Episode two: Angel from the Sky
***10 years later***
Bright sunlight flashed on Nadeshiko's face in broad strips of light, awakening her from a deep sleep. She stretched her arms out, and happily smoothed out her bright bedspread. It was made of all different coloured triangles, and was about as cheerful as the girl in them. Her hair was still as golden as ever, but it was much longer than before. It swept down her back in waves, as golden as the bright sun outside. There was a knock on her door, and her brother walked inside. He grinned at his little sister, and handed her a big white box. She smiled at her brother, and took the box from him.
"Happy birthday!"
He happily said, as she undid the big bow. She opened up the box, and gasped. Inside the box was a creamy white dress, perfect for the formal dance that she was going to that night. She took it out of the tissue, and fingered the delicate pearl beading. She glanced up at her brother, who was leaning on her bedpost, looking at a picture that was on her bedside table. She looked at it, and she gave a sad smile. It was a picture of her mother, when she was in high school. She had shorter hair than what Nadeshiko remembered her mother having. She leaned over to her brother, and gave him a hug. He hugged her back, and pulled away, leaving a flower in her hair. Her brother walked out of the room, to try and save the burning breakfast. Nadeshiko got up out of her bed, and walked over to her mirror. She touched the flower in her hair, finding it was the flower she was named after. She took the dress that her brother had given her, and put it on. She opened her closet, and rummaged around for any shoes that would match. Finally, she found a black pair that still fit her, and stood up with them in her hands. She walked down the stairs, and opened the French doors that led in to the kitchen. Her brother was flipping pancakes, and her father was sitting at the table, reading the newspaper. Those ten years had not been kind to Syaoran, who was now 42 years old. His hair was greying, and there were many lines throughout his face, giving him the appearance of being at least ten years older. Nadeshiko set her shoes by the front door, and ran over to her father. She gave him a kiss on the cheek, and sat down beside him. Xiao Lang brought over a tray of pancakes, and sat down at the table. He dished them out, and Syaoran folded the paper. They ate in silence, until they were all done. Syaoran pushed his plate away, and smiled at his teenage daughter.
"I really like that dress on you, but did you forget that it is a school day? Xiao Lang has offered to drive you to school while he's here."
Nadeshiko nodded, and ran up the stairs. She opened her closet again, and brought out her uniform. It was a white pleated dress, with a black tee shirt. It was too hot for summer, but the person who usually redesigned the uniforms had been out of business for some time, and the new designer really didn't know what he was doing. Nadeshiko looked at herself in the mirror, and sighed.
"Well, at least I have a cool backpack."
She said, and picked up her pink backpack. I t was very pale pink, and it had dark pink embroidered Sakura blossoms. She traced the blossoms with her finger, then threw the back pack on. She opened her jewellery box to look for some jewellery, but none of her accessories looked nice enough to her. She was about to shut the drawer when she noticed that there was a silver chain sticking out the back. She pulled on the silver chain, and a long necklace came out. On the end of the chain, a silver loop was hanging, a small blue stone in the middle. It was tarnished, but she could she a few little pieces of silver sticking out the bottom. She took one of her old dresses, and rubbed the necklace on the dress. It took off all the tarnish, and she gasped at it's beauty. It was a silver half circle, with a small blue stone in between the half circle. It was a key.
"I wonder what it opens?"
She quietly whispered to herself. Her father called up the stairs, saying that she was going to be late. She pulled the necklace over her head, and ran down the stairs, the necklace hidden in her shirt. Her brother had the car running, and she hopped inside. He backed the car out of the long driveway, and drove down the street. He was silent, and Nadeshiko watched the scenery outside. They neared the school, and he stopped the car.
"Dad gave me this to give to you. He was.... feeling sort of sad today, so he couldn't give this to you himself." He handed her a small box, and she slowly opened it. It was a locket, made of gold, with an etching of a cherry blossom in the middle of it. She opened the inside, and there were two pictures inside. The picture on the left was her father, much younger, and a lot cuter than she ever expected her own father to look. On the right was a picture of her mother, with much shorter hair than what Nadeshiko ever remembered her having.
"How old are they here?"
Nadeshiko asked her brother. He took the locket from her, and looked at the pictures.
"Dad said a long time ago that Mom was given a locket on her sixteenth birthday from her father, that had been passed down in her mother's family for a long time. When she got it, there was a picture of her mother inside, and one of her father. Her mom was 16 and her dad was, um, I think
he was 27. She got a letter as well. Oh, there is one right there."
There was a piece of lavender paper sticking out of the box. She pulled the letter out of the box, and opened the slightly scented folded paper. It said,
"Dear daughter,
You are now sixteen, a year of many untold emotions and adventures. Although I am not here anymore to protect you, I know that you can pull through. You are much stronger than anyone believes, even you yourself do not understand that as of yet. I wish that I could see your face, hear your peals of laughter, and see your first loves. I was not all powerful as I believed, nor were all of my troubles over. I was naive, and that almost cost you your life. I wanted to say that I was sorry, and I wanted to say that whenever you feel as if you need to give up, don't. You needn't fear anything, because you are stronger than fear.
Love,
Sakura"
Nadeshiko wiped a tear away, and opened the car door. She put the necklace around her neck, and put the letter in her pocket. She walked off, and her brother pulled out of the parking lot.
It was a very long day, and it seemed even longer in the last twenty minutes. Mulan was staring at her with utter repulsion on her face, and gave a very rude sign with her black painted fingernails. Nadeshiko ignored her, but she could hear the other students in her class snickering and laughing at her. Finally, the final bell rang and Nadeshiko ran out of the stuffy class room. Michiyo was waiting outside for her, and gave her a hug.
"How was school?"
Michiyo asked kindly. Nadeshiko sighed, and draped her arm around her friend.
"Mulan is such a jerk. I don't know why she hates me so."
Michiyo shook her head, and opened the door in to her mother's limousine.
"Mulan's mother is Meiling, right?"
Michiyo asked. Nadeshiko sat inside of the limo, followed by Michiyo.
"I met her a long time ago, around the time your mother passed away. Even then, she hated you. Meiling was always mad at your mom, because she took away Syaoran. So I guess she passed the dislike of Sakura to her daughter, and now her daughter hates your family."
Nadeshiko nodded dismally, and she saw that the limo had stopped in front of her house. She gave Michiyo a kiss on the cheek, and got out of the limo.
"Are you going to come in? I'm sure dad wouldn't mind."
Michiyo shook her head.
"I'm sure your father wouldn't mind, but Xiao Lang would. Ever since we broke up, he has been very cold towards me. I don't think that he would enjoy my company very much. I'll see you later, when you come over, all right? Bye!"
Michiyo shut the door, and Nadeshiko waved goodbye. She walked in to her house, and ran upstairs to change in to her new dress. As she came downstairs, she could hear her father having a conversation with two other people.
"We need to find the girl who stole the staff! Ever since she took it, I have been sensing clow cards all around me, but there is nothing I can do to collect them. Sakura was supposed to be the mistress of the cards for a very long time, but when she died... Clow Reid did not foresee that event. Keroberos and I have a duty to fulfil to our new mistress, and so we must leave to find her. I do not trust this new girl, and neither does Keroberos, but we cannot live on the power of Sakura's star for much longer. Soon, I will need to become my alter ego, Yukito, for good. We just came here to say that we were leaving. We both... loved your wife very much."
Nadeshiko walked down a few more stairs, and peered in to the kitchen. A tall man with very long white hair was looking at her father, who had his back to her. A lion like being was at the side of her father, and looked towards the stairs, where Nadeshiko was watching them. She gave a little gasp, and backed up the stairs. The lion creature leapt over the island in the middle of the kitchen, and bounded up the stairs.
"Who are you? What business have you here?"
He yelled. Syaoran ran in to the hallway, and yelled up the stairs,
"Keroberos, this is my daughter, Nadeshiko."
The creature named Keroberos looked at her in surprise, and gave a small bow.
"I am sorry, but it is not very often that someone can overhear our conversations without our consent."
She nodded, a little shakily, and made her way down the stairs. She walked up to her father, and gave him a kiss. He looked down at her, and looked at the two necklaces that were around her neck.
"What is this necklace? I've never seen anything like it before."
He picked up the chain, and the charm touched his hand. He gave a cry of pain, and the necklace started to glow. She looked down at it in surprise, and suddenly, her eyes became as black as the night sky. She raised her hands in to the air, and said,
"Key that brightens the darkest of nights, I, Nadeshiko command you to bestow your powers upon me! Release!"
The silver key started to spin, and became a long staff. The insignia of her mother was under her, and pieces of earth swirled around her. She gabbed it, and silver light raced up her arms, and her body. Her hair lifted up, and she opened her eyes. Her usually honey-blonde hair was now as white as the man's that stood in her kitchen. The insignia faded away, and she was left standing with the long staff in her hands. They were all staring at her, and she looked around, scared out of her wits. She sat down, and dropped the staff on the ground.
"I thought that it was all a dream! How could this happen to me!"
The white haired man had walked up the stairs, and now he sat down beside her, arranging his long limbs. He awkwardly patted her shoulder, and she grabbed the staff.
"What is this thing, anyway?"
She asked, studying the strange staff. Yue took it from her, and took a look at it.
"I've never seen anything like it. It's full of energy from the moon, but also energy from the sun, the dark, and even Sakura's own star. Where did you get this?"
He demanded of her, and handed her back the staff. She looked at it, and gave a little sigh.
"I found it in my jewellery box this morning. I remembered it somehow, but it was all foggy, and I couldn't really remember what happened. Who are you?"
