Thank you everyone for all your kind words about this story! We're thrilled that people have been enjoying it, and will do our best to get updates out as often as we can amidst our busy schedules. It seemed like most people who responded prefer the longer, more sporadic updates, which works well since it's easier for us. So you can be confident that when you do get a new chapter, it'll be substantial.
On another note, we're always happy to hear people's ideas or predictions about where the story is going, or constructive criticism as to how we can better depict the characters and settings to be true to the original source material in the future. But as for the story itself, it is outlined and planned through to the end, including all the Warp Cards. Because of that, we're not able to take "requests" for cards or scenarios. However, if this story inspires you, you should definitely go out and write your own fic so that we can read your wonderful ideas in action!
Thanks again to everybody for your support! As always, we don't own anything, we're just fans writing some fiction. Please enjoy.
4- Sakura and the Scary Apartment Building
"…ugh… not only are university textbooks expensive, they're heavy too…"
Sakura had told her dad that she was meeting at a friend's house for dinner tonight. She'd told him a week ago. And yet somehow, right when she was getting ready to head to Eriol's house, Fujitaka had knocked on her door and asked her to deliver a couple of used textbooks to Touya and Yukito's apartment. They lived near the university, which was totally out of her way, but with her father under major pressure with the write-up for his summer excavation survey, she didn't have the heart to refuse. So here she was, dragging a stack of books over to Touya and Yukito's place, hoping that Touya would offer to take her to Eriol's house in his car in return. Tomoyo and Syaoran would be waiting for her, after all.
Their apartment was on the second floor of a complex about two blocks from the university, but since it was so small and the Kinomoto's house was always open to the two, Sakura rarely visited. She took the stairs up and set the books down with a sigh before ringing the doorbell. A pause followed, and then the door opened to reveal Yukito looking back at her with a smile.
"Sakura-chan! Your father told us to expect you. Thanks so much for this- I'll get these books. You come in and sit down. Can I get you some water, or maybe some tea?"
"No, thanks! Actually, I'm meeting some friends on the other side of town, so I really should get going. I'm already late, and-"
"You're not going anywhere."
That was Touya's voice. Sakura felt a hand on her shoulder and she twirled around, flailing her arms.
"H-hey! Let go! What gives? This is important, and I can't be la-"
She turned around to look him in the eyes, but as soon as she met his gaze, she stopped cold. There was a seriousness in his eyes that she couldn't argue with. As he continued, the chill in his voice kept her locked in place, staring up at him.
"I know what happened last week. You're hiding things from Dad and from me, aren't you?"
Sakura stiffened. "Y-Yukito? I said not to say anything-"
"You know I can't keep things from Touya!" Yukito defended.
"Don't blame him," Touya broke in, shaking his head. "I was working at the hardware store when Dad came by to buy a patch kit for the drywall. He said that some magical creature had gotten into the house, torn up the couch, smashed the remote, and ripped up the walls in the hallway. I knew Yuki had been over that night, so I asked him about it when I got home."
Yukito blushed and glanced away. "I told him what I could, but I don't know much. The other me wouldn't talk because of your order, so…"
Touya stepped forward, placing a hand on Sakura's head. "Even if he has magical powers now, Dad doesn't know how to use them. He's content to remain oblivious so long as no one gets hurt. But I'm not Dad. No more secrets, no more excuses, no more stuffed animals-" That last word was said with a certain air of frustration. "-I want you to tell me things. I want you to trust me."
Sakura struggled to find the words to reply. She was transfixed by the seriousness in his eyes. Her breath caught in her throat, and it took her a moment to work up the courage to reply.
"...I'll tell you what's going on. Then you drive me to my friend's house. Agreed?"
Touya let out a sigh. "Alright, fine. Sit down on the sofa and we'll talk."
"I'll go start working on dinner!" Yukito volunteered. "Unless, uh, you want to talk to-"
"Go ahead." Touya waved him off. "I want to hear this from Sakura."
"R-right!"
Touya leaned back, making himself comfortable on the sofa, but Sakura stayed sitting upright, her shoulders stiff. Her mind buzzed as she tried to figure out how to explain everything to him. Figuring there wasn't time to provide a roundabout story, she reached into her bag and pulled out the deck of Sakura Cards. She placed them gently on the table in front of them, and motioned towards them for Touya to see.
"There. Have a look."
Touya frowned and leaned forward. "What's this? Some kind of card game? A fortune-telling set?"
"You can't sense their magic?" Sakura asked.
"I can't sense anything since I gave my powers to Yukito, remember?"
"...ah."
There was a moment of silence, and Touya picked up the first card from the top. "Windy," he read. "I'm guessing this has elemental wind powers. And that's your name, meaning…"
"These are my cards," Sakura explained. "They were created long ago by a magician named Clow Reed, but when he died, they needed to find a new master or they'd lose their magic. I captured each one and transformed them into cards that could draw power from my magic instead of Clow's."
Touya kept a pensive frown as he examined the cards, flipping through them. "So that stuffed animal of yours… is he one of these cards?"
"No. He's one of the guardians who protects the cards and their master. He's ruled by the sun and…" Sakura glanced over toward the kitchen. "...Yue is the guardian ruled by the moon. That stuffed-animal form is just his disguise, like Yukito is Yue's."
"And these guardians," Touya began, setting the deck back on the table, "were they made by this Clow magician too?"
"Yes."
"I see. That's why Yue was losing his powers and Yukito was disappearing. His original master died and he lost his source of magic."
Sakura blushed and looked down at her feet. "I should've been able to support him. But my magic wasn't strong enough yet."
"Well, you were just a kid back then. You're still a kid now. No one should expect you to carry the burden of someone else's life." Touya allowed himself to lean back again. He closed his eyes and sighed. "So what's going on now? You didn't seem to be acting strange while we were in Greece."
"Yeah, it started when we got back. See, there are…" Sakura picked up the deck and flipped to the back, pulling two cards out. "...these."
Touya opened his eyes and took them from her. As he examined them, he sat up straighter, a look of surprise passing over his face. "These look different. The writing on the top is Greek. But they're still the same color, and they have your name on them-"
"These were created not by Clow Reed, but by one of his enemies in an attempt to, uh, one-up him." Sakura took Arsenal from him and held it up as she continued. "I was approached by these cards' guardian with a request to transform them into Sakura Cards and add them to my own deck. That way, the two card sets would be merged into one and the feud would end once and for all. This is the card that tore up the house last week. It was the first one I captured, so I didn't really know what to do. But I'm improving. With every card I capture, I'll get more experienced. So you really don't have to worry."
There was another moment of silence. Touya sighed again and handed Feral back to her as well. "It's not your experience that I'm worried about. Obviously you've managed pretty well so far. My problem is tha-"
Before he could finish, there was a scream and a crash from the kitchen. Touya shot to his feet and Sakura followed right behind him.
"Yukito!"
Touya and Sakura both stumbled into the kitchen to find Yukito standing by the sink, the pot of the rice cooker overturned on the floor in front of him. He was staring at his hands, which were obscured by a stain of deep red. Sakura covered her mouth, suddenly feeling sick, but Touya was by Yukito's side in an instant, reaching for a hand towel.
"Yuki, you're bleeding! What happened?!"
"I-it's not-" Yukito began, but he saw Touya about to turn the sink faucet on and reached out to stop him. "Don't!"
"Wha…?"
"It's not mine. That's what I was trying to say." Yukito shook his hands off into the sink, the liquid sliding off and leaving the skin behind a bright red color. "I turned the faucet on to wash the rice and that's what came out. Look."
Sakura lifted the pot of the rice cooker off the floor, finding underneath it a pile of red-stained rice. She could physically feel her face turning a disgusted blue color the longer she looked. "Th-th-that's…"
"Is it really blood?" Touya asked, examining Yukito's hands closer. Sure enough, they weren't injured. Just stained. "You said it came out of the faucet-"
"Try it for yourself."
Touya turned the knob on the faucet, and there was a brief pause before the same thick, red liquid began flowing from it. He reached under the stream and caught some on his hand, pulling it up to his nose to take a whiff. As he did, his face contorted in disgust and he immediately shut off the faucet again.
"What's wrong?" Yukito asked.
"It…" Touya began, shaking his hand over the sink. "...it really smells like blood."
Sakura took a step back, wrapping her hands around her. "I heard about this before from Naoko-chan. They say that ghosts and poltergeists can make blood come out of weird places in houses, like faucets or vents or even walls-"
The more she spoke, the more frightened she got. Touya reached out with his clean hand and grabbed her shoulder.
"Calm down, Sakura. Be realistic. They just built this apartment complex, like, three years ago. There's no way it's haunted. It's more likely this is the effect of one of those magic card things you've been fighting. Right?"
