Chapter Two: The Awakening of the Cards
Olwen-Cheesecake: I do not own CCS!
CCS Crew: We already knew that-and it's good you don't!
Olwen-Cheesecake: Thanks for your support ^_^*
"Many miles north of here. If you want that position in this show business at the palace in time, I suggest you catch a ride with me." a peasant man, over the age of thirty, told Syaoran.
Syaoran nodded, "That would be convenient, what do I owe you?"
"Nothing-it's really no trouble at all. I'm heading there for my son, but I also have another boy your age wanting to get there. Maybe all three of you could travel together." the over-aged man informed.
Sakura followed Syaoran and the man to his shack. Sakura thought in confusion and she could tell Syaoran was a bit confused also. She finally let her confused mind get the better of her and let her question out. "Excuse me, but are you Obythian?"
The man turned around in surprise, "No-why?"
"Your age!" Sakura said, obviously.
The man chuckled. "My wife is Obythian and our son teaches the children of Obythia in a town near Tokyo."
Although Sakura looked satisfied with the answer, Syaoran seemed confused still. "If the aging rule isn't relevant to those who have important jobs or their family members do, why is my mother dead?"
The man paused and smirked, "You're either not Obythian or your mother was a threat to the Emperor."
Syaoran frowned and muttered under his breath, "It was probably both."
They all arrived at the foot of the old man's shack, absent-mindedly. He shook his head at an officer hassling a boy who had, apparently, stolen an apple from a food stand. Sakura couldn't even try and walk off into the shack without helping the boy.
"Excuse me officer!" she called to a whole crowd's surprise, including Syaoran and the over-aged man. "Take this-"Sakura offered the guy in the food stand a silver coin. "-it's to pay for what ever the boy stole."
"Is he yours?" the officer asked more politely, but a bit sternly.
"No, he's mine." a young girl around Sakura's age stepped out from the crowd. She wore glasses and had thick brown hair up to her shoulders, but it was hidden under the hood of her shaggy, old robe. "Thank you cherub."
"No problem, " Sakura said, relieved from the pressure of the officer's question.
"But I must offer you something in return!" the girl handed Sakura a chain with a pendant hanging from it that was like a key, but had a star at the top and two mini wings. The crowd began to disperse, the officer had disappeared and the boy was now clutching the girl's robes.
"I couldn't take something so valuable looking, Ms...?" Sakura began to object.
The mysterious girl replied, "I am rarely called Naoko, because I prefer Kami." she paused for a bit and then continued. "Many blossoms such as yourself shouldn't be wandering all the way to Tokyo, but you have good reason-that is why you'll need the pendant. Take it!"
"You know my name and my mission?" Sakura exclaimed in a hoarse whisper.
"Yes, do us good! All of Obythia is in your hands." she dropped the pendant and chain in Sakura's hands as she ran off with the little boy.
Suddenly, Syaoran came and grabbed Sakura's arm to drag her to the shack. "Did you know that woman?"
"She definitely knew me."
"What? What was her name?" Syaoran asked.
"It was either Naoko or Kami." Sakura answered, but Syaoran stopped in mid-track at the front of the shack.
Sakura was fiddling around with the pendant which she had now put around her neck. Syaoran had come in behind her after his senses put life back into him and he realized where he was.
"Would you like something to eat?" the old man sat down on a worn out couch.
"No thank you Mr-"
Sakura was cut off by him, "Terada."
"Oh ok Terada-sama. Well I'm Sa-"
Again Sakura was cut off, but this time by Syaoran. "She's Ying Fa and I'm Xiaolang."
"Chinassian names! That is why the woman called you a blossom." Terada concluded.
"You heard what she-"
Syaoran cut off Sakura for the second time, "You know the Chinassian language?" Syaoran asked.
"My so is a teacher of many expertise-where do you think he got it all from?" Terada said, wisely.
"But-but Chinassian languages are totally extinct now!" Syaoran contradicted.
Terada smiled again, "There are reasons, you know, that the elderly are taken away. They know too much for their own good."
Sakura smirked sadly, but in an amused way too. "Where is our new travel buddy?" Syaoran noticed how she had changed the subject.
"There," he pointed towards a room door. Sakura and Syaoran followed his finger to the door and peeked in through the peep hole of the door. A boy their age was sitting on a chair with a stressed expression on his face. He seemed to be thinking about something and was deciding what to do next about it.
"Sakura," Syaoran whispered.
"Yeah?"
"I know him."
"Who is he?" Sakura continued the secretive conversation, looking at Syaoran's uneasy face.
"My but-" Syaoran stopped mid-sentence realizing what he was about to say.