She asked, realising that she didn't know who any of them were. The lion gave a short bow, and looked up at her with honey coloured eyes.
"My name is Keroberos, guardian of the seal. The stiff, white one over there," he said, pointing his paw at the white man, who was looking daggers at the lion, "is Yue, the "judge""
Nadeshiko stood up, and looked closely at Yue. Her eyes opened wide, and she gasped.
"I remember you! You said that I could cry,...when mother died."
She ended the sentence in a whisper, that only Yue could hear. He nodded, remembering the young lady in front of him as a little girl. Suddenly, the front door was kicked open, and hit in to Syaoran. He hit the floor, and the door clattered on top of him. He groaned, and tried to push it off him. Mulan was standing in the doorway, and she came towards Nadeshiko, her fists raised. She hit her in the stomach, and Nadeshiko cried out. It was like having a stone thrown at her as hard as anyone could throw. Mulan snickered as Nadeshiko fell down, clutching her stomach.
"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"
She said sarcastically. She walked over to where Nadeshiko was, and raised her foot to give her a kick. She pushed her leg down, and Nadeshiko caught her foot, and twisted it. Mulan twirled around, and hit the floor. Nadeshiko got up, and stood over top of Mulan. Mulan kicked her legs out from under her, and Nadeshiko fell on the floor again. Mulan helped Nadeshiko up, and threw her in to the wall, leaving a dent in the plaster.
Keroberos was watching the girls fight, and was amazed at how fast they were moving. Mulan smashed Nadeshiko in to the wall, and he saw the mark that she left in it.
"No human can do that... but Mulan is not a card, she's the little girl's kid! Wait... Syaoran said something about Nadeshiko giving the cards something when he used the return card. Maybe she gave them the power to become humans... Oh I don't know! This is crazy!"
Mulan was punching Nadeshiko's face, but she kept moving her head, making Mulan miss every time. Finally, Mulan landed a glancing blow to her head, and Nadeshiko cried out in pain, her face instantly bruised. Mulan grinned, and wasn't paying attention when all of a sudden someone pressed a sword in to her back. It was a girl about her age, with blue-black hair. She pressed the sword harder in to Mulan's back, and she winced in pain.
"Fight card, reveal yourself!"
The girl cried out. Blue bands of light shot out of Mulan, and she fainted. The blue bands merged together, creating a light blue lady. She paid no attention to the girl with the sword, and resumed her fighting position. Nadeshiko lightly touched her cheek, and took a fighting stance as well. The card jumped in to the air, and tried to land on her shoulders. Nadeshiko ducked, and stood on her hands, kicking her legs in to the air. She kicked the Fight in the stomach, and she crashed upside down in to the wall. She groaned, and staggered to her feet. Nadeshiko rushed up to her, and punched her with right hook. She fell on to the floor again, and raised her arms in defence.
"Nadeshiko catch it! Raise your staff in to the air!"
Keroberos called. She skidded on the broken plaster, and picked up her staff. She raised it in to the air, and so did the girl with the sword. The stone in Nadeshiko's staff started to twirl around, and created a glowing card at the end of her staff. The fight card looked up at the girl weakly, before she was destroyed in to strands of ribbon that spun in to the card. It fell down from the tip of Nadeshiko's staff, and fell into her hands. It was an old fashioned card, with the Chinese symbol for fight on the top, and the English on the bottom. The woman that she was fighting against was pictured on the card, her fists up, ready to fight. She recognised the design on it, and gave a small gasp. The girl was still standing behind her, and was poking the sword in to her back.
"Give me the cards! They are not yours to have!"
She screamed. Yue unfolded brilliant white wings from his back, and barrelled right in to the girl. She gave a cry of protest, and slammed in to the ground. She stood up, wiping the blood from her lip.
"It does you no good to protect her, Yue. She has her destiny, and there is nothing you can do to change it"
. Yue glowered at her, and stood in front of Nadeshiko. She raised her hands in to the air, and deep black shadows covered every inch of her body, then she disappeared. Yue took a step back, and sat on the stairs, completely worn out.
"Keroberos, what does this card do?"
Keroberos looked up at her, surprised that she didn't know. He looked down the stairs at Syaoran, who sighed.
"I didn't teach her because I thought she gave all her power to the Cards, so she was powerless. I couldn't tell that she had any magic before, so how was I supposed to know she still had some!"
Syaoran cried, getting himself worked up over nothing. Keroberos bounded up the stairs, and laid down beside Nadeshiko.
"Those cards were created by Clow Reid, an ancient magician. He was the one who created Yue and me. You can use that card against any cards that you may happen upon. Now, usually I stay with the card captor, but there are two this time with staffs, and I don't think that girl is going to be a kind mistress. I need to go keep an eye on her, to make sure she doesn't do anything funny. Oh, I almost forgot. The next time you see me, I'll probably look different, and Yue will have switched in to Yukito again. He may even create a new person, I cannot be sure. Also, I must warn you. There are four elemental cards, Windy, Watery, Earthy and Firey. They are the most devious, and they are the hardest to catch. My luck goes with you."
Keroberos softly rubbed his face against Nadeshiko, and started to go down the stairs when Nadeshiko called for him to stop. She ran down the landing, and in to her room. She took out the drawer of her jewellery box, and felt along the bottom. Finally, she felt a rectangular shape under her fingers. She pulled it out, and brushed the dust off it. It was another card, the one that she had caught when she was five. She ran out on to the landing again, and held the card out for Keroberos to see.
"Huh? That's the Watery!"
Keroberos said with surprise. Nadeshiko nodded, and held the card close to her chest.
"I don't remember much when I was five, but when you mentioned the elemental cards, I remembered that I had hid this in my jewellery box. My brother mentioned that he wanted to get the cards, so I thought that he would want to take mine, and I didn't want him to."
Keroberos nodded, and walked out the door. Yue stood, and looked at Nadeshiko.
"Water is a strong ally. Keep your cards with you at all times."
He stepped out the door, and Syaoran shut it. He sat on the stairs, and held his head in his hands.
"Why does this have to happen again? I thought that you would be a normal kid, I don't want to have to see you fighting monsters. It's too dangerous, you're only a child. Actually, I forbid you to collect any more."
Syaoran said, using his authority. Nadeshiko stalked past her father, and started to get on her shoes.
"You can't make me do anything. The way I see it, the cards will just come to me when they think I am ready to capture them. I have no control over the magic that is in me. And father, do you really think that I want anything to do with magic? If you told me once, you told me a million times, my mothers magic was what killed her, but now I know differently. My magic caused mother's death."
Nadeshiko bit her lip to keep from crying, and walked out of the house, slamming the door behind her. The driveway was pretty long, and it took her almost ten minutes to get to the very end of her driveway. Michiyo was waiting for her, and gave a start when she saw the state of her friend.
"Don't ask. It's been a very long day."
Michiyo nodded, and walked beside her in silence. Suddenly she turned towards Nadeshiko, her eyes slightly glowing.
"Someone is going in to the past!"
Her hair rose up straight in to the air, and she glowed a greeny-gold.
"Nadeshiko, I have one of the Star Cards residing in my body, because I have vowed to keep the past safe from all intruders. But now someone has used the time card, and she has more power than me. She has travelled... 26 years in the past, to a time where your mother was sixteen. Nadeshiko, your very life is in danger!"
Nadeshiko was very afraid, but she knew what she was talking about. She nodded, and Michiyo reached a hand towards her.
"Nadeshiko, please take my hand! But I must warn you, it will be very dangerous to send you to the past, and you may not return. If you do succeed, you will not remember what happened in the past. Will you go?"
Michiyo asked, and Nadeshiko nodded. She gulped, and grabbed Michiyo's hand. Dark green light rushed around her body, and Michiyo held a clock in her hand. She took the hands of the clock, and spun them back 26 times, ending both hands at twelve o'clock. The clock started to glow, and shone so bright that it hurt her eyes. Michiyo held out the clock, and Nadeshiko took it in to her arms. It turned in to a glowing card, and then she fainted.
Ú?? *** 26 Years in the Past***
England, 20??
Eriol Hiiragizawa looked up suddenly, his face as white as the ghost in the story he was telling. Sakura, Rika, Tomoyo, Chiharu, and Naoko were having a picnic, and they had invited Eriol and Yamazacki along. When the story broke off, everybody looked over at Eriol, whose face was just returning to normal.
"Eriol, what's wrong?"
Tomoyo asked. Eriol gave her a long look, and she recognised his meaning at once.
"Magic.."
She quietly whispered to herself.
"I'll be all right. I think I need to walk for a bit. Would you two young ladies like to accompany me?"
He asked, offering his arms. Tomoyo stood up and took Eriol's right arm. Sakura stood up as well, but didn't take the offered arm. They walked in silence through the trees, coming to a small field that was the joy of the younger elementary children. Sakura broke the silence suddenly, by saying,
"Eriol, I know something's wrong. You looked like me when I hear ghost stories. Wait, when you turned white, I felt a slight presence, magic that was very weak. Was that what you felt? I didn't think that you would freak out over that. What's up?"
Eriol was lost in thought for a few moments, then said.
"I felt the presence of an extremely strong power just a few minutes ago. I feel it still, although it is not as strong as it was. I still think that you should have sensed more of her powers, you are much stronger than I am. Wait, maybe that person that has the power is somehow blocking their power from Sakura. But I don't think it is a benevolent force, it seems so pure, but that also may be a block as well."
