Key:
------------------:scene change
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*: point of view change(not a lot, the story is mostly third person)
AN: Authors note
Girl of Their Dreams
By: Kelly M.
Chapter 1- The Challenge
Tomoyo ran after her friend, her long, dark hair streaming behind her. School had just let out. Sakura rushed out of the class without talking to her and she was worried, "Sakura, wait up," she said. Sakura stopped at her locker. Noticing the look on her friend's face Tomoyo added, "What's wrong?"
"Wrong . . . ? ," Sakura replied distractedly, "oh nothing . . . I just think I have a Clow Card to battle tonight, that's all."
"Great, I just got a new digital video camera and I'm dying to try it out. What Clow Card do you think it is?"
"I have no idea. Apparently its challenging rollerbladers, though."
"Weird, but no worry. You're a spectacular skater Sakura. You should have no problem."
"Yeah, well . . . ," she trailed off, definitely not as confident of her skills as her friend.
"You'll do great. I have the perfect costume it's . . ."
"Oh . . . , that's great Tomoyo. Where's Syaoran?" asked Sakura absent-mindedly, glancing at the empty locker beside her.
"He stayed after class to talk to Terada-sensei about something."
"Really? I think I'll go find him and ask him about the card."
"Okay, do you want me to go too?"
"Sure, I'm sorry if it seems like I'm in a weird mood, this Clow Card is really worrying me."
"No problem."
The two girls made their way through a sea of rushing students back to their classroom, but hearing that Syaoran was still talking, they stayed outside. Parts of the conversation drifted toward them.
"I won't be here tomorrow because I've gotta pack and then later that night I'm going back to Hong Kong, so this was my last day."
"Really? That's too bad Syaoran. You were a good student."
"Thanks, I gotta go now. Bye Terada-sensei."
"Bye." (AN - wow what a detailed conversation. SORRY!)
Sakura's jaw dropped and a fury built up inside her. Syaoran opened the classroom door before Sakura and Tomoyo had time to back away, and he was just as shocked as they were. "What are you two doing here?", he asked slightly harsher than intended.
Sakura ignored the question. "You're LEAVING? You weren't even going to say goodbye! Why didn't you tell us? You were just not going to show up and let Terada tell us weren't you? I knew you were kind of mean Li-kun, but I never knew you were CRUEL!"
"I . . . I . . .," he spluttered.
"That's exactly what you are," she said, tears welling up in her eyes which she couldn't fight, "cruel!"
She took off running down the hall, Tomoyo close behind. Syaoran thought of pursuing her but decided against it. 'It's better if she hates me when I leave, I won't hurt her that way.' he thought. He hated to see her cry, hated to cause her any pain at all. But on the other hand, it's not like he really had a choice, it's her problem she feels that way, that she got so attached. That's not how you really feel, a voice told him from inside, you're just hiding your feelings again, like you always do. That voice was right, but he had to go, there wasn't a place for him in Tomoedo. But deep inside he wondered if there really was a place for him in Hong Kong either.
He shook his head and tried to clear his swirling thoughts. There's still a house to pack, he concluded, and a Clow card to catch.
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Sakura skated as fast as she could down the streets of her neighborhood, as though she could escape all her conflicting thoughts if she just got up a good speed. It was no use. Tears spilled unrelentingly down her cheeks and she made no attempt to stop them. She looked down at her watch through clouded emerald eyes. It was four o'clock, an hour had passed since she had received the news of Syaoran leaving. She never thought him leaving would affect her this way, she always felt he'd be there to help her, to guide her, to protect her. And now he was leaving, going back to Hong Kong and leaving a gap in her heart. She'd just begun to see him as a friend, someone she could trust, maybe more, but now she'd never know.
"Stupid . . . stupid . . . stupid," she scolded herself, "he never saw me as anything more than a pest, someone who got in his way when he was capturing the Clow cards, he doesn't care he's hurting me because he's leaving, it's all business to him." A fresh batch of tears welled up in her eyes and she slackened her pace as she headed home. "I don't want to worry 'Nii-chan and Otou-san by being too late," she plastered a smile on her face, "plus I've got a card to capture."
--------------
Touya glanced out of the Kinomoto's front window for the tenth time in about three minutes. It wasn't like being late was a rare thing for his sister but he was still worried. His deep blue eyes stared onto the empty street thoughtfully. He hated to admit it, but as much as he teased his little sister, he loved and worried about her . . . a lot. He guessed he'd always be protective of his sister. After all, he was the one she turned to after their mother died. Touya's thoughts shifted to his mother. It was seven years ago but he could still see her, feel her, he still loved her and the dull ache in his heart hadn't left since she had. He glanced at the pictures scattered around their den. Green eyes similar to Sakura's stared back at him caringly, pictures were all he had left of his mom. He looked back at the eyes, he saw his mother so much in Sakura, he needed her as much and she needed him in regards to their mother, and even if no words were ever spoken there was a bond between Touya and Sakura which could never be broken.
He sighed and looked at his watch, there was no use sitting here brooding over memories, especially since he hadn't even started his three page biology report that was due next Monday. A flash of navy and red passed in front of the window and started to take off her skates on their front porch. He secretly wondered if Sakura was going to challenge that rollerblader tonight. She was certainly good enough, another thing he would never admit. He folded up the math book on his lap and headed toward the front door to let his sister in. Cheerful green eyes smiled at him from behind the picture frames and Touya couldn't help smiling back.
