DM: Sorry it's been like two weeks since I last updated. Being a first semester senior is extremely tough/is ruining my life.
Disclaimer: I don't own CCS.
Curses!
Arc One: Clow Land
Chapter Seven
Seeing Double
"It's…so hot…" Sakura panted, her shoulders slumping over in the hot sun.
She swiped the sweat from her forehead and turned to Syaoran. He had taken off his shirt and was now in the process of rolling up his jeans.
"And…dry…" Syaoran wheezed.
Their feet struggled in the soft sand as they mounted dune after dune. There were no plants in sight.
Kero and Nicole said nothing, for both were under the shade of her lovely (but small) parasol.
They had been wandering in the desert for weeks after capturing the Fly card. Not a single Clow Card had crossed their paths, and nothing even remotely exciting happened, unless you count the epic battle between Sakura and Syaoran over who smelled the worst (forced to smell himself, Syaoran eventually admitted defeat).
However, today would be the day that something exciting would happen. Sakura just felt it.
"Nicole, can I have some water?" she asked. Her dry tongue slipped over the other girl's name lazily.
"Of course, Sakura," Nicole cheerfully replied. She opened the insanely large magic bag and felt around inside for one of the bottles of river water they had saved. She grasped one and pulled it out.
"Here you go—oh!" she exclaimed in surprise. Stuck to the bottom of the bottle was a roll of parchment.
"What's that?" Kero asked quickly. Nicole pulled it out of his reach as Sakura gulped down the warm water.
"It's my mission!" she said, and then froze. Kero took this opportunity to snatch the parchment away.
"Oh…" she laughed nervously, "I guess it's Sakura's mission."
Syaoran turned around and noticed that he was several meters ahead of the group.
"What's the hold up? Is she drinking or bathing?" he asked irritably, "Not that I would mind if she did the latter…" he added with a smirk.
Sakura frowned, her mouth full of water, and Syaoran laughed. He couldn't help himself. Making fun of her was just so fun. Sometimes he wished that Kero and Nicole would just disappear.
"For your information, Li, Nicole has just—"
"Oh this is just the prophecy," Kero cut in, relief evident in his voice, "Why did you have it, Nicole?"
"It's always been in my family," Nicole responded, while Syaoran and Sakura stuck their tongues out at one another.
"C'mon, let's keep walking before Sakura bashes my face in," Syaoran said blithely. Sakura fumed but followed his lead. Kero and Nicole were soon after.
"Hey Kero," Nicole began, "does anyone live in Clow land?"
"From time to time people wander in, and, unable to distinguish it from the real world they are content to live here," he replied.
Kero was knocked off Nicole's shoulder as she walked straight into Sakura's back.
"What is this?" Kero yelped angrily, but his mouth stood open when he saw what was in front of them.
Two extremely large and elaborate mansions stood side by side, identical copies of one another. They were in the French style, with gilding along the doors and windowpanes and elaborate mansart roofs.
The four companions simply stood and stared. Then slowly, hesitantly, the door on the left opened to reveal a small boy with messy blonde hair and glasses, dressed in a light tee shirt and shorts. He looked to be about twelve years old.
"Hello!" he called out to them, "Come in come in! We never get visitors!"
The four looked taken aback but went up to the door anyway. The boy, in the meantime, had noticed the other house.
"Gee," he said as they came up, "Guests and neighbors all on the same day."
"Who lives in that house?" Kero asked the boy.
"A stuffed animal?" the boy asked Nicole, looking puzzled. He had bright blue eyes and curly blonde hair.
"Kero is our friend, don't judge him by his size," Nicole said pleasantly.
"Or by the fact that he's a stuffed animal…" Syaoran added quietly.
"I dunno who lives there. I've only seen it just today," the little boy said, and with that they all went inside.
"Mama! We have guests!" the boy yelled into the house. Then, turning around, he added: "My name is James."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Nicole."
"I'm Sakura."
"I'm Syaoran."
"Such exotic sounding names," James remarked to Nicole.
They came at last to a small kitchen, rather cold despite the desert heat. A beautiful lady with light brown hair and blue eyes smiled to greet them and set a tray of tea on the table. The tray and cups were as elaborate as the house itself.
"Tea!" Sakura and Syaoran were upon it instantly, finding it pleasantly iced and sweetened. James and Nicole began talking, and Kero spun round in circles trying to look at everything at once.
"What's the matter, stuffed animal?" Syaoran asked, grabbing the spinning guardian by the tail.
"Clow Cards….so many…"
Unnoticed by the five of them, the smile on the woman's face froze.
"So lady," Kero asked, regaining his composure, "who moved in next door?"
The woman said nothing and only shrugged. Kero nudged Sakura's hand. She paid him no mind and continued drinking her tea. He bit her finger.
"Ow! Kero—!" He made a motion for her to be quiet and then gestured outside.
"What's wrong, Sakura?" James asked, his mouth full of cookies.
