Memories, That's All They Are
xLemonPepperx
An Card Captor Sakura Fanfiction.
Angst/Drama
Alternative Universe.
I do not own Card Captor Sakura- the Anime, Manga or characters. Only the plot and the following writing am I able to hold to my name.
Note: This was written during the early hours of the morning, and I was (most likely) half, if not more asleep while typing. So if you see any mistakes, please tell me so I am able to make this story much more enjoyable.
Note-2: Thank you so much to all of my reviewers! I love you all so much and you wouldn't believe how happy it makes me feel when I realize that other people are actually enjoying my writing. It certainly gives writing a new purpose. Thank you also to everyone who Favourited this story and also Alerted it. Just like the reviews, they give my writing a new meaning, a new life. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.
Note-3: Please, if you have some spare time- check out my other stories. I have one under Full Metal Alchemist with the pairing of RoyXEdward, genre is Angst (A very dark story, not for minors) and a Naruto story with the pairing of NarutoXSasuke and- as per usual, the genre is Angst.
Stay Safe
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Chapter One:
In Which A Fire Is Lit
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A pale hand rested over her eyes, the other hand lay gently on her stomach. She hadn't slept a wink. Her body felt weak, useless- it was safe to say she felt the same inside and out. Memories of the day's earlier event raced through her mind, much like a broken record. She just couldn't block them out. Sitting up slowly, she held onto her head as a light-headed feeling evolved her.
The weak morning rays of sunlight shone through the curtains. A sudden contrast to the once pitch black room. The soft snores of the little green teddy bear were the only sounds. Head bowed low she felt her body rejected every and all sudden movements. Emotionally and physically exhausted, all her body wanted to do was sleep for at least a few hours, yet her mind kept her away.
Shivering slightly at the change in temperature she placed her feet upon the cold, wooden floor. Her cards lay lifeless on the floor. They were as weak as she was, and thus they had no power to draw from. So they had taken refuge lying on the ground, just staring up at the ceiling or emotionlessly into the said floor boards.
Not once had tears fallen from her eyes since she'd explained to Kero what had happened, the thought scared her slightly. It was almost as if the tears refused to be shown, like they had their own mind. Although she had more important things to worry about.
"Is that you, Sakura?"
The said girl allowed an agreeing sound to escape her partly dried lips, her half-lidded eyes barely glancing over at the drawer that Kero had claimed as his. He was standing, paws resting on the edge. Wings fluttered slowly as his beady eyes stared over in her direction. She knew that he was concerned, his body language and expression said it all. Somewhere deep within her, she felt angry; she didn't want to be pitied.
"How are you feeling?" It was unusual for the Guardian to be up before midday so she had to wonder exactly how long he'd been awake for. He flew up to her, cautiously- almost as if she was a piece of fragile glass and sudden movements would 'cause it to break. He landed gently on her shoulder. Auburn hair was let loose and was relatively longer when when he'd first met her. Although she had kept it short, it reached just past her shoulders, the bangs a bit longer and flowed down to her chest.
"I'm alright, I guess." It was a lie, she honestly felt like shit, but she didn't want to be pitied. Sakura felt worse than when she had gotten home. It was like drinking alcohol- while drinking the first bottle, the affect isn't vivid although knew that it's still there, after waiting for few minutes, the alcohol starts to take greater affect.
Kero remained quiet, he wasn't sure if he should believe the child or not. But instead of saying something that could possibly upset the girl any more than she already was, he just concluded with a solemn "That's good."
The atmosphere was as if someone had died, it was thick, and held a tone of depression. Although it was to be expected, the group had been together for a long time, they'd all been through so much- and then this happened. For someone so young, who had probably believed in "Happily Ever After" It would have been hard to handle. All Kero could do was be there for her. Remind her that she wasn't alone.
Although he felt helpless. He was so use to seeing the cheerful, naive, energetic child with bright emerald eyes and a smile that was contagious. Someone who was always there for someone, even if the said someone was just a stranger on the street. Not this lifeless memory of what once was. He'd seen so much pain, death and unmentionable acts in his life- but somehow, this one affected him greatly.
He could be feeling empathy from the auburn haired child, or it could have been because of how much they'd gone to. Although it didn't exactly matter as to 'Why'. For the real question was how was he going to fix it.
A sudden, but slowly movement pulled the blonde bear out of his train of thoughts as the problem of all of the said thoughts stood up and lazily gazed out the window. Kero remained sitting on the bed from where he landed after falling off the Childs shoulder when she stood. A sigh escaped her lips as she silently started to undress and rummage through her closet.
Kero, acting like a proper gentle man avoided looking in her direction. There was no incomparable silence for he'd seen the child change many times, and this was no different. He glanced out the window where the sky was painted a soft dark red, almost orange colour. The sunrise.
That must mean that it wasn't even five-thirty. Concluded the bear, and then shot a puzzled glance over at the child who pulled on a simple dark blue turtleneck and a pair of casual jeans.
"Sakura, where are you going? It's not even five-thirty yet..." voiced the guardian in a low voice, as to not wake up her older brother and father. The addressed girl turned around, sorrow filled emerald eyes just bore into his own black beady ones. She looked as if she wanted to say something- important by the way her mouth slowly opened and closed, and her fingers twirled the ends of her sun kissed hair. After a few moments she turned around and grabbed a small key chain with a small plushie of the guardian attached to it.