The eyes that met him at the front door, however, were far from cheerful.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sakura smiled weakly at Touya from behind red-rimmed, emerald orbs, trying to hide that anything was wrong. A look of concern crossed her brother's face, darkening his eyes, she hated to worry him. She asked him casually how his day had been trying to stick to a safe subject so as not to give way to the constant, ever-present threat of tears.
Touya, sensing the cautiousness of the conversation, babbled away as though nothing was wrong. He wasn't going to push Sakura to tell him what was wrong until she wanted to. A strange thought nagged at Touya from the back of his mind. He'd seen that look on her face before but couldn't quite place where. All of a sudden, realization dawned on him. She'd looked that way the time that annoying Li brat had picked on her. Fire flashed across the usually cool marine eyes as he remembered that day, he knew that kid was no good the first time he set eyes on him, but Sakura insisted on treating him as a friend. And now he had hurt his sister. Fury bubbled up inside Touya and he stopped talking, lost in his thoughts about Syaoran.
"Nani?" , Sakura asked cautiously, "You look so serious, what are you thinking about?"
"Oh nothing," Touya faltered, "Dad called, he said he had to work late tonight so it's just you and me. Plus Yukito's coming over." Touya was hit with a sudden inspiration that would cheer Sakura up. "We're thinking of going over to the park to watch that rollerblader, do you want to come? You should really challenge her, I bet you could out skate her."
"Really?" It meant a lot coming from Touya, considering he rarely if ever paid her any compliments. Maybe she wasn't doing as good a job as she thought she was covering up her disappointment because of Syaoran's leaving. She instantly made an effort to look more genki, though she still felt awful inside.
A smile crossed Touya's face. Sakura was looking more cheerful already. A knock at the door announced Yukito's arrival and the two siblings went to greet him.
--------------
"Ugh . . . " Syaoran pulled a piece of packaging tape off his sock and scanned the chaos that used to be his room. The dark green walls were bare and clothes he never even knew he had were scattered on his bed, waiting to be packed into boxes. "I've only lived here for three months
. . .how could I have possibly gotten this much stuff?"
He sighed . . . he had only lived here for three months, so why did Tomoedo feel more like his home than Hong Kong ever had? He started packing the pictures from his dresser into a small box, ignoring the clothes. Meilin would probably be over tomorrow to help him pack anyway, but she was going somewhere tonight. She had told him where, but he wasn't really paying attention. He had a tendency to tune her out occasionally, especially since she had told him right when Sakura had waved goodbye to him the day before. How could he be expected to care what Meilin was doing when Sakura smiled like that? He blushed in spite of himself. The sweet smile stared up at him from behind the glass frame. It was a picture of this year's athletics day, the one he and Sakura had tied for in the 100m dash. Her face was flushed and full of pride, she looked so happy. In fact, so did he.
This was the first picture Syaoran had seen of himself in which he didn't have a reserved, guarded look in his eyes. He hadn't realized how much he had changed until that point. It didn't really matter now, he was going back to Hong Kong, where he was both revered and feared for just being a Li. He was placed on a pedestal, everyone knew he was going to become the new leader of the Li clan when he came of age. They knew he had immense magical potential, which is why they started to train him so young. They knew he would be strong where his father had been weak. His father had died because of his weaknesses, and though Syaoran was loyal to the clan, he hated them for killing him. If his father was still alive, maybe he could've lived the life of a normal 10 years old. Maybe . . . but not likely. The elders of the clan could tell from the moment he was born that he held a power like no other Li had, except one, but even she couldn't help him, he was doomed to his fate. He sighed again and placed the picture gently in the box.
The look on Sakura's face was so different from the one she'd given him today, today's was full of hurt and confusion, betrayal even. He would have given anything to keep her from crying. Without warning, Syaoran felt a jolt of electricity . . . no magic . . . surge through his body. He sensed an incredibly powerful magical force, " The Clow card must be getting stronger," he thought. In the green walls he saw a pair of sweet eyes stare at him, "I wonder if Sakura will be there." He gave up packing, realizing it was futile at the moment, grabbed his sword and lasin board, and headed out the door, calling to Wei he'd be back in about two hours. He told him he was going for a walk, which was not exactly a lie. He was going to walk and clear his thoughts for a while in the crisp autumn air before going to capture the card. He deserved that much, it was his last night in Japan. Tomorrow night he'd be on a plane to Hong Kong. His chestnut hair blew into his eyes as he headed up the empty street.
--------------
When the Sakura arrived at the park, it was already packed with spectators. The crowd buzzed with anticipation and excitement, everyone waiting for a glance of the girl and those who would challenge her. Skaters from around the city were warming up, performing tricks of various degrees of difficulty, preparing for the challenge. Tension was high.
Sakura tightened her wrist guards and went to go join them, leaving her brother, Yukito, and Tomoyo in the crowd cheering her on. She had been skating for about three minutes when something strange happened. As though someone had hit the mute button on a T.V., the crowd became instantly silent. All that could be heard was the soft swosh of roller blades on concrete. A girl of about 17 was entering the park. She skated like Sakura had never seen, flawlessly, gracefully, without restrictions. She made it seem as though the skates were just extensions of her feet, like she was flying without leaving the ground. Dark sunglasses covered her eyes and her purplish-black hair was pulled back into a loose bun, held in place with two chopsticks inserted in the middle. She wore a Chinese robe of black silk that trailed behind her like liquid ebony as she skated. She was surreal, every ounce of her oozed power, spirit, fire, magic. Her movements commanded respect and admiration, it was clear she had no doubt no one could skate better than she could, she looked almost amused at those who thought they could beat her.
