rectangle and a card appeared. Once the glow had died down, the card floated into the hand of its new master. Clow plucked the card from midair and read it.
"The Bubbles," he said and he looked at the picture. He looked at the spirit shown on the card, a young mermaid with long hair of bubbles. It was really cute. Clow walked over to his worktable and looked down at the book. We waved his hand over it and the lock released. Clow opened the book and placed the card inside. The book locked once more once the cover had been closed.
Fourteen down, thirty-eight to go.
Later That Day
Clow was very pleased with himself. He'd completed five cards today. At this rate, he'd have the last thirty-four completed in a week. In truth, he had over-extended his powers today. The Earthy took a lot of power to create. Of course, he'd meant for it to be the most powerful element card. He now sat on his deck overlooking the lake as he regained his strength. Perhaps he would make a card to strengthen people. Now that the four element cards were complete, he could focus on more important cards.
Before, he was forced to make one or two powerful cards, and then the rest would have to be weak cards. He may have had the elements now, but he also had the Libra, Wave, Through, Mirror, Twin, Cloud, Flower, Bubble, Glow, Mist, Song, Voice, Thunder, and Rain.
Now, he just sat and watched the sun set. Suddenly, he felt an odd aura behind him. He rose shakily and called his guardians. Clow, Yue, and Cerberus walked over to see who or what had approached.
"SVING!" a loud sound rocketed towards them. Yue saw what was coming and tried to move his master out of the way, but he was too late. A single arrow tore into Clow's shoulder. The energy that it was made up of then seeped into his body. The dark energy immediately knocked Clow unconscious. In his weakened state, he might not live.
Yue looked toward where the arrow had come, and briefly saw a man in long dark robes with a bow of red energy smirk at them. Yue rose and took aim with his own bow of blue energy, but the arrow he let fly hit nothing. The man had vanished.
Present Day, Hiiragizawa's Mansion
"Hey Suppi!" Kero called.
"Yeah?" the small black animal replied.
"Have some of this!" Kero said, holding up a Reece's Peanut Butter Cup. (I do not, nor will I ever own the Mars Company or any product of Reece's brand candy.)
"No," Suppi replied simply.
Kero sat and thought for a moment, then remembered the last dessert that Suppi really loved. He went in to the kitchen and left a few minutes later with some fried octopus balls.
"Is that…" Suppi asked incredulously.
"Fried octopus!" Kero confirmed.
Suppi's eyes went wide and he dove in. He then hit the core of pure sugar that Kero had replaced the octopus with. Suppi's cheeks took on a warm glow and his held an expression of content. He then rocketed up and flew around in circles blasting things with his breath. Suppi was on a sugar rush.
In the parlor, Eriol, Syaoran, Sakura, and Tomoyo were talking. Nakuru came down and joined the conversation as well. Suddenly, in the middle of a sentence, Eriol fell silent. His eyes glazed over a little and he seemed to lose touch with reality.
"AHHHH!" he screamed in pain as he threw his head back. He collapsed from the couch onto the floor.
"IT HURTS! THE PAIN! GET IT OUT! GET IT OUT!" he continued to scream, clawing at his left shoulder.
An alarmed Nakuru transformed into Ruby Moon and crouched beside her master. Spinel Sun burst from the dining room and stood next to Eriol as well.
"Stay back!" Nakuru warned.
Eriol was now trembling on the ground. Every few moments he would convulse wildly. It looked as if he was having severe seizures every few seconds.
"Yue! Cerberus! Help me!!" Eriol called, but it wasn't his voice. Sakura looked aghast as she recognized the voice. It was Clow Reed! Hearing what sounded like his former master, Kero came in to see what was going on.
"Clow-sama?" Sakura asked cautiously.
Eriol looked right at Sakura and asked, "Who are you? How do you know my… AHHH! Make the pain STOP! PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP!" Eriol had begun to claw at his shoulder again. He was beginning to draw blood now.
"We have to stop him. He's going to kill himself at this rate!" Spinel said with great concern and urgency.
"SLEEP! I, Sakura, command you now! Put Eriol-kun to sleep!" Sakura called after pulling out the Sleep Card.
Eriol then vomited all over his beautiful hardwood floor and promptly fell into a deep sleep. Normally, his Clow magic would rend him immune to the effects of the card, but his episode had severely drained him. He now lay on the floor in a small pool of blood and vomit. The left lens of his spectacles had cracked from his fall.
"Nakuru, clean him up and get him in bed. Syaoran, go to the bathroom and get a basin of warm water and a rag. Tomoyo, stay with him no matter what in case he wakes up. Spinel, return to your false form and prepare a snack incase Eriol wakes up hungry. Have Kero help you. I'll see if I can keep him stable with my magic," Sakura gave orders. When no one moved, she got angry.
"I SAID MOVE!" she yelled at them. Jarred from their reveries, they all began to move. Ruby Moon used her magic to levitate Eriol into his bedroom and Tomoyo followed. Suppi flew and mach two into the kitchen and Kero followed him. Syaoran ran ahead of Nakuru into the upstairs bathroom where he knew the basin was stored.
