I'll cut the crap. I hope the people who were reading this are still interested, though… ^^ Also, there's some cussing in here… Before "OOC" flashes in your mind remember that our little CCS characters can't stay all innocent forever. ^___^
Disclaimer: CCS belongs to CLAMP and Kodansha.
Key:
Narration
Thoughts, dreams, flashbacks, Chinese/Jap words.
E_m_p_h_a_s_i_z_e_d W_o_r_d_s
………… = scene change
Spells, incantations, etc.
Japanese// I hope I'm not using too many Japanese words……. TT - TT
Konnyanachiwa! = Hello! (in Osaka-ben)
-san = honorific used to show respect or for people older than you
Osaka-ben = Osaka dialect; a bit different from the "normal" Japanese you hear
etto… = umm…
Itai… = oww…
-chan = honorific used to address someone very familiarly and friendly
Otou-san = father
-kun = honorific used for people of the same level as you, mainly for males
takoyaki = octopus balls that are normally made in Japan but this is my fic so there!!! *sticks out tongue* Kero-chan really likes to eat this. ^^
Spirited Away
Chapter Five: Konnyanachiwa!
"Huh? Where'd Sakura go?" Touya asked as he took out a plate at Fujitaka's request. His dark eyes had spotted a figure rush out the front door in the front hall.
"Hmm…maybe Sakura-san left something at school…" Fujitaka looked up from the various vegetables on the cutting board to ponder, "As long as she's home by dinner time then it's okay".
"Whatever", Touya shrugged and handed the light blue plate to his father.
…………
Sakura slowed down as she reached Hong Kong Central Park. The sun had already begun to dip below the horizon so the large public playground, bathed in orange light, was nearly empty. Sakura collapsed in a bench, panting hard as she tried to ease her breathing. But the tears continued to flow.
"I'm…so stupid…" She whispered as she tightened her grasp on the book. Her eyes welled up with hot, new tears as she recalled the murderous expression on Syaoran's face. He hated her. Sakura could feel that he did not want her at the house at all. And because she had read that card, the wind had come and scattered some of his cards so now they were lost. It was all her fault…
Sakura didn't know why…but she wanted to belong at that the house. That large, cavernous mansion somehow seemed like a home to her. And she wanted Syaoran to welcome her and smile when she made some careless error. It hurt so much to know that he was furious with her.
"I'm sorry…Li-san…" Sakura said softly, her jade eyes full of sadness. She hadn't meant for Syaoran's cards to fly away like that. But now, it was too late. The cards were gone and Syaoran wanted her to just wither away and die. She wouldn't dare go back to that mansion.
Sakura felt that she must have spent hours at the park for the horizon had already become swathed with violet shades when she looked up again. Only the silhouette of the playground remained visible. Suddenly she quickly stood up, exclaiming, "This is terrible! I'm going to be late for dinner!!"
Sakura started walking in the direction of the mansion but abruptly stopped. What if the ghost is still mad at me? The question echoed abjectly in her mind. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice that she had left the book back at the bench. Or else, she would have seen the book glow bright gold as a small shape emerged from its cover.
Should I go…? Should I not go…? Otou-san would be mad at me, but Li-san is already made at me…Ahh!! What should I—
"Stupid Li… locking me up in the attic where I couldn't get out…"
Sakura became aware of some type of murmuring above her but absorbed in her thoughts, she didn't think too much of it until…
"Ah-Konnyanachiwa!"
"HOE!!!" Sakura cried in terror.
The sudden sound of an Osaka-ben greeting jerked Sakura out of her miserable pondering. She looked up to see the strangest creature she had ever seen, tripping over a small rock in the process. She ungracefully crashed to the ground.
"Itai…" she winced. Sakura had been falling quite a bit these past few days. Staggering back up clumsily, she turned back to the task at hand. It—she wasn't sure what gender the creature was—looked to be a stuffed lion cub with wings hovering just inches from her face. At the sight of Sakura's face, the stuffed animal's expression suddenly became quite shocked, judging from the dilation of its small beady eyes.