She entered the well paved part of the skate park and set down her bag. She glanced at the crowd disdainfully when no one stepped forward. If it were possible, the crowd became even more silent. After what seemed like an eternity, a boy of 19 stepped forward and said he'd like to see what she could do.
The corners of her rose-colored lips turned up, "You first," she said barely above a whisper.
The boy was good, no doubt about it. His grinds were solid and well balanced, and the 360 he did was flawless, after about 30 seconds of skating, he stopped and grinned at the girl. The crowd applauded him politely, but most were more interested in what the girl was going to do. She grinned back. She started to skate, her motions were fluid, graceful, her strong legs easily propelled her and she seemed at ease. For every grind the boy had done she did one twice as difficult, using combinations along with them. She sped around the concrete, becoming a blur of black on black, and prepared for a jump. Her takeoff was smooth, and as she hung in the air it really seemed as though she was flying. It was a perfect 720, something that was very difficult to do. She landed and grinned again at the boy, bowing politely. The crowd burst into thunderous applause, it was easy to see she was a magnificent skater. "Anyone else?" she challenged quietly again.
All the skaters who were practicing when Sakura had arrived had lost their courage, and the mysterious girl sighed. What was the point of being good if no one was better? Sakura knew she would probably have to challenge the clow card to capture it, so she mustered her courage and said, "I will."
The girl smiled encouragingly and stepped onto the grass, leaving the entire surface for Sakura to skate on. From behind the sunglasses Sakura could distinctly feel eyes boring into her, summing her up. Though she was overcome with nervousness, Sakura skated fantastically, perhaps better than she ever had before. To top it off, she finished her routine with a 720, something she had never done successfully until that time. The crowd cheered loudly and Sakura could hear her friends voices over them. She could hear Yukito, and she blushed slightly at the thought of him. A faint smile flickered across the girls face, and she clapped along with the rest of the crowd. Bowing to Sakura slightly, she launched into another round of skating, this time more exceptional than the last. A determined look replaced the easy smile this time but it was clear Sakura was no match for her skills. When she finished the crowd roared once more with praise and admiration. Though she challenged again, no one took her up and the park started to clear.
Touya, Yukito, and Tomoyo met up with Sakura on the edge of the cement, full of congratulations for her excellent skating. It didn't matter that she wasn't better than the girl, they were proud of Sakura just because she tried.
"Do you want to come over to my house tonight? We can celebrate that great 720." Tomoyo asked. Realizing Touya and Yukito weren't really listening she adding in a whisper, "After you capture the card of course."
"Right, sounds great." Sakura replied, "Can I go Touya?"
"Sure, if it'll keep you from bothering me, I'm all for it."
Sakura shot him a dirty look but kept quiet. She noticed the girl crossing the lawn to where they were talking. She looked so different. The bun was released and long curly purplish-black hair trailed down her back. The face was soft and friendly and the delicate mouth curved up into a pleasant smile. Her eyes were large and expressive, a brilliant amber-brown in colour. She was beautiful. In fact, except for the colour of the eyes, she looked the same as their mother. Exactly. It was as though someone had painted of portrait of Nadeshiko and ran out of green for the eyes. Touya and Sakura stared in open-mouth shock as she moved closer. Though slightly taken aback by the group's silence, the girl advanced until she was standing beside Sakura.
"You were really good. That backwards grind was great, I'd love you to teach me how you did it. Is there anyway we could talk or something?" The girl chatted enthusiastically. She looked meaningfully at the two boys, as though she wanted to talk to Sakura alone, but didn't even seem to care about Tomoyo standing there.
"Yeah, sure." Sakura replied slightly put off.
"Well, we'd better get going," Touya said taking the hint and regaining his composure, "See you squirt."
Touya walked off, trying to shake the picture of the girl and his mother from his mind, while Yukito followed close behind.
By now the park was completely deserted and it was getting dark. In the blackness, a faint aura of magic appeared around the girl, who was staring at Touya walking in the distance. She looked around as though she was expecting someone else to arrive, then back to Sakura. Kero had emerged from her bag and was hovering by her shoulder, surveying the girl with a look of distaste.
"It's definitely a Clow Card Sakura, you can see the magic around her." he said.
The girl looked at him quizzically for a few seconds until breaking into a broader smile. She stood in silence looking around once more.
"Why don't you try 'the Shadow' Sakura?" asked Tomoyo, "It's pretty strong."
"You're right," she removed her sealing wand and called it forth, "Shadow card release and dispel. Trap that card (AN-She says these sorts of things in the US version, don't ask me)."
As the shadow rushed towards her, the girl raised her hands and chanted. "Ancestors from ancient lands, grant your powers to my hands." She looked directly at the card, as well as at Sakura, Kero, and Tomoyo, "Cease."
