Author's note:
I should've mentioned this before, but [obviously] none of the characters mentioned are my original creation. Card Captor Sakura is © by CLAMP. However, I can legally claim the story plot and setting as my own.
Thank you for reading!
-5-
Syaoran just gaped at Eriol. He felt intensely stiff; he could not even blink.
Eriol merely stared back at Syaoran.
"I-I..." Syaoran finally managed to stutter, "I just can't... I mean it's not possible..."
"Descendant, she did not lose all of her power. You must understand that a card captor will forever be a card captor. However, although magic will grasp the spirit of its host for eternity, the strength of the magic can easily diminish when neglected or forgotten."
"But... but how could she have possibly forgotten?"
"Nothing is ever forgotten by will, descendant. I can surmise, though, that she maybe has more important things on her mind at present," Eriol replied, pointedly looking at Syaoran at the end of his statement.
"What? You mean... me?" Syaoran inquired, tentatively.
Eriol slowly nodded.
Syaoran was quiet for a while, seemingly in deep thought. Finally, he spoke. "What-what do you think I should do?"
"Well... do you want me advise you as a predecessor or as a friend?"
"I guess... both."
Eriol affixed his eyes directly on Syaoran's troubled face. "Do you want Sakura to be a card captor?"
Syaoran blinked. "What?"
"I asked whether you want Sakura to be a card captor or not."
"Of course I do."
"Are you sure? I mean the cards would have been yours."
Syaoran glared at Eriol. "Where are you going with this? You know very well that I would give up anything for Sakura, including the cards."
Eriol seemed to contemplate Syaoran's rejoinder. After a moment, he leaned back comfortably in his chair. "Well, Li Syaoran, I believe you have your solution."
Syaoran scowled. "What are you talking about? You question my love for Sakura, and then you tell me that I have an answer to Sakura's problem?"
"Descendant, you know what caused that incident this evening. You know why it happened. You know that you love Kinomoto Sakura. You also know what you have to do now."
Syaoran's face fell as the realization hit him. He was speechless for several minutes.
Eriol sighed. "It's only what I believe you should do. But you are the one who asked for my advice."
"I asked you because one half of you is the creator of this mess! I thought you would have a better answer than that!" Syaoran suddenly burst out.
Sipping his tea, Eriol remained quiet. It was evident that Syaoran was wholly absorbed in his own thoughts right now.
"Eriol," he began in a low, dispirited tone, "I really wish there was another way to help her... because what I'm about to do will hurt her as much as it helps her."
"Sakura, this is not funny!" Kero yelled.
"I'm not playing a joke, Kero!"
"Then explain why the book is EMPTY!"
"I can't because I don't know!"
Kero floated down onto Sakura's bed, directly in front of the book.
After a moment of silence, Sakura begged, "Kero, say something!"
Kero looked up. "Sakura, I think you know as well as I do that this is extremely serious."
"Yea, I know..."
"And it doesn't seem like anyone took them."
"How do you know?"
"Sakura, who do you possibly know that would take the Sakura cards? They're yours now. Everyone that knows about them accepts you as the official Card Mistress. Everyone that doesn't know about the card capturing... why would they care if they don't know?"
"I suppose you're right, Kero. But then where are they? Why did they suddenly disappear?"
"Well..."
"Kero, tell me what you know!" Sakura urged impatiently.
"There's no way to be sure... but I think the cards have "run away", for lack of a better phrase."
Sakura could not believe what Kero had just said. "You mean the cards just left without any warning? Why?"
Kero sighed. "Sakura, I think... I think it's because of you."
Sakura instantly became paralyzed. She was confused, yet she was not very surprised at all; it was as if her knowledge of this had merely been concealed in the depths of her mind. She could not move or speak. Kero's words continued to ring in her head. *I think it's because of you... it's because of you... it's because of you...*
"Why don't we ask Eriol. Maybe he knows what's going on," Kero suggested, breaking into Sakura's thoughts.
Sakura just turned her head towards the guardian, still unable to speak.
Kero flashed her an odd look. "Sakura?"
"Ye... uh, yes?" she finally managed to say.
"Are you going to sit on your bed looking stupid all night, or are we going to go to Eriol's place to discuss this?"
Sakura let out a loud wail, startling Kero. Pushing the book, as well as Kero, to the side, Sakura jumped under her covers. "I need to sleep on it, Kero!"
"You need to talk with Eriol, Sakura!"
"Tomorrow!" Sakura yelled, though it was muffled by her blanket.
Kero shook his head. He could not believe that this was the girl who had once fought bravely as the Card Mistress.