They walked in silence once again, and suddenly both Sakura and Eriol stopped, staring up in to the sky. Black light was threading through the sky, forming in to a pulsing black, and twilight ball of dark light. Suddenly, the ball broke as if it were a exploding star in space. Tomoyo had looked up as well, and was astonished by what she had seen.
"Was that a black ball in the sky, or was that just me?"
She asked, surprised that something so magically huge had happened in full daylight.
"I saw it too. I can't believe someone could be so stupid to do that large of a magic spell in full daylight."
Eriol said, scratching his chin.
"Who could it be?"
Sakura asked, hoping that the older magician would know. He shrugged.
"It could be many things. It could be a spirit, like Soo Yun, or it might be just another magician showing off. I wouldn't be surprised actually, if it was just a magician showing off. Sakura, it's been six years since you started capturing the clow cards, and I am surprised that no one has come to see you yet. Clow Reid was a very famous magician, so it would make sense that somebody would come and see you. Wait, something's happening again!"
They looked up in to the sky again, and saw that dark green ribbons were flying through the sky, in to the dense clouds. They lightly touched the trees, and small pieces of glitter stuck to the ribbon. Sakura walked up to one of the trees, and one of the ribbons came towards her. Eriol ran up to Sakura, and grabbed her hands away. The green ribbon hovered in the air above Sakura, then shot out towards her, wrapping her hands in the glittering ribbon. She gave a gasp of dismay, as she was lightly pulled upwards. Eriol grabbed her leg, and was able to keep her from going up in to the sky. Eriol grabbed the ribbon, and gently untied it from her hands. Her eyes and become a light shade of green, and had been staring in to space, but when the piece of ribbon was taken off of her hands, she blinked, and held a hand to her head. Tomoyo ran over, and grasped her friends shoulders.
"Are you all right?"
She asked, fear and worry penetrating through her falsely cheerful voice. Sakura nodded, and looked up in to the clouds.
"When that ribbon touched me, it was like it was sucking all the energy out of me, like a leech. It must be an awfully strong spell to need that much magic."
Eriol turned towards Sakura.
"You could feel the magic?"
He asked her, and Sakura nodded.
"Do you mean that you couldn't feel the magic?"
Sakura asked Eriol. He shook his head.
"I gave half my powers to your father, so I am not as strong as I used to be. And I think that even if I had my full powers, I would not be able to sense that magic. Was it very strong?"
He asked Sakura. She shook her head.
"No, when I first touched it, it was not powerful at all. But once you pulled me off the ribbon, it felt like it had become stronger once it had a hold of me. It is a very strange magic. I want to investigate."
She took the Star Staff out of her shirt, and closed her eyes. The magic insignia appeared under her, and she called out,
"Key of the Star, with powers burning bright, reveal the staff, and shine your light!"
The key twirled around, and became longer. Sakura grabbed the staff, and she spun it around. She took a card out of her pocket, and threw it up in to the air.
"Fly Card! Release and Dispel!!"
Pale pink energy raced around Sakura's body, creating wings on her back. They had changed from what they were before, becoming longer, and more dignified. She lightly stepped off the ground, and hovered a few feet in the air. Tomoyo was rummaging around in her bag, and finally emerged with a camcorder. Sakura groaned as Tomoyo pressed the REC button, and turned towards Eriol.
"There's no one around, is there?"
Sakura asked, looking around. Eriol slightly closed his eyes, and shook his head.
"No, no one is around here, the closest person is about 200 meters away. Sakura, I'm surprised that you don't even know a simple location spell! I'll teach you, but you have to promise me one thing."
Sakura looked at Eriol in surprise, who winked at her. She smiled, and said,
"Well, Yue, Kero, my father, Syaoran,.... practically EVERYONE has tried to teach me, but its no use. The concept is beyond me. By the way, what did you want me to promise to do?"
"I want you to take me with you, when you look for the magic up there. Will I be too heavy for you?"
Sakura shook her head, and grabbed Eriol under his armpits. She flew up in to the air, and broke through the dense clouds that had been threatening to rain on them all day. Above the clouds, everything was bright, and the sky was the brightest blue she had ever seen. The green ribbons were up here, the ends a pale green, like they were transparent. Green slowly started to come up the ends, and became a very dark green. The ribbons floated around, and started to fold in to the shape of a human. They could tell it was a girl, for obvious reasons. The ends of the ribbons settled on to her chest, and her body heaved upwards, the ribbons slowly disappearing and turning in to flesh. She was floating in the air, small specks of light dancing around her. Her eyes slowly fluttered open, and she sat up, her body only resting on air. She shielded her eyes from the brilliant sun, and looked around her. She saw Sakura and Eriol, and looked at them in surprise. Suddenly, the pieces of glitter entered the girl's body, and she plummeted to the ground.
Sakura went in to a nose dive, racing after the unknown girl. They caught up to her, and she was muttering under her breath, her eyes tightly closed. Eriol reached out his hand to try and grab her, but there was nothing to hold on to except for her dress, since she wasn't paying attention to the two of them. Eriol yelled at her, and finally she opened her eyes. She grabbed his outstretched hand, and Sakura tried to pull all three of them up, but she was not strong enough.
"Sakura! The fly card doesn't give you any extra strength, it just enables you to fly! Try to grab the power card."
Sakura rolled her eyes, and tried to pull all three of them up.
"I know that! I can't grab the Power card, because I'm holding you!"
Sakura screamed at him, fear clearly showing throughout her voice. Eriol closed his eyes, and breathed slowly in and out.
'If only I had all my powers, then I could make us all float down. Sakura probably doesn't know that spell either, but its worth a try.'
Eriol twisted around, and looked up at Sakura. Her eyes were tightly closed, and she was using all of her strength to try and pull them up.
"Sakura! Do you know the spell for float?!"
Eriol called to her, the fierce wind causing his yell to sound like the faintest whisper. Sakura shook her head, trying not to cry.
"No! I'm not that far with my magic studies! We're almost to the ground!"
Sakura shrieked, all reason leaving her as she said those last words. She struggled to pull them up as hard as she could, but she was tiring out fast, and knew that Fly would not work for much longer if she kept trying to pull on them. The girl that Eriol was holding overheard their conversation, and looked towards the ground, with a deep fear in the pit of her stomach.
"I can't do this! I have no magic! It's my fault, I killed them all!"
She started to sob, and the tears flew off her face, the wind driving them back. But they didn't go far. Her tears encircled the three of them, and created a shimmering ball of light around them. They were only about 100 feet above the ground, and they stopped plummeting just as they were able to see Tomoyo's small figure recording their every move. The ball of light floated slowly to the ground, and they were on the earth once more. Sakura let go of Eriol, who watched as the force field slowly disappeared, and faded in to the girl that Eriol had been trying to save. The wings disappeared from Sakura's back, and she fell to the ground, breathing a long sigh of relief. As soon as the last droplet slowly dissapeared in to the girl's body, she started to wobble, and Eriol only just managed to catch her. Sakura looked up, and smiled at the girl who saved her life.
"I thought that she said that she had no magic. She must have been wrong. I owe her a lot, for saving both our lives. You owe her too, Eriol."
Eriol nodded, but did not answer the young clow mistress. He was looking up at the sky, and the clouds seemed to be darker than they were before.
"It's going to rain."
He said disgustedly, and as he said that a big drop of rain landed on his glasses. He brushed it of, and tried to pick up the girl. She didn't look very heavy, but she was taller than Sakura and Tomoyo, and he wasn't sure if he could even lift them by himself. Eriol grabbed her under her arms and under her legs, and slowly lifted her off the ground. She murmured, but did not wake up. He started to walk along the path that took them back in to the heart of the park. There was a clap of thunder, and then some large, fat droplets of water splashed on to Eriol's glasses. Sakura was walking off in front of Eriol, and Tomoyo walked at the back, folding her papers in to a large leather folder. Suddenly, the shower became a torrent of rain, and was thoroughly soaking everything on the ground. Eriol and Tomoyo walked calmly along, for Eriol had created a barrier that held off the rain. Sakura gave a little shriek, and started to run as fast as she could. Eriol tried to call after Sakura, but she had joined the track team, and was even faster than she was before. She left Tomoyo and Eriol in the dust, but they were dry, and she was not. Suddenly, the barrier around the three of them broke, and torrental rain plummeted on to them.
"I guess I can't keep up with thos spell as long as I used to. We better run for it."
Tomoyo held her papers to her chest, and ran as fast as she could, leaving Eriol alone with the girl as well. He slowly jogged the small path that led to the library, trying to make sure that the girl would not be dropped.
Sakura ran out of the park, and turned up the street that led to the library. She pushed open the heavy oak doors, and sank in to a bright orange chair, her hair dripping all over it. She wrung out her shoulder length hair, splattering water on to the linoleum floor. She sat there for a few minutes, then the door opened again, revealing Eriol, Tomoyo and the girl. She looked at their semi-dry clothes, and gave a little groan.
"I can't believe that I didn't use that spell! I mean, how can someone be so stupid? If I had stayed around for a little longer, I could have made sure that none of us got wet. I'm sorry, Eriol, that was very selfish of me"
Sakura said, and asked Tomoyo if the rain had stopped yet. Tomoyo took a glance outside, and nodded.
"Its stopped raining outside. You all can come over to my house, my mom's not home. Wait..."
Tomoyo's cell phone rang, and she pressed the TALK button.
"Hello? Yes, Yes. All right, I'll see you later."
She turned it off, and sighed.
"That was my mom. She was coming back home tonight, but decided that she was going to surprise me by coming home early. I'm not afraid that she'll find a big mess, but she will if we go to my house, with this girl. We are all soaking wet, and we'll create huge puddles on the floor. Sakura, can we go to your house? Mom's not exactly lenient when she has just come home on a huge business trip."
