Summary: Sakura gets left home alone for the day and gets a few visitors. Whoa…short summary.
Key:
"~* Thoughts *~" = Thoughts
"[NAME:]" = Character voiceover
Episode 30- Recalling the Little Card and…Hey, Wasn't This Like That One Fairy Tale?
This was nice. Sakura liked this. For the first time, in a long time, she was finally…alone. Her father was off at the university and Tori was out starting another new job. It was so quiet in her house. Sakura just decided to take a quick look in her secret scrapbook. She turned the page and found a certain picture that made her smile. It was a picture of Kero…sitting atop a strawberry.
But Sakura couldn't enjoy that for long. Someone had just come in through her front door. At first, Sakura started to think it was Tori…thinking he had already gotten fired. But then someone quietly made their way up the stairs and up to Sakura's room.
"Hi, Madison. I wasn't expecting to see you here today."
"I didn't want to leave you by yourself," Madison said. "A girl could get lonely in a house like this."
"Well…I always have Kero…" Sakura began. Then she looked at her desk to see Kero sleeping. "Or…maybe not. I guess you're right. I'm glad you're here...even though I thought you were grounded."
"I think my mom's finally starting to show SOME mercy," Madison grinned. "But actually, I have a sort of ulterior motive for being here." She pulled out some measuring tape. "It's been a long time since I've taken your measurements."
Sakura chuckled. "Some things never change with you, Madison. It's only been a few months."
"You've grown a lot in the last few months," Madison tried saying. "Now stand still."
Madison began by measuring Sakura's waist, but she didn't get much farther. Someone was tapping on the window and it startled her. Sakura wasn't shaken, though. She knew it was only Li. So she went over and opened the window.
"Does he always do that?" Madison asked.
"Every time," Sakura muttered. "No matter how many times I tell him not to."
"It beats coming in through the door," Li muttered. Suddenly, Kero flew over and bit his finger. "YEOW!! LET GO!!"
"Kero!" Sakura chided. "Let go of him!"
Kero reluctantly released Li's finger. "Stupid kid. How many times do I have to do that until you get the message. You woke me up again!"
"Sorry," Li said painfully. "But you know I don't like coming in through the door." He then spied Madison with the measuring tape. "What…are you doing?"
"Taking my best friend's measurements," Madison answered with a smile. "It's been a while."
Li looked at Sakura inquisitively. "Does she always do that?"
"It's something we've been doing for a long time," Sakura told him. "Something we've been doing since…since…hey, Madison? When WAS the first time you started taking my measurements?"
"Oh I remember this," Madison grinned. "This was a lovely tradition that began seven years ago. Back when we were capturing Clow Cards, I noticed that you were…growing pretty fast. So I knew I had to keep up or my costumes would end up too small. But I also remember the Clow Card we saw on that day…right here in your house."
Sakura moaned. "Now I remember. That day was a total nightmare…"
Flashback: Sakura's House
P.O.V.: Sakura Avalon
"Ok, I'm coming."
Sakura took her time in getting to the door. She knew who was there. Madison had asked to come over today and Sakura was more than happy to have the company with her father and brother out for the day. Sakura opened the front door and let Madison in. The first thing she noticed was the picnic basket in her hand. Sakura was feeling a little hungry as she led Madison up to her room. Sakura walked into her room and Madison followed. But as soon as Madison walked in, Kero flew right up to her and landed affectionately on her shoulder.
"Have I ever told you how much I love you, Madison?" Kero grinned.
Madison blinked, not knowing what to make of the guardian beast's sudden display of excessive fondness. She looked at her best friend and all Sakura could do was sweatdrop.
"He…knew you were bringing snacks."
Madison smiled warmly as she reached into her picnic basket and handed Kero a pudding cup. Kero joyfully took the pudding and flew over to his desk.
"Um…Sakura…I've got to confess…I have another reason for wanting to come over."
That got Sakura's attention. "What is it, Madison?"
Madison reached in and took out measuring tape. "I wanted to take your measurements."
"What for?" Sakura asked curiously. "All the costumes you've made fit me very well."
"Yeah, but you're a growing girl, Sakura," Madison pointed out. "I want to be completely accurate, because…to be honest, I have some ideas for some really cute costumes. And while I'm around, you will wear only the cutest costumes, Sakura."
