Hi everyone! This will probably take a while to up-date because I am going
to try to write LOOOOOOONG chapters from now on. ^-^ I said I'll try, that
doesn't necessarily mean that I will succeed. Well, in this chapter I am
PLANNING to write to where Eriol comes in, and that means I have a LOT to
type. Well, I better get started! Thank you SO much for the
reviews!!!!!!!!!
*****Sakura*****
"Sakura…I don't know if this is the best time to mention this, but you know all the people that are badly injured from fighting…"
"Yeah…" I said slowly, turning my attention to Syaoran.
He paused, watching my reaction, then said, "It's a card."
"Are you sure?" Meiling asked.
"Mm hmm," He said, dimly nodding his head. "The Fight card."
"Than lets go!" I said, glad to fulfill my mother's wish and to get my mind off things. We all headed to the stable where all the fights had been. It was dark and dreary. They hay particles in the are made my nose tingle. "Where do you think it would be?" I asked.
"It only fights opponents that it thinks are good. I have an idea. Why don't you and Meiling finish your battle that was from a few mornings ago. The Fight card will HAVE to show itself then."
"Okay!" I said getting into a battle stance.
"Sounds good to me!" Mailing said, following pursuit.
Tomoyo grabbed a LONG piece of parchment for no where seemingly and a feather quill and started writing non-stop. We all sweat dropped.
"I'm not going to go easy on you, Kinomoto!"
I looked back over at Meiling and grinned. "Good. Then it will be fair play."
She lunged at me but I quickly evaded her attack. I threw a punch at her and she blocked it without difficulty. Soon it was like a game, she would attack and I would block, and then would attack and she would block, neither of us gaining, but both of us loosing energy. I thought back to the other fights we have had and then smiled grimly. I ran towards her, flipped twice, and then kicked her back from behind. Meiling barely did a tuck and roll in time, coming up to her feet. She glared at me from over her shoulder, her leg lashed out and knocked me to the ground. I wasn't expecting that.
Then a figure jumped down from the beam and onto the floor, a few feet away from us. She bowed and then leaped toward us at an amazing speed, her fist clenched and an angry expression on her face. I stared at it, dumbstruck and I could tell millions of things were going throw Meiling's head as she tried helplessly to think of something to do. When the Fight card was barely inches from us she got kicked in the side and didn't even get a chance to lay a finger on us! The person who helped us was…Syaoran???
The Fight card glared at Syaoran and then attacked. Syaoran dodged to avoid contact but got hit once, and then twice. He brought his fist up and over and then made contact with the cards stomach. Syaoran used a kick on the doubled over Clow Card and she landed heavily on her stomach. I took this moment to seal the card.
"Return to the form you were destined to be… CLOW CARD!!!" I raised my staff and there was a swirl of the Fight Card as it flew into the card. I sighed with relief. Thankfully this card won't be causing any more trouble."
"Yeah," Tomoyo said, smiling her tiny smile that seemed to mean many different things at once. "Well, what do we tell our teachers? We just missed our Legends and Tales class."
"I guess we will just have to wait and see," I said, dreading going back to class.
"You don't have to go to class today if you do not feel like it," Syaoran said as we all headed to class. "I'm sure my mother wouldn't mind. Especially because… well… you know."
I looked at the ground, feeling sad and depressed once again. I wanted to cry, but I wouldn't let myself. I had been feeling sorry for myself all day, and now I owed my friends the happieness they deserved. I knew that if I was sad, they would be too. They wouldn't be able to focus in class or anything. Besides, they cared too much. I just shook my head. "No, I'm fine. The only class I have next is nature's song anyway, so I won't need to concentrate too hard. I also need to be there when you guys need to explain to Ms. Mizuki what happened. She's nice, I'm sure she will understand. Actually, she kind of… helps me. I don't know if it's intentionally or not, but she's so nice!"
"I don't trust her," Syaoran said flatly. "There is something about her that I don't like. She's… different."
"Syaoran!" I exclaimed. "I like her!" I blushed a deep red when I realized I just said that when we entered her class. Thankfully there weren't any students there. They were all making their way to their next class.
"Why, hello Sakura. Tomoyo, Meiling, Syaoran, it's nice to see you." She said in a soft voice that was soothing and made me feel floaty inside. She smiled with crescent-moon eyes.
We all murmured our greeting and I tilted my head to the side. Why wasn't she mad? "Ms. Mizuki," I started.
"There is no need to worry Sakura. There are many reasons why people do not come to class. I am just hoping that it is not because you do not like it. Legends and Tales are actually very interesting when you put the time and effort into it."
"That's not the reason why we didn't come," Meiling blurted, receiving a glare from Syaoran.
"We had… important things to do," Tomoyo said at last. We were all starting to feel very uncomfortable and I knew that we weren't getting anywhere.
"They were comforting me," I said at last in a small voice. At least this she would have to believe. I didn't want my friends to get in trouble. It WAS mainly my fault.
"What's wrong?" Ms. Mizuki asked, concerned.
"I received a letter today… a-about my family. S-s-something… happened."
Ms. Mizuki's expression sobered. She lifted my gaze to meet her eyes and it felt like she was looking deeply into my soul. Her eyes were watery, and I could tell she somehow knew that they were dead. Instead of stopping there, she looked further. I looked right back, afraid of what would happen if I broke the contact. Her eyes softened and the tiniest smile appeared on her lips. Then they clouded over, and she looked semi-angry at something. It was like she was gazing into my future. Her face became troubled, and a shadow crossed over it, and then there was a glimpse of something that crossed her face. Hope. She slowly stood back up and gave me a reassuring smile, but was sad none-the-less.
