Summary: While Sakura and Madison look over the secret scrapbook, Meilin comes in with one curious question. Do the two girls remember when Li Shoran first arrived? They begin to remember, but Sakura, in particular, begins to remember the night after.
Key:
"~* Thoughts *~" = Thoughts
"[NAME:]" = Character voiceover
Episode 12- Recalling the Thunder Card and Sakura's Rival
It was a relaxing atmosphere out in Penguin Park. Sakura had her secret scrapbook out under a lone tree and Madison was in no hurry to get home. School was dismissed early and Madison's mom didn't know about it, so Madison had some time to spare. Knowing they had time, the two girls sat on a patch of grass to look over Sakura's secret scrapbook, while Kero got in an occasional peek.
"I'd almost forgotten about half this stuff, Sakura," Madison said. "Has it really been THAT long?"
Sakura sighed. "Time flies. No matter what it is, whether we're living normal lives or not, time moves at the same rate. There's nothing we can do about that. But…it is fun to look back."
"Sakura! Madison!"
The two girls raised their heads to see Meilin running up to them. She was very curious about the scrapbook, too.
"I was hoping to find you guys," Meilin said. "Were you looking over the scrapbook?"
"Yeah!" Sakura said cheerfully. "It's…kinda been the theme for the last few weeks."
"Well, I was hoping to ask you guys a question," Meilin added.
"What is it?" Madison asked.
"I saw a picture in there last time," Meilin began. "It really made me curious and I was hoping you could tell me about it."
"Which one?" Sakura asked.
Meilin turned a page on the scrapbook. "That one!"
Sakura and Madison looked at that picture taken a long time ago. It was of Sakura and Li. Sakura held a Clow Card in her hand, but she was hanging her head down as Li shot her an icy stare.
Sakura hesitated. "This…was taken when Li and I…first met…a long time ago."
Meilin gasped. "This was when you guys met?! You just HAVE to tell me about it!"
Madison smiled. "Sure, we'll tell you about it. Why don't you begin, Sakura? …Sakura?"
Sakura wasn't ready to say anything. She couldn't think back to that moment. She remembered how cold Li was. It completely brought down her self-esteem and frankly made her…scared. Li had it in for her at that time.
Madison sweatdropped. "Ok, then I'll start. It was just another day at Reedington Elementary, except…"
Flashback: Reedington Elementary
P.O.V.: Madison Taylor
Madison tried hard to get a word out of Sakura, but something had her out of it that morning. She was acting spaced out. And Madison knew why.
~* She's been having that dream again. But what did she mean when she was talking about someone stealing the Clow Cards? *~
Madison wanted to help Sakura, but even she couldn't interpret dreams. Especially now that class was about to start.
"Class, I have an announcement," Mr. Terada began. "We have a new exchange student."
Everyone instantly started murmuring amongst themselves about who this new kid could be. Then the door flew open, revealing a handsome young boy with brown hair and eyes. Everyone wondered who it was until Mr. Terada introduced him.
"Class, please say hello to Li Shoran."
Madison noticed one thing about this new kid. He didn't smile much. Hopefully, that could change in time. Madison turned around to see what Sakura thought of this new kid, but saw a frightened look on her best friend's face.
~* Whoa…what's with her? She looks like she's just seen a ghost. It's almost as if she's seen this guy before. Or maybe she has a crush on him. Wouldn't that be something? Love at first sight? *~
It looked like Li might have recognized Sakura. He hadn't taken her eyes off of her since he walked in.
"That new kid's staring right at you, Sakura," Madison pointed out.
~* Hey…maybe it IS love. Hmm…if it IS, then shouldn't he be smiling a little more? *~
Mr. Terada directed Li to his seat. "Ok, Li. Why don't you sit behind…Sakura?"
Sakura suddenly sweatdropped. Madison was starting to believe her own thoughts. Sakura was sweating heavily. But Madison honestly couldn't tell if it was nerves or fear.
But Madison jumped to conclusions and smiled. "Your seat's right over here, Li."
Li took his seat and continued glaring directly at Sakura. Sakura moaned nervously and sweatdropped again.
~----------~
[Meilin: You mean she was flirting with Li from the beginning?!]
[Sakura: FLIRTING?! You have NO clue, do you, Meilin?!]
[Madison: Calm down, Sakura. Anyway, I was thinking love at first sight. But that changed in an instant as soon as I found them during recess…]
Flashback: Recess at Reedington Elementary
P.O.V.: Madison Taylor
Madison couldn't get that strange boy out of her mind. There was something about him that scared Sakura and Madison couldn't tell what it was. She wanted to believe in love at first sight, but that sort of thing only happens in the movies. Madison had to find out, so she went out to look for Sakura.
~* It COULD be love, but what do I know? We're only 10. It's probably something else. Maybe if I just ask Sakura. She's probably over here…HEY! WHAT'S HE DOING TO HER?!?! *~
Madison turned the corner to see that Li kid attacking Sakura. It was happening again. Sakura was in danger and Madison wasn't watching over her, just like back in the forest. She had to do something.
"HEY! STOP IT!! SOMEBODY HELP!!"
