FAMILY TIES
By Just Akiko
Rating: K+
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, but the story is all mine.
Setting: At the end of the anime… and the almost end of the manga.
Notes: This fic is mostly canon, focusing more on the manga than the anime. HOWEVER, I wrote this BEFORE I saw the first or second movie, so they have no relevance to this story. Hence the Li family etc are entirely characterised from my imagination.
Hello all!
Well here it is, the next chapter. Thank you once again to those who reviewed, it really makes me smile to know people are enjoying this. I enjoy writing it!
We are still setting up a little here, but be patient, the adventure is coming hot on the heels of this chapter, so for now, sit back and enjoy the calm before the storm.
Also, for those who are waiting for the S/S moments… Be patient… Not long now…
Once again please review! I'd love to hear what anyone and everyone thinks about this story! All criticisms are welcome, and kind words just make me want to post quicker, so please stay in touch!
Arigatou!
Ja.
CHAPTER 3
Be Careful What You Wish For
The sun shone warmly over Tomoeda, heralding a calm and relaxing afternoon at the Daidouji household. Sitting on the floor in the centre of her best friend's huge bedroom, Sakura chattered amiably as Tomoyo poured them both tea.
"Arigatou Tomoyo-chan." Sakura beamed. Tomoyo simply smiled sweetly back with a polite nod.
"You're welcome Sakura-chan. Now, are you hungry?"
"Hoe?"
"There's more to come." She whispered conspiratorially before reaching behind her for a large plate.
"Tomoyo-chan, you made a…."
"CAKE!"
A yellow winged blur suddenly shot through the air, pounced hungrily on the sticky looking chocolate cake in Tomoyo's outstretched hands, and disappeared inside the confection with a large wet squelch.
"Kero-chan!" the two girls squealed in unison, as the last of a fluffy bobbled tail disappeared out of sight. They stared warily at the silent dessert, unsure just how to retrieve the Sun Guardian from his chocolate prison. As if in reply to their thoughts, the cake began to quiver violently before a small golden head appeared in the very centre, wearing a hat of chocolate cream.
"Ahhh Tomoyo!" Kero sighed happily, swallowing his mouthful of cake. "This is wonderful! You are an expert baker do you know that?" He punctuated his praise with a large bite from the sponge surrounding him, grinning at Tomoyo's amused smile and totally oblivious to the anger radiating from his Mistress's direction.
"Kero-chan," Sakura growled menacingly "You pig! How could you ruin Tomoyo-chan's surprise?"
"Ahhh Sakura-chan…" the girl in question began.
"No he has to learn." interrupted Sakura "He has been rude and spoiled a perfectly good cake. Kero-chan apologise. Now!"
"Nani?" sighed Kero dreamily, lost in his chocolaty surroundings.
"Grrr…" Sakura's fists clenched dangerously and Kero finally registered the violence in her usually sparkling green eyes. Kero's own widened fearfully as he swallowed hard.
"I-I…err…"
"Sakura-chan please, relax. Nothing has been ruined."
Tomoyo's quiet voice drew Sakura's attention away from her anger and she turned questioningly to her best friend.
"Hoe?"
Tomoyo smiled yet another of her sweet, secretive smiles.
"You forget Sakura-chan, I am always prepared." Once more the dark haired girl reached behind her and drew out a second plate, holding an even larger more sumptuous looking strawberry cake. Sakura stared, goggle-eyed.
"Tomoyo-chan… you…"
"… assumed Kero-chan would be joining you this afternoon and prepared for such." Her lavender eyes glinted wickedly for a moment as she turned her gaze to the Guardian in question, "After all, he has been without sweets for nearly a week."
Sakura smiled and picked up Tomoyo's sarcastic lilt.
"Which of course had nothing to do with him eating himself sick at the school festival."
She too turned to observe her small friend, but was chagrined to find he had forgotten her threats and anger, and was already halfway through his personal snack, ignoring them both admirably. Tomoyo laughed lightly as she shared out their dessert.
"Arigatou gozaimasu" Sakura grinned "But you really didn't have to go to all this trouble, Tomoyo-chan."
Her best friend dropped the knife she was holding abruptly and fixed Sakura with an urgent glare.
