"Jeez, there he goes watching his ahh-nih-may again."
"He always does that, everywhere he brings that thing."
"Hey is that CardCaptor Sakura?"
"Hey yeah! Can we watch?"
"Sure!"
This last voice belonged to me. I don't particularly like my laptop being called a 'thing' but it wasn't the worst thing they called it. And besides, some people didn't mind me watching all the time (and some even watched with me).
"Hey Mike, do you really have all 70 episodes?"
I nodded in response, then added, "And both movies." There was a pause for awe from the small crowd I had amassed without trying. "Well, I do like it a lot, y'know," I said, and laughed slightly, before pushing the button to start it.
Alright, enough about my obsession, time to talk about me. My name is Mike Rampart, and obviously I'm obsessed with CardCaptor Sakura. I'm kind of tall (a little taller than average), I've got short dark brown hair, green eyes, and a very lanky build. I have a few friends, although they're mostly geeks or animé-freaks like me.
But yeah, I like CardCaptor Sakura (CCS, for short). I'm just shy of an otaku, in my opinion. And I'm no pervert/pedophile either; I'm 18 and I don't feel in any way attracted to a 10-year-old animated cartoon character besides the cuteness of the drawing. Perverted freaks looking for panty shots left and right put to shame the name of "Magical Girl" animé.
I do, however, find it a bit biased that it's always magical girls. Are magic-wielding guys just not cool enough to bother making a story about? Not that I have anything against the magical girls that are, I just don't like to see them ruling over the whole "magical character" genre. Give us guys a chance too.
But annoyances and aggravations aside, I really love to watch CardCaptor Sakura whenever I can. Sometimes I even hook more people into it, especially after school where some people just float around because they've got nothing better to do (myself included).
Of course, usually the fantasy world is a lot more "friendly" than the real world. Everything just seems so much…easier in shows like that. Here in the real world I'm barely getting Bs. I'm not failing or anything, but I'm really not doing as well as I should.
After school I had a meeting with some friends about a project coming up for our computer class, which ended up with a little progress, but very little actually done. I went home with a lot hanging over my head, especially that grade in computer class that just wasn't making itself into an A. I mean, normally I'm good with computers (more than good, really), just projects, especially group projects, always seem to end up in a mess.
I managed to make it through dinner without being questioned by my parents. Without really thinking about it, I got ready for bed, even though it was only about nine P.M. on a Friday so I didn't need to get up early.
I got into my bed, turning off my alarm so that I wouldn't have to get up at seven in the morning. As I lay there, looking up at the utterly blank white ceiling, I said offhandedly (and slightly foolishly), "I wish stuff like CardCaptor Sakura were reality…" It took me another five minutes to fall asleep after that.
Of course, I should have thought a little bit more.
You should always be careful what you wish for…
…Because you never know who's listening.
---
"Well I'm bored," the floating figure said, though nobody around (even if they were right in front of him) was able to hear. "I may be a god, but that doesn't mean I want to unleash wrath on the world or start a whole civilization or something." He sighed, reflecting on his thoughts, then looked around at his surroundings. He was in a modest condominium complex, looking at five very similar houses that were about equidistant from him.
"Right, maybe these mortals have an idea for a game I can play," he said, even though to these 'mortals' he was unheard. He turned his attention on the house that was due east of him, and moved closer…closer…then went through the wall as if it wasn't even there.
He found himself above the bed of a human male, an adolescent by their species' terminology. As no mortal could see him unless he absolutely willed it, he had no worry of being seen. At least, he thought…until the 'boy' spoke to him.
No, he had just overreacted. The boy hadn't said anything to him, he had just uttered a phrase that wasn't meant for anything or anyone but himself. But what he had said stuck in the god's mind, however vast that was.
"A reality, huh?" he said in his voiceless manner. He thought for a bit, a couple of minutes passing for the person in the bed. "Yes, that would be a fun game to play," he added to himself, smiling to himself. "I'll just borrow his consciousness for a bit and return it to this point when I'm done…" And without a further thought, the boy was asleep.
"Showtime," was the last thing the god uttered before creating his little world, grabbing the boy's consciousness, and throwing it in ahead of him.