*BrocksBabe* (who is sharing him with PinkScyther! ;D I get him on weekends and some holidays, she gets him weekdays! Woo woo! Poor Brock, what will he do with TWO girls chasing him??)
Illusional Truths and Lies
- BrocksBabe (OurLifeCartoon@AOL.com)
Sakura sighed quietly to herself and laid down. Meilin had gone to Hong Kong, because of her Grandmother, but it wouldn't be long before she was back. Not that it mattered. Even though it would have made Sakura tremendously happy to see Meilin shipped off for good, she couldn't bring herself to be nasty to Meilin or to tell her to go. So she had been nice... she had invited the girl to her house!! She remembered Li telling her, the day after Meilin was gone, that perhaps they could get even more work done now. She knew Li regretted saying to Meilin that she was no use and got in the way though. She knew it, he knew it, and Meilin did too. But why did Meilin get to hear Li apologize to her? Why did Meilin get to hang all over Li? It wasn't fair. But what was the sense of even dwelling on it? She was a Card Captor, and there were still many cards left to be returned to the book. She just needed to stop worrying about Li and get on with her work. Kero would be happy, that was for sure!
Sakura closed her eyes and let herself drift off to sleep. The last though that ran through her mind was, "why did Li call me Avalon in class?... strange... very... I thought, I thought he had enough respect to call me Sakura..."
--
4 Days Later
"But what card is it Kero," shouted Sakura as she invoked the Fly card. She could sense the card, but the longer she stood there, the smaller the feeling got.
"I have no idea Sakura," replied Kero, "just go get it!"
She flew into the air, following the sense. What? What was Li doing below? He must have sensed the card too. She dropped down and landed.
"Li! What are you doing here?"
"I need to talk to you Sakura."
"Fine, but there's a Clow card around!"
"It can wait, this is more important."
She narrowed her eyes. That was very Un-Li-like. Oh well, maybe he had a bad day. She followed him into the shadows.
"What is it Li?"
"Well, Sakura..."
Just then Kero burst into the shadows.
"What are you doing? GET THAT CARD SAKURA," he shouted!
"Going going, sorry... FLY!"
She lifted off again and flew towards where she last sensed the card. But the feeling was gone.
--
Kero frowned in his sleep. What card was it? He always knew what card it was. This time it was different... this time...
--
The feeling was back! She grabbed the key and ran towards the towns gardens. Kero would follow in a minute with Madison, but for now she was on her own. She was flying over the gardens, trying to sense it again, when she saw Li! Standing in the same spot as he was last night! What was going on with him? Did he know something she didn't?
"Li!"
"Sakura, I need to talk to you," Li spoke like normal, and was, as always, unsmiling.
"But I sensed the Clow card again!"
"I know, its here, but I need to talk to you first. Before Kero comes again!"
"Well..."
Once more, she lowered herself and landed.
"OK, Li, what is it?"
"Come."
He led her into the shadows, and she could see the light reflecting in his eyes from the street lamps.
"OK? Please Li, hurry! Kero will kill me if I lose it again!"
"Yes. Listen. Sakura, there's something I want to tell you. Now that Meilin is gone, I can do this freely. Sakura, I love you."
She took a step back, a strange feeling growing in her stomach and her mind racing!
"But Li..."
"I know, its crazy, but its true! I have since I first met you, but... well, I only realized it now. Especially when the Ice card almost got you! What would I do without you stealing the cards from me and dressing up in bizarre costumes?"
She smiled, and kept thinking this had to be a joke.
"I love you too Li... but..."
"Shh. There's nothing more to say, does this make you happy?"
Li leaned towards her, and all she could do was stare into his eyes and...
"SAKURA! What????"
She and Li turned around to face... Li!
"Wha...?"
She was so confused!! Who was this guy who had just shown up and interrupted... interrupted what? But it was Li who interrupted... and... it was Li standing next to her! She backed away. What was going on? Then she realized. One of them was the Clow card! Kero flew down, and Madison came running up.
"What the...," Madison and Kero spoke at the same time.
"One of them is the Clow card," Sakura said slowly.
Just them the Li standing next to her whispered, "Follow me, but not the others. Please." and he turned and ran towards the playground. She knew where it, yes the Clow card, was going. "Please, stay here. I need to do this alone," she shouted as she ran towards the playground, and unknown to the 3 others, the giant penguin.
"Wait! Sakura! It could be the...," but Kero didn't finish in time for Sakura to hear.
--
"OK! I'm here!"
She shouted it, and waited. The Clow card would show itself. And it did, before her voice even stopped echoing in the deserted playground. And it was the prettiest card she had ever seen! Its skin was a strange silver color, but it didn't seem to have any substance. Its black hair was extremely long and flowing, and part of it was braided and placed in a design on the top of the cards head. Ivy leaves were sown through her hair, and hung off the shoulders and waist of the cards dress. A single Lotus blossom, much smaller than the real flower is, and sparkling like a diamond, hung on the cards forehead. The card had big emerald green eyes, and a long dress which was brilliantly white. The sleeves to the dress got bigger as they went down, and covered the cards hands. The card smiled sweetly at Sakura, and bowed.
"Hello Card Captor Sakura."
Sakura raised her wand, but what good was it when she didn't know what the card was?
"Please Sakura, listen to me."
"What? Clow cards cannot talk."
"I can. Here my story, then capture me. OK?"
