Author's Note: This chapter takes a unique turn. It IS the episode with the Cloud Card, but there's also another perspective that you may or may not expect. So enjoy.
Summary: Sakura's coming down with a fever, but before she goes to bed, she begins to remember the last time she was this sick. But what she doesn't know…is that big brother's watching.
Episode 43- Recalling the Cloud Card and a Dizzying Fever
"Sakura…maybe you should just go straight to bed. You don't sound good at all."
Sakura shook her head. She didn't call Madison to get a lecture. She could have gotten that from her father or Tori.
"Really, Madison. It isn't so bad. At least not as bad as most fevers I've had."
"So shouldn't you be getting some sleep instead of calling me?"
"Don't worry about me. I've dealt with a lot worse before. This is nothing."
"What do you mean?"
"Did I ever tell you about what happened seven years ago?"
"A lot happened seven years ago. Could you narrow it down?"
"You know what I mean. I was so sick, I could barely walk. Of course, I didn't even want to hear about it, because our poster was due that day."
"I remember now. If it wasn't for Ms. Mackenzie, you probably would have gone through that whole day with that awful fever. And luckily, Tori was there, too…"
~--------------------~
Flashback: Reedington Elementary
P.O.V.: Madison Taylor
Through this whole thing, Madison tried to keep a happy face. There was no use in dragging down Sakura even further. But there was no mistaking that Madison felt concerned for her best friend. She looked like a wreck.
"I don't want to go home," Sakura moaned. "I can't just leave you guys to do the poster by yourselves."
"Sakura, your health has to come first," Madison shot back. "We'll be fine. But you have to go to bed. Maybe I could walk you home?"
Sakura was being stubborn. "I feel fine." But as if on cue, she nearly fainted. She turned around and collapsed…but landed right on the chest of her big brother, Tori, who had just arrived.
~* Huh? I don't even remember anyone calling him. *~
Tori put a hand on his sister's forehead. "You're burning up, squirt. I'd better get you home."
"How'd you know?" Madison asked curiously. "I mean…how'd you know Sakura needed someone to take her home?"
"I just knew," Tori answered. He tried to lift Sakura up, but she was practically dead weight at this point. "Help me lift her, Madison."
Madison walked over and helped to lift Sakura by her legs. When it was all done, Tori had Sakura on his back. And Sakura had just about fallen asleep. It almost broke Madison's heart to see her friend like this. She wanted to walk Sakura home, too. Then she looked outside and saw a strange sight.
"Cloudy. Looks pretty thick."
Tori looked up at the sky. "Yeah, you're right. But I'm sure it's nothing."
"Um…Tori…maybe I could help you walk Sakura home?"
"Maybe it's better you don't. Sakura needs to rest and don't you have a poster due?"
Madison sweatdropped. "I guess you're right. Maybe I should just let Sakura rest."
"She'll be fine. If you want, you can come check up on her later. But right now, I'd better get her home."
Tori took Sakura on his back and left to carry her home, leaving Madison behind at the school. She should go back to her class, but she couldn't bring herself to make that long walk back. But finally, when Sakura was out of sight, Madison realized that there was nothing else to wait for. So she went back, but not before looking up at the sky again.
~* I may not have magical powers…but I don't think this looks normal. I hope it isn't a Clow Card. Sakura can't deal with one in the state she's in. I just hope she'll be ok. *~
~----------~
[Madison: I was really worried. I just knew it was a Clow Card.]
[Sakura: It was the worst time for a Clow Card to strike. But luckily, I was able to deal with it.]
[Madison: How? How did you get out of the house?]
[Sakura: I had my methods.]
~--------------------~
Flashback: Sakura's Room
P.O.V.: Sakura Avalon
Sakura was sleeping soundly, trying to get over this fever she had. But something woke her up. A sense. It was a Clow Card and that was all Sakura needed to get her out of bed. She started to walk up to her window, until…
"HEY! Where do you think you're going?!"
"It's a Clow Card," Sakura told Kero. "I've got to stop it!"
"But Sakura, your fever could get worse if you go outside. You're in no condition!"
"But just look, Kero!"
Kero looked outside and saw the same thing Sakura saw. The sky was engulfed by dark, thick clouds.
"This looks like the Cloud Card," Kero said. "And if we leave it out too long, it COULD get more powerful. I guess we don't have a choice. But what about Tori? Isn't he bringing you soup right about now?"
"Just leave Tori to me," Sakura said confidently. She reached for one of her cards, before Kero saw what it was.
"Sakura, are you sure about this? She's proven to be quite a troublemaker."
"Hey, she's the best chance I have right now," Sakura pointed out. "Mirror Card! Come out and assume my form! Mirror! Release and dispel!"
Just like previous occasions, Sakura found herself looking at her twin image. Only Mirror looked much more vigorous. Then again, Mirror wasn't tied down with a fever.
"Ok, Mirror. I need you to do me a favor and lie in my bed while I go out and seal this Clow Card. And when Tori comes in…act like you're sick."
Mirror nodded and plopped down onto Sakura's bed. With that, the coast was clear. Sakura rushed to her window and sneaked out of the house.