"I'm going back to school to pick up my stuff," she spoke, her hand clenched around the key chain, "Stay here okay?"
"Pick up your stuff? Why? What's happening?" Kero was almost in hysterical. He knew that neither her brother nor father would even think about pulling her out of school for a small reason. Something big must be happening, and Kero was thinking the worse. Seeing all of the negative possibilities instead of thinking rationally. And the fact that Sakura hadn't mentioned anything about leaving school, that facts alone made Kero feel somewhat useless, powerless.
Her back was turned towards him, hair left out as it flew down her back in calm waves, and her posture was stiff, as if she was holding the key to destroy the world within her. "D-Dad got accepted into a school in New Zealand (That's where I come from, and I am annoyed by how many people don't know where that is. So unlike the original version of his story, where she went to clichéd America- she is going to my home country. Give New Zealand some spot light, I conclude... Sorry for the Author Note!) He's going to go teach over there for a year or so. Because Touyas' almost finished his school years, he can use his qualications to do whatever he wants over there, it would be good for both of them..." she stopped talking, and glanced briefly into a mirror that was positioned on the other side of the room, "And for me to start a new life. The cards are all captured, everything is calm- there's nothing left for me here. I'll have to get going, please don't make to much noise, I'll be back in about thirty minutes."
Before he even had a chance to respond she was out the door, shutting it with an almost mute 'click'. Kero lay back on the bed, what Sakura had told him raced through his mind. It was so much to comprehend in much a small speech. "What's happening to you, Sakura?" he whispered, although- as expected; only the sound of silence was his answer.
---------------------------------------------------------- Will You No Longer Hear Me Laugh? ----------------------------------------------------------
True to her word, Sakura silently entered her room half-an-hour later, although to Kero it seemed like a lifetime. A small bag was slung over her shoulder and a pair of black dress shoes was clutched lightly in her hand. Her head was downcast as she placed the bag on the table, shoes on the floor and collapsed on top of her bed.
"Um, how did it go?" cautiously asked Kero as he sat down upon her stomach which rised and fell with each breath, he wanted to start a convosation, he wanted Sakura to actually talk to him. Nott keep to herself and remain silent.
Her shoulders lifted slightly in a shrug fashion, there wasn't much to tell. She had just entered the school (using the key Tomoyo had given to her years before when she was still out capturing cards, just incase a card was inside the school and she needed to retreive it), gathered her books and other school things from her locker and made a swift exit. She didn't let her mind wander while she was within the school. She was there for one thing and one thing only. And that thing wasn't to reminess on the past.
Kero, not sure of what to say next just let the in-different (for him, at least) silence do its job. Minutes past before life was heard downstairs. Feet crossing the floor boards and the oven being turned on. Her Father had told her (on short notice) that they were leaving that very morning. It was unusual to have the news broken so suddenly, but from what she had heard, the school needed his experience immediately, and thus they had paid for the tickets and a tempory living status until they could get settles in- but that was only available if they left strait away.
Even though her room wasn't packed, the movers were going to be packing up the house and shipping it to where they will be staying, all Sakura needed to take with her were the essentials. And that amount of packing had been done prior in the night before. With a suitcase filled with the essentials (which included Keros' house and her cards) she silently walked down the stairs, Kero stuffed lightly in a small carry-on bag that she was going to take only the plane with her.
Her father was already up; he was sitting at the table, reading over the news paper with a half-filled coffee mug placed next to his hand for easy access. Bacon and eggs sizzled silently on the stove and the TV was running quietly with the News presenters speaking of the current stories.
"Oh, good morning Sakura. Did you have a good sleep?" Her father spoke once he noticed her. He lifted his head from the paper, glasses resting on the bridge of his nose as he gave his youngest a loving smile.
"Yea." She couldn't bear to look at her father, a fact that he found different, but just put it down to the fact that said girl is actually moving away from her birth place- and all of her friends. It had to be hard on her.
"Have you finished backing your suitcase?" The best remedy he could think of to calm her was to make casual convocation. He was rewarded with a shrug as Sakura poured herself a glass of Orange juice which was sitting on the counter waiting for the siblings to awake.
"Yes father."
"Good, thank you Sakura. The plane's leaving at 8:30 a.m so we'll have to head down to the air port soon to click in. Are you sure this is okay with you? I could talk to Tomoyos' mother and see if you could go stay with them for awhile if you don't want to leave…"
Sakura just shook her head solemnly, "No, that's alright. Call me when we have to go." And without another word she stalked her way up the stairs, for the last time, and entered the room that she'd declared as hers since she was born.
It felt weird, sad to think about someone else living in the house, the house that held so many memories. Some good and some bad, but all-in-all, they were memories. For the last time she threw herself down upon her bed, sinking into the comfort, the way if suffocated her- it felt strangely relaxing. Her vision blurred with unshed tears as she just stared up at her tiled ceiling.
She could almost feel the eyes of her deceased mother watching her from the photo placed on the nightstand. It was a time when everything was perfect, but now- it's only a memory. And all that remains is a piece of paper, showing an image frozen in time.