The shadow card stopped dead in it's tracks and hung in the air, stiff and unmoving. Sakura tried to move herself, but couldn't. She felt powerless just like in her dream. The girl gave a short laugh and walked among the stationary group, looking at each amusedly. Her eyes danced and she couldn't suppress another giggle. She looked directly at Sakura. "Not as strong of magic as I would've expected from a cardcaptor, kind of sad really." Her eyes moved to Kero, "But what a kawaii guardian beast," she touched his wing and he could move again, "Keroberos I'm guessing."
"Yeah, and who are you?" he asked obviously not pleased with her powers.
"Sanae." she answered sweetly.
"Don't you have a last name?"
"Yes, and it's a nice one too." she laughed again, she could keep this up all night.
Kero growled, this kid was infuriating. She turned suddenly, as though she had heard a noise. Her smile grew broader, and in the silence of the night the sound of footsteps running over dry leaves could soon be heard.
Syaoran emerged at the edge of the park, out of breath. "What's going on here? . . ." he surveyed the group, "Sanae?" He stared at her as though he couldn't quite believe she was here, and a smile quickly replaced the customary scowl. "What are you doing here? It's so good to see you!"
"Syaoran! Oh, I missed you so much. A year is too long. When I had come back to Hong Kong, they told me you had moved. And where were you tonight? I was wondering when you were going to show up. You're such a slacker!" she thwapped him playfully on the back of the head, "If I was a card I would've been captured by now." She glanced at the unmoving Sakura, "Well, maybe not. I'm only joking" she called to Sakura who was looking fairly displeased.
Syaoran directed his gaze to the frozen Shadow, Sakura and Tomoyo. "And do you care to explain what happened to them?"
"I was just standing here and she started attacking me with her Clow card. What was I supposed to do?" She asked mock innocently.
"I'm sure you did nothing to make her think you were a card." he replied dryly.
"Me??? Of course not. Why would I ever do such a thing?" she laughed again and Syaoran joined her.
"Well at least you could let her go now."
"I could . . ."
"Sanae!" he said with exasperation.
"Of course I will," she touched each of their shoulders and they could move again, "and for that I think I deserve a proper introduction." She smiled at Syaoran.
"Sanae, this is Sakura, Tomoyo and Keroberos." he said pointing to each in turn, "Everyone, this is my cousin, Sanae Li."
"And where's Ms. Perfectionist?" asked Sanae glancing around once more.
"Who?" asked Sakura.
"Don't tell me you haven't met my *charming* cousin Meilin? I thought she moved here Syaoran.", said Sanae.
"Yeah she's here," said Syaoran unenthusiastically.
"Lucky us," Sanae said as equally depressed. She changed her voice into a whiny imitation of Meilin, "Syaoran, we're meant to be together. Syaoran's the best magician ever Sanae, you should give up. Syaoran, why are you talking to her? Syaoran why do you have a life that doesn't revolve around me and everything I do?" She changed her voice back to normal before continuing, "That kid's a psycho, she's convinced I'm trying to steal Syaoran away from her. She doesn't understand that we're just really close friends. I definitely don't I want to date him" she finish with and exasperated sigh.
As the rest of the group laughed, Syaoran looked thoughtful. "Sanae," he asked, "Why did you say "lucky *us*" just now?"
"So you finally figured it out." Both sets of amber eyes sparkled, "You're not moving. Well you are, but only about a block. I'm officially you're legal guardian and we're staying right here in Japan. You ought to see the house I rented out It's perfect, a two bedroom bungalow that's only a ten minute walk from our schools." She smiled contentedly.
The boy threw his arms around his cousin and said nothing. Sanae looked down at him in a way Sakura had seen Touya look at her many times before and said simply, "It was no problem, I'd do anything for you."
Syaoran released the hug as quickly as he had given it and said, bright eyes shining with a happiness Sakura had never seen there before, "So, let's go see our house."
She smiled. "Sounds great. Oh, I left my bag over on the pavement, I'll just go . . ."
"I'll get it." he said already running off.
Sanae laughed and turned towards Sakura, Tomoyo, and Kero, "Sakura? "
"Yes."
"Who was that," she paused, a little embarrassed, "good looking guy you were talking with before I came?"
"Yukito," Sakura answered, not exactly pleased she had more competition on that front.
"And the one with the glasses?" she asked.
"Oh . . .that's Yukito." she said puzzled.
"They're both named Yukito?"
"No. . .sorry," she said, still a little confused, "The other boy's my 'Nii-chan, Touya."
"Touya . . .? I'll remember that name," she smiled distractedly, "Anyway, it was really nice meeting you. Sorry about the whole non-moving thing, I hope we can all be friends. " At this Kero growled, "I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of each other soon either way." She smiled at Sakura and Tomoyo, giving Kero up for lost cause at the moment. Li had returned with her bag.
He looked at Sakura. "You're not still mad at me are you?" he asked sheepishly.
She smiled sweetly, "No, it wasn't you're fault you had to move in the first place anyway." Both looked quickly at the ground because they had felt their cheeks heating up.
"Well, we better go now." Syaoran said, apparently fascinated with his shoes.
"Yeah, see you in school tomorrow." replied Sakura, equally absorbed with a broken twig.
She didn't look up until Syaoran and Sanae had gone a safe distance. As she watched the two retreat into the semi-darkness she felt Sanae had been right about them meeting again many times in the near future. But right now she had a 720 to celebrate. ^ _ ^
To be continued . . .
By: Kelly M.
