Hello readers!

How was everyone's Halloween? I hope it went well because I have the next chapter up and ready.

Many of you have asked when Romeo will be appearing. So I figured to let you wait one more chapter( which is this one) before announcing the male lead of the story!

That's right! Next chapter Romeo will appear! Squee!~

As always thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows!

Enjoy!

Seeing is Believing! Sky vs. Illusion!

Previously on Cardcaptor Wendy…

The image was coming forward again, and she tensed in preparation. It was definitely a woman, with long wavy hair that floated around her head like a soft cloud. Closer…closer…at last Wendy could see the face. And she almost dropped her wand.

"M-M-Momma?"

It was her. There could be no mistake; Wendy had been looking at her photo only hours earlier. Those hauntingly familiar green eyes twinkled as she drifted above the ground and held out her arms for her daughter.

Mother? Really?" Without being quite aware of it, Wendy was walking forward, drawn to the figure before her. Her wildest dreams had come true. Her mother had returned for her. She didn't even hear Happy shouting her name.

"Wendy! What's wrong! Wendy!" He shot toward the Cardcaptor, but crashed into a shield of potent magical energy. The impact shocked him as much as it had physically hurt, and left him to flutter dazedly to the ground.

"Happy!" Chelia hurried to pick him up, then looked at her friend again. Wendy was walking as if in a trance; she seemed to be hypnotized by the eerie glow. "Wendy!" she shouted frantically. "The cliff is that way!"

Wendy couldn't hear her friend, and wouldn't have listened even if she could. All that mattered was that her mother had come back for her, and was close by. She was so close, tantalizingly so. Wendy held out a hand, but the image always seemed to be just beyond her reach. Again she stepped forward, and again, and again, and had almost managed to touch when the solid ground disappeared beneath her feet.

"Wendy! Wendy!" Chelia screamed her name over and over, aware that she wasn't getting through but having to do something. Panic bubbled up inside her when she saw her friend tumble over the edge of the cliff. "Wendy!"

The air whistled past her ears as Wendy fell, but she really couldn't bring herself to care. Everything was so hazy…she had just seen her mother, but now she couldn't see her any more. Where had her mother gone? What was going on? Her thoughts were clouded, and she didn't recognize the warm and comforting presence that enveloped her. Subconsciously she understood it, however, and relinquished conscious thought entirely to give herself over to the blanketing comfort. She wasn't awake to feel the buoyancy, how her freefall was softened to a gradual descent, until she was practically floating down to earth.

"Wendy!"

The ringing shriek startled Jellal, on his way home after night school, and he looked up to see the astonishing sight of Wendy falling right toward him. Instinctively the teenager dropped his bags and rushed forward to hold out his arms, just in time to catch the unconscious girl. It was amazing how light she was, it felt as though she weighed nothing at all.

"Wendy!" He looked up again and saw Chelia kneeling over the edge of the cliff, peering down into the darkness. He flashed her a reassuring smile.

"It's all right," he called out. "Wendy's all right."

Chelia almost collapsed with relief.

It was dark, and peaceful. No, it wasn't dark. Her eyes were closed. Diffidently, Wendy opened them to see a strange room. It looked like someone's bedroom, but she couldn't think who it might belong to.

Just then a door slid open and Jellal entered. He smiled at Wendy's confused expression.

"Are you awake?"

"Jellal! This is…"

"This is my house."

Wow. His house. She'd never been inside it, and she felt a tingle of excitement go through her, even as tired and confused as she was. For the first time she noticed she was wearing a strange white T-shirt.

"Huh? These clothes?"

"The, um, clothes you were wearing are in the laundry. My sister changed your clothes." He handed her a glass of some liquid, and she realized how thirsty she was. As she sipped it, she remembered now how her brother had spoken of Jellal's home. He lived only with his sister Meredy.

"Er, thank you very much."

"Wendy, you fell off the cliff. Do you remember that?"

I did?