Sakura stopped shaking as she listened, her eyes widening in realization. "A Warp Card? But I don't-"
Oh.
"-you're right! I sense it. It feels just like Feral and Arsenal did when I fought them. But I can't tell where it's coming from or what it wants. I should call Stephen-"
She started back toward the sofa to get her phone, but there was a flash of energy and a feathery blur, and all of a sudden her way was blocked by an imposing figure holding out a blood-stained hand.
"I would not be so quick to do that, Sakura."
"Yue!" Sakura jumped back. "Don't just transform like that!"
"We still aren't sure just how much we can trust Stephanos," Yue continued, unfazed by her admonition. "Kerberos told me how you captured The Feral. With both Warp Cards so far, you've succeeded by using your own intuition rather than relying on anything Stephanos says. You should trust yourself. It will leave you less vulnerable."
"...b-but…" Sakura stammered. "Stephen could at least tell us what card it is."
"I will help you determine the nature of this card," Yue answered, looking back over at the kitchen. "These cards were made to mimic the powers that the Clow Cards had. Surely they will have similar properties. We must think. What would cause blood to come out of a faucet like that?"
Sakura shut her eyes, thinking it over. "I don't know, but I might have a way of finding out. Let me try something."
She walked back into the kitchen, calling out the incantation for her key. "Key of the Star, RELEASE!" Once she had the staff in hand, she pulled a card from the deck and held it up. "Watery Card, fill the pipes and flush out all the blood that's clogging them. Watery!"
Touya watched, transfixed, as the card manifested in its physical form and then rushed into the faucet as a stream of water and disappeared. There was a moment of silence and stillness, and then the faucet turned on by itself and began gushing clear water.
"Wow." Touya approached the sink and ran his stained hand under the stream of water. Once he was sure it was safe, he grabbed the hand soap from the dish to the side and scrubbed until all the red stains were gone. "Yue, you should wash your hands too."
"I have no need for-" Yue began, but he looked down at his own hands and frowned. "...ah, perhaps you're right."
"I'll throw out the rice," Sakura offered, kneeling down to where the bloodied rice was spilled on the floor. She was still holding Watery, so she tapped it against the side of the pot and a stream of water pulled the rice back into the pot so that she could dump it into the garbage. It had left a stain on the tile, so Sakura took a paper towel and started scrubbing.
"Here. Use this."
She looked up to see Touya kneeling down next to her, holding out a spray-bottle of tile cleaner and a rag. "Thanks," Sakura murmured, taking them and returning to her work. "I'm sorry about your apartment. These cards are going after me specifically, so the reason it came here was because of me."
"It's not a big deal. I'd rather know."
His words brought a small smile to Sakura's face, and she kept her head bent toward the floor so that he wouldn't see and make some teasing comment. She couldn't place it, but something about having Touya help with a card capture felt nice. After he'd sacrificed his magical powers to Yue, she had felt guilty and worried that he resented her magic. Having his support was unfamiliar, but it assuaged worries that she hadn't acknowledged in years and gave her a warm feeling inside. It was that same warm feeling she'd thought about when Syaoran talked so coldly about his family, and how badly she wanted him to feel that warmth too. Maybe-
"Ah, Sakura?"
Yue's voice caught her attention and she sat up. "Yes?"
"There's something in the sink drain."
Sakura scrambled to her feet, her hands clasped around her staff. "Is it the card?" she asked, her shoulders stiffening as she remembered her conflict with Feral. "Warp Card, show yourself!"
The rattling in the drain grew louder, and Yue adopted a defensive stance between Sakura and the sink. Slowly, an animal's head emerged from the drain, bright green with big, blinking bug-eyes.
"A… frog?" Touya murmured.
It was a bullfrog- a big one- so big that it looked like it shouldn't have fit in the pipe at all. But it clambered out through the drain and sat a moment in the bottom of the sink, examining its surroundings. Unimpressed, it let out a dull croak and sat still again.
"Is that supposed to be one of those magical cards?" Touya asked. "It just looks like a normal frog."
"It is a normal frog," Yue responded. "But there's a hint of magic to it that I can't quite-"
Before he could finish his sentence, the head of another frog popped out from the drain. Sakura jumped back in surprise, watching it crawl out into the sink to join the other. The first one responded with a loud croak, and suddenly there was the sound of a croak from around the corner, on the other side of the apartment.
"Where did that come from?" Sakura asked, glancing back.
"From the way it echoed, it sounds like the bath," Touya answered. He opened the closet on the other side of the kitchen and retrieved a broom. "I'm going to go check."
"R-right."
In the meantime, Yue approached the sink and picked up one of the frogs that had hopped onto the kitchen counter. A few others were still sitting in the sink, and another looked to be crawling from the drain. "It's a normal frog," he observed, holding it up to examine it, "but there's a hint of magic that suggests it didn't originate in this world. This was magically created."
"By a Warp Card?" Sakura gasped.
"It's very likely, yes. But I don't see how the creation of frogs would be something considered evil by Warp Neon. The faucet running blood, perhaps, but-"
Yue's grip on the frog was tightening as he spoke, and Sakura had to step in before he crushed it in his hands.
"H-hey, let go! You're gonna squish it!"
At the sound of her voice, Yue let out a sigh and dropped the frog back into the sink. "Sakura, do you sense more than one card here? The juxtaposition of the blood and… well, frogs seems too great a discrepancy for one card to have created."
Sakura closed her eyes. "...no, I just sense one. It must be the same card. Maybe there's some connection between them that we haven't identified yet. What is it about frogs?"
There was a pause as they both thought it over. Yue spoke first, but his voice sounded slightly different, as if he were speaking without thinking about it.
"Well, frog legs are supposed to be delicious."
Sakura frowned and glanced up at him. "Excuse me?"
A look of surprise passed over Yue's face and he glanced away in embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry. That was what Yukito was thinking."
"Yukito?"
"Yes."
"Yukito is conscious? He knows what's going on?"
"He must, to comment on the frogs."
Sakura could feel herself looking back and forth in worry. "B-but I thought Yukito wasn't aware of anything that happened to Yue. How is he-?"
She couldn't finish the question, however, as Touya came scrambling back into the kitchen, broom in hand. His face was flushed, and his clothing was splashed with water.
"Th-there's… there's too many of them…" he panted.
"Too many of what?"
"Frogs, Sakura! There's too many frogs!" Touya used the broom to motion in the direction of the hallway. "They're coming out of the sink, the bath, even the toilet-!"
"What?!" Sakura didn't wait to let him finish. She dashed over to the hallway, intent on stepping into the bath to investigate herself. But she didn't make it that far. The hallway was so full of frogs that her path was blocked, and she had to double back. "Th-there's so many of them!"
"That's what I just said!" Touya was by her side in a split second, holding the broom out in front of them to drive the horde of frogs back. "Do you have some kind of card to get rid of them? At this rate, they're gonna ruin the apartment."
"Ah! That's right."
Sakura grabbed her deck and searched for the card she had in mind. As soon as she found it, she tossed it in the direction of the frogs and pointed her staff at it.
"Erase card, get rid of all the frogs in the apartment! ERASE!"
The magic burst forth from her staff and engulfed the kitchen and the hallway, extending into the bath where the frogs were still jumping out. The frogs began disappearing one by one, but soon more and more were being erased at a time until the hallway went empty and quiet.
"...good thinking, Sakura," Yue commented. "Though Yukito is a little disappointed you couldn't save one or two for dinner."
Touya shot him a glare. "Is that supposed to be a joke?"
"No. It was merely a statement of fact."
"But Yuki doesn't…" Touya started his statement, but his voice trailed off and he sighed, shaking his head. "So what now, Sakura? You've gotten rid of the blood, gotten rid of the frogs- is that it?"
Sakura shook her head, taking a step back into the kitchen. "I don't know. The card hasn't shown its true form, so I haven't been able to capture it. It'll keep creating trouble until I capture and convert it, so I don't think this is over yet."
"Blood, frogs… there must be a connection, but I don't know what it is," Yue murmured. "Perhaps the next challenge will give us a clue."
Touya glanced around the room. "Well, the frogs appeared pretty quickly after you solved the blood problem. But now there's nothing-"
As he said so, there was a loud knock on the door. All three of them froze, glancing over at the entryway. Yue was the first to move, taking a few slow steps toward the door.
"Stay behind me, you two. Sakura, ready a defensive card. We don't know what might enter when I open that door."
"R-right," Sakura nodded, flipping through the deck to retrieve Shield. She held it close to her chest alongside the staff as she watched Yue take hold of the doorknob. She expected him to open it only a crack, but instead he threw open the door in one quick gesture and raised his arms and wings defensively.
