Hey everyone! It's time once again to see how the Card Captor Sakura team is doing! I guess we'll see what happens, eh? In this episode, we get a glimpse of Sakura's torture regimen. I recommend that anyone who doesn't enjoy or would object to scenes of violence not to read on. I promise to make it tasteful, but some people are simply too stubborn to try it out.
Disclaimer #1: I do not own Card Captor Sakura or any anime represented in this fictional work in its entirety.
Disclaimer #2: The following may contain scenes or descriptions that some readers may find objectionable. They include but are not limited to torture and sadism. Consider yourself warned.
Chapter Three: Lessons
Kiyoshi's Chamber
Sakura has just been imprisoned and enslaved under Kiyoshi. He and Amaya have left the room leaving Sakura alone. She had briefly tried to struggle but found her bonds far too strong. As the gravity of her situation finally donned on her, she collapsed to the floor and began to cry. Her bonds allowed her to sit, but her arms had to stay at an extended position to accomplish it. She couldn't sleep that way. The extension would cause her arms to eventually cramp painfully. Perhaps that was part of her torture? She would have to wait, alone, to find out.
Clow's Mansion
"Sakura!" Syaoran yelled at the space that she once occupied.
"She's gone…" Yue deduced sadly.
"KUSO!" Syaoran yelled and drove his fist through a floorboard.
"Li, destroying the floor will not bring her back," Cerberus told him softly.
"Y-y-youkai…" Clow managed to rasp out before falling unconscious again.
"What about demons?" Yue asked, walking up to his former master.
"It's of no use," the younger Yue said, leaning on the doorframe through which he had just entered as he continued, "he probably won't wake up for a while. I know of a half-demon that may help us, though."
Eriol's Home
"What happened to her?" Nakuru said once she saw Touya bring Tomoyo into the room in his arms.
"I found her passed out in an orchard. She hasn't slept for two days, can you blame her?" Touya said, placing Tomoyo next to Eriol on the bed.
"They must have used one of the trees there and the Return," Suppi said.
"Yeah," Touya pulled out the card he found, "I guess that they must have used Return."
"Uh, where'd you get that?" Nakuru asked.
"I found it by a tree near Tomoyo, why?"
"It should be with Sakura," Suppi informed.
"What are you trying to tell me?"
"Without that card, they can't get back," Nakuru finally said.
"OH SH…"
Clow's Time
"So now we need the help of a half-demon, a monk with a hole in his hand, and girl with a huge boomerang, and a reincarnated priestess?" Syaoran asked Yukito incredulously as they left the Clow estate.
"Well, we've dealt with reincarnations. No surprises there," Kero remarked.
"Perhaps," Yukito said simply.
"Where are we going to find them?" Syaoran asked no one in particular.
"You brought your Lasin Board, no?" Kero asked him.
"Yeah, so?" Syaoran replied.
"I seem to remember that they were after a sacred jewel called the Shikon no Tama. It's magical, so perhaps your board can find the shards," Kero suggested.
"Worth a try…"Syaoran trailed off as he pulled his board out and began to chant.
"The King of the gods commands, gods appear from all directions:
Gold, wood, water, fire, earth, thunder, wind, lightning; the new command…
The king of the gods commands, gods appear from all directions:
Soft thunder, spinning lightning…
OBEY THE COMMAND!
Find the Shikon no Tama!"
With that last line, the Lasin Board exploded with life. If rose into the air and Syaoran backed away, not understanding his artifact's odd behavior. Blue energy swirled around it and over a dozen beams shot out in many directions.
"That could be a problem…" Yukito said simply, still surprised.
Kiyoshi's Chamber
Sakura was sitting down with her arms above her head, a position that her bonds forced her into. She had actually drifted into a light sleep and was breathing shallowly, but steadily. It had taken 26 hours from waking up the day before to succumb to exhaustion. Kiyoshi walked in with Amaya to begin to implement their plan. They were going to break Sakura…
"Wake up wench!" Amaya yelled and slapped Sakura across the face. Sakura awoke with a start and was confused when she didn't see her familiar walls or Kero. Suddenly she remembered where she was and her expression of confusion became that of steel as she glared at the one who had struck her.