Li Luva
------------------:scene change
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*: point of view change(not a lot, the story is mostly third person)
AN: Authors note
Girl of Their Dreams
By: Kelly M.
Chapter 1- The Challenge
Tomoyo ran after her friend, her long, dark hair streaming behind her. School had just let out. Sakura rushed out of the class without talking to her and she was worried, "Sakura, wait up," she said. Sakura stopped at her locker. Noticing the look on her friend's face Tomoyo added, "What's wrong?"
"Wrong . . . ? ," Sakura replied distractedly, "oh nothing . . . I just think I have a Clow Card to battle tonight, that's all."
"Great, I just got a new digital video camera and I'm dying to try it out. What Clow Card do you think it is?"
"I have no idea. Apparently its challenging rollerbladers, though."
"Weird, but no worry. You're a spectacular skater Sakura. You should have no problem."
"Yeah, well . . . ," she trailed off, definitely not as confident of her skills as her friend.
"You'll do great. I have the perfect costume it's . . ."
"Oh . . . , that's great Tomoyo. Where's Syaoran?" asked Sakura absent-mindedly, glancing at the empty locker beside her.
"He stayed after class to talk to Terada-sensei about something."
"Really? I think I'll go find him and ask him about the card."
"Okay, do you want me to go too?"
"Sure, I'm sorry if it seems like I'm in a weird mood, this Clow Card is really worrying me."
"No problem."
The two girls made their way through a sea of rushing students back to their classroom, but hearing that Syaoran was still talking, they stayed outside. Parts of the conversation drifted toward them.
"I won't be here tomorrow because I've gotta pack and then later that night I'm going back to Hong Kong, so this was my last day."
"Really? That's too bad Syaoran. You were a good student."
"Thanks, I gotta go now. Bye Terada-sensei."
"Bye." (AN - wow what a detailed conversation. SORRY!)
Sakura's jaw dropped and a fury built up inside her. Syaoran opened the classroom door before Sakura and Tomoyo had time to back away, and he was just as shocked as they were. "What are you two doing here?", he asked slightly harsher than intended.
Sakura ignored the question. "You're LEAVING? You weren't even going to say goodbye! Why didn't you tell us? You were just not going to show up and let Terada tell us weren't you? I knew you were kind of mean Li-kun, but I never knew you were CRUEL!"
"I . . . I . . .," he spluttered.
"That's exactly what you are," she said, tears welling up in her eyes which she couldn't fight, "cruel!"
She took off running down the hall, Tomoyo close behind. Syaoran thought of pursuing her but decided against it. 'It's better if she hates me when I leave, I won't hurt her that way.' he thought. He hated to see her cry, hated to cause her any pain at all. But on the other hand, it's not like he really had a choice, it's her problem she feels that way, that she got so attached. That's not how you really feel, a voice told him from inside, you're just hiding your feelings again, like you always do. That voice was right, but he had to go, there wasn't a place for him in Tomoedo. But deep inside he wondered if there really was a place for him in Hong Kong either.
He shook his head and tried to clear his swirling thoughts. There's still a house to pack, he concluded, and a Clow card to catch.
--------------
Sakura skated as fast as she could down the streets of her neighborhood, as though she could escape all her conflicting thoughts if she just got up a good speed. It was no use. Tears spilled unrelentingly down her cheeks and she made no attempt to stop them. She looked down at her watch through clouded emerald eyes. It was four o'clock, an hour had passed since she had received the news of Syaoran leaving. She never thought him leaving would affect her this way, she always felt he'd be there to help her, to guide her, to protect her. And now he was leaving, going back to Hong Kong and leaving a gap in her heart. She'd just begun to see him as a friend, someone she could trust, maybe more, but now she'd never know.
"Stupid . . . stupid . . . stupid," she scolded herself, "he never saw me as anything more than a pest, someone who got in his way when he was capturing the Clow cards, he doesn't care he's hurting me because he's leaving, it's all business to him." A fresh batch of tears welled up in her eyes and she slackened her pace as she headed home. "I don't want to worry 'Nii-chan and Otou-san by being too late," she plastered a smile on her face, "plus I've got a card to capture."
--------------
Touya glanced out of the Kinomoto's front window for the tenth time in about three minutes. It wasn't like being late was a rare thing for his sister but he was still worried. His deep blue eyes stared onto the empty street thoughtfully. He hated to admit it, but as much as he teased his little sister, he loved and worried about her . . . a lot. He guessed he'd always be protective of his sister. After all, he was the one she turned to after their mother died. Touya's thoughts shifted to his mother. It was seven years ago but he could still see her, feel her, he still loved her and the dull ache in his heart hadn't left since she had. He glanced at the pictures scattered around their den. Green eyes similar to Sakura's stared back at him caringly, pictures were all he had left of his mom. He looked back at the eyes, he saw his mother so much in Sakura, he needed her as much and she needed him in regards to their mother, and even if no words were ever spoken there was a bond between Touya and Sakura which could never be broken.
He sighed and looked at his watch, there was no use sitting here brooding over memories, especially since he hadn't even started his three page biology report that was due next Monday. A flash of navy and red passed in front of the window and started to take off her skates on their front porch. He secretly wondered if Sakura was going to challenge that rollerblader tonight. She was certainly good enough, another thing he would never admit. He folded up the math book on his lap and headed toward the front door to let his sister in. Cheerful green eyes smiled at him from behind the picture frames and Touya couldn't help smiling back.