When Sakura found out that she couldn't go to Eriol's house right away, she sent Kero and Stephen on ahead with Tomoyo and Syaoran. It didn't take them long to arrive, and once they did, Stephen was overwhelmed with the grandeur of the place.
"Wow, is this really his house? It's so big!"
"Clow Reed used to live in this house decades ago," Kero explained. "Eriol has converted it into a bed-and-breakfast, so he's had to do some updates to comply with local fire code, but it's still mostly the same as it was back then."
Stephen tilted his head in confusion. "...bed-and-breakfast?" he asked.
"It's like a hotel," Tomoyo explained as Syaoran rang the doorbell. "People pay to spend the night and be fed breakfast the next morning, just like at a big chain hotel. But it's smaller and has a more personal feel than a hotel, so lots of tourists like this better."
"I see," Stephen murmured, with the half-smile he gave when he didn't quite get something, but wasn't going to bother asking again. Kaho's voice had come back over the intercom, inviting them in, so Syaoran opened the gate and motioned them inside. Stephen pointed at the intercom as they passed. "I know that! Sakura-sama explained it to me. There's not really a person in the box, it just transmits the voice of someone who's inside the house!"
"Very good, Stephen," Tomoyo responded with a bright smile. "You're learning so much about the twenty-first century!"
Kero rolled his eyes. "Hey, I didn't hafta be taught nothin'. I adapted to all the newfangled technology right away."
"Well, yeah," Syaoran spoke up, "but you were only sealed away for about thirty years. Stephen was sealed away for over a century."
"Oh yeah? Since when did'ya get so chummy with him anyway?"
"I didn't. But I'd rather you not criticize him hypocritically. And you should try to speak standard Japanese when you're around people like Eriol and me. It's hard for non-native speakers to understand you."
"I'll speak however I wanna speak, ya little brat-"
Before the disagreement could turn into a full argument, the front door opened to reveal Kaho and Nakuru. Nakuru leapt out, throwing her arms around Tomoyo.
"Oh, you're finally here! I'm so excited, I've been looking forward to this all da-" She stopped, picking up her head and looking around. "...wait, where's Sakura-chan?"
"She had to go visit her brother," Tomoyo explained. "She'll be here soon."
"Aww! She should've brought him here! I haven't seen Touya or Sakura-chan in soooo long! I miss them!"
"You mean that'cha miss bothering 'em, right?" Kero hopped onto Tomoyo's shoulder, and Nakuru scooped him up in her hands, nuzzling him against her cheek as he loudly protested. Kaho laughed and motioned the group in.
"Please, come inside. We'll sit down and have some tea while we wait for Sakura."
Stephen perched on top of Syaoran's head, offering a bow in her direction. "Thank you for your hospitality, Miss…"
"Mizuki. Mizuki Kaho."
Syaoran reached up and plucked Stephen off his head. "Mizuki-sensei was our teacher in elementary school. She inherited Clow Reed's magic bell to help Sakura with the Final Judgement."
"That's right! Sakura-sama has told me about you. Thank you, Mizuki-sama, for always supporting her."
Kaho's smile wavered slightly as she examined Stephen. "And you are…?"
"Oh, sorry for not introducing myself! I'm Stephanos, the guardian beast of the Warp Cards-"
He was interrupted by a high-pitched gasp from Nakuru. She had finished fawning over Kero and run over to Syaoran. "Ohmigosh, you are so cute! Stephanos? What a totally amazing name! Is it foreign?"
"Yes, it's Greek. But if that's a little wieldy, you can call my Stephen-"
"I'm Ruby Moon! But you can just call me Ruby, if you want. Or Nakuru. Whichever is easier; I like them both."
Stephen thought it over for a moment and finally replied with "...Nakuruby?"
"AAAH, I LOVE IT! AND I LOVE YOU!"
As Nakuru and Stephen shared an overly-cuddly embrace, Tomoyo, Syaoran, and Kero followed Kaho inside. Kero flew to greet Spinel, who was perched on the windowsill. Eriol, meanwhile, was seated in his favorite chair. He looked up and smiled at them.
"Welcome. I wondered if you were ever going to come in. It's too hot to idle outside."
Tomoyo grinned. "We had to get introductions out of the way."
Spinel looked up, trying to push Kero aside. "Introductions?"
"Yes, to-"
"Suppiiiii!" Nakuru called, dashing through the entryway with Stephen in her arms. "This is Stephen! You've gotta meet him, he's sooo cute! He's like you with the pointy ears, but he's got this fluffy tail that's so soft-"
"Ruby, please. You're being too loud."
"But-!"
Eriol stood up, approaching Nakuru and bending down to examine Stephen. "So this is the Stephanos that Syaoran told me about. I'm Hiiragizawa Eriol. It's nice to meet you."
"You're… that Eriol…" Stephen murmured, his eyes growing wide. "I can sense it, just like with Sakura's father… it's Clow Reed's magic…" He suddenly realized that he'd fallen into informal speech and straightened up, a blush coloring his cheeks. "I-I mean-! My apologies Eriol-sama… Clow-sama… uh…"
Eriol laughed. "Just Eriol is fine. I am not Clow Reed any more than you or Sakura are. But I'll happily share what knowledge I have with you. Please, everyone, sit down."
The group went quiet for a short while as they settled down. Kaho poured some tea for everyone, commenting about some mundane topics such as the weather and asking how their grades in math were faring. Finally, once everyone seemed content, Eriol cleared his throat to catch their attention.
"Should we wait for Sakura to arrive? I don't want to leave her out of the discussion."
Syaoran checked his phone to see if he had any messages. "She said to go ahead and start without her, and I don't see anything from her saying otherwise, so…"
"Well, then, I suppose we shouldn't waste your time. Where should we begin?"
Tomoyo glanced over at Syaoran. "I'm not sure what to ask. You're the one who knows the most about magical things."
"I want to know what you know about Warp Neon," Syaoran spoke, keeping his gaze locked on Eriol. "Over the past week, I've been scouring the writings of Clow Reed that my sisters have digitally archived. But I haven't found anything about a sorcerer by that name. The fact that Yue and Kerberos know about him but the Li family doesn't have any information on his is odd. Do you know why that is?"
Eriol closed his eyes and pressed a finger to his temple. "One question at a time, Syaoran. Before we even consider the absence of Warp Neon in Clow Reed's writings, we need to better understand Clow's relation to him. When I first heard that Sakura was involved with magic from Warp Neon, I was surprised. I know a fair amount about Warp Neon from this lifetime, when I was living in England."
"That's right, Stephen did say Warp Neon lived in England," Tomoyo murmured.
"Yes, he was widely known and feared within the occult communities during the time. There were countless reports of clients who commissioned curses from him, but it's said that he only took jobs that suited his fancy, no matter how much money was involved. No one wanted to get on his bad side, but he was known for his short temper and long list of enemies. When he wanted something, no one would refuse him. Even the Reed family, relatives of Clow's father, both respected and feared him. But Clow never lived in England, so this is all information I've gained myself."
"I see," Syaoran murmured. "And what about your memories from Clow Reed?"
There was a pause and Eriol closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair. "Once I heard from you, I scoured all of Clow's memories to find those involving Warp Neon. I went back through all of Clow's life from the time he created the Clow Cards up until his death, and yet…"
"Yet?" Stephen asked.
"And yet… there was nothing. I have no memories of Warp Neon."
Yue threw open the door in one quick gesture and raised his arms and wings defensively.
"...hello? Kinomoto? Tsukishiro?"
His defensive stance immediately fell and his face turned pale. "...a-ah… Hoshi-san…"
Sakura recognized the old woman from an earlier visit. She was wrinkled and hunched over, her hair pulled up into a bun and her glasses perched all the way down near the tip of her nose. She lived in the apartment next to Touya and Yukito, and was always dropping by to borrow kitchen supplies or offer them extra food when she had leftovers. She was quiet for a moment, glancing over Yue, and Sakura could feel her heart beating faster as she waited for Hoshi-san's response.
"...good evening, young man. Are you a friend of Kinomoto and Tsukishiro?"
She also couldn't see very well. Whether she didn't notice Yue's wings or just didn't feel the need to comment on them, she didn't say a word.
Touya stepped forward, and Yue moved back to let him take over the conversation. "Yes, we have guests, so now isn't a good time," he responded. "Is there something you need?"
"I'm sorry to disturb you. I was just wondering if you had any insecticide I could borrow. The biggest cockroach I've ever seen just ran across my floor, and even Cha-chan is too scared to chase after it like he usually does."
