The Li Family Affairs
By JooCieFruIT
Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura or else I wouldn't be here.
Welcome back to another chapter of The Li Family Affairs. Once again, any questions/comments/criticism you have, please say so by reviewing. Enjoy.
End of Prologue
Sakura picked up the picture of the boy that had been the topic of discussion earlier. Syaoran, she thought, I miss you so much. Have you really been so busy that you couldn't call me or write? Or have you really moved on. Sakura hugged the picture close to her chest and couldn't deny the warm feeling inside of her heart as the glanced at the teddy bear named after him. But Tomoyo was right. It had been a long time…too long. Even though Sakura knew Syaoran wasn't the type to let go so easily, he hadn't been making an effort to keep in touch either. I promised I would wait for him forever… Sighing, Sakura flipped the frame over so that its face was against the table. It was time to move on
- Chapter 1 -
Syaoran slid open the door to his room as a horrified expression took place on his face. His once clean room was now a chaotic mess, the desk upturned, its contents scattered around the room. It was impossible. He was sure he remembered to cast the protection spell around his room before leaving for his daily conditioning. Had his foes finally found a way to break past the spell? Syaoran's scrolls and books were torn; they would have served no purpose for his enemy anyways. Only members of the Li Clan could decipher the language imprinted on the scroll. His bedroll was slashed, as if fed through a paper shredder the remainder of his pillow, only feathers. What could they have been looking for? he thought, trying to straighten up some of the disheveled items. They were gone now. He sensed no distinct magical aura. Those cowards, why didn't they just attack me? Everything appeared to be present but Syaoran's jaw dropped in surprise as he realized what was missing. His teddy bear and Sakura's photo were no where to be found.
"Shit!" Syaoran cursed out loud, upturning a pile of debris. He had no idea why he was he was so worked up about it but the sickening feeling of his stomach was dominant. Syaoran rummaged furiously, hoping to discover the precious things that were missing but was much more than disappointed as they were nowhere to be found. There was no doubt what his enemies were up to now. He had diligently defeated them every time for the past months and now they had found a way to lure the mouse out of the hole. Anger built up in Syaoran as he realized that Sakura was now in danger because of his mistakes. Just like his family was five years ago. Another vow had been broken. Not giving it a second thought, Syaoran grabbed his sword and dashed out of the room. He hoped he wasn't too late.
------
Morose was an understatement for the weather as Sakura awoke the next morning, gasping for breath, her forehead once again beaded in perspiration. It was the same dream again, and once more, it had ended at the part where the tentacles were crushing her fragile neck, like a movie that could never play past that point. Sakura rolled up her sleeve. The red band was now a deeper shade of red. She mentally scolded herself as she realized she had forgotten to tell Kero about this "dream". Thoughts of Syaoran had enchanted her last night, all the way until she was safely beneath her sunny bedcovers. Glancing over to Kero's box, she took note that he was still fast asleep and decided not to wake him from his slumber. Yawning, she hopped out of bed and began to dress for the day. It's Tuesday, she thought glumly, while slipping on her bra. Tuesdays meant work. Work meant stress. Before running down to breakfast, Sakura checked her image in the mirror. Today, she donned a bright red pants and a yellow t-shirt which read "Burger World" where Sakura was employed. Tuesdays through Fridays from opening time to closing time.
Breakfast was simple. A few pancakes and a couple streams of maple syrup. As soon as she had placed the last bite into her mouth, her winged-guardian drifted down the stairs, looking more tired than a farmer during harvesting season.
"Good morning Kero!" said Sakura cheerfully as she gobbled up the last of her pancake.
"Mornin' Sakura." mumbled Kero in reply as he plopped down on the table like a dead weight.
"I trust you had a good night sleep?" Sakura asked jokingly. She wasn't sure how to begin telling him about her dream. However Kero took it quite frivolously.
"Actually no. Goddamn video game kept me up…and I STILL haven't beat it!" Kero pouted, punching his fist into the air. Then his face turned into an expression of levity.
"So how was your sleep?" asked Kero, staring at the raindrops that slid down the kitchen window like sweat down the back of an athlete's neck.
"Well, " began Sakura tensely. She prodded the sticky leftover puddles of syrup on her plate with her fork. "That's what I've been wanting to talk to you about."
"'k then shoot." the guardian replied, placing his head in his arms.
Sakura related to Kero every detail of her dream from the intense darkness to the tentacles that bound her body.
"…and that's where it ends. I've been having it for the past, I don't know four days?" she concluded.
Kero was deep in thought, his brows furrowed, legs crossed, each arm tucked under one another. His tail wagged in a steady tempo. It made Sakura think of the way Touya tapped his foot when he was impatiently waiting for something.
"You could try asking the cards for help." suggested Kero, still in the frivolous trance. She raised and eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" asked Sakura, finally setting her plate in the sink.