Sakura's face contorted, "Funny, but he doesn't look like he could be your butt. As far as I can see he looks like a boy." Sakura laughed.
"I meant to say my buddy-well friend." Syaoran stammered. "From Chinassia."
"Your buddy?" the door opened. "I thought I was your humble butler!" Takashi said tartly.
"What!?" Sakura stood up from her kneeling position. "You had a butler?"
Syaoran began to mutter swears under his breath, at Takashi. "My sister has a very, very fortunate job. She's a singer...Fanren Li."
"FANREN LI!? And you never told me!" Sakura shrieked.
"Sh!" Takashi and Syaoran hushed simultaneously.
"Traitor!" Sakura said hoarsely and then changed her mind. "No-liar." She stomped off seconds after to join Terada in warming the worn out couch.
"Who's she?" Takashi turned to Syaoran.
"Ying Fa, another friend of mine." Syaoran mumbled bitterly.
"Pretty girl, ugly temper." Takashi commented. "Er-thanks for the...you know."
"Don't mention it-literally."
"Yukito, how could you talk a girl into running away like that?" Touya cried in frustration.
"Sorry." mumbled Yukito. "I'll notify the officers of her disappearance."
"Alright, but it'll be dangerous." Touya said.
"It's not like she isn't already in danger!" Yukito finally burst, but at the same time his stomach grumbled. "And she took my sandwiches!"
Touya stopped in mid-anger and sweat-dropped. "Cry a river, build a bridge, and get over it!"
Yukito shrank, "Ok, ok! Let's search-"
"The suburbs! She'll be heading straight to Tokyo if she wants to fulfill her dreams." Touya responded.
"Probably snacking on those delicious sandwiches right now in an old, worn out shack, with my property bite marks in them!" Yukito whined.
"Oh shut up!"
"Ying Fa, your eye color is rare in peasant and Obythian." Takashi commented.
"I suppose so, " Sakura took a bite out of a sandwich prepared by Tessa, Terada's wife.
"Did you know that girls with your beauty would get kidnapped and used for slaves in Chinassia. The men used the slaves for-" Tessa cut of Takashi.
"I think that will be enough!" she exclaimed as she came into the dimly-lit dining room with more sandwiches. She was obviously very tired of Takashi's childish stories and lies. She had grown really fond of Sakura in just a few hours of talking. They discussed clothing, patterns, favorite celebrations, and Tessa even told her life-story to Sakura. Sakura was amazed by the adventures Tessa and her brother had had.
"How'd you get here from a Spanaissian country?" Sakura asked at once.
Tessa sighed and shook her head, "I came with a friend of mine. We were here for some work. A lot of things happened after that and I ended up being settled with a husband and child."
Now Tessa looked admiringly at the young and pretty Sakura. "Ying Fa, I'd like to show you something in my room." Sakura stuffed the rest of her sandwich in her mouth and followed Tessa to her bedroom. She had discovered her stomach wouldn't take anymore sandwiches even if it had to.
Terada had told her, while she sat on the couch with him, about how he had come to meet this "Spanaissian beauty." as he called her.
"This is for you, darling." Tessa pulled out a white skin tight dress that ran down smoothly after the waist, from her closet. It was a Spanaissian style dress with two straps and a pink flower at the end of the left strap. It came with a white silken scarf.
"I can't take this from you!" Sakura exclaimed, astonished at such a gift.
Tessa giggled. "It won't fit me anyways!"
Sakura smiled, "If you insist."
"I think you should use it for your show business that you want to start. You'd make a great model too!" Tessa complimented.
"Thanks, " Sakura blushed.
"I'd love to see what you can do, one day." Tessa stated as she folded the dress into Sakura's back-pack. Tessa then pulled out a bracelet. "This was meant for the dress. They're cherry blossoms."
Sakura held the sterling silver bracelet with soft metallic pink flowers, around a Celtic knotting of vines, possessively in her hand. Now and then a few silver leaves sprung out from the vines and blossoms. Fascinated by the weaving of the vines and engraved leaves, Sakura forgot to look up at where she was going as she left the room; bag in one hand, and bracelet in the other. She stumbled against a large bodied person. "Sorry!" Sakura looked up to see Syaoran. "Oh."
"What's that?" Syaoran stole a glance at the bracelet, now around her wrist.
"This?" Sakura hel dout her wrist proudly. "This is a genuine Spanaissian bracelet. Tessa has given it to me, isn't it beautiful?"
"Familiar..." Syaoran mumbled under his breath.
"What?" Sakura's eyes narrowed.
"oh nothing! Just mumbling on about how great it looks on you!" Syaoran said enthusiastically with a a hint of sarcasm, which someone as dense as Sakura, could never notice. Syaoran received a dense (from his point of view) honey-filled smile.
