So, you have finally sensed the right soul. I do hope that this time, your Master's spell will truly set you free.
The broom swept slowly across the stone pathway leading up to the strange house. The wind suddenly picked up, making the young girl cease her sweeping. She seemed to be of a middle-school age, but her eyes seemed to be much older.
"Something's happening," she said quietly to herself. Suddenly, she turned and ran towards the house behind her. "Watanuki-sama!" she shouted. She ran through the house and as she turned a corner, a little white rabbit-like creature appeared bouncing beside her.
"Hi-ya Kiku-ko," it said between bounces. "Where-are-you going?"
"I have to find Watanuki-sama, Mokona," Kikuko said in her monotone voice as she looked beside her. Her pace never slowed.
"Oh-I-see!" Mokona said, enjoying his newfound game. Suddenly, however, he stopped, and though he kept bouncing, did not continue following Kikuko. Taking a deep breath, Mokona shouted, "WATANUKIIIIIII," his high-pitched voice nearly shaking the house. Kikuko stopped running. Beside her, a door opened, revealing a very frazzled-looking Watanuki.
"Can't I get any rest around here?" he asked.
Kikuko bowed to him, but Mokona jumped up in his face. "Watanuki! Watanuki! Watanuki!" Mokona said with each bounce. After a few more, both Kikuko and Watanuki ignored him.
"Were you looking for me, Kikuko?"
"Yes, Watanuki-sama," the girl said. "I feel something strange is happening. It's odd- it is not happening in our dimension, but in another." Kikuko was a strange child. Her unnatural ability to sense other dimensions and time warps was unparalleled, she could sense people who were from other places, and she could easily find a person's counterpart in another dimension without much effort. She could not see spirits or magic, however, the way that Watanuki could. Kikuko was oddly tuned to many dimensions, though her connection was only complete if she saw parts of the world itself.
"I have felt something as well, but I must say I'm not sure what it could be." Watanuki closed his eyes. He concentrated, and power was rising around them. Even Mokona was silent. Then, his eyes opened wide. "It can't be! Kikuko, Mokona, wait here!"
Watanuki ran towards the back of the house, towards the large room that was once Yuuko's. It still was, to the members of the house, at least. It remained untouched, and Watanuki made his own room nearby. Looking around frantically, he walked over to one of Yuuko's dressers, and slowly opened a small drawer. Gently, almost with reverence, he pulled a beautifully carved and painted wooden box. It was quite thin, though long and wide. Watanuki remembered the day Yuuko created the box, the same day that Sakura, Syaoran, Touya, and the Guardians, Yue and Keroberos, appeared before Yuuko asking to separate Yue from his host.
"Do you want me or Mokona to put the Card in storage?"
Yuuko looked at him. "That won't be necessary," she said. Yuuko was staring at the card, almost lovingly. Suddenly, the card glowed, and while its name and image never changed, the colors reverted back to Clow's colors, red, white, and gold. Yuuko smiled and placed it gently inside her sleeve. "This is something I wish to hang on to myself," she said.
A wind picked up, and Yuuko looked up at the darkening sky. She seemed to be staring at something, her gaze was far away, and Watanuki thought she spoke.
"Did you say something, Yuuko?" he asked.
"Of course not. Though I do have special instructions for you. I will place this Card in a special box. It is not something that will stay here forever, eventually this Card will disappear."
"But how?"
"It is part of Sakura's spell that she will create. She will make it so the Cards can never again be released wild. This Card," she indicated the Hope, "will see to that. It will become like another Guardian, but only at the right times. When this Card disappears, it means events will once again move. The Cards will have to be released, recaptured, and resealed again. You will help this person, I'm sure."
"Me? Why me?"
"Oh Watanuki, so full of tedious questions."
"It can't be that time, can it?" Taking a deep breath, Watanuki opened the box. Inside was a note:
Watanuki-
So sorry, I forgot to tell you! The Card already disappeared a good while ago.
I didn't feel the need to tell you at the moment and then I just forgot! Oh well,
events will start moving quickly, I'm sure you can handle it. Good luck! And
give a big hug to Mokona for me!
-Much love,
Yuuko
"Yuuukoooo!" Watanuki growled, crumpling the letter in his fist.
Kikuko and Mokona had come to the doorway, and stood there watching as Watanuki tore up the note and threw the pieces in the air, mumbling the entire time and then stomping on the pieces.
"Watanuki-sama has finally gone over the edge, hasn't he Mokona?" Kikuko asked. As they watched, Watanuki turned and stormed out of the room, his robes flying behind him. As he passed Mokona, he grabbed the animal by the ears.
"Dammit Mokona why didn't you tell me at least? Now I have to find the Card. If I had known when it disappeared I'd know who I'm looking for!"
"Watanuki-sama," Kikuko started to say,
"I mean, how hard is it to let me know?"
"Ah, Watanuki-sama,"
"I'm Master of the House now, don't I deserve a little respect?"
Kikuko sighed and took a deep breath. "WATANUKI-SAMAAA!" Watanuki stopped and turned staring at the middle school girl who rarely ever spoke.
"Yes, Kikuko?"
"I can find this person, if Mokona can share what their soul looks like."
It took a few moments for Watanuki to remember the abilities of this young girl. "That would be wonderful, Kikuko, only, I'm not certain this person has a true soul."
"How can they not have a true soul?"
"It may be a borrowed soul, or not even a human's soul at all. This person is an incarnation of a Star Card."
"But even a Star Card can be felt and sensed, right?"
"Can you find it across dimensions, then?"
"Of course I can, if Mokona can share with me what it feels like." Kikuko took hold of Mokona, whose red gem began to glow as Kikuko closed her eyes. After a few moments, Kikuko opened her eyes. "The Star Card is in Tomoeda in another dimension. It belongs to a child- but I cannot tell if it is a boy or a girl. I can sense the child's spirit only as the Card. But…"
"What is it?"
"That's only part of the energy I sensed earlier."
A/N:
Yea, I know I don't deserve you readers. You who had followed, and are still following faithfully Card Master Sakura, for as long as maybe two years? Wow, has it really been that long? Dear me. Well, recently I've been on a writing binge. I am supposed to be writing a literary analysis, but well, things happen and more interesting topics re-surface to write about!
Without any further ado, I present to you the prologue of the sequel to Card Master Sakura, Key of the Heart (aka the Legacy of Sakura). *bows* please take care of me!