"You have a very bumpy path ahead of you Sakura. This is what has only begun. Be strong, and let your heart guide you. You would be surprised at how smart it is. Sometimes the heart knows things the brain does not. What is most unexplainable is always true. Listen. You may be amazed at what you find."
I stared at her. What was she talking about? Did she know something I did not? What was it?
"Ms. Mizuki… about today," Tomoyo ventured.
The teacher just smiled. "You didn't really miss anything that was too important. I will excuse this, but make sure it doesn't become a habit."
We all smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone except Syaoran that is. He crossed his arms and glowered.
"You better hurry if you want to get to your next class in time. And remember, together is when you are most strong."
We looked at her and gave puzzled expressions, but she didn't go into more detail. We shrugged, said good-bye, and hustled to our next class, leaving Ms. Mizuki looking worriedly after us.
Tomoyo and I had nature's song, and all we were doing was wondering around in the gardens while some people were singing. Naoko, Chiharu, and Rika had this class too. They were friendly as always, but I could tell they were worried about what happened this morning. We all had the same first period class and they probably thought my behavior was very odd. I tried to be cheerful but it was half act. I didn't want them to worry, and they were too polite to ask what happened. h
"Well, you only have one card left and then you have captured them all," Tomoyo said excitedly when we finally had a moment alone.
"Yep," I said.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!"
My head snapped in the direction where the high pitched scream came from. All the previous singing had subsided, and now a few people were whispering amongst themselves.
"What do you think that was?" Tomoyo asked, leaning forward to whisper in my ear.
"I don't know." I quickly scanned the area. What was that all about?
"Huh? Kikume, why did you scr- Arrrrrrgggghhhhh!"
"Huh? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
"Help, help! FIRE!!!!" Someone yelled. Soon there was a series of shouts coming from all over. Everyone was panicking, and running all over the place.
I looked up just in time to see a tree's branch light on fire for no apparent reason. Some of the flowers in the garden were on fire, and others were just piles of ash. "Tomoyo! This is the last card I have to capture! It's Fiery ( or Firey)!" I shouted, running to where most of the screaming came from. Tomoyo was right behind me. I came to the scene of the crime and saw most everything engulfed in flames and people crying and running away. I jumped behind a bush so no one would see me and pulled out the key. [AN: Would someone e-mail me the words Sakura says in the Japanese show? Please? I wrote them down and now I can't find where I put the paper! *tear* I think it says something about her contract and stuff. I need to know the one she says to get the staff AND the one to turn the Clow Cards to their original form. If you do I would be really happy! Thanks!]
I said the incantation and turned the key into the staff. I brought out a very specific card and whapped the staff to it. "SLEEP!" I yelled. "Make everybody sleep!"
The spirit flew out of the card and waved it's wand about, flying high over everyone's head. The screaming and shouting fell to a hush, and then all was quiet. The Sleep Card had done her job. I called her back and stepped out over the bush. Tomoyo was behind me the entire time so she didn't fall under the spell like everyone else did. She was close on my heels as I ran into a clearing.
"I take it you know that this is firey(fiery) right?"
I looked up and saw Syaoran standing up on the ledge of the castle wall. He jumped down and landed in front of me. "Uh huh," I said, nodding. "What do we do?"
"This card is an attack card, so we have to fight it differently. Also, it is one of the elemental cards. That means it's stronger."
I took in a deep breath and exhaled. "Alright! Windy! Put out the flames! WINDY!" I brought the staff to the card and Windy streamed out of it. At first it looked like it was working, but then Fiery(Firey) used the wind to fan the embers, making them huge flames that rose about ten feet.
"It's not working!" Syaoran yelled.
"I know!" She put our arms up to shield the wind and debris from our eyes and I called Windy back. "Now what?" I asked. This would get REALLY bad if I didn't capture this card!
"You need to think! What can we use against fire?"
"Water!" I yelled excitedly.
"No! Fiery will only use water to it's advantage like it did with Windy!"
"Then what do I do?!?" I asked helplessly. We were running now. Away from Fiery's attacks. We were getting closer and closer to getting singed. Some Clow Card. It looked like it was enjoying itself. Like this was only a game. Well, obviously it needed to get out more. This WAS NOT a game!
"Maybe this is it," Syaoran said. "Maybe this is as far as we will go."
"NO!!!" I shouted. Stopping in my tracks. Tomoyo and Syaoran looked back at me questioningly, and like I was crazy or something.
"Sakura!" Tomoyo shouted. "Come on!"
"No! This isn't the end! I won't let it be!" I looked back down at Windy, and then watery. There HAS to be a way to stop this card! There has to be! Then I got an idea. Before I put too much thought into it I threw them both in the air. "Windy! Watery! Work together to stop Fiery!!!"
They both streamed out of the card and twirled around each other in perfect unison.
"I don't believe it!" I heard Syaoran say, stunned.
I continued to watch them, awed. They wrapped around Fiery and slowly brought her down towards me. I smiled. This would be my last Card to capture. "Fiery! Return to thy form you were meant to be! Fiery!" I smacked my staff against the air and a transparent card flicked there, sucking the spirit into it's card form. The card floated up and over, into my hands. I smiled. Finally, they were all captured. Finally, I was all done. If only I had known how wrong I was.
*****Ms. Mizuki*****
"Are you sure?" Came the masculine voice from inside her head. This wasn't the first time they have communicated this way. Through magic.
"Yes. I have been watching her. She actually has a great amount of potential. She has been through a lot today. The last card HAS been captured," I said strongly.
"Alright. Then it is time for my arrival. I will be there shortly."
His end of the connection shut down before I had time to even say good-bye. It didn't matter though. I was used to it. I looked at my class. Everyone was asleep. How would I act when the woke up? They certainly weren't supposed to sleep during class. Of course, this was an exception, but they didn't know that.
