So this is the first episode of Cardcaptor Ritsuka! Please read and review, let me know if it's good or not!

Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptors. I'm just a fan!

Episode One: Unleashing The Cards

Her eyes opened and she found herself in the hallway of the apartment. It was still night, and it was dark. There was a strange glowing coming from the storage room. 'What's that light?' she thought. Slowly, she began to walk toward it, and she opened the door. Beside a filing cabinet was a young woman with short brown hair and green eyes, and she was glowing and transparent. She turned her head and looked at Ritsuka, and then smiled with closed eyes. Ritsuka gasped, and ran toward her. "Who are you?" she asked with wide eyes. She didn't answer, she just looked back at the filing cabinet and opened the draw that was second to the top. A bright glow shined out of it. Ritsuka took a step back, then looked at the woman. She nodded, indicating she should take what's inside. Releasing a breath, she slowly walked toward the filing cabinet and she pulled out a pink book, that had the image of a star, and the name "SAKURA" on it. Upon opening it, there was a bright light and.....

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! The alarm clock was ringing it's irritating sound. Ritsuka crawled out from under the covers and turned it off. Yawning and stretching, she got out of bed, and got ready for school. Ritsuka is a 14 year old girl in 8th grade, who attends Reedington Middle School. Her uniform is white, with blue around the the edges, and of course, a hat and shoes. Grabbing her backpack, she rushed into the dining area.

"Good morning, Ritsuka!" said Maddie, smiling with closed eyes.

"Good morning!" she replied. Maddie was Ritsuka's guardian. She placed a plate in front of her. Ritsuka's eyes widened in sheer delight. "Wow, waffles!"

"I thought you'd like something to ease your sweet tooth this morning!"

"Thank you so much, Maddie!"

After Ritsuka had devoured it, she grabbed her backpack and rushed out the door to get to school. "Sorry, I'm gonna be late if I don't leave now, thanks for breakfast!"

Maddie stared at the door that she had just exited and sighed. "You're just like your mother."

Putting on her roller-skates, she raced to get to school. Faster and faster she went, until she turned a corner. Two kids her age were walking there, and she was about to crash into them. "Look out!!" she shouted.

CRASH! The three collided, and were on the ground in aching pain. The two she had crashed into were her friends Tanner Haze and Allison Conner.

"Watch where you're going next time, Ritsuka!" said Tanner, running the back of his neck.

"You're sure in a hurry!" said Allison, knelt down on the ground. "Care not to crash into us next time?"

"I'm really sorry guys," she said. "I just don't wanna be late again."

"Yeah, but you're always late, no use fighting it." Tanner said, brushing himself off. He then reached out his hand toward her. "Well, come on, we might as well walk to school together."

She smiled and took his hand. "Right!"

As they all sat in their classroom, Ritsuka began to feel drowsy. She stared at the chalk board, trying to pay attention to her Math Teacher, but it was no use. Her eyes grew heavier and heavier, and eventually she couldn't keep them open, and she fell asleep on her desk. Allison, who was beside her, gasped. "Ritsuka? Hey Ritsuka!"

Tanner was sitting at the desk in front of her. He turned his head and got up. "Hey Ritsuka, what's wrong?"

Their voices echoed and grew fainter and fainter as she drifted off to sleep.

"Ritsuka.....Ritsuka...." a gentle voice called. She was in a dark place, and the book with name "SAKURA" written upon it was in her hands. "Who...are you?" Ritsuka asked. But the voice did not answer her question. All it said was "You must open this book."

"But why? Why must I open this book?"

"Open the Sakura Book, unlock your destiny, and solve the mystery."

"Huh? What mystery?"

"Ritsuka....Ritsuka...." the voice started to grow faint. Going frantic, not knowing what to do, she yelled "Hey, no, please come back! Who are you? What's up with this book? Hey! What am I suppose to do?!"

"Ritsuka....Ritsuka...." the voice was almost completely muted. "You must solve the mystery to my...."

"Ritsuka! Ritsuka!" Allison was shaking her awake. "Hey, Ritsuka!"

"What mystery? I don't...." she then opened her eyes and lifted her head. Her vision came into focus, and standing before her was Tanner and Allison.

"Are you alright?" Allison asked.

"Huh? What happened?"

"You fell asleep right in the middle of class."

She then quickly sat up straight and yelled in horror "WHAT?!"

