Chapter
Four:
She didn't feel well. Her body
was weak, limbs heavy. She couldn't keep her eyes open, she had to fight. Her
vision swam as she tried to focus, the ceiling doing a strange wavy hula dance.
She cocked her head at that, lips parted, eyelids hooded.
It was because of the cards,
because she had used her strength to heal them. She hadn't felt this exhausted
since…since…
Well, in a long time. Not since
she had turned the Clow Cards into Sakura Cards, she recalled dimly. So what
was going on now? She grimaced, head feeling heavy. She had been given some
type of medicine by Kero-chan when she had been brought home by Syaoran, a
strange, horrid tasting green liquid and it felt like he had woken her up every
few minutes to give her more although she was sure it had actually been every
few hours. It must have been. She could still remember him wrestling with the
plastic seal around the cap of the bottle.
"Sakura-chan…" Kero-chan said
sadly, floating down beside her head and touching down on the pillow.
She vaguely felt him pat her head tenderly and she
smiled faintly, feeling as if she dreamed. The world was going to start
spinning soon, she thought. "I'm fine, Kero-chan." She soothed him in a voice
not entirely focused. "Just tired…"
The Guardian of the Seal sighed
inwardly and then lifted off the bed, flying over to her discarded cell phone
lying on the desk. With small pads for hands he dialed Tomoyo's number, seating
himself with crossed legs as he waited.
"Moshi moshi."
"Daidouji Tomoyo, please." He
requested politely, holding the phone up to his ear.
The voice paused momentarily
before asking, "Kero-chan?" in a confused tone.
"Hai!" he nodded. "Tomoyo-chan,
can you invite the Snow Bunny over to Sakura's house? I need to speak with
him."
Tomoyo hesitated on the other
line. "Where's Sakura-chan?" she asked slowly. No doubt asking why he called on
her when Sakura could easily call on Yukito-san herself.
"There was an incident. Sakura's
sleeping-"
"Hi, Tomoyo-chan…" came Sakura's
muffled voice from the bed, sounding punch drunk. She shuffled on the bed,
burying her head in her pillow.
Kero-chan sweat dropped. "She's
in bed, she doesn't feel well-"
"No!" Tomoyo
fairly shrieked suddenly. "I'm coming over! I have to tape this!"
Kero blinked. "Eh?"
"I'll be over in a moment!" she
said before promptly hanging up on him.
Kero-cha sat there, still
blinking at how quickly the situation had gone down. "No more sweets for that
girl."
When Tomoyo arrived she had
Yukito in tow. The house was empty. Sakura's father had left the day before on
an excavation and Touya was out at his part-time job.
The doorbell echoed throughout
the house.
It didn't rouse the girl in the
slightest. She went right on snoring, blankets wrapped around her almost in a
knot.
Kero floated down the staircase,
flying through the hallways and coming to rest on the doorknob. He undid the
lock on the door and then bent precariously on the knob to turn it.
"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo cried,
flinging the door open frantically.
Kero crashed against the far
wall, the door slamming on top of him a moment later as the distraught girl
bounced into the front hallway. She looked both ways, long hair braided down
her back, dark-tinted shades on, camcorder in hand. "Sakura-chan!" she shouted
again before racing off for the staircase.
Kero screamed angrily, eye
twitching, and his form suddenly exploded in light, wings wrapping around him.
The door slammed shut again as Keroberos, Guardian of the Seal, pounced out
from behind it into the hallway, looking to see which way the Camcorder Witch
had gone.
The door slowly opened once more
and a grimacing Yukito came in, hand pressed to a bump he had on his forehead.
No doubt he had gotten it as a gift from the Door Faerie.
Keroberos roared at him
furiously, teeth bared.
Yukito stared at him, wide-eyed
and wordless, before promptly falling out cold. His body began to fall and in
another burst of light and feathers Yue appeared, rising to his full height.
"The least you could do is not
frighten me into my true form." He said, eyes hooded, arms crossed over his
chest. "You probably terrorized my false form. I wouldn't be surprised if he
was dead."
"One can only hope." Keroberos
growled before taking for the stairs in pursuit of Tomoyo.
Yue calmly closed the door
calling after him absentmindedly, "If you're going to kill her, catch it on
tape for me…"
"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo was
crying, arms wrapped around her friend's neck. "Daijobu? Wake up! Talk to me!"
Sakura's eyes were swirling,
tiny bubbles popping around her. "I'm fine, Tomoyo-chan," she slurred
cheerfully.
Keroberos entered the room,
looking for all he was worth like a prowling tiger. "Tomoyo-chan…" he said
politely, coming closer.
"She's awake, Kero-chan!" Tomoyo
cried, stars shining in her eyes. And then she blinked them away, looking
suddenly worried. "Kero-chan, are you all right? You look absolutely-"
She squeaked as he reached out
with a paw and dragged her into a tussle, small puffs of dust obscuring the
actual fight.
Sakura was left hanging upside
down off the side of the bed, hair brushing the floor. "Can you keep it down
please?" she asked the big dust ball of limbs politely, eyelids heavy with sleep.
"I'm tired…" she placed a finger to her lips as the battle raged on, "Ssh…"
Yue entered the room, arms still
crossed, white hair floating behind him. He spared the Card Mistress a bored
glance, expression never shifting in the least, even when she sent him a
drunken wave and smile.
"I was so worried, Sakura-chan!"