Touya let out a sigh. "Well, we don't have any insecticide, but I can go over and kill it if you'd like."
"Would you? You're such a dear, Tsukishiro!"
"...I'm Kino- er, nevermind. Just show me where you saw the bug, and I'll see if I can find where it's hiding."
"Of course. And don't worry, this one is far too big to hide anywhere."
That statement got their attention. Sakura looked at Touya and Yue in turn, and held on tighter to her staff. "I can go first," she offered.
"No, I said I would," Touya replied with a shake of his head. "You two just stay close, alright?"
"Yes!" "Alright."
Ms. Hoshi chuckled as she watched the three of them file out the door. "My, you're all very organized for such a small task. You could start your own exterminator business."
"It's more like an exorcism…" Touya murmured under his breath as he reached for the doorknob of Ms. Hoshi's apartment. He opened the door just a crack, not expecting anything to jump out right away.
That expectation led to an awfully unpleasant surprise.
As soon as the door opened, a swarm of roaches began to pour from it, some of them immediately spreading their wings and flying to get away. Touya yelped and jumped back, sending the door slamming open and releasing an even larger mass of roaches from the entryway.
"E-ERASE!" Sakura screamed, holding the card and staff up over her head desperately. "ERASE, ERASE, ERASE!"
Slowly, the roaches began to disappear, until eventually the doorway cleared, and they could see into Ms. Hoshi's apartment. Sakura sighed in relief, but she perked up again as she saw Touya enter the door.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to check her apartment, just in case. I don't want to have missed anything."
Sakura glanced over at where Yue had been standing, but he was already following Touya into the apartment as well. She sighed and ran after them, with Ms. Hoshi tagging along behind her.
"I don't know what spray you just used on those little buggers, but it was sure effective!" Ms. Hoshi chimed. "Thank you so much for your help. Would you like some cookies? I baked them fresh just this morning."
Sakura silently thanked her luck that Kero wasn't with them- if he knew they'd been offered cookies, he'd be too jealous. "That's very kind of you," she answered. "Thanks for the the offer, but-"
"Yes, we will take some cookies."
Both Sakura and Touya looked immediately over at Yue. "You…" Touya began, "...you don't eat, though… right?"
"Correct, but I still desire them."
Sakura frowned, a feeling of unease passing over her. It was the same feeling she'd had when Yue spoke Yukito's observations earlier, but this time more pronounced. Was he really asking for cookies for himself? He'd never done anything like that before-
"Here you are," Ms. Hoshi said, handing Yue a covered tray. "Take as many as you like. Don't be shy."
"Thank you," Yue responded, taking hold of the tray cover. However, as he lifted it up, a dark, swirling mass began to spill out from underneath, and he dropped the tray entirely. If there had once been cookies there, they were now gone, replaced by a buzzing swarm of flies that surrounded the group. Sakura gasped in surprise, but when she opened her mouth, she got a mouthful of flies and was left coughing and spitting wildly. Touya was flailing his arms in an attempt to keep the flies away from his face, but Yue was staring at the empty tray with a frown. "...this displeases me," he murmured.
Sakura managed to find her voice after coughing out as many flies as she could. "E-ERASE!" she stammered, and the card's power filled the room once again. With insects as small as the flies, it took no time at all for Erase to get rid of them, and within seconds, the group was left in an empty, silent room, with only the echoes of the buzzing ringing in their ears.
"I really ought to get a new TV," Ms. Hoshi commented. "This one has too much static."
Touya rested his face in one hand. "Thank god she's too senile to question any of this." He turned around to examine Sakura. "Are you alright? Is using this much magic draining your power?"
"No, I'm fine. The cards draw power from me constantly, so using them isn't a strain," she answered, waving one hand. "I just… now I'd really have liked one of those cookies. Yuck."
Touya laughed, patting Sakura on the head. "Don't worry- I'll get you something tasty when we get back to our place. Should we go-?"
He was cut off by an odd sound from one corner of the room. The group looked over to where an elaborate cat tree stood, and a large orange tabby was perched on one of the lower levels, bent over in a hacking fit.
"Cha-chan?" Ms. Hoshi asked. "What's wrong dearie? Are you having another hairball?"
"Do you think he swallowed some flies too?" Sakura asked, looking over at Touya and Yue. The two of them exchanged a glance between them. Touya shrugged, and Yue replied "it's possible, but I wouldn't worry about it-"
Just as he said that, Cha gave one last, loud hack and vomited over the side of the cat tree, collapsing onto the platform as though his legs just gave out. Sakura gasped and covered her mouth so that she could approach to examine him.
"Wh-what happened…?" she murmured. Touya stepped over beside her and bent down to look at the cat.
"I've seen this before when I worked part-time at a veterinarian's office. He's really sick- look at how ragged his breathing is."
"Cha-chan, are you alright?" Ms. Hoshi asked. "He was just fine earlier. I can't imagine he'd get sick so quickly…"
"The card!" Sakura gasped. "We've gotta do something!"
"Do you have something that can cure illness?" Touya asked.
"No, I don't…" Sakura thought it over for a moment and then snapped her finger. "Wait! I remember something Stephen said last week! Here!"
She flipped through her deck again and pulled out the Feral card, holding it against her staff. Before she could begin an incantation, however, Yue stepped in and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Is this wise, Sakura? You may have transformed it into a Sakura Card, but even so, it may be dangerous to use a former Warp Card in any capacity-"
"No!" Sakura answered with a shake of her head. "I know my cards, and Feral is one of mine now. I know it won't hurt Cha."
"If you're so sure, then…"
Sakura didn't even wait for him to finish. "Feral! Strengthen Cha-chan's immune system so he can fight off the infection! FERAL!"
The card was illuminated, and at the same time, Cha appeared to have a glow around his body. Within a few seconds, the glow disappeared and he stood up again, shaking off and jumping up to a higher level on the cat tree.
"Oh, there he goes! I guess he wasn't sick after all." Ms. Hoshi smiled. "Thank you all for your concern, though. I'll clean up after his little mess. You can head back and attend to your guests now. I'm sure Kinomoto is waiting for you next door."
"...I'm Kinomoto…" Touya murmured, though he didn't try very hard to correct her. "Sorry about the trouble. We'll go now."
They filed into the hallway, closing the door to Ms. Hoshi's apartment behind them and following Yue's lead back to Touya and Yukito's place. As Yue closed the door behind them, Sakura sighed and collapsed on the couch.
"First frogs, then roaches and flies, and Cha-chan getting sick… what kind of card is this?"
"Don't forget the blood," Yue offered.
"Yeah, that too. I don't get it. We've fixed all these weird, unrelated problems, and yet the card hasn't stopped or shown itself. How much more do you think is left before it gets tired?"
Yue stood beside the couch, leaning on the armrest. "There is a pattern, at least. Every problem, as you called them, has occurred independently of one another. None has appeared until the problem before it is neutralized. Whatever this card is doing, it's an established process and may be happening in measured steps. Touya, what do you-" He stopped and looked up as he noticed Touya moving toward the hallway. "-where are you going?"
"Oh, I-" Touya stopped and looked back at him, rubbing the side of one arm. "-I think one of those flies bit me. I was going to get some disinfectant."
"Bit you?" Sakura stood up, but as she did, she felt a stinging sensation at the back of her neck and slammed her hand over it instinctively. There was a noticeable bump there, and as soon as her hand touched it, a burst of pain shot through her skin. "Ow! What the…?"
"You too?" Touya stepped back into the room, approaching Sakura and showing off his arm that was covered in red welts. "I have one here and here, and- agh, I didn't see that one! Where are these even coming from? You got rid of all of the-"
"It's the card."
Yue's voice interrupted, and he stepped in between Sakura and Touya, rolling up one sleeve to show off his own blistered skin.
"This body doesn't have histamines that would react to insect bites. These were not from the flies. It must be something the card is doing to us."
Sakura stood up, already feeling the stinging sensation spreading down her arms. "I don't have any cards that can give medical treatment, and Feral won't work on humans…"
Touya cringed. "Ugh, it feels like it's burning. While you're thinking this over, I'm going to get an ice pack from the freezer-"
"An ice pack! That's it!" Sakura gasped. She painfully fumbled for the cards and flipped through them once again. "Here we go- Freeze, surround our injuries and treat them with cold therapy. FREEZE!"
Freeze appeared in its physical form, and curled around each of them, surrounding them with cold air. Sakura sighed in relief as she felt the pain on her arms and neck disappearing.
"Clever fix," Yue murmured. "Clow Reed used Freeze for a similar purpose when his family members were feverish."
Sakura nodded. "That's a good idea. I'll remember that!"