"I…was afraid you'd say something like that," Sakura said teasingly.
Madison grinned slyly. "In fact…this would be a really good time for you to try one of my latest costumes. You'll just love it."
~* Hmm…she just HAPPENS to have a costume with her. Why didn't I see this coming? *~
Madison reached into her picnic basket and pulled out another costume. "I just hope I didn't get any pudding on this."
Sakura reluctantly took the costume and went into her closet to change.
~----------~
[Sakura: I just knew I wasn't going to like that costume. I just knew it!]
[Madison: I didn't think it was that bad.]
[Sakura: But I didn't get to complain for too long. There was a Clow Card in my house and it was one of the worse ones…]
Flashback: Sakura's House (A few minutes later)
P.O.V.: Sakura Avalon
Sakura wasn't liking the costume she was wearing. With a blue dress, a white apron, and a pink bow in her hair, Sakura looked like she had come right out of "Alice in Wonderland". Madison was overjoyed, but Sakura wasn't too thrilled.
"Madison…this is embarrassing."
"Oh, Sakura. I think you look really cute!"
"If you say so."
Sakura was ready to hang her head down, but…she saw a small bright bouncing dot outside her window. Madison and Kero noticed it, too.
"Looks like…a firefly," Madison observed. "But…it doesn't."
Kero looked sternly out the window. "It feels like a Clow Card."
Sakura thought the same thing, so she rushed out of her room, not even waiting for Madison or Kero. She could sense the card coming from…her father's room. Sakura cautiously pushed her father's door open and walked in. There was no sign of that bouncing dot. Sakura immediately noticed that the room was very dark, so she went to open the curtains. But after she slid the curtains open, she turned around to see the small dot on her father's bed.
~* Hmm…this is going to be a lot easier than I thought. Now to…HEY! *~
The dot pounced on Sakura…and took her down. It was a lot stronger than she thought. It was so strong…that it knocked her out.
~----------~
[Sakura: I didn't even know what hit me. It wasn't until I came to that I found out what trouble I was really in.]
Flashback: Sakura's Father's Room
P.O.V.: Sakura Avalon
~* Oh…my head. What hit me? I got hit hard. That felt even stronger than the Power Card. Wait…where am I? *~
Sakura woke up and looked around to find herself in unfamiliar territory. She didn't know where she was. Then she gasped when she saw a horrifying sight in front of her.
~* Is t-that my…Clow Key? T-T-This means…I SHRUNK! *~
Sakura's key was super-sized as was everything else in her father's room. Sakura realized that the little dot had shrunken her down to the size of an ant. She stood there for a moment, feeling completely panic-stricken. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before.
~* Ok, Sakura…calm down. You've been through worse. Oh…NO I HAVEN'T! This is horrible! What am I gonna do?! Ok…I need to calm down. Madison. That's it, Sakura. Madison will help you. Just go get Madison! *~
Sakura tried to run out into the hallway, but the window was open and a gust of wind blew Sakura outside. She screamed at the top of her lungs, but her miniscule size meant her voice couldn't be heard.
~----------~
[Madison: Oh…I remember this part. If you had been there just a second longer, then Kero and I might have found you…]
Flashback: Sakura's Father's room
P.O.V.: Madison Taylor
"Did you hear something, Kero?"
"I don't know, but I do know that Sakura went in here."
It took Madison a few moments to get her camera out, but now she was ready. She heard Sakura running towards her father's room, so that's where she went. But when Madison went in…she found it empty.
"There's…no one here," she said.
Kero flew in and looked around. "She couldn't have gone too far. It's not like she could have gone out the window or anything."
Madison had to agree with that. The window was open, but Sakura couldn't fit out there. Maybe if she shrunk, but what are the odds of that? But as Madison looked around, she still found no sign of Sakura. Then she looked down…and found Sakura's key. She bent down and picked it up and stared at it for a moment.
Kero shook his head. "Now why would Sakura forget her key? What does she think she's going to use to capture that Clow Card?"
Madison didn't say anything. She just continued to stare at the key.
~* Sakura wouldn't just leave her key lying around. And I thought I saw her come in here. I'm getting worried. I hope she's not hurt. *~
Madison held the Clow Key close to her heart as she walked out of the room and down the stairs. She just sat on the couch and looked at the key again. A million thoughts ran through her head at that moment. She wanted to know what happened to her best friend.
