Cardcaptor Sakura -- The Magicians
It has been two years since the Sealed Card was captured, and Sakura was enjoying her normal life filled with friendship, family ties, and... love. But it seemed that magical trouble was brewing somewhere in the world, and the Cardcaptor has to take up her wand once more...
My very first fanfic was a badly written, full of OCs, OOCness and random rubbish. I never posted it, and it disappeared in a computer crash... But I really hope that this fic would turn out much better than that old thing. Please enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own the cast or the original plot of Cardcaptor Sakura.
Note: I originally intended to write in Japanese, but due to my limited understanding of Kero-chan's Osaka accent (Die, Kero, dieeee!) I decided to use English instead. This may turn out differently from what I imagined it (in Japanese), and I will keep certain terms where they cannot be translated, but I will give an explanation before each chapter. I will be keeping the suffixes added to their names, because I feel that this is an important trait of their personalities and relationships.
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-chan: Used for small children, small pets, or small toys. Usually a term of affection, by someone bigger (in size or age) to someone smaller (in size or age).
itadakimasu: Said before eating. Not religious like saying grace, but a general greeting.
gochisousama: Said after eating. Also a general greeting.
Hauuuu...: This is random exclamation. Holds no meaning whatsoever.
Zettai daijoubu da yo: 'It will definitely be all right.' This is Sakura's famous 'incantation', or her protective charm.
-san: A generic suffix, used for just about everyone. Can be considered polite, or informal.
-kun: Usually used for young boys, or young men. Some use it on headstrong females as a form of respect.
Waiiiiiii: A random exclamation. Hooray?
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Chapter I: The Reunion
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"Ding ding ding ding ding ding!!" The alarm clock pinged and pinged.
One hand sneaked out of the pink blanket and took the alarm clock. It was slipped under the soft, pink folds of the blanket.
"Beep beep beep beep beep beep!!" The second alarm clock, standing next to where the first one had been, beeped. Again, the hand came and silenced it, bringing it into the nice, warm nest.
Then the third alarm clock went off, clashing miniature symbals. This time there was no response, until the fourth alarm clock flew out of the drawer.
"Oi, Sakura!" This was a small, warm, orange, winged alarm clock. With an Osaka accent. "What's the point of setting so many alarm clocks if you don't ever listen to them?!"
The lump on the single bed shifted, and slowly moved, revealing a young girl. She sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes sleepily.
"Good morning, Kero-chan..."
"Good grief, and you're already in the eighth grade! Try waking up by yourself for once!" The small orange clock scolded. "And it's still the summer holidays, what're ya waking up so early for?"
"Ah!" The girl brought her hands together with a loud clap, suddenly wide awake. "It's today!"
Kinomoto Sakura leapt out of the bed and ran to her wardrobe, taking down the nearly ironed white dress she had carefully prepared the previous night. In the blink of an eye, she had changed out of her pale green pyjamas, and went to the dressing table to brush her hair.
On top of the little table was a pink coloured book with the picture of a sun and a star on the cover. This was the reason why Sakura was no ordinary girl. Within it were the Clow Cards, magical beings of great power, created many years ago by the famous sorceror Clow Reed.
Sakura had, four years ago, accidentaly released the cards into the world, where the cards began to unintentionally cause chaos. Each of the 53 cards had be recaptured by Sakura, and each of them proved to be the most loyal friends anyone could ask for.
"Well, so what is on today?" Kero asked. Keroberos was one of the two guardians of the Clow book, a familiar created by Clow. The sun creature who protects the cards and their mistress was extremely impressive and fierce in his original body, but in his borrowed form, he looked like a simple stuffed toy. This led to the shortening of his name from to Kero. After all, what kind of small, chibi plush could be addressed by such a magnificent name as 'Keroberos'?
Sakura picked up the Clow Book, smiling to herself. She placed it carefully into her small winged backpack.
"I'll bring up breakfast later on!" Humming to herself, she skipped down the stairs. Kero stared after her.
"She's bringing the Cards out?"
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"Good morning!" Sakura called, slipping into a wooden chair at the table. She bent slightly to nod and smile at the beautiful brunette in the photograph on the table, whispering a greeting to her. Kinomoto Nadeshiko had passed on when Sakura was only three, but the angel sometimes appeared when her daughter needed her. The sweet and gentle woman was always watching over her children, with the sacred love of a mother than nothing could compare to.
"This is rare. The monster's surprisingly early today," the third member of their family remarked, sitting down opposite Sakura. Kinomoto Touya, elder brother, eldest son, and big bully.
"Sakura is NOT a monster!" Sakura declared immediately, a vein popping on her forehead.
"Only a monster would make such a racket early in the morning. Already 14 years old, and yet..."
Their feet began to fight a war underneath the table. Touya's longer legs were giving him the upperhand, apparently.
