Notes: I'm trying to update a couple of CCS fics at once, while the inspiration is still upon me. So with any luck, "Majin Magic" and "Unrequited" will each get a new chapter, at the very least.
Chapter 4: The Return of Clow
The first thing that Hotaru saw upon waking up was Tomoyo's concerned face. "Juumai?" she whispered uncertainly, reaching for the younger girl's hand.
Tomoyo let her have it, smiling. "You scared me, juushi. Don't do that again."
It was then that Hotaru became aware of Sakura's presence, and then Michiru's. She sat up straight on the couch, looking distinctly wary.
"Hotaru-chan," Michiru said softly, reaching over to stroke her dark hair. "It does my heart good to see you looking so much stronger."
After a few seconds of hesitation, Hotaru leaned into Michiru's hand. "You didn't tell me you were coming."
"And you didn't tell me that you'd started collecting Clow Cards," Michiru countered.
"Or me," Tomoyo added, giving Hotaru's hand a good squeeze.
"I couldn't," Hotaru said at once. "No one was supposed to know."
"I think Sakura would've noticed when one of her Cards went missing," Michiru pointed out.
"It was nothing that I took pleasure in," Hotaru murmured, looking away. "It's just that I always end up hurting my friends unintentionally, so I thought it wouldn't matter in the long run. And...he said if it was too painful for Sakura, he could alter her memories..."
"Who said?" Michiru asked sharply.
"It's easier if I just show you, so you'll have no reason to doubt me." Hotaru flicked her wrist, drawing a Clow Card out of thin air.
Sakura automatically moved Tomoyo behind her.
"Don't worry, Sakura-chan. This Card can explain everything; she's been with me the longest." Hotaru raised her voice. "Shot Card, come forth!"
Instantly, a girl with an alarming amount of pink, streaked hair appeared before them. Her eyes were narrowed, and flicked from one person to the next rapidly, as if she were itching to attack them all at once.
Hotaru gently placed her hand on the girl's bushy head. "No, Shot. They are friends, not targets. You will not be attacking this time."
Obviously very disappointed, Shot sat down at Hotaru's feet and crossed her arms over her chest, greatly resembling a child that had been denied a cookie.
"Why don't you start by telling us a little about yourself?" Hotaru suggested.
As if she were reading from a cue card, Shot began: "I am The Shot. I was created by the magician Clow Reed. Once I select a target, I will pursue it relentlessly until one of us is defeated."
"Whom do you serve?"
At that point, Shot gave Hotaru an odd look. "Only you, my Mistress. Why-"
"If Clow Reed were to summon you now," Hotaru interrupted, "would you return to him?"
Shot blinked a few times before answering. "I would not wish to, out of loyalty to you, my Mistress. But Clow Reed is my creator, and I could no more ignore him than I could deny my own existence. Eventually, I think I would have no choice but to follow him."
"But why would that matter?" Sakura asked. "Clow Reed died a long time ago..."
Hotaru sighed. "Shot, tell them what we've been doing these last few weeks."
Shot nodded. "My creator saw fit to reincarnate himself. This new form summoned my Mistress to his side, and at his request, she sealed me in her service. It was my creator's wish that we return certain Cards to him."
"For what purpose?" Michiru asked.
Once Hotaru nodded for her to continue, Shot replied, "During their period of freedom, some Cards became excessively violent or unruly, to the point where they might even disobey their owner. My creator wishes to purge them of this darkness before things got out of hand."
"You mean THAT'S why you wanted The Shadow? So it wouldn't turn on me?" Sakura asked. "Why didn't you just SAY so, Hotaru! I would've given it to you right away if you'd just told me that!"
"My creator swore her to secrecy," Shot answered. "Even now, we are breaking that vow."
"So this new Clow has been...purifying the Cards, so to speak?" Tomoyo asked.
Hotaru nodded. "Yes, juumai. I can't tell you why he wanted my purpose to remain hidden. He is very secretive about a great deal of things. I know only that he is Clow, and that I had to do as he asked, if for no other reason than to protect Sakura."
"But you said you were willing to hurt me to get that Card," Sakura said softly.
"I was honestly hoping to scare you into giving it to me," Hotaru replied. "I doubt I could've actually convinced myself to harm you, Sakura-chan."
"But what about you, juushi?" Tomoyo asked. "What's going to happen to you, now that you've told us all this?"
"Probably nothing. I am quite sure he knew this would happen. He seems to have predicted everything, from my coming here to all of you figuring out that I was Sailor Saturn. I believe he only told me not to tell in order to serve as a test. He often makes things harder than they should be, in order to suit his purposes. Despite that, I really think he only wants the best for us all."