She shook her head, and a worried look crossed his face.

"I see. I was surprised. There I was, walking along, and you fell from the sky."

Things were starting to come back to her now. What had happened to her friends?

"They – you – Jellal…where's Chelia?"

"She went home as soon as she saw you were safe. She also took the blue cat plushie with her."

"Now then," he pushed her gently back down among the linens, "rest a little more."

Wendy was still so tired. She allowed him to tuck the sheets under her chin, and stroke her hair back from her face, delighting in his touch. Jellal was so kind.

"Jellal," she murmured dreamily, "I met…my mother on top of the cliff. I wonder if that's my mother's ghost." His brown eyes widened a bit. "My big brother told me long ago that there are reasons why ghosts appear. Why is Momma in a place like that?"

Jellal hesitated. This was tricky territory.

"But, if it was really your mother, Wendy, do you think she would put you in danger?"

Natsu shifted Wendy slightly on his back so that he had a better grip, and then continued walking. Jellal had offered to help carry her, which he refused, so his friend walked alongside instead for company. Wendy was completely out of it, and she rested her head against his shoulder as he walked, dreaming sweetly.

"Sorry for the trouble, Jellal."

"No…" Jellal waved a negligent hand, dismissing the apology, and then gave Natsu a serious look. "Wendy said she met her mother in the woods behind the elementary school." He observed carefully Natsu's startled reaction. "Have you seen her too? Your late mother."

Natsu hesitated. He never spoke about this, not even to his own father. But Jellal had an open, accepting look about him.

"I have, but not behind the school. It's my fault that she can't stand ghosts and the sort. Ever since she was little, I kept telling her about the lady with the transparent body over there. Or how a grandfather with white hair was floating in midair."

Natsu felt a twinge of guilt, remembering how he had tortured his little sister when they were younger. The images had all been so real to him then, he had been so sure. Now when he looked back, he didn't really know if it had been real, or if he had persisted in 'seeing them' because it was so much fun to scare Wendy.

"So that's how Wendy became so scared of them," Jellal ventured. Natsu nodded.

"She can't see them, but can at least sense them. She was always crying without me saying anything." Probably his overactive imagination had given her ideas of her own. It hadn't taken much teasing before she was convinced that she was always surrounded by malignant spirits.

"Do you still see your mother any?" Jellal inquired. There was nothing in the least judgmental in his tone, but Natsu still felt a little uncomfortable. It wasn't every day that people started chatting about how they could see dead people. Or whether they thought they could see dead people.

"No. She was gone by the time I started junior high." He glanced over his shoulder to his sleeping sister. She seemed so delicate and frail like this. "I guess she's lonely because we don't have a mother."

Jellal shook his head thoughtfully. He didn't think Wendy had invented an apparition, for that or any other reason.

"I don't think that's quite it. But maybe it can't be helped that she wants to meet her if she can. Wendy has a lot of things on her mind, too, so don't scold her about what happened today." He smiled as he saw Natsu glance back at his sister again, a rare expression of concern on his face.

He hides it so well. But every now and then, you can see how much he loves her. Jellal thought to himself.

"But if you really like Wendy so much, you should stop making fun of her."

"The only one who can play with her is me," the brother said firmly, possessively.

"Have you ever heard of a 'sister complex'?"

"Shut up."

Wendy put her book down at the sound of the knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in!"

"Wendy," Chelia greeted her upon pushing open the door.

"Chelia nice to see you!"

"Are you all right? You weren't at school today."

"Yes, I'm fine." Wendy gave her friend her biggest smile, trying to allay her fears. Chelia had a worried look in her violet eyes. "Natsu told me to stay home today."

Chelia was toting a picnic basket on one arm and she set it down on the covers. Happy pushed open the lid and floated out to sit on her book. He was carrying a red blossom in his mouth, and this he laid before her with a guilty look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I couldn't do anything."

