>> Chapter 2: Worries >>
"Hey, wait up!" Sakura raced out the front door after her big brother, Touya. Wearing her roller blades, she jumped the front steps and skid around the corner. Glancing behind, he slowed almost imperceptibly so she could catch up with him. "Why are you rushing today, big brother?"
Touya hid a slight smile. "I'm not. You're late.
"Yo," he said as his best friend rode over. Sakura grinned, and Yukito returned one of his own. It made Sakura melt in happiness. She loved seeing Yukito. Of course, his counterpart, Yue the Judge, still scared her sometimes. He was so different from the smiling, hungry Yuki.
"Hey, monster, watch out." Sakura looked up from her thoughts to barely avoid crashing into a tree. Instead, she veered sharply to the right, and caught her wheel on the curb. The ground rushed up to meet her, and everything went black.
She awoke a few minutes later on Touya's back. Groggy and disoriented, she could only lay her head on his shoulder, trying to organize her thoughts. Yuki was holding Touya's bicycle, and the two young men were finishing a conversation.
"Thanks, Yuki. I'll get the work from you later, okay?"
"No problem. Is it alright if I bring your bicycle back after school? I want to check up on Sakura and see how she is doing."
Sakura tried to say she was fine, but she could not seem to make her mouth work properly. Her eyes were still looking in two different directions, and she was beginning to feel the start of a major headache. Touya and Yukito bid farewell, and her brother turned toward home, settling Sakura more firmly on his back. As he walked, she drifted on the verge of sleep and unconsciousness. But she had to tell her brother something first. "Touya?"
He answered without turning. "What?"
"Hmm... mm..." Sakura's voice faded away as sleep claimed her. She did not see the worried look her brother gave her. All was silence.
Something was wrong. Li had been feeling it since before sunrise. It was like a constant hammer behind his eyelids, or a feather tickling his spine. He could not name it any more than he knew where it was coming from. He was only certain of one thing.
There was magic. Something strong, powerful, and evil had entered the world. And it was very near.
Li stood impatiently by his desk, occasionally pacing across the floor. He had gotten to school especially early this morning, in hopes that Sakura would be there. She must have felt the strange discordancy as well. Her powers were so much more developed now than when she first became a cardcaptor that even a tiny magical shift out of the ordinary would be felt. Surely she would want to talk to him about it.
Li was so tense with waiting that he did not notice when Tomoyo entered the room. Her tap on his shoulder startled him out of his meditation, and he jumped and whirled to face her. "Good morning, Li!" she smiled at him. "You are very tense today, it seems."
He stared at her for a moment, still trying to gather his thoughts. Finally, he got out, "Wha-what are you doing here? So early, I mean?"
Tomoyo let out a little laugh. "We had an early choir practice, and I just got out."
"Oh." That made sense.
"Why are you here?"
Li wondered if he should tell her his suspicions. He was not even sure what he was worried about – perhaps she would just think him strange. Then again, she always loved accompanying Sakura on any cardcaptor mission, and she was a sensible person to talk to. Li decided to trust her.
"There's something wrong," he told her. Tomoyo listened, concerned, as he told her of the strange force he had been feeling all day. "But I don't know what it is, or even where it is," he said. "And... I'm worried. About Sakura." That last part had been difficult, but Tomoyo had not seemed to notice his hesitation. Instead, she began to dig around in her backpack, and came up a minute later with something pink triumphantly clutched in her hand.
"Here!" she said, holding it out to him.
"What is it?"
She laughed. "It's a phone. Sakura and I both have one. She always keeps hers with her so all we have to do is call her and see if she is all right."
"Oh." Li flushed, embarrassed. "Will... you do it?"
Tomoyo looked at him for a moment, then gave a very Meilin-like laugh. Nevertheless, she made the call. Li turned to look out the window as he waited. He could see the first of his classmates making their way to the front doors of the school below him. And still, in the back of his mind, he could feel the growing pressure of that unknown force. [I hope Sakura isn't doing anything foolish,] he thought to himself. He cared about the young female cardcaptor much more than he was willing to admit to anyone.
A faint voice answering Sakura's phone drew Li closer to listen to the conversation. "Hello? Kinomoto Touya speaking." Li's brows knit in confusion. Touya, Sakura's older brother... why was he answering her phone?
Tomoyo kept calm as she asked, "May I speak with Sakura, please?"
Touya's answer was too quiet to hear. Tomoyo listened for several moments, then said slowly, "Thank you very much," and hung up. She looked at Li. "Sakura got hurt on her way to school today. She is at home, resting."
Li felt his heart skip a beat. What if the force had already gotten to her? She could be dying. [And it's all my fault. I knew, and I wasn't there to warn her.] A knot was tightening in his stomach. [I have to go make sure she's okay.] He was about to rush out the door when the teacher, Mr. Terada, walked in.
"I certainly hope you are not about to leave my class before it has even started."
Li looked around. He had not even noticed the rest of his classmates trailing in while he was talking to Tomoyo. Now they were all sitting quietly in their desks, watching him. Even Tomoyo was seated, ready for the lesson to begin. Blushing, he sat down, staring straight ahead. As Mr. Terada walked to the front of the room, Tomoyo passed him a note that said, "Don't worry, Li. Sakura will be alright. I know it!"
It was good that Tomoyo was feeling optimistic, but Li was not so sure. He could feel the pounding in his brain growing stronger. Something was definitely going to happen, and soon. Despite Tomoyo's admonition, he could feel worry gnawing at his heart, adding a sharp counterpoint to the forces gathering around him.
