Disclaimer: If one could not handle her 12th grade finals, how can she be the owner of Card Captor Sakura/Harry Potter/Inu Yasha/Rurouni Kenshin/Fushigi Yuugi/Magic Kaito/Pokemon? Only CLAMP/J.K. Rowling/Takahashi Rumiko/Watsuki Nobuhiro/Watase Yuu/Aoyama Gosho/Tajiri Satoshi can. You're wasting your time if you try to sue: I can't even afford a Color GameBoy with my allowance.
"Now we're fed and cooled off." Eriol addressed the group as if he's a tourist guide. "It's time for us to buy the silly wooden sticks that allow us to turn tables into pigs and make pears dance from one end of the table to another."
Syaoran face faulted while the girls were drowning in insane laughter. "Oh you! Just use the word 'wand' can't you? W-A-N-D! Nice, simple and we can understand! I'm sure you know this word!" Tomoyo commented, throwing her hands up.
"Sorry, Ms. Daidouji. No can do." The blue-haired boy grinned.
"Don't mind him, Daidouji-san." Meiling smiled mischievously. "We'll get our wands so we can use the silence charm to shut him up for good."
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The Continuing Legend
Chapter 3
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"Our long search had finally come to an end!" Sakura exclaimed as this groups of five entered the "M&T the Wand Makers". It was a very small and ill-lit shop with what like more than a dozen of shelves. Long boxes were stuffed on the shelves carelessly. Several chairs were at the corner of the shop. They looked around and somehow could not find anyone in the shop.
"Excuse me!" Sakura said loudly. "Is anyone here?"
Eriol raised an eyebrow before turning around at one of the chairs and found a magnifying glass on it. He took it and started to look around with it. Just then, Tomoyo suddenly slapped herself on the cheek.
"Is there a mosquito?" The Card Mistress asked. Tomoyo was about to answer "yes", but she looked down at her palm and shrieked. Eriol shook his head and brought up the glass to Tomoyo's palm. That was when the gang noticed what had bitten Tomoyo was not a mosquito. In fact, it looked like a mosquito-sized old man, dressing in some old-style Japanese clothing and had four arms.
"Good afternoon, Myouga-san." Eriol said dryly. This old man jumped when he found out there were five pairs of eyes (and a camera lens) focusing on him. His eyes widened as he recognized who was speaking to him.
"Young...young master Reed! It's really been a while, isn't? May I ask why are you looking like......?" He jumped around on Tomoyo's palm in a very panic manner.
"A twelve-year-old kid? That's because I'm not Clow Reed now, Myouga-san. I'm now known as Hiiragizawa Eriol. And yes, it has been a while since you left." Eriol put a lot of emphasis on the word "left", which made the other four very interested in what was between Clow Reed and this Myouga. "I'm here because my friends are starting school in September, and they need their wands. So please wake up Toutousai now."
When Myouga finally bounced off Tomoyo's palm, they started to look at Eriol with an expression which read "Explain".
"Myouga......You can say he's an old friend of Clow Reed when he was living in Japan. He's ancient and with a deep knowledge on magic, but a huge coward. He flees at the second when there was the smallest sign of danger. And he's a flea demon." Eriol explained and the rest of them had their eyes bugged out.
"Demon?!" They chorused and Eriol chuckled.
"If the west can have vampires, werewolves and banshees, why can't the Asian society has demons too? Don't worry, most of them won't harm us human unless they are provoked or in life-or-death situations. They won't even reveal themselves unless it's absolutely necessary. And Myouga can't really do anything besides sneaking a bite on our cheeks or necks." After the short explanation, Eriol found it was very difficult not to laugh at his friends' expressions. They only managed to pick up their jaws when they heard heavy footsteps from the back of the shop. But they found themselves jaw-dropped again when they saw who had made his/her appearance.
He was about in his mid-50s. Mostly bald and the little hair he had was all white. His face was abnormally thin but with very large eyes that looked like they were bugged out 24/7. He was dressed in a green Japanese hakama with dark green stripes. He took a glance at the group and snorted rather rudely.
"And I thought who was disturbing my nap. It was only two Chinese brats and two Muggle-borns! Myouga you really..." He trailed off and looked pointedly at the flea demon.
"But Toutousai-dono......It was young master Reed who asked me to..." Myouga the flea jumped up and down on Toutousai's shoulder for half a minute before bouncing away and disappeared. The ever hot-headed Meiling was not entirely too pleased with the way he addressed and ignoring them.
"Excuse me, mister? Who are you calling 'brats'?" She bellowed.
"I'm calling some kids that are too young to toy with my creations 'brats', anymore questions?" He replied in an equally rude manner. Then he moved his gaze on Sakura, who jumped a little.
"So, the successor of Clow Reed had finally grace my humble abode." He stated in a quiet, but clear voice. "Now are you right or left handed?"