"Nice to see that you're awake," Kiyoshi started, "your lessons begin today. Excited?"
"My friends will save me and I will kill you myself," Sakura said coldly with venom dripping from her words.
Sakura was rewarded with her collar becoming alive with electrical energy. The ring about her neck began to electrocute Sakura and she collapsed as far as her bonds allowed. She breathed heavily as she looked up at the evil mage with fire in her eyes.
"You see Sakura, as long as that collar is around your neck, you'll never be able to escape. I can have it shock you, choke you, levitate to hang you, or simply have it squeeze your head right off. I'm a sore loser, so a rescue from your friends would be rather foolhardy," Kiyoshi explained nonchalantly. Sakura's face betrayed nothing, but her aura dimmed considerably. Her hope for rescue was dwindling.
"W-What are you going to do to me?" Sakura asked.
"I'm going to make you my slave, my servant," he told her.
Amaya giggled evilly and was met with a fierce slap of her own.
"Amaya! What are you laughing at! You are my servant and she will be mine, not yours. You two are in the same position so you have no room to laugh."
Amaya looked shocked and quickly knelt down on the floor, not daring to speak again.
"You know what? I'm tiring of your insolence. As a reminder of your position, you'll undergo everything done to Sakura…"
"No! Kiyoshi-sama! I'll do anything…"
"SILENCE!"
Amaya bit her tongue and bowed low, touching her forehead to the ground in a symbol of submissiveness. Her collar, which Sakura just now noticed, began to glow and she became pinned to the ground by her neck.
"Now, the lessons shall begin…" Kiyoshi said, calming down.
Sakura's manacles released and her own collar forced her next to Amaya. Kiyoshi began to leave and the collars dragged the two women behind him. Sakura felt like she was about to choke from the stress on her neck and Amaya seemed to be having the same trouble. Soon, a door swung open in front of them in the corridor and Kiyoshi entered, his prizes still following him unwillingly.
Slave Cell
They entered a very sparse and very small room. It seemed to be medium-small closet made of stone. The woman slid ahead of the man and the collars released them once they were within the cell. Kiyoshi, as an added bit of humiliation, gestured and the two's clothes were ripped off and disappeared. The two covered themselves up as best they could and cowered in the corners of the cell.
"First," Kiyoshi told them, "you two will get to know each other. I'm coming back for you in four hours, so I suggest that you get some sleep as well. Goodnight my darlings."
Kiyoshi said that last sentence sweetly as he closed the door and locked it. There was a dull glow in the room, but Sakura could not ascertain its source. It was enough to see with a dark-adapted eye, but not bright enough to disrupt sleep. The cold floor and cramped space would disrupt sleep, however.
"Hello…" Amaya began uncertainly. She expected Sakura to hate her as well.
"Hi…" Sakura replied.
"I'm Amaya."
"I noticed."
"Oh…"
"Sakura…"
"I wish that I could have met you under better terms, Sakura."
"Yeah, I suppose."
"Perhaps we should sleep. Master will give us a long day tomorrow."
"Looks like there's only enough room for one to lie down here…"
"And it's really cold," Amaya said as she shivered violently, "I guess we'll be sleeping very close tonight."
"I guess we don't have much choice…"
The two then laid down, Sakura on top of the slightly larger Amaya, and held each other trying to stay warm. Sakura's exhaustion bested her again and she fell into a deep sleep. Amaya simply smiled broadly before going to sleep, thinking about how well their plan was going. Sakura would be theirs in no time…
Elsewhere, Same Time Period
"Element WATER!" Syaoran called and pressed his sword against the ofudo suspended in midair. A great column of water rushed toward the demon. It saw the attack en route and attempted to dodge, but Yue's arrows and Cerberus's flames persuaded it to stay in place. It was soon drenched in cold water and it didn't seem very happy about the early bath it had received.
