Sakura: Knight of the Clow: Four

Sakura eased the artifact out of the crate, brushing aside packing materials as she looked at the section of wall. Engraved on the tile were to figures, a noble appearing young man with angel wings, and beside him a massive winged lion. 'Li sent it to me from China,' Sakura frowned in thought, 'could it be linked to the other Clow artifacts?'

"Miss Sakura?" one of the young men on the Museum staff entered nervously to say, "That reporter is here again."

"Thank you," Sakura gave him a smile as she gently put the tile down on a cotton sheet. She wrapped it carefully before stowing it away in a protective drawer. She turned to ask, "Did she say what she wanted to see me about?"

"She didn't really say," he said before heading back upstairs.

Sakura frowned, picking up her labcoat from a nearby table and pulling it on. All around her on various surfaces artifacts of one type or another sat, being prepared for restoration or display. Gold, silver, iron and stone, Sakura cautiously made her way through them all towards the door, locking it behind her as she left. It was a short walk up the stairs into the public parts of the city museum, then she went looking for Tomoyo.

Sakura walked around, looking in the various sections of the grand museum for Tomoyo. Eventually she made her way to the China exhibit and looked over the many artifacts that she had helped recover so recently. A set of silken robes hung in a display case, blue edged in gold, while nearby an odd staff rested, the design incorporating a sun and moon on the top. Tomoyo stood in front of the cases, studying them curiously.

"The metalwork on that staff is remarkable," Sakura said to her softly as she came up from behind Tomoyo, "centuries ahead of it's time."

As Tomoyo turned to see her standing there, the reporter smiling at her slightly. The woman's long black hair fell around her, dressed in a stylish business suit. "You're a mess," Tomoyo surprised Sakura by stepping forward, wiping a smudge off of Sakura's nose.

"Sorry," Sakura blushed, looking down shyly as she said, "I was helping out over in our restoration's department. I'm not so good with the fine work, but I'm a wizz at cleaning."

"Ah," Tomoyo nodded. The reporter tilted her head to the side and asked, "Do you have any plans for tonight?"

"I wasn't planning to go out," Sakura looked at her in surprise, reaching up to touch the necklace she wore, the enchanted charm hanging from it.

"That's not quite what I meant," Tomoyo said. She shrugged, "I was going to go out and grab some dinner, I was wondering if you'd care to join me?"

"Hoeee?" Sakura blinked in surprise.

"Nothing improper," Tomoyo hastened to say with a charming smile, "I was just hoping we could talk a bit."

Sakura studied her a moment before saying, "I... I think I'd like that." She looked down at her dusty clothes, "But do you know a place where I won't get thrown out?"

Tomoyo looked her up and down, and Sakura felt her cheeks color at the admiration in her gaze. "Even dusty," Tomoyo said, "you look good." She took Sakura's hand, "Come on!"

Tomoyo tugged her forward and Sakura laughed softly, the two walking out of the museum together. Sakura slowed once they reached the sports car waiting for them, "I'll mess up the seats!"

Tomoyo just chuckled, opening up the passenger door, "Trust me, it's not a problem."

Sakura pulled her lab coat off, covering up the seat with her white lab coat. "There," Sakura gave Tomoyo a smile, sitting down smoothly.

"Nice," Tomoyo acknowledged. She slid behind the wheel and started up the car. The engine purred like a cat, then with a throaty roar they smoothly pulled out into traffic.

"So where are we headed?" Sakura asked, peering into the rearview mirror and trying to tidy herself up a bit. Finally she sat back with a sigh, "It's hopeless."

"No it's not," Tomoyo smiled. She turned onto a side street, pulling in front of a high class boutique. "First we'll get you changed," she got out then opened up Sakura's door.

"What?" Sakura blinked.

"You were complaining that you were too messy to go out," Tomoyo laughed, "so we're going to fix that now." She lead them back to the clothes racks, quickly judging Sakura's size by a glance, "Do you prefer pants or dresses?"

"Dresses," Sakura stammered, "but I can't let you..."

