The Warriors of Time
Howdy ya'll! I'm back with the second installment of our lovely little story here, The Warriors of Time! Hmmm…let me ponder for a minute…yep, I think I said all the important intro stuff in the last chapter! OH, and arigatou to those of you who read this, and ESPECIALLY to anyone who reviewed. Keep 'em coming, folks! Alrighty then, here goes!
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, except for the evil freaky lady from the dream in chapter one, which doesn't matter ne-ways since nobody knows about her yet.
'Nuff said.
EXPLANATIONS AND PREMATURE WRINKLES
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It was the end of what had been a very long school day, and Sakura wanted nothing more than to go home and take a nice long nap. But, of course, duty called. Sakura had let Eriol and Tomoyo in on her dream during lunch, but they really hadn't had any time to discuss what it could all mean. And so, as was typical for Sakura, she found herself heading over to Tomoyo's house after school so that they could all talk.
Once they were all situated in Tomoyo's room with buttered popcorn and some cokes, {SS: Yummy!} Sakura turned toward Eriol and Kero, who had flown over.
"OKAY, now that we're all here, please enlighten us you two."
Eriol and Kero glanced at each other, and after what Sakura assumed was a quick telepathic chat, proceeded.
*~*~Eriol*~*~
"Well, Kero here already told you that there were other cards, or sets of cards, apart from the Clow cards that you have, right Sakura?" At her nod, he continued. In a shaky, quavering voice, he imitated an old man, saying, "Back in my day, before you young 'uns were even born-"
"ERIOL! Be serious!"
"Alright, alright, just trying to lighten the mood a bit…Anyway, back when I was Clow Reid, I discovered, after making the Clow Cards, that, useful as they are, there were many things that they couldn't do…for example, communication or travel between planets," and seeing the groups' surprised and doubtful looks, he added, "which IS possible with the right spell. I had found it easier to channel my magic when using the cards, however, and so I proceeded to create other cards to fulfill these other magical purposes."
"Many of these cards or sets took me ages to complete. Since the things they were being created to do, such as inter-planetary communication, took a great deal of strength and magic even with the spell, it sometimes took me years to complete a card, since so much magic was required."
"Wait a minute," interrupted Sakura. "So, you're saying that it took a ton of magic to create these cards, since the things they were meant to do took so much magic?"
"Precisely. Now, back to your dream. You said that there were the planets, with the sun in the middle, and that they all moved like a perfect model, correct?"
"Yes."
"And then Clow Cards formed over each of the planets…well, I can only think of one set that this could be: the Planetary Cards!" At everyone's blank looks, he added, "So I wasn't very creative when it came to naming my cards, so sue me…"
Sakura didn't seem to have caught the last remark, however; she seemed deep in thought. With a confused face, she asked, "So, what do the Planetary Cards do? You said that each card, or deck, fulfilled some purpose that the Clow Cards didn't…what do they do?"
"Well, nothing by themselves. You see, I was attempting to create a Time Travel card, but-"
"A TIME TRAVEL card? WOW….!" Tomoyo had little stars in her eyes, and was looking at Eriol with wonder and awe.
"Yeah, well…." Blushing under her reverent gaze, Eriol looked away and once again concentrated on what he was saying. "Let me give you a brief history of time travel before I continue. Early magicians who tried to travel through time had many problems…when done correctly, the person traveling should end up in a totally different time, with all the planets and everything exactly the way it was at that time. Many magicians would make mistakes, however, and something in the spell would get messed up…they would arrive at the desired time period, but something would go wrong…sometimes the planets were misaligned, sometimes the sun got left out…it resulted in lots of deaths for the magicians, and became a threat to the future, since whatever happens in the past affects the future. So, when I tried it, I didn't want to leave my safety or the safety of the future up to the chance of my getting the spell right; creating the Planetary Cards was an assurance that nothing would go wrong." Here Eriol took a huge breath, and continued on.
"So, back to the cards. In order to travel through time, it is extremely important that you are able to control time everywhere, as I was just saying. Well, everywhere within a single galaxy, anyway…it is dangerous to time travel without control, because it can mess up the cosmic balance of things…"
"…"
After thinking for a second, Syaoran spoke up. "Wait a second…what did you mean by 'sometimes the sun got left out'? If you're traveling through time, shouldn't everything be the way it was at that time? How could the sun get left out?"
