Authors Note: Thanks again to those who have reviewed. You will be
pleasantly surprised to discover that I was wrong last chapter when I said
this would be the last chapter. Turns out I have one more chapter to go
making an even eight chapters. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and please review.
Chapter7: Truth, Discoveries, and Evil
It had been almost a month since Sakura had been transported to the future. Today, Nadi was taking Sakura to meet a friend of hers. She lived about three blocks from Nadis house and Nadi had a basket of baked goods with her. It was a beautiful day and the birds were singing. Sakura rounded a corner and collided with someone.
"I'm very sorry," Sakura apologized. She helped the girl, with waist length black hair, up and Nadi came running over.
"Hello Meilin. How are you today?" Nadi greeted.
"I'm all right. What brings you here?" Meilin asked.
"My mom asked me to bring over some stuff for your parents." Nadi replied.
"Well, I'm on my way to the flower shop around the corner. If you want you can come with me while I get the flowers, then we could have lunch at my place."
"Sounds great!"
"Um guys. What about me?" Sakura asked.
"Oh my, I completely forgot. Meilin, this is Sakura. She's been staying with us for awhile." Nadi introduced.
"It's nice to meet you, Sakura. You're welcome to come along if you'd like." Meilin said.
"Thanks. I'd love to." Sakura replied.
The three chatted merrily to the flower shop and on they way to Meilins house. The three girls walked inside as a cheerful, female voice called out.
"Mei, is that you?"
"Yes moma." Meilin replied. "I brought some friends."
Meilins mother came out from the kitchen and greeted the girls. Nadi was about to introduce Sakura when she noticed the girl was nowhere to be found. Nadi noticed that the front door was open and Sakura was standing outside staring at the small, yellow house.
"What are you doing Sakura?" Nadi questioned. Meilin and her mother followed Nadi outside.
"I'm sorry Nadi. It's just that I used to live here." Sakura replied.
By now Meilins father had joined the four and Meilins mother said lunch was ready. As they sat around the table eating, Sakura introduced herself. "I'm Sakura. I came her almost a month ago and Nadi let me stay with her."
"You already know our daughter, Meilin," Meilins mother started. "I'm Chin May and this is my husband Shang. We are from the Li family in China."
Sakuras head shot up. "You mean the famous Li clan?" Sakura asked.
"Yes." Chin May replied.
Sakuras chop sticks dropped from her hand. She couldn't believe her ears. The descendants of Syaoran were living in her house!
"Maybe I'd better explain." Shang stated. "I'm sure that you are familiar with the Cardcaptor legend." Sakura nodded. "Well, we are the direct descendants of Li Syaoran. From his family on the males have continued to uphold the Li clan and carry on the traditions while the females seemed cursed as to never have children. When I was young, I fell in love with a girl I went to school with. Unfortunately, the elders did not approve. My mother stepped in and made the elders agree to let us get married. They agreed on one condition, I had to devote myself fully to the clan. I agreed. We were married and not long after we had a girl which we named Meiling. We were fascinated by the Cardcaptor legend and Meiling or Meilin in Japanese, was the only name that hadn't been passed down from the legend. Six years after we were married, I could clearly see the toll that being a leader of the clan was taking on my family. What's worse, the clan was involved in things I didn't like. Chin May and I decided to take a vacation to Japan and we fell in love with the quaint town of Tomoeda. We found this house and made the decision to live here. We left Meilin with some friends we had made here and began in secret to leave. We took only what we couldn't part with and would travel easily. We left in the middle of the night leaving the clan and China far behind. By the time the clan noticed we were gone, we had already bought this house and were making a home for ourselves. The clan tried several times to get us to come back, but we refused. This was our new home and our new life."
Sakura let Shangs words sink in as she finished her lunch. After lunch Sakura asked if she could look around and Meilins parents agreed. Meilin and Nadi followed Sakura as she looked in each room. Some things were the same, yet others had changed. Sakuras room was last but when she turned the door knob it didn't budge. Meilins mother and father appeared at the top of the stairs as Sakura tried desperately to open the door.
"I'm sorry dear," Meilins father said. "Unfortunately that door was locked when we first found this house. We tried everything on it including our own magic, but it won't budge. We suspect that a spell was placed on the room so that only the original owner could open it."