I walked over to the window and looked down at Sakura. She could handle what was about to happen. She had to. But… could her friends? Could Eriol? How would he act when he found out? How would he act when his plans… were ruined?
*****Sakura*****
"You did it!!!" Tomoyo said excitedly. "Here, you may use my SPECIAL quill to sign your name on your very last card!"
I smiled and accepted the quill. "Thank you Tomoyo."
I signed my name on the Card and breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. I don't have to go through the judgement."
"I still don't see why you don't have to. What if you don't have what it takes? I mean…" Suddenly he turned bright red. "I don't want you to get hurt or anything," He turned even redder, "what I'm trying to say is…"
Tomoyo found this utterly amusing. "Why don't you stop while your behind." She gave an all-knowing glance at both of us. "I'm sure Sakura isn't mad or anything."
I looked at him. "I'm not mad!"
He shyly looked up at me, then back down. "Uh, okay."
"SAKURA!!!!!!!!!"
My head snapped up and over. 'Who was THAT?!?'
"You did it!!!!!!!!! I KNEW you had it in you!!!!"
The voice was VERY loud and deep. It seemed to me like he was growling deep in his throat. His voice boomed and echoed all around us. We looked every which way and I finally saw him… well… it.
A HUGE lion type animal was zooming toward me and he tackled me to the ground. I was scared beyond belief! Who on earth…?
Syaoran had his sword out and ready in no time at all. "Get off of her you… you… beast!" He seemed to be stuttering over his words.
"Oh, my." Tomoyo was watching the whole thing with a hand to her cheek. "Who are you?"
"It's me! Kero! Keroberos now!"
"Kero?!?" I shocked out from nearly suffocating with his access weight. "Will you please get off of me?"
"Oh. Right. Sorry." He backed off of me and I sat up, glad for the intake of cool, sweet, air.
"Get away from us you!" Syaoran growled.
"Who's the gaki?" Keroberos asked.
"I AM NOT A GAKI!!!" Syaoran went rigid when he heard himself being called that.
"Will you please return to your borrowed form. People might wake up soon!" I hissed.
He shrugged and rose up into the air. His wings stretched and covered his whole form, and then he opened them to show the little Kero that we all love and adore. ^-^ His wings shrank to their normal size and he opened his eyes.
"Tomoyo! Sakura! It's great to see you!" He flew over to us and we laughed, glad that it was really him. "Sooo… who's the brat?"
"Kero!" I warned.
Syaoran stepped closer to us. "You… are the mighty Keroberos that we just saw?!?" He started laughing and pointed a finger to Kero. "You're a stuffed animal!!!"
"Say that again and I'll bite ya kid," Kero said, getting mad.
"Stuffed animal! Stuffed animal! Stuffed animal!"
"THAT'S IT!" *chomp*
"OWW!!!!!!" Tomoyo and I watched this charade for quite some time, both of us sweat dropping.
"If you don't mind. Everyone is starting to wake up now and they will find it extremely bizarre if you can fly and talk Kero."
I opened a burlap sack that was laying on the ground with a bunch of other things scattered here and there. Kero grumbled, but flew inside of it anyway. "We have a lot to talk about Kero. And you know it! I also want to know what you mean by, you weren't at the palace when Tokurashi invaded."
"I know, Sakura. I know." He said, sounding thoroughly sad and depressed.
"Well, class is over so we can all go to our bedchamber. There is a nice little lounge area that we can sit at," Tomoyo suggested.
We all went to our bedchamber and there, Kero and Syaoran were glaring at each other the entire time. "Okay Kero. The staring contest is over. Now explain what… what h-h-happened."
Kero finally broke his gaze and looked at me with remorse. "Alright. It was two days before it happened. I still didn't have my powers to turn into my true form so I figured you didn't catch fiery yet. You mother knew I was worried, but said she knew you were all right. She wanted me to take a break from pretending to be a stuffed animal so I could roam the woods and stretch my wings. I should have realized… but I didn't."
"Go on," I urged through a tight throat. "She sent me away, and I had fun! I ate all the berries I could find! I didn't have a care in the world Sakura! I thought everything was okay. When I came back, I was wrong. The castle was in ruins. Fire and smoke was everywhere. I couldn't believe it. But I had to. I had to."
Tears swelled up in my eyes. I couldn't see clearly anymore, but I could still make out everyone's figure. I gulped and tried to hold my sobs in. Kero continued in a low and gentle voice.
"She knew Sakura. Your mother knew. Why else would she make me leave? She wanted me to be safe… so I could watch over you. She got you out of there so that you would be safe. She tried to talk Touya into going. She wanted to save him too. She cared. She cared for you two so much."
"B-b-but…what about Yukito? It he… dead? Did he die too? He's Yue! That can't happen!" I nearly shouted.
Kero's face was grim. "I couldn't feel his presence from the castle. I don't think he's dead… but I'm not so sure."
"Do you think mother sent him away too?" I asked in between sobs. I felt someone put their arm around me and I buried my head in their shirt. Kero came over and petted my head.
"Sakura, everything will be alright. She saved you. You need to live your life to the fullest. We all care about you. And the cards need you."
When I heard that I knew it was Syaoran who was holding me. I swallows and squeezed my eyes shut tight. I opened them, pressed my lips together, and then smiled. I sniffed. "You're right, Syaoran. I need to be the best I can be. The cards may need me, and you guys may need me, but I want all of you to know that I need you just as much, if not more. You are all… my BEST friends!"
"I'm glad to hear it," Syaoran murmured as he gently stroked my hair.