"Oh, come on, you two. Settle down and let's have breakfast," chided the tall, brown haired, bespectacled man. Kinomoto Fujitaka, head of the family, was an archaeologist that could do just about anything. His only weakness was that he had no weaknesses, and both siblings smiled good naturedly at their wonderful father as he set down a delicious plateful of sandwiches on the table.
"Itadakimasu!" they chorused.
This was a typical morning at the Kinomoto household. Usually, Touya would finish eating first, then leave the house for school or one of his many, many part-time jobs. This time, however, it was Sakura who crammed food down her throat and rushed to place the dishes in the sink.
"Gochisousama!"
"That was fast. Are you going out today?" Fujitaka asked.
"I'm going to the airport to pick up my friends. I'll be back for dinner," Sakura replied, tugging on plain but comfortable black shoes.
"Touya and I will be working late tonight, so take care of dinner yourself, all right? There's a chocolate cake in the fridge that you can have," Fujitaka called as Sakura opened the door.
"Okay!"
Touya drank his orange juice and stared at the closing door thoughtfully. "Picking up her friends, huh..."
"Something wrong, Touya?"
"Nothing. Just... nothing."
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"Miss, it is confirmed that the plane has landed safely," the woman in black reported.
"Thank you very much. You may go now. I will call you when I am ready to return."
Bowing politely, all four women with black suits and dark glasses disappeared, and their young mistress, a girl with long black hair, went to the arrival hall to wait. She had pale skin and dark blue eyes, and a gentleness in her expression that hid all but her closest friends from the fact that she was highly intelligent, and could be cunning if she wanted to.
For now, though, she was all smiles, and her joy filled her eyes as she saw a very familiar face running towards her.
"Tomoyo-chan! Good morning!"
Daidouji Tomoyo was the only daughter of the president of the Daidouji Toy Company, a highly successful and rich enterprise. This meant that Tomoyo had a large house, the highest technology available, a nice video camera, and the ability to provide Sakura with many different clothes during her cardcapturing days. Most of them were simply costumes that Tomoyo thought would look good on Sakura; the former had quite a strange obssession with the latter; but there were times when each costume was made to help Sakura in her battle against the Clow Cards.
The two girls had known each other since elementary school, and later found out that they were second cousins; Tomoyo's mother, Daidouji Sonomi, was the cousin of Nadeshiko. Through thick and thin, they had stuck close to one another, and the bonds of their friendship was as strong as, if not more than, those of biological sisters.
"Good morning, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo greeted. "I thought you would be early for today!"
"I'm sorry!" Sakura said, rubbing her head sheepishly with one hand. "I nearly missed the alarm, and Kero-chan had to wake me up... Has the plane landed yet?"
"Yes. It will take some time before they finish with customs, though," Tomoyo replied, adjusting the video camera that had suddenly appeared in her hands. She focused it on Sakura, who sweatdropped.
"Tomoyo-chan, you brought the camera along again?"
"But of course! It will be an important moment for me when I film 'The Reunion'!" she said happily. "Besides, Sakura-chan is so cute, I can't help but want to record every minute of your life!"
"Hauuu..." Sakura rubbed the back of her neck, blushing. Even after so many years of being with Tomoyo, she was still very humble, and could not think why she was considered 'cute'. It flattered her that Tomoyo considered her so important, but it still made a little embarrassed when the admiration came up.
They stood and waited, occasionally reading the brochures around, staring outside at the large aeroplanes, or looking up at the LCD screens around. Now that the moment had arrived, Sakura found that she felt a little nervous, and Tomoyo noticed it at once.
"Are you worried?" she asked.
"I-I think I am, a little..." Sakura admitted. "We haven't met since... two years ago."
"But you have been keeping in contact with him, haven't you?" Tomoyo said, putting down her camera for a moment.
"Mm. I write to both of them frequently, and they write back... but still..."
"Then it will be all right!" Tomoyo said, smiling. She took Sakura's hands with her own. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan. Just be your usual, adorable self, and it will be fine!"
"Do you really think so?" Sakura asked eagerly. Even with all the power she controlled, all the adventures she had been through, when it came to feelings and matters of the heart, Sakura was still very sensitive, and tended to take many things to heart.
"You have your invincible incantation, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo reminded her gently. "Zettai daijoubu da yo."
"It will be all right," Sakura repeated. Then she smiled. "Thank you, Tomoyo-chan!"
"Ahhhh! There you are!" A loud, cheerful voice burst out of the general murmurs. Tomoyo and Sakura turned, and through the crowd, they saw a girl with with a lot of luggage waving frantically at them.
"Meilin-chan!" Sakura said in delight, heading over at once. Out came Tomoyo's camera, and she chased after Sakura.
