Twisted Identities
By lianneharmony
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Disclaimer
I do not own any characters presently linked with CCS at the moment. Everything else you see here is a figment of my imagination
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Summary
Sakura Kinomoto was the Mistress of the Clow Cards, wielding enormous power over the magical worlds, surpassing some of the descendants of families with ancient ties to the realm of the supernatural. So when she disappears, along with her father, after a freak incident, it is no surprise that the whole incident had to be magic-related. Years later, after futile attempts of trying to find them, Syaoran and Meiling Li team up with the old cardcaptors' team, in order to uncover the mystery behind their disappearance, made more difficult when a new and strange aura of magic is sensed in the middle of Tokyo.
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Chapter 1: The Fortune
"Ah, so beautiful!" eleven-year old Sakura Kinomoto cried. The sunrise all over the quaint town of Tomoeda filled her up with such joy that she felt like dancing with joy.
"Sakura-chan!" Kero grumbled, as he woke up from his spot in the drawer.
"Gomen," Sakura said. "But today is just so beautiful!" She yelled again in happiness.
Kero rubbed his eyes and moved nearer to the window. "Sakura-chan, it's cloudy. It looks like it's going to rain"
"Eh?" Sakura "But – but – I swear, it was –"
Kero nodded. "Whatever you say."
---
Sitting on the stairs, where she would be able to avoid Kero's glare, Sakura knew he didn't believe her, but honestly and logically, what reason would she have for disturbing his sleep?
Scratch that. Kero could come up with a fair lot of reasons. But it really was sunny that morning – though how come it looked like it was about to rain in torrents was beyond her –
Sakura was so muddled in her thoughts she didn't notice the phone ring. She didn't notice her father or Touya yelling for her to pick it up. She didn't notice Touya cursing and picking up the phone himself.
"Kaijuu, it's Tomoyo-chan," Touya said irritably.
"Huh?"
"What, are you deaf now? I didn't know that a kaijuu like you would be deaf, at least I don't think so. Ow," he rubbed the knee that Sakura kicked. "Well, Tomoyo-chan's waiting at the phone."
Sakura picked up the phone. "Ohayu Tomoyo-chan," she said glumly.
"Oh Sakura-chan! You are never going to guess what news I have!"
"What, Tomoyo-chan?"
"Ne, why so glum?"
"That's not the answer."
"Well, you answer my question and I'll tell you what's up."
Sakura groaned and told her about her day with Kero. To which Tomoyo replied, "How weird. Hey, what if – what if it's something to do with magic?" Tomoyo ran off with a dreamy voice. "Aaaaah! I'll have to start a new collection, and –"
"Right, and what's up?' Sakura sighed, trying earnestly not to roll her eyes.
That shook Tomoyo from her thoughts. "Meiling-chan just called me. Apparently, she and you-know-who are coming over to Tomoeda sooner than previously thought. Meaning today, 5:30pm sharp at the airport. Wei has already arrived, but he's gone to Tokyo for some magic-related thingy and will be back later at night. I wasn't supposed to tell you this, because Syaoran wanted to surprise you and –"
"Syaoran-kun and Meiling-chan are here?"
"Well, they will be. And just in time too! I heard that today there's going to be a little carnival setting up at penguin Park. We could all go there afterwards. That would be lovely, ne Sakura-chan?"
"Hai," she almost whispered.
"And I'll have to bring along my video-recorder. Ah, this will be so kawaii!"
Sakura sweat-dropped.
---
5:30 sharp Sakura and Tomoyo (with Kero, who was still annoyed with Sakura and ignored her, falling asleep in Sakura's bag in the process) were at the airport, waiting at the arrivals section.
"So how'd Touya take it?" Tomoyo began.
"Chores, for five weeks. He's really becoming a pain. I wonder whether he'll ever grow up – eh, Tomoyo-chan, why are you smiling?"
Following the direction of Tomoyo's finger, she herself broke into a large smile.
---
It was a very funny reunion. Syaoran was blushing and pulled Meiling to one side, and that resulted in Meiling bawling and whining to Tomoyo for telling Sakura ("How could you, Tomoyo-chan? You knew it was a secret!") and ended up laughing and giggling with Tomoyo, which made Syaoran think that they actually planned it, so he attempted to choke Meiling, and Sakura just stood there innocently trying to understand the whole picture.