"Element THUNDER!" Li called after pulling out the appropriate charm. The dampened ogre felt the great power of thunder four fold due to his conductive situation. It yelled in pain and it disintegrated. Yue walked over to where it once stood and retrieved the two Shikon shards that it possessed.
"How many does that make?" Kero asked, returning to his false form.
"Five shards of the Shikon no Tama," Yue replied. He handed the two new fragments to Syaoran
before becoming Yukito.
"With this many, I assume that the group which we seek will appear to take them
soon," Syaoran stated. The local
eloquence of the era was starting to rub off on him. They'd been searching for the half-demon and his friends ever
since Sakura was taken, nearly a week ago.
Everyday, Li grew more and more desperate. This latest battle proved it with all of the bruises and blood
drawn. Li was left still breathing
heavily with a bleeding wound on this left shoulder. It was bandaged, but it would be days before he should move; yet
he set out again after only a few hours.
His board detected a shard less than five miles away in the next
village. When he questioned the people
in his current town about the next, they told him that a priestess named
"Kaede" took care of it.
Current Time Period, Local Mall
Tomoyo had decided to go to the mall, hoping that shopping would be enough of a distraction to cheer her up. It wasn't. She just walked down the corridors with her head low, carrying a single bag. The scarcity of her purchases was an obvious indicator of her horrible emotional state. She passed a store and wondered if her mom was working. Although Sonomi was a prominent businesswoman, she still liked to work random shifts at her local toy store branches.
"Oh! Miss Daidouji! What a pleasant surprise!" the woman at the counter greeted.
"Konnichiwa Mirei-san, my mother wouldn't happen to be around, giving you trouble and scaring off your customers, would she?" Tomoyo asked her politely.
"No," she chuckled, "That's why I put in the back, stocking shelves and taking inventory."
Tomoyo smiled. It was another one of her mother's practices. She would show up for work and since the manager was placed in charge for a reason, the manager would have complete control over what work she did. She was there to make sure everything was running properly and to help out, not to meddle in the shop's business practices and take over.
"Konnichiwa Okaa!" Tomoyo called. It really isn't customary for a girl her age to address her mother as "Okaa," but Tomoyo liked to do so anyway.
"Konnichiwa Tomoyo. You know, a girl your age should be calling her mother Haha by now…"
"Mother, I don't mean to sound disrespectful, but deal with it."
"HA! You're so cute sometimes Tomoyo-chan," Sonomi stated.
"Did you hear about Eriol-kun and Kinomoto-san?" Tomoyo asked.
"Iie, what's wrong?" she asked, instantly worried.
"They've both fallen very ill…"
"Tomoyo?" her mother asked when she saw a tear fall to the floor.
"They… They could both die," Tomoyo finally stated.
"I'll call the hospital, get the best doctors, fly in the best specialists…"
"No," Tomoyo said, cutting off her mother, "It's not that kind of sickness."
"Magical?"
"Hai…"
"Is that why I haven't seen Sakura for a few days? Has she gone off to find a cure?"
"Hai."
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Iie…"
"I'll be at Eriol's home after work, alright? I'll bring you some food, as I'm sure that Akizuki-san isn't the best cook."
Tomoyo chuckled at that, "No, she burned the sushi…"
"How in the hell did she manage to burn something that you don't cook?"
"I have no idea. Maybe it has something to do with her not being human…"
"I guess so. Well, I'll be around later. You just try to shop and have as good a time as you can, ok?"
"Hai!" Tomoyo said. She leaned forward and gave her mother a strong hug. It was unusual, but Sonomi embraced her nonetheless.
Tomoyo broke away with a smile on her face. She bid her mother goodbye and left. On the way, she asked the store manager a question.
"Excuse me, but are there any shrines around here?"
