Summary: In a continuing effort to get Sakura to open up to him, Li makes his way to her house. And while they're there, they begin to remember their Literary Fest.


Episode 46- Recalling The Light and Dark Cards and Sleeping Beauty


He couldn't take it anymore. Something was troubling Sakura deeply and Li still didn't know what it was. He tried to talk to Madison the night before, but whereas she was willing to help before, now she said she was keeping a secret for Sakura. It was obvious that Li was on his own and he would have to get everything from Sakura herself. He knew he couldn't help her if she wouldn't let him, so he went to find out. And with that, as the sun was setting, Li Showron (A/N: YES, I'm finally spelling it right) found himself at the window of his beloved Sakura's room.

He could see Sakura calmly brushing her auburn hair as she sat on a small stool, staring into…one of her longer mirrors. Li noticed something, though. It was being held by Windy. Li couldn't help but smile. Since the adventure with the eight crystals, Sakura regretted the time she lost and wanted to renew her friendship with the Sakura Cards.

Windy put the mirror down and pointed towards the window. Li had been spotted.

Without even turning to the window, Sakura realized what it was. "Thank you, Windy. Can you…leave us alone for right now?"

Windy returned to her card form and Sakura walked over to open the window. Li slid in and casually sat down on Sakura's bed. But this meeting was all but casual.

Kero sat in between Sakura and Li. "So what's up, brat? What brings you here?"

Li looked up at Sakura. "We need to talk."

"About what?" Sakura asked calmly.

"Sakura…I think there's something you're not telling me. Something's wrong, isn't there?"

Sakura frowned and sat beside Li. "Li…I told you I don't want to talk about it. I don't want you to worry."

"But I want to be there for you. I want to help you."

Sakura shook her head. "Li…sometimes there are things that I just have to do myself. This is one of those things. I have to figure it out and deal with it on my own."

"But we work so much better together."

"And there are some times when I just have to go it alone." There was a brief pause, because Sakura obviously had something in mind. "Like that day seven years ago…during the school's Literary Fest."

"I don't think we need the scrapbook for this one," Kero said. "Sakura remembers this day like it was yesterday."

Somehow, talk had shifted to a memory of the past. Things like that happened a lot lately. But Li was more than willing to listen. He wasn't about to cut off Sakura at this point.

"It started off like such a fun day. I just tried on Madison's costume…"


~--------------------~


Flashback: Backstage at the Literary Fest

P.O.V.: Sakura Avalon

Sakura looked in a mirror. She liked what she saw. Madison had never made a man's costume before, but it wasn't evident from this. The prince costume was perfect and she looked absolutely beautiful. Madison went the whole night without sleep making this costume and it showed. It was truly a work of art.

"Come on out, Sakura. Let us see you."

The ever-present three musketeers, Chelsea, Rita, and Nikki, were as excited as they could be and they wanted to see what Sakura would look like in her prince costume. And when the cherry blossom came out, she didn't disappoint.

"Sakura, you look so cool!"

"You really look the part!"

"That costume works so well!"

Sakura sheepishly scratched the back of her head. "Oh…Madison deserves most of the credit. She made the costume."

Madison looked on approvingly. "Yeah…and speaking of costumes I made…LI!"

At first, no one came out. Li was more than reluctant. And it took some coaxing from Ms. Mackenzie, who was standing beside the girls.

"Li, you look fine," she said.

"I won't come out!" Li whined.

"Please come out, Li. Let the girls see you."

"Uh-uh! Forget it!"

Eager to see what he looked like, Madison calmly walked towards the back and gently pushed Li forward. The sight…was indescribable. Madison had once again made another flawless costume. But the image of Li in a princess costume…was too priceless.

The costume was a pink dress with the usual frills that Madison would add in. But there was also a long blond wig that came with it. The girls were absolutely gushing over it.

"Li, you look amazing!"

"That wig is SO you!"

"You're so adorable, Li!"

The red on Li's face went nicely with the pink dress. "Why…do I have to wear this? And Madison, is the wig really necessary?"