Madison screamed at the top of her lungs. She was just about to go to Sakura's rescue herself, but somebody did come to Sakura's aid.
"Hey, kid!! Back off!!"
It was Tori, Sakura's big brother. He climbed the fence at the first sight of danger and confronted this kid.
"Don't pick on my sister, kid! Why don't you go home before somebody gets hurt? Namely YOU!"
Madison looked on as Tori and Li stared each other down. As they glared at each other, Madison immediately went to aid her best friend.
"Are you all right?" Madison asked desperately.
Sakura gave off a half-smile. "Nothing I couldn't handle myself."
Madison held Sakura in her arms as Tori and Li were just about to get into it. But just as they were about to come to blows…
"Hey, Tori. I got some meat buns."
Madison looked up to see Julian climbing over the fence with a tray of meat buns. He was apparently oblivious to what was occurring. Neither Li nor Tori stepped down. In the meantime, Sakura got up and took a meat bun. Then Julian looked at Li.
"Oh…here. You want some?"
Li was starting to sweat at the sight of Julian. He then started to run away screaming.
Seeing the kid run off, Tori shrugged and took a meat bun. "Hmm…pretty good."
Madison still didn't know what to make of any of this.
~* Whoa…that was weird. It's like he's scared of Julian. But…why? Julian wouldn't hurt a fly. It's probably Tori he should've been afraid of. But why was he attacking Sakura? Oh…I don't understand any of this! It's like some horrible dream! *~
Madison worriedly looked at Sakura again. "Are you all right, Sakura? Honestly?"
Sakura blinked. "Madison, really. I'm ok. Please…don't beat yourself up over this."
Sakura started walking off, but Madison just stood there momentarily.
~* Oh…it almost happened again. Sakura…I don't want to fail you again! *~
Madison let out a soft moan of frustration and made her way back to class, thinking about what just happened.
~----------~
[Meilin: What is it with you, Madison? Do you think you're Sakura's bodyguard or something?]
[Madison: You…just wouldn't understand. No one does. It's just…I can't really explain it.]
[Sakura: She was just shaken up. I'm sure that's what it was. So anyway, I went home to ask Kero about Li and that's when I learned everything. He was after my Clow Cards and was apparently a new rival. I didn't know just how much of a rival he was until later that night…]
Flashback: The streets
P.O.V.: Sakura Avalon
It was an unusual night. Thunder could clearly be heard, but there was no rain to be seen anywhere. Sakura and Kero knew it was a Clow Card so they went off to find it. Madison, in the meantime, had another costume ready for her.
"What is this, Madison?" Sakura asked curiously, referring to her pink and black kitty costume.
Madison smiled. "Non-conducting titanium and rubber. You know, to protect you from lightning."
Sakura didn't think of that. It was actually pretty smart to make a costume that would act as an insulator. Going in her rubber suit, Sakura pulled out her key.
"Key of Clow. Power of magic. Power of light. Surrender the wand. The force, ignite. Release!" Sakura took the wand in her hand, then pulled out her next card. "Fly!"
Sakura took to the skies as Madison kept her camera focused on the flying Cardcaptor. Sakura looked in front of her and saw bolts of lightning headed her way. Sakura dodged each bolt and kept flying.
"What do I do, Kero?"
"You have to reveal Thunder's visible form," the guardian beast answered.
"But how do I do that?" Sakura asked.
"Can't do it from the air," Kero said. "We'll have to land."
Sakura obliged and landed on the roof of a nearby building. She recalled Fly and waited for the lightning to come her way. She didn't have to wait long. The lightning was heading right for her.
"Jump!"
Sakura quickly took out Jump and leaped out of the lightning's path. She kept on jumping out of the lightning's path, until she heard a voice behind.
"You have NO idea what you're doing, do you?!"
Sakura looked behind her to see the boy, Li Shoran, looking coldly at her. He was wearing some kind of green robe and he held a big sword in his hand.
"Hey, stay out of this!" Kero snapped. "We're handling this, so just buzz off, kid!!"
Li glared at the two and held out his sword. "Force, know my plight! Release the light! Lightning!"
Li thrust his sword down and struck the lightning bolts. After the smoke cleared, there was only a wolf creature surrounded by bolts of electricity.
"What is that?" Sakura asked.
Li sneered. "You are looking at Raijou, the thunder beast. Boy, you ARE hopeless!"
"Back off," Sakura pouted. She reached in for one of her cards. "Windy should be able to handle this."
"Put it away!" Li snapped. "Windy can't stand up to Thunder!"
Sakura thought about that. Windy had always worked for her before. But apparently, it wouldn't be strong enough.
"But Li…I've captured a lot of other cards using Windy."
Li looked Sakura's way. "Have you captured Shadow?"
Sakura nodded and took out Shadow.
Li held his sword out again. "Force, know my plight! Release the light! Lightning!"
The lightning spell struck Thunder, leaving it momentarily distracted. Sakura took this chance to call upon Shadow.
"Shadow! Release and dispel!"
Shadow came out and wrapped itself around Thunder, leaving Sakura the opportunity she needed. She held up her wand.