"So that's fixed, I guess," Touya said, glancing around. "But whatever-it-is still hasn't revealed itself. Are all your captures this convoluted?"
"Not really. Many of them were simple." Sakura began to flip through her deck again. "And they never had me solving multiple problems at once- at least, not with one card. What is this-"
As she said that, the sound of rain against the windowpane started up, growing in intensity as the group glanced over toward the balcony. Touya dashed toward the door with a yell.
"Our laundry!"
"It was not predicted to rain this evening," Yue commented as he followed after Touya. "Could this be-?"
"Quit talking and help me out here, would ya?"
"Y-yes, of course." Yue sighed and stepped out onto the small balcony beside Touya, removing clothing from the line and handing it inside to Sakura. By the time they got everything in, both they and the clothes were drenched, and Touya asked Sakura to run to the bath and get them some towels."
She stumbled down the hallway, her mind buzzing as she tried to figure out how this could be related to the card. As Yue said, there hadn't been rain on the weather prediction this evening- in fact, it was supposed to be clear all week. There were, of course, cards that could create rain and storms, but this situation was different. If the rain truly was an effect of the card, it further complicated the situation. What kind of card was this anyway?
As Sakura made her way back into the main room with the towels, there was a deafening crack of thunder, and the lightning outside lit the whole apartment momentarily.
"Th-that's so loud!" she complained, handing the towels over to Touya and Yue. "The storm must be right over us-"
Another bolt of lightning and crack of thunder cut her off, and before she could say anything else, Yue broke in.
"That's it," he said, a sense of conviction in his voice.
"What's it?" Touya repeated. "Have you figured something out?"
Yue shook his head. "I have not, but…"
" But-?" Sakura asked, but instead of elaborating, Yue took a step back and transformed, disappearing in a flurry of feathers and Yukito appearing in his place. It took a moment for Yukito to orient himself, but once he realized what was going on, he gasped and ran to Sakura's side.
"Sakura-chan, that's it! I know what this is!"
"Yukito?" she asked in confusion. "You've seen what's been happening? But how?"
"I don't know," he replied with a shake of his head. "It was like I was dreaming; like I was watching things happen from someone else's point of view. All of a sudden, I could see what the other me was seeing. But that's how I know… these are the ten plagues!"
"Plagues?" Touya repeated. "Wait! You mean, like, from our world religions class last year? The plagues of Egypt? You remember those?"
Yukito nodded. "I remember them perfectly! First, the Nile turned to blood, then frogs rose up from the water, and after that, swarms of flies and other insects-"
Another loud clap of thunder interrupted him, and he waited until it had passed to continue.
"The animals got sick, and then humans got sick with rashes and boils. Then there were major storms with thunder and lightning. Don't you see? Each of the card's challenges has been one of the ten plagues of Egypt written about in the Hebrew Bible!"
Sakura's eyes widened, and her mouth turned up into a big smile. "Yukito, that"s… that's it! No wonder the card hasn't shown itself yet- we've only gotten through six so far!" She held up her staff, her grip on it tightening. "All we have to do is get through all ten, and then the card will definitely show itself! First, I'll use Windy to blow the storm clouds away and then-"
"Wait!" Yukito broke in. "You can't do it that way!"
"What? Why not?"
Touya frowned, glancing over at Yukito. "Because of the last plague, right?"
Yukito nodded his head.
"The tenth and final plague… was the death of every firstborn son."
A silence followed, punctuated by a well-timed clap of thunder. Sakura felt herself tense up and she looked over at her brother. "...Touya…"
"There has to be another way to reveal the card's true form," Yukito said. "We can't risk letting it hurt Touya."
Sakura glanced around, unsure of what to do. "Well, what plagues came next?" she asked. "Maybe we can use them to our advantage."
Touya looked toward the window. "The storms are the seventh plague, right?"
"Yes," Yukito answered with a nod. "Then came swarms of locusts-"
"Not more bugs!" Sakura yelled without thinking, and then slapped a hand over her mouth as she noticed the other two staring. "Well, at least I know how to get rid of something like that. But I don't know if that will be useful. What's the ninth plague?"
"Darkness." Yuktio pointed up at the ceiling light overhead. "In the story, the entire sky grew dark, though the card may just knock out power out."
"Darkness, huh?" Sakura though it over for a moment. "I could fix that easily with the Light card, but I don't want to do that unless I know the Warp Card isn't going to go after Touya…" She stopped, suddenly remembering something Stephen had said the week before. "Wait, that's it! I have an idea- but you're going to have to do what I say and trust me. Alright?"
Touya and Yukito glanced at one another, both appearing hesitant. Finally, Touya sighed and stepped toward Sakura. "Alright, what do you need me to do?"
"A-are you sure, Touya?" Yukito asked. "I mean, I trust Sakura-chan, but even so… you can't… I mean, I can't…"
Touya reached out and affectionately pinched Yukito's cheek. "Hey, take it easy. I'm not going anywhere. You said that you trust Sakura, right? So then trust that she knows what she's doing."
Yukito blushed and nodded, pulling away from Touya's hand. "I-I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I shouldn't have doubted you."
"It's okay," Sakura answered, taking hold of one of his hands. "I know you're scared for Touya, but I won't let him get hurt." She stepped back and flipped through her deck until she found the card she was looking for. Sakura tapped it against her own chest and then held it out in Touya's direction. "Here. Hold this."
"Okay…" Touya began. "What should I do with it?"
"Just hold it. Don't let go of it." Sakura motioned toward the window with her staff as another clap of thunder rolled through. "I'm going to get rid of the storm, and then the bugs. Once everything turns dark, I need you and Yukito to stay absolutely still and absolutely quiet. No matter what happens, don't make a sound. Got it?"
Touya glanced down at the card in his hand, and his expression became even more confused. "But this card is…"
"Don't worry about the card," Sakura interrupted. "Just trust me. Stay quiet. Alright?"
Touya sighed and nodded his head. "Alright, whatever you say, Sakura. Just be careful."
"I will."
As she said that, she pulled the Windy card from her deck and activated it with her staff, calling upon it to drive away the storm clouds. Windy's physical form appeared in the room and then rushed out the balcony door into the sky, and within seconds, the clouds began to dissipate, revealing the starry sky behind them. Sakura smiled and pulled her staff back in close to her chest.
"Alright, now all we have to do is prepare ourselves for those… what did you say they were, Yukito?"
"Locusts," Yukito replied, "though the insects before weren't quite the same as those mentioned in the original myth, so we may have to look for some other insect entirely."
"The locusts were considered a plague because they ate all the crops, right?" Touya asked. "Maybe we should keep an eye on the fridge or pantry, just to make sure our food isn't being targeted-"
He didn't even get to finish his sentence before Yukito went running for the kitchen. "Not our food!"
"H-hey, watch out, will you?" Touya sighed, following Yukito into the kitchen and motioning for Sakura to follow. As she got there, she could already hear Yukito yelling.
"No, no! Get out of there! That's our food!" As Sakura entered, he turned on his heels and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Sakura-chan, please, you've gotta get rid of all the ants in the fridge! Don't let them ruin our food!"
"R-r-right!" Sakura stammered, fumbling for the Erase. "Just… remember what I said about the darkness, alright? Stay quiet, and-"
"Yes, yes, we've got it! Hurry up with those ants, will you?"
The inside of the refrigerator was a horrible sight, the few food items in it swarming with a dark mass of ants. Sakura had to fight back the urge to run away just looking at it, but she knew that they weren't going to be able to capture the card if she didn't do something. "E-Erase!" she called. "I know you must be tired by now, but please, we just need you to get rid of those ants!"
As with all the insects before, Erase's power started slowly and then accelerated until there was nothing left but the remains of the food that had been in the fridge. Yukito took a step toward it to examine what was still there, but before he could get to it, the refrigerator door slammed shut and all the lights in this apartment turned off.
Sakura had expected there to at least be some light coming from the windows, but either the card had blocked them, or it had caused a power outage all over the city. She was relieved that she'd set the Light card aside beforehand, as all she had to do was grab it from her pocket, and hold it up to her staff. "Light card," she began, "use your power to fill the apartment and get rid of the darkness-"
As she said this, another voice sounded from across the room, yelling over her incantation.
"Sakura! Watch out! Be careful!"
It was Touya's voice.
"-LIGHT!" she finished, and the room was suddenly illuminated with a light so blinding that, for a few seconds, no one could see what was happening.
As the brightness of the room fell back to normal and the view of the situation became clear, Sakura found herself gasping in horror.
"Oh no!"