Sakura let go of the knob and studied the door. She looked at the keyhole and noticed its familiar shape. She reached into her shirt and pulled out her star key, removing it from around her neck. She placed the key in the lock and turned it, hearing a satisfying click. The door swung open revealing the room exactly as Sakura left it. She was oblivious to the stares she was getting from the others. Tears began to form as Sakura walked into her room. It was like re-living the past. She paused at the pictures on her dresser. She picked one up and traced her fingers over the people. It was a picture of herself, Syaoran, Tomoyo, and Eriol. Syaoran had his arms around Sakuras waist because Eriol had dared him to. If Syaoran didn't do the dare, he would be doing Eriols laundry for a month. A smile played on Sakuras lips as she remembered how nervous she had been. Both Syaoran and herself were blushing madly, but Tomoyo had somehow managed to remove the redness from their cheeks.
Sakura replaced the picture and looked at the other things in the room. The drawer Kero had lived in looked the same, her cloths were still neatly hung, her stuffed animals lined up perfectly, and so on. It was if the room was waiting for Sakura to come home and live in it once again. She sighed and wiped away a few stray tears before she left the room, shutting and re-locking the door behind her. Sakura and Nadi said goodbye to the Li's and walked home in silence. Nadi was suspicious of Sakura, but tried not to let it show. She needed to have a serious discussion with Sakura later.
After supper, Nadi asked Sakura to walk with her in the garden. As they walked, the young girl fidgeted nervously. "Was there something you wanted to talk about?" Sakura asked.
"Um.yeah." Nadi replied. "I'm not exactly sure how to say this so, I'll just say it. Are you the Cardcaptor, Sakura Kinimoto?"
Sakura looked at Nadi and knew that she couldn't keep it a secret any longer. "Yes." Sakura responded.
Nadis eyes lit up. "I knew it!" She exclaimed, then quickly bit her lip realizing her outburst. After recovering from her excitement she continued. "Sakura, how did you get here? How long will you stay? Are you and Syaoran really in love?"
Sakura giggled. "One question at a time. I'm not really sure how I got here. I was fighting an evil man and the next thing I know I end up here with you. I'm not sure how long I'll stay. I think the evil ruler and the person I was fighting are one in the same. If that's true, then he holds the key to me returning to my own time. I learned enough while living here that I think I'm ready to face this evil ruler. You and the rest of this city have suffered enough. The sooner I get rid of this evil, the better. I may leave very soon, but if it means you wake up with a better life and future, so be it. As for the last question, I'm not sure where we are on the issue of love. It's very complicated and needs to be taken slowly."
Nadi and Sakura talked the rest of the evening and long into the night. Two days later, Sakura had made up her mind it was time to leave. She had the Create card get rid of everything it created and she dressed once again in the outfit Tomoyo had made for her. She said goodbye to Nadi and her family. She also thanked them for their generous hospitality. As she left, Suki went upstairs to the room she had stayed in. She found the diary exactly where she had left it. She picked it up and thumbed through the pages to the last entry. Sitting on the bed she began to read.
Dear Suki,
Today I must leave you. I can not thank you enough for your hospitality. You helped me through a difficult time in my life, whether you realize it or not. I am the legendary Cardcaptor Sakura. I was transported to your time during a battle. I've left to fight off the evil and hopefully return to my own time. The world as you know it may change, once I'm gone, and you may not remember me. I hope the world will be a much better place for you, once this evil has been destroyed. Thank you again for everything. Tell Nadi I'll miss her.
Your dear friend,
Kinimoto Sakura
PS
Expect the unexpected.
Sakura arrived at the outskirts of Tokyo bright and early the next day. She could feel evil radiating from the city as she made her way around. The technology was defiantly better, but Sakura enjoyed a simpler life. Sakura walked past a video store only to see her face plastered on several posters advertising new Cardcpator Sakura movies. She was tempted to go in, but made herself keep walking down the street. After asking for directions, Sakura realized it was time for lunch. Suki knew that Sakura would have no money to buy food in Tokyo, so she had packed a lot of food for Sakura. Sakura was very grateful as she sat down on a bench to enjoy her lunch.