"Y-You really are the mistress…" The creature breathed. It seemed clearly shaken.
But now, Sakura was confused. "Mistress"? What kind of mistress was she supposed to be? And what did he mean by saying she really was her?
"Um… etto…" Sakura wasn't sure how to answer.
The small stuffed animal suddenly looked a bit sad and said, in a much more mellow tone, "I'm Keroberus, guardian of the cards." Then, as if he (Sakura decided that it was probably male from his name) did not want to keep talking, he stared downwards silently.
"Keroberus…" Sakura felt an odd emotion at the name, "this might sound odd to you, but…" she blushed as she asked, "can I call you Kero-chan?"
Kero blinked and with amazing speed, zoomed down to her face and wrapped his pudgy arms around her cheek, exclaiming in joy, "Of course!! Please call me that!!" Sakura giggled at the feeling of soft fur on her face.
I haven't been called that in a long time.
…………
Kero sat back down at the bench, his face set in deep thought and Sakura followed suit. The wind whistled autumn-stained leaves to dance around the two. Sakura felt so at ease with Kero-chan. She closed her eyes and the sweet wind swept across her face.
"Sakura…" he began, his cotton ball tail waving back and forth, "I want you tell me exactly how you got here and received that book."
"Okay," Sakura replied, opening her eyes. She recounted how her father had been invited to an excavation site, how she had encountered so many strange things since arriving here, and finally, with a hint of deep sadness in her voice, how Syaoran had found her with the book and demanded her to leave.
As Sakura neared the end of her tale, tears once again threatened to roll down her cheeks and Kero remembered how her eyes had already been red when they had met.
"…And I don't know why… but I feel so useless and pathetic because he hates me…" Sakura ended softly, her face wet with her grief. Her fingers were still clutched tightly around the book with her name etched on it. Tears had cascaded on to the smooth, gilded cover and were sliding off like raindrops.
Kero tried not to smile but he knew exactly what Li Syaoran was trying to do and knew that it definitely would not work. The small guardian lifted Sakura's face in his small paws and looked into her enchanting jade eyes.
"He does NOT hate you. He could never. It may not seem like it right now but that's a fact. You told me that you live in the mansion, right? Well, you need to return home for sure, so you can't stay here. Your father and brother would worry," Kero reasoned. Sakura nodded slowly.
But suddenly Sakura caught on to something Kero had said, "Kero-chan… how did you know I had a brother? I don't think I mentioned it…" She trailed off, wondering when she had let that slip.
Kero became flustered, "Ahahaha… I just guessed. Lucky guess." He laughed nervously. Sakura still looked doubtful but decided to drop it.
Kero continued, "There is no reason at all why that kid—"
"You still call him that?"
Kero froze as Sakura realized what she had unconsciously blurted out.
"I d-don't know… I-I just… keep talking Kero-chan," Sakura stammered, averting her eyes to the ground. Kero looked at her for a moment before continuing. He didn't call Syaoran a kid for the rest of the conversation.
"Li does not own that book. It is not his to own. That book," Kero looked up to meet the bewildered emeralds of the true owner, "belongs to you. You are the Mistress of the Sakura Cards."
"Mistress of the Sakura Cards? Those cards in the book with my name on them?" Sakura repeated.
"Yes," Kero nodded, "Those cards possess many different powers that you, their mistress, can harness."
"Okay…" Sakura somehow found this easy to accept and understand, along with the 8-inch tall creature floating in front of her face. She nodded to show her comprehension.
"Now take out the necklace you have," Kero instructed hurriedly. He almost seemed excited.
"My mother's necklace?"
"No," Kero said seriously, "it's yours."
"Okay, I suppose," Sakura lifted it up from where she hid it under her shirt, the familiar ruby eye greeting her warmly. Kero seemed to study it a moment before speaking.