Tomoyo stared at us with watery eyes. "You guys are the best!" Then she threw her arms around us in a big, group hug. I smiled as I wiped my tears away. I have friends that cared about me. What more could I ask for? I pushed the thought of 'a family' out of my head and tried to enjoy the moment.
"Hey! What about me?!?" We all looked at the open door and found Meiling there pouting.
"You too, Meiling," Tomoyo said, giggling.
"YAY!" Meiling ran into the room and threw her arms around all of his.
"Hey there little girl," Kero said, smiling.
"WHO is this stuffed ANIMAL?!?" Meiling asked.
"I RESENT THAT!" Kero yelled.
"Here we go again," I said, sweat dropping.
~ ~ ~ ~ Time gap! ~ ~ ~ ~
*****Sakura*****
I woke up and found Tomoyo actually up and ready for a change. We went down the stairs together and out to the practice courts, leaving Kero alone and sleeping. We spotted Syaoran and Meiling outside and instead of practicing like we normally did we all went for a walk in the gardens. We seemed to do this a lot, but since we all enjoyed it and since it was peaceful and quiet we could all relax and either talk or listen to the birds singing their morning songs.
"So, what do we have in store for our future?" I asked. "Is it over?"
"I've been wanting to talk to my mother about that. The Elders now know that you are the Card Mistress," Syaoran said.
"How do they know? Who are they?" I asked.
"They are very powerful people. They know all about magic of every kind. That's the best way I can describe them. They wanted the cards to themselves, well, for my family anyway. We are all descendents of Clow Reed himself."
"Wow."
"They didn't fall under the sleeping spell because of their power. They watched you capture Fiery."
"Oh," was all I could manage. Then something caught my attention. Something very familiar. Something that made me happy, and angry and sad all at once. What was it? It was… a presence! Was it Yuki?!?
I whipped around to see who it was. I ignored all of the passers-by that were finally up and running. It was almost time for breakfast, but not quite. I had to wait for a group of people to slowly walk by until I could see who it was. "Yuki?" I whispered, appalled. I locked eyes with his and I slowly remembered how much I cared for him. It wasn't his presence that I felt though. It was someone else's. Someone who I have known all my life. "Touya?!?" I gasped, tears starting to fall. 'How could that be?!? It couldn't! Was it his spirit?!?'
He gave a little grin, and Yuki smiled with crescent-moon eyes. It was then that I knew I had to be dreaming. This was too good to be true.
"Sakura, what's wrong?" Syaoran asked. Tomoyo followed my gaze and gasped.
"Hey squirt."
Maybe it wasn't a dream. "TOUYA!!!!!!!!!!" I ran as fast as I could in his direction. I thought I would never make it into his embrace. Tears flew off my face and into the breeze. These tears were tears of happiness though. I jumped into his arms and knew right then that it wasn't a dream. "How…"
He ruffled my hair. "Hey, Kaijuu, [AN: I need to know how to spell that too. `-_-] why the long face?!?"
I looked up at him and for once didn't yell at him for calling me that. I smiled through my tears, and then took a deep breath. "I'm just glad you're alright."
I knew he understood and then he patted my shoulder. "Looks like mom got her way. She sent me off to Nakuru's and when I got there, there wasn't a ball so I knew something was up. I brought Yukito with me and I assumed that Nakuru might have known too. She sure is a pain in the neck. She has a good way of hiding things. When I found out I was really sad and upset, but I know mother did this for the best. It just shows how much she cares, right kid-o?"
Amazingly I understood all that. I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face. Tomoyo, Meiling, and Syaoran all stepped up to us. I was about to introduce everyone when…
"Who's the brat?"
Touya was specifically talking about Syaoran. He glared, and was then rewarded with a glare right back at him.
"You guys!" I sweat dropped. I forgot how Touya acted to… well… all the guys within ten feet of me.
"I met you before, you punk," Touya said. "Three years ago at Nakuru's."
I didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
"Yeah. So?!?" Syaoran said.
Then the bell for breakfast rang and we were all saved. I could hardly believe he was alive. Even though he was mean… a lot… he was still my brother. I still cared for him.
***** 3rd Person*****
Tomoyo, Meiling, Syaoran, Sakura, Touya, and Yukito walked toward the palace, Touya and Syaoran still bickering. They were unaware of a figure watching them. They did not know his future plans. They did not know what the future held. Yet… neither did he.
"Master," came a feminine voice.
"What now, Ruby?" he asked.
"What do you plan to do?" She asked.
"Test them. She has to be strong enough to really be their master. Yue and Keroberos deserve the best. This is not some free trial."
"And then what Master?" Spinnal Sun asked.
"Oh, Suppi, isn't it obvious? He's going to make her convert the Clow Cards to Sakura Cards."
"How do you know her name is Sakura?" Spinnal asked.
"That's easy," she said, overly proud of herself, "Who else do you think Touya talked about all the time?"
"Yes," Eriol said from the tree's most inner branch, "You did a job well done Ruby. Touya and Yue would not have survived if you hadn't sent that invitation."
"Thank you master. When I am Nakuru, I ALWAYS get my way."
"You always get your way period," Spinnel droned.
"Shut it!" Ruby Moon snapped.
"I think things will finally start to get interesting from now on," Eriol said, smirking. There was a flash of magic and they all appeared in their borrowed forms. "From now on, call me Eriol when people are around. Understand?"
"Yes, Master."
"Yes, Master."
"Ooh, Eriol… I like that!" Nakuru squealed.
"Oh, brother," Suppi said, rolling his eyes.
As they made their way inside they didn't see or hear the figure in black and green. He smirked evilly when everyone has gone inside. "Yes, Clow, you have fun and play your games. See what I care. That Cherry Blossom and her brother are mine though. You wait and see. Things will be more interesting than you have ever hoped for. What will happen to the Card Mistress when she's under too much pressure? We will soon find out."