"Kero…what do you think happened to her?"
Kero looked around. "She couldn't have just…disappeared. There's no Clow Card that could do this. Let's see…we've sealed Erase…and that's really the only one that pops into my head."
Madison heard Kero go through the possibilities, but then she heard the front door. Someone was coming in. "Kero! Get down!"
Kero heard the front door as well and he plopped down behind the couch. The front door came open and Sakura's big brother, Tori, walked in with Julian. They were about to head for the stairs, but Tori stopped as soon as he saw Madison.
"Madison…you're in my living room…alone."
Madison whimpered softly and sweatdropped. "T-Tori, I-I'm so sorry. I know this must look…weird, but…um…Sakura…uh…Sakura…is out…getting something! She s-said she'd be right back."
Madison watched as Tori looked at her with uncertainty. Madison knew this looked bad. Being alone is Sakura's living room must have made Madison look like a total stalker. She felt so embarrassed.
But Tori only shrugged. "Can you believe it, Julian? Only the squirt would leave her friend by herself in our house."
Julian blinked. "Well…maybe we can keep you company, Madison. Just until Sakura comes back. Maybe we could have some tea?"
Madison smiled. "I'd like that, Julian."
Madison sat on the rug with Julian as Tori went to get the tea. Just then, a thought hit her.
~* I'm having tea with Julian. If only Sakura could see this. She'd be so jealous. ……Uh, oh. Um…maybe it's better she's not here. *~
Madison almost sweatdropped at that thought. If she could put that minor thought behind her, maybe she could enjoy this.
~----------~
[Madison: I'm…glad I'm not telling you this until right now.]
[Sakura: So you had tea with Julian? How could you keep that from me?]
[Madison: I…might have forgotten. ……………Sorry.]
[Sakura: Can you believe this, Li?]
[Li: Well, you had bigger problems, didn't you?]
[Sakura: I guess you're right.]
Flashback: Outside Sakura's House
P.O.V.: Sakura Avalon
Sakura just kept running. So far, she had encountered a gigantic cat and a huge praying mantis. Sakura was so close to meeting her end. She just wanted to get in her house. So after much struggle, Sakura finally climbed one of her windowsills. Sakura panted and looked up to see a little girl (in terms of size) inside her house. Her color was familiar, though. It was the same blue dot she saw earlier.
"Hey!" Sakura shouted. "Did you shrink me?!"
~* As if I needed to ask? *~
The little one nodded. Sakura was infuriated.
"Do you have any idea what I've had to go through just now?! I almost got eaten alive by a cat and a bug and…grrr...CHANGE ME BACK!!"
The card giggled and started bouncing away.
~* Oh, she thinks this is funny? I'll show her! *~
Sakura jumped in through her window…
**SPLASH**
…and landed in her bathtub. Sakura groaned at the thought that nobody drained it. So she just started swimming across.
~----------~
[Sakura: Of course, when you're the size I was, swimming a bathtub is like swimming an Olympic pool.]
[Kero: Well, we would have found you sooner. It's just that Madison and I were a little distracted at the moment. She was busy having tea with your brother and Julian and I had…other things on my mind…]
Flashback: Sakura's Living Room
P.O.V.: Kero
Kero couldn't keep sitting still. For one thing…he had an itch he just couldn't reach. But what he couldn't take anymore was the utter boredom of being immobile like a…stuffed animal. And more than that…
~* Oh…I'M HUNGRY! *~
Kero looked up at Madison…and gave her a puppy dog look. She seemed to take the hint.
"Um…I brought a cake," she said. "But I left it in Sakura's room. I'd better…oh…I feel faint."
Madison pretended to faint and fell behind the couch, scooping up Kero while she landed.
"Are you ok, Madison?" Tori asked.
Madison quickly got up and giggled sheepishly. "I suddenly feel much better. I'll go get that cake now." Having said that, she dashed up the stairs.
Kero had to admit she did good back there. "Have you ever thought of becoming an actress?"
Madison blushed as she entered Sakura's room. Kero was almost salivating for a piece of that cake, but then he started to sense something.
"I sense the card," Kero said. "I'd better go find it…and hopefully find Sakura while I'm at it."
