Card Captor Sakura - Altered World
Notes: This fanfic will be S+S, and will deal with more mature concepts later on (not sure how bad, might change rating later). Read at your own risk. I'm poor; don't sue. I don't own CCS at all.
(Grammar revised May 31, 2006)
Chapter 2: Sakura's Wonderful Friend
Beep. Beep. Beep. What would be so noisy this early in the morning…
"Sakura! Sakura!" called a voice frantically in an Osaka dialect.
Beep. Beep. Beep. The sound, oh how painful it was…
Sakura's arm reached out from under her covers and groped wildly for her alarm clock. Finally making contact, she grabbed it and flicked off the alarm. She stuffed her arm back happily into the covers and pulled them snugly over her. She happily burrowed into her bed for some more sleep in her drowsy state.
"Now Sakura, who is the one who set the alarm for seven o'clock? Don't you have to get up early?" A voice?
"Osaka dialect? No one in the house knows how speak it. Isn't Otou-san on an excavation trip and Onii-chan living in campus?" muttered Sakura as she sat up blearily in confusion. "Must have left the TV on last night…"
She rubbed her eyes and noticed screen of her television was still a lifeless grey. A yellow blur floated impatiently in front o f her.
"A stuffed doll?" she said after blinking for her vision to clear.
"You're still half-asleep! I'm Cerberus remember, Card Captor?" said the creature, gesticulating with its arms nonsensically.
"Huh? Oh right!" Sleep buried events of the last night suddenly reached the forefront of her mind. Skating with insane speed to catch a wild magical creature. Opening the Clow Book not knowing of its consequences. A flying and talking teddy bear-like puppet manipulating her into her current position. "The guardian of the Clow Cards! "
The covers flew off her violently as she shuffled out of her bed, staring at Cerberus. The guardian's beady eyes stared back at her.
Shouting hysterically, she wailed, "You don't understand, I can't be a Card Captor! Despite what you may think, I'm not capable of this!"
"Oh! What a modest person you are! Weren't you able to return Fly here?" said Cerberus proudly summoning the card, and presenting it to Sakura.
"It was horrible and you tricked me into this!" The newly found Card Captor protested, clenching her fists in agner. There was a short dramatic pause. "Wait, what time is it?"
"It's five past the hour," replied the doll nonchalantly.
"Ah! I haven't made breakfast and lunch, and I have clean-up duty this morning!" she cried, desperately shoving her closet door open in search for her school uniform. After nearly mauling Cerberus in her frantic rush, she slammed the door.
Cerberus smiled smugly. End of discussion.
From then on, there were only the sounds of feet pattering, pots and pans crashing within the house. Oh, and the occasionally yelp of 'Hoe'.
"Tomoyo! Tomoyo-chan!" called Sakura as she slowed her rollerblades, approaching her friend of many years.
"Ah, Sakura-chan!"
A smile was instantaneously lit on her friend's face. Daidouji Tomoyo, rich daughter and only child of the president of Daidouji Industries, makers of toys across Japan. Elegant was the only word to accurately describe Tomoyo; unfaltering polite words left her lips. She bore long, graceful hands, pale alabaster skin, and sweeping dark grey hair. When her voice sung, it could warm the coldest nights. Most importantly, she possessed a kindness most could not compare with.
"Ah, no videotaping in the morning, please!" said Sakura shyly, blocking her face from the camera with a hand.
And with a quirk no one but Tomoyo herself could quite understand.
Without even a blink of an eye, the latest digital camcorder had appeared in her hand. Sakura wondered if Tomoyo possessed magic herself, the way her camcorder could appear in her hand without a moments notice to record every single embarrassing moment of Sakura's life. (Tomoyo would argue that they weren't embarrassing, only those moments were endearing and cute.)
"But my dearest Sakura-chan is so cheerful and cute in the morning! Please let me!" begged Tomoyo, pleading with ever hopeful eyes.
"Uh. Ah, okay," said reluctantly Sakura, knowing she wouldn't be able to refuse.
"Sakura-chan is very kind!" chirped Tomoyo, joyfully redirecting her lenses at her yet again.
"Hoe," said Sakura as her face tinged slightly red at the attention.
After changing into their school shoes, they walked slowly through the corridors of Seijou High School together, Sakura wondered at the surprise meeting with her dearest friend. "Tomoyo-chan, what are you doing so early in the morning anyway?"
"I have to assist my darling Sakura-chan for clean-up duty," said Tomoyo mischievously with an unnerving glint appearing in her eyes. "Besides I want to show you something I caught yesterday at night."
Sakura screamed her trademark sign of distress. "H-HOE!"