In the distance, Tessa watched the two teens converse. Ying Fa has an admirer on her hands, and he doesn't know it himself! Kids these days! Tessa though in amusement.
"Sakura, wake up!" Syaoran shook Sakura by her shoulders.
"Wah?" Sakura replied sleepily.
"You stupid brother has got a mob of officers searching the suburbs for you. They're coming here next!" Syaoran yelled.
"What!" Sakura jumped up and ran to get changed, immediately. Five minutes later she arrived in the dining room, hopping on one foot as she pulled a sock onto the other.
"You're ready early!" Tessa said with surprise. "Why the rush?"
"Seems they're wanted." Terada pointed to the window where they saw very few peasants and officers splitting up to knock on the door of all the shacks occupying the street.
"Help us get out quick!" Takashi pulled out everyone's bags into the open.
There was a knocking on the door as he dropped all the bags.
"Quick the back door!" Terada ran followed by Syaoran, Takashi and Sakura. They grabbed their bags and hopped into the back of a truck parked there. Terada started the car, when Sakura realized she had forgotten her new bracelet on the bed side table.
"Oh wait! I'll be back!" Sakura pounced back into the old shack and to the room she had slept in. She heard someone step into the hall outside the room. Sakura grabbed the bracelet and rushed for the window. The door of the room opened.
"Sakura!" Yukito's voice called as Sakura jumped out the window and scrambled into the truck to be driven off at an insane speed.
"Why did you go off like that?" Syaoran scolded. "We could've gotten caught and punished. The worst part is that you risked us all for that stupid bracelet!"
Sakura's eyes watered. "It's not stupid! And I made it back without getting us all caught, didn't I!?"
"You're so clumsy and forgetful!" Syaoran yelled.
"You're the one that scared me stiff this morning and caused me to forget!" Sakura paused. "Why do you have to be so cruel and inconsiderate you-you-liar and-and traitor!" Sakura said absent-mindedly. She turned to stare out the window, not really seeing anything outside of it.
"Ok children!" Terada silenced. "I've decided not to take you all the way there because I have to go back for Tessa after I go to see my son. It'll take us a day to get to our first stop."
"Thank you, "Takashi seemed to be the only one listening.
Seconds became minutes; minutes became hours; and soon enough they came close to their first stop. They discovered it was a famous in because it was the exact halfway mark to Tokyo. Terada began to tell them of famous character sin history coming to stay at the inn. When he mentioned Fanren Li, Syaoran muttered regretfully. Sakura had fallen asleep listening to the stories and information about the whole place. Her head was resting against the window as Terada exclaimed that they were almost there. As he said this a huge bump forced Sakura's head down onto Syaoran's shoulder. Syaoran glanced down at her face with dislike, but the glare soon melted to an apologetic expression. Her tear-streaked face looked innocent and angelic.
Were my words that harsh? Syaoran thought miserably. Syaoran reached to push a strand of hair from Sakura's face and he wiped the tears away.
Syaoran must feel bad, his expression says so. He's never really cared for someone he doesn't even know that well. Takashi though, equally feeling guilty of their fight.
"Awkward, but true!" Takashi thought aloud.
"What is?" Syaoran asked.
"Oh-these...occurrences. Rather awkward-no?" Takashi laughed uneasily.
Syaoran's face contorted, "I guess..." Sakura began to wake up by this time.
"Er-where...am I...oh! Hi...mm-nice. Flying lights." Sakura looked around, completely dazed.
"Sak-Ying Fa, you're in a truck with Xiaolang, Takashi, and Terada, here." Syaoran reminded.
"Xiaolang?" Syaoran nodded at her. "Something tells me I don't like him." Sakura said subconsciously, not realizing it had slipped from her mouth at all. Takashi shrugged this off when Syaoran turned to stare at him sadly.
Syaoran blushed, "Sorry about this morning."
Sakura's eyes widened. She was finally awake and remembered everything. Syaoran and Takashi watched as Sakura checked for the key pendant around her neck and the bracelet around her wrist. She smile, content with their presence. She then smiled at Syaoran with a slight blush reddening her cheeks also. "I'm sorry too."
"We're here!" Terada exclaimed as he bolted the truck to a stop. "Tomorrow I'll drop you three off in a city very near Tokyo."
"Thank you so much!" Sakura thanked as they stepped into the inn, bags slung over their shoulders.
"We don't do searches out of town, but enjoy your own search." the officer stated clearly.
"Alright, thanks anyway." Touya said stiffly and left.
"How'd it go?" Yukito followed Touya's stiff body out of the headquarters.
"Bastards!"
