'It was a dark and stormy night.'
"Boring," a young lady sighed. She slammed the dark brown leather bound book shut and placed in on her lap. "There has to be something half- decent to read here," she wondered. The lady, at the age of twenty, stood up, letting her long black hair swoop down over her light blue robe. He meandered past the cracking fire in the stone hearth down a vast empty hallway. It actually was a dark and stormy outside that night. It was a pity, since it was so sunny that afternoon. As she made her way down the hall, she past many old pictures kept in rustic picture frames. It mostly contained younger versions of herself with a young girl with short brown hair. She walked swiftly past those pictures, not taking any notice, into one of the open doors that the hallway held. The room was filled with books, mostly children's stories when she came to this old cabin as a child. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she would be living here. Her mother died just two years ago, leaving her the rather large sum of money. It was safe to say she'd never have to work again, although judging by some of the framed fashion ads showing off her latest styles, it was obvious that she wouldn't take the rest of her life lying down. She walked up to a small locked cabinet that was nailed to the wall in the back wall, somewhat hidden between two book shelves. She reached around her neck and pulled out a small, silver key. She put the key into the slot and turned it slowly. The doors opened suddenly, and with it a whiff of nostalgia. A small frown creased in her lips as she took out one of the small books. It was bound with a black, crusty leather strap. She sighed and walked out of the library, leaving the cabinet undone. On the light blue book with a cartoon cat pressed on it, there was the name Tomoyo stitched on the cover.
She made her way back past the hallway, this time sparing a look at the pictures that decorated it. Her frown crooked into a smile as she saw her friend along with a boy standing next to her smile.
"I wanted you to model my designs," she sighed to the picture. "Too bad it never worked out." She walked back down the hall and sat back in her big easy chair. The lock on the book snapped open, and she flipped to the last page.
'Dear Diary,
Today is my last day of college. It has been a mixed blessing that I got a scholarship to an American school, but I never knew that would also mean leaving my old life behind. Sakura is going to cram school, the poor thing. We promise to keep in touch, but I still worry.
I'm going to be studying at a fashion academy in California, so luckily we won't be too far away. It will be interested in how things turn out.'
The reading was interrupted by a loud ringing. Tomoyo lifted her head from her book and pondered where the ring came from. It started making a song tone along with it. It was her cell phone.
"That's odd," she said to herself. "There's no reception in the mountains." She got up and walked over to her purse. "Whoever's calling must be really close by." She picked up her phone and pressed her ear up against the receiver.
"Open you door!" somebody shouted. At first, Tomoyo was taken by shock.
"I- I beg your pardon, who is this? May I ask who's calling?" she asked nervously.
"Tomoyo, it's me!"
"Excuse me?"
"Just open the door! I'm coming by!" After that, the phone clicked and the dial tone sounded. Tomoyo placed her phone back down on the table. She looked behind her to the large wooden door that led outside. She gulped nervously and grabbed one of the iron instruments used to start fires. She opened the door quickly and found a small body resting on the doorstep. The figure looked up to Tomoyo, her striking green eyes hit Tomoyo with such a force that it could only be one person.
"S. Sakura?" she cried. She wanted to bend down a hug her long-lost friend, but something blocked her. A small child laid in the girl's hands and was being lifted up to Tomoyo. It was wrapped in a soft, warm blanket. "What? Who is this?"
"Please take care of my baby," she cried.
"Sakura? You had a baby? With who?" It didn't take long for her to figure it out. The eyes were such a luscious amber that it could only belong to one person. ".Li. What happened to him?" Sakura looked to the ground.
"He's gone," she moaned, along with wincing and grabbing her shoulder. "I don't know how to get him back, either. I've tried all my magic, but nothing seems to be working. This force is strong! Stronger than I've ever felt, and I've never even seen the force!" A sound of an explosion came from far away. Instantly, Sakura got up off the stoop and ran away into the forest that surrounded the humble cabin.
"Sakura!" Tomoyo called after her. She looked down at the baby and held her tightly. Then, she ran after her. The brush of the forest rubbed up against her face, but she didn't care. Her number one priority was keeping the baby safe. Suddenly, a loud shriek came from the west. Tomoyo switched direction and followed her voice. Suddenly, there was a bright red flash. Tomoyo reached a clearing that she had never noticed before just in time to see Sakura, frozen by a red glow, slowly fade away. "Sakura!" she cried again. The baby started to cry madly. "Oh, no, no, no!" she said quickly. "Don't cry, don't cry. Everything will be okay." She wasn't sure if she was trying to console the baby or herself. Another evil had befallen the once safe world, and the only Card Captor and able Clow descendent had vanished. The baby's crying distracted her attention again. This was their child. She had the power of the Clow and the magic of the card embedded in her.