The eyes that met him at the front door, however, were far from cheerful.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sakura smiled weakly at Touya from behind red-rimmed, emerald orbs, trying to hide that anything was wrong. A look of concern crossed her brother's face, darkening his eyes, she hated to worry him. She asked him casually how his day had been trying to stick to a safe subject so as not to give way to the constant, ever-present threat of tears.
Touya, sensing the cautiousness of the conversation, babbled away as though nothing was wrong. He wasn't going to push Sakura to tell him what was wrong until she wanted to. A strange thought nagged at Touya from the back of his mind. He'd seen that look on her face before but couldn't quite place where. All of a sudden, realization dawned on him. She'd looked that way the time that annoying Li brat had picked on her. Fire flashed across the usually cool marine eyes as he remembered that day, he knew that kid was no good the first time he set eyes on him, but Sakura insisted on treating him as a friend. And now he had hurt his sister. Fury bubbled up inside Touya and he stopped talking, lost in his thoughts about Syaoran.
"Nani?" , Sakura asked cautiously, "You look so serious, what are you thinking about?"
"Oh nothing," Touya faltered, "Dad called, he said he had to work late tonight so it's just you and me. Plus Yukito's coming over." Touya was hit with a sudden inspiration that would cheer Sakura up. "We're thinking of going over to the park to watch that rollerblader, do you want to come? You should really challenge her, I bet you could out skate her."
"Really?" It meant a lot coming from Touya, considering he rarely if ever paid her any compliments. Maybe she wasn't doing as good a job as she thought she was covering up her disappointment because of Syaoran's leaving. She instantly made an effort to look more genki, though she still felt awful inside.
A smile crossed Touya's face. Sakura was looking more cheerful already. A knock at the door announced Yukito's arrival and the two siblings went to greet him.
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"Ugh . . . " Syaoran pulled a piece of packaging tape off his sock and scanned the chaos that used to be his room. The dark green walls were bare and clothes he never even knew he had were scattered on his bed, waiting to be packed into boxes. "I've only lived here for three months
. . .how could I have possibly gotten this much stuff?"
He sighed . . . he had only lived here for three months, so why did Tomoedo feel more like his home than Hong Kong ever had? He started packing the pictures from his dresser into a small box, ignoring the clothes. Meilin would probably be over tomorrow to help him pack anyway, but she was going somewhere tonight. She had told him where, but he wasn't really paying attention. He had a tendency to tune her out occasionally, especially since she had told him right when Sakura had waved goodbye to him the day before. How could he be expected to care what Meilin was doing when Sakura smiled like that? He blushed in spite of himself. The sweet smile stared up at him from behind the glass frame. It was a picture of this year's athletics day, the one he and Sakura had tied for in the 100m dash. Her face was flushed and full of pride, she looked so happy. In fact, so did he.
This was the first picture Syaoran had seen of himself in which he didn't have a reserved, guarded look in his eyes. He hadn't realized how much he had changed until that point. It didn't really matter now, he was going back to Hong Kong, where he was both revered and feared for just being a Li. He was placed on a pedestal, everyone knew he was going to become the new leader of the Li clan when he came of age. They knew he had immense magical potential, which is why they started to train him so young. They knew he would be strong where his father had been weak. His father had died because of his weaknesses, and though Syaoran was loyal to the clan, he hated them for killing him. If his father was still alive, maybe he could've lived the life of a normal 10 years old. Maybe . . . but not likely. The elders of the clan could tell from the moment he was born that he held a power like no other Li had, except one, but even she couldn't help him, he was doomed to his fate. He sighed again and placed the picture gently in the box.
The look on Sakura's face was so different from the one she'd given him today, today's was full of hurt and confusion, betrayal even. He would have given anything to keep her from crying. Without warning, Syaoran felt a jolt of electricity . . . no magic . . . surge through his body. He sensed an incredibly powerful magical force, " The Clow card must be getting stronger," he thought. In the green walls he saw a pair of sweet eyes stare at him, "I wonder if Sakura will be there." He gave up packing, realizing it was futile at the moment, grabbed his sword and lasin board, and headed out the door, calling to Wei he'd be back in about two hours. He told him he was going for a walk, which was not exactly a lie. He was going to walk and clear his thoughts for a while in the crisp autumn air before going to capture the card. He deserved that much, it was his last night in Japan. Tomorrow night he'd be on a plane to Hong Kong. His chestnut hair blew into his eyes as he headed up the empty street.
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When the Sakura arrived at the park, it was already packed with spectators. The crowd buzzed with anticipation and excitement, everyone waiting for a glance of the girl and those who would challenge her. Skaters from around the city were warming up, performing tricks of various degrees of difficulty, preparing for the challenge. Tension was high.
Sakura tightened her wrist guards and went to go join them, leaving her brother, Yukito, and Tomoyo in the crowd cheering her on. She had been skating for about three minutes when something strange happened. As though someone had hit the mute button on a T.V., the crowd became instantly silent. All that could be heard was the soft swosh of roller blades on concrete. A girl of about 17 was entering the park. She skated like Sakura had never seen, flawlessly, gracefully, without restrictions. She made it seem as though the skates were just extensions of her feet, like she was flying without leaving the ground. Dark sunglasses covered her eyes and her purplish-black hair was pulled back into a loose bun, held in place with two chopsticks inserted in the middle. She wore a Chinese robe of black silk that trailed behind her like liquid ebony as she skated. She was surreal, every ounce of her oozed power, spirit, fire, magic. Her movements commanded respect and admiration, it was clear she had no doubt no one could skate better than she could, she looked almost amused at those who thought they could beat her.