The rest of the class started laughing and the teacher, Mr. Sypher, walked up to her. "Yes, Miss Showron, and you woke up in the nick of time. Class is over, and it's time to get lunch."

Ritsuka hung her head in shame. "I am so sorry."

"You'll have to stay over after school and complete the test."

"Ohhhh...." she moaned. Class was dismissed, and everyone went outside in the schoolyard with their bento lunches. The three of them sat under a tree. Ritsuka just stared down at her lunch, feeling a little depressed.

"Ritsuka, are you sure you're alright?" Allison asked in concern. "You haven't even touched your food."

"Hey Ritsuka, if you're not hungry, can I eat it?" Tanner asked, rubbing his hands.

Allison glared. "Knock it off, don't be selfish!"

"I can't believe I have to stay after school to finish the test," she said, moaning.

"Oh, it's alright," Allison patted her on the back. "Hey, if it makes ya feel better, we'll stick around..." she then eyed Tanner. "Right, Tanner?"

"Sure, whatever." he replied, totally ignoring them. Allison sighed. Ritsuka wasn't just bummed out about re-taking the test, but she was really freaked out about her dream. And she wasn't ready to tell Tanner and Allison about it yet.

"Hey Maddie, I'm home!" Ritsuka said, entering the apartment and shutting the door behind her. "Sorry I'm late, I fell asleep in class and had to stay over after school to retake the test."

There was no answer. Ritsuka saw a message taped to the refrigerator.

It read:

"Dear Ritsuka,

Had to run some errands. Be back soon.

- Maddie"

"Ah well, looks like I have the whole place to myself then!"

She tossed her backpack aside and sat herself in front of the TV. She took the remote and began flipping through the channels. Suddenly, she heard a strange noise. "What the?" she dropped the remote and looked down the hall. Slowly she stood up and proceeded down the hall. The noise was quite strange, and she wasn't sure what it was, but it was coming from the storage room. Ritsuka took a deep breath, and with a racing heart, she slowly reached for the knob and turn it, opening the door. Going down the three steps, she flipped on the light switch and entered the dimly lit room. There she saw a filing cabinet and saw a strange glow coming from the second to the top draw. "I've seen this before," she said quietly to herself. Walking toward it, she pulled out the draw and took out a book. It was a strange looking book. It was pink, and had the image of a star-shaped staff, and the name "SAKURA" on it. It didn't take Ritsuka long to figured out what it was. "This is the book from my dream!"

Suddenly, the seal broke, startling Ritsuka, and she almost dropped the book. Catching her breath, she slowly opened the book. It was hallowed, and there was a deck of cards inside. "Must be some old card game or something."

She took out the card from the top of the deck. It was called "The Windy"

"The Windy?" she said aloud. "Huh, weird."

She began to laugh to herself. "Heh, Windy. What kind of lame game is this? I mean, what would Windy even be for?"

The card then glowed a bright blue color. Ritsuka's eyes widened. A magical circle appeared under her feet, and a gust of wind started to blow. In the excitement, she ended up dropping the book, and the cards scattered. The card in her hand blew away, and the cards on the floor began swirling upward and going right through the roof. Somehow, Ritsuka could sense this was not a good thing, and in a desperate attempt, she started grabbing as many cards as she could before they flew away. She managed to save 7 of them. Falling to her knees, she shivered in fear, dropping the cards she had just grabbed. "What....just....happened?" she said, almost out of breath. Suddenly, the book started to glow, and she squealed. A creature emerged from the book.

The fear faded when she saw it was only a yellow squirrel-like creature with wings. It appeared more like a child's toy. "Hey, wait a minute..." he looked around. "This doesn't look like Sakura's bedroom...."

"I wonder how you turn it off..." she said to herself. Hearing the girl's voice, the creature looked toward her direction. "Hey, who are you, little girl?"

"Umm...I'm Ritsuka..." she replied nervously. "Uhhh....who are..." she then stopped. "Oh my gosh, I must be going crazy. I'm talking to a stuffed animal!"

"Hey, you listen here, girly, I am not a toy!" he yelled in defense. "I am Keroberos, guardian beast of the Star Cards!"

"Star Cards? You mean the ones in the Sakura book?"

