"Sakura's Peace"
A Card Captor Fanfiction
By: Bekah-chan
Rated: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own Card Captors or the characters therein.
Author's Notes: Yes, Kero and Madison are in Madison's head- That's where the Soul-Box is, remember? Also, you guys remember that series of stories I was going to write? The one that takes place between 'What the Cards Were For?' and 'Sakura's Peace?' Well, I posted the first one awhile ago, and hardly anyone's read it *sniff* Go check it out, it's really funny! ^_^
Thanks for the Reviews!! ^_~
Chapter 13, Light:
~K-Kero?~ Madison stammered, confused. The name, like the voice, was familiar to her; However, both made her think of something...... Smaller? Cuddly?....... Or, Wait! Was it Bigger? And Breaths Fire?....... And, didn't he fly?
~I haven't always looked like this~ he explained, his smile turning slightly playful, ~Before you knew me in two forms. One,~ he held up one finger, ~Was a.... Well, 'stuffed animal' is probably the best description for it; And two~ another finger went up, ~A flying, fire breathing, lion.~
Hmm. Actually made sense. She could see his other forms in her memories as he described them. But, something told her that he'd only had two forms. So what had happened? Mad wanted to ask him, but she didn't think she could handle that many words yet, so she settled for:
~How?~
~Well, you were trapped in the Soul-Box~
She winced.
~Hey, it's okay,~ he took her other hand, so that both were now trapped in a warm embrace, ~We got you out! That was the point; Why I have this form, I mean. You see, no one who did not have your brain pattern could open the box again.~
~I know~ she told him softly. Things were starting to come back, faster, and faster as she talked to him. ~How?~
~It seems, although I didn't remember it until you were in danger, that Clow gave me another change option; I could take on a permanent form by copying the brain waves of an animal, or a human.~
He stopped then and waited. He knew she could figure it out, and he thought it might be better that way....... He hadn't exactly had her permission to duplicate her cerebral pattern. So, Kero just watched her as she thought. He had never realized, for some strange reason, just how beautiful Madison was; Her nose did this cute little scrunch thing when she was thinking hard, like now. And her hands in his were soft, he couldn't seem to let them go. He decided that he just didn't want to, and threaded their fingers together; Smiling when she did the same.
He knew the exact moment when she solved it, like he'd thought, it hadn't taken her very long. She blinked at him, and her eyebrows drew together, ~Me?~
~Yes~ he nodded, ~I copied your pattern and became human. This is how I'll stay now, it's my only form.~
She looked sad. He'd given up his two forms for her!
~It's okay,~ he assured her, quickly, ~I would have done anything to get you back safely; You're a friend. Besides,~ he swung their joined hands between them, and smiled, ~Now that I'm human, it will be easier to do some things. Like, open bags of cookies, turn doorknobs, and play video games.~
She smiled with him.
~Now,~ he said, more seriously, ~Let's get out of here, everyone is worried about you.~
She wanted to leave; Wanted to go reassure these people, which she fuzzily recalled, that she was okay; Wanted to breath fresh air and forget the darkness inside the Soul-Box. But she couldn't, not yet. She had some things to do first. So, she shook her head that no, she couldn't leave yet.
~Why?~
She tried to remember. It had to do with why she had been in the Soul-Box. Someone, or thing, had forced her into taking such a drastic measure, but who? She couldn't remember the name, but she remembered the type;
~Demon..~
~Oh, Alise?~
That was it! She nodded.
~She left. Yue, if you can believe it, scared her off.....~
She drew her eyebrows together. When she thought of 'Yue' she got an image of a very handsome man (although she decided that Kero was cuter) with wings and long white hair. She knew he was a warrior, but not strong enough to scare what had compelled her into building the Soul-Box.
~It was kinda funny~ Kero explained, ~She managed to cut off some of his hair during the battle.....~
Madison freed her left hand from Kero's right, and brought it up to her mouth as she gasped. One of the descriptive elements that had come to mind when she remembered Yue was; 'Don't touch the Hair'. Yue must have freaked!