"Ah, my little descendant, you're not nearly as bright as you pretend to be, are you?" After Syaoran's angry, "HEY!", Eriol continued. "The spell for time travel is meant to transport the person into whatever time they choose, obviously. It's simple enough to understand, but extremely difficult to carry out. Part of the spell involves gaining control over everything that will be in the time period you are traveling to. So, if I wanted to travel back to 1950 here on Earth, I would need to control time on Earth, and also time on anything directly affecting Earth; namely, everything else in our Solar System. This is what makes the spell so complex; there are so many things to keep in check all at once, that it is very easy to let one slip. Many times, a magician would loose control over one or more of these things, and the results were disastrous. I remember one story of a magician who lost control of Jupiter…he ended up going back to the middle ages in Europe, except that, since he had no control over Jupiter, it had ended up flying out of orbit and smashing into Earth…let me tell you, every magician within a 1000 mile radius was here trying to correct that mistake so it didn't alter the future."
Everyone in the group shuddered, thinking of the dangers involved. Finally, Sakura asked, "Okay, I think I understand it so far…but what do the Planetary Cards have to do with all that?"
"Well, they allowed me to control time on every planet. The Planetary Cards were meant to be used with the Time Travel card; on their own, they really don't do anything. Their only purpose is to control time on the different planets so that, when used with the Time Travel card, everything is controlled and there is full compliance from everything being affected. Controlling all the planets doesn't really change anything, it merely makes it safe and a LOT easier for the people traveling through time."
"I told you that, when using the spell, the magician needs to keep control over everything all at once, while also trying to concentrate on actually traveling through time. The idea with the Planetary Cards was that they would ensure control over everything, so that the magician would be able to concentrate on using the Time Travel Card. They just make things a lot easier."
Sakura's eyes had a glazed look to them, and she muttered, "Hoe…"
Eriol smiled again. "Here, let me summarize. The Planetary Cards were created to aide the Time Travel Card, so that everything is kept under control for the magician, making it safe for the people trying to travel."
Sakura's emerald eyes lit up with understanding. "Oh! I get it!"
Syaoran merely glared. "And please tell us WHY you couldn't have just said that in the beginning?"
"Because I just love complicating your life, my cute little descendant."
Kero, who had been listening the whole time, spoke up. "There's still some things ya gotta know, if you're really gonna be capturing these cards. First of all, they're powerful; way more powerful than the original Clow Cards. Also, their power is directly proportionate to the size of whatever they control; for example, the Space card is the most powerful, and the Pluto is the weakest. Some of the cards have powers involving the elements, whereas others have control over emotions..." Here he winked at Syaoran and Sakura. "…which should make the Venus card an interesting catch, assuming it controls love…"
Eriol smirked evilly as he watched both Sakura and Syaoran blush madly, but the pillow fight that soon broke out, with the first two being aimed at himself and Kero, soon distracted him from what he had been going to say.
*~*~Sakura*~*~
Since it was a Friday, and summer vacation was only a few weeks away, Sakura's Otou-san had allowed her to spend the night at Tomoyo's house. What with all the confusing new information that Eriol had told them, Sakura was infinitely grateful for the chance to sort it all out with her best friend.
"I'm still kinda confused about all of it…" admitted Sakura later that night after the boys had left. "Of course, I've learned the hard way that sometimes, with Eriol, it's better to just smile and nod when it comes to this kind of thing…"
Tomoyo grinned in understanding. Her eyes began to shine with excitement, however, as she suddenly thought of something. "OOOHHHH, think of all the kawaii outfits I'll be able to make you though! A whole new set of battle costumes, oh Sakura, this is going to be great! I've got SO many ideas! There's one that's got puffy pink sleeves, with a really cute little skirt, and…."
Sakura rolled her eyes, giving the ceiling an exasperated look. Oh, dear, here we go again…
The sleepover proved to be just what Sakura's confused mind needed. After a movie, some games, and a great sugar high, the two girls were ready to crawl into bed, eat their ice cream, and stay up half the night talking. Sakura went over to the window and looked outside, intending to shut the blinds for the night. For 10 o'clock, it was still pretty light outside…hhhmm. Well, it was almost summer, and it did stay light out much longer…it's probably nothing, thought Sakura, even though that nagging voice in her head was telling her otherwise.
After about an hour, it started to get hot. Really hot.