Tomoyo took a rose evening gown out of the rack, tilting her head to the side to study Sakura thoughtfully. "Trust me, I can afford it," she smiled. She paused, "And I like doing this sort of thing. I probably would have been a close designer if I hadn't become a reporter."

"You always wanted a life-sized Barbie when you were growing up, didn't you?" Sakura complained good-naturedly as Tomoyo handed the blushing woman a set of fancy underwear to go along with the dress.

"I didn't really need one," Tomoyo gave her an impish grin, "I just made my bodyguards dress up how I wanted them too." She lead Sakura through the store, "Skirt, underwear, stockings.." she snagged a set of fine shoes then beamed, "Go get changed, I'll pay for this."

Sakura blinked as Tomoyo strode to the cashier, then with a shake of her head she headed to a change room. 'She just kind of bowled me over,' Sakura mused as she stripped, then pulled on the new clothes. She looked at the changing room mirror and whispered, "Wow."

Sakura stepped out of the changing room in her new heels and Tomoyo looked up curiously. The black haired woman's eyes widened as her lips curled up in a smile. She walked over to where Sakura stood and simply said, "You look lovely."

"Thanks to you," Sakura answered with a warm smile. While in the changing room she had used a comb in her pocket to tidy her hair and was a bit surprised to have Tomoyo reach up to ruffle it slightly. "What was that for?" she protested.

"It looks better that way," Tomoyo offered her arm to Sakura, and together they left the store, Sakura's old clothes in a store bag. "I hope you don't mind my taking charge like that," Tomoyo's voice was gentle, "it's a habit I picked up from my mother."

"The business-woman Sonomi Daidouji," Sakura nodded as the two of them climbed back into the car, pausing only to toss her labcoat in the back with her old clothes. She sighed softly, "My mother talked about her occasionally, just not around my dad."

"Why was that?" Tomoyo asked curiously as they moved out into traffic once again, keeping a careful eye on the other cars on the road.

Sakura was a bit uncomfortable as she admitted, "I got the feeling my father never really got along with your mom."

"I'll have to ask Sonomi about it," Tomoyo said thoughtfully. The woman drove with the minimum amount of movement, guiding her car with gentle skill.

"How much did all of this cost?" Sakura had to ask, gesturing down to her new outfit, "I'd like to pay you back later."

"Friends don't need to pay back things," Tomoyo looked over at Sakura with a engaging smile, "and I'm hoping we'll become friends."

Sakura was a bit surprised to hear such... loneliness in Tomoyo's voice. She smiled back and said, "I hope we will be, too."

"Thanks," Tomoyo grinned as they pulled up in front of a restaurant. She got out first, walking around to open Sakura's door for her. "Shall we?"

"I'd be honored," Sakura rose to take Tomoyo's hand. She felt a bit of relief as they walked towards the door. The restaurant was nice, but not too high class. "The Rose," Sakura murmured, "I've never been here before."

"It was recommended to me by a friend," Tomoyo walked her forward smoothly. The young man at the till smiled as they entered, recognizing Tomoyo. She smiled and said, "Good evening Jim. I'm sorry to say we don't have a reservation."

Jim smiled, blonde hair falling into his eyes. "I'm sure we can find a seat for you two," he beamed, pressing a switch on his desk. A young waitress arrived and he said, "Take Miss Tomoyo and her guest to booth number nine, please."

"Right," the blonde waitress beamed and led the two ladies in.

Sakura looked around her, the comfortable but unpretentious decoration of the place pleasing to the eye. Her eyes widened as she noticed both same sex and mixed couples sitting intimately close. 'Interesting place for dinner,' Sakura mused.

To be continued...

Sakura: Knight of the Clow: Five

Tomoyo walked beside Sakura, noticing the brown haired young woman's now slightly wide eyes. 'Wonder if I should have picked another restaurant?' the black haired reporter mused worriedly. She had gotten used to the Rose, but Sakura was a newcomer...

"Here we are," the blonde haired waitress beamed. She set two leather bound menus on the table and added, "I'll be back in a few minutes to get your orders."

"Thanks Becky," Tomoyo noted the girl's nametag with a smile.

Sakura settled down into her seat, smiling slightly. "An interesting restaurant," she noted. Sakura smiled slightly, "I think it's the one Yukito and Toya go to, isn't it?"