"I dropped something—outside!" Sakura said quickly, and she and Kero got up and ran out of the house.
Really smooth.
When they got outside, Sakura spun around and looked angrily at Kero, who coolly stared back.
"Get your staff out Sakura, there's Clow Cards galore here. I've been sensing them ever since we entered the desert."
Sakura did what she was told, and then turned and looked expectantly at him.
"You have to call it out. If you can get a Clow Card's name it will reveal its true form to you."
"So what's its name?" Sakura asked irritably. Kero smiled and shook his head.
"I can't tell you this time. This card is much smarter than some of the others."
Sakura frowned.
"Fine fine, I'll give you a hint. This card makes everything double, because it has been double from birth."
Sakura mouthed out the words to herself, while staring back and forth between the two houses. They were identical, down to the last detail. Double from birth, double from birth…
"The Twin Card!" She shouted triumphantly.
Kero did a little flip in the air. The second house disappeared, and in its place were two adorable looking twin children. There was something inhuman about them, they seemed to radiate a magical energy.
"They want to fight," Kero said.
"Fight?" Sakura asked, clutching her staff to her chest.
The twins leapt at her immediately, punching and kicking. Sakura attempted to fend one off with her staff while dodging the other, but they moved in perfect unison, and soon she was on the ground.
"Kinomoto, what are you—Sakura!" Syaoran's voice came from the house.
For a brief, stupid moment, Sakura blushed because he had called her by her first name. For the second time. The twins saw the opening and both aimed kicks at her head. She closed her eyes in anticipation of the blow—
—that never came. Syaoran had pulled her out of the fray and was not taking on both twins at once.
"Li can't do it by himself, Sakura," Kero shouted, "He needs someone to help him!"
Sakura thought quickly, and pulled out a card: "Release! Mirror! Help Syaoran!"
Mirror took on his form and together they beat back the twins. James and Nicole soon came out to see what all the fuss was about.
"Go Syaoran go!" they cheered.
When the twins fell into the sand, Sakura jumped in and sealed them away. The Twin Card was now hers.
"Bravo!" James said, clapping, "That was cool!"
Sakura smiled at them. Syaoran walked up to her as Mirror returned to its card form. They looked at each other awkwardly, unsure of what to say.
"Let's go back in, shall we?" James said. The two readily agreed.
Inside, the woman had lost all semblance of a smile. Her hands shook as she poured out more tea.
"Hey lady," Kero asked again, "Where do you get all this food from? There's desert around here for miles."
James piped up instead of his silent mother, "From the magic cupboard!"
The four looked at him rather confusedly, but then Kero's eyes narrowed.
"Show us."
As the group trudged down a hallway (the mother had broken several plates and was now cleaning up), Syaoran turned to Sakura and asked,
"Do you think Kero senses another card?" Sakura shrugged.
"Here it is!" his voice sang out. It was a surprisingly plain cupboard made of light wood. The handle was small and made of brass.
He opened the cupboard for all of them so see and said, "I want cherry cheesecake!"
Instantly, cherry cheesecake appeared. Nicole applauded.
"How does it work?" Kero asked, casting Sakura a meaningful glance. She figured that this was another card she would have to guess the name of.
"I dunno, but sometimes it makes not-food too. It makes whatever I tell it to!"
"Aha!" Sakura said, earning strange glances, "The Create Card!"
A small book appeared in the cupboard. Sakura released her staff and captured it. James started to cry.
"I'm so sorry!" Sakura said, dropping to her knees so that they were the same height, "We'll still make you food!"
"Nice going, Kinomoto," said Syaoran. Sakura frowned.
James' mother came in. She seemed to get taller and more terrifying with every step. Sakura and the others backed against the wall, cowering in fear.
"Sakura, don't be scared," Kero said, "It's only an illusion!"
At that the woman became a collection of stars that loosely formed a human body.
"Mom?" James asked. His tears were not even dry yet.
"Don't worry, sweetie, it will be ok," Nicole said, her arm around him.
"Return to the form you were destined to be in, Clow Card!" Sakura shouted, and the Illusion was trapped again in a card form.
Kero shook his head sadly. "They were taking care of this poor kid…"
"I'll do it!" Nicole said suddenly.
Everyone looked at her. Suddenly a huge gust of wind hit the house. They all ran outside.
A huge sandstorm was raging, twisting all the sand around them up into an angry spiral. The hot wind whipped their faces. Everyone turned to glare at Kero.
"You said you sensed a Clow Card ever since we entered the desert?" Sakura asked, an eyebrow twitching dangerously.
"Ehehe…heh.."
DM: Sorry to end it there, but I have so much work to do! Anyway I hope you liked it (I didn't, really). But guess what! Next chapter means the end of OCs for a while! And that means that Sakura and Syaoran's relationship will actually start to progress… Please review!
Next Chapter: I'm Not Useless!