"Master Tokurashi?"
"WHAT?!?" He snapped.
"I am ready to serve."
"Good," he murmured, "Good."
*****Sakura*****
"Sakura…I don't know if this is the best time to mention this, but you know all the people that are badly injured from fighting…"
"Yeah…" I said slowly, turning my attention to Syaoran.
He paused, watching my reaction, then said, "It's a card."
"Are you sure?" Meiling asked.
"Mm hmm," He said, dimly nodding his head. "The Fight card."
"Than lets go!" I said, glad to fulfill my mother's wish and to get my mind off things. We all headed to the stable where all the fights had been. It was dark and dreary. They hay particles in the are made my nose tingle. "Where do you think it would be?" I asked.
"It only fights opponents that it thinks are good. I have an idea. Why don't you and Meiling finish your battle that was from a few mornings ago. The Fight card will HAVE to show itself then."
"Okay!" I said getting into a battle stance.
"Sounds good to me!" Mailing said, following pursuit.
Tomoyo grabbed a LONG piece of parchment for no where seemingly and a feather quill and started writing non-stop. We all sweat dropped.
"I'm not going to go easy on you, Kinomoto!"
I looked back over at Meiling and grinned. "Good. Then it will be fair play."
She lunged at me but I quickly evaded her attack. I threw a punch at her and she blocked it without difficulty. Soon it was like a game, she would attack and I would block, and then would attack and she would block, neither of us gaining, but both of us loosing energy. I thought back to the other fights we have had and then smiled grimly. I ran towards her, flipped twice, and then kicked her back from behind. Meiling barely did a tuck and roll in time, coming up to her feet. She glared at me from over her shoulder, her leg lashed out and knocked me to the ground. I wasn't expecting that.
Then a figure jumped down from the beam and onto the floor, a few feet away from us. She bowed and then leaped toward us at an amazing speed, her fist clenched and an angry expression on her face. I stared at it, dumbstruck and I could tell millions of things were going throw Meiling's head as she tried helplessly to think of something to do. When the Fight card was barely inches from us she got kicked in the side and didn't even get a chance to lay a finger on us! The person who helped us was…Syaoran???
The Fight card glared at Syaoran and then attacked. Syaoran dodged to avoid contact but got hit once, and then twice. He brought his fist up and over and then made contact with the cards stomach. Syaoran used a kick on the doubled over Clow Card and she landed heavily on her stomach. I took this moment to seal the card.
"Return to the form you were destined to be… CLOW CARD!!!" I raised my staff and there was a swirl of the Fight Card as it flew into the card. I sighed with relief. Thankfully this card won't be causing any more trouble."
"Yeah," Tomoyo said, smiling her tiny smile that seemed to mean many different things at once. "Well, what do we tell our teachers? We just missed our Legends and Tales class."
"I guess we will just have to wait and see," I said, dreading going back to class.
"You don't have to go to class today if you do not feel like it," Syaoran said as we all headed to class. "I'm sure my mother wouldn't mind. Especially because… well… you know."
I looked at the ground, feeling sad and depressed once again. I wanted to cry, but I wouldn't let myself. I had been feeling sorry for myself all day, and now I owed my friends the happieness they deserved. I knew that if I was sad, they would be too. They wouldn't be able to focus in class or anything. Besides, they cared too much. I just shook my head. "No, I'm fine. The only class I have next is nature's song anyway, so I won't need to concentrate too hard. I also need to be there when you guys need to explain to Ms. Mizuki what happened. She's nice, I'm sure she will understand. Actually, she kind of… helps me. I don't know if it's intentionally or not, but she's so nice!"
"I don't trust her," Syaoran said flatly. "There is something about her that I don't like. She's… different."
"Syaoran!" I exclaimed. "I like her!" I blushed a deep red when I realized I just said that when we entered her class. Thankfully there weren't any students there. They were all making their way to their next class.
"Why, hello Sakura. Tomoyo, Meiling, Syaoran, it's nice to see you." She said in a soft voice that was soothing and made me feel floaty inside. She smiled with crescent-moon eyes.
We all murmured our greeting and I tilted my head to the side. Why wasn't she mad? "Ms. Mizuki," I started.
"There is no need to worry Sakura. There are many reasons why people do not come to class. I am just hoping that it is not because you do not like it. Legends and Tales are actually very interesting when you put the time and effort into it."
"That's not the reason why we didn't come," Meiling blurted, receiving a glare from Syaoran.
"We had… important things to do," Tomoyo said at last. We were all starting to feel very uncomfortable and I knew that we weren't getting anywhere.
"They were comforting me," I said at last in a small voice. At least this she would have to believe. I didn't want my friends to get in trouble. It WAS mainly my fault.
"What's wrong?" Ms. Mizuki asked, concerned.
"I received a letter today… a-about my family. S-s-something… happened."
Ms. Mizuki's expression sobered. She lifted my gaze to meet her eyes and it felt like she was looking deeply into my soul. Her eyes were watery, and I could tell she somehow knew that they were dead. Instead of stopping there, she looked further. I looked right back, afraid of what would happen if I broke the contact. Her eyes softened and the tiniest smile appeared on her lips. Then they clouded over, and she looked semi-angry at something. It was like she was gazing into my future. Her face became troubled, and a shadow crossed over it, and then there was a glimpse of something that crossed her face. Hope. She slowly stood back up and gave me a reassuring smile, but was sad none-the-less.
"You have a very bumpy path ahead of you Sakura. This is what has only begun. Be strong, and let your heart guide you. You would be surprised at how smart it is. Sometimes the heart knows things the brain does not. What is most unexplainable is always true. Listen. You may be amazed at what you find."