After lunch, Sakura made her way to the office building where the evil ruler worked. The receptionist looked Sakura over with some disgust. Sakura told the receptionist that she was there, acting on behalf of the city of Tomoeda. The city wanted to discuss re-joining the rest of Japan. The receptionist related this to the leader and he agreed to see Sakura. Sakura was very nervous as she rode the elevator to the top of the building. She managed to swallow her fear and nerves as the elevator came to a stop. The doors opened and she stepped out. In front of her were two heavy, wooden doors. She walked up and knocked on the door. It swung inward, momentarily startling her. She cautiously entered the room and noticed a tall man with dark hair staring out the window. His back was to Sakura and he started the formalities that began with negotiations.
He paused and turned around. He instantly recognized the young woman in front of him. "You! How dare you infiltrate my office in such a cunning manner. I don't care why you are here, but this ends now Card Mistress!"
In an instant their surroundings changed and they were in the middle of a clearing near a forest. The man was dressed in black robes and he glared at Sakura. She transformed her staff and stood in a fighting stance.
"I will destroy you Card Mistress." The man said. "I thought I had killed you that day in the park, but it seems my magic had betrayed me. Your fighting on my turf, in my time. I will enjoy destroying you as I destroyed that little wench who used to work for me. I will enjoy riding the world of you once and for all."
Sakura prepared herself. She knew this wasn't going to be an easy fight. The evil man let loose with a volley of attacks and Sakura barely managed to block each one. He wasn't kidding when he said he was stronger in his own time. The battle raged on for what seemed like hours. Both Sakura and the man had cuts and bruises from their numerous attacks. The man paused to relish in what he thought would be a victory. He lunged at Sakura as she struggled to stay upright. He gathered all his magic together for one final blow. Sakura knew it was coming. All she could do was use the Shield card to block most of the attack. Sakuras knees buckled under the force of his blast. The Shield gave way and she was thrown into a nearby tree. The man laughed as her crumpled body lay on the ground. She was battered and bruised.
"Looks like the legendary Card Mistress doesn't have it in her to defeat me." The man mocked. "Gonna leave her friends and family heartbroken. Not to mention break the heart of her true love. Looks like I'm too much for her to handle."
He started to leave when he noticed a pink glow surrounding Sakura. Her eyes fluttered open as she slowly got back on her feet. The look in her eyes scared the man. Sakuras emerald green eyes were filled with a determination he had never seen. She looked him straight in the eyes and without using her wand, she summoned all her cards to her. They joined as one, using all the strength she had left, and attacked the man. He was destroyed faster than he could summon his magic to save him. Seeing him destroyed, Sakura blacked out.
Chapter7: Truth, Discoveries, and Evil
It had been almost a month since Sakura had been transported to the future. Today, Nadi was taking Sakura to meet a friend of hers. She lived about three blocks from Nadis house and Nadi had a basket of baked goods with her. It was a beautiful day and the birds were singing. Sakura rounded a corner and collided with someone.
"I'm very sorry," Sakura apologized. She helped the girl, with waist length black hair, up and Nadi came running over.
"Hello Meilin. How are you today?" Nadi greeted.
"I'm all right. What brings you here?" Meilin asked.
"My mom asked me to bring over some stuff for your parents." Nadi replied.
"Well, I'm on my way to the flower shop around the corner. If you want you can come with me while I get the flowers, then we could have lunch at my place."
"Sounds great!"
"Um guys. What about me?" Sakura asked.
"Oh my, I completely forgot. Meilin, this is Sakura. She's been staying with us for awhile." Nadi introduced.
"It's nice to meet you, Sakura. You're welcome to come along if you'd like." Meilin said.
"Thanks. I'd love to." Sakura replied.
The three chatted merrily to the flower shop and on they way to Meilins house. The three girls walked inside as a cheerful, female voice called out.
"Mei, is that you?"
"Yes moma." Meilin replied. "I brought some friends."
Meilins mother came out from the kitchen and greeted the girls. Nadi was about to introduce Sakura when she noticed the girl was nowhere to be found. Nadi noticed that the front door was open and Sakura was standing outside staring at the small, yellow house.
"What are you doing Sakura?" Nadi questioned. Meilin and her mother followed Nadi outside.
"I'm sorry Nadi. It's just that I used to live here." Sakura replied.
By now Meilins father had joined the four and Meilins mother said lunch was ready. As they sat around the table eating, Sakura introduced herself. "I'm Sakura. I came her almost a month ago and Nadi let me stay with her."
"You already know our daughter, Meilin," Meilins mother started. "I'm Chin May and this is my husband Shang. We are from the Li family in China."
Sakuras head shot up. "You mean the famous Li clan?" Sakura asked.