She entered the well paved part of the skate park and set down her bag. She glanced at the crowd disdainfully when no one stepped forward. If it were possible, the crowd became even more silent. After what seemed like an eternity, a boy of 19 stepped forward and said he'd like to see what she could do.
The corners of her rose-colored lips turned up, "You first," she said barely above a whisper.
The boy was good, no doubt about it. His grinds were solid and well balanced, and the 360 he did was flawless, after about 30 seconds of skating, he stopped and grinned at the girl. The crowd applauded him politely, but most were more interested in what the girl was going to do. She grinned back. She started to skate, her motions were fluid, graceful, her strong legs easily propelled her and she seemed at ease. For every grind the boy had done she did one twice as difficult, using combinations along with them. She sped around the concrete, becoming a blur of black on black, and prepared for a jump. Her takeoff was smooth, and as she hung in the air it really seemed as though she was flying. It was a perfect 720, something that was very difficult to do. She landed and grinned again at the boy, bowing politely. The crowd burst into thunderous applause, it was easy to see she was a magnificent skater. "Anyone else?" she challenged quietly again.
All the skaters who were practicing when Sakura had arrived had lost their courage, and the mysterious girl sighed. What was the point of being good if no one was better? Sakura knew she would probably have to challenge the clow card to capture it, so she mustered her courage and said, "I will."
The girl smiled encouragingly and stepped onto the grass, leaving the entire surface for Sakura to skate on. From behind the sunglasses Sakura could distinctly feel eyes boring into her, summing her up. Though she was overcome with nervousness, Sakura skated fantastically, perhaps better than she ever had before. To top it off, she finished her routine with a 720, something she had never done successfully until that time. The crowd cheered loudly and Sakura could hear her friends voices over them. She could hear Yukito, and she blushed slightly at the thought of him. A faint smile flickered across the girls face, and she clapped along with the rest of the crowd. Bowing to Sakura slightly, she launched into another round of skating, this time more exceptional than the last. A determined look replaced the easy smile this time but it was clear Sakura was no match for her skills. When she finished the crowd roared once more with praise and admiration. Though she challenged again, no one took her up and the park started to clear.
Touya, Yukito, and Tomoyo met up with Sakura on the edge of the cement, full of congratulations for her excellent skating. It didn't matter that she wasn't better than the girl, they were proud of Sakura just because she tried.
"Do you want to come over to my house tonight? We can celebrate that great 720." Tomoyo asked. Realizing Touya and Yukito weren't really listening she adding in a whisper, "After you capture the card of course."
"Right, sounds great." Sakura replied, "Can I go Touya?"
"Sure, if it'll keep you from bothering me, I'm all for it."
Sakura shot him a dirty look but kept quiet. She noticed the girl crossing the lawn to where they were talking. She looked so different. The bun was released and long curly purplish-black hair trailed down her back. The face was soft and friendly and the delicate mouth curved up into a pleasant smile. Her eyes were large and expressive, a brilliant amber-brown in colour. She was beautiful. In fact, except for the colour of the eyes, she looked the same as their mother. Exactly. It was as though someone had painted of portrait of Nadeshiko and ran out of green for the eyes. Touya and Sakura stared in open-mouth shock as she moved closer. Though slightly taken aback by the group's silence, the girl advanced until she was standing beside Sakura.
"You were really good. That backwards grind was great, I'd love you to teach me how you did it. Is there anyway we could talk or something?" The girl chatted enthusiastically. She looked meaningfully at the two boys, as though she wanted to talk to Sakura alone, but didn't even seem to care about Tomoyo standing there.
"Yeah, sure." Sakura replied slightly put off.
"Well, we'd better get going," Touya said taking the hint and regaining his composure, "See you squirt."
Touya walked off, trying to shake the picture of the girl and his mother from his mind, while Yukito followed close behind.
By now the park was completely deserted and it was getting dark. In the blackness, a faint aura of magic appeared around the girl, who was staring at Touya walking in the distance. She looked around as though she was expecting someone else to arrive, then back to Sakura. Kero had emerged from her bag and was hovering by her shoulder, surveying the girl with a look of distaste.
"It's definitely a Clow Card Sakura, you can see the magic around her." he said.
The girl looked at him quizzically for a few seconds until breaking into a broader smile. She stood in silence looking around once more.
"Why don't you try 'the Shadow' Sakura?" asked Tomoyo, "It's pretty strong."
"You're right," she removed her sealing wand and called it forth, "Shadow card release and dispel. Trap that card (AN-She says these sorts of things in the US version, don't ask me)."
As the shadow rushed towards her, the girl raised her hands and chanted. "Ancestors from ancient lands, grant your powers to my hands." She looked directly at the card, as well as at Sakura, Kero, and Tomoyo, "Cease."