I stared at her. What was she talking about? Did she know something I did not? What was it?
"Ms. Mizuki… about today," Tomoyo ventured.
The teacher just smiled. "You didn't really miss anything that was too important. I will excuse this, but make sure it doesn't become a habit."
We all smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone except Syaoran that is. He crossed his arms and glowered.
"You better hurry if you want to get to your next class in time. And remember, together is when you are most strong."
We looked at her and gave puzzled expressions, but she didn't go into more detail. We shrugged, said good-bye, and hustled to our next class, leaving Ms. Mizuki looking worriedly after us.
Tomoyo and I had nature's song, and all we were doing was wondering around in the gardens while some people were singing. Naoko, Chiharu, and Rika had this class too. They were friendly as always, but I could tell they were worried about what happened this morning. We all had the same first period class and they probably thought my behavior was very odd. I tried to be cheerful but it was half act. I didn't want them to worry, and they were too polite to ask what happened. h
"Well, you only have one card left and then you have captured them all," Tomoyo said excitedly when we finally had a moment alone.
"Yep," I said.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!"
My head snapped in the direction where the high pitched scream came from. All the previous singing had subsided, and now a few people were whispering amongst themselves.
"What do you think that was?" Tomoyo asked, leaning forward to whisper in my ear.
"I don't know." I quickly scanned the area. What was that all about?
"Huh? Kikume, why did you scr- Arrrrrrgggghhhhh!"
"Huh? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
"Help, help! FIRE!!!!" Someone yelled. Soon there was a series of shouts coming from all over. Everyone was panicking, and running all over the place.
I looked up just in time to see a tree's branch light on fire for no apparent reason. Some of the flowers in the garden were on fire, and others were just piles of ash. "Tomoyo! This is the last card I have to capture! It's Fiery ( or Firey)!" I shouted, running to where most of the screaming came from. Tomoyo was right behind me. I came to the scene of the crime and saw most everything engulfed in flames and people crying and running away. I jumped behind a bush so no one would see me and pulled out the key. [AN: Would someone e-mail me the words Sakura says in the Japanese show? Please? I wrote them down and now I can't find where I put the paper! *tear* I think it says something about her contract and stuff. I need to know the one she says to get the staff AND the one to turn the Clow Cards to their original form. If you do I would be really happy! Thanks!]
I said the incantation and turned the key into the staff. I brought out a very specific card and whapped the staff to it. "SLEEP!" I yelled. "Make everybody sleep!"
The spirit flew out of the card and waved it's wand about, flying high over everyone's head. The screaming and shouting fell to a hush, and then all was quiet. The Sleep Card had done her job. I called her back and stepped out over the bush. Tomoyo was behind me the entire time so she didn't fall under the spell like everyone else did. She was close on my heels as I ran into a clearing.
"I take it you know that this is firey(fiery) right?"
I looked up and saw Syaoran standing up on the ledge of the castle wall. He jumped down and landed in front of me. "Uh huh," I said, nodding. "What do we do?"
"This card is an attack card, so we have to fight it differently. Also, it is one of the elemental cards. That means it's stronger."
I took in a deep breath and exhaled. "Alright! Windy! Put out the flames! WINDY!" I brought the staff to the card and Windy streamed out of it. At first it looked like it was working, but then Fiery(Firey) used the wind to fan the embers, making them huge flames that rose about ten feet.
"It's not working!" Syaoran yelled.
"I know!" She put our arms up to shield the wind and debris from our eyes and I called Windy back. "Now what?" I asked. This would get REALLY bad if I didn't capture this card!
"You need to think! What can we use against fire?"
"Water!" I yelled excitedly.
"No! Fiery will only use water to it's advantage like it did with Windy!"
"Then what do I do?!?" I asked helplessly. We were running now. Away from Fiery's attacks. We were getting closer and closer to getting singed. Some Clow Card. It looked like it was enjoying itself. Like this was only a game. Well, obviously it needed to get out more. This WAS NOT a game!
"Maybe this is it," Syaoran said. "Maybe this is as far as we will go."
"NO!!!" I shouted. Stopping in my tracks. Tomoyo and Syaoran looked back at me questioningly, and like I was crazy or something.
"Sakura!" Tomoyo shouted. "Come on!"
"No! This isn't the end! I won't let it be!" I looked back down at Windy, and then watery. There HAS to be a way to stop this card! There has to be! Then I got an idea. Before I put too much thought into it I threw them both in the air. "Windy! Watery! Work together to stop Fiery!!!"
They both streamed out of the card and twirled around each other in perfect unison.
"I don't believe it!" I heard Syaoran say, stunned.
I continued to watch them, awed. They wrapped around Fiery and slowly brought her down towards me. I smiled. This would be my last Card to capture. "Fiery! Return to thy form you were meant to be! Fiery!" I smacked my staff against the air and a transparent card flicked there, sucking the spirit into it's card form. The card floated up and over, into my hands. I smiled. Finally, they were all captured. Finally, I was all done. If only I had known how wrong I was.
*****Ms. Mizuki*****
"Are you sure?" Came the masculine voice from inside her head. This wasn't the first time they have communicated this way. Through magic.
"Yes. I have been watching her. She actually has a great amount of potential. She has been through a lot today. The last card HAS been captured," I said strongly.
"Alright. Then it is time for my arrival. I will be there shortly."
His end of the connection shut down before I had time to even say good-bye. It didn't matter though. I was used to it. I looked at my class. Everyone was asleep. How would I act when the woke up? They certainly weren't supposed to sleep during class. Of course, this was an exception, but they didn't know that.
I walked over to the window and looked down at Sakura. She could handle what was about to happen. She had to. But… could her friends? Could Eriol? How would he act when he found out? How would he act when his plans… were ruined?