"Syaoran-kun, you shouldn't strangle your beloved cousin!"
"Shut up, you little – how could you tell?"
"Oh, Syaoran-kun!" Meiling suddenly ran off, and Syaoran would have followed, if it weren't for a hand holding him back."
"I'm glad you're back," Sakura said softly. "I think that we both had a delightful surprise."
Syaoran blushed.
"Kawaii!" Tomoyo yelled, video-taping the whole thing.
From inside Sakura's bag, Kero growled.
---
"So much for filial love," Meiling was complaining. "How could Syaoran-kun do this to me?"
Syaoran simply gave her a piercing look. Not that it worked on Meiling; Meiling was too thick-skinned for nuts.
"Well, at least you didn't get it as bad as Sakura-chan did," Tomoyo sighed. "Kero's convinced she's out to torture him now. That's why she went to the bathroom, so she could talk to Kero and soothe him. Though I think that's fighting a losing battle."
"Why?" Syaoran and Meiling asked, forgetting about before.
Tomoyo told them everything.
Meiling laughed. "So she's cracking up, is she?"
Smack!
"Syaoran-kun! That isn't funny!" Meiling complained. "Oh wait, I forgot you –"
Smack!
"I told Sakura, there could be magic-related stuff, but she – well, I don't know what she thinks, and Kero is really tired now, having to repair the Book of the Cards, and I don't think Yukito-san (Syaoran's face darkened at the mention of his name) is planning to transform into Yue-sama anytime soon," Tomoyo continued.
"Well –"
"Nani! Syaoran-kun, no wonder you felt a weird aura of magic. I can't believe you're – oh no!" And Meiling continued to rattle off.
"Shh, don't say this to Sakura-chan or that toy. I think we'd better investigate this further –"
Tomoyo and Meiling kept mum.
---
"Isn't it a wonderful day?" Sakura said smilingly when they were all out of the airport and at Penguin Park in Tomoeda, carefully avoiding Kero, who seemed angrier than ever, and who was also avoiding her by sitting on Tomoyo's shoulder.
"It is," Syaoran said, smiling fondly at her.
"Oh, aren't they so kawaii, Meiling-chan?" Tomoyo said, with her video-recorder.
That certainly ruined the moment for the couple. Syaoran was blushing, and Sakura sweat-dropped.
"Eh, Tomoyo-chan, you shouldn't have ruined the moment! Look now, they're all so – what's the word for it?" Meiling asked, repeating several words in Chinese over and over again, trying to find the Japanese substitute.
"Whatever, that kaijuu and her baka-kuzo boyfriend are perfect in the sense that they're both baka," Kero said bitterly.
"Nani?" Syaoran said, whilst Sakura said, "Hoe?"
"You heard me right!" Kero was about to attack further, before Tomoyo stepped in as peacekeeper and coaxed him back into good spirits.
"It is a beautiful day, and it's a carnival day, and it's going to be a fun day, so Kero, please – I'll get you any gourmet dish you want – just don't fight with either Sakura-chan or Li-kun, ne?"
He nodded.
"Eh, a fortune-teller!" Meiling pointed out to a little tent, where there was a crystal ball poster and a veiled woman. "The amazing Aikemusuliha will tell fortunes – let's go!"
"Meiling, we already had our fortunes told in Hong Kong," Syaoran grumbled.
"And my fortune was that I'd not meet my true love until I'm seventeen. That's a sucky fortune, ne Tomoyo-chan? I want a boyfriend now. Sakura-chan, you can understand how jealous I am of you, can't you?"
"Hoe?" Sakura blinked, obviously not understanding.
"And you haven't ever been to a fortune-teller, have you? You'll be so excited! Now listen, if you sense a strong aura of magic around him/her, she's really good, but you won't be able to sense it unless you're within the magic circle, and –"
"Meiling, she's not going –"
"But Syaoran-kun, it'll be fun! Tomoyo-chan, Sakura-chan, let's go."
Tomoyo – with Kero on tow – obediently followed with the video-recorder, whilst Sakura was dragged off by Tomoyo.
Syaoran could only stare after them.
---
Aikemusuliha's tent was creepy, to Sakura at least. It had a strange aura of magic, and as all three girls went deeper inside the tent, Sakura's face turned white.
"There's – there's spirits here – supernatural ones," she whispered faintly, as if she was about to pass out.