"Well, do you remember the mirror card?" Kero asked, tapping into the depths of Sakura's memory.
It was a long time ago, but certainly not an occasion to forget. Mirror had been one of her hardest cards but came in handy later on. Sakura nodded, beginning to scrub the plate clean with a lime green sponge. The green-apple scented dish soap filled the kitchen with a pleasant aroma.
"You could use the same methods to figure out what's behind this dream as you did to figure out the mirror card. But one thing's for sure, the dream is definitely precognitive."
Sakura nodded again and began to rinse the plate, placing it on the dish rack to dry.
"You were saying?" she asked, turning back to Kero who was now floating in mid-air.
"How much time do you have before work?"
"Uhm, about," Sakura glanced at her watch, " roughly an hour." she finished.
"Perfect," said Kero. He floated out of the kitchen, beckoning her to follow. Sakura did although she couldn't help feeling a little reluctant.
It was like reliving the memory of a ten year old girl. Sakura slowly lifted the cover of the Clow Book, its pages dusty and faded yet its magic calling out to her in audible voices. She could feel its energy, alive and powerful, surging through the dusty corners. The first card; Windy. She turned to Kero for guidance.
"Shuffle the cards with both hands." he said, firmly. Sakura obeyed. She placed them on the desk in one pile, facedown.
"Cut the cards with you left hand." Kero commanded. Sakura did as she was told.
"Now, from the right pile, take the first three and lay them out, face down…From the left pile, take the bottom three and lay them out…leave those six out and put the rest back into one pile…ok."
Sakura stared at the six cards before her. She was anxious to find out their secrets.
"Flip over the first card on the top."
Sakura obeyed once more and was not completely surprised when The Dark stared back at her. Kero was silent for a moment then told her to flip the last card. Shadow. Sakura looked at Kero.
"There is definitely something going on. Flip over the third card on the bottom. It should reveal how you know what will occur."
It was Dream. The message was obvious.
"'kay now leave those three cards out and place the remaining ones back into the deck. Shuffle then deal out three new cards…flip the first one. It should tell you how you fight this thing. Sakura was puzzled at the card. Kero eyed it with the same puzzled expression.
"The Return?" asked Sakura, raising an eyebrow.
"Flip over the last card. It symbolizes the enemies greatest weakness."
Light. Another obvious message.
"Is that it?" asked Sakura. Kero nodded.
"It doesn't give me anymore information than what I already know." Sakura said, adverting her eyes to the cards that were sprawled across her desk.
"Well," Kero began, slightly disappointed that the cards had refused to reveal any more secrets, "they might not know a lot about the enemy or the enemy isn't a direct threat to you."
"Are you kidding? Look at this!" she showed him her wrist and he cringed at the redness of the swelling.
"Well…"began Kero, as he struggled for words. Sakura was now deep in thought.
"The Return… what does that mean…" she asked as she eyed the old man on the card. Kero shrugged.
"Well besides the dream nothing weird has happened yet. So it should be okay for now. And plus you still have your magic." he reasoned. Kero gestured to the clock " We'll talk about it later. You should get going."
Sakura nodded. She ran downstairs and grabbed her jacket and black purse. After saying a quick goodbye to Kero, she locked the front door and left.
Luckily, it was not pouring as Sakura made her way to work. However, the harsh wind knifed through her thin jacket, prickling her skin like a thousand needles. She regretted not wearing a thicker jacket. I had to choose my black jacket over my thick white one, she thought frustrated. Pulling up her hood, she scrambled across the street barely making it, almost a victim of a tragic car crash. She could hear a car honk loudly but paid it no mind. She couldn't take her mind off the dream. It haunted her like a ghost but as hard as she tried to interpret it, failure was all that had returned. Sakura ran into a beefy man in front of Michiru's Flower Shop. She apologized politely and dashed past him before his humongous jaw opened to scold her. Only three more blocks to go.
Burger World was the typical teen hangout. A generous size, the exterior was the shape of a giant burger. A blinking purple sign that read "Burger World" protruded from the top bun. When inside, the floors were tiles of black and white. Red booths were aligned in aisles as music boomed from the speaker system. The scent of fresh French fries and succulent beef patties lingered within the teal walls.
Her boss was a strict man named Takahashi. He had unruly brown hay for hair and pudgy eyes like those of a bull dog. His muddy brown orbs always appeared narrow, as if sneering at those in his sight. Takahashi seldom spoke unless to bark in a raspy voice at his employees for doing a poor job. He spent most of his time in the back smoking and chatting with his older brother Gen about the usual: money, show girls, sex and how the whole world was going to hell.