"Not too well." Yukito answered himself. "I presume."
"They're typical, lazy Obythian bastards!" Touya stomped all the way to his worn down truck. Yukito hopped in and just nodded miserably with hunger.
"Time to go ahead and wait for her at the gates of Tokyo. No rest, no stopping-" Touya glared at Yukito. "-and especially no eating!"
Yukito gulped and let out a life-threatened whimper.
"Four single rooms for four." Terada told the lady at the counter. She looked down then up again.
"Sorry there are only two rooms left. Two people per room, may I suggest?" the lady politely said.
"That'll do Ms...?" Terada began.
"Call me Kami."
Syaoran's head shot up to look at the woman.
"Are you coming Xiaolang?" Terada asked Syaoran.
"You go ahead, I'll come soon." Syaoran remained behind. "Did you say your name was Kami?"
Kami nodded, "I did-but is it?"
Syaoran's face went pale. "Who are you, really?"
"Did Kaho not inform you of me?" Syaoran shook his head in answer. "I do despise that Mizuki lady!"
"Well?" Syaoran interrupted.
"Well what?"
"Who are you?"
"Call me Nakuru. I'm a friend of Kaho's. Well, she's helping us." Nakuru introduced.
"Us?"
"Oops! Too much info blurted-better get up there before you end up sharing a room with a girl."
With that, Syaoran rocketed up to his room to find Sakura already unpacking clothes for the next day.
"Oh great!" Syaoran muttered.
Sakura smiled despite the redness of her face. "You can sleep on the bed."
"No you can."
"But-"
"I don't sleep much anyway." Syaoran explained. he took an extra blanket and pillow and spread them over an area near the bed. Sakura went to sleep on the bed without further protesting. Surprisingly, Syaoran slept well too, for the first time.
Sakura awoke to the sound of a thud. She peered over the bed to see Syaoran fast asleep. Bravely, she lifted herself up and searched for the source of the noise.
"Ouch!" Sakura stumbled in the dark, over a hard square object, in the middle of the room. Picking it up, Sakura felt a strange warmth, but it was comforting and inviting. She felt it belonged to her. Sakura looked closely to see a lion-shaped creature on the cover of the object. "It's a book!" she realized and opened it without struggle. A light shone out and surrounded her. In side the book she could make out a pack of interesting, but old cards.
"The windy." Sakura read the first card. The back had a pattern, which seemed an illusion. The gold and red felt as is it didn't belong. "I would've thought of them as pink!" Sakura began remembering previous dreams without knowing it. Suddenly the cards flew out and hovered near her in a circle around her. From the book came a flying yellow creature that resembled a stuffed toy.
"Sakura!" the creature hugged her with its small body. "I got trapped in there-again! And you weren't there, and-and no caked or video-"
Sakura had started screaming. Syaoran woke up and stumbled over to hush her. Once she was quieted the yellow animal glared at Syaoran and Sakura in disbelief. "You don't remember?" he yelled, "Sakura, it's me...Keroberous-you used to call me Kero."
"How do you know my name?" came the quivering reply.
Syaoran was silent, but he spoke before Kero could answer. "You were in my dream, stuffed animal. Explain why."
"First of all, glad to be seen in your dream. Secondly, I'd like to take the time to say that old habits never die. If you ever call me a stuffed animal ever again I swear I'll-" Kero paused. "That's besides the point. I'm guardian of the Clow cards which are supposed to be Star cards, but they appear not to be.
"Thirdly," Kero continued. "I wouldn't know why I was in your dream if I don't now what the dream was about!'
Syaoran began by explaining his and Sakura's journey; how it began, why they had come there and the hardships they were facing. Lastly, he explained his dreams that he had had about times before and about what he saw with Kero in them. Soon after, Sakura also began to tell her own dreams and thoughts about it.
"Well-one comment on your dream, kid. If I bit your finger in that dream it can only mean one thing..." Kero began, mysteriously.
"What?"
Kero smirked, flew forward and bit Syaoran's finger. "This!"
"Ow!"
"That's for callin' me a stuffed animal!" Kero said, vengefully.
Kero soon recollected his thoughts and explained everything about them. He even managed to tell every detail, including the feeling of an aura near by-many auras.
"Obythians, it's the aura they give off." Syaoran responded.
"I see," Kero answered. "They must of had some sort of device that changed our world to this world."
"What do we do?" Sakura finally spoke.
"Fight back."
[A.N.: Done! More explanations for your convenience:
1) Kami is a link-name
2) Kero, being trapped in the Clow book, hasn't forgotten the past at all
3) The story takes place after all the seasons of CCS, but may not mention happenings in the movies...
Thanks guys! Please R&R!]