Chapter Three: Deja Vu
Togepi: Prrrrrrrri!
Meowth: He says hey folks.
Togepi: Toge-prrri! Prri!
Meowth: He also says that Olwen-Cheesecake doesn't own CCS...
Togepi: Pri. ^-^
Meowth: ^_^'
"You have the wand! And it's already in its star form..." Kero excitedly poked at Sakura's key pendant. "All you have to do now is learn the words and how to use the cards-yet again!"
"Alright," Sakura answered. "But the cards shouldn't be this way-all red and gold and so not me."
"I know, we'll figure that out in the process-I'm sure." Kero replied.
Syaoran was frustrated. "You've kept us awake all night! How will we get to Tokyo without fatigue?"
"Well I came just in time! You-alone-with my mistress! Hah! The thought of that makes me wanna not eat cake!" Kero snorted. "I'm gonna try and transform, Sakura."
Sakura nodded and Kero's wings grew and wrapped him in a floating ball. A bright light shone and he opened the wings to reveal an amazingly huge lion.
"Hey-it worked!" he exclaimed with a deeper, stronger voice.
"Well, wouldn't it anyway?" Syaoran asked.
"How would you know? You forgot everything." Kero's voice rose with irritation.
Syaoran's face became inexpressive. "I remember that if the four elemental cards were caught, you and the other guardian could transform."
Kero nodded, transformed back and began to explain to the relieved and confused Sakura. "The other guardian of the cards is Yue."
Sakura nodded, but felt incomplete. "Something is missing."
Kero nodded again, "I think so too."
"Other than the cards appearing different-maybe the emperor did something to elude us." Sakura decided.
"An interesting thought, but how do we rid of the illusion?" Kero sat in mid-air in his meditating stance.
"My key pendant." Sakura said unsure of what had just come out of her mouth.
Kero's head bolted up, "We can transform them again!"
"But it's just an illusion." Syaoran stated confidently. "It'll take too much effort and energy to transform them all."
"Very true," Kero answered with disappointment.
"Isn't there anything we can do to only uncover the illusion?" Syaoran asked.
Sakura began looking through the deck of Clow cards as Syaoran and Kero thought. One card flew out of her hands and in front of her face. Then another flew beside it, in the air. It was the illusion and the sword card. She excitedly grabbed both cards. "I know what to do now!"
Syaoran and Kero looked at Sakura with surprise.
"I don't know if it'll work, but it's wroth a try." Sakura explained before she began to say the words for releasing her star wand, that Kero told her to say. Sakura held the illusion card in one hand. It floated above her head as Sakura called out "Illusion!" and used the wand with her Mistress instincts. "Elude the illusion over the cards by turning into the the Clow cards and turning the real cards into thin air."
The Illusion did so perfectly and the other cards disappeared, even the sword card. Sakura sweat dropped.
"Can I have the sword and the shield back?" The two cards appeared in her hands. "Shield! Form a shield over the eluding cards!" The shield did so. "Illusion return!" The real cards returned by appearing on the floor, meanwhile, inside the shield a heat wave-like appearance was inside it. The heat wave began to turn to a ball of blue light that struggled to escape the shield.
Sakura turned to Kero, "Here goes nothing!"
Kero gasped, "She's using too many cards at once!"
"Shield return! Sword!" Sakura said quickly and swung the sword at the ball. The ball exploded as the sword sliced through it.
Sakura stood amazed at her work. "Sword return!" she paused. "Nifty..."
Syaoran approached Sakura. Sakura smiled at him weakly, wobbled and fainted.
"Nakuru," called a voice from deep inside her room.
"Yes Master Hiirigizawa?" Nakuru returned the familiar, cloaked man's call.
"They've found the book, do you know if Sakura has gotten rid of the illusion yet?"
"Yes, they're packing up the restored Star cards right now. Sakura fainted at the use of so many cards, too quick. And Kero feels that there is something missing as well as Sakura, but what is it?" she answered.
"They will go through much pain to find what is missing and I'll make sure that they do and receive all in time." his reply came to her as abstract and mysterious.
"What do you mean?" Nakuru's face paled.
"I think what Eriol-sama means is that you'll have to wait and see!" answered a small cat that, somewhat, resembled Kero. It was only its colour and cat-like form that made them differ, but they both were like stuffed animals.
"No one asked you, Suppi!" Nakuru snapped.