Sakura laughed nervously. "In that case, I think you'd better take him The Shadow right away, so he doesn't suddenly change his mind!"
There was a dry chuckle in the darkness. "No, Sakura-san, I will not change my mind. But you may soon change your opinion of me, for better or for worse."
"So you're going through with the plan, then?" a second voice asked.
"Indeed, Spinel," the first replied. "Sakura must be tested, and who better than I to administer a proper test?"
"It could be dangerous for her, though," a new voice added. "She might even be killed."
"I am confident that will not happen, Nakuru, but your concern is both duly noted and much appreciated. Sakura and her friends will be just fine."
"Are you sure?" Nakuru asked with a smirk. "I mean, how many people have come out of a scrape with us 'just fine', Eriol-sama?"
"Those were all different circumstances, as you well know. We are merely ensuring that Sakura will be ready to inherit the true legacy of Clow Reed."
"So when do we begin?" Spinel asked curiously.
"Now seems as good a time as any," Eriol replied, a somewhat sinister smile on his lips. "Go and acquire the selected elements. I will deal with Hotaru."
The pair bowed as one. "As you wish, Eriol-sama."
Eriol turned back to his mirror, where he watched Sakura hand over The Shadow to Hotaru. "I am sorry about this, Hotaru-chan. But each actor must play their part in this little drama of mine. And you have played yours better than I ever could've hoped."
Meiling was on her way to Syaoran's house when she heard what sounded like a small animal in pain. She followed the noise to a nearby bush, where she found a small, shivering mass of black, glossy fur. She slowly knelt down and gently picked up the trembling creature.
"Hmm. Never seen one of you before, little guy. You must be endangered, in every sense of the word."
The creature mewled softly, brushing her nose with its long tail.
Meiling's eyelids drifted shut at once, and she fell soundlessly to the ground, the creature hovering just above her head on tiny wings.
"Easy, wasn't it?" Nakuru asked as she emerged with Syaoran slung over her shoulder.
"I sense no magic in her," Spinel noted, circling Meiling a few times.
"Doesn't matter. Eriol wants them just the same." In a startling display of strength, Nakuru reached down with one hand and easily hauled Meiling over her other shoulder. "Do you have the note for Sakura?"
"Yes. But Eriol didn't specify how I was to deliver it. If I get anywhere near her, she might sense me."
"Would she?"
Spinel frowned. "She might sense SOMETHING, even if she didn't know exactly what."
"Well, if sensing you doesn't tip her off, the note will. Does it really matter, Suppi-chan?"
He scowled up at her. "I loathe you," he muttered before flying off.
Nakuru grinned as she headed back to her master's house. She could tell that this was going to be fun.
Sakura could not deny the feeling that she was being watched. It was a familiar feeling, especially since Tomoyo had spent over half their lives following her around with some sort of camera. But with Tomoyo, the feeling just summoned up the usual embarrassment, and maybe a warm fondness that Tomoyo thought her so photogenic.
This time, however, the only sensation Sakura could discern was danger. It was bad enough that she didn't know why. Combined with the fact that they hadn't heard from Hotaru since she'd left to deliver The Shadow last night, both she and Tomoyo were on edge with worry. But Sakura didn't want to alarm Tomoyo further by telling her that someone was watching them.
Michiru had suggested that they go about their day as normally as possible, and that she would contact them immediately if she heard from Hotaru first. This didn't reassure Sakura all that much. She honestly wanted to like Michiru, especially for Tomoyo's sake, but the woman was just so mysterious. And probably powerful, if her guess was right. Sakura was only good at sensing magic similar to hers, but she hadn't failed to recognize the odd feeling that touching Michiru gave her. It was the very same she'd gotten from Hotaru that first day.
Tomoyo was doing a very good job of hiding her own concern, though. So good a job, in fact, that Sakura began to wonder if her best friend was hiding other things from her. She didn't like to think like that, but now that the truth had come out about Hotaru, it was causing her to reevaluate all of her relationships with people she thought she could trust. In a way, she envied Touya. He always seemed to know right away whether a person had good character or not. Granted, he'd never really changed his mind about Syaoran, but since he was only being overprotective of her, Sakura could forgive that.
Kero, quite predictably, had a very hard time accepting that Hotaru was not only Sailor Saturn, but a CardCaptor as well. Even after Sakura told him everything that happened during the sleepover, he seemed miffed that he'd dismissed Hotaru as harmless so quickly, that Clow Reed had returned and could very well be opposing them, and most of all, that he'd been left out of the loop, if only for a matter of hours. Sakura managed to pacify him with some homemade chocolates, but she could tell the whole thing was really bothering him. Unfortunately, that only reminded Sakura how much the whole thing was bothering her.