*****Sakura*****
"You did it!!!" Tomoyo said excitedly. "Here, you may use my SPECIAL quill to sign your name on your very last card!"
I smiled and accepted the quill. "Thank you Tomoyo."
I signed my name on the Card and breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. I don't have to go through the judgement."
"I still don't see why you don't have to. What if you don't have what it takes? I mean…" Suddenly he turned bright red. "I don't want you to get hurt or anything," He turned even redder, "what I'm trying to say is…"
Tomoyo found this utterly amusing. "Why don't you stop while your behind." She gave an all-knowing glance at both of us. "I'm sure Sakura isn't mad or anything."
I looked at him. "I'm not mad!"
He shyly looked up at me, then back down. "Uh, okay."
"SAKURA!!!!!!!!!"
My head snapped up and over. 'Who was THAT?!?'
"You did it!!!!!!!!! I KNEW you had it in you!!!!"
The voice was VERY loud and deep. It seemed to me like he was growling deep in his throat. His voice boomed and echoed all around us. We looked every which way and I finally saw him… well… it.
A HUGE lion type animal was zooming toward me and he tackled me to the ground. I was scared beyond belief! Who on earth…?
Syaoran had his sword out and ready in no time at all. "Get off of her you… you… beast!" He seemed to be stuttering over his words.
"Oh, my." Tomoyo was watching the whole thing with a hand to her cheek. "Who are you?"
"It's me! Kero! Keroberos now!"
"Kero?!?" I shocked out from nearly suffocating with his access weight. "Will you please get off of me?"
"Oh. Right. Sorry." He backed off of me and I sat up, glad for the intake of cool, sweet, air.
"Get away from us you!" Syaoran growled.
"Who's the gaki?" Keroberos asked.
"I AM NOT A GAKI!!!" Syaoran went rigid when he heard himself being called that.
"Will you please return to your borrowed form. People might wake up soon!" I hissed.
He shrugged and rose up into the air. His wings stretched and covered his whole form, and then he opened them to show the little Kero that we all love and adore. ^-^ His wings shrank to their normal size and he opened his eyes.
"Tomoyo! Sakura! It's great to see you!" He flew over to us and we laughed, glad that it was really him. "Sooo… who's the brat?"
"Kero!" I warned.
Syaoran stepped closer to us. "You… are the mighty Keroberos that we just saw?!?" He started laughing and pointed a finger to Kero. "You're a stuffed animal!!!"
"Say that again and I'll bite ya kid," Kero said, getting mad.
"Stuffed animal! Stuffed animal! Stuffed animal!"
"THAT'S IT!" *chomp*
"OWW!!!!!!" Tomoyo and I watched this charade for quite some time, both of us sweat dropping.
"If you don't mind. Everyone is starting to wake up now and they will find it extremely bizarre if you can fly and talk Kero."
I opened a burlap sack that was laying on the ground with a bunch of other things scattered here and there. Kero grumbled, but flew inside of it anyway. "We have a lot to talk about Kero. And you know it! I also want to know what you mean by, you weren't at the palace when Tokurashi invaded."
"I know, Sakura. I know." He said, sounding thoroughly sad and depressed.
"Well, class is over so we can all go to our bedchamber. There is a nice little lounge area that we can sit at," Tomoyo suggested.
We all went to our bedchamber and there, Kero and Syaoran were glaring at each other the entire time. "Okay Kero. The staring contest is over. Now explain what… what h-h-happened."
Kero finally broke his gaze and looked at me with remorse. "Alright. It was two days before it happened. I still didn't have my powers to turn into my true form so I figured you didn't catch fiery yet. You mother knew I was worried, but said she knew you were all right. She wanted me to take a break from pretending to be a stuffed animal so I could roam the woods and stretch my wings. I should have realized… but I didn't."
"Go on," I urged through a tight throat. "She sent me away, and I had fun! I ate all the berries I could find! I didn't have a care in the world Sakura! I thought everything was okay. When I came back, I was wrong. The castle was in ruins. Fire and smoke was everywhere. I couldn't believe it. But I had to. I had to."
Tears swelled up in my eyes. I couldn't see clearly anymore, but I could still make out everyone's figure. I gulped and tried to hold my sobs in. Kero continued in a low and gentle voice.
"She knew Sakura. Your mother knew. Why else would she make me leave? She wanted me to be safe… so I could watch over you. She got you out of there so that you would be safe. She tried to talk Touya into going. She wanted to save him too. She cared. She cared for you two so much."
"B-b-but…what about Yukito? It he… dead? Did he die too? He's Yue! That can't happen!" I nearly shouted.
Kero's face was grim. "I couldn't feel his presence from the castle. I don't think he's dead… but I'm not so sure."
"Do you think mother sent him away too?" I asked in between sobs. I felt someone put their arm around me and I buried my head in their shirt. Kero came over and petted my head.
"Sakura, everything will be alright. She saved you. You need to live your life to the fullest. We all care about you. And the cards need you."
When I heard that I knew it was Syaoran who was holding me. I swallows and squeezed my eyes shut tight. I opened them, pressed my lips together, and then smiled. I sniffed. "You're right, Syaoran. I need to be the best I can be. The cards may need me, and you guys may need me, but I want all of you to know that I need you just as much, if not more. You are all… my BEST friends!"
"I'm glad to hear it," Syaoran murmured as he gently stroked my hair.
Tomoyo stared at us with watery eyes. "You guys are the best!" Then she threw her arms around us in a big, group hug. I smiled as I wiped my tears away. I have friends that cared about me. What more could I ask for? I pushed the thought of 'a family' out of my head and tried to enjoy the moment.