The girls tossed and turned for a good half hour, their talk unable to distract them from the building heat. After throwing off her light sheet in frustration, Tomoyo said, "This is SO weird! I'm BOILING, and the air conditioner is going FULL BLAST! It never gets this hot, especially not at night!" As if struck by a new thought, she said suddenly, "Hey, Sakura…you don't think this is a Clow Card, do you?"
"Urrghh…" was the intelligent response that came from Sakura's pillow. She was lying in a short pair of pajama shorts and a tank top, and despite the previously mentioned air conditioner, she was still sweating. "It's GOT to be…unless we're having some freak heat wave or something…and I DO sense a card, now that I think about it." Sakura's face appeared, with a thoughtful look on it, as she rolled over. "Only…it doesn't feel quite the same…so I had just ignored it when I felt something earlier…."
"Maybe we should call Eriol!" Tomoyo sat up suddenly, with a hopeful look on her face.
Sakura just grinned. "Yeah, good idea Tomoyo. How about you call? And then maybe, after we capture the card, you can invite him back here…I wouldn't mind going back home tonight…give you two some alone time…"
Tomoyo just looked flustered. "Sakura! I wasn't thinking anything like that! It's just that he knows more about this than any of us do, and…um…"
"Yup, that's what I thought! I KNEW you liked-" Sakura stopped short as she heard her cell phone ringing. Picking it up, she answered, "Hello, this is Sakura…"
Tomoyo could just hear Syaoran's voice from where she was sitting, looking at Sakura.
"Hey, Sakura! Haven't you sensed that card? Where are you?"
"Yes, I did, but I'm still at Tomoyo's; she was just begging me to call Eriol and tell him to meet us somewhere."
Tomoyo's indignant, "I WAS NOT!" was lost, however, as Syaoran replied, "He just called me; said to meet him at the park. That seems to be where the most energy is coming from."
"Yeah; alright, Tomoyo and I will be over in a few minutes, k? Bye!"
"Bye Sakura!"
Glancing at Tomoyo, Sakura hurriedly stated, "I'm sorry, Tomoyo, but we haven't got time for a battle costume! We need to get going as soon as possible; we've spent too long chatting. And anyway, it's so hot that I don't think I could handle one right now."
"But I could make it really cool! Cool as in temperature-wise, Sakura!"
"Come ON, Tomoyo…" pleaded Sakura as she slipped on a pair of white canvas tennis shoes. Seeing the disappointed look on her best friends face, however, she stopped and gave Tomoyo a quick hug. "I promise that next time, I'll wear whatever you want me to; you can make it as extravagant as you want, and I won't complain once, ok?"
Smiling with a slightly devious look in her eyes, Tomoyo responded with a simple, "K!"
I'm going to live to regret that promise…thought Sakura, seeing Tomoyo's look. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now…
Once Tomoyo had thrown on a pair of shoes and grabbed her camera, Sakura used the fly card to transform her staff, and the two girls took off from the small balcony outside of Tomoyo's bedroom.
If it had been hot before, it was nothing compared to what the girls were feeling now. Out in the open, under the bright sun, it was positively boiling. Even the breeze that whipped through their hair was hot and hard to breathe. Once again, Sakura thought how thankful she was not to be in a costume…her pink spaghetti-strap tank top -which, though maybe a tad bit low in the front, fit her nicely- coupled with her short, loose, red drawstring shorts, was much cooler than just about anything else she could possibly wear.
"This is craziness…absolute madness…" stated Sakura. "Even though it's almost midnight, this feels just like flying in broad daylight!"
"Well, you essentially ARE," pointed out Tomoyo from behind Sakura.
Suddenly, Tomoyo gasped.
"What is it?" asked Sakura anxiously, turning to look at her friend.
"Sunscreen!" wailed Tomoyo. "Oh, my skin's gonna get all dry and gross-looking…how could I possibly forget sunscreen?"
"Tomoyo…don't you TAN?"
"Well, yes, but I still always put on at least SPF 15…I DON'T WANT TO BE UGLY AND WRINKLY BY THE TIME I'M 30!!!!"
Sakura just sighed, relieved to see the park up ahead. "Look, Tomoyo, we're almost at the park…maybe you can find some shade under a tree or something, and camp out there until the card is caught."