"Yes." Chin May replied.
Sakuras chop sticks dropped from her hand. She couldn't believe her ears. The descendants of Syaoran were living in her house!
"Maybe I'd better explain." Shang stated. "I'm sure that you are familiar with the Cardcaptor legend." Sakura nodded. "Well, we are the direct descendants of Li Syaoran. From his family on the males have continued to uphold the Li clan and carry on the traditions while the females seemed cursed as to never have children. When I was young, I fell in love with a girl I went to school with. Unfortunately, the elders did not approve. My mother stepped in and made the elders agree to let us get married. They agreed on one condition, I had to devote myself fully to the clan. I agreed. We were married and not long after we had a girl which we named Meiling. We were fascinated by the Cardcaptor legend and Meiling or Meilin in Japanese, was the only name that hadn't been passed down from the legend. Six years after we were married, I could clearly see the toll that being a leader of the clan was taking on my family. What's worse, the clan was involved in things I didn't like. Chin May and I decided to take a vacation to Japan and we fell in love with the quaint town of Tomoeda. We found this house and made the decision to live here. We left Meilin with some friends we had made here and began in secret to leave. We took only what we couldn't part with and would travel easily. We left in the middle of the night leaving the clan and China far behind. By the time the clan noticed we were gone, we had already bought this house and were making a home for ourselves. The clan tried several times to get us to come back, but we refused. This was our new home and our new life."
Sakura let Shangs words sink in as she finished her lunch. After lunch Sakura asked if she could look around and Meilins parents agreed. Meilin and Nadi followed Sakura as she looked in each room. Some things were the same, yet others had changed. Sakuras room was last but when she turned the door knob it didn't budge. Meilins mother and father appeared at the top of the stairs as Sakura tried desperately to open the door.
"I'm sorry dear," Meilins father said. "Unfortunately that door was locked when we first found this house. We tried everything on it including our own magic, but it won't budge. We suspect that a spell was placed on the room so that only the original owner could open it."
Sakura let go of the knob and studied the door. She looked at the keyhole and noticed its familiar shape. She reached into her shirt and pulled out her star key, removing it from around her neck. She placed the key in the lock and turned it, hearing a satisfying click. The door swung open revealing the room exactly as Sakura left it. She was oblivious to the stares she was getting from the others. Tears began to form as Sakura walked into her room. It was like re-living the past. She paused at the pictures on her dresser. She picked one up and traced her fingers over the people. It was a picture of herself, Syaoran, Tomoyo, and Eriol. Syaoran had his arms around Sakuras waist because Eriol had dared him to. If Syaoran didn't do the dare, he would be doing Eriols laundry for a month. A smile played on Sakuras lips as she remembered how nervous she had been. Both Syaoran and herself were blushing madly, but Tomoyo had somehow managed to remove the redness from their cheeks.
Sakura replaced the picture and looked at the other things in the room. The drawer Kero had lived in looked the same, her cloths were still neatly hung, her stuffed animals lined up perfectly, and so on. It was if the room was waiting for Sakura to come home and live in it once again. She sighed and wiped away a few stray tears before she left the room, shutting and re-locking the door behind her. Sakura and Nadi said goodbye to the Li's and walked home in silence. Nadi was suspicious of Sakura, but tried not to let it show. She needed to have a serious discussion with Sakura later.
After supper, Nadi asked Sakura to walk with her in the garden. As they walked, the young girl fidgeted nervously. "Was there something you wanted to talk about?" Sakura asked.
"Um.yeah." Nadi replied. "I'm not exactly sure how to say this so, I'll just say it. Are you the Cardcaptor, Sakura Kinimoto?"
Sakura looked at Nadi and knew that she couldn't keep it a secret any longer. "Yes." Sakura responded.
Nadis eyes lit up. "I knew it!" She exclaimed, then quickly bit her lip realizing her outburst. After recovering from her excitement she continued. "Sakura, how did you get here? How long will you stay? Are you and Syaoran really in love?"
Sakura giggled. "One question at a time. I'm not really sure how I got here. I was fighting an evil man and the next thing I know I end up here with you. I'm not sure how long I'll stay. I think the evil ruler and the person I was fighting are one in the same. If that's true, then he holds the key to me returning to my own time. I learned enough while living here that I think I'm ready to face this evil ruler. You and the rest of this city have suffered enough. The sooner I get rid of this evil, the better. I may leave very soon, but if it means you wake up with a better life and future, so be it. As for the last question, I'm not sure where we are on the issue of love. It's very complicated and needs to be taken slowly."