"Happy, no." She shook her head at his apology even as she lifted the flower to her nose and inhaled. "Thank you, this smells good."

"But what in the world was that light?" Wendy smiled a little, and then lifted the framed photo from the shelf behind her head. She'd brought it up from the kitchen that morning.

"My mother was there in those woods."

Both Chelia and Happy looked a little surprised, then they exchanged glances.

"But what everybody saw was different. You're the only one that saw a woman, Wendy." Chelia pondered aloud.

"I don't think we should go through with it this time." Wendy looked at Happy, alarmed. "I don't know if it's a Fiore Card, or a real ghost. But the energy was powerful enough to fling me away and knock me unconscious. I was the one who asked you to find the Cards, but I don't want to hurt you or make you cry, Wendy!"

"Oh Happy…" Wendy looked fondly at her guardian. "You're kind of cool, Happy!" She clutched him to her chest in a sudden hug, while he vainly tried to wriggle free.

"Hey, I'm always cool!" She rubbed him on his head before releasing him and turned serious again.

"But I'll go again anyway."

"Wendy!" they both uttered, horrified.

"If it's a Card, I have to do something about it. And if it's Momma…" She put down the photo and crept out of bed to cross over to the window. Outside, the May sky was a beautiful shade of azure. "My brother told me once; Momma is no longer here. Because I got older, she felt relieved and went to a very beautiful place up in the sky. So, why is Momma there?" She wrinkled her nose, referring to the lonely cliff. "I want to see if she wants to tell me something."

Both Happy and Chelia were silent. Neither knew what to say to the lonely, motherless girl.

Once again the three of them were in the woods that evening; once again they watched the sky darken from pale to rich velvety blue. This time Wendy's outfit was even more outlandish, a bright lemon yellow material that left her arms bare but flared out into a skirt that resembled an open umbrella, no doubt an inspiration from the recent capture of the Water Card. All the same, it felt strange, and Wendy fidgeted as Chelia checked her camera's battery life.

"Please be careful, Wendy."

"Don't fall off the cliff again," Happy instructed her seriously. "Be really careful."

Chelia raised the camera to scan the area.

"But will it reappear so conveniently for us?" Happy floated into the view of the lens.

"It will! My hunches never go wrong." The words were barely out of his mouth when the camera girl caught sight of a blue twinkle behind his shoulder.

"It's appeared!"

"Wendy!"

All three of them waited tensely, and sure enough, a beautiful woman materialized in the air. Chelia gasped when she recognized the image from the photo.

"Wendy's mother!"

"Just like the photo," Happy agreed. "But why can all of us see the same thing this time?"

Wendy wasn't concerned about that. She took a step forward to reach out to the woman.

"Are you really my mother?" she whispered. "Why are you here?" She took another step as the image moved back. "Are you lonely?" Another step. "Do you want me to be with you?" Another step. Grandine was retreating before her, smiling that beautiful smile again and holding out her arms in welcome. But she was moving back too fast. "Wait! Don't go, Momma! Wait!"

Happy saw the danger and tried to fly closer.

"No! If you go that way -" His words were cut short as he crashed into the shield again.

"Happy!" Chelia hurried to pick him up.

"W-Wendy," he was muttering, dazed. Wendy had almost reached the edge of the cliff again. She was so close… if she could just reach out a little more –

"Momma!"

Once again the ground disappeared beneath her feet, once again there was the shock of the sudden pull of gravity. Wendy watched the road rush up to meet her.

Why?

"But, if it was really your mother, do you think she would put you in danger?"

No! Momma would never do something like this! She wouldn't!

"Fly!" Wendy returned to reality in an instant and struck the Card as she hurtled downward. Faster than ever before, her back sprouted wings and she whipped into a lateral glide just before hitting the pavement. Then she started climbing, up, up, back to where the image of Grandine still floated.

"Wendy!" her friends cried, relieved.

"You are not my mother," Wendy snapped, landing safely on the grass. "Who are you?"