Sakura nodded, and Eriol walked out the library door.
"We better get her over to your house Sakura. She's drained of her powers, and she's wet. I'm sure that she'll get a cold if she doesn't get out of these clothes."
Sakura and Tomoyo ran after him, and they walked together up the street that led to Sakura's house. Sakura unlocked the door with a key from her bag, and walked inside. She slipped off her shoes, and entered the front hall, followed by Tomoyo and Eriol.
"Toya, are you home?"
Sakura called out, crossing her fingers that he wasn't.
"Yea, I'm here."
Toya said, without any enthusiasm. Eriol placed the girl on the couch, and sat on a chair that was over by the window. Toya walked in to the room, wearing a apron and drying a dish. He gave a slight bow to Tomoyo, but stared when he saw Eriol.
"What's he doing here?"
Toya said, pointing at Eriol. Sakura sighed.
"There was a... magical disturbance earlier this afternoon. Eriol had come for a visit, but now I think that he might have to stay for a longer amount of time. I don't think that my problems with magic are over yet."
Sakura huffed, and sat on a chair beside Tomoyo.
"Who's this?"
Toya asked, pointing at the girl that was on the couch. Sakura shrugged.
"I don't know. She appeared in the sky, and started to fall down once she had swallowed enough magic. She had some strange magic..."
Sakura said, trailing off. Toya was staring down at the girl, and the girl blinked once, then opened her eyes. She looked up at Toya, and gave a shriek of surprise. She struggled to sit up, and scooted to the far end of the couch. She looked at them all in surprise, her eyes huge. Sakura stood up, and sat on the couch beside her.
"My name's Sakura. We found you, and we took you to my house. What's your name?"
Sakura asked her, and grinned. The girl blinked slowly, and smiled as well, the cheery expression on Sakura's face clearing out any of her worries.
"My name is Nadeshiko. I hate to be rude, but where am I? I know I'm in your home, but which city? I don't seem to remember much."
Nadeshiko had left a puddle of water on the couch, and grinned sheepishly.
"Sorry."
She said, but Sakura shook her head.
"Don't worry about it, I'll clean it up later. We're in Tomoeda, Japan. Did you bump your head or something?"
Nadeshiko shook her head, and bit on to her lower lip.
'It's true. Michiyo brought me in to the past. She's my ... mother, but only younger.'
"Thank you, my head was just feeling a little fuzzy. AAAAAAACCCHOOOOOO!!"
Nadeshiko yelled, covering her face with her hands. She suddenly felt tired, and her whole body was all clammy, freezing cold under all of her wet clothes. She sneezed again, and Toya took a worried look at her.
"Sakura, you better lend her some clothes. Sounds like she's getting a cold. Jeez, Sakura, I thought you would take better care of your guests."
Toya said, cringing as Sakura threw the wet towel that she was using to mop up the water at him. Eriol grinned, and Tomoyo giggled, enjoying the sibling rivalry. Sakura ran up the stairs to her room, and rummaged around her drawers to find a suitable outfit. She ran back downstairs, and handed the clothes to Nadeshiko. Nadeshiko smiled, and stood up to thank Sakura. Sakura stared at her, and laughed.
"I don't think that my clothes will fit you."
Toya looked down at her, and realized what his little sister meant. He put his hand on top of Nadeshiko's head, and measured her on to him. She came up to just below his eyes. Toya laughed.
"You're right Sakura, she won't fit in to anything that you have. Since you guys are all shorter than she is, except for brat numero two over there, I'll lend her something of mine to wear. All right?"
Sakura frowned at him, and rubbed her arms to keep warm.
"But Toya, you're a guy and she's a..."
Toya interrupted Sakura in mid-sentence. He cocked an eyebrow at Sakura, and crossed his arms.
"If you have a better idea...."
Toya said, walking away. Sakura laughed nervously, and grabbed her brother.
"No. Thank you! Are you going to get some clothes for her?"
Sakura asked her brother as he walked out of the room. There was an answering grunt, and Sakura sighed in relief.
"I'll go get a towel for you to dry yourself off."
Sakura disappeared around the doorway, and Tomoyo turned to Nadeshiko.
"I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Tomoyo Daidouji. This is Eriol Hiiragizawa."
Tomoyo said, pointing to Eriol. Nadeshiko smiled, and held her hand out to Eriol.
"I thank you for saving me."
She said, and grinned reassuringly. Eriol stared at her for a few seconds, then hesitantly took her hand. It was surprisingly warm for someone sitting in wet clothes. Eriol grinned at her, and released his hand from her grip.
"It's me who should be thanking you. Sakura and I both owe our lives to you."
Nadeshiko slightly blushed, and shook her head.
"Oh no, I didn't so anything. It wasn't me."
Eriol looked at her quizzically.
"What do you mean? Of course it was you! You have extremely strong mag..."
Eriol was interrupted by Tomoyo, who had accidentally dropped her video camera. She picked it up, and inspected it all over, making sure that everything was in place. She finally turned the POWER button and aimed the camera at Nadeshiko. She smiled, and sighed in relief.
"I thought for a minute there that I had lost all of my footage!"
She exclaimed. Nadeshiko turned towards her, and Tomoyo handed her the camera.
"You weren't worried that the camera could have been broken?"
Nadeshiko asked her, looking through the camera lens. Tomoyo took back the camera, and pressed a button, revealing a digital screen.
"No, I wasn't worried. The newest models aren't breakable and are made with extremely durable plastic. Here, I want you to take a look at this. I know that you saved my friends."
Tomoyo turned the camera over to Nadeshiko, and pressed play.
The screen was fuzzy for a second, and replayed the scene that had happened only a half hour before. When it was finally over, Nadeshiko looked worriedly up at Eriol.
"I'm sorry."
She said, waiting for him to say something to her. When he did say something to her, it wasn't what she was expecting him to say.
"S-sorry?! What do you mean? It was great that you were able to do that spell in such a short period of time, and be able to make it so strong. Who taught you?"
Nadeshiko gave a smirk.
"To tell you the truth, I wasn't taught at all. I eavesdropped in on my brother's training, and it took me two tries while falling to finally be able to do it. My father didn't want me to learn any magic."
Nadeshiko said, and gathered her skirt in to a fist. At that moment, Toya entered the room and looked from one teenager to the other. He shook his head and shrugged.
"I'm not going to ask. Here."
Toya handed Nadeshiko a shirt and a pair of pants, and a pair of Sakura's socks.
"Arigato, Toya. Oh, where can I change?"
She asked him. He was about to reply, when Sakura dashed in to the room.
"Sorry it took so long, but all the towels were in the dryer, 'cause SOMEONE didn't do their job this week."
Sakura said, glaring up at Toya. He glared back down at her, and they both would have stood there for quite awhile if Eriol hadn't cleared his throught. Sakura glared at her brother one last time, and then turned towards Nadeshiko, who was staring at the two of them. Sakura took her arm, and slowly pulled her off the couch.
"Oh, I'll take you to the washroom."
Sakura said, and took Nadeshiko to the rear of the house. She opened the door to the bathroom, and let Nadeshiko in. She thanked Sakura, and closed the bathroom door behind her. She took off her wet bodice and dress, and towelled herself off. She pulled on the clothing that Toya had got for her, and brushed her hair with a comb that was lying on the counter. Her hair was curly again, and it was almost dry. She sighed in relief and opened the bathroom door. Sakura was waiting outside, and grinned up at Nadeshiko.
"Wow, you're really pretty. Oh, you better watch out for Tomoyo, she'll probably want to record you."
Nadeshiko laughed, and walked over to where Sakura was standing.
"Thank you very much, for everything. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come when you did."
At that moment, Nadeshiko's stomach gurgled, and she clutched at it. She rested her hand on the wall, and closed her eyes.
"What's wrong?"
Sakura asked, looking very worried. Nadeshiko shook her head, and took a few minutes to gather herself together.
"I think its jet leg or something. I'll be all right in a few seconds."
Sakura watched her, and she did seem to be getting better. She breathed a long sigh in relief, and broke in to a sunny smile.
"I'm okay now, but I'm really hungry. I haven't eaten anything since breakfast, and even then I didn't eat very much."
Sakura smiled, and went back in to the kitchen. Tomoyo and Eriol were still in the living room, and they were having a heated discussion over Mozart and Beethoven, trying to fight out who was the better composer. Toya was in the kitchen, and he was making a stir-fry. There was cutlery on the table for five, and Sakura sat herself down. Toya came over with two plates and set them in front of Nadeshiko and Sakura. Nadeshiko murmured a thank you, and dug in. Sakura watched her, trying not to laugh.
'She looks like Yuki when he's really hungry!'
"So , where are your parents?"
Nadeshiko asked Sakura. Sakura smiled.
"My dad's over in Egypt, studying the pyramids. My mother died when I was very little. Who do you stay with?"
Sakura asked Nadeshiko. Nadeshiko's eyes clouded over, and she wiped away tears that were threatening to fall down her cheeks.
"I live with my father as well, and my mom... died when I was little. I.. was the cause of her death."
Nadeshiko stared straight at Sakura, and Sakura swallowed her food nervously.
"What do you mea.."
Toya interrupted his sister, and pointed his finger at Nadeshiko. His eyes were wide open and the fork in his mouth was dangling out. Sakura turned around, and put a hand on her face in surprise. Nadeshiko's eyes were black, and her hair floated softly in the air behind her. She pointed her finger at Toya, and said softly,
"You are in danger."