"Yup. My job is to keep them safe! Can't let 'em out of my sight, they could cause alot of damage, you see! Oh, my master, Sakura Avalon, accidentally released all of them, and had to get them back before they wreak havoc and stuff. So my job is to...." he then stopped for a moment. "Hey wait, if I'm here, that means you broke the seal."

"I guess..." she said. "The lock did break when I touched it."

"You didn't happen to find any Star Cards inside the book, did you?"

"Well, yeah I did. I pulled one of them out, it was called Windy. I found it kinda weird, but then a huge gust of wind started blowing, and..."

"No....no no...please don't tell me they escaped! Not again!"

"Well...uhhh....yeah, they kinda did...."

"NOOOOO!!!!" Kero screamed. "It's happening all over again!"

"Umm, sorry to interrupt your screaming, but can you explain to me what's going on here?"

Ritsuka was in her bedroom on her bed. Kero sat upon her desk and started to explain the whole story to her. "Listen, and listen well..." he began. "The cards were created by a powerful magician, Clow Reed, the original master. They were once called The Clow. When they were too difficult to control, Clow put them inside a book and put a protective seal on it. Only someone with magical powers is able to open it."

"Then how come I could open it? I don't have any powers."

"My master, Sakura Avalon, was only 10 years old when the book called to her."

"Wow, she's younger than me!"

"Though she didn't know it, she had strong magical powers, and broke the seal on the book. And just like you, she found the Windy card, and every single card, but that one she held flew away. And so, I had to make her a Cardcaptor, to seek out and return them!"

"Well, I did manage to grab some of them back," she laid out the 7 cards she managed to grab before they blew away. Kero floated and analyzed it in amazement. The cards she had saved were The Wood, The Shield, The Jump, The Fly, The Little, The Dash, and The Freeze.

"Wow, you're going to have an easier time than Sakura with these cards to aid you! Capturing them should be no problem for you."

"Wait, what?!" Ritsuka exclaimed. "Are you saying you want me to be the next 'Cardcaptor' and get them back?"

"If you were able to break the book's seal, you, like Sakura, must have strong magical powers! Besides, you're the one who set the cards free in the first place, and are the only one who can get them back!"

"What if I refuse? I don't even understand what's going on!"

"Listen, the cards were transformed into Star Cards when Sakura became the master. And since they draw off her magic now, the book changed, and that is why it bears her name."

"Well then, if she's the current master, than why can't she go out and get them back herself?"

Kero's expression on his face turned to great sadness, and he sighed. Ritsuka then felt bad. "What's wrong?"

"When my master was 16, she sealed me and the book away, after we all overcame a strange power. Several years later, something else happened, and she had to use the cards again."

"Did something happen to her?"

"She and her husband, Li, had to face a great power. But while they both battled it with all their magic, it wasn't good enough. And....Sakura was taken, and has vanished from this world. Since then, the book had been sealed again, and Li went off to look for a way to find her."

"Kero...." Ritsuka picked him up. "I am so sorry. I didn't know...."

"Though she is still the master, you should still be able to take up the staff and seal them again."

"Okay, Kero, I'll do it." she agreed. "And maybe, we'll both find out what happened to Sakura."

"Alright!" Kero jumped off of her hands and onto the book. "Okay Ritsuka, stand over there!"

"Okay..." she got off her bed and walked in front of Kero, as he performed the same ceremony he did when he made Sakura a Cardcaptor.

"Key to the seal, you have chosen this girl, Ritsuka! I command you to bestow her with the language of the staff. Release the power!"

Suddenly there was a burst of light and Ritsuka had to look away. "Grab the staff, Ritsuka!"

Walking toward it, she grabbed it, and it stretched to full length. Kero jumped in excitement, and said "I, Keroberos, name Ritsuka, Cardcaptor!"

It was dinner time. Ritsuka told Kero to stay in her room, she didn't want Maddie to find out about him. Maddie placed a plate of speghetti in front of her, and then took a seat. "So Ritsuka, how was your day?" she asked. "Anything exciting happen?"

She dropped her fork. "Huh?"

She flashed back the moment she released the Star Cards, met Kero, and became a Cardcaptor. "Uhhh....no, not really..." she replied nervously. "Hey, this spaghetti is really good!"

"Well I'm glad you like it!" she smiled with closed eyes. "Sorry I got home late tonight."

"Nah, it's fine, I kind of like having time to myself," she replied, twirling her fork around in the noodles. As she was about to take a bite, suddenly, she sensed something and gasped. "Hey Ritsuka, what's wrong?" asked Maddie.

