A/N: You guys are stars … or at least my two reviewers are, at any rate. ^_^; You didn't really say anything that I could reply to, per say, so I'm just going to say 'thanks' and babble a bit. This chapter isn't going to deal with the Cards or Magic as a whole all that much … 'cept at the end. Maybe. Still not so sure as to whether or not I'll actually go through with my idea, never mind in this chapter since it's such a big thing to happen so early but I guess we'll see.
Also, as a kind of afterthought, I apologise for hopelessly messing up the whole Li Clan in this chapter. ^_^; You'll probably see what I mean … unless I've finally lost all sense I ever had and have actually become paranoid. I wouldn't be surprised …
I'm not so worried about messing up the Card names or getting the incantations wrong in this chapter, though feel free to correct me when – and, yes, it will most definitely be 'when', not 'if' – I mess up. Oh, and before I forget, I've found a nifty site on the web that should help me with my suffixes a bit, so … yeah. Anyway, if anything's wrong I shamelessly blame the site. Hee.
If anyone's interested, it can be found here:
It's actually fairly useful … in a confusing, oh-bloody-hell kind of way … anyway, on with the story!
"SA-KU-RA!!!!!"
The auburn-haired newly turned sixteen year old girl gasped as she shot upright, her fist lashing out on instinct and catching the ball of fluff that was attempting to wake her directly in the stomach. The creature hit the far wall in a yellow blur and hung there for a moment, it's tiny black eyes blinking once before it emitted a pained, "Ow", and slid to the floor.
"Hoe! Kero-chan!"
The little creature drunkenly floated up from the floor, wavering from side-to-side. "Did anyone catch the license plate of that truck?" Kero wondered, his voice slurred before he visibly shook his head and snapped out of it. "You were dreaming – " He started, eyeing Sakura seriously but the diminutive Guardian of the Seal didn't get the chance to finish his sentence.
"I'm late! Gomen nasai, Kero-chan!" Sakura cried, as she shot a sideways glance at her battered alarm clock and her brain slowly registered that it was already quarter to eight.
Throwing her covers to the side, the lithe teenager shot out of the bed and got dressed and ready in a frantic blur. As Kero watched in affectionate exasperation, she hobbled out of the room, attempting to simultaneously put on her left sock and comb her long hair at the same time.
Sakura had changed a lot over the years since her Card Captoring days, shooting up to a grand total height of 5'7", not quite achieving her childhood dream of being able to stomp Touya into the ground. Her silken hair had never quite lost its boyish style and bangs, despite its new length. It flowed down to the small of her back in one auburn river, shining under the light and flaring behind her as she walked. Her brilliant emeralds that she claimed as eyes still glittered with a childlike innocence, though something darker and more serious loomed in their depths. Always there and inerasable. But despite the lingering naïveté in her eyes, Sakura was most definitely all grown up. Athletic and slim, Sakura didn't have much in the way of curves but she had the looks of her mother and that was more than enough to attract the unwanted attention of nearly every male on campus.
The all too familiar cry of "Sakura no Kaijuu!" closely followed by a heartfelt yelp and the slamming of a door snapped Kero out of his nostalgic thoughts. Smiling weakly at the exuberant "Ja ne!" that echoed through the house, he absently responded to it.
"Ja ne, Sakura."
The Guardian of the Seal turned to stare at the door distractedly, for once forgetting about his half-finished game of Zylon Warriors as the words 'Game Over' flashed up on the screen, his expression unusually solemn. It had started.
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"Hoe … I'm going to be late … I'm going to be late." Sakura chanted under her breath as she leaned into the turn, her blades grating against the concrete slightly in response to the sudden shift of weight.
It was a sunny day in Tomoeda and the streets all but glistened in the bright sunshine. There was no wind to ruin the picture-perfect atmosphere and the effect was one of tranquillity … mostly. The sound of her blades clashing against the pavement, and her ragged breath and panicked pleas tore through the heavy air, slicing mercilessly through any illusion of calm that ever existed.