Sakura seemed to be rather surprised at the sudden change of attitude and squeaked "right". Toutousai chuckled darkly and produced a tape measure out of nowhere. "Hand out then."
He measured Sakura from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round her head. When he measured, he kept on muttering things like "that will do...no, maybe that would suit her better." When he was done with the tape measure, he started to look around the untidy shelves and pulled out a few boxes.
"Now we can try out a few of my works." He said and pulled out a wand from one of the half dozen boxes. "Birch with phoenix feathers, twelve and a half inches. Just wave it around a little."
Sakura waved it like she was told. But she knew that was not the wand for her at the moment she touched the wood, for she did not feel the warm tingle she would always have when she used her "key". As she expected, Toutousai started to mumble and motioned her to return the wand. He held up another one and said, "Dragon heartstring, willow and eight inches. Go on and try."
She waved again. But the wand maker shook his head again and pulled out another one. "Phoenix feather, maple and ten inches. This one should do."
Sakura took the wand, and felt the familiar tingle in her fingers. Her face went blank for one second before breaking into a bright smile and twirled the wand around, creating some beautiful pink sparkles around the shop. The audience, especially Syaoran, watched in awe.
"There you go, missy." Toutousai smiled a little and turned to Tomoyo, Meiling, Syaoran and Eriol. "Who's next?"
The former three looked at the Eriol, who tried to look innocent (but failing), "what? I have my wand already! Unicorn hair, beech wood and eight inches. Made by Mr. Ollivander from the Diagon Alley."
Toutousai snorted again. "Old Ollivander is still doing his business, huh? Why am I not surprised?" He said sarcastically. Then he turned to Tomoyo. "Come on, girl."
Tomoyo managed to get the wand for her on the first try. It was, according to Toutousai, a nice wand made of holly with unicorn hair and nine inches. Syaoran, like Sakura, had to try a few times before getting his ideal wand: a twelve-inch one with a dragon heartstring, made of oak. Meiling and Toutousai were getting on each other's nerves: Meiling because of the shopkeeper's nearly rude and highly sarcastic comments, Toutousai because Meiling had tried over a dozen wands before getting the one that fit her. It was one with phoenix feather, made of mahogany and of 10 inches. They paid eight Galleons each for their wands and left the shop. Not before being given a warning from him, "if you use my works improperly, I would personally break the wands myself!"
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"Remind me to come back and hex him in the next summer holiday...No! In Christmas break! I swear...that old man must get what he deserves!" Meiling ranted while the others had wisely ignored her.
"That's enough, Meiling." Syaoran finally said after his cousin's rambling had passed the five-minute mark. Meiling whined a little, but then settled herself with mumbling.
"Book shop will be next right?" Tomoyo said. She was walking in front of the whole group and keeping her infamous camcorder on the group.
"Look at all these books!" Sakura squeaked (for the second time of the day). "This school seems difficult."
"Don't worry, Sakura-san." Eriol said. "Many students are from the Muggle families and they go through it just fine."
"On the bright side, Sakura-chan, there'll be no more Maths!" Tomoyo exclaimed and the group giggled (the girl)/chuckled (the boys).
"Here! A book shop!" Meiling pointed at a bright book shop to their right. When they entered the "Aoiya Books", they were surprised to see books were literally everywhere: on the shelves of course, on the shelves that were embedded onto the walls and ceilings, even under their feet--the floor was made of glass. It was like the book shop was built with books. They wandered around the book shop for some time when a hyper girl with long braided hair, dressed in a sleeveless purple top and shorts come to them.
"Welcome!" She said breathlessly. "Coming for school books? That's early! Please show me your book lists!"
The group could not help but felt a bit overwhelmed by the girl's slightly hyper antic. But they handed her their lists anyway.
Book List: First Years
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
Aspects of European Magic History by Bathilda Bagshot
A Study of Asian Magic Development by Taiitsukun
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Aresenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by New Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
She leafed through the list and turned to the group. "Five sets? Be right back then!" She ran off.
And 3 seconds later, they heard loud yelling and sound of things being thrown around. They distantly heard the girl shouted "Get your lazy butt outta there and help! Stupid Yahiko..." whatever it meant. They were deciding if they should go and have a look or not when they heard a quiet voice.
"Don't mind them." It was a deep, quiet voice. But it was a voice that carried a high sense of authority. "They won't kill each other, nor will they destroy this little shop. Please wait for a moment. Your school books will be coming soon."
The gang looked around and found a very tall man--way more than 6 feet--sitting behind a counter. He had a very calm and collected composure. His ice-blue eyes starring at Sakura, widened just very little when he accessed the innocent girl's power. Just then, the girl came back with two stacks of book. And there a 10-year-old boy with highly untidy and spiky hair carrying the other three stacks.
"How come I have to carry more?! You're the older one there."