"Kinomoto-san, Daidouji-san! Long time no see!" The girl said. Li Meilin had long black hair, darker than Tomoyo's, that she nearly always tied in two buns at either side of her head, leaving several long locks trailing down. She was from Hong Kong, but had transferred to Tomoeda Elementary when Sakura and Tomoyo were studying there. Her family was descended from the Clow Reed, so she knew about the Clow Cards, but she had no magical ability of her own. Once she had considered Sakura a rival, but now the two of them were good friends.
Her red eyes sparkled with excitement as she beamed at Sakura. "Have you missed ahem us?" She stepped aside slightly, and revealed a brown haired boy standing behind her, looking through some documents. He looked up, and as Sakura met his eyes, her heart skipped a beat.
Li Shaoran was a skilled sorceror, martial artist and swordsman. Cousin to Meilin, he had inherited some of Clow's magic, and had come to Japan four years ago to attempt to capture the scattered Clow Cards. Quiet, arrogant, with a wall around himself, he had disliked and underestimated Sakura at first, but as they worked together to capture the Cards, Shaoran slowly observed the girl and learnt much from her.
Through the time they had spent together, his wall had dropped, and he began to accept the friendship of those around him, for her natural, carefree personality was something he had never seen before. He grew to understand and like that sweet personality, and slowly, his dislike for Sakura had turned to admiration, friendship, and soon deepened into love.
He hadn't wanted to admit his feelings at first, because he knew that she would get troubled over it, and her kindness to all around her would give her much sorrow. Thinking to stay silent and thus keep her happy, Shaoran guarded his feelings closely until one day, when they had triumphed in a fight against another sorceror, he blurted out the special words. He didn't expect an answer from her, and returned to Hong Kong soon after, leaving Sakura a bear he had made himself.
But when Meilin dragged him back to Tomoeda (a plot hatched by her and Tomoyo), he had been caught in another magical struggle with Sakura against the final Clow Card, and at the end of it all, Sakura had given him her reply. It gave him joy that he had never felt, and the two of them promised to love each other forever.
Still, they had their separate lives, and Shaoran soon returned to Hong Kong. They kept in contact throughout two years via letters, postcards and occasionally email (Tomoyo's and Meilin's computers), and now, finally, he had come to Japan for a visit.
For what seemed like a long while, neither of them spoke. They simply stared at each other, as the realisation that this was not a dream sunk in. Slowly, Shaoran smiled. It was the same shy, slightly uncertain, yet sweet smile that Sakura remembered, and she felt herself smiling back at him.
"Good morning," she greeted.
"Good morning," he returned. They stood there, still smiling, yet unmoving, as Tomoyo's video camera whirred away.
"Well?" Another voice cut in suddenly into their silent sanctuary. Meilin stood beside them, eyeing the two somewhat impatiently. "Is that all you have to say to each other? For goodness' sake, it's been two years!"
Shaoran and Sakura just stared blankly at her. Meilin made a sound of disbelief and turned to Tomoyo.
"Do something!" she said. Tomoyo grinned, but before she could do anything, the whole place turned dark.
Sakura blinked in surprise.
"What... what's going on?" she cried. It was pure darkness, as if she had shut her eyes, and a cold chill ran down her spine. It was like the time The Dark had activated, except that this time, she could not see herself.
Or could she? A pale white beam of light shot towards her, and as it reached her, Sakura saw her own body glowing.
"What's happening? Tomoyo-chan! Everyone!" But the place was totally silent. It was a cold, yet bold silence, nothing like the shy, gentle quietness that she had experienced just a few minutes ago.
Then she heard a soft cackle, and the large face of a man came booming into sight.
He was old, with wrinkles creasing his skin. Shadows lined his face, giving him a sinister look, and his grey beard quivered as he smirked, showing white, even teeth.
"I have you now..." he whispered in a husky voice.
Dread began to creep in, and Sakura stepped backwards.
"Who are you?" she asked, trying to remain brave. But the man just laughed, and below his face, a large gloved hand materialised. White fingers, each the size of Sakura's body, flew towards her.
She shut her eyes and screamed. Then everything went blank.
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"Sakura!"
A flash of gold. Sakura opened her eyes with a gasp. She was standing in the airport. The people around her, including Meilin and Tomoyo, were staring at her strangely. Beside her, Shaoran was supporting her trembling shoulders with one hand, his long sword clutched in the other.
"What... what happened?" she asked, breathing hard.
"That's what we should be asking! You screamed," Meilin said, raising her eyebrows.
"But the darkness! Didn't you see it?" Sakura said. The man's face was beginning to return to mind; the sneer, the hands, and the evil intent in his eyes.
"Darkness?" Tomoyo's eyes widened. "Sakura-chan, are you all right?"
"It was a barrier," Shaoran said quietly. "One that other people could not sense. Only those who have magical ability within them were engulfed in that dark barrier for a while."