I should've mentioned this before, but [obviously] none of the characters mentioned are my original creation. Card Captor Sakura is © by CLAMP. However, I can legally claim the story plot and setting as my own.
Thank you for reading!
-5-
Syaoran just gaped at Eriol. He felt intensely stiff; he could not even blink.
Eriol merely stared back at Syaoran.
"I-I..." Syaoran finally managed to stutter, "I just can't... I mean it's not possible..."
"Descendant, she did not lose all of her power. You must understand that a card captor will forever be a card captor. However, although magic will grasp the spirit of its host for eternity, the strength of the magic can easily diminish when neglected or forgotten."
"But... but how could she have possibly forgotten?"
"Nothing is ever forgotten by will, descendant. I can surmise, though, that she maybe has more important things on her mind at present," Eriol replied, pointedly looking at Syaoran at the end of his statement.
"What? You mean... me?" Syaoran inquired, tentatively.
Eriol slowly nodded.
Syaoran was quiet for a while, seemingly in deep thought. Finally, he spoke. "What-what do you think I should do?"
"Well... do you want me advise you as a predecessor or as a friend?"
"I guess... both."
Eriol affixed his eyes directly on Syaoran's troubled face. "Do you want Sakura to be a card captor?"
Syaoran blinked. "What?"
"I asked whether you want Sakura to be a card captor or not."
"Of course I do."
"Are you sure? I mean the cards would have been yours."
Syaoran glared at Eriol. "Where are you going with this? You know very well that I would give up anything for Sakura, including the cards."
Eriol seemed to contemplate Syaoran's rejoinder. After a moment, he leaned back comfortably in his chair. "Well, Li Syaoran, I believe you have your solution."
Syaoran scowled. "What are you talking about? You question my love for Sakura, and then you tell me that I have an answer to Sakura's problem?"
"Descendant, you know what caused that incident this evening. You know why it happened. You know that you love Kinomoto Sakura. You also know what you have to do now."
Syaoran's face fell as the realization hit him. He was speechless for several minutes.
Eriol sighed. "It's only what I believe you should do. But you are the one who asked for my advice."
"I asked you because one half of you is the creator of this mess! I thought you would have a better answer than that!" Syaoran suddenly burst out.
Sipping his tea, Eriol remained quiet. It was evident that Syaoran was wholly absorbed in his own thoughts right now.
"Eriol," he began in a low, dispirited tone, "I really wish there was another way to help her... because what I'm about to do will hurt her as much as it helps her."
"Sakura, this is not funny!" Kero yelled.
"I'm not playing a joke, Kero!"
"Then explain why the book is EMPTY!"
"I can't because I don't know!"
Kero floated down onto Sakura's bed, directly in front of the book.
After a moment of silence, Sakura begged, "Kero, say something!"
Kero looked up. "Sakura, I think you know as well as I do that this is extremely serious."
"Yea, I know..."
"And it doesn't seem like anyone took them."
"How do you know?"
"Sakura, who do you possibly know that would take the Sakura cards? They're yours now. Everyone that knows about them accepts you as the official Card Mistress. Everyone that doesn't know about the card capturing... why would they care if they don't know?"
"I suppose you're right, Kero. But then where are they? Why did they suddenly disappear?"
"Well..."
"Kero, tell me what you know!" Sakura urged impatiently.
"There's no way to be sure... but I think the cards have "run away", for lack of a better phrase."
Sakura could not believe what Kero had just said. "You mean the cards just left without any warning? Why?"
Kero sighed. "Sakura, I think... I think it's because of you."
Sakura instantly became paralyzed. She was confused, yet she was not very surprised at all; it was as if her knowledge of this had merely been concealed in the depths of her mind. She could not move or speak. Kero's words continued to ring in her head. *I think it's because of you... it's because of you... it's because of you...*
"Why don't we ask Eriol. Maybe he knows what's going on," Kero suggested, breaking into Sakura's thoughts.
Sakura just turned her head towards the guardian, still unable to speak.
Kero flashed her an odd look. "Sakura?"
"Ye... uh, yes?" she finally managed to say.
"Are you going to sit on your bed looking stupid all night, or are we going to go to Eriol's place to discuss this?"
Sakura let out a loud wail, startling Kero. Pushing the book, as well as Kero, to the side, Sakura jumped under her covers. "I need to sleep on it, Kero!"
"You need to talk with Eriol, Sakura!"
"Tomorrow!" Sakura yelled, though it was muffled by her blanket.
Kero shook his head. He could not believe that this was the girl who had once fought bravely as the Card Mistress.