***10 years later***
Bright sunlight flashed on Nadeshiko's face in broad strips of light, awakening her from a deep sleep. She stretched her arms out, and happily smoothed out her bright bedspread. It was made of all different coloured triangles, and was about as cheerful as the girl in them. Her hair was still as golden as ever, but it was much longer than before. It swept down her back in waves, as golden as the bright sun outside. There was a knock on her door, and her brother walked inside. He grinned at his little sister, and handed her a big white box. She smiled at her brother, and took the box from him.
"Happy birthday!"
He happily said, as she undid the big bow. She opened up the box, and gasped. Inside the box was a creamy white dress, perfect for the formal dance that she was going to that night. She took it out of the tissue, and fingered the delicate pearl beading. She glanced up at her brother, who was leaning on her bedpost, looking at a picture that was on her bedside table. She looked at it, and she gave a sad smile. It was a picture of her mother, when she was in high school. She had shorter hair than what Nadeshiko remembered her mother having. She leaned over to her brother, and gave him a hug. He hugged her back, and pulled away, leaving a flower in her hair. Her brother walked out of the room, to try and save the burning breakfast. Nadeshiko got up out of her bed, and walked over to her mirror. She touched the flower in her hair, finding it was the flower she was named after. She took the dress that her brother had given her, and put it on. She opened her closet, and rummaged around for any shoes that would match. Finally, she found a black pair that still fit her, and stood up with them in her hands. She walked down the stairs, and opened the French doors that led in to the kitchen. Her brother was flipping pancakes, and her father was sitting at the table, reading the newspaper. Those ten years had not been kind to Syaoran, who was now 42 years old. His hair was greying, and there were many lines throughout his face, giving him the appearance of being at least ten years older. Nadeshiko set her shoes by the front door, and ran over to her father. She gave him a kiss on the cheek, and sat down beside him. Xiao Lang brought over a tray of pancakes, and sat down at the table. He dished them out, and Syaoran folded the paper. They ate in silence, until they were all done. Syaoran pushed his plate away, and smiled at his teenage daughter.
"I really like that dress on you, but did you forget that it is a school day? Xiao Lang has offered to drive you to school while he's here."
Nadeshiko nodded, and ran up the stairs. She opened her closet again, and brought out her uniform. It was a white pleated dress, with a black tee shirt. It was too hot for summer, but the person who usually redesigned the uniforms had been out of business for some time, and the new designer really didn't know what he was doing. Nadeshiko looked at herself in the mirror, and sighed.
"Well, at least I have a cool backpack."
She said, and picked up her pink backpack. I t was very pale pink, and it had dark pink embroidered Sakura blossoms. She traced the blossoms with her finger, then threw the back pack on. She opened her jewellery box to look for some jewellery, but none of her accessories looked nice enough to her. She was about to shut the drawer when she noticed that there was a silver chain sticking out the back. She pulled on the silver chain, and a long necklace came out. On the end of the chain, a silver loop was hanging, a small blue stone in the middle. It was tarnished, but she could she a few little pieces of silver sticking out the bottom. She took one of her old dresses, and rubbed the necklace on the dress. It took off all the tarnish, and she gasped at it's beauty. It was a silver half circle, with a small blue stone in between the half circle. It was a key.
"I wonder what it opens?"
She quietly whispered to herself. Her father called up the stairs, saying that she was going to be late. She pulled the necklace over her head, and ran down the stairs, the necklace hidden in her shirt. Her brother had the car running, and she hopped inside. He backed the car out of the long driveway, and drove down the street. He was silent, and Nadeshiko watched the scenery outside. They neared the school, and he stopped the car.
"Dad gave me this to give to you. He was.... feeling sort of sad today, so he couldn't give this to you himself." He handed her a small box, and she slowly opened it. It was a locket, made of gold, with an etching of a cherry blossom in the middle of it. She opened the inside, and there were two pictures inside. The picture on the left was her father, much younger, and a lot cuter than she ever expected her own father to look. On the right was a picture of her mother, with much shorter hair than what Nadeshiko ever remembered her having.
"How old are they here?"
Nadeshiko asked her brother. He took the locket from her, and looked at the pictures.
"Dad said a long time ago that Mom was given a locket on her sixteenth birthday from her father, that had been passed down in her mother's family for a long time. When she got it, there was a picture of her mother inside, and one of her father. Her mom was 16 and her dad was, um, I think
he was 27. She got a letter as well. Oh, there is one right there."
There was a piece of lavender paper sticking out of the box. She pulled the letter out of the box, and opened the slightly scented folded paper. It said,
"Dear daughter,
You are now sixteen, a year of many untold emotions and adventures. Although I am not here anymore to protect you, I know that you can pull through. You are much stronger than anyone believes, even you yourself do not understand that as of yet. I wish that I could see your face, hear your peals of laughter, and see your first loves. I was not all powerful as I believed, nor were all of my troubles over. I was naive, and that almost cost you your life. I wanted to say that I was sorry, and I wanted to say that whenever you feel as if you need to give up, don't. You needn't fear anything, because you are stronger than fear.
Love,
Sakura"
Nadeshiko wiped a tear away, and opened the car door. She put the necklace around her neck, and put the letter in her pocket. She walked off, and her brother pulled out of the parking lot.
It was a very long day, and it seemed even longer in the last twenty minutes. Mulan was staring at her with utter repulsion on her face, and gave a very rude sign with her black painted fingernails. Nadeshiko ignored her, but she could hear the other students in her class snickering and laughing at her. Finally, the final bell rang and Nadeshiko ran out of the stuffy class room. Michiyo was waiting outside for her, and gave her a hug.
"How was school?"
Michiyo asked kindly. Nadeshiko sighed, and draped her arm around her friend.
"Mulan is such a jerk. I don't know why she hates me so."
Michiyo shook her head, and opened the door in to her mother's limousine.
"Mulan's mother is Meiling, right?"
Michiyo asked. Nadeshiko sat inside of the limo, followed by Michiyo.
"I met her a long time ago, around the time your mother passed away. Even then, she hated you. Meiling was always mad at your mom, because she took away Syaoran. So I guess she passed the dislike of Sakura to her daughter, and now her daughter hates your family."
Nadeshiko nodded dismally, and she saw that the limo had stopped in front of her house. She gave Michiyo a kiss on the cheek, and got out of the limo.
"Are you going to come in? I'm sure dad wouldn't mind."
Michiyo shook her head.
"I'm sure your father wouldn't mind, but Xiao Lang would. Ever since we broke up, he has been very cold towards me. I don't think that he would enjoy my company very much. I'll see you later, when you come over, all right? Bye!"
Michiyo shut the door, and Nadeshiko waved goodbye. She walked in to her house, and ran upstairs to change in to her new dress. As she came downstairs, she could hear her father having a conversation with two other people.
"We need to find the girl who stole the staff! Ever since she took it, I have been sensing clow cards all around me, but there is nothing I can do to collect them. Sakura was supposed to be the mistress of the cards for a very long time, but when she died... Clow Reid did not foresee that event. Keroberos and I have a duty to fulfil to our new mistress, and so we must leave to find her. I do not trust this new girl, and neither does Keroberos, but we cannot live on the power of Sakura's star for much longer. Soon, I will need to become my alter ego, Yukito, for good. We just came here to say that we were leaving. We both... loved your wife very much."
Nadeshiko walked down a few more stairs, and peered in to the kitchen. A tall man with very long white hair was looking at her father, who had his back to her. A lion like being was at the side of her father, and looked towards the stairs, where Nadeshiko was watching them. She gave a little gasp, and backed up the stairs. The lion creature leapt over the island in the middle of the kitchen, and bounded up the stairs.
"Who are you? What business have you here?"
He yelled. Syaoran ran in to the hallway, and yelled up the stairs,
"Keroberos, this is my daughter, Nadeshiko."
The creature named Keroberos looked at her in surprise, and gave a small bow.
"I am sorry, but it is not very often that someone can overhear our conversations without our consent."
She nodded, a little shakily, and made her way down the stairs. She walked up to her father, and gave him a kiss. He looked down at her, and looked at the two necklaces that were around her neck.
"What is this necklace? I've never seen anything like it before."
He picked up the chain, and the charm touched his hand. He gave a cry of pain, and the necklace started to glow. She looked down at it in surprise, and suddenly, her eyes became as black as the night sky. She raised her hands in to the air, and said,
"Key that brightens the darkest of nights, I, Nadeshiko command you to bestow your powers upon me! Release!"
The silver key started to spin, and became a long staff. The insignia of her mother was under her, and pieces of earth swirled around her. She gabbed it, and silver light raced up her arms, and her body. Her hair lifted up, and she opened her eyes. Her usually honey-blonde hair was now as white as the man's that stood in her kitchen. The insignia faded away, and she was left standing with the long staff in her hands. They were all staring at her, and she looked around, scared out of her wits. She sat down, and dropped the staff on the ground.
"I thought that it was all a dream! How could this happen to me!"
The white haired man had walked up the stairs, and now he sat down beside her, arranging his long limbs. He awkwardly patted her shoulder, and she grabbed the staff.
"What is this thing, anyway?"
She asked, studying the strange staff. Yue took it from her, and took a look at it.
"I've never seen anything like it. It's full of energy from the moon, but also energy from the sun, the dark, and even Sakura's own star. Where did you get this?"
He demanded of her, and handed her back the staff. She looked at it, and gave a little sigh.
"I found it in my jewellery box this morning. I remembered it somehow, but it was all foggy, and I couldn't really remember what happened. Who are you?"