"Now Sakura, close your hand around the pendant and concentrate your magic into it," Kero said casually.
"Magic?" Sakura's eyes widened.
"You've done it before," Kero replied calmly.
"That's right," Sakura said, remembering that strange night in her room, although she now knew that the room was not hers alone. Sakura squeezed the bird head in her hand and concentrated all her willpower into it. Her eyes closed and she clenched her teeth, trying with all her might. After a while, she opened her eyes to check and was dismayed to find that nothing had happened.
Kero sighed, "You're trying too hard."
"Really?" Sakura relaxed and suddenly her heartbeat seemed stronger and pulsated with power. Pink light streamed through her fingers and she gasped. When the light died down, Sakura opened her hands to find that the pendant was no longer a bird head but was now a shining golden star encircled by a pink ring, from which small white wings had sprouted.
"Wha-why-where?" Sakura stammered, flabbergasted.
"The key lost power when the original owner…um…died…and reverted back to its old form with some magic lent from others. The cards never lost power because a lot of power had been bestowed to them," Kero smiled mysteriously at Sakura. He knew she understood.
"So now I can use the cards by calling forth the wand from this key?" Sakura asked, surprised at her sudden burst of confidence.
Kero crossed his arms across his chest smugly, "I knew you needed no explanation."
…………
"You need to apologize!! You can't live with yourself otherwise!" Shimmering black thread waved around in fury as an angry voice resounded. Hazy light sliced through lacy curtains, hitting tall, old bookcases. Dust hung like fog in the stale air.
"No… I can't… I can't… " A strong hand clenched into a fist as a sad, quiet voice replied.
"You want to! I know it!" The first voice insisted.
"I wish I could… but things are different. It's different now," The second resisted. A yellowed piece of paper was crumpled by an unseen force and dropped to the ground.
"You'll kill yourself this way." The first voice had lowered to a concerned whisper.
A sardonic grin, "I'm already dead".
Ruby eyes flashed, "No… this will be worse. I know what you're trying to do but like Kero-chan said, it won't work!"
Downstairs, Touya glanced upwards, puzzled. He had thought, for a fleeting moment, that he had heard voices from above him. His large hands momentarily stopped his work at the chopping board.
"Did Sakura come back already?"
…………
"Your friend Tomoyo, eh?" Kero asked as he and Sakura walked along. He let another smile slip. The dimming day threw odd shadows across the small beaten road they walked on. This road had been here for hundreds of years…
"Yup!" Sakura grinned at the memory of her beautiful associate, "we do everything together! However… Tomoyo-chan is a bit… Mmm…" Sakura put a finger to her chin.
"Peculiar?" Kero supplied, quirking an eyebrow (or where one should be).
Sakura laughed, "Exactly! She always wants to design my cloths and everything! Tomoyo-chan even TAPES me wearing them with her video camera!" She covered her face bashfully, "Wahh!! That is so embarrassing!! But her designs are very magnificent… I'm sure she'll do great things one day." Sakura looked up and smiled wistfully, playing with the hem of her white jacket, which of course Tomoyo had manufactured herself.
Kero hovered along, just listening quietly. But inside, he was feeling as excited as can be. Everything was just as it had been. Except that he had no idea what a video camera was.
Sakura's steps abruptly cut short.
Kero jerked himself out of a bit of nostalgia to demand, "What is it?"
"Kero-chan… this feeling…" Sakura was staring hard at a spot above her. Her hands were clenched and she was slightly trembling, "I've felt this before. There was something leading me to the book… something I disliked. And it's here right now".
…………
"Hmm… " Touya looked on agitatedly at his food, his head propped in one hand. He looked up at his father to see him also staring at the steaming dishes before them, his hands folded in his lap.
"I think I should…" Both men began at the same time.