"Yeah, but you are the male and man should carry more than the lady."
"I could tell Aoshi that you're bullying me."
"Like my Aoshi-sama will listen to a brat like you. Want me to tell Kaoru that you've been slacking off?"
"Don't you dare!"
"Why not?"
Sakura and Syaoran were looking back and forth at the duo. Meiling and Eriol were trying not to laugh at them. Tomoyo, as usual, taped the whole thing. They paid the money and quickly dragged the books out of the shop before they all broke into helpless laughter. When they left, the girl noticed that the man had been looking at the way they left the shop.
"Aoshi-sama?" She asked after pushing the boy back to wherever he came.
"Misao, did you feel that?" The man, Aoshi, asked quietly.
"Three very strong auras. Two of them are from the power of darkness, and the other one I cannot put my finger on......But they're also very pure auras, not a trace of evil in it. The boy with glasses was giving me creeps, though. Twelve years old with that level of power, how scary......"
"The other one......was carrying star magic." Aoshi stated and Misao's eyes widened to the size of saucers.
"But...but...You and Okina told me that there's only one being in the world that could..."
"Draw the power of the star. Yes, the Card Mistress had just paid us a visit." He paused and looked at Misao. "Things are going to happen. Whether they will be peaceful or disastrous, we will not be able to know until they happen. Misao, keep an eye on them at school. Owl me if there's anything wrong."
"Roger!"
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"Mission School Supply completed!" Eriol announced as they dumped the books, wand boxes, potion ingredients and uniforms into the little van. "Now Meiling-san, you can have the shopping trip you desired."
"You bet I am!" The Chinese girl yelled and shut the van door. "Where to go?"
"My visit to the joke shop can wait for a while. Any ideas, Sakura-san, Tomoyo-san?" Eriol said after thinking for a moment. Tomoyo giggled.
"You've already found a joke shop?" The camera girl asked.
"Spot one before we got books." He answered.
"If everyone doesn't mind, can we go and get our animals first? I mean..." Sakura trailed off.
"Kinomoto-san had been so excited about getting an owl, right? I don't have a problem if Kinomoto-san promises to model all the dress robes we find on the way." Meiling said jokingly.
"Good idea!" Tomoyo immediately turn "Star Eyes". Sakura let out a startled "hoooeee?!"
"I'm only joking. You're so easy to trick!"
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Finally, they reached a street which was solely dedicated to animal shops. That area was particularly noisy as people trying to shout over the sound of various hooting, meowing, squeaking, barking and chirping. However, the place was surprisingly clean and it didn't have the nasty smell which was commonly found in Muggles pet shop. Sakura could not stop herself from looking around the street, trying to absorb as much view as possible and bumped into no less than five shoppers on the way. Finally, the group entered a garage-like building of pure-white color with a large sign "Pallet Pets Pavilion" written in golden paint.
Inside the shop, they saw a man, who was in his early or perhaps mid-60s, feeding a cage-full of rats. He shut the cage door when he saw them and greeted the group kindly. "Good afternoon...Ouch, stop chewing my coat. Sorry, are you looking for something in particular?" He said and stayed away from the teeth of the rats. After hearing Sakura's and Tomoyo's desires, he first let them to an isle with cages crowding over cages and many pairs of amber eyes were starring at the group. After spending half an hour running from cage to cage, Sakura finally decided to buy a brown screech owl and named the male bird "Sparkles".
"His eyes." She explained to the group as she stroked his feathers. "They remind me of the stars."
In the meantime, Meiling, who didn't really plan on buying an animal before she came, changed her mind and got a falcon. The gray bird was named Razor after Eriol got a taste in his talons. "Serves him right for hinting I was fierce and dangerous." The Chinese girl mumbled.
Tomoyo had gotten the cat of her dreams as well. The she cat, Flare, had fiery red fur (hence the name) and onyx eyes. They all paid for their new pets and bird/cat food and continued to explore the shopping lane.
The Card Captors spent the rest of the afternoon window-shopping. Sakura, Tomoyo and Meiling fancied the trendy wizardry clothing, accessories, music, etcetera, while the boys were more interested in various magical artifacts. One of the best parts was the time when they visited a second-hand artifact shop. All of them were impressed by those second-hand goods. Some of them even had more than a hundred year of history. Eriol swore that he recognized something that was once belonged to Clow Reed.
The said sorcerer's long-waited trip to the local joke shop was interesting too. The little store was decorated in an extravagant fashion: very bright colors and confetti hanging from the ceiling. The sign "Magic Kaito!" was painted in some magical ink that would change its color every few seconds. The interior resembled a candy shop: shelves were divided into many small columns, each with different kind of wizard joke stuff. What surprised the gang the most was that Eriol seemed to be very good friend with the shop owner, for the first thing he did when he entered the shop was not looking at the wide range of prank goods in fascination, but to place a hex on one of the many stray, white pigeons and turned it into electric pink for a whole minute. The shop owner, who looked like he had just gotten out of school himself, raised an eyebrow and shot some sparks at a dung bomb, which was "conveniently placed" right next to Eriol, making the veil bomb explode. Sakura, Tomoyo, Meiling and Syaoran had barely recovered from the smell when they saw the two giving each other high-fives.