She asked, realising that she didn't know who any of them were. The lion gave a short bow, and looked up at her with honey coloured eyes.
"My name is Keroberos, guardian of the seal. The stiff, white one over there," he said, pointing his paw at the white man, who was looking daggers at the lion, "is Yue, the "judge""
Nadeshiko stood up, and looked closely at Yue. Her eyes opened wide, and she gasped.
"I remember you! You said that I could cry,...when mother died."
She ended the sentence in a whisper, that only Yue could hear. He nodded, remembering the young lady in front of him as a little girl. Suddenly, the front door was kicked open, and hit in to Syaoran. He hit the floor, and the door clattered on top of him. He groaned, and tried to push it off him. Mulan was standing in the doorway, and she came towards Nadeshiko, her fists raised. She hit her in the stomach, and Nadeshiko cried out. It was like having a stone thrown at her as hard as anyone could throw. Mulan snickered as Nadeshiko fell down, clutching her stomach.
"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"
She said sarcastically. She walked over to where Nadeshiko was, and raised her foot to give her a kick. She pushed her leg down, and Nadeshiko caught her foot, and twisted it. Mulan twirled around, and hit the floor. Nadeshiko got up, and stood over top of Mulan. Mulan kicked her legs out from under her, and Nadeshiko fell on the floor again. Mulan helped Nadeshiko up, and threw her in to the wall, leaving a dent in the plaster.
Keroberos was watching the girls fight, and was amazed at how fast they were moving. Mulan smashed Nadeshiko in to the wall, and he saw the mark that she left in it.
"No human can do that... but Mulan is not a card, she's the little girl's kid! Wait... Syaoran said something about Nadeshiko giving the cards something when he used the return card. Maybe she gave them the power to become humans... Oh I don't know! This is crazy!"
Mulan was punching Nadeshiko's face, but she kept moving her head, making Mulan miss every time. Finally, Mulan landed a glancing blow to her head, and Nadeshiko cried out in pain, her face instantly bruised. Mulan grinned, and wasn't paying attention when all of a sudden someone pressed a sword in to her back. It was a girl about her age, with blue-black hair. She pressed the sword harder in to Mulan's back, and she winced in pain.
"Fight card, reveal yourself!"
The girl cried out. Blue bands of light shot out of Mulan, and she fainted. The blue bands merged together, creating a light blue lady. She paid no attention to the girl with the sword, and resumed her fighting position. Nadeshiko lightly touched her cheek, and took a fighting stance as well. The card jumped in to the air, and tried to land on her shoulders. Nadeshiko ducked, and stood on her hands, kicking her legs in to the air. She kicked the Fight in the stomach, and she crashed upside down in to the wall. She groaned, and staggered to her feet. Nadeshiko rushed up to her, and punched her with right hook. She fell on to the floor again, and raised her arms in defence.
"Nadeshiko catch it! Raise your staff in to the air!"
Keroberos called. She skidded on the broken plaster, and picked up her staff. She raised it in to the air, and so did the girl with the sword. The stone in Nadeshiko's staff started to twirl around, and created a glowing card at the end of her staff. The fight card looked up at the girl weakly, before she was destroyed in to strands of ribbon that spun in to the card. It fell down from the tip of Nadeshiko's staff, and fell into her hands. It was an old fashioned card, with the Chinese symbol for fight on the top, and the English on the bottom. The woman that she was fighting against was pictured on the card, her fists up, ready to fight. She recognised the design on it, and gave a small gasp. The girl was still standing behind her, and was poking the sword in to her back.
"Give me the cards! They are not yours to have!"
She screamed. Yue unfolded brilliant white wings from his back, and barrelled right in to the girl. She gave a cry of protest, and slammed in to the ground. She stood up, wiping the blood from her lip.
"It does you no good to protect her, Yue. She has her destiny, and there is nothing you can do to change it"
. Yue glowered at her, and stood in front of Nadeshiko. She raised her hands in to the air, and deep black shadows covered every inch of her body, then she disappeared. Yue took a step back, and sat on the stairs, completely worn out.
"Keroberos, what does this card do?"
Keroberos looked up at her, surprised that she didn't know. He looked down the stairs at Syaoran, who sighed.
"I didn't teach her because I thought she gave all her power to the Cards, so she was powerless. I couldn't tell that she had any magic before, so how was I supposed to know she still had some!"
Syaoran cried, getting himself worked up over nothing. Keroberos bounded up the stairs, and laid down beside Nadeshiko.
"Those cards were created by Clow Reid, an ancient magician. He was the one who created Yue and me. You can use that card against any cards that you may happen upon. Now, usually I stay with the card captor, but there are two this time with staffs, and I don't think that girl is going to be a kind mistress. I need to go keep an eye on her, to make sure she doesn't do anything funny. Oh, I almost forgot. The next time you see me, I'll probably look different, and Yue will have switched in to Yukito again. He may even create a new person, I cannot be sure. Also, I must warn you. There are four elemental cards, Windy, Watery, Earthy and Firey. They are the most devious, and they are the hardest to catch. My luck goes with you."
Keroberos softly rubbed his face against Nadeshiko, and started to go down the stairs when Nadeshiko called for him to stop. She ran down the landing, and in to her room. She took out the drawer of her jewellery box, and felt along the bottom. Finally, she felt a rectangular shape under her fingers. She pulled it out, and brushed the dust off it. It was another card, the one that she had caught when she was five. She ran out on to the landing again, and held the card out for Keroberos to see.
"Huh? That's the Watery!"
Keroberos said with surprise. Nadeshiko nodded, and held the card close to her chest.
"I don't remember much when I was five, but when you mentioned the elemental cards, I remembered that I had hid this in my jewellery box. My brother mentioned that he wanted to get the cards, so I thought that he would want to take mine, and I didn't want him to."
Keroberos nodded, and walked out the door. Yue stood, and looked at Nadeshiko.
"Water is a strong ally. Keep your cards with you at all times."
He stepped out the door, and Syaoran shut it. He sat on the stairs, and held his head in his hands.
"Why does this have to happen again? I thought that you would be a normal kid, I don't want to have to see you fighting monsters. It's too dangerous, you're only a child. Actually, I forbid you to collect any more."
Syaoran said, using his authority. Nadeshiko stalked past her father, and started to get on her shoes.
"You can't make me do anything. The way I see it, the cards will just come to me when they think I am ready to capture them. I have no control over the magic that is in me. And father, do you really think that I want anything to do with magic? If you told me once, you told me a million times, my mothers magic was what killed her, but now I know differently. My magic caused mother's death."
Nadeshiko bit her lip to keep from crying, and walked out of the house, slamming the door behind her. The driveway was pretty long, and it took her almost ten minutes to get to the very end of her driveway. Michiyo was waiting for her, and gave a start when she saw the state of her friend.
"Don't ask. It's been a very long day."
Michiyo nodded, and walked beside her in silence. Suddenly she turned towards Nadeshiko, her eyes slightly glowing.
"Someone is going in to the past!"
Her hair rose up straight in to the air, and she glowed a greeny-gold.
"Nadeshiko, I have one of the Star Cards residing in my body, because I have vowed to keep the past safe from all intruders. But now someone has used the time card, and she has more power than me. She has travelled... 26 years in the past, to a time where your mother was sixteen. Nadeshiko, your very life is in danger!"
Nadeshiko was very afraid, but she knew what she was talking about. She nodded, and Michiyo reached a hand towards her.
"Nadeshiko, please take my hand! But I must warn you, it will be very dangerous to send you to the past, and you may not return. If you do succeed, you will not remember what happened in the past. Will you go?"
Michiyo asked, and Nadeshiko nodded. She gulped, and grabbed Michiyo's hand. Dark green light rushed around her body, and Michiyo held a clock in her hand. She took the hands of the clock, and spun them back 26 times, ending both hands at twelve o'clock. The clock started to glow, and shone so bright that it hurt her eyes. Michiyo held out the clock, and Nadeshiko took it in to her arms. It turned in to a glowing card, and then she fainted.
Ú?? *** 26 Years in the Past***
England, 20??
Eriol Hiiragizawa looked up suddenly, his face as white as the ghost in the story he was telling. Sakura, Rika, Tomoyo, Chiharu, and Naoko were having a picnic, and they had invited Eriol and Yamazacki along. When the story broke off, everybody looked over at Eriol, whose face was just returning to normal.
"Eriol, what's wrong?"
Tomoyo asked. Eriol gave her a long look, and she recognised his meaning at once.
"Magic.."
She quietly whispered to herself.
"I'll be all right. I think I need to walk for a bit. Would you two young ladies like to accompany me?"
He asked, offering his arms. Tomoyo stood up and took Eriol's right arm. Sakura stood up as well, but didn't take the offered arm. They walked in silence through the trees, coming to a small field that was the joy of the younger elementary children. Sakura broke the silence suddenly, by saying,
"Eriol, I know something's wrong. You looked like me when I hear ghost stories. Wait, when you turned white, I felt a slight presence, magic that was very weak. Was that what you felt? I didn't think that you would freak out over that. What's up?"
Eriol was lost in thought for a few moments, then said.
"I felt the presence of an extremely strong power just a few minutes ago. I feel it still, although it is not as strong as it was. I still think that you should have sensed more of her powers, you are much stronger than I am. Wait, maybe that person that has the power is somehow blocking their power from Sakura. But I don't think it is a benevolent force, it seems so pure, but that also may be a block as well."
