The Choice
Written by Sakura-chan
The next day, Sakura and Tomoyo walked together into the classroom. As they entered, they saw everyone huddled around some desks. Sakura and Tomoyo put their stuff away and ran over.
"What happened?" said Tomoyo.
"It's Chiharu," said a worried Yamazaki. "Yesterday, none of her family came home. Their cell phones were never picked up and everyone is very worried. But everyone's more worried about Chiharu herself. She can't be comforted; she's been crying all night. And I couldn't get Chiharu to come to school. Her babysitter said no." At that moment, Mizuki-sensei came in.
"Class, sit down. Hai, Mihara-chan is missing today, with a most curious predicament. I am to help aide in the search for her family, so I'll just say something before school is let out…
"In ancient China and the West, there were good forces, but for each good force, there was a bad one to balance it out. This is very important. Learn it, and use it wisely Sakura." Sakura looked up, but Mizuki-sensei had already packed up and was leaving.
Later, the four of them were walking in the park. Up ahead was Yamazaki. Sakura ran up to him.
"Does anyone know what happened to her?" she said. Yamazaki turned, still worried.
"Iie. The doctors have came and looked at her, but she can't stop crying. The closest they got was when the doctor asked Chiharu,
"How do you feel?" She stopped and looked up and said, in a voice not her own, "I feel like I'll never be happy again." Then she started crying again…" A tear escaped from Yamazaki's eye. He quickly brushed it off.
"See you soon!" And he dashed off. Syaoran looked at Sakura.
"You know, we felt that strong magic yesterday…" Sakura's eyes widened.
"And yesterday they never came back!" Tomoyo clapped her hands, realizing something.
"Didn't Mizuki-sensei tell you something? About balancing bad stuff? Maybe this is it! She's got magical powers…" Sakura and Syaoran nodded. Just as they dashed off, Tomoyo stopped them.
"Sa-ku-ra! Did you think that you were going to defeat magic without one of my costumes? *Eyes sparkle*" Sakura groaned.
"Go ahead Tomoyo."
Later, decked in a new dress Me: You imagine, no? Sakura rang the bell at Chiharu's door. Her babysitter let her in.
"Try to comfort her. Almost everyone's tried." Sakura smiled and rushed to Chiharu's door. Inside, she was face down on her pillow, still sobbing.
"Chiharu?" Sakura said. She walked over and sat close to her bed. "It's me, Sakura." Chiharu sat up, still sobbing. Sakura looked into her eyes, and behind the red look the crying had given her; there was a deathly sadness that seemed to reside in her eyes. There was no happiness in those eyes, except for the slightest wisp of a happiness that had come from all this sorrow. Sakura took a breath and said,
"How do you feel?" Chiharu looked up at her. She said nothing, but continued crying. Sakura thought. What would make her happy? What would jolt her memory? Suddenly a face materialized in front of her.
"That's it!" she exclaimed, and dashed out.
At Yamazaki's house, they got Yamazaki.
"Have you seen Mihara-chan?" asked Syaoran, breathless. He knew Sakura's plan. According to what Mizuki-sensei said, every bad force had a good force to counter- balance it. If their predictions about Chiharu's sadness coming from magic were correct, then something that would make her happy would counter it, and they could then fight it. More particularly someone, not something. However, Yamazaki, not knowing any of this, was very confused.
"Of course I've seen her, she's practically my cousi-. Wait a sec. Watashi… I haven't seen her! Doushite?" He had barely asked that question when Sakura, Syaoran, and Tomoyo dragged him over to Chiharu's house.
Inside, Chiharu was still crying on her bed. Yamazaki approached her.
"Chiharu? Are you okay?" At the sound of Yamazaki's voice, Chiharu stopped crying. Lifting her self up, sniffling, she looked at him. Suddenly, a gray wisp flew out of her, and she blinked confusedly, wondering why she was in this room, and why Yamazaki was hugging her.
But the threesome didn't see any of this. They had run downstairs, after the wisp. Outside, in Chiharu's backyard, it materialized into the same sad girl Meilin had seen. But now, a second white mist had materialized next to it. Now facing the shabby girl was a second girl, with the same long dress, except clean and white. They both turned and looked at the threesome. Sakura saw that while the gray girl had the same eyes as Chiharu had had, the white girl's eyes were full of happiness. Looking at her Sakura realized that there was some sadness in those eyes. Sadness, she mused, that came from the knowledge that after all this happiness, there must come sorrow. Beside her, Syaoran was more interested in getting rid of whatever it was that was in front of him.
"Sakura? How should we get rid of this thing?" He said. Sakura turned.
"I don't know. Do you kno-" she was cut of by Syaoran. He closed his eyes. When he opened them, he said,
"Quiet. What do you feel?" Sakura closed her eyes. Suddenly she opened them.
"No. Not a CLOW CARD?" Syaoran nodded.
"But what cards are they?" asked Tomoyo, catching it all on tape. Sakura and Syaoran thought, then said,
"Chiharu had great Sorrow-"
"That was vanquished by the arrival of Happiness! That must be it!" Sakura took out her key.
'Oh key which holds the power of my star,
reveal your true form before me.
I, Kinomoto Sakura command you,
Release!'
Sorrow and Happiness! I command you to return to your power confined! SORROW AND HAPPINESS!' The two figures went into cards and fell at Sakura's feet. She picked them up.
"They aren't Sakura Cards, they're not even Clow Cards…"
"Well transform them then!" said Tomoyo, still busy using up her film.
"Right." Said Sakura, nodding her head.
'Elemental Card,
Discard your former might and be reborn
Under your new mistress, Kinomoto Sakura
SORROW AND HAPPINESS!'
The two cards changed into Sakura Cards and floated to her hand. She looked at them. Like all the other cards, their eyes were closed, as if there was something there that no one was supposed to see. Sakura looked at them for a while, then without warning fell over. Just before she fell, Syaoran caught her.
"What's wrong with her?" asked a worried Tomoyo.
"Nothing." Said Syaoran, "She's just tired. Transforming these cards took a lot of her power. I'll take her home." Tomoyo nodded, just as her bodyguards pulled up.
"Come, I'll take you there." Syaoran nodded and set off, wondering. The Emotions, as Clow Reed had called them, were a mysterious branch of magic that had more self- control than the Clow Cards. So, he had left them alone. 'For harnessing this imprecise branch of magic will bring naught but sorrow.' But there was another passage in the same book: 'Since I have the self- control of mind to leave these great powers alone, they are free. But there will come a time when someone, with less, will harness these, and great disaster will befall the world, if this one is not brought to heel.' Syaoran wondered, could this be what Clow Reed was talking about?
But he had no time to worry about that. He had arrived in front of the battlegrounds: Sakura's house. Here, the enemy had the stronger advantage. As he walked up to the house, the door was flung open and a tall man came running out.
"Why-do-you-have-my-unconscious-kid-sister?" Asked the man. Syaoran sighed.
"Touya, I didn't do anything, I was just bringing her home. Here." Syaoran shifted the Sakura into Touya's hands. "See you." He walked off. Touya looked at him strangely, as if fighting an inner desire. Suddenly, he burst out-
"Syaoran, I know what you were up against, and while I can't help you, just be careful- and- and protect Sakura while I can't. Because if ANYTHING happens to her, you will NOT wake up!" The familiar Touya came back and walked into the house. HE laid Sakura on her bed and sighed. Try as he might, his nightmare had come true. His precious Sakura was slowly becoming Syaoran's.
"Gaki" he muttered. Behind him, Yukito laughed.
"You are such a nice brother."
"Shaddup."