"But... who cast it?" Sakura asked, still feeling rather distressed. If there was a magician nearby, why had she not sensed it? All the people here could have been in danger, and she hadn't noticed...
"Calm down," Shaoran said. "That was quite a powerful barrier, targetting us, and the caster has most likely found us. We have to get away from here at once."
"But the other people..."
"He cannot do anything to them without drawing attention to himself. It's far more important to move away to a safe distance, and search for him from there," Shaoran insisted. He led Sakura out of the airport, with Tomoyo and Meilin following closely behind. Soon, they were sitting in Tomoyo's big, black car, heading towards the Kinomoto's house.
As they moved further away from the airport, the heavy feeling in Sakura's mind began to fade. She breathed more easily, and was aware of Shaoran's hand patting hers reassuringly. As usual, Shaoran had not lost his head when something happened, and thought of the best thing to do in a calm and collected way. The quiet awkwardness that had pushed between them when they first met had disappeared, and they smiled at each other, understanding that the bonds of trust between them had not weakened, and knowing that each would the support the other in the dangerous events that were sure to happen.
"Shaoran-kun, thank you."
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"Please come in," Sakura invited, opening the door. Immediately, an orange face popped up directly in front of hers.
"SAAAAAAKURA!!"
"K-K-K-Kero-chan!! You surprised me!"
"You were supposed to bring breakfast up!" Kero scolded. He looked behind her. "Good morning, Tomoyo! And... ah!!"
Meilin smirked at him. "Why, if it isn't the little puppet again."
"Why, if it isn't the little brat again. And the kid."
"YOU-!"
"Well now, shall we go in?" Tomoyo interrupted with a smile. "It must be time for lunch!"
"Waiiiiii FOOOOOOD!" Kero chanted, flying into the house, forgetting everything in the face of food.
Over lunch (and glaring faces), Sakura told Kero and the non-magical girls what had happened to her. Kero didn't seem too worried, though; he continued eating at his usual crazy pace.
"I was wrapped in a similar darkness, but no one else appeared. When I heard her scream, I slashed through the time-space warp and defeated that spell," Shaoran explained.
"But all the Clow Cards have been captured, and Eriol-kun is in England. So why..." Sakura looked down at her pancake.
"Mm, it must have been another magician then," Kero said.
"What other magicians are there?" Tomoyo asked in surprise.
"There are many magic users all over the world, Tomoyo! Clow Reed was the best, but that didn't mean there weren't other, less famous ones. Remember that Madoushi we met in Hong Kong?" Kero said. "One of them must be here, but why? It has been many years since any magic unrelated to either of you or Eriol has been sensed in Tomoeda."
"Is it likely that he was using the dark barrier as a means of searching?" Shaoran suggested. "'I have you now...' Meaning that she was his target all along?"
"It's definitely possible," Kero said, swallowing his big mouthful of pancake in a hurry. "The thing is, why?"
They all turned to stare at Sakura, who immediately looked flustered.
"Maybe it's because Sakura-chan is so cute?" Tomoyo suggested.
"I think it's something else," Meilin said, the sides of her mouth twitching. "Shaoran, what shall we do next?"
"The Clow Cards," Shaoran replied. He turned to Sakura. "Do you know how to use them to predict the future?"
Sakura blinked, then nodded. "I did it once before, and found the Mirror soon after."
"The kid's right. Try it," Kero said. Ignoring Shaoran's pointed glare, he helped Sakura to clear the small, low table in the living room, and watched as she took out the Clow Book.
Sakura put the Clow Cards in a stack on the table, face down. As the others watched, she used her left hand to shuffle the cards on the table. With the same hand, she separated the cards into three stacks, then put them back into one. Then draw cards randomly from the pile, she placed them one by one on the table. First, on the top. Second one in front of her. Third, to bottom left. Next, in front of her.
She continued putting the cards out, face down, until nine cards were arranged in a diamond formation before her. One on the top and bottom rows, two on the follow rows, and three in the middle. Sakura closed her eyes and began to speak.
"Cards created by Clow, answer my query."
The cards, including the pile standing by itself, started to glow with a green light.
"Show me the true form of the one who opposes me," Sakura continued. Light gusts of wind surrounded Sakura, and Kero stopped the others from reacting too strongly. Sakura continued concentrating hard until the wind had disappeared and the light was gone.
"The top card first," Kero said in a tense voice. Sakura reached out, and flipped over the top card.
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I leave my signature, the cliffhanger.
Did you enjoy it? Please click that review button and tell me so, for if this is a bad fic, I shall not continue. The many long descriptions that were unnecessary to fans were written to accomodate people who have not watched the actual series.
Beta credits go to my good friend Sierra, who says that I must put down her catch phrase of "Nash is awesome" here.
Thank you for your time, and I hope you had fun! D
Daidairo
25th March 2008