They walked in silence once again, and suddenly both Sakura and Eriol stopped, staring up in to the sky. Black light was threading through the sky, forming in to a pulsing black, and twilight ball of dark light. Suddenly, the ball broke as if it were a exploding star in space. Tomoyo had looked up as well, and was astonished by what she had seen.
"Was that a black ball in the sky, or was that just me?"
She asked, surprised that something so magically huge had happened in full daylight.
"I saw it too. I can't believe someone could be so stupid to do that large of a magic spell in full daylight."
Eriol said, scratching his chin.
"Who could it be?"
Sakura asked, hoping that the older magician would know. He shrugged.
"It could be many things. It could be a spirit, like Soo Yun, or it might be just another magician showing off. I wouldn't be surprised actually, if it was just a magician showing off. Sakura, it's been six years since you started capturing the clow cards, and I am surprised that no one has come to see you yet. Clow Reid was a very famous magician, so it would make sense that somebody would come and see you. Wait, something's happening again!"
They looked up in to the sky again, and saw that dark green ribbons were flying through the sky, in to the dense clouds. They lightly touched the trees, and small pieces of glitter stuck to the ribbon. Sakura walked up to one of the trees, and one of the ribbons came towards her. Eriol ran up to Sakura, and grabbed her hands away. The green ribbon hovered in the air above Sakura, then shot out towards her, wrapping her hands in the glittering ribbon. She gave a gasp of dismay, as she was lightly pulled upwards. Eriol grabbed her leg, and was able to keep her from going up in to the sky. Eriol grabbed the ribbon, and gently untied it from her hands. Her eyes and become a light shade of green, and had been staring in to space, but when the piece of ribbon was taken off of her hands, she blinked, and held a hand to her head. Tomoyo ran over, and grasped her friends shoulders.
"Are you all right?"
She asked, fear and worry penetrating through her falsely cheerful voice. Sakura nodded, and looked up in to the clouds.
"When that ribbon touched me, it was like it was sucking all the energy out of me, like a leech. It must be an awfully strong spell to need that much magic."
Eriol turned towards Sakura.
"You could feel the magic?"
He asked her, and Sakura nodded.
"Do you mean that you couldn't feel the magic?"
Sakura asked Eriol. He shook his head.
"I gave half my powers to your father, so I am not as strong as I used to be. And I think that even if I had my full powers, I would not be able to sense that magic. Was it very strong?"
He asked Sakura. She shook her head.
"No, when I first touched it, it was not powerful at all. But once you pulled me off the ribbon, it felt like it had become stronger once it had a hold of me. It is a very strange magic. I want to investigate."
She took the Star Staff out of her shirt, and closed her eyes. The magic insignia appeared under her, and she called out,
"Key of the Star, with powers burning bright, reveal the staff, and shine your light!"
The key twirled around, and became longer. Sakura grabbed the staff, and she spun it around. She took a card out of her pocket, and threw it up in to the air.
"Fly Card! Release and Dispel!!"
Pale pink energy raced around Sakura's body, creating wings on her back. They had changed from what they were before, becoming longer, and more dignified. She lightly stepped off the ground, and hovered a few feet in the air. Tomoyo was rummaging around in her bag, and finally emerged with a camcorder. Sakura groaned as Tomoyo pressed the REC button, and turned towards Eriol.
"There's no one around, is there?"
Sakura asked, looking around. Eriol slightly closed his eyes, and shook his head.
"No, no one is around here, the closest person is about 200 meters away. Sakura, I'm surprised that you don't even know a simple location spell! I'll teach you, but you have to promise me one thing."
Sakura looked at Eriol in surprise, who winked at her. She smiled, and said,
"Well, Yue, Kero, my father, Syaoran,.... practically EVERYONE has tried to teach me, but its no use. The concept is beyond me. By the way, what did you want me to promise to do?"
"I want you to take me with you, when you look for the magic up there. Will I be too heavy for you?"
Sakura shook her head, and grabbed Eriol under his armpits. She flew up in to the air, and broke through the dense clouds that had been threatening to rain on them all day. Above the clouds, everything was bright, and the sky was the brightest blue she had ever seen. The green ribbons were up here, the ends a pale green, like they were transparent. Green slowly started to come up the ends, and became a very dark green. The ribbons floated around, and started to fold in to the shape of a human. They could tell it was a girl, for obvious reasons. The ends of the ribbons settled on to her chest, and her body heaved upwards, the ribbons slowly disappearing and turning in to flesh. She was floating in the air, small specks of light dancing around her. Her eyes slowly fluttered open, and she sat up, her body only resting on air. She shielded her eyes from the brilliant sun, and looked around her. She saw Sakura and Eriol, and looked at them in surprise. Suddenly, the pieces of glitter entered the girl's body, and she plummeted to the ground.
Sakura went in to a nose dive, racing after the unknown girl. They caught up to her, and she was muttering under her breath, her eyes tightly closed. Eriol reached out his hand to try and grab her, but there was nothing to hold on to except for her dress, since she wasn't paying attention to the two of them. Eriol yelled at her, and finally she opened her eyes. She grabbed his outstretched hand, and Sakura tried to pull all three of them up, but she was not strong enough.
"Sakura! The fly card doesn't give you any extra strength, it just enables you to fly! Try to grab the power card."
Sakura rolled her eyes, and tried to pull all three of them up.
"I know that! I can't grab the Power card, because I'm holding you!"
Sakura screamed at him, fear clearly showing throughout her voice. Eriol closed his eyes, and breathed slowly in and out.
'If only I had all my powers, then I could make us all float down. Sakura probably doesn't know that spell either, but its worth a try.'
Eriol twisted around, and looked up at Sakura. Her eyes were tightly closed, and she was using all of her strength to try and pull them up.
"Sakura! Do you know the spell for float?!"
Eriol called to her, the fierce wind causing his yell to sound like the faintest whisper. Sakura shook her head, trying not to cry.
"No! I'm not that far with my magic studies! We're almost to the ground!"
Sakura shrieked, all reason leaving her as she said those last words. She struggled to pull them up as hard as she could, but she was tiring out fast, and knew that Fly would not work for much longer if she kept trying to pull on them. The girl that Eriol was holding overheard their conversation, and looked towards the ground, with a deep fear in the pit of her stomach.
"I can't do this! I have no magic! It's my fault, I killed them all!"
She started to sob, and the tears flew off her face, the wind driving them back. But they didn't go far. Her tears encircled the three of them, and created a shimmering ball of light around them. They were only about 100 feet above the ground, and they stopped plummeting just as they were able to see Tomoyo's small figure recording their every move. The ball of light floated slowly to the ground, and they were on the earth once more. Sakura let go of Eriol, who watched as the force field slowly disappeared, and faded in to the girl that Eriol had been trying to save. The wings disappeared from Sakura's back, and she fell to the ground, breathing a long sigh of relief. As soon as the last droplet slowly dissapeared in to the girl's body, she started to wobble, and Eriol only just managed to catch her. Sakura looked up, and smiled at the girl who saved her life.
"I thought that she said that she had no magic. She must have been wrong. I owe her a lot, for saving both our lives. You owe her too, Eriol."
Eriol nodded, but did not answer the young clow mistress. He was looking up at the sky, and the clouds seemed to be darker than they were before.
"It's going to rain."
He said disgustedly, and as he said that a big drop of rain landed on his glasses. He brushed it of, and tried to pick up the girl. She didn't look very heavy, but she was taller than Sakura and Tomoyo, and he wasn't sure if he could even lift them by himself. Eriol grabbed her under her arms and under her legs, and slowly lifted her off the ground. She murmured, but did not wake up. He started to walk along the path that took them back in to the heart of the park. There was a clap of thunder, and then some large, fat droplets of water splashed on to Eriol's glasses. Sakura was walking off in front of Eriol, and Tomoyo walked at the back, folding her papers in to a large leather folder. Suddenly, the shower became a torrent of rain, and was thoroughly soaking everything on the ground. Eriol and Tomoyo walked calmly along, for Eriol had created a barrier that held off the rain. Sakura gave a little shriek, and started to run as fast as she could. Eriol tried to call after Sakura, but she had joined the track team, and was even faster than she was before. She left Tomoyo and Eriol in the dust, but they were dry, and she was not. Suddenly, the barrier around the three of them broke, and torrental rain plummeted on to them.
"I guess I can't keep up with thos spell as long as I used to. We better run for it."
Tomoyo held her papers to her chest, and ran as fast as she could, leaving Eriol alone with the girl as well. He slowly jogged the small path that led to the library, trying to make sure that the girl would not be dropped.
Sakura ran out of the park, and turned up the street that led to the library. She pushed open the heavy oak doors, and sank in to a bright orange chair, her hair dripping all over it. She wrung out her shoulder length hair, splattering water on to the linoleum floor. She sat there for a few minutes, then the door opened again, revealing Eriol, Tomoyo and the girl. She looked at their semi-dry clothes, and gave a little groan.
"I can't believe that I didn't use that spell! I mean, how can someone be so stupid? If I had stayed around for a little longer, I could have made sure that none of us got wet. I'm sorry, Eriol, that was very selfish of me"
Sakura said, and asked Tomoyo if the rain had stopped yet. Tomoyo took a glance outside, and nodded.
"Its stopped raining outside. You all can come over to my house, my mom's not home. Wait..."
Tomoyo's cell phone rang, and she pressed the TALK button.
"Hello? Yes, Yes. All right, I'll see you later."
She turned it off, and sighed.
"That was my mom. She was coming back home tonight, but decided that she was going to surprise me by coming home early. I'm not afraid that she'll find a big mess, but she will if we go to my house, with this girl. We are all soaking wet, and we'll create huge puddles on the floor. Sakura, can we go to your house? Mom's not exactly lenient when she has just come home on a huge business trip."