The spell was broken. She watched the apparition fade and blur, like a bad signal from a TV antenna. For a brief moment, a distinctive pattern was revealed, then it faded again.

"I know that pattern!" Happy yelped. "It's a Fiore Card after all!" The pattern returned, and Wendy raised her wand.

"Return to the guise you were meant to be in! Fiore Card!" She struck the air before her and the shape of the long-haired woman was erased for good as all the Card's magic was sucked toward the beak. Wendy was trembling by the time the Card was formed, and it floated toward her hand.

"You did it!" Chelia cheered. Happy checked the name on the Card.

"It was the Illusion Card. That's why what everyone saw was different."

"What do you mean?"

"Illusion is a Card that shows people what they want to see. It shows what's in their hearts. So it's normal for it to be different for everyone."

"That reminds me. When I first came here, I was hungry, and thinking how I wanted to eat pumpkin."

"The ghosts that everyone saw were basically things that they were thinking would be scary if it appeared. The reason we saw Wendy's mother earlier was because we were shown her photo, and because we were all thinking she would appear."

"Then why were you thrown back, Happy?"

"It just shows how strong Wendy's feelings of happiness were from seeing her mother."

Wendy half-listened to the conversation going on around her as she gazed at the Card. It was hard to define what she was feeling right now. There was disappointment, to be sure, and grief, but a curious lightness as well. A tear slid down one cheek.

"I'm glad that Momma isn't all alone here," she stated bravely. "I would be happy if I could see her. But I would be even happier if she was in the beautiful place in the sky."

Happy was silent for a moment, then he patted her on the shoulder.

"Wendy, you did well. I'm sure your mother is resting with a sense of relief." Then he thought about what a close call she had had the night before. "Well, maybe she was just a little bit worried this time."

Wendy's panicked cry echoed throughout the house, shattering the early morning calm.

"I'm gonna be late!" A short blur in blue whisked past Natsu as he sat at the table, munching breakfast and scanning the headlines.

"You're in your uniform on a Sunday?"

"Cheerleading practice!" She inhaled a biscuit and gulped down some milk. "Thanks, that was good." She was almost out the door before she remembered what day it was, and returned to stand before the photo. "Happy birthday, Momma. I love you." She placed a tiny present on the table in front of the frame, and bowed respectfully. Amused but pleased, Natsu glanced up. What he saw almost made him spit out his morning tea.

She was there. His mother, Grandine Dragneel, was right there in front of him, hovering over his sister and smiling. Wendy seemed completely oblivious as she grinned at him and turned to leave.

"Well, I'm going now."

It's my imagination, he thought frantically. Surely it can't be her, I don't see things like that anymore, I haven't seen things like that in a long time.

Dazed, he turned his head to watch Wendy skip from the room, sure that when he turned back, the image would be gone. But no. She was still there, her translucent dress and wavy hair floating around her like a pale mist. Her face was perfectly clear, though, and there was a fond twinkle in her green eyes as she looked at her astonished son.

"I was just a little worried this time," she explained, "so I came by. But it looks like she's all right now." Every detail was exactly as he remembered it. Her voice, her face, everything. She reached up to give him a little wave, and he could see the golden glow of the ring on her left hand. Even the wedding ring was still there.

She waited long enough for Natsu to work up the nerve to return her smile, and then she faded into nothingness. There was nothing left but the blue sky in the window behind her, but Natsu didn't stop smiling.

It wasn't my imagination; it never was my imagination. I can't believe it, but it's true. She really is out there watching us. She never left.

Outside, Natsu finished strapping on her blades and began to skate. She was smiling.

What a shocking ending! But now for the preview of the next episode! Wendy's Rival! The Mysterious Romeo Conbalt!

A new student transfer turns out to be quite the Cardcaptor. Will Wendy finally have met her match? And what's with this Lighting Dragon Slayer attacking the town?

Review, fav, or, follow and see ya then!