~----------~
[Sakura: So all that was left was for me to seal the Cloud Card. Of course, maybe Kero was right about me being in no condition…]
~--------------------~
Flashback: The Middle of the City
P.O.V.: Sakura Avalon
To say things weren't going well would be an understatement. Sakura tried to approach the source of the clouds directly using Fly. That didn't work well, because Sakura found herself being knocked off and falling to the ground.
~* Hey! It's not supposed to end this soon, is it?! *~
"Now, element: Wind!"
Sakura sat up and saw that something had saved her. It was Li's wind spell. When Sakura looked down, she saw that the wind carried her to the rooftop of a nearby building. Sakura stood up and saw that Li and Meilin had already come to help her.
Meilin shook her head. "Sick and still trying to fly."
Sakura ignored her and turned to Li. "Thank you, Li…"
"What are you doing?!" Li snapped. "How could you come out here in your condition?! You're going to get yourself killed!"
"But…I have to seal the card," Sakura responded. "If I leave it out, it'll cause a lot of trouble. Besides…I can't let you have it."
In a strange reaction…Li blushed.
~* Whoa. What's THAT about? *~
Li shrugged it all off and turned towards the clouds. He held up his sword. "Now, element: Fire!"
Li's fire spell released and thinned out a number of the clouds, leaving Cloud in its visible form. Sakura immediately noticed the resemblance.
"Hey, isn't that The Rain?"
"They look the same," Kero replied, "but this is the Cloud Card."
Sakura wasted no more time. "Cloud Card. Return…"
She couldn't go any further. Sakura's fever was taking its toll and she was about to collapse. But when she did…a friendly pair of arms caught her. Sakura looked up to see Meilin.
"Come on. You can do this!"
Meilin helped Sakura stay on her feet long enough for her to finish the job. "Cloud Card! Return to your power confined!"
Sakura honestly couldn't tell what happened next since she was so stricken by her sickness. She fell to the ground, but looked up just in time to see the sealed Cloud Card go to Li.
~* Well…he DID use the fire spell. I guess he deserves it. *~
But in a surprisingly generous act, Li walked over…and handed the card to Sakura.
"Here. I want you to have it."
~* Huh? He's just…giving it to me? I don't get it. Could it be true that Li really DOES like me? *~
Unfortunately, Li continued. "They'll all be mine anyway. You can hold it for now."
~* Nope. Same pompous jerk! *~
~----------~
[Sakura: Hey, Madison? Maybe I should tell you the rest of this another time. I'm starting to feel tired.]
[Madison: I understand, Sakura. Just get some rest and you'll be fine. I'll call you tomorrow.]
[Sakura: Ok, bye Madison.]
~--------------------~
There was no sound coming out of her room. Sakura was sound asleep…and Tori knew it. So he walked into her room and got what he was looking for. He quietly reached under Sakura's bed…and pulled out her scrapbook. Then he brought it back out.
"There's something I wanted to show you."
"Tori, I don't think it's such a good idea to take your sister's scrapbook without asking. You know…you're not even supposed to know she has it."
"Don't worry about it, Julian. I just wanted to show you a quick picture."
Tori opened up the scrapbook and turned directly to the page he was looking for. He pointed at the picture where his sick sister was posing with her twin image.
"Two of them?" Julian asked curiously.
"I guess I never told you this," Tori said. "Seven years ago, when Sakura came down with a bad fever, she tried to sneak out of the house. And she thought she could fool me into thinking she was still in bed. But she didn't know me very well…"
~--------------------~
Flashback: Sakura's Room
P.O.V.: Tori Avalon
There was something different about her. Whether it was the way she was eating, how much she was eating, or the fact that she seemed nervous, Tori could tell that this wasn't Sakura in this bed. 'Sakura' pushed her plate forward.
"Not hungry?"
"Not really. Could…you save the rest of it for later, please?"
"Sure thing, squirt."
Tori took the plate and started to walk out, much to his 'sister's' surprise.
"Um…shouldn't I be taking that medicine?"
Tori looked back. "You don't really need medicine unless you're sick."
The girl gulped. She could tell she was being exposed.
Tori went on. "You're not my sister Sakura, are you?"
The girl hung her head down. "Um…uh…"
"But we've met before…haven't we?"
The girl gasped. It looked like she didn't expect Tori to recognize her, but he recognized this girl all too well.
"Sakura's gone out somewhere, hasn't she? Where'd she go?"
The girl stayed silent. It looked like she didn't want to rat out Sakura. But little by little, Tori was starting to put all the pieces together. It was all starting to make sense to him now.
"I think I know what's going on. I'm starting to figure out where Sakura's been going…and what she's been doing."
The girl looked up. "Y-You know?"
Tori nodded. "There a lot of things I don't know about Sakura. But there are a lot of things I DO know that she hasn't picked up on yet. Maybe it's because of my sixth sense. I can see spirits and that's helped to figure everything out."
"So you DO know."
Tori nodded again. "Just do me a favor. Don't let my sister know I'm on to her. She doesn't want me to know about this and she must have a good reason for hiding it. You just get some rest, squirt."