The Warp Card appeared at first translucent, almost like a specter, but it materialized completely at the sound of her voice. It was a humanoid figure, cloaked in dark rags, its body nothing more than a skeleton. The bones were humanlike, up to the head, which looked to be that of a ram or mountain goat. There was a change in its posture and the grip on its scepter loosened as it turned to examine the situation, realizing just what had happened.
The scepter had exuded a dark cloud of mistlike substance that surrounded and clung to its target, beginning to eat away at its physical form. Sakura's face turned pale as she watched the familiar figure beginning to disappear within the cloud.
"No! Voice!"
The Voice card was curled up, a look of pain on its features as it fought against the Warp Card's attack. Touya and Yukito stood back, both watching in awe at the two unfamiliar figures. Before either of them could move, Sakura jumped into action, not wanting to risk Voice's safety any further.
"Card by evil's hand designed, reveal your power and form confined, reject the hold of evil's blight, and draw your power from my light! SAKURA CARD!"
The transformation was as fast as it had been with Arsenal and Feral, the card's form dematerializing and reappearing in the familiar image of a Sakura Card. At the bottom, the English word "Plague" appeared, and the image showed the same ragged, skeletal figure. Sakura didn't take too much time to examine it, however, instead running to where Voice's physical form had fallen to the floor.
"Voice!" she gasped, reaching out to help it sit up. "Are you alright?"
Voice offered her a smile in reply. "I'm okay," it replied, still with Touya's voice. Its words were spoken confidently, but Sakura pulled it into a tight hug anyway.
"I'm so sorry for putting you in danger like that. You saved my brother. Thank you."
Voice nodded and then dematerialized from her arms, its magic returning to the card that Touya was still holding. Once it had returned, the card floated from his grip and returned to Sakura.
"That… that thing had my voice," Touya spoke. "I couldn't talk even if I'd wanted to."
"So that's what you were up to," Yukito observed, sitting down on the floor next to Sakura. "And why you wanted us to be quiet. You needed Plague to think that Voice was actually Touya."
"Stephen said before that the Warp Cards can't recognize the former Clow Cards' auras because they're made with my magic now. That's how I knew I could trick the card if it was dark. I just wish I didn't have to put Voice in danger like that…"
Touya crossed his arms. "You talk like they're real people. They're not just tools that you use?"
"No!" Sakura shot back, jumping to her feet. "Every one of these cards is a unique individual! They're all my friends, and they always support me! That's why I have to take care of them."
"The one that you just captured-" Yukito broke in, standing up again beside her. "What about that one?"
Sakura took another look at Plague, this time really examining it and feeling the magic that it held. "...yes. By capturing and transforming it, I was able to purify the card. It's not evil anymore. As long as I support it with my magic, it can now fight for good."
There was a pause and the room went quiet, all three of them considering the situation. Touya finally sighed and plopped down on the sofa. "But its powers haven't changed, right? It's still going to create all those horrible effects…"
"But the plagues weren't necessarily all bad," Yukito offered. "They were brought down by the Hebrew God to free those enslaved by the Egyptians and lead them to the Promised Land. I'm sure that, now that it can fight for good, the card can be used for liberation and freedom. Right, Sakura?"
Sakura placed the card back in the deck, and hugged it close to her chest. "Yeah," she replied, holding back tears. "It can."
Touya let out another long, tired sigh. "It's no wonder you were always so out-of-it back in grade school. Capturing these things is really tiring."
"You're tired? I'm the one who did all the magic!"
Yukito laughed, and then looked over at the clock by the hallway. "It's getting late. Sakura-chan, didn't you say you were planning to visit a friend tonight?"
Sakura looked over at the clock as well and yelped in surprise. "It's already that late?! They must be worried! Where's my phone-" She stumbled over to the table where she'd placed her purse and rummaged through it for her smartphone. As soon as she turned it on, she was met with a barrage of notifications. "Oh no! They've been texting me this whole time! I've gotta get over there-"
Touya pulled himself up from the couch and patted Sakura on the head as he walked past her. "Alright, come on, then. I'll drive you."
"Really?"
"I promised earlier, didn't I?"
"Oh, th-that's right. Thank you! ...for everything."
Touya just smiled and shook his head. "Thanks for letting me be a part of it."
"What do you mean, you have no memories of Warp Neon?" Syaoran demanded. Kero jumped up onto his head, giving his hair a tug.
"Whadd'ya think he means, kid? He means exactly what he said!"
"I know that! What I meant was-"
Eriol cleared his throat, cutting the two off. "Syaoran is right to ask. It isn't that the memories do not exist, but simply that I do not have them. There are gaps in my memory of Clow Reed's life, all during a limited period of time. I remember Stephanos, but I do not have the memories that connect him to Warp Neon."
"That's impossible," Stephen broke in. "I mean, how can you remember me and not Warp Neon? I existed solely to serve him. Without him, my existence had no… er, I mean… not to sound like I was blinded by loyalty to him, but-"
"You were," Kero spoke, sliding down onto Syaoran's shoulder. "That's the reason you tried to kill Clow Reed."
The room went quiet. Tomoyo and Syaoran stiffened, glancing warily over at Stephen. Even Nakuru seemed to momentarily loosen her affectionate hold.
"That… can't be true… right?" Tomoyo asked.
"It is true." Eriol closed his eyes and offered a nod. "That, I remember. Stephanos came to Clow Reed's estate, seeking revenge for… something. Keroberos and Yue were able to hold him off while Clow Reed spoke to him about the nature of his concerns. I do not recall what was said, only that it turned out to be a misunderstanding. But by the time they established that, Stephanos had already done considerable damage to Keroberos and Yue. Clow Reed sacrificed a large portion of his magic to save their lives that day."
Kero spoke up again, his gaze fixed on Stephen. "Don't think I don't remember that day. Yue and I will never forget the look in your eyes as you attempted to murder us in cold blood."
"K-Kero-chan-!" Tomoyo gasped, one hand flying to cover her mouth and the other reaching for Syaoran's shoulder to hold Kero back. But Stephen interrupted before Tomoyo could get in a scolding.
"He's right. I won't deny my feelings that day. I was blinded by passion, by grief and a desire for vengeance. Warp Neon killed someone close to me and blamed it on Clow Reed. And not only did I fall for his trick, I almost committed a grievous sin because of it. I will never ask forgiveness from Kerberos, Yue, or any incarnation of Clow Reed. What I did to them deserves no mercy. I only ask that they allow me to make things right by ending the feud and uniting the cards."
A silence followed, tense and palpable. Tomoyo's gaze was focused down on her lap and Kaho was carefully watching Eriol's expression, but everyone else had their eyes locked on Stephen.
Finally, after the silence had engulfed the room several times over, Eriol spoke up again.
"I am not Clow Reed. You have not wronged me personally, so there is nothing for me to forgive. But trust still must be earned, and I can't say I've seen or heard enough to pass judgement on you in this lifetime."
"I-I don't expect you to trust me- any of you!" Stephen jumped forward, scurrying across the table to stand in front of Eriol and gesturing to the whole group. "For now, all I ask is that you believe me when I say I've betrayed Warp Neon once and for all and desire nothing but the union of Clow and Warp's magics through Sakura-sama. Let me do what I can to help her, please."
There was a silence again. Spinel sighed from his spot on the windowsill.
"He speaks eloquently, Eriol. It's clear he's given this a lot of thought."
"But magical beings don't just betray their masters," Eriol murmured, shaking his head. "If you truly wish to go against your creator's wishes, it's clear that your allegiance lay elsewhere to begin with. Whose wishes are you following?"
Stephen was quiet, and the room fell silent with him. He kept his gaze locked on the floor, but managed to speak up.
"...I wouldn't say that it's Chioni's wish..."
"Whose?" Nakuru asked, scooping up Stephen in her hands.
"Chioni Helene," Kero spoke up. "She was his partner, the first guardian of the Warp Cards."
Tomoyo nodded. "I was wondering if there was another guardian. I thought perhaps because Stephen doesn't get his powers from the sun or moon, he didn't need a partner. But that seems awfully lonely…"
"It's true that I don't need a partner, necessarily," Stephen replied with a shake of his head, settling comfortably in Nakuru's arms. "But Chioni was my first and dearest friend. She was everything to me. She was… was…"
A small gasp escaped Tomoyo's lips. "...your most important person."
"Yes. She was my number one."
"And-" Syaoran broke in. "-she was the one that Warp Neon murdered."
"Yes, again. I'm sure you've read about that incident in your family history, Li Syaoran."
"Actually I haven't. This is the first time I've heard of her." Syaoran's face reddened. "I just assumed that the only person whose death could drive you to such madness would be someone who held a great deal of your heart."
Stephen frowned and tilted his head. "That's true, but you should have records of it in your family history."
