The Cards and the Miraculouses
(A/N: this takes place when Sakura and co. are in middle school, but in an alternate universe where the Clear Card arc didn't happen and Sakura still has her cards intact)
Ch. 1
"Who...are you?"
The three words slipped out of the auburn-haired Cardmistress otherwise known as Sakura Kinomoto as she glimpsed at two silhouettes, one male and one female, in front of her. She couldn't make them out, but the male figure looked to have cat ears and a cat tail? Strange. Before she could receive an answer to her question, she felt herself being pulled out of her dream world and into reality as someone called her name.
"MIss Kinomoto? Miss KInomoto!"
"Y-YES?!" she cried, abruptly sitting straight up in her chair.
Tthere was dead silence in the room as all eyes stared at her with piqued curiosity. Seeing this, Sakura blushed, feeling slightly embarrassed. "U-um..." She looked up at the teacher standing before her desk and gave a sheepish laugh. "I'm sorry."
Letting out a sigh, the teacher replied as he turned his back and walked back towards the front of the classroom, "Please pay more attention in class and don't fall asleep next time."
"Yes, i understand."
"Did you have another one of those dreams?" Tomoyo asked, leaning over in her seat towards Sakura just a little.
Nodding, Sakura replied, "I'll tell you about it later," before reverting her attention towards the teacher. I should probably tell Syaoran about it, too. There was no way she was going to leave him in the dark about something that might be magical-related. Since he was placed in a different classroom than her and Tomoyo, she could only talk to him in between class periods and lunch break.
"Summer break is coming up," began the teacher, "and while I'm sure you all have plans, please do not forget to do your summer homework assignments. They are all due immediately when you come back." At her last sentence, the class let out a collective groan. Couldn't they have at least one summer where they didn't have to do any summer homework?
Soon, it was lunch break. Sitting on a bench in between Tomoyo and Syaoran with a simple bento prepared by her dad on her lap, she recanted her dream to them as they listened intently.
"One of them had cat ears and a cat tail?" Syaoran asked puzzingly. "What about the other figure you saw?"
Sakura shook her head. "I couldn't really tell but she had a pigtail hairstyle. The place was unfamiliar, too. It looked nothing like Japan."
"Do you remember what it looked like?"
"There were a lot of Western-style buildings around, I think."
Syaoran put a hand to his chin. "Hm. This isn't the first time where your dream took place outside of Japan." He was referring to that time in their elementary school years when Sakura randomly won a prize trip to his home in Hong Kong and found herself entangled with Madoushi, a former lover of Clow Reed, there.
Sakura nodded. "Yeah..."
"You didn't sense anything from them, did you?" asked Tomoyo.
Sakura shook her head. "No. But anyway, do you guys have any plans for summer vacation?"
Tomoyo grinned. "My mom is planning on expanding Daidouji Toys overseas and wants to open her first overseas branch in Paris so we'll be taking a brief vacation there."
"Wow, Paris! I heard it's romantic and pretty over there!" exclaimed Sakura. She had seen pictures of the Eiffel Tower at night and thought that it looked beautiful.
Tomoyo nodded in agreement. "Me, too. I'm excited to be going there for the first time. It'd be great if you two could come, too! We can also probably make a trip to England and visit Hiiragizawa since England is not too far from France. My mom would totally be okay with it!" She knew how her mother was just as infatuated with her best friend as she was with her.
Sakura lit up. "Is it really okay? I'll ask my dad and older brother tonight!"
"How about you, Li?" Tomoyo asked, now turning her attention on Syaoran.
"I don't have any plans in particular..."
"Then we can all go together!" Sakura exclaimed cheerfully.
Later that night at dinner...
"Oh, Sonomi is expanding her business overseas? That's impressive!" Fujitaka remarked as he set down plates of food on the table.
Sakura nodded. "Yeah, she wants to make her first foreign location in France. Oh, speaking of which, Tomoyo invited me and Syaoran to come with her. Can i?"
"Yes, that's fine."
"Yay!"
"I'm not fine with that brat coming along with you so I'll be tagging along," chimed in Touya.
Sakura scowled. When was he ever going to back off on Syaoran? "Don't you have college and your part time job?"
"We have summer vacation around the same time as you and Yuki and I can find someone to cover for us while we're gone. Besides, I can't let a little monster run around Paris, can I?"
At the mention of the word "monster," Sakura glared daggers at Touya. "I am NOT a monster!" How long was he going to keep being mean and teasing her?