"The wig completes the ensemble," Madison grinned.

Sakura suddenly heard some snickering. And it was coming from Madison. But it wasn't her, but her pocket. Sakura looked over to see Kero sticking his head out…and trying his best to hold in his laughter and stay hidden. But all that resulted was a series of stifled giggles. Li also saw Kero, and that put him over the edge.

"That's it! There's no way I'm doing this! I have my dignity!"

Madison let out a patronized sigh. "Oh, that's such a shame. There are so many people out there looking forward to seeing this play."

Li shook his head. "Don't care."

"Everyone we know is out in the audience…including Julian. And I know Julian was really looking forward to seeing this. It'd be just awful if we had to cancel because our princess has stage fright."

Li raised an eyebrow. "I do NOT have stage fright. It's just that…"

~* Hmm…maybe *I* can convince him. *~

Sakura walked towards Li and gave him a puppy dog look. "Li…we worked so hard to practice for this. Won't you please do it?"

Li wasn't amused, but he relented. "Ok, I'll do it."

Sakura beamed and led Li out towards the curtain. It was almost time for the show.

~----------~

[Li: We weren't even together back then, yet you could still get me to do whatever you wanted.]

[Sakura: But you were so sweet to do it for me.]

[Li: Then again, I only did it because of Julian.]

[Sakura: Oh…fine.]

[Kero: I'd never seen a play before. Never saw one when I was with Clow. So this was a new experience for me. Still, I wasn't expecting to see what I saw…]


~--------------------~


Flashback: The Literary Fest

P.O.V.: Kero

It was a good thing there was a certain Madison Taylor around otherwise Kero would out of luck on this one. Now Kero could watch this play in its entirety. The play's first scene began and with Madison as the narrator, the story would be easy enough to follow.

"Once upon a time, there lived a king and a queen. Their kingdom is prosperous and very peaceful. However, for the longest time, the king and queen did not have a child. One day, at last, a princess was born after their many prayers."

Out came that Zachary kid…dressed as a queen. "Today is the celebration of the princess' birthday. Ladies and gentlemen, you may present your blessings to the princess."

~* There's something not right about having a boy play the queen. But it is pretty funny. Not as funny as seeing the brat play the princess, though. HA! *~

The three fairies entered the scene. Coincidentally, they were played by Chelsea, Rita, and Nikki.

~* All three of them just HAPPENED to draw fairies? What a coincidence. *~

"For the lovely princess…"

"…we fairies have come…"

"…to present our gifts."

Kero was following the story well thus far. This would be the point where the princess would be blessed by the fairies.

Chelsea came up first. "Her beauty shall shine like the brightest sun."

Rita went next. "She shall have the sweetest voice that would lose to no one."

It was fairly simple story. Kero knew that Nikki would come up next. But as Nikki was about to deliver her blessing, someone else came in. It was Meilin.

"What a grand party it is today," Meilin said. "But I was not sent an invitation."

"Who would want to invite an evil witch like you?!" Chelsea shot back.

~* An evil witch? Meilin? Wow…I am SO surprised……NOT! *~

Meilin grinned. She was obviously getting into the part. "An evil witch? I wonder who that is."

"I'm sorry," Zachary stammered. "I was told you don't like merry occasions."

Meilin was REALLY getting into her role now. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's true that I don't like merry occasions. But I hate being neglected even more! So now…let ME give my blessing to the princess. With her beauty, her elegance, and her gentleness, the princess shall be loved by her people everyday. And then, on her 16th birthday she shall prick her finger with a spindle………and DIE!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

~* Hey, the little girl can act. Then again, this role isn't really much of a stretch for her. *~

"Oh, no," Zachary despaired. "What a terrible curse from that witch."

"This is too cruel," Chelsea added.

"Is there no way to break the curse of the witch?" Zachary pleaded.

Nikki walked up to the baby princess. "I still have not presented my gift to the princess. The princess shall prick her finger with a spindle on her 16th birthday. However, she shall not die from it. She shall only be asleep. A true love for the princess shall break the spell of the witch, and from the kiss of the person, may the princess be awoken."