Her hair whipped behind her like a silken banner and Sakura frowned as it was caught in the air resistance, ruining her attempts at being streamlined. She'd started to grow her hair out from her shoulders two years earlier when the death threats sent by evil Sorcerers and Demons hell-bent on stealing her powers and destroying the Earth had finally tapered off. She hadn't had to save the world for a while now and her life was finally starting to become normal … just as she wanted it.
And then she just had to go and have another prophetic dream. Typical.
Sakura had thought that as soon as she'd handed Kostantin his butt on a plate, she'd effectively proved to the Demons and, by default, everyone else, that trying to steal her powers or her Cards was just too much hassle. So why would someone want them now?
Realising suddenly that she'd stopped actively skating and was, instead, simply gliding along in the right general direction, Sakura yelped. "Hoe!"
Banishing her thoughts to the back of her mind and making a mental note to tell Kero, she surged forwards once more, whipping around the last corner and zooming towards the school building. "Don't ring … don't ring – "
The bell rung.
"- Crap."
Closing her eyes and breathing in deeply to steady her nerve, Sakura didn't see her aura flare a brilliant pink as the world around her distorted wildly before snapping back into focus a few seconds later. "Crap … crap … crap!"
Her eyes snapped open a few seconds later as she suddenly realised that skating full speed with her eyes tightly shut maybe wasn't the best idea. Sakura didn't notice anything different with the world around her, though if she'd had the time to look a little closer she certainly would have. It was pretty difficult to miss, after all.
But she didn't notice, too intent on getting to her class before the sensei. She finally reached the school building, and then hurdled a set of metal rails between her and the main doors. Throwing open the door, she skated into the school, her skates loosing some of their traction on the slippery linoleum. Without stopping, she pulled off one of her skates and, hopping, tugged off of the other before tossing them into her locker which had, by some miracle, found it's way open and then she burst into a quick sprint, slamming her locker shut as she went.
Reaching her classroom within a minute, she all but fell into the room, scrambling to her feet, bowing an apology in the direction she supposed the sensei would be in and all but jumping into her assigned seat at the back by the window, all without looking up. Only after she'd straightened her limbs, untangling them from the wooden frame of her desk and had set out her notepad and pens did she look up to be greeted by a deep chuckle.
"Konnichiwa, Sakura." The voice said, not bothering to hide its undertone of mirth. Startled, she glanced around to meet Eriol's warm gaze.
"Konnichiwa, Eriol-kun. What's the – " Suddenly Sakura trailed off, glancing at the space where Tomoyo sat in trepidation. Sure enough, there was her dark-haired friend, her amethyst gaze fixed to the space where Eriol's eyes would have been had he been facing in that direction, her pale features frozen in a delighted giggle. A quick glance around showed that the rest of the class was in a similar state. "Hoe … not again."
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After the morning's incident was over and done with, the day passed with boring monotony until the lunch hour when Sakura, as per usual, found herself seated across from Tomoyo and Eriol under the old Cherry Blossom tree. Though she tried, the fixed smile on her face was beginning to slip as her attention was drawn time after time to the affectionate behaviour of the couple across from her.
Unable to hold it in any longer, Sakura sighed, nibbling quietly on her sandwich. Tomoyo and Eriol tried to include her in their conversations, they really did but … they were starting to go off in their own little world more and more often lately. To be honest, she was kind of getting used to not understanding the little in-jokes that they had now, but every so often it still hurt.
Maybe it was the reminder of what she could have had if only He'd stayed. But He hadn't. He hadn't even told her He was leaving …
FLASHBACK
A twelve year old Sakura threw open the door to the classroom, panting breathlessly. "Gomen, Sensei! Gomen nasai!"
The blond-haired woman acting as their temporary sensei smiled warmly at the young girl, her hazel eyes twinkling. "No problem, Sakura-chan. Onegai, take your seat." Hanaa-sensei always did have a soft spot for Sakura, recognising something of herself in the young Card Mistress though, of course, she had no idea of Sakura's destiny.