Nadi and Sakura talked the rest of the evening and long into the night. Two days later, Sakura had made up her mind it was time to leave. She had the Create card get rid of everything it created and she dressed once again in the outfit Tomoyo had made for her. She said goodbye to Nadi and her family. She also thanked them for their generous hospitality. As she left, Suki went upstairs to the room she had stayed in. She found the diary exactly where she had left it. She picked it up and thumbed through the pages to the last entry. Sitting on the bed she began to read.
Dear Suki,
Today I must leave you. I can not thank you enough for your hospitality. You helped me through a difficult time in my life, whether you realize it or not. I am the legendary Cardcaptor Sakura. I was transported to your time during a battle. I've left to fight off the evil and hopefully return to my own time. The world as you know it may change, once I'm gone, and you may not remember me. I hope the world will be a much better place for you, once this evil has been destroyed. Thank you again for everything. Tell Nadi I'll miss her.
Your dear friend,
Kinimoto Sakura
PS
Expect the unexpected.
Sakura arrived at the outskirts of Tokyo bright and early the next day. She could feel evil radiating from the city as she made her way around. The technology was defiantly better, but Sakura enjoyed a simpler life. Sakura walked past a video store only to see her face plastered on several posters advertising new Cardcpator Sakura movies. She was tempted to go in, but made herself keep walking down the street. After asking for directions, Sakura realized it was time for lunch. Suki knew that Sakura would have no money to buy food in Tokyo, so she had packed a lot of food for Sakura. Sakura was very grateful as she sat down on a bench to enjoy her lunch.
After lunch, Sakura made her way to the office building where the evil ruler worked. The receptionist looked Sakura over with some disgust. Sakura told the receptionist that she was there, acting on behalf of the city of Tomoeda. The city wanted to discuss re-joining the rest of Japan. The receptionist related this to the leader and he agreed to see Sakura. Sakura was very nervous as she rode the elevator to the top of the building. She managed to swallow her fear and nerves as the elevator came to a stop. The doors opened and she stepped out. In front of her were two heavy, wooden doors. She walked up and knocked on the door. It swung inward, momentarily startling her. She cautiously entered the room and noticed a tall man with dark hair staring out the window. His back was to Sakura and he started the formalities that began with negotiations.
He paused and turned around. He instantly recognized the young woman in front of him. "You! How dare you infiltrate my office in such a cunning manner. I don't care why you are here, but this ends now Card Mistress!"
In an instant their surroundings changed and they were in the middle of a clearing near a forest. The man was dressed in black robes and he glared at Sakura. She transformed her staff and stood in a fighting stance.
"I will destroy you Card Mistress." The man said. "I thought I had killed you that day in the park, but it seems my magic had betrayed me. Your fighting on my turf, in my time. I will enjoy destroying you as I destroyed that little wench who used to work for me. I will enjoy riding the world of you once and for all."
Sakura prepared herself. She knew this wasn't going to be an easy fight. The evil man let loose with a volley of attacks and Sakura barely managed to block each one. He wasn't kidding when he said he was stronger in his own time. The battle raged on for what seemed like hours. Both Sakura and the man had cuts and bruises from their numerous attacks. The man paused to relish in what he thought would be a victory. He lunged at Sakura as she struggled to stay upright. He gathered all his magic together for one final blow. Sakura knew it was coming. All she could do was use the Shield card to block most of the attack. Sakuras knees buckled under the force of his blast. The Shield gave way and she was thrown into a nearby tree. The man laughed as her crumpled body lay on the ground. She was battered and bruised.
"Looks like the legendary Card Mistress doesn't have it in her to defeat me." The man mocked. "Gonna leave her friends and family heartbroken. Not to mention break the heart of her true love. Looks like I'm too much for her to handle."
He started to leave when he noticed a pink glow surrounding Sakura. Her eyes fluttered open as she slowly got back on her feet. The look in her eyes scared the man. Sakuras emerald green eyes were filled with a determination he had never seen. She looked him straight in the eyes and without using her wand, she summoned all her cards to her. They joined as one, using all the strength she had left, and attacked the man. He was destroyed faster than he could summon his magic to save him. Seeing him destroyed, Sakura blacked out.