"Why are you be so loud, Sakura?" complained a fuzzy yellow thing, clutching his ears in aggravation as he popped out of her book bag.
Silence claimed the hall.
Sakura and Tomoyo stared at Cerberus wordlessly before Sakura quickly shoved the protesting guardian into her bag, and made way to the nearest empty classroom.
By the way that Tomoyo was staring at her, there was a lot of explaining to be done….
In an otherwise silent classroom, on Tomoyo's camcorder replayed Sakura flying on a staff, wearing only her jammies as Cerberus soared beside her.
Tomoyo started spinning in glee. "My Sakura-chan is a mahou shoujo! I can see it now! Glorious Sakura-chan protecting the world from evil, fighting off Clow Cards with her brilliance and I will be there to tape every wonderful moment of it!" cried Tomoyo with her hands clasped to her chest and star-struck eyes.
"T-tomoyo, keep it down will you?" pleaded an incredibly embarrassed Sakura, waving her right hand up and down meekly.
Ah, but it was too late. There was no stopping Daidouji Tomoyo in this state.
Soon Magical Girl Card Captor Sakura would be screened on Tomoyo's widescreen television in her mansion, in every imaginable costume that Tomoyo could dream of with complete with background music in THX sound.
Two high school students and a doll sat in a secluded corner of Seijou High at lunch. A wall covered one side, and many trees concealed their activities. Cerberus had finished explaining the phenomenon of Clow Cards and Sakura's duties as a Card Captor to Tomoyo, who was utterly captivated by the idea.
Tomoyo tilted her head towards Cerberus, half-hidden in Sakura's schoolbag.
"You know, you don't seem to match your name very well," mused Tomoyo thoughtfully as she examined the guardian.
"Yeah, he's more like a Kero," blurted Sakura carelessly.
"Don't call me a frog!" shouted Cerberus indignantly. "I am Cerberus, Beast of the Seal, guardian of the Clow Cards," said Cerberus with his small stubby hands on his equally thick hips, demanding respect and... failing with his overly comical exterior.
"Anyway, Sakura-chan, can I see your magic?" inquired Tomoyo with harmless curiosity.
"But..." trailed Sakura uncertainly while glancing at Cerberus.
"It's alright Sakura. Just do it quickly. No one will see," said the flying object, waving away her concern.
Sakura sighed in defeat and quickly transformed her wand, causing the key to elongate.
"Oh, you are amazing!" said Tomoyo while she clapped in delight. "You can use magic with this wand right?"
"Not without the cards," replied Sakura with a sigh.
"Do you have a signature pose? Mahou shoujos must have signature poses and spells!" cried Tomoyo, gesturing with her hands excitedly.
Sakura prevented an unhappy groan from escaping at her best friend's enthusiasm.
Oh, what a day…
The next morning soon found Sakura, and despite her misgivings about her newfound situation, so far it was rather harmless.
"Good morning, Chiharu-chan, Rika-chan, Naoko-chan.," greeted Sakura as she slid the door open her classroom and paused, stunned at the sight.
The classroom was in a complete mess; papers were strewn across the floors and desks. The desks were all piled in the middle of the room at various angles. It would take nearly all day to clean up. And it was her day for cleanup duty too…
Nevermind about the harmlessness…
Night soon fell over the city, and Cerberus found it was perfect time for the second appearance of Card Captor Sakura. The shadows cloaked the school building, causing the scenery to be shaded in various tones of grey to black. The area wasn't lighted very well, and the school was completely quiet. There was not one sound to be heard other than the voices of two girls and one magical creature.
"Are you sure this the work of a Clow Card, Kero-chan?" asked Sakura, unhappy that she had to sneak out of her house so late at night.
"Positive. I can sense the aura of it," said Cerberus with self-assured confidence.
Sakura glanced sideways at the other intruder on the school grounds. "Tomoyo-chan, you know that you really shouldn't be here." Sakura swept a hand over her torso, gesturing at her handmade frilly outfit. The skirt was uncomfortably short and overly embarrassing, not that she had the heart to tell Tomoyo that after all the effort Tomoyo had put into them. "And do I really have to wear this costume?"
"I'll be okay," assured Tomoyo, hefting her camera. With an awed gaze, Tomoyo stared pleadingly into Sakura's eyes. "I wanted Sakura-chan to wear my costumes for so long! Please?"
"Ah, okay," said Sakura raising her right hand sheepishly behind her head. She murmured in a quieter voice to herself, "I'm so embarrassed. I hope no one will catch us."
Cerberus waved to get her attention. "Sakura, the aura seems concentrated in the centre of this opening. That statue, I think," said Cerberus, pointing a finger towards Sakura's school.
