Notes: Sakura meets a dead boy and doubts her relationship with Syaoran…lots of giggling from Meilin and Tomoyo and a dehydrated Kero.

Sakura and the Alternate Reality CardCaptor

Chapter 6- The Dead Boy

Sakura stared idly at the piece of pocky in her hand, in the distance she semi listened to Meilin talk about what she had been up to in Hong Kong since she had left Japan.

The three girls were sitting in her room, dressed in their pyjamas and huddled down in sleeping bags.

Syaoran was sleeping in Touya's room, which if her brother found out about; Sakura knew he would not be happy at all.

Kero had refused point blank to sleep in the same room with the girls, saying he wouldn't be able to stand the incessant "giggling" or their "girl talk".

Although, Sakura had a niggling suspicion that he was sitting outside her door, listening to every word, or annoying Syaoran.

'…So, anyway, school's not as good as it was here, in Tomoeda [1], you guys aren't there and it's just boring half the time,' Meilin finished, looking thoughtful.

Sakura's eyes looked up from studying her snack and she now watched the two girls chat.

'Meilin…' Tomoyo's eyes glinted mischievously, 'I don't want to know about school.  What about boys?'

Sakura dropped her pocky.  Tomoyo had been acting slightly out of character for a while now.

'Boys?' Meilin giggled, 'I know tons!'

Sakura rolled her bright green eyes and flopped back onto her pillow, thinking about getting her Walkman out to listen to music or just going to sleep.  She yawned as she thought about the last part.

'Tomoyo, who do you have a crush on?'

'Oh…' Tomoyo blushed.  She heard Sakura yawn, and changed the subject, 'we boring you, Sakura-chan?'  She asked, hurt in her voice.

'HOE?!' Sakura's semi-asleep state shot to awake and she jump about a foot in the air, 'Oh, no, Tomoyo-chan, I'm just a little tired, that's all.'

'Well?' Meilin asked, staring pointedly at Tomoyo, who blushed even more.

Sakura giggled at her best friends expression, 'She likes,' she put emphasis on the name, 'Eriol.'

'SAKURA!'  Tomoyo hurled a pillow at her friend, who hurled one back.

'Argh!'

'PILLOW FIGHT!'

*

Sakura slept, tired out from the day's events.  But she had a nagging voice in the back of her mind, not allowing her to dream or sleep soundly.

It kept on going on at her about Korede, that this wasn't ordinary and if she wanted Sakura's power to add to her collection then who else was in the collection?

She tossed from side to side, muttering as she slept, telling the voice to leave her alone, to just let her dream.

Tomoyo and Meilin had been woken by Sakura's voice, and they were discussing on what they should do it about it.

'Do you think she's alright?' Tomoyo asked, trying to get a better look at her sleeping friend's face.

'Tomoyo, calm down, she's probably just having a nightmare, who wouldn't after you've been threatened by a psycho who wants to add you to their "collection".'

Tomoyo scrunched up her nose in distaste, 'I don't see why anyone would do that.  It's just so…so…' Tomoyo searched for the right word.

'Twisted?'

'Yeah that, but…'

Sakura rolled off her bed, landing with a dull thump.  Her eyes didn't even flicker.

'Sakura-ch-'

'What's going on?'

Syaoran, dressed in a pair of boxers and a T-shirt [2], rushed in through the door, wide awake and alert.  He held his sword and his element cards in his hands.

Meilin and Tomoyo giggled, looking at him.

'Nani?!' He growled at them, wondering what they were giggling at.

'Hey, kid, next you charge into someone's room in the middle of the night, put some pants on first,' Kero muttered, whisking into the room, and sitting on Sakura's pillow, 'why is Sakura-chan on the floor?'

Syaoran blushed deeply, and hid out in the hall, his head looking through the doorway, both of the awake girls giggled even more.

'Nugh,' Sakura reached out a hand in her sleep, 'go away!  Just leave me alone!' she flipped onto her side, anger written on her sleeping face, 'just leave me be!'

Tomoyo reached a hand over to her friend, putting it on Sakura's shoulder and lightly shaking her, 'Sakura, it's a dream, wake up.'

*

A young boy stood in front of Sakura, a haunted expression written on his face.  His deep blue eyes terrified her right into her soul, and the way he was looking at her wasn't helping.

'GO AWAY!' She screamed at him.

The boy was looked younger than her, but he had an effect on her that she didn't like.  He could've been a ghost, with he's extremely pale complexion.  He had blue hair, scruffily styled, slanted eyes and he was rather tall.  He looked near enough human, but Sakura didn't trust that fact at all.  She backed away from him.

'Just leave me be!'

He looked at her, shocked, 'I can't do that,' he voice was cracked and raspy, as though he hadn't had a good drink in quite a long time, 'I need to help you.'

'I don't want your help!'  She tripped, and fell, flying backwards, landing on her back.

'Sakura Kinomoto, if you don't listen to me, you'll become me!'

'N-n-nani?' She choked out, to afraid to look at the boy.

'You'll become another of Korede's little slaves,' He reached down to help her up.

She frowned, how had he got to her so fast…

'Your lucky we had enough magic to come and warn you, and that I'm able to speak.'

'H-h-hoe?  I don't understand,' she looked at him, seeing those deep, pit less eyes which made her feel uneasy.  He still had hold of her by the elbow, obviously so she couldn't run away again.

'You're our last hope, she's stolen it…stolen it all.  Our cards, our guardians…'

His voice dulled, becoming background noise, as millions of voices built up in her ears, begging with her…wanting help.

She screamed out loud, falling to the fall when the boy let go of her elbow.