"Ah! I hope that I'll catch one here!" Tomoyo said happily, zooming around for a spirit. "Wait, can people like me see spirits?" She asked later, debating with Kero whether spirits could be video-taped.
"Eh, spirits? That's good. Good fortune-tellers tell fortunes with the aid of spirits," Meiling told Sakura.
"Nani?" Sakura was visibly trembling now.
"Yeah, didn't you – Sakura-chan! Where are you going?" As Sakura ran out the way she entered, with Meiling and Tomoyo running after her. But it was strange; the more they ran in the opposite direction –
The exit was nowhere in sight.
"Whoa, what a crazy place," Kero said. "Sakura-chan, maybe you could –"
"I don't think you should do that," a voice came behind them, causing all three (Kero was not included, and pretended to become a stuffed toy, so as not to reveal his identity) to jump.
"Oh, and Cerberus, you don't have to hide from me," the voice continued. Sakura's pupils constricted with fear. What had she gotten herself into?
"I had been expecting you, Mistress of the Cards," the voice continued. From the shadows, Sakura could see a tall, beautiful veiled woman, in Middle-Eastern garb, emerge. "Ohayou gozaimasu."
"Do – do I know you?" Sakura asked her hesitantly.
"No, but you will," she took Sakura's hand. "I need to tell your fortune. Otherwise –"
"Otherwise, what?" Tomoyo asked, clearly frightened.
"Fate's will must be obeyed," the veiled lady said, simply.
"How do you know my name?" Kero wanted to ask, but the lady seemed to ignore the question. "This is way creepy," he said in an undertone to Tomoyo."
"Hai," she replied.
---
They entered a room with incense and fog from the dry ice filling the air, dimly lit by scented candles that seemed to waft Sakura's thoughts away.
"Mistress of the Cards, I shall now proceed to tell your future. Please, give me your hands," the veiled woman ordered her to, when all of them were seated on a table, with a glass ball, in the center. Sakura complied, and at that moment felt a circle of magic being formed, whilst the others looked on in surprise.
The aura of magic almost overwhelmed Sakura, dizzying her. She could hardly stay focused. Everyone seemed to disappear, in a flash of light –
---
"Hoe? What on earth happened?" Sakura rubbed her eyes, as she opened them. Everywhere was white.
"Hoe? What's happened to Kero-chan, Tomoyo-chan and Meiling-chan? What did you do to them?" Sakura yelled angrily when she caught sight of the veiled woman.
"They weren't supposed to be there. He was supposed to be there."
"Who's he supposed to be?"
"Your boyfriend –"
"Syaoran-kun? What's he got to do with my future?"
"You might not have one."
"Hoe? What do you mean?"
"That's exactly what I mean. Since you didn't come with him, you might disappear from the face of the earth."
"His fortune was already told. He didn't want to come –"
"And do you want to know why? It said to 'Beware of fortune-tellers for the rest of this month'."
"This is –"
"He knows you shouldn't have come," the veiled woman stepped forward menacingly. She seemed to have grown so tall she almost towered over Sakura.
Lightning flashed, and Sakura fainted.
---
"Sakura-chan? Sakura-chan? Sakura-chan?" Voices were echoing Sakura's name over and over again. She willed herself to open her eyes, and realized she was sitting at the bottom of a cherry blossom tree. She looked up to see Syoran next to her, holding her hand, as if he was really worried, and beside him were Tomoyo (with Kero on top of her shoulder), Meiling and – surprisingly – Yue and Touya.
"What happened there, Sakura-chan? Yue asked the young girl.
"I – I don't know. How did I get here?"
"I saw you walking out of the tent, as if you were in a trance, and then you fainted," Syaoran said. "What the hell happened?"
"I fainted, and then, suddenly I was – somewhere."
"Eh? But – you just walked off with the veiled lady, as if nothing was the matter. When we tried to follow both of you, you disappeared."
"Something fishy's going on," Kero noted.
"You don't say," Yue snapped. "Did she tell you your fortune?"
"Ha - Hai. She said –" And Sakura's face paled.
"Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan, what is it?" Syaoran held her as she seemed like she was going to faint – again.
"Hey, get your hands off my sister, baka! – Sakura, speak to me!" Touya tried to inch nearer to his sister, but she was still in Syaoran's arms.