Later, Eriol introduced Kuroba Kaito, the shop owner and his old friend, to the gang. Eriol told them Kaito had just graduated from the academy last June. He knew Kaito through the latter's father, Kuroba Toichi, when the former was a kid. At that time he didn't have much memory as Clow Reed, had accidentally saw him using real magic and being entranced by it. Since then, Eriol started to learn about the wizard society from the elder man. But he was killed four years ago when Voldemort come back to full power......
Kaito, who become annoyed at the sudden change of mood, started another prank war with Eriol. The others had wisely escaped from the shop when the two started to throw prank curses, fake wands and dung bombs at each other. The war was interrupted when a girl of Kaito's age went inside the shop and pulled him away from the "arena" though. They left the shop after watching Kaito demonstrating a few of his goods and Eriol grabbing most of the prank products in the shop. Then Sakura suggested it was about time to return to the villa, as she read the "time" out loud: "Barely enough time to change for dinner".
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For the rest of the summer, the gang spent most of their time in the villa. They had occasional trips to the Nirvana Lane. But they mostly stayed in the summer house to read their new school books, to bond with their new pets, played a "Ground-style Quidditch" (where they all stayed on the ground and took away the Bludgers, since the majority of the group could not fly/ did not have their own broomstick) and practiced their magic (Syaoran only).
These peaceful days only last till the 31st August though.
On that day, everyone had literally locked themselves in their guest rooms for a rabid fit of last-minute packing. They had, of course, gotten themselves their own trunks in addition to their normal Muggles luggage. They deal with their problem of poor time management more or less the same way: holding onto the school supply checklist to make sure they did not miss any of their school things, running around grabbing their belongings and tried to stuff anything and everything into their trunks/bags. Even the calmest members of the group had to run and rush so that the next day, which was their first day in the academy, would not be too chaotic.
During dinner of their last day in the summer house, the most popular topic was, of course, about their schedule for the next day.
"We will have to arrive before 10am, and the only way to the school will be by cable tram." Syaoran explained. "The tram station was quite near to the pier. There's one tram every one hour. So we can take the one at eight or nine."
"I would suggest nine." Tomoyo said. "We don't need to wake up so early on the first day." The others agreed as well and Eriol continued (and fully ignored the glare from the Chinese boy).
"The first thing we'll have to do when we arrive is to get our dorms. There is a reception where they confirm our details, classes as well as assign your dorm. Then some time in the afternoon, there will be the start-of-year assembly, the sorting and the feast." Then the blue-haired boy added. "I heard they have good buffet meals, wonder will it be on our menu tomorrow?"
They all snorted into their salads at the last remark. Meiling cut in before Eriol can say anything more. "Tomorrow is mainly for sorting and settling down. Class will officially start on the day after tomorrow."
(A/N: Pun not intended. But I really want to see that film...blasted finals.)
They talked more about the school before they finished dinner and turned in, each with their own expectations for tomorrow.
The number of reviews remain as low as ever, why is that?? But still a big thanks to those who did, whether it was positive or negative.
Sterling-Silver66: So far the comments are rather good. Therefore I don't really have the intention to stop the fic. Although I did want the number of reviews to rise a bit...Since the point of creating a brand new magical society was to keep the CCS cast away from Hogwarts under any circumstances, so no, they won't travel to London. But they will meet the Gryffindor Trio, or even the other HP casts, eventually. I can guarantee that.
cordysplight: Ridiculous in what way? You're being confusing......
Plenty of cameos had appeared. I sincerely hope there's no anti-Pokemon readers here. But I can't really think of anyone better than Prof. Oak to deal with animals...Okay, I can. But she's only 12 years old in her series.
Update will be stopped completely for the following 2 weeks: Finals of Doom will officially start on Wednesday. Plus I have to revise chapter 4, which was completed yesterday, and write chapter 5 before I post it up.
Reviews and constructive criticisms are welcomed. Flames will be used to summon Rayearth.
[[Snippet Time!!]]
Sakura woke up to the sound of Meiling banging on the door of her guest room.
"Kinomoto-san! It's already eight! Unless you want to go to school with your stomach growling at you, get down at this instant!!"
The said Card Mistress and her guardian beast sat up from their sleeping positions. Kero-chan rubbed his beady eyes and fly towards the bathroom groggily.
30 seconds later, she let out a wail of "HOOOOEEEEE!!" when she finally remember that was the first day of her first year at the Mahora International Academy of Magic.