"Um, I'm not sure. I think the Higurashi shrine is only a few miles north of here."
"Arigato!"
Tomoyo bowed respectfully and headed out of the mall. She jumped into her red convertible. She then decided to pick up Nakuru and take her to the temple as well. That done, they headed for the Higurashi Shrine, to pray for their ill and lost friends.
Slaves' Cell
Fours hours. Kiyoshi said that he would return in four hours. He said that, by Amaya's estimation, about twelve hours ago. The four-hour wake up call never came. Sakura had been sleeping peacefully the entire time. Her arms were around Amaya's shoulders and her head rested snugly in the crook of the vampire's neck. Their cramped environment and the cold, not to mention the fact that Kiyoshi took their clothes, forced the two girls to sleep in each other's arms with Sakura atop Amaya. Amaya had awoken four hours ago. As a vampire, she rarely had more than five hours of sleep at a stretch. The warmth from the girl sleeping on her must have made her sleep those extra three hours. Amaya sighed again, wondering when this girl would wake up and get off of her.
Amaya's thoughts began to drift randomly. She remembered her first meeting with Kiyoshi…
Amaya's Flashback
Darkness. Dirt. Filth. Pain. Great, all-consuming pain surrounded the pitiful girl. A large pool of blood formed around this barely living woman. She was going to exsanguinate, to die from loss of blood. She heard a voice, whistling some unknown tune. A happy tune that only made her even more profoundly depressed. She cried out, but her slit throat barely allowed one to breathe, let alone speak. Those damned vampires… She didn't even know that vampires existed before now. She knew the legends as a student of the occult, but had no idea that they actually existed!
That whistling was receding now. 'PLEASE! FIND ME!' she screamed in her mind. She wanted to be found, to be taken care of. She wanted to remember a kind face before she died, not a group of dirty men with fangs. She deserved as much.
Footsteps?
Her world faded to black…
Her eyes opened. Reds and golds danced in her blurry vision. She tried to swallow, but her throat was dry. A slight salty taste lingered in her mouth, but she didn't know of the cause of it. As her vision began to clear, she moved her stiff neck to get a view of her surroundings. She saw a vaulted ceiling with red tapestries hanging down. There seemed to be golden characters on them, but her vision was still too blurry to distinguish anything.
She heard a fire roaring to her left. She felt blankets on her body. She smelled the pleasant aroma of incense burning silently.
"How are you feeling?" a concerned voice asked her.
She would have jumped from surprise, but she was too weak to make that kind of movement. She simply whimpered, the best reply that she could manage.
"You were in horrible shape when I found you. I apologize, but I was forced to remove your clothing to clean you up and bandage all of your wounds."
Hearing that, her eyes widened considerably.
"Once again, I apologize. At the very least, I managed to save your life. Those vampires took a lot of blood from you, but I managed to help you. I'll explain more once you're strong enough to get up and ask me what happened yourself."
With that, this mysterious young man placed a plastic tube at her lips, telling her that it was water with added nutrients.
Everyday, he would come in and check on her. He would tell her stories, change her bandages, and generally keep her company. After about a week, she finally managed to sit up and ask her caretaker, "What happened? Where am I? Who are you?"
"Let's see, my name is Kiyoshi. You are in my mansion. And you were attacked by vampires and left for dead."
"How did I survive?"
"I'm afraid that this might shock you. I tried every spell, incantation, and medical treatment possible, but I felt that there was no other choice…"
"What happened?"
"I found a vampire and I fed some of his blood. I made you a vampire…"
"WHAT! ONE OF THOSE VILE CREATURES! I'D RATHER BE DEAD!"
"You are dead. To sire you, I had to allow you to die after drinking the blood."
"I'm dead, too!"
"Please, don't be angry. I just wanted to save beauty. I wanted to preserve your loveliness."
She was very surprised. This man must actually care for her if he went through all of that trouble and now he was complimenting her beauty.
"I guess that I'll learn to live with it…"
"What's your name, anyway?"