Sakura nodded, and Eriol walked out the library door.
"We better get her over to your house Sakura. She's drained of her powers, and she's wet. I'm sure that she'll get a cold if she doesn't get out of these clothes."
Sakura and Tomoyo ran after him, and they walked together up the street that led to Sakura's house. Sakura unlocked the door with a key from her bag, and walked inside. She slipped off her shoes, and entered the front hall, followed by Tomoyo and Eriol.
"Toya, are you home?"
Sakura called out, crossing her fingers that he wasn't.
"Yea, I'm here."
Toya said, without any enthusiasm. Eriol placed the girl on the couch, and sat on a chair that was over by the window. Toya walked in to the room, wearing a apron and drying a dish. He gave a slight bow to Tomoyo, but stared when he saw Eriol.
"What's he doing here?"
Toya said, pointing at Eriol. Sakura sighed.
"There was a... magical disturbance earlier this afternoon. Eriol had come for a visit, but now I think that he might have to stay for a longer amount of time. I don't think that my problems with magic are over yet."
Sakura huffed, and sat on a chair beside Tomoyo.
"Who's this?"
Toya asked, pointing at the girl that was on the couch. Sakura shrugged.
"I don't know. She appeared in the sky, and started to fall down once she had swallowed enough magic. She had some strange magic..."
Sakura said, trailing off. Toya was staring down at the girl, and the girl blinked once, then opened her eyes. She looked up at Toya, and gave a shriek of surprise. She struggled to sit up, and scooted to the far end of the couch. She looked at them all in surprise, her eyes huge. Sakura stood up, and sat on the couch beside her.
"My name's Sakura. We found you, and we took you to my house. What's your name?"
Sakura asked her, and grinned. The girl blinked slowly, and smiled as well, the cheery expression on Sakura's face clearing out any of her worries.
"My name is Nadeshiko. I hate to be rude, but where am I? I know I'm in your home, but which city? I don't seem to remember much."
Nadeshiko had left a puddle of water on the couch, and grinned sheepishly.
"Sorry."
She said, but Sakura shook her head.
"Don't worry about it, I'll clean it up later. We're in Tomoeda, Japan. Did you bump your head or something?"
Nadeshiko shook her head, and bit on to her lower lip.
'It's true. Michiyo brought me in to the past. She's my ... mother, but only younger.'
"Thank you, my head was just feeling a little fuzzy. AAAAAAACCCHOOOOOO!!"
Nadeshiko yelled, covering her face with her hands. She suddenly felt tired, and her whole body was all clammy, freezing cold under all of her wet clothes. She sneezed again, and Toya took a worried look at her.
"Sakura, you better lend her some clothes. Sounds like she's getting a cold. Jeez, Sakura, I thought you would take better care of your guests."
Toya said, cringing as Sakura threw the wet towel that she was using to mop up the water at him. Eriol grinned, and Tomoyo giggled, enjoying the sibling rivalry. Sakura ran up the stairs to her room, and rummaged around her drawers to find a suitable outfit. She ran back downstairs, and handed the clothes to Nadeshiko. Nadeshiko smiled, and stood up to thank Sakura. Sakura stared at her, and laughed.
"I don't think that my clothes will fit you."
Toya looked down at her, and realized what his little sister meant. He put his hand on top of Nadeshiko's head, and measured her on to him. She came up to just below his eyes. Toya laughed.
"You're right Sakura, she won't fit in to anything that you have. Since you guys are all shorter than she is, except for brat numero two over there, I'll lend her something of mine to wear. All right?"
Sakura frowned at him, and rubbed her arms to keep warm.
"But Toya, you're a guy and she's a..."
Toya interrupted Sakura in mid-sentence. He cocked an eyebrow at Sakura, and crossed his arms.
"If you have a better idea...."
Toya said, walking away. Sakura laughed nervously, and grabbed her brother.
"No. Thank you! Are you going to get some clothes for her?"
Sakura asked her brother as he walked out of the room. There was an answering grunt, and Sakura sighed in relief.
"I'll go get a towel for you to dry yourself off."
Sakura disappeared around the doorway, and Tomoyo turned to Nadeshiko.
"I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Tomoyo Daidouji. This is Eriol Hiiragizawa."
Tomoyo said, pointing to Eriol. Nadeshiko smiled, and held her hand out to Eriol.
"I thank you for saving me."
She said, and grinned reassuringly. Eriol stared at her for a few seconds, then hesitantly took her hand. It was surprisingly warm for someone sitting in wet clothes. Eriol grinned at her, and released his hand from her grip.
"It's me who should be thanking you. Sakura and I both owe our lives to you."
Nadeshiko slightly blushed, and shook her head.
"Oh no, I didn't so anything. It wasn't me."
Eriol looked at her quizzically.
"What do you mean? Of course it was you! You have extremely strong mag..."
Eriol was interrupted by Tomoyo, who had accidentally dropped her video camera. She picked it up, and inspected it all over, making sure that everything was in place. She finally turned the POWER button and aimed the camera at Nadeshiko. She smiled, and sighed in relief.
"I thought for a minute there that I had lost all of my footage!"
She exclaimed. Nadeshiko turned towards her, and Tomoyo handed her the camera.
"You weren't worried that the camera could have been broken?"
Nadeshiko asked her, looking through the camera lens. Tomoyo took back the camera, and pressed a button, revealing a digital screen.
"No, I wasn't worried. The newest models aren't breakable and are made with extremely durable plastic. Here, I want you to take a look at this. I know that you saved my friends."
Tomoyo turned the camera over to Nadeshiko, and pressed play.
The screen was fuzzy for a second, and replayed the scene that had happened only a half hour before. When it was finally over, Nadeshiko looked worriedly up at Eriol.
"I'm sorry."
She said, waiting for him to say something to her. When he did say something to her, it wasn't what she was expecting him to say.
"S-sorry?! What do you mean? It was great that you were able to do that spell in such a short period of time, and be able to make it so strong. Who taught you?"
Nadeshiko gave a smirk.
"To tell you the truth, I wasn't taught at all. I eavesdropped in on my brother's training, and it took me two tries while falling to finally be able to do it. My father didn't want me to learn any magic."
Nadeshiko said, and gathered her skirt in to a fist. At that moment, Toya entered the room and looked from one teenager to the other. He shook his head and shrugged.
"I'm not going to ask. Here."
Toya handed Nadeshiko a shirt and a pair of pants, and a pair of Sakura's socks.
"Arigato, Toya. Oh, where can I change?"
She asked him. He was about to reply, when Sakura dashed in to the room.
"Sorry it took so long, but all the towels were in the dryer, 'cause SOMEONE didn't do their job this week."
Sakura said, glaring up at Toya. He glared back down at her, and they both would have stood there for quite awhile if Eriol hadn't cleared his throught. Sakura glared at her brother one last time, and then turned towards Nadeshiko, who was staring at the two of them. Sakura took her arm, and slowly pulled her off the couch.
"Oh, I'll take you to the washroom."
Sakura said, and took Nadeshiko to the rear of the house. She opened the door to the bathroom, and let Nadeshiko in. She thanked Sakura, and closed the bathroom door behind her. She took off her wet bodice and dress, and towelled herself off. She pulled on the clothing that Toya had got for her, and brushed her hair with a comb that was lying on the counter. Her hair was curly again, and it was almost dry. She sighed in relief and opened the bathroom door. Sakura was waiting outside, and grinned up at Nadeshiko.
"Wow, you're really pretty. Oh, you better watch out for Tomoyo, she'll probably want to record you."
Nadeshiko laughed, and walked over to where Sakura was standing.
"Thank you very much, for everything. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come when you did."
At that moment, Nadeshiko's stomach gurgled, and she clutched at it. She rested her hand on the wall, and closed her eyes.
"What's wrong?"
Sakura asked, looking very worried. Nadeshiko shook her head, and took a few minutes to gather herself together.
"I think its jet leg or something. I'll be all right in a few seconds."
Sakura watched her, and she did seem to be getting better. She breathed a long sigh in relief, and broke in to a sunny smile.
"I'm okay now, but I'm really hungry. I haven't eaten anything since breakfast, and even then I didn't eat very much."
Sakura smiled, and went back in to the kitchen. Tomoyo and Eriol were still in the living room, and they were having a heated discussion over Mozart and Beethoven, trying to fight out who was the better composer. Toya was in the kitchen, and he was making a stir-fry. There was cutlery on the table for five, and Sakura sat herself down. Toya came over with two plates and set them in front of Nadeshiko and Sakura. Nadeshiko murmured a thank you, and dug in. Sakura watched her, trying not to laugh.
'She looks like Yuki when he's really hungry!'
"So , where are your parents?"
Nadeshiko asked Sakura. Sakura smiled.
"My dad's over in Egypt, studying the pyramids. My mother died when I was very little. Who do you stay with?"
Sakura asked Nadeshiko. Nadeshiko's eyes clouded over, and she wiped away tears that were threatening to fall down her cheeks.
"I live with my father as well, and my mom... died when I was little. I.. was the cause of her death."
Nadeshiko stared straight at Sakura, and Sakura swallowed her food nervously.
"What do you mea.."
Toya interrupted his sister, and pointed his finger at Nadeshiko. His eyes were wide open and the fork in his mouth was dangling out. Sakura turned around, and put a hand on her face in surprise. Nadeshiko's eyes were black, and her hair floated softly in the air behind her. She pointed her finger at Toya, and said softly,
"You are in danger."