"Oh yes," Tomoyo agreed, "but I was the one to tell them about it."

Sakura nodded to herself thoughtfully. She looked over at Tomoyo, "I guess you've done a lot of research on me for your article, but I know almost nothing about you."

Tomoyo flashed a smile, "Not that much to tell."

"Oh really?" Sakura asked.

Tomoyo sighed to herself slightly, realizing that Sakura was serious. "I was born here in Tokyo shortly before Sonomi Daidouji divorced her second husband," she said thoughtfully. "Went to private schools for most of my life, probably why we never ran into each other in school. Against my mother's wishes I went into journalism," she smiled, "my first real act of rebellion."

Sakura smiled a little sadly, "I wouldn't have minded meeting you in school."

"Me, too," Tomoyo admitted. "I had bodyguards all my life until I left school," she smiled wryly, "I actually missed them for awhile."

"I read some of your articles after that interview," Sakura smiled, "you've done well. Several local journalism awards, in the running for some of the nationals."

"Still haven't won," Tomoyo grinned, "but it'll happen."

The waitress returned, a bounce to her step. "Have you decided what you'd like to order?" Becky asked them cheerfully.

"What's the special tonight?" Tomoyo asked smoothly.

"Burger platter," Becky said, "with wedge fries, gravy, and drink."

"Totally unhealthy," Sakura noted with a smile, "I'd love it with as cola."

Tomoyo chuckled softly, a little surprised by Sakura showing a decadent side. "One for me, too, let's both be bad," she smiled, "but make up two garden salads as a side dish, please."

"Got it," Becky waved as she scampered off.

"A bit of virtue to go along with all the vice," Sakura said with a impish little smile, "it seems that we think alike."

Tomoyo nodded, "Guess so." She leaned back in her seat a bit, her long black hair flowing down her back in a neat braid as she studied Sakura.

'She seems so innocent at times,' Tomoyo mused as she watched the elegantly dressed Sakura, 'but she adapted to all this easily.' A young woman walked over, clearly having recognized the locally famous archeologist and Sakura handled her with gentleness and tact.

"What?" Sakura asked curiously.

"How did you get into archeology?" Tomoyo asked curiously.

"Wanting to understand the cards," Sakura admitted. "From the stories my mother passed on they've been around nearly forever..."

"Here you go," Becky bounced up to their table, smoothly dropping off two heavily laden trays with the meals on them. She set those and the drinks in front of them before adding, "I'll be by later to see if you want desert."

"Right," Sakura murmured, looking wide eyed at the massive amounts they had been served. Once Becky left she whispered, "I can't eat all this!"

"Join the club," Tomoyo laughed, "but we'll make a valiant effort." As the two women dug in she asked, "Have you had any luck looking into the cards?"

"Not as much as I'd like," Sakura admitted, taking a bite out of her burger then dabbing at her mouth with a napkin. "Clow Reed was a magician who traveled across Asia, especially China and ancient Japan. He was also a fortune teller, and he originally fashioned the Clow cards to assist him in that," she explained.

"So how many cards are there?" Tomoyo asked curiously, eating gravy covered fries with a great deal of enjoyment.

"A lot," Sakura sighed. "I have the Windy and Fly cards and in my research I've discovered that there are Mirror, Fight, Shadow and many others," she said.

Tomoyo nodded slightly at that. "So how would you go about finding all these cards?" she asked her curiously.

"That's the problem," Sakura picked up a fry with her fingers, munching on it glumly. "When I was searching in China I was able to... sense the presence of certain artifacts," she revealed, "The book, pen and staff all drew me to them."

"So if you're near a Clow card," Tomoyo dug into her other half of a burger, "you'll probably be able to sense it too."

"But only if I'm pretty near," Sakura pointed out with a fry, "I was only able to pick up the artifacts if I was within a few feet."

"So we'll need to find a lead on the cards locations first," Tomoyo mused. She smiled, "My connections as a reporter might help."

"Thank you," Sakura flashed a smile, pushing her plate aside to get to her salad. She hesitated, "I'm not sure this sort of thing is going to be terribly newsworthy, though..."