This was the first play Kero had ever attended and he was enjoying himself. He was starting to wish Clow had taken him to see more of these plays.

"Everyone's doing so well," Kero whispered. "You too, Madison."

"Thank you, Kero."

"So when are Sakura and the brat coming on?"

"They're in the next scene."

~----------~

[Kero: Now when everything started to go wrong, I thought it was part of the show at first. It wasn't until my sense kicked in that I realized we had a Clow Card…or two.]


~--------------------~


Flashback: The Literary Fest (Fast-forward to the big part)

P.O.V.: Kero

Sakura was really doing well in her star role. Kero had to give her all the credit in the world. And even in her masculine role, Sakura had a way of making the prince's part seem more…glamorous. But Sakura could also do a pretty good action scene as she just demonstrated when she defeated the evil witch.

~* Why do I know the little girl will never let us hear the end of THAT one? *~

Finally, Sakura ran towards Li and recited the dramatic dialogue. "Oh! What a beautiful princess!"

Suddenly, a certain someone next to Kero sighed dreamily. "So beautiful…"

Kero looked up at Madison curiously. It caught him by surprise and from the expression on her face, Madison obviously was completely unaware she said anything.

~* She can't be talking about the brat. Then again, who else would she be talking about? So…why is she looking at Sakura? Eh, what do I know? I'm just a guardian beast. *~

The three fairies entered shortly after Sakura. "The princess can only be woken…"

"…by the kiss of the one who truly loves her."

"Kiss the princess, if you can truly love her."

Kero was really getting into this. He leaned forward to get a better view of the climatic moment. Sakura was slowly leaning over to kiss Li.

~* This is really good. I didn't think I'd get this way watching Sakura get so close to the brat. Wait…this feels familiar. Almost like…A CLOW CARD!! *~

"Sakura!"

Li sat up abruptly and caught Sakura off-guard. "Sakura, it's a Clow Card. It's Dark!"

Li couldn't get the warning out fast enough. Just before he identified the culprit as the Dark Card, Sakura…disappeared amidst the darkness.

~* Sakura………please be ok. *~

~----------~

[Kero: Maybe at the time, I was underestimating you, Sakura. I'd almost forgotten that you weren't the same girl that stumbled onto the Clow Book by accident.]

[Sakura: I learned it all from you, Kero. You helped me so much at the beginning that when I was faced with this, I was able to handle it well.]


~--------------------~


Flashback: Pure Darkness

P.O.V.: Sakura Avalon

Silence.

Darkness.

Sakura was all alone. There was absolutely nothing surrounding her. The audience, the stage, Li…they were all gone. Sakura was surrounded by a gloomy darkness.

"Li? Li?! Kero?! Madison?! ANYBODY?!"

Nothing. There was no response and Sakura was feeling so alone. But she started to remember the last thing that happened before darkness overcame everything.

~* Li said it was a Clow Card. Come on, Sakura. Think! What would Kero say? *~

Sakura started to roll all the typical Kero quotes through her head. 'Expect the unexpected, Sakura'; 'Sakura, you're a Cardcaptor! You do what you have to do'; 'You didn't choose this, Sakura. It chose you'; 'Sakura…I'm hungry! Isn't there any pudding?'

~* Isn't there anything USEFUL Kero would say? *~

'This isn't like the other cards, Sakura. It's a special card.'

~* That's it! This is one of the special Clow Cards! Now…what else would Kero say? *~

Sakura started to think back to a similar situation…back when she went after Mirror. 'You have to identify the card before you can seal it.'

~* Identify it. Right. I can do this. *~

"Key of Clow! Power of magic! Power of light! Surrender the wand! The force, ignite! Release!"

Once Sakura had her wand in hand, it was time for her to put her thinking cap on. Especially since this could be any of a number of Clow Cards.

~* Ok…there's nothing here. It's too quiet. I sealed Silent, so that's not it. There's no such thing as a Black Card…at least I don't think there is. What could make everything so dark? Dark? *~

"Dark Card? That's it!"