'Go-gomen nasai, Kinomoto-san, I should not of held onto you so long, you heard the voices of the ones who wish for you help through me, I forgot about that.'

Sakura's breathing came through in heavy, short gasps and her ears and head pounded from the onslaught of the voices.

'Wha-that was…'

The boy looked at her, 'Painful, I'm guessing.  But, it's nothing compared to the pain you feel when she takes…'

'Takes what?'  Sakura staggered to her feet.

'The--the,' the boy gulped, 'the magic you posses.'

'Nande?'

'She takes your magic, your ability to use the Clow Cards…she just takes everything.  And if you think that's sick…the way she takes it is…torturous.  Kinomoto-san, you have to help us!  You're the strongest, we heard her, and she said you were stronger than her!  And she has OUR magic as well as her own!'

'So-so you want me to do what exactly?  I'm not that powerful, I wasn't-I haven't had the Clow Cards for long, I-'

The boy cut through her rambling, 'You transformed the cards into the Sakura Cards, am I correct?'

'Hai, doushite?'

'None of us, not even Korede, has managed that; some of us haven't even got all the Clow Cards.  You-when Korede comes for you- have to go with her, and get it back, get our magic back.  She's a menace, the ability to use the Cards has gone to her head, any more power and she'll do the worst things possible.  We're all dead inside; our magic completes us.  That's why we need you.'

'I can't.'

He didn't hear he last words. He had gone and she was left in the blank, dark space in her dream.

*

Everyone was crowded round the mistress of the Sakura Cards, watching her sleep worriedly.  Syaoran smoothed her hair back out of her closed eyes, causing Meilin and Tomoyo to glance at each other knowingly.  Kero growled at the Chinese boy.

She tossed her head from side to side, like she was disagreeing with something…or someone.

'I can't,' she whimpered, 'just can't.'

 'Sakura,' Syaoran whispered in her ear, not caring what the others thought.  He heard the stuffed animal growl again, though, 'Sakura, wake up, Sakura.'  He took her shoulders in his hands and gently shook her, trying to get her to awaken.

'LEAVE ME ALONE,' she threw back a hand, slapping him in the face, not waking up.  Syaoran recoiled in surprise and Kero let out a loud whoop!

'Go Sakura-chan!' Kero laughed.

Syaoran glared at the Guardian Beast whilst rubbing his cheek.  He had never known Sakura could hit so hard.

Tomoyo gasped, shocked, 'What's the matter with her?' she demanded.

'I don't know, Daidouji-san,' Syaoran muttered, once again trying to wake up the slumbering Sakura.

'She doesn't like the kid anymore! Ha!'

Meilin chucked a sleeping bag over poor little Kero-chan's head to shut the Guardian Beast up.

'Hey!' The others, who were still trying to wake up Sakura, didn't hear Kero's muffled yells.

'Meilin-chan, go and get a glass of cold water,' Tomoyo ordered.

'Yessir!'

As soon as Meilin had handed Tomoyo the glass of water, Tomoyo chucked the contents of it over Sakura.

'HOE?  Touya, I'm getting up, I'm getting up,' Sakura spluttered, cracking her eyes open.  She jumped up in shock when she saw three faces hovering above her.

'Sakura?  Are you okay?'  Syaoran asked softly

'Apart from being wet and cold, I'm fine!' she caught sight of Syaoran's face, namely, the big ole red mark across it, 'What happened to you?!' she gasped, placing a gentle hand on the mark.

Syaoran hesitated, but Meilin butted in.

'You slapped him,' she said bluntly, 'it was quite funny actually.'

Sakura looked horrified, 'Gomen nasai, Syaoran-kun!  I didn't mean too, oh, are you okay?  Gomen, gomen!'

'I'm fine Sakura, it doesn't hurt anymore.'

'Argh!' Kero burst out from under the sleeping bag, 'it was hot under there!  WATER!  I need WATER!  And maybe some cake…but WATER!'

Kero did a double take when he saw them all staring.

'Nani?! I'm dehydrated!  The little girl threw the sleeping bag over me!' Kero coughed for effect.

Everyone sweatdropped.

'So…Sakura, were you having a nightmare?' Meilin asked, after an uneasy silence.

'No…not exactly.'

Sakura looked over at Syaoran, her eyes widening. He was wearing green boxers and a tattered T-shirt.  She promptly blushed.

/He looks sexy in that/ she thought, gazing at him.

'Sakura?'

'HOE?!' Sakura snapped back into reality.

Tomoyo and Meilin giggled [3], and Syaoran blushed as he caught Sakura STILL staring at him.

'Gomen!' she yelled, skittering backwards away from her friends.

/SHIT!  How could I do that?! Oh, Kami-sama! / She closed her eyes, wishing for the bright blush in her cheeks to go away.

'Er-,' Syaoran muttered, blushing deeply too, sending Meilin and Tomoyo into hysterics.

'The--looks--,'

'--On your faces!'

Sakura sweatdropped 'Shut up you guys!' she picked up a pillow and hurled it at the hysterical girls, just as Syaoran did the same.  Meilin and Tomoyo toppled over.

'Water…' Kero mumbled, looking on bewildered.

Sakura and Syaoran looked at each other, still blushing slightly.

'What was your dream about, Sakura-chan?'

Sakura sat and explained it all.

***

[1]- that's spelt right, isn't it?

[2]- Take a moment to picture it.  No really…… drool ^_^

[3]- AGAIN! -__- A bit to much sugar I guess.

DISCLAIMER: CardCaptor Sakura is © of CLAMP, and I don't work for them so I don't CCS.  I own Korede and the Dead Boy, that is it, oh and an empty Dr. Pepper bottle.

Tell me what you think!  Plz! *begs* Onegai?