"Of course I did." She insisted, "After all we have to celebrate. We've finally come to the end of Sakura-chan's Adventures at Elementary School, and I am lucky enough to have all the best bits on tape to keep and watch forever."
As Tomoyo's eyes glittered in a dreamlike way, Sakura looked hurriedly around for any sign of the aforementioned videotapes or cameras.
"And soon," Tomoyo continued, blissfully unaware of her friend's panic, "I will be able to capture new Sakura-chan adventures at Seijou High. I really am the happiest girl alive!"
Sakura laughed uneasily at Tomoyo's odd swooning and tucked quickly into her cake. It was just as delicious as it looked and her discomfort soon dissolved into a sweet feeling of pleasure. She was with her best friend, having fun and eating cake; she was a genki girl too.
"Although it is a shame…"
Tomoyo's quiet voice shook Sakura from her inner musings and she turned to her friend's suddenly downcast face. Tomoyo, noticing the attention, smiled reassuringly at her friend.
"It's nothing really. It's just… my collection of Sakura-chan Adventures is immense and wonderful, but I never did get as many of our very own Cardcaptor Sakura as I would have liked. They were so exciting." Tomoyo sighed quietly, her eyes showing a longing Sakura struggled to place. At the same time her own mind wandered back to the 'old' days, as her hand moved to clasp the small key necklace that still hung around her neck.
It was true, the excitement in her life, and the lives of those in Tomoeda, had dramatically decreased once she had completed all her tests as Mistress of the Clow Cards. To be honest the lack of stress and worry was something Sakura revelled in, but there were times, when she found the house empty and the telephone quiet, that she wished for those days. Days when she would have been out hunting and using her friends the Clow Cards; and not only those friends, but also the human friends who had shared in her secret. What had begun, as a situation of necessity had become the most important friendship Sakura had ever known between herself, her best friend and their two Chinese associates. She missed their days out, their impromptu planning sessions, even the adventures at night; sure they were scary but they made life interesting.
Whereas now… now life was quiet, normal, with little sign of the magic that Sakura had nurtured over two years ago ever appearing. Kero was, in fact, her only active connection to the girl they called Cardcaptor Sakura, unless you counted the occasional visit from a sleepy Yue. Still Tomoeda was safe and at peace, so Sakura had dutifully adjusted to a life without magic and mystery.
It had been relaxing, predictable… dull. Not to mention lonely.
When taking away her magical exploits the world had also seen fit to take away her most newfound magic as well. Love. The love in her heart had been split over miles as Li Syaoran disappeared to Hong Kong for good. Regular correspondence had developed the tentative relationship they had started before a waiting plane, but over the past months even that link had slowed to a stop. It had been long enough to make Sakura worry, both about Syaoran's well being and the well being of their relationship. More than anything, she wanted to see him, just one more time, even if it was just to say goodbye.
And now she wondered, maybe this key necklace, and a few well-chosen words could help her achieve her dream…
"Sakura-chan?"
Sakura started at the sound of Tomoyo's questioning voice and the sensation of a comforting hand now holding hers. She looked into her best friend's face and gave her a wistful smile; understanding shone clearly in those lavender eyes.
"You miss him, don't you?"
Sakura merely nodded slowly.
Tomoyo reached over gently and embraced her silent friend. Sakura smiled at the gesture, feeling her heart warm at her friend's concern. That soothing voice rubbed balm onto her aching heart.
"Don't worry Sakura-chan. If you wait just a little longer I'm sure Li-kun will return." She pulled away and smiled cheerfully. Sakura couldn't help herself, her lips curved up to mirror Tomoyo's, the sudden cloud of despair dissipating. Tomoyo's smile grew wider and her eyes danced brightly.
"Who knows, if we're lucky, he may even bring some new adventures with him."
An extraordinarily large belch, for such a tiny yellow body, broke the companiable silence and turned both girls heads towards a now empty cake plate.
"Ah Tomoyo please," Kero sighed as he lounged sleepily among the crumbs of his decimated dessert, "Be very careful what you wish for. It just might come true."
We all know Sakura isn't great at careful… tune into the next chapter to see what a difference this makes…
Thanks again for reading. See you next time.
Ja.