Sakura smiled thankfully and rushed to her seat. It was only when she'd thrown her notepad and pencil case onto her desk that she noticed Syaoran's conspicuous absence. Frowning slightly as she cast a quick glance up at Hanaa-sensei and relaxing when she saw that her sensei's attention was on the board, she leant to the side so that she could whisper with Tomoyo.
"Tomoyo-chan." She whispered softly, smiling brightly when she got her best friend's attention. "Do you know what's wrong with Li-kun?" She waited for a moment and, seeing that the sensei was still busy and that she wasn't getting a response anytime soon, she continued to talk, oblivious to the startled and more than a little uncomfortable expression on Tomoyo's face. "Do you think he's ill? Maybe I should visit him after school … do you want to come with me? Hoe … but Li-kun never gets ill … what if it's something to do with the Cards or the Clan or –"
"Sakura …" Tomoyo swallowed slightly as her friend stopped thinking aloud and turned her whole attention to her. "It does have something to do with the Clan. Oh, Sakura-chan, didn't he tell you?" She asked softly, staring hard at the desk in front of her. "Li-kun's returned to Hong Kong … he left this Saturday. I – I thought you knew …"
Sakura blinked, wondering for a moment just why it felt like her world had just come crashing down around her. She swallowed, blinking back tears as she tried to ignore the strange tightness in her chest. Though, despite the weak smile she pasted to her lips, she couldn't hide the hurt in her eyes from the girl who had been her best friend for her whole life. "O-oh. A-arigatou, Tomoyo-chan, for telling me."
Sakura turned her attention back to the front of the class, ignoring Tomoyo's concerned gaze as she reached for a pen and tried to look like she was taking notes. Unable to stop the tears any longer, she didn't move to wipe away the lone droplet that escaped her lashes as she clenched her eyes tightly shut.
END FLASHBACK
"Hey, Saku." The southern American drawl snapped her out of her thoughts and she looked up sharply, her features brightening in a cheery grin as she recognised its owner.
"Griffin!" She beamed happily, grabbing the American boy's hand and tugging him down to the grass next to her. "I was afraid you'd never get here!"
The blond-haired boy smirked knowingly and turned his attention to Tomoyo and Eriol who had now completely forgotten Sakura's presence, never mind noticed his arrival, and were now completely absorbed in making out. "The two lovebirds are at it again, huh?" He asked, cobalt blue eyes twinkling teasingly.
"Hoe … looks like it." Sakura murmured in affirmation, suddenly finding the blades of grass by her feet very interesting.
Laughing loudly at Sakura's reaction, Griffin made a show of whacking the two 'lovebirds' upside the head. "Hey, get a room you two."
"Oh, hey, Winter-kun." Eriol greeted, coming up for air with a smug, all-male smile shaping his lips. "Good idea. What do you think, Tom?"
Tomoyo flushed, hitting Eriol on the chest and giggling despite herself. "Hey, Winter-kun. Daijoubu desu ka?"
"Hai." Griffin responded, biting back a chuckle as Tomoyo rest her head against Eriol's chest, nearly making the unsuspecting reincarnation of the great and mighty Clow Reed topple over backwards. "Daijoubu desu."
Griffin had joined the small group roughly a year after Syaoran had left and a few weeks after Tomoyo and Eriol had first gotten together. Sakura, feeling like a third wheel which was, in her opinion, much worse than being a fifth, had befriended the newcomer and helped him with his Japanese. It wasn't long before Tomoyo and Eriol had noticed that Sakura wasn't spending as much time as usual with them and not long after, Griffin had gotten caught up in one of the all too common Apocalypses that Sakura had had to deal with. Sakura had saved the world and explained everything to Griffin, glossing over a few of the more impressive/gory/embarrassing details such as her being the most powerful Sorceress of all time. A girl had to have limits, after all.
Soon after the entire – or most of it, at any rate – truth had come out, Sakura had found herself spending more and more time around Griffin as Tomoyo went off with Eriol. He'd taken up the role that had once been reserved solely for Syaoran, Touya, Kero and even occasionally Eriol of protecting the Card Mistress, though Griffin was kind of lacking in the magic department and so his range of protection was usually limited to hormonal teenage boys. Griffin had become her best guy-friend seemingly over-night and it had stayed that way.