That wasn't all there was to it, unfortunately. Darkness remained and Sakura was still all alone.

~* This isn't like when I chased Mirror. There's something else I have to do. Everything's just so dark. But if everything's so dark…how come I can still see myself? *~

It was a case of bad timing. Just as that thought crossed Sakura's mind, she saw that she was disappearing slowly…being overcome by darkness. A chill ran down her spine. In a matter of seconds, all would be lost. And Sakura had no idea how to stop it.

There was a paralyzing fear running through Sakura. A tear rolled down her cheek. But Sakura then stood up again. She wasn't about to let despair overcome her. She wasn't going to give up.

"I can do this. It'll be ok for sure."

Sakura wasn't afraid anymore…and that's when she started to see herself again.

~* Huh? I can see myself. But…why am I shining? *~

It was a strange sight, but Sakura was shining. And seconds later, the light surrounding Sakura shot out in front of her…and confronted her in the form of a woman.

Sakura blinked. "Y-You're a Clow Card…aren't you? But you're not the Dark Card."

"No, Sakura. I am not the Dark Card."

"I-I don't understand. I thought I was looking for the Dark Card. How did you get here?"

"I have been with you all along," the card explained. "Ever since you broke the seal of the Clow Cards, I have lived inside your heart. And because you never gave up, you finally realized my presence and let me out."

Sakura wasn't quite sure what to make of this. She had a vague idea which card this was, but she felt the urge to ask. "What…Clow Card are you?"

"I shall answer your question with a question of my own. What shines in the dark?"

Sakura gasped. "Light!"

As Sakura said that, another Clow Card was revealed, also in the form of a woman. However, this one was different. Unlike Light, who shined through the darkness, this Clow Card was surrounded by a black aura.

"You're the Dark Card."

"I'm glad you noticed me. Light knew that you would be able to seal me."

"Of course," Light grinned. "I HAVE been living in her heart. You should be able to seal us now, Sakura."

Sakura held up her wand. "Ok. Return to your power confined! Light and Dark!"

Just as they were being sealed, Light and Dark went on to leave a final message for Sakura. But it was not as much a message as it was a foreshadowing.

"Good luck, Sakura," Light said. "We wish for you to be our mistress."

"You only need to pass the Final Judgment…and meet Yue."

Sakura suddenly had the urge to stop the sealing process and ask them about what she just heard. "Wait! Yue? Who's Yue?"

"You shall meet Yue for the Final Judgment. But you can overcome it, Sakura. We believe in you."

With those words, both Light and Dark were sealed…and the darkness started to fade away.


~--------------------~


"See, sometimes I have to deal with things on my own," Sakura continued. "Just like with the Light and Dark Cards, I have to figure this out by myself."

Despite hearing the whole story, Li wasn't giving up. "But we've always been there for each other, Sakura. I want to be there for you. Can't you tell me what this is all about?"

"I can't!" Sakura snapped. "This isn't about you, it's more about…family."

"Family?" Li repeated. Then he remembered the scant details he DID hear. "This is about your brother, isn't it?"

"Yeah…and I don't want to go any further. Please trust me, Li."

"Sakura…"

"Just trust me! I'll get through this, but please understand why I can't tell you!"

This was frustrating. Seeing Sakura like this was eating away at Li and he couldn't stand it. Yet something had her so afraid to even tell him what was troubling her. What had Sakura so scared? It looked like Li wouldn't be able to find out.

"Ok…I trust you, Sakura."

Sakura walked over and opened the window. "Li…I kinda need to be alone right now. Can you come back another time?"

Li stood up and walked towards the window. He was halfway out when he looked back at Sakura. "You know I'll always be there for you…right?"

Sakura nodded. "I know. But I have to be there for myself first."

Such ominous words and with those words, Li exited and Sakura closed the window. Li continued thinking about what could possibly scare Sakura out of her wits. Whatever it was, it had something to do with Tori as well. None of it made sense to Li. So he came with the only sensible solution.

Try to pry that secret out of Madison.


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below.