"My name?"
"Yes."
"Amaya…"
"'Night Rain,' it's very lovely."
"Arigato…"
End Flashback
Amaya sighed and hoped that Kiyoshi would return soon.
Higurashi Shrine
Tomoyo and Nakuru finally made it to the Higurashi shrine. They walked in the shrine and were met by an old man.
"If you're looking for Kagome, I'm afraid that her rheumatism is acting up again," the man told them.
"Uh, we just came to pray…" Tomoyo said.
"…But we hope that Kagome feels better soon," Nakuru told the man.
"Oh, I'm sorry about that. Her classmates come around a lot because they're worried. Please, come with me to the shrines."
Tomoyo and Nakuru then began to follow the man through a corridor.
"I sense an odd energy here. Do you have some ancient artifacts or something here?" Nakuru asked.
The unsurprised man answered, "Yes, we have the town's bone eater's well here."
"Bone eater's well?" Tomoyo asked.
"A long time ago," Nakuru started, "people once hunted demons and killed them. They'd then burn the bodies and place their bones into a dry well. The well was then blessed with certain incantations and charms to contain any lingering energy."
"Ha! Demons aren't real," Tomoyo pointed out.
Nakuru and the old man stopped and stared at her with a look that said, "You sure?"
"Well, here's the fire and water shrine. You can ask the elements and the Buddha for help here," the elderly man told them before disappearing around the corner from whence they had just come.
Nakuru and Tomoyo walked in and looked around the room. It was a fairly large room split into two sections. On the right was the fire half.
A small pyre burned brightly there and wooden logs and scrolls containing prayers sat aside the flame. Apparently, one found the correct prayer and burned it. The ascending ashes would make the request of the gods.
On the left was a small pool of water. The pool was clear and clean and pure. Only mountain spring water could fill the pool. Floating upon the surface were small boats that held prayers. Scrolls and pens on the side allowed the praying person to draft his own prayer to set afloat.
Tomoyo took the water half and Nakuru took the fire half. Nakuru selected the scrolls asking for granting power to her friends and luck in battle. Tomoyo set prayers floating praying for the safe return of friends and for her friends to become well again. Both took several minutes to kneel and pray to the Buddha and whatever gods and goddesses they felt were appropriate. Nakuru arose and left, Tomoyo following a few seconds later.
On the way back to the car, Nakuru sensed something odd. She turned just in time to see a young woman run into a small shack. Nakuru alerted Tomoyo and walked over to investigate. She entered this shack and walked down the stairs. In the center of the shack was a dry well. Nakuru took a look around, but found no sign of the girl. She looked down the well and besides a small hole dug into the ground at its bottom, she found nothing.
"What was it?" Tomoyo asked when Nakuru returned to the car.
"I have no idea, but it's definitely odd," was her reply.
"Excuse me but, huh?"
"I saw a young lady run into a small shack at the rear of the temple. Upon entry, I found no one there…"
Tomoyo thought about it. It was definitely serious, though. Nakuru was always perky and spoke in such a way. For her to be talking so formally meant that she was deep in thought. Tomoyo could not contribute to the situation, so she decided to drive back to Eriol's home as quick as she could.
Past
"Excuse me little boy, but do you know where a Miko named Kaede lives?" Syaoran asked a young boy.
"Hai! She lives in the hut at the center of town!" the energetic child answered.
"Alright then, thanks!" Yukito told him and the boy ran off to resume play with his friends.
"Well, let's find this Miko!" Kero cheered.
"Keep it down stuffed animal!" Syaoran yelled at him.
"Don't you tell me to keep quiet you Chinese gaki!"
"Ye have a loud voice for such a small demon," an elderly lady with an eye patch told Kero.
Syaoran and Kero froze before the small guardian ducked into Li's robes.
"What demon?" Syaoran asked innocently.
"The one that hides in thy robe's folds," she answered simply.
"I don't think we should try to lie to her anymore. She knows," Yukito offered simply.