Sakura rushed up the steps to Burger World and threw the door opened. She was immediately consoled by the warm heater in the entryway. It was only 11:00 AM and already, Sakura could see that bad weather did not prevent people of all ages from dining here. The place was bustling with activity. People laughing, the cries of young children and waiters - scurrying about, trying to please all their customers. Scrambling to her blue locker, Sakura dumped in her purse and jacket as she bumped into a friend, Andrew, on the way out.
"Hey Sakura." he greeted her, sliding past her to his locker. The light was dim and cast a fluorescent effect on the beaten lockers.
"Hey hey." Sakura replied grinning at the young man. He was attractive to put it in few words. His jet black hair was spiked today, adding to his features and his blue eyes twinkled like stars in the night sky. Sakura had met him just a month before, as he had recently moved to Japan from China. They had become instant friends and Sakura was amazed at how fast it took for Andrew to adapt to serving other people, considering this was his first job as a waiter. But then again, Andrew was use to being around crowds of people for he was the eldest of 12 siblings, including himself.
"I see the weather hasn't dampened your spirits?" he said, flashing a smile.
" Apparently not." Sakura said, leaning next to his locker as he twirled the combination. Sakura watched as he pulled the lock and couldn't help but notice the muscles bulging beneath his uniform. He looked so hot with his hair spiked, Sakura said to herself as she felt her cheeks turn a shade of pink.
"So how's life been treating you?" Andrew asked, pulling out his water bottle for a quick sip. He flipped open his cell phone to check for any messages; there were none.
"F-fine." Sakura stammered, adverting her eyes to his handsome face. Andrew nodded taking another swig of water.
"You?" she asked.
"Great. I've finally found an apartment to stay in so I'm moving out of my cousin's house." Andrew answered, replacing the bottle to its former spot in his locker.
"Oh really! Good for you!" Sakura congratulated him, "Where's it located?"
"Heh thanks. Uhm, it's a few blocks from here, near Cherry Blossom Park. You know it?"
"Yeah! That's like, the next street over from my house!" she exclaimed. Andrew grinned in reply.
"Then ...we should get together sometime…" he added softly, staring into her eyes. Before Sakura could reply, an abrupt voice rang out.
"KINOMOTO! YOU'RE NEEDED AT STATION SIX!" There was no doubt whose voice that was.
"Coming!" Sakura hollered back grumpily. She turned to Andrew and gave him a quick wave before dashing to her tables.
The cloudy day was pretty much uneventful. It was just like any other day. The only ludicrous thing was the beefy man that she had run into earlier sat down at her table around 12:30 and ordered four burgers and three chocolate shakes. Luckily, he did not remember her as he wolfed down his meal, the grease dripping down his fingers. Disgusted, Sakura tried her best to be kind and respect his table manners; her efforts paid off as a five dollar bill was left on the table.At about seven o' clock a surprise walked into Burger World.
The surprise was a tall man, with dark brown tousled hair and a firm face yet there was a spark of silliness behind thoseplayful honey pools. He was accompanied by a beautiful blue-eyed girl with perfect curls of a sandy hue.
"Touya!" Sakura cried, as they embraced. She headn't seen her older brother for the past month andadmitted that she missed him, depite all thebickering that went on.but of course these quarrels were most sarcastic comments coming from two siblings who were children at heart. They broke apart slowly as Sakura seated the couple at one of her available tables. Touya and Sakura began talking immediately, to make up time for the Touya had been away at Tokyo University.Sakura was pleased to know that his studies were so far successful.
" Oh, Sakura I'd like you to meet my girlfriend Kara. Kara, Sakura." Touya said, ending the sister-brother conversation. They had almost completely ignored Touya's date but when he mentioned her, her face lightened.
The two girls shook hands.
"Pleased to meet you." Kara said, or rather sang in a high pitched voice. Her voice was impeccably pure, almost like Tomoyo's but lighter, almost airy. It was one of those voices you could never forget.
" Pleased to meet you too," Sakura replied, flashing Kara a bright grin. Almost forgetting that she was the waitress here, Sakura quickly pulled out a green notepad and pen.
"So what can I get for you guys tonight? Anything to drink?" Sakura said in her politest voice.
"Yeah let me have a Coke Squirt." Touya said jokingly. Sakura stuck her tongue out at him and turned to Kara.
"And for you Kara?"
"Uhm, lemonade please." She answered in the same angelic tone. Sakura scribbled the orders down.
"Any appetizers?" Sakura asked. Touya shook his head.
"Nah we're just gonna grab a quick bite to eat and head to East Point." he told her, slipping in a sly wink. Sakura tried to stifle her giggles. East Point was the place in town where young lovers could watch the night sky and do whatever behind closed car doors. Sakura had never personally been there herself but the thought of being alone in a car with your true love was tempting. She could see the embarassment on Kara's face as Touya slipped an arm around the young woman.