"And no one asked you to snoop where your nose doesn't belong1" Suppi shot back.
"Quiet you too!" W\Eriol yelled above their voices to hush them. "trouble seems to be catching up with our young justice-seekers."
"Xiaolang! Ying Fa!" came the voice of Takashi.
"What is it?" Syaoran asked as he opened the door to let Takashi in.
"Terada was-" he cut off his own sentence to watch Sakura pack up a bunch of pink and yellow cards with a stuffed animal. He shook his head in disbelief. "They're playing with cards and stuffed toys!?" he said to himself. "Anyway, Terada was taken away by the guards because they were searching for the four of us. He's playing as a distraction saying he had never noticed anyone chasing them and that we were just a couple of hitchhikers. We have to take this time to get away!"
"What?" Syaoran yelled.
"They weren't going to come this far, but they think you're going to assassinate the emperor. They think you and I have kidnapped the girl-Ying Fa. They linked you to the disappearance of Fanren's brother-you. Fortunately the news hasn't spread internationally and we could always run off to-"
"How did they know I wasn't in Chinassia?" Syaoran asked.
"Simply because the emperor is in Japanassia not Chinassia-you have come to assassinate him-haven't you?" Takashi winked.
"Ha ha," Syaoran laughed sarcastically. "Still don't know why I'm here, but tell me, what is the reward for our capture?"
Takashi hesitated before he continued, "Well they say its one thousand gold coins...when I checked an actual poster down stairs it read dead or alive."
"Even Ying Fa?"
Takashi nodded in haste.
"I'd hate to be this kid." Touya pointed to a "wanted dead or alive" poster. The boy on it had the most murderous eyes ever. The poster also mentioned three others traveling with him; one captured, but claims he never knew they were out to assassinate the emperor. It also mentioned that a girl with them had been kidnapped and was posed as a hostage. It seemed a different story from any other ever, that had revolved around Obythia.
Yukito stared at the poster curiously. "He seems familiar if you ask me."
"Whatever-I think Sakura coming slower than the end of the world itself! It can't take too long-the people in the truck are slowing their pace, probably. I'll wait forever if I have to!" Touya exclaimed stubbornly.
Yukito's eyes widened, "Now I remember where I've seen that kid!"
"You mean this..." Touya stole a look at the poster to read the name. "-this Li character?"
"Touya, he was in the truck with Sakura and there was an old man driving and another boy in the back. They describe them on this poster too!" Yukito said with confidence. "They've kidnapped Sakura, but I thought she went of free will?"
"Oh crap!" Touya cried and pounded his fists on their table. He received many glances and curious stares from the other peasants in the bar. Touya gave apologetic gestures and then turned back to Yukito to whisper: "Out of all the people she could've traveled with-why him!? It says there's a reward-and all three are wanted dead or alive. They don't even consider the fact that she's been kidnapped!"
"Perhaps they will save her from his clutches or maybe they aren't assassinating the emperor after all. Did you know Li is the brother of the famous Fanren Li? Looks like both Sakura and this Li kid had the same motive-to find justice. And the third boy-who knows who he is...the fact is, they are all in grave danger." Yukito noted.
"Yukito, have you ever noticed how nothing you say can help and usually makes the listener feel worse. Well it is a true fact. Just knowing that Sakura is part of this whole mix up makes me feel like...well like-" Touya stopped what he was saying. Guilt shone in his eyes like rays from the sun.
Yukito couldn't watch his friend remain in this state, "Ok, why are you feeling guilty?"
Touya stressfully refused to cry or stomp out of the bar and have a spasm, with everyone watching. Instead, he answered a calm and emotionless answer. Too many emotions may get in his way of trying to find Sakura for her sake. Or was it for his? "She always talked about justice. I denied it of her. Every time she discussed our rights I'd tease her and say if she kept her justice theory up and tried to fulfill it, she'd end up with her head chopped off. I thought I could simply scare her with that notion and prevent her from doing something stupid. Looks like I'm fearing for her safety now, and I think I have every right to."
Move your body like a snake ma, like that,
Shake it 'til it wanna break ma, like that,
Don't hold back let it go na', like that,
Bring it up and let it roll na', like that,
I love the way you work your chocha, like that,
You make me wanna get to know ya, like that.
The song pulsed through the room of the restaurant as Sakura, Syaoran and Takashi stumbled in with fatigue.