"Aye, I know of thy demon's magical abilities. Tell me, why hath thee entered my humble village?" she asked.
"We've come in search of Kaede. We are told that she can help us find the half-demon Inu-Yasha," Yukito announced.
"Why dost thou seek that vile creature?" the woman asked with distaste in her voice.
"The magician Clow Reed has fallen ill. The only one that can heal him has been taken prisoner by some evil mage. We seek Lord Inu-Yasha to help us mount a rescue attempt," Yukito informed her.
"Why thinks thee that he might lend you aid?"
"Clow simply told us to seek him out. Nothing more," Syaoran explained.
"I'm told that he owes a debt to no one save a winged man," The elderly woman stated skeptically.
Yukito chuckled briefly and cryptically said that he'd almost forgotten. He then transformed into Yue before the village's eyes. His snow-white wings came to encircle the platinum blonde man and soon, Yue emerged from his metamorphosis.
The woman's eyes went wide and notched an arrow on the bow she held. The arrow began to glow faintly with blue energy. In response, Yue raised his own bow and readied an arrow for fire.
"I am Kaede! Sister of the great Priestess Kikyo! State thy purpose here!" the woman commanded.
"Where are the half-demon and his friends?" Yue questioned coldly.
"We only want to help our former master and mistress!" Kero yelled.
Kaede relaxed slightly and told them to head north. Yue dispelled his weapon and they began to walk away. Yue turned back into Yukito as they walked. Only once they were far out of sight of the village did Kaede relax her bow and return to her hut.
Clow-sama's Home
Yue and Cerberus (the other ones) were tending to their master as well as they could. Sakura's healing magic had begun to fade and Clow grew weaker with every passing day. Using the Lasin board (Dang that thing's old!) Yue was able to tell that Clow only had a week left; two at the most. They feared they would lose the man who meant everything to them. It's a truly moving thing… to see a winged man and lion shed the same tears.
Elsewhere
"Come on Inu-Yasha! I sense jewel shards this way!" a young woman with long black hair said as she rode her out-of-place pink bicycle.
"Slow down wench!" a boy with long white hair and red clothing said as he ran along side her.
"Please, Kagome-sama, at least wait for those of us who aren't demons," a monk with a blue robe and a staff called ahead as he ran.
"Teehee! Keep up if you can Miroku!" a woman jeered the monk from atop her mount, a two-tailed animal that looked strangely like a cat.
"Uh, guys?" a small half-fox, half-human boy said from the basket of the bicycle.
"What is it, Shippou?" Kagome asked.
"I can smell a demon up ahead," Shippou said.
"Why didn't you smell it, Inu-Yasha?" Kagome asked as she reduced speed.
"I did, I just wanted you to be surprised!" Inu-Yasha stated with annoyance in his voice.
Kagome just growled at him.
"How many demons are in this time period?" Syaoran yelled his question as a large ogre tried to grab him unsuccessfully.
"Too many!" Cerberus called a reply.
Yue was letting arrows fly as quickly as he could. Two a second was quite impressive, especially since he was dodging attacks the entire time, but they seemed to have little effect. Kero charged the monster but was swatted down. He lay unconscious on the ground. Yue went down to help him, but the ogre made a swipe and took a part of Yue's right wing clean off. Syaoran used his water and thunder ofudos at the same time. It stunned the monster, but Li was too drained to fight. That demon must have some means of draining energy from others to self-heal. Then, Syaoran heard something.
"KAZE NO KIZU!" was what Li heard. He saw a man with a large sword rise into the air and saw him strike nothing. Syaoran then saw nothing but white, then his vision faded to blackness…
Fin Chapter Three: Lessons
There's your third chapter! Sorry that it's a tad late, but I've been busy. I hope you like it! Please review! I would like any kind of criticism, constructive or otherwise. Pointers or plot suggestions are always welcome as well! Well, HAPPY NEW YEAR, and sayonara!