"Ahh I see, " Sakura said. "But I heard the weather's gonna be bad tonight." Touya looked pleased that she had decided to ask that.
"Well, in that case, I guess we'll have to settle for my dorm, eh Kara?" he said stroking her curls. She noticed Kara grinning slightly. Ew...thought Sakura grinning nervously at the lovestruck or rather lust-struck couple...do NOT want to go there...
"So are you ready to order then." Sakura said, ignoring Touya's last sentence. She did not want to hear a another detail about Touya's "private" love life.
"Yes-" Touya began when Kara jumped in.
"Actually Sakura, I'm sorry to bother you with this but can we have two cheeseburgers to-go?" Kara interrupted. Touya took no offense as he stared dreamily at his date, who smiled discreetly back at him.
"Of course you can." Sakura said, trying to keep a straight face. She hurried to get their order in case the couple couldn't wait until Touya's dorm. Ten minutes later, she handed them the two brown bags watched them off.
"Have fun you two…" she said mischievously. They exchanged devious smiles and the couple walked hand in hand out of the diner.
At last, 9:00 PM arrived and Sakura plopped down heavily on one of the big lipstick-red booths. It was closing time and the only souls who remained were the workers and of course the ones that would be running the 24 hour drive through window.
"Long day?" came a voice. Sakura smiled when she saw it was Andrew. He was holding a white rag and began wiping the table in front of her.
"Everyday here's a long day." she replied, managing a weak smile. She began tousling her hair as she slouched against the red booth..
"Well, that's life. At least we get this Friday off." he said, trying to scrub away a ketchup stain.
"Yeah. I can't wait." Sakura said as she began to rearrange the napkins and salt and pepper shakers. "It's nice to know the boss does have a heart." she added sarcastically.
"Hey, you're not busy Friday night are you?" Andrew asked suddenly. Sakura could see his cheeks glow a bright pink as he tried to avoid looking at her.
"Well, it depends." she answered calmly although her heart was beating slightly faster. Is he going to..
"Uhm, I was thinking that if you didn't have any plans, maybe we could go out for dinner…" he began nervously. He continued to scrub the table although by now, it was better than spotless.
"Are you asking me on a date?" Sakura said, her lips forming a grin. Andrew looked at her a gulped.
"I guess you could say that. I mean I totally understand if-" began Andrew.
Sakura giggled and reached out to touch his arm. He stopped wiping at the invisible spotand stared into her eyes. She had promised herself last night that it was time to move on. This Friday would be a start.
"Andrew, Friday night sounds wonderful." she replied smiling.
"W-wow. Thanks I guess," Andrew said, his voice shaking slightly from the anxiety. " Uhm so I'll pick you up at about seven?"
"Sure." Sakura answered nodding. He smiled at her and Sakura felt her knees weaken. Now that the chains had disappeared, Sakura was ready to find love again. Syaoran was the past, she would have to move on.
"Listen, I gotta run to the market right now so uhm I'll see you tomorrow? You have my number right?" Sakura said.
"Yes ma'am. I'll see you tomorrow." Andrew said, starting on the next table. "And be careful. Tokyo's streets at night aren't exactly the safest."
"I'll keep that in mind thanks," Sakura cried to him as she rushed to her locker to get her things.
As far as a storm was concerned, no clouds could be seen overhead. The moon was a ghostly orb, tossed up into the sea of stars. Sakura walked quickly, pulling her jacket around her tightly. She had a strange feeling, as if she was being watched. Slowly, her fist clenched around the key strung from her neck. She saw a shadow lurk in the corner of her eye. She was being followed.
Deciding that it was best to wait until morning to grocery shop, Sakura quickened her pace. It was awfully quiet tonight; hardly a soul was present which was unusual. The streets were usually flooded with young couples and people although it was pretty late at night - she ended up staying until 10:30 to help close up. She heard a trash can knock over behind her. Now she was scared. Before Sakura knew it, she began to run until she stood right before her blue front door. Fumbling with her keys, she threw the door opened with shaking hands.
"Kero!" Sakura cried out immediately, slamming the door behind her. No reply. Odd...I usually hear his obnoxious cursing...
"Kero!" she called again, throwing her jacket on the yellow couch. Silence. Sakura tried to flip on the light but to her surprise, the electricity was dead. Her heart was pounding so loud she swore it could have popped out of her chest. She called for him again.
"Ke-" Sakura felt a strong gloved hand fasten around her mouth as a sharp, sliver knife glinted against her neck in the dim moonlight.
"Shut the hell up or I'll slit your pretty little neck."
That's the end for now. Please review! I'll try to update soon but school will have my hands loaded!...lol. A thank you to my first three reviewers: Fruit is NOT a Dessert, Erika-chan, and Broadway Belle. Love and Peace - JooCieFruIT