"Thunder Card! Return to your power confined! Thunder!"
Sakura had the Thunder sealed after a long and arduous battle. She thought she had things well in hand, but it turned out this new kid was a pretty big help. The kid thought differently.
"Boy, you don't have a CLUE, do you?!" he snapped. "Some Cardcaptor YOU are!"
Kero tried to stick up for Sakura. "Hey, back off, kid! Everybody's got to start somewhere! Sakura's been chosen!"
Li suddenly became…curious. He walked up to Kero and examined him…by stretching his cheeks.
"What's this thing supposed to be?"
Sakura grinned sheepishly. "That's Kero."
Li gasped. "Y-You mean Keroberos? The guardian beast of the Clow is a s-s-stuffed animal?!"
Kero took offense to that. A lot of offense. So he bit Li's finger.
"YEOW!!!"
"Serves you right," Sakura smirked. "Making fun of Kero like that."
Kero tried to defend himself, too. "I am not a stuffed animal! I was appointed by Clow Reed himself!"
"A lot of good that did," Li sneered. "You'll never be able to catch all the Clow Cards. Guardian beast or not, you're HOPELESS!"
On those words, Li left the scene, leaving only Sakura, Kero, and Madison, who was just coming out of a nearby bush.
Madison put a friendly hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Don't listen to him. You ARE a Cardcaptor!"
Sakura really wanted to believe her best friend. She really did. But for some reason, she couldn't. She couldn't get those words out of her mind.
~* Hopeless. Hopeless. Am I REALLY hopeless? What if…it's true? *~
Sakura looked at Thunder and continued to reflect on those words.
~----------~
[Sakura: After everything I had gone through at the beginning, for the first time, I was really starting to doubt myself. And I just kept thinking about that as I got home.]
[Kero: It was all that kid's fault. The things he said just went straight to Sakura's head. I'll never forget that night…]
Flashback: Sakura's room (The aftermath)
P.O.V.: Kero
Kero was sleeping serenely on top of Sakura's desk with her other stuffed animals. After a night of chasing after the Thunder Card, he was beat and needed a rest. Besides, that bite he took out of the kid nearly took everything out of him. He put a lot of muscle into that bite. But just as Kero was about to fall asleep...
"No……no……please……why is this happening? ……He was right……the whole time. I really AM……HOPELESS. ……I was……never a Cardcaptor!"
Kero immediately woke up at the sound of those words. Sakura was having a nightmare. The little guardian beast flew over to Sakura and tried to shake her awake.
"Sakura, wake up."
"……hopeless……just so hopeless……I had no idea……"
"Sakura, wake up!"
"……Why couldn't I see it? Li……was right……I'm hopeless!"
"SAKURA!"
In a burst of emotion, Kero did the only thing he could to stop the nightmare. He slapped Sakura across the face. Sakura woke up in a cold sweat. She looked around, seemingly wondering if what she saw was real or just a dream.
"Kero…I…it was only a dream." Sakura started to shed some tears. "Kero…I knew I never should've done any of this in the first place. I was only kidding myself. I'm no magical girl. I'm just a hopeless little kid. Li was right."
That got Kero's ire. "Don't say that!"
"But Kero…"
"I don't EVER want to hear you talk like that!" Kero said firmly. "Sakura Avalon, you are NOT hopeless! You were CHOSEN! You're the one destined to have the Clow Cards, not that kid! I want you to promise me that you'll never give up! You ARE a Cardcaptor, the CHOSEN Cardcaptor! No one can ever take that away from you and that does NOT make you hopeless! Now promise me!"
Sakura hesitated. She was seemingly reflecting on these words.
"Sakura, please! Promise me!"
Sakura finally spoke. "Do you really think I can do this?"
"I know you can. You're still a little green, but we're working on that. I bet someday, you'll be even BETTER than the kid. I can feel it. Now promise me you'll never give up, Sakura!"
Sakura…smiled and dried her tears off. "I-I promise, Kero. …And…thank you."
Kero flew over to his desk. "No problem, kid. Sweet dreams."
As Kero went back to his desk, he had only one thought on his mind.
~* That stupid little Shoran kid! He thinks he's so good! But he'll see someday. He'll see that Sakura's going to be better than he's ever dreamed of becoming. I only wish I were a little bigger. Then I could make him pay for hurting Sakura tonight. *~
Reflecting on those words, Kero fell asleep.
Sakura was nearly overtaken by that memory. "You really meant that, Kero?"
Kero nodded. "I meant every word. The kid didn't know what he was talking about. And hey, didn't it all turn out to be true?"
Meilin doubted that. "Hey, Li's still more powerful than Sakura. You're living in a dream world, Kero."
"Don't start with me, little girl!" Kero growled.
Madison tried to nip this in the bud. "Hey…it's almost 3 o'clock. We've got to be going. I don't want to be grounded any more than I already am."
With that, everyone picked up and started walking out. Sakura thought back to that day a long time ago. She couldn't believe how much things had changed since then. But now she only wanted one thing.
She wanted to talk to Li…about that day.
Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below because I want your feedback!