The shadow card stopped dead in it's tracks and hung in the air, stiff and unmoving. Sakura tried to move herself, but couldn't. She felt powerless just like in her dream. The girl gave a short laugh and walked among the stationary group, looking at each amusedly. Her eyes danced and she couldn't suppress another giggle. She looked directly at Sakura. "Not as strong of magic as I would've expected from a cardcaptor, kind of sad really." Her eyes moved to Kero, "But what a kawaii guardian beast," she touched his wing and he could move again, "Keroberos I'm guessing."
"Yeah, and who are you?" he asked obviously not pleased with her powers.
"Sanae." she answered sweetly.
"Don't you have a last name?"
"Yes, and it's a nice one too." she laughed again, she could keep this up all night.
Kero growled, this kid was infuriating. She turned suddenly, as though she had heard a noise. Her smile grew broader, and in the silence of the night the sound of footsteps running over dry leaves could soon be heard.
Syaoran emerged at the edge of the park, out of breath. "What's going on here? . . ." he surveyed the group, "Sanae?" He stared at her as though he couldn't quite believe she was here, and a smile quickly replaced the customary scowl. "What are you doing here? It's so good to see you!"
"Syaoran! Oh, I missed you so much. A year is too long. When I had come back to Hong Kong, they told me you had moved. And where were you tonight? I was wondering when you were going to show up. You're such a slacker!" she thwapped him playfully on the back of the head, "If I was a card I would've been captured by now." She glanced at the unmoving Sakura, "Well, maybe not. I'm only joking" she called to Sakura who was looking fairly displeased.
Syaoran directed his gaze to the frozen Shadow, Sakura and Tomoyo. "And do you care to explain what happened to them?"
"I was just standing here and she started attacking me with her Clow card. What was I supposed to do?" She asked mock innocently.
"I'm sure you did nothing to make her think you were a card." he replied dryly.
"Me??? Of course not. Why would I ever do such a thing?" she laughed again and Syaoran joined her.
"Well at least you could let her go now."
"I could . . ."
"Sanae!" he said with exasperation.
"Of course I will," she touched each of their shoulders and they could move again, "and for that I think I deserve a proper introduction." She smiled at Syaoran.
"Sanae, this is Sakura, Tomoyo and Keroberos." he said pointing to each in turn, "Everyone, this is my cousin, Sanae Li."
"And where's Ms. Perfectionist?" asked Sanae glancing around once more.
"Who?" asked Sakura.
"Don't tell me you haven't met my *charming* cousin Meilin? I thought she moved here Syaoran.", said Sanae.
"Yeah she's here," said Syaoran unenthusiastically.
"Lucky us," Sanae said as equally depressed. She changed her voice into a whiny imitation of Meilin, "Syaoran, we're meant to be together. Syaoran's the best magician ever Sanae, you should give up. Syaoran, why are you talking to her? Syaoran why do you have a life that doesn't revolve around me and everything I do?" She changed her voice back to normal before continuing, "That kid's a psycho, she's convinced I'm trying to steal Syaoran away from her. She doesn't understand that we're just really close friends. I definitely don't I want to date him" she finish with and exasperated sigh.
As the rest of the group laughed, Syaoran looked thoughtful. "Sanae," he asked, "Why did you say "lucky *us*" just now?"
"So you finally figured it out." Both sets of amber eyes sparkled, "You're not moving. Well you are, but only about a block. I'm officially you're legal guardian and we're staying right here in Japan. You ought to see the house I rented out It's perfect, a two bedroom bungalow that's only a ten minute walk from our schools." She smiled contentedly.
The boy threw his arms around his cousin and said nothing. Sanae looked down at him in a way Sakura had seen Touya look at her many times before and said simply, "It was no problem, I'd do anything for you."
Syaoran released the hug as quickly as he had given it and said, bright eyes shining with a happiness Sakura had never seen there before, "So, let's go see our house."
She smiled. "Sounds great. Oh, I left my bag over on the pavement, I'll just go . . ."
"I'll get it." he said already running off.
Sanae laughed and turned towards Sakura, Tomoyo, and Kero, "Sakura? "
"Yes."
"Who was that," she paused, a little embarrassed, "good looking guy you were talking with before I came?"
"Yukito," Sakura answered, not exactly pleased she had more competition on that front.
"And the one with the glasses?" she asked.
"Oh . . .that's Yukito." she said puzzled.
"They're both named Yukito?"
"No. . .sorry," she said, still a little confused, "The other boy's my 'Nii-chan, Touya."
"Touya . . .? I'll remember that name," she smiled distractedly, "Anyway, it was really nice meeting you. Sorry about the whole non-moving thing, I hope we can all be friends. " At this Kero growled, "I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of each other soon either way." She smiled at Sakura and Tomoyo, giving Kero up for lost cause at the moment. Li had returned with her bag.
He looked at Sakura. "You're not still mad at me are you?" he asked sheepishly.
She smiled sweetly, "No, it wasn't you're fault you had to move in the first place anyway." Both looked quickly at the ground because they had felt their cheeks heating up.
"Well, we better go now." Syaoran said, apparently fascinated with his shoes.
"Yeah, see you in school tomorrow." replied Sakura, equally absorbed with a broken twig.
She didn't look up until Syaoran and Sanae had gone a safe distance. As she watched the two retreat into the semi-darkness she felt Sanae had been right about them meeting again many times in the near future. But right now she had a 720 to celebrate. ^ _ ^
To be continued . . .
By: Kelly M.
Li Luva