Tomoyo's thoughts moved to what this force was. She wished she had the magic in her, so she could sense if she were in any danger. The baby, however, had quit crying.
"I guess everything is alright for now," she mused. She looked back up at the clearing that appeared when Sakura disappeared, but the trees that normally occupied that space had returned. "I wish I had my camera," she pouted.
~*~
Tomoyo placed the baby on her bed. Slowly, she unraveled the cloth. The baby was dressed in some small, pink footsy pajamas.
"So you're a girl," Tomoyo sighed. The baby was so tired over the night's excitement that she was dead asleep. Along with the baby, some other surprises came along with it. "The Book of Clow?" she gasped. The seal was shut again. Sakura must have sealed them up again so whatever was out there couldn't get their hands on it. So if Clow Reeds magic wasn't the problem, who did cause Sakura and Li to disappear? Thousands of questions circled Tomoyo's head, but all thought was lost when a small hiccup and gurgled crying caught her attention. Quickly, Tomoyo picked up the baby and patted her on the back. After a few minutes, the baby burped. She placed her back on her bed, realizing that she was wearing a necklace. "What's this?" she asked, picking up the charm off the baby. It was the Sakura's star wand as a key. She stared in shock, and examined it closely. Indeed, this was the real thing. On the back, she noticed a small engraving. "Kriee?" she read questioningly. The baby giggled happily. "Oh, Kriee. Is that your name?" She happily bent down and tickled the little girl's toes. All too soon, a wet puddle formed on Tomoyo's bedspread. Kriee continued laughing while Tomoyo picked her up. "Great, now I have to clean the sheets," she grumbled, then her face lit up. "And make you some new clothes! This will be just like old times!" Happily, she picked up the baby Kriee and skipped away with the book and key to the basement. That's where some of her older inventions were held. Just like old times.
"Boring," a young lady sighed. She slammed the dark brown leather bound book shut and placed in on her lap. "There has to be something half- decent to read here," she wondered. The lady, at the age of twenty, stood up, letting her long black hair swoop down over her light blue robe. He meandered past the cracking fire in the stone hearth down a vast empty hallway. It actually was a dark and stormy outside that night. It was a pity, since it was so sunny that afternoon. As she made her way down the hall, she past many old pictures kept in rustic picture frames. It mostly contained younger versions of herself with a young girl with short brown hair. She walked swiftly past those pictures, not taking any notice, into one of the open doors that the hallway held. The room was filled with books, mostly children's stories when she came to this old cabin as a child. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she would be living here. Her mother died just two years ago, leaving her the rather large sum of money. It was safe to say she'd never have to work again, although judging by some of the framed fashion ads showing off her latest styles, it was obvious that she wouldn't take the rest of her life lying down. She walked up to a small locked cabinet that was nailed to the wall in the back wall, somewhat hidden between two book shelves. She reached around her neck and pulled out a small, silver key. She put the key into the slot and turned it slowly. The doors opened suddenly, and with it a whiff of nostalgia. A small frown creased in her lips as she took out one of the small books. It was bound with a black, crusty leather strap. She sighed and walked out of the library, leaving the cabinet undone. On the light blue book with a cartoon cat pressed on it, there was the name Tomoyo stitched on the cover.
She made her way back past the hallway, this time sparing a look at the pictures that decorated it. Her frown crooked into a smile as she saw her friend along with a boy standing next to her smile.
"I wanted you to model my designs," she sighed to the picture. "Too bad it never worked out." She walked back down the hall and sat back in her big easy chair. The lock on the book snapped open, and she flipped to the last page.
'Dear Diary,
Today is my last day of college. It has been a mixed blessing that I got a scholarship to an American school, but I never knew that would also mean leaving my old life behind. Sakura is going to cram school, the poor thing. We promise to keep in touch, but I still worry.
I'm going to be studying at a fashion academy in California, so luckily we won't be too far away. It will be interested in how things turn out.'