"So what are you guys doing tonight?" Griffin asked after a moment, stealing one of Sakura's sandwiches with a practiced motion.
Tomoyo and Eriol both grinned, sharing a meaningful glance before Tomoyo turned her attention back to them, her gaze flitting slyly between Sakura and Griffin. Despite the fact that Sakura insisted she didn't feel anything like that towards Griffin, the dark-haired girl was too smitten with the idea to give up on her matchmaking plans easily. According to Tomoyo, Griffin was just what Sakura needed to forget about Him.
"Dinner and a movie." They replied in unison and it was Sakura and Griffin's turn to glance at each other, rolling their eyes in sync.
"Guess it's just me and you then, huh, Saku?" Griffin asked nonchalantly as he stuffed her entire sandwich into his mouth, chewed and swallowed, ignoring the way she scrunched her nose in disgust. "We can go blading in Penguin Park if you'd like. I still want proof that you can actually pull off that last move you told me about." He added sceptically.
"You're on!" Sakura answered enthusiastically, ignoring the smug grins appearing on Tomoyo and Eriol's faces, her competitive side wiping away any lingering hesitance. "But prepare to eat your words, Winters." She added, cockily. This side of her was a relatively new development and so rarely seen that it brought a delighted grin from Griffin every time it came to the surface since he was absolutely positive that she'd picked it up from him at some point.
"You're on, Kinomoto." He retorted, still beaming like an idiot. "You're on."
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The Li Estate.
Hong Kong, China.
The blade whistled through the air, the sound intermixed with the sound of light breathing and the gentle, almost inaudible rustling of cloth. With a quick, understated flick of his wrist, the amber-eyed teenager changed the angle and direction of the sword, and let his momentum lead him into a tight spin, ducking away from an imaginary blow to the head. After only a rotation of 180 degrees did he let the spin open out, his sword hand slashing at the air in front of him mercilessly before he launched into a powerful flying kick and landed neatly, springing into motion once more almost immediately after his feet had touched the ground.
The boy – though to call him a 'young man' would be much more accurate – seemed unaware of the small crowd he was steadily drawing as he continued through his daily routine. But he knew they were there.
The moves his body was so flawlessly demonstrating were so ingrained into him that he was moving on autopilot. But he wasn't concentrating on the myriad of auras surrounding him, either. Instead he was wearing an expression that he hadn't worn for two whole years and that only meant one thing.
Something was happening in Tomoeda. Something concerning the Card Mistress … something big.
Even from here, in his self-proclaimed prison in China, he could feel her. She was a comforting warmth in the corner of his mind, her sweet laughter playing over in an eternal loop in his mind, driving him almost to the point of blissful insanity. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her emerald gaze staring back at him, burnt into his vision like he'd been branded.
He wondered how much she'd changed, how she'd coped with being the full-fledged Mistress of the Cards and, more than anything else, he wondered if she even remembered him … if she was … seeing … anyone.
Frowning, he banished these thoughts from his mind. There was no point lingering on an impossible dream. He would never see her again and that was that. But, still … he couldn't shake the feeling that she would need him soon, more than she ever had before … that he needed to be there, in Tomoeda, if she was to survive this next test. And, perhaps more confusing, was the feeling he got without fail whenever he thought about the darkness approaching …
The unmistakable feeling of déjà vu.
Man … the poor boy's got it bad. Seriously. Maybe the whole 'branded by her eyes' thing was a little much but I'm in a mood for pointless fluff and enough sugar to send all readers into insulin shock so you're stuck with it. ^_^; I've just noticed that I never gave his name in the last scene but, then, if you don't know who I'm talking about then, well, shame on you! Kidding.
Anyway. *Points to the suitable button* What are you waiting for? Review! Or I'll make Griffin get the girl and leave Syaoran stuck in Hong Kong with Sakura's laughter playing endlessly in his head. Oh, yeah, I have a keyboard and I'm not afraid to use it!