"We have no records of Warp Neon, it seems. They must've been erased just like Eriol's memories- if they existed at all."
"They must have-" Stephen began, but he stopped himself. "Sorry, now isn't the time to be arguing. We should be focusing on Sakura-san and the cards."
Eriol nodded. "I agree. Li, Daidouji, have you heard from her? It's not like her to be this late."
Syaoran and Tomoyo both paused and pulled out their phones to see if there were any unread messages. Syaoran found his inbox empty, and while Tomoyo scrolled through several new messages, her eyes never lit up the way they did when she received something from Sakura.
"No, nothing." "No messages from Sakura."
"I got nothin' on my end either," Kero examined his own phone and shook his head. "Here- I'll send her a text."
Syaoran sat up straighter, already starting to type on his own phone. "Hey! I'll do it!"
Tomoyo gave an amused laugh as she watched them, holding her phone up to her ear and waiting a moment before speaking. "Sakura-chan? It's Tomoyo. We're all at Hiiragizawa's house and we're starting to worry. When you get the chance, please call back to let us know you're okay. Thanks."
Stephen perked up and looked over at Tomoyo. "You talked to her?"
"No, I left a voicemail."
"Voice… mail…?"
"When someone can't answer their phone, the caller can leave them a message to listen to later. That way they know what the call was about."
"Yeah!" Nakuru chimed. "I leave Touya and Yukito messages all the time!"
"Fascinating." Stephen's eyes sparkled. "Twenty-first century technology truly is phenomenal!"
Syaoran cleared his threat and interrupted. "I'm worried about Sakura. Nakuru, could you give me her brother's number. I'm sure he won't answer if he sees it's you calling, but maybe I can get up with him."
Nakuru pouted. "Won't answer if he knows it's me? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, does he ever answer your calls?"
"No, but-"
"Just give him the number already," Spinel scolded. "Honestly, you're all acting so juvenile."
"Hmph. Fine, then." Nakuru stood up and motioned toward the staircase. "My phone is up in my room. I'll go get it- hold on."
As she left, Eriol looked over at the others. "While she's retrieving that, may I ask some more questions?"
"Of course," Tomoyo answered. "What do you need to know?"
"While I don't have memories of Warp Neon, I remember Stephanos and the cards that he guarded. What cards has Sakura captured already?"
"She's captured Feral, and…" Syaoran, looking over at Tomoyo for confirmation, "...Arsenal."
"Right. Just those two."
"I see." Eriol closed his eyes and thought it over. "I don't remember those two specifically, but I recall the cards being powerful. I doubt that either of them was an easy capture."
"I'll say," Syaoran replied. "I wasn't there when she captured Arsenal, but when she captured Feral, it looked like she was in real danger."
"Arsenal too," Kero added. "These cards don't pull any punches. They're bloodthirsty, and from what Stephanos said, it sounds like it's only going to get more difficult for Sakura. That's why I don't like the idea of her capturing these cards."
"But what would she do instead?" Kaho asked. "They're targeting her because she's the new Clow master, correct?"
"She could, in theory, simply destroy them," Eriol replied. "She has the power to do that, even if the cards are still in hiding. Drawing them out and making them reveal their true forms in order to be captured is far more dangerous. And besides that, adding cards to her deck will further strain her magical powers. She is stronger now than she has ever been, but even so, these new Sakura Cards will drain her energy in the same way that converting the original Clow Cards did."
"I don't ever want to see her exhausted the way she was back then," Syaoran said, his expression stern. "And I don't want to see her in danger the way she was when fighting Feral."
"B-but Li Syaoran…" Stephen stammered. "...the cards… she can't just abandon them…"
"That's right! Sakura-chan said herself that she wanted these cards to know what it was like to have a loving master!" Tomoyo added. "She refused to just destroy them. Even with the added risk, it's in Sakura-chan's nature to want to help. That's just how she is."
"That's…" Syaoran stammered and looked away. "...true."
Kero floated over to the table and stood in the middle, addressing the whole group. "Sakura vowed to capture these cards, and Yue and I gave her our blessing that we'd support the decision that she made. Whether or not we agree with it, we stand by our master. We'll do everything we can to support and protect her. But that doesn't mean we won't keep trying to change her mind should the situation change."
"I'm not worried," Stephen replied, moving to stand next to Kero. "Sakura has her friends by her side, after all. She has…" He paused and continued, gesturing at the group but looking at Kero. "...all y'all. Is that right? Did I get it right?"
Kero let out a long-suffering sigh. "Ya don't gotta do the accent when we're talkin' about something important, y'know."
"Yes, but then how will I learn it?" Stephen chimed in reply. "I mean, uh, how'm I gonna learn it?"
Tomoyo giggled and Syaoran groaned, but before anyone could say anything, Nakuru came running back into the room waving her phone. "Here, I've got it! I'm gonna call Touya now!"
Syaoran stood up and reached in her direction. "I told you, I'd call if you'd just give me his number-"
"Already dialing!"
"Ugh…"
Nakuru shifted her weight back and forth as she waited for someone to pick up on the other end. Syaoran sat back down with a sigh, waiting to hear her leave an overenthusiastic voicemail message. However, she suddenly let out a shriek.
"Aaah, Sakura-chan, is that you? You sound so grown up over the phone! What are you doing? Is Touya- oh, he is? Okay, yes! I'll let them know! Yes, that's right- tell Touya to come in too, okay? I'll open the gate so he can park in- oh, you are? Just a sec!"
A few minutes passed in which Nakuru ran out to the entryway and through the front door. The rest of the group sat in silence, waiting for her to return, but after longer than they thought was necessary, both Syaoran and Tomoyo stood up at the same time. It wasn't needed, however. At that moment, the door opened again and Nakuru came bursting back inside with Sakura on her heels.
"-just saying that you really have grown since I last saw you! And that outfit! You've gotta tell me where you got that skirt! It's so cute, I wanna wear it right now-"
As Nakuru and Sakura passed through the doorway into the main room, Tomoyo and Syaoran both gasped her name at the same time.
"Sakura-chan!" "Sakura!"
Tomoyo ran to greet her and Sakura pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry to worry you," she said with an apologetic smile. "I got sidetracked and wasn't looking at my phone at all."
"You were taking so long, we were afraid you might be in danger!" Syaoran added, crowding in to stand next to the two girls. "What happened at your brother's apartment?"
Sakura let out a nervous laugh. "Well, uh…" She reached into her pocket and pulled out her deck, plucking The Plague off the top and showing it off to everyone. "Ta-dah."
"What?!" The response came from several people at once. Kero and Stephen hopped off the table and flew over to perch on Sakura's shoulders, while Kaho and Nakuru stepped closer to see as well. "You caught a Warp Card all by yourself?" Syaoran demanded. "Why didn't you call us?"
"W-well, my brother and Yue were there to help," Sakura explained, her face turning red. She didn't really want to admit that Yue had forbidden her from contacting Stephen, so she tried to play it off casually. "It wasn't that difficult, really."
"But that's-!" Stephen stammered. "That's the Plague Card! Oh, I had no idea such a powerful card would come after you so soon! I'm so sorry, Sakura-sama. I should have prepared you for this-"
"It's fine, it's fine." Sakura cut him off, leaning her head over to nudge him with her cheek. "Yukito figured out what card it was in the end. And the Sakura Cards helped me out too. No one got hurt, and I captured the card. So everything turned out alright."
"Yeah, but…"
Eriol cleared his throat, interrupting the conversation. He stood up from his chair, holding one hand up.
"If I may, perhaps we should explain to Sakura what we've talked about since you all arrived. It would be better to get her up to speed on everything before making any further plans."
"Oh! Right!" Sakura followed Tomoyo and Syaoran over to the couch, sitting snugly in between them. Kero and Stephen stayed on her shoulder, neither willing to move, and Nakuru sat back down in the chair on the opposite side of the table.
The conversation turned back to Eriol's information- about what he knew about Warp Neon and what he didn't. Stephen then recounted his past actions, his relationship with his partner Chioni and his shameful reaction when she was killed by Warp Neon. Sakura responded by picking him up and giving him a tight hug. She expressed her trust in him wholeheartedly, and he promised that he wouldn't betray that trust. Kero said nothing.
"I suppose, then, the only thing for you to do now is keep transforming Warp Cards," Eriol finally spoke with a sigh. "I'm sorry that I cannot give you more guidance than this. My whole reason for moving back to Tomoeda last year was to support you in an upcoming crisis that I sensed, but now it seems I'm more limited than I expected."
"It's alright." Sakura shook her head. "Just having you here in Tomoeda makes me feel at ease. I know I can count on you to help me if I need it, and I can get in touch with you easily."