"Just make sure you're not seen," Madison told him.
Kero nodded and flew out towards Sakura's father's room. He looked in there one more time and once again, found nobody in there. He was getting worried. There was no sign of Sakura or the Clow Card. So he flew out of the room and found a small blue dot bouncing up the stairs.
~* Where have I seen that dot before? It looks familiar. Looks pretty small…little even. Little? LITTLE! And that means… *~
Finally putting two and two together, Kero rushed to the stairs. He looked at the bottom step and indeed he saw a shrunken Sakura trying her best to climb the stairs. Kero quietly flew down to the bottom step. Sakura was sitting on the rug, hugging her knees and sighing hopelessly.
"It's no use. I can't climb these stairs. I wish Kero was here."
Kero smiled and put his paw gently on Sakura's shoulder. "Hi."
It was a surreal moment. For the first time ever, Kero was literally face-to-face with Sakura. They were now the same height…actually, Kero was a little bigger. Sakura gave Kero a big hug.
"Kero, you have no idea how happy I am to see you! You wouldn't believe what I've been through. It's been just awful!"
"Sakura, calm down," Kero said softly. "It's ok now. Everything's going to be just fine. We just have to go find that Clow Card."
"But Kero, I don't have my key."
"Madison has it."
"She does?" Sakura asked, with a glint of hope in her emerald eyes. "Where is she, Kero?"
"She's upstairs. Hop on and I'll take you to her."
Kero let Sakura climb on to his back and then he started flying up the stairs. "We're looking for the Little Card. By now, you know that it can shrink people…even those with magical powers. To grow back, you simply have to touch it again."
"But where is it, Kero?"
"It's…RIGHT THERE!"
Kero could see the Little Card bouncing down the hall. It was at that moment that Madison, with her lousy sense of timing, decided to walk out back into the hallway. Sakura gasped in horror.
"Madison, WATCH OUT!! Go faster, Kero!!"
Despite having the heavy weight on his shoulders, Kero flew faster and managed to fly in between Madison and the Little Card. The Little Card couldn't stop itself in time…and crashed into Sakura. Sakura started to grow back to normal size…which wasn't good for Kero as he went crashing into the wall. Sakura went back to normal…and sat right on top of Kero. He felt as if a boulder had collapsed on him.
~* Oh…I never noticed that Sakura had such an enormous butt. She's going on a diet! *~
Kero couldn't hear anything at that moment. He couldn't hear Sakura call out for her Clow Key. He was in pain…but for some reason, Sakura didn't know when to get off. Kero finally heard Sakura seal the Little Card.
"Little Card! Return to your power confined! Little Card!"
Kero tried hard not to lose consciousness. But when Sakura sealed the Little Card, she still didn't get up. It was time for Kero to point out his precarious position.
"AUGGH! SAKURA!"
Sakura quickly got up when she heard Kero's anguished cry. Kero felt like a bug on a windshield.
"Kero, are you all right?" Sakura cried out. "I'm so sorry."
Kero moaned. "Is it over?"
Madison blinked. "We'd better get him some cake."
Kero's eyes widened. "Cake? Suddenly, I feel much better." Then he felt a sharp pain in his back. "Oh…no I don't. Maybe I'll feel better when I EAT the cake."
"And what happened?" Kero continued. "You ATE the whole cake!"
"I made it up to you, Kero," Sakura grinned. "Maybe this picture will refresh your memory."
Sakura once again held out the picture she found earlier. It was the picture of Kero sitting atop the strawberry.
"I didn't think my camera could zoom in that far," Madison laughed.
"I don't know why I've never heard that story," Li thought.
"We can talk about it while I take your measurements, Li," Madison grinned.
Li was taken by surprise. "Huh? You want to take MY measurements."
"Well…as long as you're both here," Madison explained. "I had an idea of…making you each a costume…that maybe you could wear together someday?"
Li was ready to protest, but Sakura piped up. "Sure, Madison. We'd love to!"
Madison blushed and immediately walked over to Li to take his measurements. Li just stared at Sakura incredulously as if to ask what she had gotten him into. But Sakura knew what she was doing.
She knew it would be…kinda fun to have matching costumes for once.
Any comments? Whoa, that was one of my longer works. But it's cool. I just want to know what you all think. Go ahead and tell me by reviewing below!