Tomoyo said with eyes nearly tearing, holding a wheezing Keroberos in a
chokehold. "When Kero-chan called and told me you weren't feeling well-"
"You came right over, we know."
Yue said as if another word out of the girl's mouth was just darn offensive.
Tomoyo looked at him, ignoring
Keroberos' choking noises and twitching tail. "Well, yes, that too, but I made
her these lovely pink pajamas that she can wear while she sleeps…" the stars were
coming into her eyes again.
Yue walked right back out.
Sakura giggled out of nowhere,
the laugh cutting off into a half snore-snort as she fell back asleep.
Syaoran rang Sakura's doorbell,
ready to make a break for it if Touya opened the door. He glanced around,
wondering if he were being videotaped for some odd reason.
It was Yue who opened the door
however, scaring him just the same. "Y…Yue-san!" he choked.
Yue looked down at himself and
with a twitch at the corner of his lips he slammed the door shut in Syaoran's
face.
Syaoran blinked, all thought
flying from his mind. "O…Oi!" he called out after a moment and he rang the
doorbell again.
The door opened once more and
this time Yukito answered, looking horribly confused and strangely battered. "Hi."
He said, still managing to muster a smile for him. And as Syaoran took a step
inside the boy turned to wander towards the kitchen, hand pressed to a bump on
his forehead. "I'm so hungry…"
In the hallway at the back
Syaoran caught a quick glance of Keroberos running for his life, a very excited
Tomoyo racing after him, all the while filming.
"Y…Yukito-san…" he began as he
entered the kitchen, still looking after Keroberos and Tomoyo. "And Sakura.?
Where is-"
He faced Yukito, only it was Yue
who leaned against the counter. He jumped in surprise. "Y…Y…"
"Get used to it." Yue said
shortly. And he motioned toward the ceiling. "The Card Mistress is sleeping
upstairs.
Syaoran nodded. "Still
sleeping…" he murmured. And he glanced at Yue once more. "Would you mind if I
went up to see her? Just to talk." He added on quickly.
Yue didn't waver. "Do I look
like Touya?" he asked monotonously.
Syaoran frowned in confusion.
"N…no." he answered, more in the form of a question.
Yue shrugged as if to say, 'Then?'
Syaoran sighed inwardly and left
the room, heading toward the staircase. "Get some therapy, schizo." He
grumbled as he started up the steps. The unexpected pounding of footsteps
behind him warned him to move and he flattened himself against the wall as Keroberos
suddenly took the steps in a single leap, Tomoyo chasing close behind.
"Li-kun! Konnichi wa!" she cried
cheerfully, poking the camera in his face for a moment before rushing on.
From above came a sleepy yet
indignant wail. "Let me sleep!"
"Sakura-chan!" came
Keroberos' plea for help.
Syaoran climbed the rest of the
way, peeking into Sakura's room in time to see her sleepily reach her hand
under her pillow and pull out her wand. She shrieked in pure anger, the pillow
absorbing most of the rage and without moving from her comfortable position she
pointed the wand. "Shot Card! Come forth!"
Keroberos and Tomoyo screeched
to a halt, Tomoyo spinning to face her and taping in disbelief.
A card on the dresser next to
Sakura's bed rose into the air. And from it emerged a glowing orb, hovering
above the card.
"Sic!" Sakura commanded.
Tomoyo squeaked, Keroberos
roaring, as the orb suddenly shot forth, a mere flash of light. Syaoran pulled
Tomoyo back, out of the way as the card ricocheted off the spot she had just been standing on.
Keroberos turned tail and ran,
growling "Why me?!" as the Card shot after him.
Syaoran entered the room
cautiously, looking at the furniture pushed aside, papers and stuffed animals
askew. Even the bed Sakura slept on had been shoved out of place.
"Bubbles…" Sakura was mumbling,
the wand forgotten on the floor once more after her weak hand had dropped it.
She held another card in her free hand, was gazing at it sleepily. As she
called its name again, "Bubbles…" the Card flickered and soapy orbs rose
from it, surrounding her. She giggled. More like gurgled, actually, before
falling out again.
Syaoran paused beside her bed
and slowly leaned over, plucking the Card from her fingers and frowning as it
continued to emit small bubbles before him. He stared at it momentarily and
then set it aside.
"Bubbles…" Sakura giggled in her
sleep.
Tomoyo was over his shoulder,
videotaping the event.
"Oh, don't you ever stop?!"
he demanded, shoving the camera aside.
Tomoyo blinked at him and then
lifted a finger, pointing at her nose. "Watashi wa?"
"Yes, you!" Syaoran nodded and
he exhaled impatiently, turning back to Sakura's sleeping form. "Sakura." He
said. When she didn't answer he sat down beside her head, brushing locks of her
hair aside. "Sakura." He called again and this time he nudged her gently.
"I am not a kaijuu!" she
suddenly cried and she batted at Syaoran, pressing her face into her pillow
once more.
Tomoyo giggled, stars shining in
her eyes, a bullhorn in her hand as she videotaped. "Kawaii…"
Syaoran keeled over, hitting the
floor roughly. A moment later he sat up, massaging a bump he had gotten from
colliding with the floor and he held an empty plastic bottle in his hand.
"What's this?" he asked, turning it around to read the front label.
"Ny…quil." Tomoyo read for him.
Syaoran looked from the bottle
to Sakura, and then back again.
"Oh, no…"