Kero laughed at her expression, ~Exactly~ he agreed with her astonishment, ~Yue freaked. He blasted her with the biggest fire-arrow I have ever seen! She ran off, a little singed, with the mandatory 'this isn't over' speech.~
Madison giggled, Kero smiled, ~So it's safe out there, for now.~
Madison shook her head again, that wasn't the reason she couldn't leave yet.
~Then why?~
~Alise~ she tried to find the right word, ~...... Damage~
Kero remembered the bleak and blackened landscape that he'd walked through to get to this small, marble, oasis, ~Alise damaged your mind?~
Mad nodded, then looked expectant, waiting for him to follow the thought.
~And..... You need to stay and fix it?~ he guessed.
Madison nodded in the affirmative.
~Okay! I'll help you, that way we'll be done faster, and can get out of here.~
Mad wondered how he could help her, then remembered what he'd said about copying her brain pattern. This was almost his mind as well, he should be able to use her mind-power while he was here. She nodded.
~Great!~ Kero let go of her other hand and held his arm out to her, crooked at the elbow, ~Shall we, My Lady?~
She giggled again, and linked arms with him, ~Yes~
Waiting:
The Avalon livingroom was silent. Everyone sat and watched the pair on the sofa, unable to look away. Of all the odd things Sakura had witnessed over the last few years, this had to be the strangest. And she wouldn't have believed it if the evidence wasn't right before her eyes.
Kero was human.
He sat there, on the couch beside Madison, in a deep trance, holding one of her hands. A few moments after he'd 'gone in' Madison's vacant eyes had closed, and then.... Nothing. It had been over thirty minutes already. Kent had insisted that they all treat their wounds (he'd wanted to take Sakura to the hospital, to get her ankle looked at, but she wouldn't leave her friend) and get something to eat. Which they had done in shifts, so that someone was always in the livingroom, in case there was a change.
Now they were all cleaned up, fed, and back in the livingroom. Still no change. Kero had told them it might take awhile; But, how long was 'awhile' really? One hour? Two? Sakura didn't know how much longer she could take it. She sat beside Syaoran on the love seat again, her injured ankle elevated on his lap, and wished she could pace. It might have helped relieve some of the nervous energy bottled up inside her.
"Argh!" she hit the arm of the love seat with one fist, "It's taking too long! What if he can't get the Soul-Box opened?"
"Well, we know the brain pattern thing worked, right?" Touya pointed out, "I mean, he did turn human, so the Soul-Box thing should work too."
Sigh. "I guess," Sakura agreed, reluctantly; She didn't like to agree with her brother about anything, but he was right.
The first step of Kero's plan had worked; Kero had traded in his two forms for a human one with shocking ease. It had happened so quickly. One moment Kero had been floating in front of Madison, holding one paw to her forehead. Then there was a blinding flash of light, that faded to reveal Kero's new, permanent, form, standing in front of Madison, the fingers of one hand still lightly touching her brow.
It had been amazing. Yue was still quite shocked; He had been convinced that their present two forms were the only ones afforded to the magical beasts. If Kero was a magical beast anymore, he certainly did not seem so. Yukito, Yue's 'human' form, didn't seem half as real as Kero's current one. Even his clothes seemed to be more rooted in reality. When Yue took on his 'original' form, his clothes were......... Well, 'ornate' might be the kindest term.
In any case, Yue had been surprised. They all had; Except for Kero. The Guardian of the Sun had appeared strangely unfazed by his new form. At home in his new environment and ready to make his attempt at saving Madison.
And now they were waiting, and it was driving Sakura bonkers. How much longer? When would something.........
The phone rang, and Touya went into the kitchen to get it.
......... happen?
The rest of them stayed in the livingroom, and soon Touya was back, sticking his head around the doorway;
"Um...... Sakura?"
"What?" Was the phone for her, "Who is it?"
"Madison's Mother...."
To Be Continued ^_^