Once in the master bedroom, Tomoyo and Nakuru changed Eriol into his pajamas and cleaned up the blood and vomit. Tomoyo bandaged the wound as Nakuru got the old sheets on the bed. She also put a rubber sheet under everything so that nothing important would stain. Once he was bandaged, Eriol was placed in the bed. The blankets were tucked around him as Syaoran came in to set up a table and he placed the basin upon it.
Suppi and Kero flew with a small plate of good, but very nutritious food. They knew that he wouldn't eat much if at all.
Sakura came in and pulled two cards from her deck.
"Power! Keep Eriol strong! Dream! Suppress any nightmares he may be having!" The two cards then worked their magic and Eriol seemed to improve greatly. Just then, the telephone rang.
"Moshi moshi, Hiiragizawa residence," Nakuru answered.
"Mmhm, yeah. I'll tell her. Ok, here's Sakura. Sakura! Your brother said that your dad just had a series of seizures! Sounds a lot like what happened to Eriol," Nakuru said.
"Tell Onii-chan to get Yukito and my dad over here as soon as possible," Sakura told her.
Nakuru relayed the message and hung up.
A few minutes later, Touya drove up and he and Yukito brought Fujitaka up to Eriol's bedroom. He was already dressed in something comfortable so they simply put him next to Eriol on his huge king size bed. Sakura commanded her cards to spread their effects to her father. Eriol worsened slightly but Fujitaka improved greatly.
One Day Later
Eriol had finally woken and was telling everyone about what was happening.
"Eriol, what's going on?" Sakura asked. Ever since the crisis, Sakura had taken over everything. She gave all of the orders and everyone seemed to route questions and decisions through her.
"Clow…" he said weakly.
"What about Clow?"
"He's hurt. An arrow… in his shoulder."
"An arrow wouldn't have done this to you."
"Magical… Dark… pain," Eriol winced as he spoke that last word.
"Eriol, what can we do to help?" Tomoyo asked. She hadn't left his side the entire time and despite a lack of sleep, she was still there for him. A single tear fell down her face as he winced again.
"You can't help me. You must… help Clow. Dying," Eriol told her.
"How?" Tomoyo posed.
"Arrow," Eriol said quietly.
"What are we going to do?" Syaoran asked Sakura once Eriol lost consciousness again.
"We need more information…" Sakura said, then had a thought, "Dream! Return to your spirit form before me!"
The Dream left Fujitaka and Eriol and stood before Sakura. The spirit stood there, waiting for instruction.
"Dream, I'd like you to look at Eriol and my father's dreams and see if they have any useful information," Sakura said.
Dream bowed and said, "Yes, Mistress Sakura." She then placed her hands on the two men's heads and probed their thoughts.
"I see the moon and sun guardians. I see eighteen Clow Cards. I see Clow-sama. They have sensed an odd aura. They move to investigate. A man with dark eyes and a red bow of energy fires upon them. A dark arrow pierces Clow-sama's left shoulder. The moon guardian returns fire, but the man is already gone. The dark arrow enters Clow's body. He screams in pain. He convulses. He calls for help. The guardians help Clow up. I can see no more," Dream said then returned to face her mistress.
"Is there anything else, anything at all?" Syaoran asked.
"No, there is not. I saw that Clow did not feel well. I assume that he fell unconscious, that is why I can see no more. Do you have further need of me?"
"No, Dream. Arigato gozaimasu," Sakura told the card. She bowed and returned to her card form.
"So, what do we do now?" Tomoyo asked no one in particular.
"You stay with them, Tomoyo. Syaoran and I go to rescue Clow," Sakura said.
"I can't do anything now. I might as well see you off," Tomoyo said.
Cherry Tree Orchard
An hour had passed and all had been made ready. Tomoyo had furnished Sakura and Syaoran period clothing so that they could move around Clow's time without worry. Sakura brought other necessities with her, such as a first aid kit, to help Clow. Once they arrived at the oldest tree in the orchard, the oldest tree in the town, they stopped. Kero and Yukito both assumed their true forms in case they appeared in a battlefield.
"Ok, are we all ready to go?" Sakura asked.
They all said that they were.
"Tomoyo, we'll be back soon. You just need to get some rest and watch over Eriol and my father. I'm trusting you to keep them safe and alive," Sakura said.
"But, what if you can't help him? What if they both die?" Tomoyo asked, nearly in tears.
"Tomoyo, "Syaoran started, "We WILL safe Clow and Eriol and Kinomoto-san WILL live."
"Ok," Tomoyo said.
"Let's go," Yue said impatiently.
Sakura released her staff and drew the Return from her deck.
"Return! I, Sakura, command you! Return us back to the time of your former master, Clow Reed. Return us to when he first fell ill so that we can save his reincarnations! RETURN!"
Her magical circle surrounded Sakura. The spirit of the Return sprung forth and drew the four travelers into the cherry tree, and they were gone.
A rectangle of pink slowly drifted to the ground. A slight breeze blew and it tumbled gently. Violet gazed and widened and the sight of the card. Then, the violet saw nothing as a girl collapsed and lay in the center of an orchard.
Fin Chapter One: "A Magician in Trouble"
What's wrong with Clow Reed! Will he live? Will he die? What will happen to Eriol and Fujitaka? And why was a card left behind? What does it all mean? You'll find out soon enough. Until then, please review! Domo Arigato!