"We're family, sort of," Tomoyo finally said, referring to their mothers being cousins. She crunched on a tomato from her salad and chuckled softly, "Besides, I don't think my curiosity would let me stay out of this, either."

Sakura smiled, "I'm glad."

"I see you're pretty much done," Becky appeared with a smile. Tomoyo looked down at her plate in surprise, realizing that she'd absentmindedly cleared her plate while talking to Sakura. "What would you like for desert?"

Sakura looked appealingly at Tomoyo. "I haven't been here before," she said, "is there something you liked?"

"There was a treat I got last time," Tomoyo smiled wickedly, "Death by Chocolate."

"It's not healthy, I take it," Sakura smiled back. She looked over up at where Becky stood, "We'll take two, please."

"Two Death by Chocolate," Becky laughed, coming back in a few moments with two dishes filled with the seductive chocolate treat.

"You're a bad influence, you know that?" Sakura said to Tomoyo with a laugh.

"Me?" Tomoyo batted her eyes innocently. "I wasn't the one who ordered it," she laughed, savoring a spoonful with a happy sigh.

"You know," Sakura said, a bit of chocolate stuck to the corner of her mouth, "I had a really good time tonight."

"You sound surprised," Tomoyo noted.

"I guess I am," Sakura admitted. She blushed slightly, "I don't have much of a social life."

Tomoyo hesitated, reaching out to put her hand gently on top of Sakura's. "Maybe I can help you change that," she offered.

Sakura blushed, but she didn't pull her hand away. "I'd like that," she smiled.

To be continued...

Sakura: Knight of the Clow: Six

Sakura raised her key-staff, watching as the Harpy stumbled, bird- like legs barely holding it up. Wings stretched from it's back but oddly the front of the monster looked like a beautiful young woman. She looked at Sakura with those golden eyes, a silent appeal that she spare her.

'This thing has been killing kids,' Sakura reminded herself firmly, her short brow hair ruffled a bit by the slight evening breeze. Her new costume in black and gray was surprisingly comfortable, despite all of the fancy ruffles, even incorporating her old cloak, and it was all a gift of the woman who watched behind her.

Keeping a safe distance Tomoyo stood there in the shadows, with the latest in mini-videocameras focused on Sakura. She had insisted on coming along in exchange for keeping her silence about Sakura's adventures and she had been forced to agree.

The Harpy turned to try to take off and Sakura moved forward swiftly. She twisted her staff, the sword sliding free, then overtook the creature before it could take off. She leapt, sword flashing, then sliced down into the thing's foul flesh. There was a burst of black blood and it collapsed into a mess of broken feathers and rotting meat, the stench driving them both backwards.

"Are you all right?" Tomoyo asked worriedly, the black haired young woman looking at Sakura in honest concern.

"I got splatted," Sakura held up her messed up sleeve, "other than that I'm fine." She cleaned her sword blade off then slid it into it's sheath with a soft rasp.

Tomoyo's eyes glittered happily and Sakura felt an odd sinking feeling. "Oh good," Tomoyo beamed, "I get to dress you again."

"Are you sure you didn't want a life-sized Barbie doll when you were growing up?" Sakura asked as they walked back to the car.

Tomoyo just chuckled softly. She stowed the camera away then pulled out a second version of the overcoat, helping Sakura pull the messed up coat off then sliding the new one on. She tidied the collar of the coat, her fingers lingering as she said, "You look good."

Sakura blushed slightly, smiling back at Tomoyo. "I'm surprised you could so quickly make up this costume for me," she said.

Tomoyo raised an eyebrow and smirked as she answered, "Who's to say it's the only costume I've made for you?"

"Hoee?" Sakura blinked.

"So do you think there's going to be any more trouble tonight?" Tomoyo asked cheerfully, leaning up against the side of the black car.

"I don't think so," Sakura said, still blushing a bit as she continued, "usually there's only one creature a night, though why I don't know."

"Interesting," Tomoyo whipped out a notepad and jotted that information down. "I'll ask Rika to look into that, too," she put the notes away. She waved Sakura to the passenger's side as she climbed in, "Where too?"