'Something's off....I can sense it....' she thought to herself. 'Could it be one of those cards Kero was talking about? The ones I have to capture?'

Ritsuka sat up and took her plate, and started walking toward her room.

"Hey, Ritsuka, where are you going?"

"Umm...I wanna finish my spaghetti in my room, if you don't mind!" she smiled nervously, pretending everything was fine. Maddie blinked, finding that a little odd. "Okay, if you insist."

Closing the door behind her, Kero instantly flew toward her. "You brought me some leftovers"

Ritsuka handed over the plate. "Here."

"Oh wow, this looks delicious!" he then quickly devoured every bit of food and licked the plate clean.

"Kero..." she began, sitting on her bed.

He belched. "Yeah, what is it?"

"As a Cardcaptor, am I able to tell...when they're nearby?"

"You should be able too. Why, do you sense one right now?"

Ritsuka nodded. "And it's not far away...."

Kero concentrated. "Hey, you're right! It's right outside! Ritsuka, are you wearing the key necklace?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Okay, grab the cards that you have, and let's go capture that Star Card!"

"Right!" she nodded. She got off her bed and slid the cards in her pocket. She then grabbed her backpack and opened it. "Get inside."

"Oh no, not this again..."

"Huh?" she stared at him and blinked. "Kero, I need you to stay hidden, or else Maddie will see you."

"Alright, alright!" he flew inside and she zipped it up. Taking her jacket, she yelled "Hey Maddie, I'm gonna go out for a little bit. I'll be back before it's time for bed!"

"Okay Ritsuka, be safe!"

Gearing up with her roller-skates, she sped as fast as she could. Kero got out of her pack, and floated beside her. "It's coming closer...."

They both stopped. In the middle of the road, several people were lying on the ground. Ritsuka knelt beside one, and checked if they were still breathing. "They're just....sleeping...."

"Ah ha! The Sleep Card, of course!"

"The Sleep Card?" she looked at him.

"Yeah, the card that puts everyone to sleep!" he then shouted and pointed. "And there it is!"

Ritsuka turned her head and saw a little pixie, sprinkling some kind of fairy dust to put people to sleep. "Hurry, Ritsuka, seal it!"

"How am I suppose to do that?"

"Use the cards now!" Kero commanded. "Transform the key into the staff!"

"But I don't know how!"

"Just concentrate. The words will come..."

She stood up and took her necklace. "I can do this!"

Concentrating, she just let it flow through her, and taking out the necklace, she summoned the wand. "Key of the star, With powers burning bright, Reveal the staff, and shine your light! RELEASE!"

A gust of wind circled the key in the magical bubble, and it turned into the sealing wand, and Ritsuka grabbed it, twirled it around, and held it high above her head.

Reaching into her pocket, she analyzed the cards. 'Which ones should I use? I have no idea what I am doing!'

"Quick Ritsuka, it's getting away!"

"Here it goes..." she pulled out the Wood Card, and threw it in the air. "Wood Card, entangle the Sleep with your vines and branches. Wood! Release and dispel!"

The Wood appeared, a beautiful green lady, and she formed vines and branches and entrapped the Sleep Card! "Alright!" Kero cheered. "Now seal it!"

"Sleep Card, I command you to return to your powers confined, Sleep!" she slammed the wand down, and the Sleep spirit was pulled into the wand and turned back into a card. "I....I did it...I captured a Star Card!"

"Now you have to sign your name," Kero said.

She looked at him. "My name?"

"The cards can only be controlled under your command if you become it's owner. In order for it to be yours, you must sign your name, otherwise they can run loose again!"

"Wow, thanks for letting me know that!"

As Ritsuka laid in bed to sleep, Kero curled up on her desk, she couldn't stop thinking about the mystery of Sakura's disappearance. 'I don't know why, but for some reason, finding her feels very important to me. I wonder what she'd say if she knew I had released the cards again, I wonder if she'd get mad, but I am working on getting her back. Perhaps one of the cards hold the key of finding her....'

She turned to her side and looked at Kero, who was sound asleep. She smiled warmly. She then looked at the Sakura Book, with all the cards she has signed with her signature. "Don't worry, Sakura, I'll find out what happened to you...." she said in a quiet voice. "I promise to capture all of the cards so I can give them back to you..."

She then closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.