"Tetsuko... You have been chosen by the Card Mistress, Sakura Kinomoto herself." proclaimed the voice.
Tetsuko listened, groggy-eyed, understanding nothing, and wondering how he knew her name. Then a mirror appeared in front of her. Cautiously she walked over and peered inside. What seemed to be gray fog, turned into a picture of an old woman with gray hair,a few strands sticking up from the top.
This is Sakura Kinomoto, unfortunately she died in her sleep a week ago. She was the high mistress of the Sakura Cards. Her death upset the balance of the cards, causing them to run wild. Her death also made you a cardcaptor."
Cardcaptor? Me? I don't even know what a cardcaptor is! She opened her mouth to ask.
What is a cardcaptor you ask? A cardcaptor is a chosen "warrior" who captures cards named after the current master or mistress.
"Uh-huh, and this concerns me how???"
"Why you are the next cardcaptor!"
"Yeah,I'm gonna go now,okay? HEY! TETSUKO! WAKE UP!"
"Wait" shouted the voice. Out of the mirror a little blue creature with wings flitted out. "If you're gonna go, then I'm going with you."
"Right,umm.No"
"Yeah! You need me to train you or else your world will slowly, but surly, be demolished by the evils set free. And besides you need this"
Nothing happened for a while, until a low jingle broke the silence. A green orb fell down and landed between Tetsuko and the creature, suspended in the air. Tetsuko reached out to touch the orb, when a blinding flash made her pull away. When the light faded, a small key-like object was floating in the air where the orb used to be.
"This is the Key of Clow, it once belonged to Sakura, and now it is passed down to you.
"Whaddya know? I didn't even know her and I am in her will..."
~*~
After a few hours of arguing and persuasion, Tetsuko reluctantly gave into the creatures whining and pleading.
"Fine!, I'll find your cards. I mean how hard it be? By the way, who are you?"
"I am the guardian of the seal. Trained under my father, Kero. My name is Tasuki, and I will be your companion on your search for the Sakura Cards. My name is Tasuki but you can call me Toot-chan!"he said pinching his cheeks in and smiling.
"Oh, so how do we get out of here? No sooner had she said this when a large mound of light was pushed out from under the ground plummeting Tetsuko into the air. The mound opened just as she fell into a large white hole...
~*~
"You gotta get up, you gotta get up, you gotta get up in the moooorning" blared the alarm clock.
"Eh? What? Oh! That must have been a dream...a strange, long dream."she said falling back to sleep.
"Hey Tetsuko! Wakey wakey! Your gonna be late,hurry." Tasuki said pulling Tetsuko's eyelids open.
"Waaah!You!,what're you doing in my reality?? How do I know this is real?"she said looking suddenly aware.
Tasuki motioned toward something on Tetsuko's dresser. It was the Key of Clow. "And as for reality" he flew over and pinched her cheek. "It's real"
Silence fell on the scene until Tetsuko realized the time. "School, I'm gonna be late,again." She quickly put on her uniform, grabbed a piece of toast, hopped on her bike and peddled as fast as she could. "Libby- ah" she whined at a figure in the distance "You couldn't wait just a few minutes more?"
"Sorry, you just looked so peaceful, besides I thought you woke up after your annoying clock. Hey,what's that on your shoulder?"
She looked at her shoulder and found Tasuki clinging on to her bookbag strap. "Ahh! Oh,this old thing? Its nothing, hahaha..."Quickly she threw Tasuki in her bag and closed it tight.
Off in the distance Kazuo Gakuen appeared. Tetsuko and Libby parted.
"Hey! Tetsuko!"
"Huh",as she turned a flash went off. She quickly turned her bike saving her from the rough bark of a tree. From where the flash came she saw Tomoyo Daidouji looking at her new camera intently.
"Hey, you almost killed me back there.", Tetsuko said jokingly.
"Yeah, but it was a great shot!" she said returning the joke. "See..."
What Tetsuko saw wasn't so great. Looking closer she saw a little blue blur flying out of her bookbag.
"Hey what's that?" asked Tomoyo pointing to the blue smudge on the digital camera viewer.
Feeling around she replied "Hmm,uh. I dunno, hey that's actually not such a great, uh, shot. So how about you delete it,huh?"She finally grabbed hold of something and shoved it in her bag.
"No way! Look at your face! That ones going in the yearbook."
"No! I mean.." The bell rung before she could finish. "See ya' in class" she shouted running to the bathroom, leaving Tomoyo standing in the yard looking perplexed.
"I've never seen her like that before..."
~*~
Once in a stall with no one else in the bathroom, Tetsuko let Tasuki out for a breather and a scolding. "I thought I told you to stay in the bag!"
"Actually,you didn't, besides I was suffocating in there. You wouldn't want me to die just yet,would ya?
"Actually"
"Hey!"
"Fine, but from now on stay in my bag, okay? Please?"
"Fine"
~*~
After school Tasuki started teaching Tetsuko the fundamentals of capturing the cards." Now, how do you use the key?
"Uh, Key of Clow,force, ignite. Yeah, I got it." replied Tetsuko searching frantically out of the window for something that would catch her interest.
-SWOOSH-
"Whuw,What was that!?"
"What was what? Tetsuko, are you listening? Sakura why did you choose her" Tasuki said rolling his eyes around looking for a savior.
"Umm,yeah. But I was looking out the window, just this once" rolled eyes from Tasuki "and something zipped past the window."
Closer inspection revealed a streak of ice across the window, in the middle of summer.