"Still, the dream you had recently is something you shouldn't ignore. Whoever is speaking to you in your dream, even if she turns out to be your own subconscious, has something important to tell you. You must listen to what she says."
"Right…" Sakura nodded, though her voice was still unsure. Kaho, who had been standing behind Eriol's chair and leaning against the back suddenly stepped around and motioned toward the table.
"For the time being, perhaps you can do a fortune reading with the cards you have. They are in tune with the forces at work, and if you ask them for a warning, they can give you one."
Sakura frowned and looked down at her cards. "A… warning?"
"For a general warning, you only need to draw one card," Syaoran explained. "It will simply tell you what you'll need to pay attention to in the future- what might present a danger to you."
"A future danger, huh?"
"I think it sounds like a good idea!" Tomoyo agreed. "You should ask the cards for guidance, Sakura-chan. For your sake and theirs, let them help you."
Kero hopped down onto the table and pointed down to its surface. "Remember the incantation I taught you when you were searching for Mirror's identity? Try it again. Really listen to them."
"Alright, then." Sakura gave a single nod, then held out her cards in front of her and closed her eyes. "Ancient cards of Clow, guide my actions now. Reveal unto me if you may, who is standing in my way."
She cut the deck, pulling the top card from it. As she turned it around to face her, she opened her eyes and a frown of confusion passed over her face.
"It's... The Snow."
There was a pause. Syaoran sat back, one hand covering his frown. "New beginnings? Is it saying that this whole endeavor is a bad idea…?"
Sakura gasped and held the card closer to her face, raising her voice as though asking the card itself. "Wh-what do you mean?! What is it you're trying to say-?"
Eriol stood up, his voice interrupting her question.
"Calm down, Sakura-san. There may be another meaning."
"Another…?"
Eriol closed his eyes and nodded. "In fortune telling, The Snow represents not just new beginnings, but new beginnings in learning and intellectual growth. It speaks of associations with new mentors and teachers. Perhaps it is trying to tell you to beware of those trying to teach you new things- to be wary of their influence and skeptical of the information they give you."
Once again, there was a pause. Sakura looked over at Syaoran and Tomoyo with an unspoken realization, but Kero was looking in another direction.
"Someone trying to teach her new things, huh…?"
Stephen stiffened and turned back to face Kero. "What are you looking at me for?"
"Isn't it obvious? You're the one who's-"
"Hold on!" Sakura called over, waving her hands. "We just remembered, we'll be getting a new teacher at school soon! Maybe the card is warning us about that."
"A new teacher?" Kaho asked. "In the middle of the year?"
"Minami-sensei is going on maternity leave soon," Tomoyo answered. "So we'll have a substitute until the end of the year."
"Minami?"
"The history teacher."
"Oh!" Kaho clapped her hands together. "Minami Keiko! She's married to Minami Shinichi, the second grade English teacher at Tomoeda Elementary. I was still teaching there when they got married, and all the teachers pitched in for a wedding gift for him-"
"Touya, Yukito, and I had Minami-sensei for history!" Nakuru chimed. "Hers was the one class I actually paid attention to instead of doodling and passing notes!"
Spinel scoffed. "Honestly, Ruby, you're so immature. And this isn't the time to be reminiscing, besides. We are talking about an important warning from the Sakura Cards."
"Spinel is right," Eriol said. "When is your new teacher going to start?"
"Um…" Tomoyo thought for a moment. "Minami-sensei said that her last day would be the Wednesday after Respect for the Aged Day, so… that Thursday, then."
"That's the 22nd, right?" Syaoran asked. "We have off for the autumnal equinox. So the new teacher will start on the 23rd."
"The equinox, hm?" Eriol sighed and sat back down. "It may be a coincidence, but with the warning from the card, you shouldn't let your guard down. Perhaps Kerberos and Stephanos should accompany you to school that day for safety."
Stephen gasped, his eyes starting to sparkle. "I can go to school with Sakura-sama? Oh, I can't wait!"
Kero nudged him. "This is to protect Sakura, remember? No gettin' sidetracked."
"R-right. Of course. Sakura-sama's safety is of the greatest importance…"
As the group continued to talk about the logistics of bringing Stephen to school, Sakura said a quick thank-you to The Snow and returned it to the deck. She shuffled through them again, taking another look at Plague, and then at Erase and Voice. Syaoran noticed and shifted closer to her.
"Is something wrong with the cards? Those feel… different."
Sakura pulled the two close to her chest. "I called on Erase so many times, it exerted too much energy. And Voice was hurt badly protecting Touya." Her frown intensified and tears stung the edges of her eyes. "When we fought Feral, I put Mirror in danger too. I feel awful, asking them to sacrifice so much for my sake… I… I…"
"Sakura." Syaoran spoke her name to cut her off and draw her attention back up to him. "Even as Sakura Cards, they are free spirits. They wouldn't blindly follow you into danger if they weren't willing to do it for you. The cards love you, and we do too. That's why we all are willing to risk our safety for your sake. You'd do the same for us- and you already have. So don't feel guilty. Alright?"
Sakura sniffled and wiped tears away from her face. "Syaoran, you're just going to make me cry more."
"I-I'm sorry, I- er, I didn't mean to-"
His frantic response gave her a chance to laugh despite the tears. "It's fine. These are happy tears. They're because you're here for me. You and all my friends, including the cards. We'll get through this no matter what- everything will surely be alright!"
Syaoran smiled as he repeated her words.
"Everything will surely be alright."
Touya was lying on his side, browsing social media on his phone exactly the way all the so-called "experts" said not to do right before bed. But he'd never been good at following directions, and right before bed was the perfect time to catch up on everything his friends had posted that day without feeling obligated to respond. Normally he enjoyed doing this in silence while Yukito read, but tonight it was just too silent. There wasn't even the regular turning of pages or the little noises of acknowledgement or interest that Yukito always made. Touya set his phone down on the nightstand and sat up, turning to see what was holding Yukito's attention.
"Hey… hey, Yuki? What's on your mind?"
The sound of his name was enough to grab his attention, and Yukito looked up.
"Huh? What?"
"What are you thinking about?" Touya repeated. "I know you're not reading. So what's your deal?"
"I-I… of course I'm reading," Yukito answered. "I have cognitive psychology lecture tomorrow."
"Yeah, but you've been on that page for, like, twenty minutes. It doesn't take that long to read a diagram of Maslow's Hierarchy. What's up with you?"
"Er, that's…" Yukito began and then sighed, setting aside both the book and his glasses. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to keep things from you. I just can't help thinking about what happened today."
"With Sakura? Yeah, that makes sense. I knew she was involved in something big, but I wasn't sure exactly what was going on. Now that I know, I feel better, but at the same time-"
"Yes, I'm worried about Sakura," Yukito interrupted. "But at the same time… I'm worried about what's going on with the other me. He's always aware of what's going on when I'm me, but I've never seen through his eyes before tonight. I don't know what that means."
Touya shrugged his shoulders. "I can't say. But you saved us tonight. Not the other you- you. So the fact that you saw what was happening was a good thing."
"Yeah, but…" Yukito frowned and looked away. "I still can't understand it. Why would our dynamic suddenly change like that? Ever since you told me the truth, I've been afraid of losing myself in the other me. I was scared that I was just a mask for him rather than my own person. But all these years, he and I have been able to coexist. I became confident that I wasn't going to lose myself after all, simply because things stayed the same. So now that things have suddenly changed, I wonder…"
Touya reached over and pinched Yukito's cheek. "Hey, hey. Cut it out with this nonsense, will you?"
Yukito pulled away, rubbing his cheek. "Again with this?"
"I told you back then, you're you, no matter whether you're part of Yue or not." Touya lay back down, staring up at the ceiling. "What happened today proves it- after all, you knew something that he didn't. You had to transform back in order to help Sakura. She needed you."
"But even so, the reason you don't have powers anymore is because of me. I can't forget what you did for me, and how much I've troubled you all these years since-"
Yukito stopped as he heard Touya starting to laugh.
"Troubled me? Really?" He reached out and gave Yukito an affectionate punch on the arm. "If this is your idea of troubling me, then you're welcome to trouble me as much as you like."
Yukito smiled and lay back down, pressing against Touya's back and looping his arms around Touya's waist. "You really are a romantic," he sighed, relishing the feeling of Touya's laughter through his back.
"Hah! You're one to talk right about now."
"I suppose I am." Yukito closed his eyes, letting out a satisfied sigh. "For now, I'll stop worrying about myself. It's Sakura who needs our concern the most right now."
"Yeah. She's still a kid, after all. We can't leave all this on her shoulders. Not again."