"There is more to being a Card Mistress than just sealing the cards and converting them. There is more to holding the power of Clow than just keeping the cards safe. Converting the cards under your name was only the beginning, Sakura. Capturing the Void was only the beginning. There's still so much to be done; so much more for you to learn.
Sakura, you draw your powers from the stars.
And the day you became the Card Mistress was the day that everyone would turn towards you for guidance, help and protection, as is ought to be since your star is the brightest of them all."
-
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Tsunaida anata no te wo
-
-
Oh come and try to catch me
Oh catch me if you can!
That was the tune.
Spring was the season.
Sunny and bright was the weather.
And she skated without a care in the world, the hems of her skirt swaying and twirling as she moved quickly through the grove of sakura trees. Petals fluttered from the branches and seemed to wrap around her form, the soft hues of the sakuras brightening up the setting even more and giving off a fresh alluring sense to the city of Tokyo.
Spring was a wonderful time of the year. It meant winter was over to make room for summer. It meant flowers were blooming. It meant another fresh start.
Tokyo was probably not the safest place to roller skate, but roller skating was something she picked up as a habit of doing ever since her primary school days -- although it proved difficult skating through large crowds, but she always managed to skip through or around them (without getting hit by cars, too, thank you very much!).
But as she crossed the street at that particular moment, she was almost hit by a car, but luckily the driver had breaked in time. This wasn't a new occurrence. She was used to it. She hastily bowed an apology to the irked driver and smiled and scratched the back of her head sheepishly before she continued skating. Needless to say, after skating for years and years, it improved her skill and 'talent.' Leaping on to sidewalks and over other things that may get in her way was one of her favorite things to do while skating (though she was reprimanded several times by her friends, brother and father to be careful when doing that...).
She passed beneath a couch as movers were in the process of loading one out of an apartment complex and into an awaiting truck. Somewhere along the way she passed by an older boy who had snatched an ice cream from what appeared to be his little (crying) sister. She took it back, gave it to the sniffling girl, patted her once on the head and glided onwards.
Just another typical day in Tokyo, she mused.
She didn't stop skating until she reached a certain apartment complex. Before she went up the stairs, she sat at the bottom and removed her skates, switching them with her regular shoes and stuffing them into her bag. She made her way up the stairs and unlocked the door, calling out as she switched the light on:
"Tadai --"
"Happy birthday, Sakura!"
"--Hoee!"
She blinked in surprise when, seemingly out of nowhere, popping noises were heard as streamers went flying into the air and Kinomoto Sakura was met with the smiling faces of her closest friends and her only family. A banner hung from the ceiling with Happy Birthday Sakura-chan written across it. Balloons were scattered throughout the apartment as well.
It was more than obvious by the startled expression on the auburn haired girl's face and the widening of emerald green eyes that she was not expecting this and had more than positively forgot her own birthday. They all expected it though. It made it much easier to plan the surprise party.
"Aa, arigatou minna-san!" Sakura beamed as she bowed appreciatively over and over again, cheeks red and face glowing with joy.
It made her even happier seeing that it was, indeed, her family and closest friends there, all friends that she grew up with: Daidouji Tomoyo (probably the mastermind behind this whole thing), Yamazaki Takashi, Mihara Chiharu, Yanagisawa Naoko, Sasaki Rika, Tsukishiro Yukito, her brother Touya and her father Fujitaka.
Tomoyo carried over a large cake -- strawberry no less -- and Fujitaka guided his daughter to a nearby table that Tomoyo set the cake down on. Sakura smiled happily as she looked at it, more than amused when she saw a familiar round-shaped, yellow-faced, beady-eyed Guardian's face decorated on her cake. Said certain Guardian was probably hiding somewhere due to the other guests (most likely waiting for everyone to leave so he could get some cake as well). Sakura giggled when they started singing happy birthday.
She made a wish.
And she blew out her eighteen candles.
Her name's Kinomoto Sakura. It's April 1st, her eighteenth birthday. She's still in her first year at Tokyo University and had recently moved out of her father's house with her good friend and cousin Daidouji Tomoyo to make traveling to school easier. She looked like your average, Japanese teenager. But Kinomoto Sakura couldn't call herself average anymore; not ever since she found the Clow Book in her basement one, fateful day when she was ten. As you are most likely aware of, the Clow Book was a magical book that contained a set of magical cards, all created by a dead sorcerer named Clow Reed.
As a result of unleashing the cards, Sakura, with the help of Keroberos (the Guardian of the book), had to catch all cards. In the process of doing so, her rival (and soon-to-be-friend-and-then-her-one-true-love, coughcough) Li Syaoran came into the picture; Li Syaoran of the prestigious Li Clan from Hong Kong, China. They became close as time went (of course), and once it was time for the Judgment (when all the cards were captured), Yue, Guardian of the Moon, in all his holy (and beautiful) glory tested Sakura and Syaoran in a battle where whoever the victor was, the victor would became the new Master/Mistress of the Clow Cards.
Sakura won. Luckily by then Syaoran liked Sakura enough not to be a sore loser. One would think that'd be the end of it -- but no. Hiiragizawa Eriol, (bastard, as Syaoran would say, of a) half-reincarnation of Clow Reed (Fujitaka being the other half -- Lord forbid they fuse together or anything), forced Sakura through a series of dangerous (and life-threatening) attacks to convert the cards under her name. Once all was said and done, there was a happy ending, Eriol went back to England, Syaoran went back to Hong Kong... but...
Don't get me started on the whole Void thing...
And now Sakura's eighteen, living in Tokyo with her best friend, (kindasorta -- really) wishing Syaoran could be there, along with his cousin Li Meiling (who had been there throughout the Card capturing business as well).