Fujitaka chuckled, "Go ahead and eat, Touya-kun. I'll go find Sakura-san. I'm sure she just lost track of time".
"No…"
"Ah… it's quite fine, Touya-kun," Fujitaka assured him as he stood up, "I'll just be a while".
"No, wait. Otou-san…" Touya shot up from his chair and knocked it over, leaving it to clatter on to the floor.
"Eh-what is it, Touya-kun?" Fujitaka was a bit surprised at his behavior. He knew the boy had a sister complex but this was completely different. Touya's eyes were so frightened.
"I've got a feeling… just a feeling… " Touya clenched his teeth and before his father could stop him, dashed to the main hall and out the door. A pair of amber jewels followed him.
…………
"Sakura! Wait!" Kero zoomed after Sakura's fleeting figure. For a human, she sure could run. As he flew along, all he could see was the failing, flickering sunlight on Sakura's auburn hair to lead his way.
Sakura ran as fast as she was able to away, leading her further and further away from the Li Mansion and into a maze of alleys and streets. She ran on, feeling as if her lungs would burst, and did not slow down. Sakura felt that she needed to capture this strange shadow before it caused anymore trouble for people other than her. It… this creature did not belong to this world. She had to confront it somehow and make sure that it didn't cause any harm to anyone.
Sakura could no longer sense Kero's presence after running through a mess of abandoned shops and markets. Finally, she skidded to a stop outside of a narrow alley and peered around the corner. The sky had deepened to a dark indigo blue, allowing little light to let Sakura see. She saw only blurry outlines of crates covered with canvas cloth. The stink of fish wafted up from this stack and made Sakura feel extremely queasy.
Sakura covered her nose with her sleeve and cautiously made her way into the darkness. She bumped along the rough brick walls to find her way forward. Just as Sakura felt that she needed a light, a glance at the glittering jewel in her hand jolted an incantation into her head. Unsure of where she had learned this, Sakura put her hands out in front of her, with the star key resting in them, and commanded:
The key that holds the power of the stars.
Reveal your true form to me.
I, Sakura, commands thee under contract.
Release!
Sakura felt a large surge of warmth envelop her entire body and her key grew so bright that it hurt her eyes. The light felt soft in her fingers and pulled the small key into a staff that was slightly longer than her arm, and weighed many times less than her cheerleading baton. The light died down and Sakura studied this new instrument, with its gleaming cream pink body and the beautiful gilded star on top. The same ruby seen in the wand's small key form continued to wink at her. Although the alley was almost devoid of light, the magical baton in Sakura's hand glowed with a light of its own, making everything about this day so mystical.
Sakura expertly twirled the star wand in her hands and not realizing that she had taken the book of Sakura cards with her, grabbed a card and tossed it into the air. She swung the wand up and pointed the star at the card.
"GLOW!" Sakura commanded, "light up my way!"
The pink card gradually melted away as a small girl that greatly resembled a firefly shot out from it in a shower of sparks. The firefly girl rose into the sky and raised her arms to shower small dots of light down to the earth. The dusk was instantly lit up and looked truly like a wonderland. People in the marketplace stopped their bargaining to glance up at the strange, light snow that was neither cold nor melted on the ground. This snow that was falling a full three months before winter would come.
Sakura stared wide-eyed at what she done and could not think of a single thing to say.
…………
Kero floated cautiously among the feet of the people at the market, looking for any sign of a short crop of cinnamon hair but found none. What he did see were vendors laden with all types of merchandise. From fresh fish to jewelry and from school supplies to clothing, this open market had it all, especially crowds. Kero tried to suppress his pangs of hunger but was starting to lose control. Being locked up in a book for a long, long time could do that to you. As thoughts slipped away from Sakura and to wondering what he could pilfer from one of the stands, an aroma reached his small nose that he could have smelled from a mile away.
The smell of takoyaki.