"First tell me what card you are."
"Very well, I am the Illusional Truth card."
Sakura set her wand down, but kept herself tense and ready to capture it.
"How do you talk?"
"I wasn't always a Clow card... would you like to hear my story?"
"Yes."
"When I was a girl of about 17, I fell in love with a tall, and though cliché, dark, handsome man. He was Clow Reed. I got hurt though, seriously hurt, and there was nothing to stop my death. So, to make a long story short, Clow Reed turned me into a Clow card. But the most human card of them all. During my life I always preferred truth to the lies I saw all around me. When I became a Clow card, Clow Reed honored me by making me into a card that suited who I was. Much of me was lost when I almost died, but the feelings and memories are here," Illusional Truth pointed to her head and her heart, "and my sister is a card too. But she's nothing like me. She is the Illusional Lie card. She refused to let Clow Reed be at peace, after my death. She blamed him, and I am sure will always blame him! I was always very close to my sister. But we were such opposites!! She lied and cheated and acted like everyone I've ever known!! For a comparison, I was white and she was black! But we were close!! And she fought Clow Reed, though she knew she would lose. He was a kind man, and understood. She became a card too, destined always to be my opposite. She's around here somewhere you know... probably causing mischief with friends and family alike around your town. You'll find her, I'm sure. And I will go willingly. But understand, only I can be used to capture her. Because nothing else will work but her opposite. I can expose the lies she will spread to trap you, and only I can show her real form."
"But," Sakura stammered still trying to take it all in, "if you are a good card, then why did you trick me?"
"With the boy?"
"Yes."
"Did it make you happy?"
"Well, I guess so... yes."
"Then that was why. I wanted to give you something for being so diligent in capturing the cards. I've watched you. Your almost as good as Clow Reed!"
The Clow card smiled at Sakura, and Sakura felt herself smiling back.
"Thank you... but it hurts now."
"It shouldn't."
"Why? Wait... it was all a lie! You are the Illusional Lie card!"
The card laughed sweetly.
"No, Sakura, I am the Illusional Truth card. You shouldn't be hurt because I can now only speak the truth. And what I said, as the boy, was true. He will not admit it, even to himself right now, but is the truth in his heart. And what I told you now is true... the boy does love you, Sakura, and I can even more surely tell because he is Clow Reeds descendant and I can read his heart and his mind unlike another who is not related to Clow Reed. All the cards have more effect on the descendant."
"Oh... its true?"
"Yes. I could not lie even if I wanted to. And you love, don't you?"
"Well, ye-"
"SAKURA! ARE YOU OK????"
The card and Sakura turned. It was Kero, Madison, and Li!!
"Quick! Capture me now!"
"Illusional truth card, return to your power! CONFINE! Illusional truth!"
Sakura slammed the wand down, and the card swirled into a silver mist, and the small card appeared in Sakura's hand. She looked down at it, and read the bottom. 'The Illusional Truth.' The card smiles amiably at her from its frozen pose. One word echoed in the air.
"Remember."
Li ran up, ahead of Kero and Madison.
"Remember what Sakura? What did that card say? It spoke??"
Having caught up, Kero inquired of Sakura, "So what card was it?"
Sakura simply looked at Li and turned away, pressing the card to her heart.
---
"Sakura? Um..." Madison looked confused. Why wasn't Sakura answering. Madison was sure Li and Kero wondered but Li was silent as always simply watching Sakura and Kero was stuffing his face with cake.
"Oh, sorry Madison. What?"
"You never told us what card it was, you just walked away!"
"Oh. It was the Illusional Truth card. She had a most interesting story."
"Story? Did she speak?"
"Yeah, she did."
"Why do you think she dressed up as Li?"
"Mmm... *gulp* The card always appears as someone the Card Captor wants to see, and always tends to say the one thing that the Card Captor wants to hear," Kero said and turned back to eating.
"So what did she say Sakura," Madison asked excitedly.
"What Sakura wanted to hear. What did you want to hear Sakura," inquired Li.
Sakura didn't even look at him, which Madison thought was odd, but simply picked the card off the floor and stared at it, and at the person on the card.
"Kero, tell me about the Illusional Lie card."
"Not much to tell, Sakura. Its the opposite of Illusional Truth, and is extremely hard to capture... why?"
"Truth told me that this card is around. And I can sorta sense it, but not strong enough."
"Ooh!! I have got to work up an dress for this," squealed Madison pulling out some paper! "How about this one??? Looks cute huh? ... Sakura?"
"I gotta go. I gotta start dinner, and homework. Bye Madison, come on Kero... bye Li."
Sakura walked out the door with Kero getting in her bag, and headed home. Li and Madison watched her out the window.
"Well, I am going. Good-bye Madison."
"Wait a second Li."
"Yeah?"
"The card spoke to you too, but as Sakura."
"How did you know?"
"I had to leave my camera on a bench when we split up to look for Sakura. It filmed the card appearing to you."
"Yeah, so?"
"I wonder what it said to you...?"
Li looked at Madison, and out the window at the distant form of Sakura.
"The truth."
-------
Yeah, OK... so if that was any good, and you want another part tell me in the reviews. I'll write a part about the Illusional Lie card... he he... I could have some fun with that! Remember, no flames or nasty e-mails telling me to never write again! Thanks! (If you have good criticism like on my accuracy or that sort, its OK, but I don't want things like, "you suck!") Please review!