It was obvious that two of Tomoyo's greatest passions- filming Sakura's captures and fashion, which would include having good skin- were battling for superiority from the many looks flitting across her face. Finally, it seemed that one had won. "What, and miss all those great camera shots? I don't think so! OH!" yelled Tomoyo, suddenly distracted as they landed. "Look, Sakura, that isn't a wrinkle, is it? Oh, no, I'm getting premature wrinkles! Oh, what a world, what a world…"
Despite Sakura's many reassurances that it was NOT a wrinkle, Tomoyo thought it best to seek the shelter of a tree until the actual card capturing began.
Eriol and Syaoran were waiting for the girls beside a fountain, which, though still working, didn't look nearly as cool and refreshing as usual. The heat was beginning to affect everything, as Sakura soon noticed: flowers were wilting, the grass was starting to slowly turn brown, and everything began to look very dull and dreary.
"Hey…Kami-sama, it's SO HOT!" exclaimed Sakura, once she had come up to the guys.
Eriol, after a curious glance in Tomoyo's direction, asked, "Why is Tomoyo all the way over there?"
"Oh, she's worried about wrinkles…" Seeing the boys' confused faces, she quickly added, "It's a long story."
*~*~Syaoran*~*~
Syaoran, who would usually have been one of the first to greet Sakura, had been oddly quiet during this whole conversation. In truth, however, his powers of speech had been momentarily rendered useless as he gazed at Sakura. If this is what Tomoyo's new costumes are going to look like, then I think I'm really going to enjoy capturing these cards!
Of course, after a minute, he realized that the form-fitting tank top and the short shorts were just Sakura's pajamas; which, consequently, made him blush even more than he had before. Fortunately for Syaoran, the heat was making all of them flush red, and his blush was covered.
Of course, I can't blame her really…it's too hot to wear much of anything…even I'm not wearing my ceremonial robes…
It really was too hot to wear much in the way of clothing. Syaoran, though in dark green pajama pants, was wearing a muscle shirt, which Sakura was quick to note. Despite their light clothing, however, they were all sweating like crazy, and seemed anxious to catch the card and be done with it.
"So, do either of you know which card this is?" asked Sakura, shading her eyes as she looked at the two boys.
"Well, I think it's safe to say that this is the Sun card," replied Eriol, with a glance at their surroundings.
"Alright, then, let's go and-" Here, Sakura was interrupted by Kero, who, looking thoroughly exhausted, suddenly flew right up to Sakura, and flopped into her arms.
Syaoran just gave Kero a look. Oh great, the stuffed animal has arrived…"I'm sooo hot…I figured you guys would be here…" {SS: He was still at Sakura's house, remember everyone? * GRIN *} Kero was panting and sweating worse than all the rest of them. "I tell ya, a fur coat is like torture on a day like this…"
"A NIGHT like this," corrected Syaoran, though no one was really listening.
"Oh, poor Kero!" Sakura was immediately all sympathy, and the small group moved over to a shady spot that Tomoyo had found under a tree.
"You have to be careful out there Sakura," warned Kero, who seemed to have recovered slightly. "I told you that these cards are more powerful than the Clow Cards; but on top of that, this is the Sun Card we're dealing with."
Syaoran grimaced as he caught on. "And you told us that a cards' power is relative to the size of what it represents, right stuffed animal? Which would make the Sun Card pretty powerful, since the Sun is, in reality, so huge."
"That's right, brat." Both deciding that it was just too hot for a glaring contest at the moment, they let their mutual insults rest for the time being.
"Other than that, though, it's just like a normal Clow Card, right?" Sakura glanced worriedly towards Eriol, and then down at Kero, who was still in her arms.
"Yup…it'll be difficult, but we'll help you Sakura!" Kero tried to look energetic, but failed utterly.
"NO, Kero, you look exhausted, I want you to wait right here. What use are you going to be if you get heat stroke? Please just stay here where it's safe!" Although Kero protested many times, it was to no avail, and in the end, he had to content himself with watching the battle from the shade of the tree.
Finally ready, Sakura stepped forward, with Syaoran behind her on one side and Eriol on the other. The fight for the Sun Card had begun.
Well, that was fun! And, in the exciting next chapter, Sakura battles with the Sun Card! I'm excited for the next chapter, because I get to reveal something very fun and interesting! Yay for you! Wow, I'm using lots of exclamation marks! Oh well! * Glances at clock * HOLY MACKAREL! It's really late! And I mean REALLY late! As in 2:30 in the morning late! Ah, well, it's summer, and I don't get up till 12 ne-ways…well, night folks! OH! And please please pplllleeeaaassseee……REVIEW! Thanx!