"No – it's just that – she told me I would – I would –"
"Since you didn't come with him, you might disappear from the face of the earth."
"Eh, how can that be?" Kero whined.
"It means exactly what it says, duh!" Meiling retorted.
From behind her video-recorder, Tomoyo gasped.
Silence surrounded the group.
---
A week had passed and the fortune hadn't seemed to have any indication of happening.
"Good, she was a fraud," Touya and Yue agreed.
Sakura wasn't sure, though. That magic circle – it was absurdly strong – and she couldn't help remembering what Meiling said:
"Now listen, if you sense a strong aura of magic around him/her, she's really good, but you won't be able to sense it unless you're within the magic circle, and –"
This was absurd. She wasn't going to die –
"Sakura-chan," her father called. "I'm going to he University. Would you like to come?"
"Hai!" Maybe with her father, she'd be able to forget about that veiled woman. She wondered whether the veiled woman was really Aikemusuliha, but no – she needed to relax. She couldn't be afraid forever. Besides, she didn't want to worry Syaoran or Tomoyo –
"The taxi's here, Sakura!"
---
Sakura looked out of the window, quietly enjoying the view. Kero didn't accompany her, as he usually did nowadays, so it was just her and her father.
"Sakura-chan, why so quiet?"
"It's nothing," and she smiled.
"Well, if you say so –"
Her father and the taxi driver made some conversation, trivial things about the weather when suddenly –
Was the fortune going to come true?
---
Touya Kinomoto was lounging around in the living room, waiting for Sakura and his father to return. They should have returned about an hour ago, and he was beginning to worry –
The phone rang.
"Touya Kinomoto here."
"Ohayu gozaimasu. This is the Chief Detective of the Tomoeda Police Department. May I ask a few questions?"
"Shoot away."
"Are you related to a Fujitaka Kinomoto?"
"Yes, he's my father."
"Then I'm afraid I have bad news for you. He was on board a taxi and an accident occurred. Cause unknown."
"Nani? What about my sister?"
"Your sister?"
"Sakura Kinomoto – she was with my father, on the way to the University!"
Pause. "We don't know about that. We only know your father was in the car, because a suitcase belonging to him was found. We haven't found any bodies, except those of the taxi driver."
"He's dead?"
"Hai."
"And my father and sister are missing."
"Hai." Another pause. "I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but – it's a possibility that your father and sister are dead."
Touya's eyes widened in shock, though he managed to compose himself quickly.
"Are you sure?"
"There was an explosion."
"Then how come the briefcase –?"
"It was probably thrown out as your father and sister tried to escape."
"Oh. Thank you."
"Ja ne. And lastly, my condolences."
"Thank you again," and Touya hung up. He turned to the dining table, where Nadeshiko's picture was.
"Oh mother," he began and covered his face.
---
The phone rang about four hours later, waking Touya up.
"Ohayu, who's this?"
"Ohayu, Touya-san? It's Tomoyo-chan. Do you know where Sakura is? She was supposed to be here hours ago."
Touya went silent. "Touya-san, Touya-san?"
"Tomoyo-chan, the police believe that Sakura-chan and my father are dead."
---
Everyone was silent when they heard the news. No more festivities. It was a bad dream for all of them.
Touya had arranged a little memorial for Sakura and his father. It was a quiet one. The sky was grey, and the world looked dark to all of them. Touya noted their expressions, especially Sakura's friends.
Tomoyo was crying, holding a video-tape. "My last video-tape for Sakura," she said, with watery eyes, and burst into tears.
Another girl – Sakura's friend from Hong Kong, he believed – seemed to be in denial. "What's all this for?" And she herself was in tears.
And that baka boyfriend of hers – the immature kuzo, his face was expressionless, as if it had been carved in granite.
He overheard them speaking later. It seemed like the baka was leaving Tomoeda – for good. That cousin of his was going to accompany him. Tomoyo shed many tears, but she couldn't stop them.
"I have nothing left for me here," the baka said, emotionlessly.
After that day, Touya, Yukito, Kero and Tomoyo never saw them. At least not yet.
Touya was sure that wasn't the last time that he'd see those two.
And he could just be right.
---
Author's Note:
Wow! That was a really long chapter! I hope it looks as interesting as it seems! Do read and review!
I know I'm supposed to be updating my other stories, but this story won't leave my head. So I'll try and finish this up and continue quickly!