A metamorphosis occurred. Kero's black eyes suddenly became bright, his tail lifted off the ground, his limbs were bestowed with new energy, and his five senses were greatly magnified. He spent a few moments searching for a stand of his heavenly snack and spotted it about 100 yards away. He zoomed off towards the takoyaki stand.
As Kero drew closer, the scent made his mouth water and his eyes clouded with the vision of a feast. A crazed grin spread over his small face and he accelerated. The vendor wouldn't know what hit him.
But Kero didn't know what had hit him either. He flew straight into what seemed to be an invisible barrier and crashed to the ground. The faces of children enjoying takoyaki seemed to sneer at him.
"Ahhhhh… takoyaki…" Kero reached his small paw upwards shakily from the ground at a last attempt to grasp his treasure.
"Stop being so dramatic, stupid stuffed animal." A smooth male voice broke Kero's thoughts and he lost all his energy. He sighed and followed the voice to a corner where the two wouldn't be seen.
"I'm so hungry…kid…" Kero managed to say in his best I'm-a-good-guardian-and-I'm-hungry-so-you-should-feed-me voice, "and I hate you because you still have magic even though you're dead."
"Damn glutton," Syaoran Li replied. He glared down at the guardian of the cards icily.
"Whaaat? I can't help it you—" Suddenly Kero's eyes went as wide as they could when he set his priorities in order again and gasped, "Sakura!"
Syaoran's expression suddenly changed from annoyed and angry to concerned and extremely angry in a single moment, "I'm looking for her! Where is she?!"
"Well… that is, I'm looking for her too," Kero replied as Syaoran stiffened, "She ran—"
Suddenly Kero looked smug and gave Syaoran what looked like a purely evil smile. He hovered over to a brick jutting out from the wall and sat down, ignoring Syaoran.
"WELL?!" Syaoran ranted.
"I thought that it was all HER fault… I thought SHE was the one who messed everything up… I thought you wanted her to GO AWAY…" Kero listed the ideas that Syaoran had dictated to Sakura back in the attic, "Now since it seems that you hate her, why are you now going after her?"
"That was—I mean—It's not—!" Syaoran stammered, turning bright red. He averted his eyes to the ground.
"For the head of the Li Clan and an expert in swordsmanship and martial arts, kid," Kero smirked, "you sure SUCK at lying."
Syaoran allowed a small smile to creep across his face, "I…I know. How could I ever hate Sakura? It's Sakura, for God's sake. But…" He looked at Kero, "I have to do this. Keep it a secret, okay?"
"Sure, kid".
"Damn toy."
"Go back to hell."
"ANYWAY," Syaoran said, exasperatedly, "we should go look for Sakura. What DID she run after?"
"I don't know," Kero said, frowning, "but she muttered something about it being the same thing that led her to the book."
At those words, Syaoran's translucent eyes widened.
"Oh God. We have to find her!" Syaoran closed his eyes for a split-second and suddenly knew where Sakura was.
"She's that way!" The phantom pointed over at a man who was distributing fish to a bunch of women and yelling "FISH FOR CHEAP!" at the top of his lungs.
"Your aura powers are still pretty good," Kero commented but Syaoran's chestnut eyes had narrowed dangerously as he noticed a glowing snowfall drifting from the sky.
"It's Sakura! She's using her powers! This is BAD!" And with that, Syaoran sped off towards the fish stand.
"Right behind ya, kid!" Kero followed after and they zoomed through the crowd. The alley corner became silent again.
Shenghua stared in disbelief as her grocery bag slipped to the ground. She stood still; the strange snow continued to fall around her and also where she had just witnessed a strange spectacle. A cabbage tumbled out of the bag but she paid no attention to it.
Had she just seen a small flying bear talking to… Syaoran Li?
Hehe… I kinda took long with this one. *grin* But I hope some people liked it anyway. I DO enjoy writing this but I am also REALLY LAZY. So until next time…..(who knows when that will be) ^____________^
~DreamerDust