The group crept cautiously towards the school, black figures lined by the moonlight. Out of nowhere, the statue raised itself off the platform and flew straight at them. They dove to the side to dodge it, and the statue collided the ground and toppling sideways, marking the ground with a visible indent. The statue rose and seemed to hover for a few moments before it speed towards Sakura ruthlessly. Sakura leapt to the side, falling on the ground and barely missing the impact. She blinked, was something lifting the shadow of the statue?
"Sakura! It's the card Shadow!" warned Cerberus.
"Kero-chan, take care of Tomoyo!" She called before she began chanting. "O Key which hides the forces of darkness, reveal thy true form before me. I, Sakura, command thee under contract. Release!"
There was a giggle of delight. "Kawaii! I got Sakura's magical girl pose!"
Sakura fell onto the ground with a thump upon Tomoyo's remark. She'd never live this down… Sakura lifted herself and held the staff in front of her defiantly. She threw the card Windy into the air. The shadows on the ground before began to expand, growing longer despite there was no light to affect them. The shadows gathered, wanting to swallow her in darkness.
"O wind, become a chain of admonition! Windy!"
Windy formed out the card and speed towards the card. Tendrils of wind attempted to entrap Shadow and failed but successful blocked the shadow's further attempts.
Cerberus cried out. "No good, use fly and run Sakura!"
"Fly!" The staff transformed and wings appeared at the end.
Sakura jumped upon the winged staff, and elevated. Shadows rose along with her and shot up to capture her.
"This is bad, it seems that Shadow has gathered the shadows of the students to use at its own disposal. There is no way that Sakura can fight against so many enemies at her level. Shadow's weakness is light, but it's night and..."
Tomoyo said with determination, "Leave it to me."
"Wait, what are you doing Tomoyo?" yelled out Cerberus as Tomoyo ran into the school.
Sakura was doing badly and she knew it. Even as she flew higher, strands of shadows would rise upwards, along with her. She had barely dodged the last one by a few centimetres, for the shadows to only dart after her again.
From within the school shadows picked up desks and threw them around her, making her unable to change her direction. Before she knew it, she was cornered.
Five strands surrounded her sides and she knew she wouldn't be able to dodge. She was going to be swallowed whole into the darkness. For a single moment, fear enveloped her.
Click. Click. Click. Sakura shielded her face, as her eyes were overwhelmed by artificially made light.
"Sakura-chan, I turned on all the floodlights," said Tomoyo's voice from a window.
Cerberus shouted, "Sakura, the card is in its true form! Seal it now!"
Sakura swooped down towards the black hooded figure. The shadow shot tendrils of itself in attempts to divert her but Sakura successfully dodged from side to side and landed. She raised her staff...
"Return to thy true form. Clow Card!"
Shadow reverted into a card and flew into Sakura's free hand.
Syaoran stuffed his ofuda back into his belt. It was a good thing that she was able to catch the card without his interference. A thunderstorm would drain quite a lot of his energy not to mention officials wouldn't be happy with the damage he would have caused. With the sweep of his hand, his sword disappeared from sight. He watched the cheering girl in contempt. She was so weak that she needed help from people without the power. She was unfit to be the Card Captor. Not to mention, what was with the outfit and the camera? Did she think the business with the Clow Cards a game? How dangerous and thoughtless! The danger the Clow Cards could wreak was a legend in his family.
He briefly contemplated on letting her have a little accident with the Clow Cards so he could become the new Card Captor. No, despite his dedication to his task, he couldn't let a girl die so he could complete it. He would have to watch over her though. She was too careless. He winced, to watch over her fulltime meant that he would have to go to school in Japan...
"Ohayo Tomoyo-chan!" said Sakura as she entered the AV room, "I have something for you to thank you for last night... ERK! You videotaped me running away!"
On the TV screen, Sakura was tripping comically away from the mass of shadows.
Sakura dropped to the ground and felt herself start to perspire from sheer exasperation.
"Of course! I can't let any precious moments of Sakura-chan escape my camera! I'll do your costume for next time and I'll add more frills and maybe a few ribbons..."
Glossary:
Otou-san: feminine way of saying Father
Onii-chan: Informal feminine way of saying brother.
-chan: Denotes affection, common between children and girls when older.
Mahou: Magic/Magical
Shoujo: Girl
Kero: Japanese for the sound of a frog croaking.
Ofuda: Warding paper that Syaoran uses for magic.
Seijou High: High school that Touya and Yukito attended.
March 17, 2001, Kinomoto Sakura of Ffnet