Tori was about to walk out, having gotten all that off his chest. But he didn't expect the girl to get out of bed.
"Tori?"
Tori turned back around. "Yeah, squirt?"
"Um…if you recognize me…then…there's something I want to say."
"Like what?"
The girl sighed deeply. "I'm sorry…for what I did to you. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm so sorry."
Tori didn't expect an apology, but he was happy to have it. "It's all right. Don't worry about it."
"Tori? I also wanted…to thank you. I…I…I couldn't have found my way home without you. Thank you so much."
The girl ran up to Tori and gave him a big hug. Tori didn't even get hugs this big from his sister. He had no idea he had impacted this strange girl like this. He didn't even know who she was, but he had an idea of WHAT she was.
The girl was almost in tears and she seemingly didn't want to let go. So Tori wouldn't spoil her moment. He just…returned the hug.
~--------------------~
"I think out of all of them…she's the only one who knows that I know Sakura's secret."
"Um…Tori?" Julian began. "Just when WERE you planning to tell Sakura that you know?"
Tori thought about that. For seven or eight years, Sakura had lived her life thinking that Tori had no knowledge of what she'd been doing. But was the time for keeping secrets over? It was a question that had haunted Tori for years.
"I don't think I should say anything right now," Tori finally said. "But maybe you're right, Julian. I think I should let Sakura know that I know her secret…soon. She IS my sister…for better or worse. We shouldn't keep anything from each other."
"You could tell her your secret, too."
"What secret?" Tori sighed. "That I USED to have a sixth sense?" He remembered that he had lost his powers in a last ditch effort to save Julian and Yue from disappearing forever. Tori could no longer see ghosts.
"It would be nice," Julian thought. "Aren't there any spirits you've seen that you want to tell Sakura about?"
Tori thought about that…and then it hit him. "Maybe there is. In fact…it was later that night…after Sakura came home…"
~--------------------~
Flashback: Sakura's Room (Later that night)
P.O.V.: Tori Avalon
Tori just looked at the little girl on the bed, tossing and turning. There was no mistaking this time. This was the real Sakura…but she seemed to be getting worse. Tori took the thermometer out of her mouth.
"It looks like you've gotten worse," the concerned Tori said. "I'd better call the doctor."
Sakura moaned and seemingly fell into a deep sleep. Tori couldn't tell if it was from the exhaustion of the fever…or from being out of the house.
~* See what happens when you try to do magic with a fever, squirt? *~
Tori was about to walk out and call the doctor…but his sixth sense started to kick in. He turned around and saw a very familiar figure in front of him. She put a hand on Sakura's forehead. Sakura…smiled. As far as Tori knew, Sakura couldn't see spirits, but it looked like she knew who it was. Tori knew all too well.
"Mother."
It was Tori and Sakura's dead mother. She came in and kept her hand on Sakura's forehead for a few seconds before letting go. She looked concerned, but she also looked somewhat content.
"You'll be all right, Sakura."
Tori decided to break the silence. "Hello, mother."
"Hello, Tori."
"You came."
"I was worried about Sakura since this morning. But I can feel that she'll be ok." She kissed Sakura on the forehead. "Get well, Sakura." Tori's mother was about to leave, but he quickly decided to ask one more thing.
"Mother?"
"Yes, Tori?"
"Sakura…she has a secret…and I may have figured it out. Should I…say anything?"
The mother looked down at her daughter, someone Tori thought would have been the least likely of candidates to be a magical girl, and then looked back at her son. "She'll tell you when she's ready. Sakura may only be 11, but she has grown up very much. When the time comes, she will reveal everything, though that time may not come for many years. Until then…watch over her, Tori."
"I will, mother."
Having heard her son make that promise, Tori's mother faded back into the afterlife, leaving Tori alone with his sister. Tori knew he should leave Sakura to get her rest. But before he left, he looked back at his sister one more time.
Sakura had fallen asleep…with a smile on her face.
~--------------------~
"I guess she'll tell me when she's ready. She must not be ready yet."
"You think she ever will be?"
Tori nodded. "I think she'll tell me…someday. Right now…we'd better let her get some sleep."
Before Tori took his friend downstairs, he crept back into Sakura's room and crawled over to her bed. He slid the scrapbook under her bed and put it back in its place, so Sakura wouldn't suspect a thing. Then he took Julian and left downstairs.
~--------------------~
Sakura opened an eye.
She heard everything her brother said.
And she couldn't believe it. He knew. He knew all along. Sakura was shocked to say the least. But what also shocked her was that she wasn't the only one who had powers. Tori had a secret of his own that he had kept from Sakura.
A lot of questions ran through her head. It was something Sakura would have to deal with…someday. It had been more than seven years.
The time for keeping secrets was almost over.
Author's Note: Hey, I unwittingly stumbled onto a story idea. I seem to do that a lot. But what's unfortunate is that I'm already in the middle of two other works. So Sakura and Tori will have to confess everything later on. MUCH later. But it will come eventually.
Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and tell me what you think by reviewing below.