"Are they belly-dancing?" Takashi pointed at the women on stage, with interest once they had sat down at a table.
"I think so," Sakura said and her face began turning tomato red. They had walked to the cheapest bar and restaurant they could find on the outskirts of Tokyo. They needed rest and refreshments. They observed the drunken men all over the place and decided to leave, but it was too late.
"What do you folks wanna eat today?" the bar-tender called from behind his counter.
"Uh-three of whatever today's special is." Syaoran yelled over the drunken cheers.
"Alright, hot and sour soup it is!" he answered and left to inform his chef.
"Hey baby, why aren't you up there with those lovely friends of yours, on stage?" asked a drunken man, sitting near Sakura, but also close to the stage. He reached out and began playing with Sakura's long, admirable, auburn hair. Sakura slid away from him stiffly and was relieved when the soup arrived. She hadn't even slurped half of it up, when Kero whined. She sighed and put the bowl in her bag.
"Don't finish it."
"Too late, " Kero burped. Sakura sighed, hungrily. Syaoran had noticed her hungry sigh and shared his with her. Sakura, gratefully, took some of the soup too and hurriedly called for the bar-tender.
"Yes ma'am?"
"Bill please," she smiled.
The bar-tender couldn't help but smile back. "Alright sweetheart." the bar-tender had sent a work boy to collect the money.
"That's be two silvers and one bronze." the bespectacled, blue-haired boy said. Syaoran fished out coins and the boy received it with his unusual pleasantness. He turned to Sakura and winked. "No what's a sweet cherry blossom such as yourself doing here with those two?"
Sakura smiled, "Visiting a few friends in Tokyo." She paused and realized what the boy had just said. "How do you know my name?"
The boy began walking, but turned his face to the side to smirk. "I'll be seeing you around...cherub." He disappeared into the kitchen.
"Cherub?" Sakura repeated.
"He fancies her," Takashi chuckled and nudged Syaoran [A.N.: Big Mistake!!!] Syaoran gave a serious snarl and Takashi shrank in his seat. " I think we should just go..." Takashi turned to Sakura. "Isn't that right, cherub?"
Sakura giggled, "Mm hm!" They got up to leave, but as Syaoran and Takashi got nearer to the exit they heard a whimper. Syaoran turned to see Sakura being held back by the drunk man from before. "Help Syao-Xiaolang!" she cried. The drunken man pulled her in his arms.
"You're a pretty girl. It's dangerous out here for an emerald-eyed beauty." the man tried to kiss her, but Syaoran had punched the man and took his chance to grab Sakura and run out. The man looked up as they ran away, "Sheesh!"
Once they had hidden behind a back wall of some near building, Syaoran turned to Sakura. "Are you okay?"
"Like-any cherub-would-be!" Sakura tried to say through her gasping for air. She smiled sweetly at Syaoran, again grateful for helping her. Syaoran simply glared at thin air for a moment's time until Takashi came panting to his said.
"We-can't...go straight through the Tokyo-border. We'll-have to go around, considering your posters are everywhere!" Takashi said, while catching his breath, calmly.
"And where shall we travel around from?" Sakura asked.
"I suggest we take that path-" Takashi pointed to a dirt path going up a forest-covered hill. "It'll be dangerous, but it is official. We have to go through the Hopeless Forest."
"Okay!" Syaoran led them up the path and every minute they approached even nearer to the life-threatening forest. Finally, they took a break a few turns, twists, rocks, and gaps away from the forest. Sakura sat on a rock away from her other two companions. She opened her bag to find no living animal.
"Hey kid! Here1" Kero called from a taller rock behind her, where he snacked on one of her sandwiches.
"I'm beginning to feel that I'll know what to do when the time comes. Is that true?" Sakura asked.
"You just gotta have faith, kid." Kero said. "And of course I'll teach you anything you want me to teach you."
"Well for now you should hide...it's time to go." Sakura opened her bag welcoming Kero into it. As soon as Kero was in Sakura set off with Syaoran and Takashi. Fortunately, she was the only one to hear Kero's muffled remark.
"Talk about a major case of Deja Vu!"
[A.N.: List....
1) Something is missing from the pack of Star Cards-think back; think pink!
2) Deja Vu- remembrance of something that you think you did/happened to you before, but it happened again.
3) Hints: Hopeless Forest unleashes the truth! Da na na na! *sinister laughter rings through the background* ^_^'
R&R! 'Til next chapter folks!!]