"Hey, wait up!" Sakura raced out the front door after her big brother, Touya. Wearing her roller blades, she jumped the front steps and skid around the corner. Glancing behind, he slowed almost imperceptibly so she could catch up with him. "Why are you rushing today, big brother?"
Touya hid a slight smile. "I'm not. You're late.
"Yo," he said as his best friend rode over. Sakura grinned, and Yukito returned one of his own. It made Sakura melt in happiness. She loved seeing Yukito. Of course, his counterpart, Yue the Judge, still scared her sometimes. He was so different from the smiling, hungry Yuki.
"Hey, monster, watch out." Sakura looked up from her thoughts to barely avoid crashing into a tree. Instead, she veered sharply to the right, and caught her wheel on the curb. The ground rushed up to meet her, and everything went black.
She awoke a few minutes later on Touya's back. Groggy and disoriented, she could only lay her head on his shoulder, trying to organize her thoughts. Yuki was holding Touya's bicycle, and the two young men were finishing a conversation.
"Thanks, Yuki. I'll get the work from you later, okay?"
"No problem. Is it alright if I bring your bicycle back after school? I want to check up on Sakura and see how she is doing."
Sakura tried to say she was fine, but she could not seem to make her mouth work properly. Her eyes were still looking in two different directions, and she was beginning to feel the start of a major headache. Touya and Yukito bid farewell, and her brother turned toward home, settling Sakura more firmly on his back. As he walked, she drifted on the verge of sleep and unconsciousness. But she had to tell her brother something first. "Touya?"
He answered without turning. "What?"
"Hmm... mm..." Sakura's voice faded away as sleep claimed her. She did not see the worried look her brother gave her. All was silence.
Something was wrong. Li had been feeling it since before sunrise. It was like a constant hammer behind his eyelids, or a feather tickling his spine. He could not name it any more than he knew where it was coming from. He was only certain of one thing.
There was magic. Something strong, powerful, and evil had entered the world. And it was very near.
Li stood impatiently by his desk, occasionally pacing across the floor. He had gotten to school especially early this morning, in hopes that Sakura would be there. She must have felt the strange discordancy as well. Her powers were so much more developed now than when she first became a cardcaptor that even a tiny magical shift out of the ordinary would be felt. Surely she would want to talk to him about it.
Li was so tense with waiting that he did not notice when Tomoyo entered the room. Her tap on his shoulder startled him out of his meditation, and he jumped and whirled to face her. "Good morning, Li!" she smiled at him. "You are very tense today, it seems."
He stared at her for a moment, still trying to gather his thoughts. Finally, he got out, "Wha-what are you doing here? So early, I mean?"
Tomoyo let out a little laugh. "We had an early choir practice, and I just got out."
"Oh." That made sense.
"Why are you here?"
Li wondered if he should tell her his suspicions. He was not even sure what he was worried about – perhaps she would just think him strange. Then again, she always loved accompanying Sakura on any cardcaptor mission, and she was a sensible person to talk to. Li decided to trust her.
"There's something wrong," he told her. Tomoyo listened, concerned, as he told her of the strange force he had been feeling all day. "But I don't know what it is, or even where it is," he said. "And... I'm worried. About Sakura." That last part had been difficult, but Tomoyo had not seemed to notice his hesitation. Instead, she began to dig around in her backpack, and came up a minute later with something pink triumphantly clutched in her hand.
"Here!" she said, holding it out to him.
"What is it?"
She laughed. "It's a phone. Sakura and I both have one. She always keeps hers with her so all we have to do is call her and see if she is all right."
"Oh." Li flushed, embarrassed. "Will... you do it?"
Tomoyo looked at him for a moment, then gave a very Meilin-like laugh. Nevertheless, she made the call. Li turned to look out the window as he waited. He could see the first of his classmates making their way to the front doors of the school below him. And still, in the back of his mind, he could feel the growing pressure of that unknown force. [I hope Sakura isn't doing anything foolish,] he thought to himself. He cared about the young female cardcaptor much more than he was willing to admit to anyone.
A faint voice answering Sakura's phone drew Li closer to listen to the conversation. "Hello? Kinomoto Touya speaking." Li's brows knit in confusion. Touya, Sakura's older brother... why was he answering her phone?
Tomoyo kept calm as she asked, "May I speak with Sakura, please?"
Touya's answer was too quiet to hear. Tomoyo listened for several moments, then said slowly, "Thank you very much," and hung up. She looked at Li. "Sakura got hurt on her way to school today. She is at home, resting."
Li felt his heart skip a beat. What if the force had already gotten to her? She could be dying. [And it's all my fault. I knew, and I wasn't there to warn her.] A knot was tightening in his stomach. [I have to go make sure she's okay.] He was about to rush out the door when the teacher, Mr. Terada, walked in.
"I certainly hope you are not about to leave my class before it has even started."
Li looked around. He had not even noticed the rest of his classmates trailing in while he was talking to Tomoyo. Now they were all sitting quietly in their desks, watching him. Even Tomoyo was seated, ready for the lesson to begin. Blushing, he sat down, staring straight ahead. As Mr. Terada walked to the front of the room, Tomoyo passed him a note that said, "Don't worry, Li. Sakura will be alright. I know it!"
It was good that Tomoyo was feeling optimistic, but Li was not so sure. He could feel the pounding in his brain growing stronger. Something was definitely going to happen, and soon. Despite Tomoyo's admonition, he could feel worry gnawing at his heart, adding a sharp counterpoint to the forces gathering around him.