The reading was interrupted by a loud ringing. Tomoyo lifted her head from her book and pondered where the ring came from. It started making a song tone along with it. It was her cell phone.
"That's odd," she said to herself. "There's no reception in the mountains." She got up and walked over to her purse. "Whoever's calling must be really close by." She picked up her phone and pressed her ear up against the receiver.
"Open you door!" somebody shouted. At first, Tomoyo was taken by shock.
"I- I beg your pardon, who is this? May I ask who's calling?" she asked nervously.
"Tomoyo, it's me!"
"Excuse me?"
"Just open the door! I'm coming by!" After that, the phone clicked and the dial tone sounded. Tomoyo placed her phone back down on the table. She looked behind her to the large wooden door that led outside. She gulped nervously and grabbed one of the iron instruments used to start fires. She opened the door quickly and found a small body resting on the doorstep. The figure looked up to Tomoyo, her striking green eyes hit Tomoyo with such a force that it could only be one person.
"S. Sakura?" she cried. She wanted to bend down a hug her long-lost friend, but something blocked her. A small child laid in the girl's hands and was being lifted up to Tomoyo. It was wrapped in a soft, warm blanket. "What? Who is this?"
"Please take care of my baby," she cried.
"Sakura? You had a baby? With who?" It didn't take long for her to figure it out. The eyes were such a luscious amber that it could only belong to one person. ".Li. What happened to him?" Sakura looked to the ground.
"He's gone," she moaned, along with wincing and grabbing her shoulder. "I don't know how to get him back, either. I've tried all my magic, but nothing seems to be working. This force is strong! Stronger than I've ever felt, and I've never even seen the force!" A sound of an explosion came from far away. Instantly, Sakura got up off the stoop and ran away into the forest that surrounded the humble cabin.
"Sakura!" Tomoyo called after her. She looked down at the baby and held her tightly. Then, she ran after her. The brush of the forest rubbed up against her face, but she didn't care. Her number one priority was keeping the baby safe. Suddenly, a loud shriek came from the west. Tomoyo switched direction and followed her voice. Suddenly, there was a bright red flash. Tomoyo reached a clearing that she had never noticed before just in time to see Sakura, frozen by a red glow, slowly fade away. "Sakura!" she cried again. The baby started to cry madly. "Oh, no, no, no!" she said quickly. "Don't cry, don't cry. Everything will be okay." She wasn't sure if she was trying to console the baby or herself. Another evil had befallen the once safe world, and the only Card Captor and able Clow descendent had vanished. The baby's crying distracted her attention again. This was their child. She had the power of the Clow and the magic of the card embedded in her.
Tomoyo's thoughts moved to what this force was. She wished she had the magic in her, so she could sense if she were in any danger. The baby, however, had quit crying.
"I guess everything is alright for now," she mused. She looked back up at the clearing that appeared when Sakura disappeared, but the trees that normally occupied that space had returned. "I wish I had my camera," she pouted.
~*~
Tomoyo placed the baby on her bed. Slowly, she unraveled the cloth. The baby was dressed in some small, pink footsy pajamas.
"So you're a girl," Tomoyo sighed. The baby was so tired over the night's excitement that she was dead asleep. Along with the baby, some other surprises came along with it. "The Book of Clow?" she gasped. The seal was shut again. Sakura must have sealed them up again so whatever was out there couldn't get their hands on it. So if Clow Reeds magic wasn't the problem, who did cause Sakura and Li to disappear? Thousands of questions circled Tomoyo's head, but all thought was lost when a small hiccup and gurgled crying caught her attention. Quickly, Tomoyo picked up the baby and patted her on the back. After a few minutes, the baby burped. She placed her back on her bed, realizing that she was wearing a necklace. "What's this?" she asked, picking up the charm off the baby. It was the Sakura's star wand as a key. She stared in shock, and examined it closely. Indeed, this was the real thing. On the back, she noticed a small engraving. "Kriee?" she read questioningly. The baby giggled happily. "Oh, Kriee. Is that your name?" She happily bent down and tickled the little girl's toes. All too soon, a wet puddle formed on Tomoyo's bedspread. Kriee continued laughing while Tomoyo picked her up. "Great, now I have to clean the sheets," she grumbled, then her face lit up. "And make you some new clothes! This will be just like old times!" Happily, she picked up the baby Kriee and skipped away with the book and key to the basement. That's where some of her older inventions were held. Just like old times.