They normally came around during summer time, or even her birthday, just to see her and everyone else. But Sakura figured this year she would have to wait until summer. She didn't mind though. She was happy knowing she could still see them (though not all the time). But she wasn't going to reminisce on those things. It's her birthday. She just made a wish that she was going to keep a secret (or else it won't come true), and it was time to eat some cake.
As she watched Takashi trying to tell another lie and therefore being strangled by Chiharu, and Tomoyo video taping everything while Naoko ranted on about a latest horror book she was reading, and Touya (jokingly) commenting how old his kaijuu had gotten (and earning a stomp on the foot from Sakura in return), Sakura thought: this was as normal as her life got.
And she liked it this way.
---
She summoned her Star Staff.
Sakura learned that, as she got older and stronger, her Star Staff grew to accommodate her physical and mental changes. It widened in length, the pink turned a softer -- and almost silvery -- hue. The circle at the top, along with the star, grew bigger as well, and the star became brighter. They were slow, gradual changes that Sakura wasn't quite aware of (just like she wasn't aware of her own physical growing and just how much stronger she had gotten over the years).
Sometime ago, during one of Syaoran's and Meiling's visits, Syaoran had given Sakura a charm. She had tied it around her staff, and as she stood on top of Tokyo Tower, she admired that charm. Stars dangled from pink and silver string, along with tiny metal orbs. It was a simple charm, but Sakura loved it all the same.
Kero fluttered next to her in his false form, and Yue hovered on her other side. Sakura inhaled the fresh, night breeze before smiling to herself and pulling out a card. A cloaked figure sat side ways, holding an Hour Glass, and Sakura brought it close to her as she kissed it and for a moment, the world froze over.
"Let's see how long you can hold it this time, Sakura-chan," Kero commented. "You probably won't last an hour."
Sakura pouted. "Aren't you supposed to have more faith in me, Kero-chan?"
He sniggered as his no-longer-tiny wings engulfed him. Golden white wings fluttered with the breeze where, once a yellow-stuffed animal floated, a full groan beast stood. He shook his mane and rustled his fur up a bit before grinning, both rows of razor-sharp fangs exposed. He shot his Mistress a look.
"...Ready?"
She giggled, already leaping off of Tokyo Tower. "Catch me if you can!"
"We'll give ya a head start!" Keroberos called after her, but was forced to jump back when a stream of fire shot up to him.
"I don't need one!" was his Mistress' pouty retort.
She was already flying, white wings beating from her back as she twirled through Time. Keroberos snorted and shook his head before coming after his Mistress, fire gathering in his jaws. Yue watched with his usual indifferent expression. Piercing blue eyes took in every movement his Mistress and fellow Guardian made. He didn't so much as budge from his perch on top of Tokyo Tower; clothes and silky silver hair fluttering in the breeze. He closed his eyes momentarily and then opened them as he spread his wings to their fullest extent. He pushed himself higher into the sky and then charged towards Sakura, crystal shards gathering at his palm.
A sorcerer is capable of many things, Kero once told Sakura.
She smiled as, without so much as needing to think or utter a single word, Shield shot up to protect her.
But when a sorcerer, or a sorceress in your case, gives all her love to her Cards, and uses that love to fight, she is capable of even greater things.
Throughout the years, Sakura developed a strong bond with her cards; a bond tied and bound with love and trust that was given by Sakura, and by her cards. It was what was expected from her -- but what wasn't expected was how soon she was able to develop this bond. Her cards were very special to her. They were as special as the next person in her life. She would do anything for her cards, just like she would do anything for Kero, Yue, Tomoyo, her father, anyone she loved...
Keroberos and Yue watched as Sakura seemed to skip in the air and twirl around when Keroberos shot another pillar of fire at her. She squealed when the hem of her jacket almost caught fire. She puffed her cheeks indignantly and turned fiery, stormy emerald eyes to a certain Guardian Beast. He started to feel nervous.
A Sakura with that look in her eye was never a good thing.
All Heck broke loose, and for what felt like hours, Sakura battled with her Guardians.
Though when she finally collapsed from weariness, Yue caught her, and Time withdrew and the world continued on without so much as missing a second.
Sakura didn't mind falling asleep. She knew her Guardians would watch her and see her home safely.
"Do you think she's ready?" a Kero in his false form asked Yue as he placed Sakura into bed and Tomoyo tucked her in.
(Tomoyo was always waiting for them whenever they would go off and train, but most of the time she would come along to watch and record).
The raven-haired girl looked at the two Guardians questioningly, wondering what they were talking about.
Yue remained silent as he observed his sleeping Mistress. He closed his eyes.
"...She will have to be. She has no choice."
---
"You grow stronger every day, Sakura. And with great strength comes great responsibilities; greater duties."
Sakura watched from her seat on the couch as Clow Reed stood by the fireplace. She figured it was a dream, because it felt like one, and because she couldn't seem to move or lift her head up from where she rested it on the arm of the couch.
She didn't understand what he was trying to say, and her eyelids were growing heavier.
She knew he was smiling though. Clow Reed always seemed to smile... but the shadows from the fire that played across his face made his expression seem darker; foreboding.
He turned his gaze to her and looked at her with those dark, knowing sapphire eyes of his.
"To protect our world is the duty of the Card Mistress."
---
to be continued.
---
I'm probably going to shoot myself for this later D: (like I do for every other fic I've started...)
but i can't help it. I have a short-attention span (concerning fics and plots, etc).
But I hope ya'll are intrigued so far to keep reading. So plz review! Though reviews tend to scare me... just not the nice ones. I like nice reviews.
...don't hurt me. D:
PS: and don't worry. Syaoran will come. I love him. and there has gottsta be S+S. like it's an unspoken rule.