"Hey! What about me?!?" We all looked at the open door and found Meiling there pouting.
"You too, Meiling," Tomoyo said, giggling.
"YAY!" Meiling ran into the room and threw her arms around all of his.
"Hey there little girl," Kero said, smiling.
"WHO is this stuffed ANIMAL?!?" Meiling asked.
"I RESENT THAT!" Kero yelled.
"Here we go again," I said, sweat dropping.
~ ~ ~ ~ Time gap! ~ ~ ~ ~
*****Sakura*****
I woke up and found Tomoyo actually up and ready for a change. We went down the stairs together and out to the practice courts, leaving Kero alone and sleeping. We spotted Syaoran and Meiling outside and instead of practicing like we normally did we all went for a walk in the gardens. We seemed to do this a lot, but since we all enjoyed it and since it was peaceful and quiet we could all relax and either talk or listen to the birds singing their morning songs.
"So, what do we have in store for our future?" I asked. "Is it over?"
"I've been wanting to talk to my mother about that. The Elders now know that you are the Card Mistress," Syaoran said.
"How do they know? Who are they?" I asked.
"They are very powerful people. They know all about magic of every kind. That's the best way I can describe them. They wanted the cards to themselves, well, for my family anyway. We are all descendents of Clow Reed himself."
"Wow."
"They didn't fall under the sleeping spell because of their power. They watched you capture Fiery."
"Oh," was all I could manage. Then something caught my attention. Something very familiar. Something that made me happy, and angry and sad all at once. What was it? It was… a presence! Was it Yuki?!?
I whipped around to see who it was. I ignored all of the passers-by that were finally up and running. It was almost time for breakfast, but not quite. I had to wait for a group of people to slowly walk by until I could see who it was. "Yuki?" I whispered, appalled. I locked eyes with his and I slowly remembered how much I cared for him. It wasn't his presence that I felt though. It was someone else's. Someone who I have known all my life. "Touya?!?" I gasped, tears starting to fall. 'How could that be?!? It couldn't! Was it his spirit?!?'
He gave a little grin, and Yuki smiled with crescent-moon eyes. It was then that I knew I had to be dreaming. This was too good to be true.
"Sakura, what's wrong?" Syaoran asked. Tomoyo followed my gaze and gasped.
"Hey squirt."
Maybe it wasn't a dream. "TOUYA!!!!!!!!!!" I ran as fast as I could in his direction. I thought I would never make it into his embrace. Tears flew off my face and into the breeze. These tears were tears of happiness though. I jumped into his arms and knew right then that it wasn't a dream. "How…"
He ruffled my hair. "Hey, Kaijuu, [AN: I need to know how to spell that too. `-_-] why the long face?!?"
I looked up at him and for once didn't yell at him for calling me that. I smiled through my tears, and then took a deep breath. "I'm just glad you're alright."
I knew he understood and then he patted my shoulder. "Looks like mom got her way. She sent me off to Nakuru's and when I got there, there wasn't a ball so I knew something was up. I brought Yukito with me and I assumed that Nakuru might have known too. She sure is a pain in the neck. She has a good way of hiding things. When I found out I was really sad and upset, but I know mother did this for the best. It just shows how much she cares, right kid-o?"
Amazingly I understood all that. I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face. Tomoyo, Meiling, and Syaoran all stepped up to us. I was about to introduce everyone when…
"Who's the brat?"
Touya was specifically talking about Syaoran. He glared, and was then rewarded with a glare right back at him.
"You guys!" I sweat dropped. I forgot how Touya acted to… well… all the guys within ten feet of me.
"I met you before, you punk," Touya said. "Three years ago at Nakuru's."
I didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
"Yeah. So?!?" Syaoran said.
Then the bell for breakfast rang and we were all saved. I could hardly believe he was alive. Even though he was mean… a lot… he was still my brother. I still cared for him.
***** 3rd Person*****
Tomoyo, Meiling, Syaoran, Sakura, Touya, and Yukito walked toward the palace, Touya and Syaoran still bickering. They were unaware of a figure watching them. They did not know his future plans. They did not know what the future held. Yet… neither did he.
"Master," came a feminine voice.
"What now, Ruby?" he asked.
"What do you plan to do?" She asked.
"Test them. She has to be strong enough to really be their master. Yue and Keroberos deserve the best. This is not some free trial."
"And then what Master?" Spinnal Sun asked.
"Oh, Suppi, isn't it obvious? He's going to make her convert the Clow Cards to Sakura Cards."
"How do you know her name is Sakura?" Spinnal asked.
"That's easy," she said, overly proud of herself, "Who else do you think Touya talked about all the time?"
"Yes," Eriol said from the tree's most inner branch, "You did a job well done Ruby. Touya and Yue would not have survived if you hadn't sent that invitation."
"Thank you master. When I am Nakuru, I ALWAYS get my way."
"You always get your way period," Spinnel droned.
"Shut it!" Ruby Moon snapped.
"I think things will finally start to get interesting from now on," Eriol said, smirking. There was a flash of magic and they all appeared in their borrowed forms. "From now on, call me Eriol when people are around. Understand?"
"Yes, Master."
"Yes, Master."
"Ooh, Eriol… I like that!" Nakuru squealed.
"Oh, brother," Suppi said, rolling his eyes.
As they made their way inside they didn't see or hear the figure in black and green. He smirked evilly when everyone has gone inside. "Yes, Clow, you have fun and play your games. See what I care. That Cherry Blossom and her brother are mine though. You wait and see. Things will be more interesting than you have ever hoped for. What will happen to the Card Mistress when she's under too much pressure? We will soon find out."
"Master Tokurashi?"
"WHAT?!?" He snapped.
"I am ready to serve."
"Good," he murmured, "Good."