"Could we swing by the museum?" Sakura asked with a slight smile as she climbed in. She smiled wryly, "I like to check up on it when I go out."

"Why not," Tomoyo started up the car and they were off.

"Thanks," Sakura sighed, leaning back as she focused her will and murmured softly, the battle staff shrinking down again into the pendant that she wore around her neck.

Tomoyo kept her gaze turned to the road as she softly asked, "I wonder where the monsters are coming from?"

"I read something in my Grandmothers diaries from when she was Knight," Sakura said as she unclipped her cloak, folding it up in her lap, "she thought they were a manifestation of human evil, given form by wells of dark magic."

The traffic lights lit up Tomoyo's face as they moved through the dark Tokyo streets. "So it won't be easy to get rid of them," she said.

Sakura reached up to touch her pendant, the ornate key catching the light. "Except one at a time," she agreed.

They pulled up in front of the museum, Sakura climbing out of the car to look at the building thoughtfully. It was quite modern, but the architecture was all modeled after that of the ancient Greeks and Romans. The great stone pillars rose up around them, supporting the museum roof, and the front steps gleamed like polished glass.

Tomoyo got out first, looking up at the regal building. "It's beautiful, even at night," she remarked softly.

"Yeah, it is," Sakura said, climbing out beside her. Her hair was blown back by the night breeze as she murmured, "I don't know why, but I find visiting here comforting."

"I guess so," Tomoyo answered, turning to look at Sakura thoughtfully.

"What?" Sakura asked curiously.

"I've only seen you use the Windy so far," Tomoyo said, "what is the other card you have? And why don't you use the cards more often?"

"Like tonight," Sakura said quietly. "The cards have spirits, wills all their own, and the Windy isn't all that tame," she explained.

"It might disobey you?" Tomoyo blinked.

"It hasn't yet," Sakura looked up, the moonlight shining down, "but that doesn't mean it won't decide to some day."

"And the other card?" Tomoyo repeated.

"The Fly card," Sakura actually smiled fondly as she continued on, "it's not the most useful card in battle but it's enjoyable to use." She drew a Clow Card from the inside of her shirt as she said, "Do you want to see?"

"Of course!" Tomoyo laughed.

Sakura held the card thoughtfully a moment, her concentration focused, then she tossed it up into the air. "Fly Card!" she cried, "Become wings to carry me! Fly!"

The card dissolved into light as Tomoyo gasped in alarm. The energy congregated at Sakura's shoulders, a burst of light and power reforming them into a pair of great white wings.

"It's beautiful," Tomoyo managed reverently.

Sakura offered her hand. "Shall we?" she asked gently.

Tomoyo didn't hesitate as she took Sakura's hand, surprised to feel those arms folding around her. Sakura held her tightly, then the wings stretched up before beating down, propelling them up into the air. "Incredible," Tomoyo gasped, clinging to her.

"Look," Sakura said softly.

Tomoyo opened her eyes, only then realizing that she had clamped them shut. Below them the car and museum shrank, the city stretching out around them. Tokyo tower shone in the distance, the roads lit like glowing arrows around the city. The few people and vehicles looked like toys down below them, moving back and forth on their business.

"I've never..." Tomoyo murmured.

"This is the first time I've shared this view with someone," Sakura said to her softly, "I've always done this all alone."

Tomoyo looked down a moment at the glowing city then up at Sakura's face. "I'm honored," was the best she could manage.

Apparently it was the right thing to say as Sakura's face lit up in a happy smile. "I'm glad," she answered, gently bringing the two of them back down to the ground. As she touched down the wings seemed to explode into a cloud of feathers, coming together as the card once more.

"You certainly know how to liven up a date," Tomoyo looked at Sakura with a impish smile, "but what are you going to do on our next one?"

Sakura just laughed.

Atop the museum he stepped from the shadows as the two women climbed into the car and drove away. His whitish hair blew in the breeze, the matching wings stretching up to the night sky. His robes in blue gave him a noble air, his hawklike eyes narrowed in thought.

"Not what I expected," Yue finally said, "not at all."

To be continued...