Perhaps on an instinctive level, Sakura decided to call Syaoran, not just to debrief him as well, but simply because she always felt more secure when he was involved. Surprisingly, though, there was no answer at his house, or on his cell phone. At a loss, Sakura even tried Meiling, only to get the same result. Normally, that wouldn't have bothered her much, except now three of her friends were missing, all of whom knew her secret, and Tomoyo was the only one left.
More unsure of herself than ever, Sakura asked Kero for advice. He immediately suggested that they go to Tomoyo's house. Sakura assumed he was concerned about Tomoyo, until Kero pointed out that no matter how little they knew about Michiru, they were all probably a lot safer under the same roof as her.
Oddly enough, they'd barely gotten out of the front door when a sealed envelope dropped onto Sakura's head. She barely noticed, as she got a sudden chill at the same moment. It reminded her a great deal of the same sensation when she'd touched Hotaru, only different somehow. Stronger, even. Sakura was still trying to clear her head when she became aware of Kero calling her name.
"You better read this, kid," Kero said, his voice grave. "I think somebody's calling you out."
Sakura took the letter, her eyes widening as she read it. "'You should have listened to Hotaru. Come to the following address tonight, if you ever want to see Syaoran and Meiling again.' Kero, who would do this?"
"It's not a matter of who would, Sakura. It's a matter of who could. You know there's no love lost between me and those two, but they're not the type to go quietly against their will. Whoever captured them is seriously powerful. And considering what you told me, I'd say it's Clow's reincarnation."
"But…how am I supposed to defeat Clow Reed without Syaoran's help?"
"Hey, I'll be there, too!" Kero cried. "And don't think I've shown you all my tricks. I'm a Guardian Beast for a reason, you know."
"What about Hotaru? What if she's still on his side?"
"Oh. Well…uh…I don't know, kid. If you really can't bring yourself to fight her, I guess I'll have to. But let's hope that's not the case. I don't want you trying to take on Clow Reed by yourself if we can help it."
"No fair! You're cheating, Suppi-chan!"
"Convenient how you only say that when I'm winning, Nakuru."
"Because I never cheat!"
"And I never NEED to cheat. Either play the game or surrender. It really doesn't matter which you choose, anyway. I had you beat from the first move."
Syaoran groaned softly as he came to, only vaguely aware of the voices in the background. There was a throbbing pain in his head. He wasn't sure where it had come from, until he recalled meeting a strange high school girl who had suddenly jumped him. He'd dodged her first swipe and walked into the second, assuming she wouldn't hit hard enough to do more than slightly disorient him. However, that single punch was all she'd needed to knock him out. He made a mental note not to tell Meiling that he'd underestimated a girl, or he'd never hear the end of it.
It was then that he noticed Meiling stretched out beside him, and Hotaru on his other side. They were all lying on the floor, and more importantly, within a Magic Circle of Clow. The girls were breathing, but still unconscious. The Circle itself seemed to prevent Syaoran from doing anything beyond turning his head.
"I must apologize for the rude awakening, my descendant," said a voice beyond Syaoran's head. "It was not my intention for things to proceed this way. However, there have been some unplanned…involvements that I had to suddenly account for. As you can imagine, I was forced to just throw a plan together, and this is the result, sadly."
"Who…who are you?" Syaoran asked.
:"Oh, I'm sure you know who I am. Or who I was, I should say. You've spent your whole life studying my teachings. By the way, I do hope Nakuru wasn't too rough with you. She tends to get carried away in her efforts to please."
"What do you want from us?"
"Very little. You're here to ensure that Sakura will come."
"And when she does?"
Syaoran's body suddenly jerked upright and spun around, coming face to face with a pale-skinned, bespectacled boy with dark hair.
"Clow Reed!" Syaoran gasped as the boy smirked.
"Not quite, my descendant. But we've been through this already."
"At least let Meiling go. She has no magic. You have nothing to fear from her."
"I did not capture her out of fear, but necessity. I'm afraid I can't say anything more on the matter." The boy knelt and lightly touched Hotaru's forehead. "You should be thanking me, really. I'm going to save you all from certain destruction."
Endnotes:
Once the Cards have been "changed" to suit their new Master, I'm not actually sure how much they would respond to a request from Clow Reed, or if they would at all. But I like to think of at least some of the Cards as having some sentience, in which case it's more of a judgment call for each individual Card.
Nakuru strikes me as ridiculously strong, for some reason. Can't really explain it. And, well, Syaoran's underestimated a girl or two before…
Next Chapter: Powerful Friends
Sakura has no idea what she's up against. On the other hand, she also has no idea what her allies are capable of.